"Was that helpful?" She heard him asking.
There was a dumbfounded look on her face at the sight of him standing merely a breath away from her.
Elphaba was never skilled at concealing her genuine emotions, even in times when she truly had to.
Her eyes locked onto the far horizon ahead.
For the first time in her life, she had lowered her defenses. She ought not to have done it, however.
Fiyero could sense the fear reflected in her eyes, and despite the situation, he still found her charming. He grasped her hand as if to let her know that he understood her thoughts and worries, but Elphaba refused to become absorbed in the moment.
The sky quickly became overcast with gray clouds, casting a shadow over the surrounding landscape. Her gaze concentrated on the sky above, while his was fixed on her.
"What is it? What’s the matter?"
Her eyes unconsciously went back to him, and a sigh slipped from her mouth. It was not affecting her that he was gazing at her, but rather how he was doing it. His intensity was sufficient to desire something she had never sought before: physical touch. Being truthful to herself, his touch.
What was she supposed to say to him? She was unfamiliar with stuttering. She had consistently been straightforward with her speech, yet Fiyero was influencing her.
"I need to leave," she mentioned in a quick manner.
"You can't!" He told her, his tone both calm and commanding at once.
"What?!?" Elphaba asked, unable to grasp the concealed meaning in his statements.
"Fleeing from one another would only bring us pain. I won't allow it this time. I require some responses from you, and I will obtain them. This is our sole opportunity."
He nearly shouted, not caring whether he seemed angry or not.
Elphaba avoided looking at him cause she knew if she did, he would see the longing reflected in her gaze, and it wouldn't help matters at all. When he received no reply from her, he began to walk towards her.
"I just confessed my feelings, and I crave so badly to hear yours too."
His anxiety made it impossible for him to sense his heartbeat. He was determined to make her see the things as he did.
"It's about to rain very shortly. And I—"
Elphaba tried to protest, but he wouldn’t allow her to complete her thought since he was aware of her stubbornness at times.
"And you, what about it? Or do you believe I would think you would dissolve due to the water?" He questioned her with a tone of hopelessness and restriction.
"How can you know about this fact?"
She asked in a low voice, feeling partly ashamed for him finding it out.
"This lie, you mean," he corrected her with a chuckle.
"Well, yes. I know everything about you. Even about the matters you don't wish me to know about. However, I want to emphasize something. Regardless of being wet or dry, I would still find you appealing."
As he grasped her hand and lifted it for a tender kiss on his lips, she closed her eyes. It was beyond what she could endure.
"Listen, Fiyero. We must return. It's inappropriate for our friends to be sitting out in this terrible weather for us."
"Did this admission hold no value for you?"
He questioned her again, clearly annoyed by her habit of denying herself happiness for once.
She breathed deeply. Seeing him that way made her feel the urge to embrace him and assure him that everything was evident between them. Yet she was unable to summon the will to do it.
"Do I have no significance to you?" His voice cracked before he could complete his sentence.
He asked her in complete rage, grabbing her by the arm. She let out a sigh of surprise. She had never seen him like this before.
She began to say, yet no sounds emerged from her throat. How could she convey this to him when she couldn't even acknowledge it to herself?
Rain began to pour down on them, yet that was not enough to make Fiyero stop. He would lose his mind if he didn't resolve matters with the girl he cared for.
"Respond to me!" He required it from her. It was the first time he raised his voice at her, his grip still firm on her arm.
However, she couldn't hold him accountable in any way. It was well-known that they had feelings for each other even prior to the mission involving the lion cub. A soft touch from her and a puppy-eyed look from him were all it took for them to confirm it to one another. She wouldn't be here for long. She needed to inform him. It was the correct action to take.
"You are everything to me!"
She ultimately admitted it, her eyelids growing heavy from the rain. Fiyero's hold on her arm became gentler, and his gaze softened as well.
Her admission brought a genuine smile to his face. To her, that was the most incredible sight she had ever witnessed in her whole life.
Their gazes locked again, and Elphaba noticed an unusual spark in Fiyero's eyes. That sight made Elphaba crave kissing him intensely. However, she was not someone who acted on impulse. She had to live under strict constraints of dos and don’ts.
"It's true, Fiyero. I love you! That's why I chose you to help me when I needed it the most. And I would always choose you."
She eventually spoke, extending her hand to stroke her cheek as she had in the woods, the tiny scratch still visible on his face. She observed him shut his eyes at that delightful feeling, the rain marking his face, yet he didn't matter at all.
"You're what I know about happiness!" He whispered as he opened his eyes. He noticed how her shirt clung to her body because of the rain, and something fresh stirred within him.
Unable to contain his excitement, pinned her to the tree just as his lips were about to meet hers. Elphaba lost control and yielded to his intense attack, wrapping her arms around his neck. His hands traced over her body until they circled her behind, trying to pull her onto him.
A sigh left her blushing lips as she sensed her body meeting his. Breathing heavily, he stopped kissing her and met her gaze. She caressed his chest with her fingers. She closed her eyes and reveled in each touch from him. The rain cascading down on their skin enhanced the feeling of pleasure even more.
Regardless of how much she desired to be intimate with him, Elphaba understood that it was also inappropriate at that moment. He was still dating Glinda, who was also her best friend. And there she stood, deceiving her.
“Fiyero, please!” He buried his face in her chest as she murmured softly, her fingers in his hair.
"Please, what?!" He whispered restlessly while continuing to kiss her.
"W-we can't. N-not here." She attempted to clarify, in hopes of helping him realize what they were about to do.
Upon hearing her voice, he lifted his gaze back to hers. What was he up to? How could he allow his love for her to overwhelm him? How would she view him at this moment? He had arrived here to locate her with the aim of calming her concerns and uncertainties.
He stepped back, running an exasperated hand through his wet hair.
"I deeply apologize, Elphaba. I am so sorry. I genuinely am."
He felt awful about himself. Even though he felt no regret, he wished circumstances had unfolded differently.
Nonetheless, the surroundings were inappropriate, and he did not desire for Elphaba to encounter love for the first time in such a gloom-ridden setting.
"It's ok, Fiyero." She said in a calming tone.
"Actually, it isn't, and we are both aware of that. You will depart tomorrow to meet the wizard, and I just acted like that."
He was stressing out over something so trivial. She couldn't resist laughing at that.
"I will remember you as the most important person in my life. Like a secret." She comforted him by extending her arm behind his neck to twirl the tips of his hair.
"Secret?! Why keep it hidden? I feel like shouting to everyone how much I love you." He expressed his feelings for her with such passion that it flattered her, yet she understood things were not so uncomplicated between them.
"And how about Glinda? She ought not to be treated in that manner. You are her boyfriend, and I am her friend."
Fiyero's expression became somber for a brief moment. Thus, it was Glinda, not the location or his rough behaviour, that caused her hesitation.
"I never considered her my companion, Elphaba. She was merely an attractive girl, a playful flirt at school, and nothing else."
He was speaking the truth to her. He had never experienced such feelings for anyone before, simply because no one understood him the way she did.
"Am I just a flirt in school, as well?"
She was at it once more. She was undervaluing herself, while he saw her as his lifeline.
"No, no, that’s not what I meant—"
"Therefore, you need not concern yourself with how I will view you. I am aware of everything."
"Listen, Elphaba. Please I..." He paused, trying to find the right words to say.
"You have no idea how difficult it was for me to bring myself to stop when I love you so much." He cried out in exasperation.
And then, it occurred to her. If he truly saw her as just another romantic fling, he wouldn't have paused at her remarks. He would not have noticed her urgings. He would have simply focused on his needs. She glanced at him once more. His face appeared even more stunning than earlier under that rainy ambiance. Even if she couldn't determine whether the droplets on his face were tears or merely rain.
"And you have no idea how hard it was for me to request that you stop," she said in a quiet tone, accompanied by a playful smile.
She offered no resistance as he placed his hand into the hollow of her neck.
"Indeed, I have." He notified her prior to seizing her lips in a passionate kiss. The rain was falling intensely with every passing minute.
Fiyero pulled away from her lips, leaning his forehead against hers to confirm that their recent experience was genuine.
Elphaba felt somewhat woozy and couldn't discern whether it was due to the pouring rain or Fiyero's doing.
"Well, I suppose this is farewell." Elphaba spoke with a discontented tone.
He took her hands in his and told her.
"I'll be here, anticipating your arrival. Always remember that." His gentle voice was something she hoped to hear for all of her days.She sensed him tugging at her hand.
"We need to leave immediately. Otherwise, I predict you will fall ill and sneeze on the wizard's face," he mocked.
Elphaba laughed at that before resting her hands on his shoulders.
Fiyero was unable to articulate the extent of his joy with each contact from Elphaba. He realized he would lose his sanity for however long she was gone.
"Actually, it's your responsibility, Sir. You never should have attempted to charm me from the beginning."
His arms were already wrapped around her waist as he answered.
"That was merely a preview, Miss. Hold on until you discover what this is regarding."
Fiyero whispered softly in her hair.
Elphaba laughed at that and kissed him once more before they departed hand in hand.
