"I knew that I should have stayed home tonight."
The scowl that hadn't left Elsa's face since leaving their flat only deepened upon seeing the length of the line that she and Anna had just reached the end of.
"It shouldn't be too long of a wait," Anna quipped optimistically, standing up on the tip of her toes to peer over the crowd that snaked in a single-file queue on the sidewalk around the building. "I'm sure once they open the doors it'll go pretty quickly."
Elsa let out a defeated sigh. "One can only hope. What are we here for again?"
"Not what– who," the strawberry-blonde sister corrected with stars in her eyes. "We're here to see The Southern Isles perform live!"
"And who are they again?"
Anna's expression turned dreamy. "Only one of the greatest indie alternative rock bands to come out of Scandinavia in the last decade."
Elsa absentmindedly picked at her manicured nails, smirking to herself at her sister's state of excitement. She had dressed classically for the evening in a long-sleeved, black dress dotted with sequins, with black tights and matching glitter pumps to complete the ensemble. Her white-blonde hair was pulled into a single braid over her shoulder, and when she was finished with her nails her restless fingers moved to tug at the end of it. Anna, although nearly the spitting image of the older sister, was dressed the opposite, in tattered skinny jeans, sneakers, and a band tee that boasted the face of the lead singer of The Southern Isles on the front. She had a flannel button-up shirt thrown over the tee, and her auburn hair was tied into two twin braids.
"I can't believe that they came all the way out here from Denmark to play," Anna continued dreamily, clasping her hands together in front of herself. "Just think, in less than an hour we'll be seeing Hans Westergaard in the flesh."
She gasped suddenly. "What if he pulls me up on stage?"
Elsa chuckled. "If he does, I won't be there to catch you when you inevitably trip over something and fall."
The line began to move, and Anna had to bite back the urge to squeal as she and Elsa progressed forward towards the doors of the pub.
They had just reached the doorman and were ready to present their tickets when Anna was cut off by a burly man with shaggy blond hair, standing with his back to the sisters as he conversed with the bouncer.
Aggravated, Anna reached up to tap him on the shoulder.
"Excuse me, but you have to wait in line like everyone else!"
Turning around, the man gazed down at Anna with amusement in his brown eyes and her heart skipped a beat; he was much taller than the petite redhead– at least two or three heads taller– and bulkier, his body thick with muscle, the definition evident even through his dark jeans and heather gray t-shirt. Anna would even dare to consider him somewhat, sort of, maybe handsome– if he hadn't been so inconsiderate as to cut in front of her.
"Actually, I don't," he countered with a rise of his eyebrow.
Anna scoffed. "Uh, yeah, you do. We've been waiting. We were next."
The young man only shrugged before turning back around to face the doorman, who gestured with his thumb for him to go inside. He shot a wave over his shoulder at Anna before disappearing into the noise and crowd of the pub.
"How rude," Anna mumbled to her sister out of the side of her mouth. "Who does that guy think he is– the Queen of England?"
Elsa snorted, rolling her eyes at her sister's dramatics.
After (finally) presenting their tickets to the bouncer, Anna and Elsa entered the building; they were immediately greeted by the roar of conversation, their ears filled with the echoing din of dozens of individual voices bouncing around the room. Nondescript rock music bumped from the giant speakers at the front, where the stage was sitting empty until showtime. The pair of women managed to find an empty high table against the wall and snagged it before anyone else could.
"I'm going to go get us some drinks," Anna shouted to her sister, who responded with a thumbs up to indicate that she had heard her.
Anna made her way to the bar on the other end of the room, pushing and squeezing her way through the throng of people, careful not to trip. When the bar was in sight at last and she had a clear pathway to the counter, she saw her opening and made a beeline for it, only to be cut off– once again– by the same blond man from earlier.
"I don't believe it," Anna groaned, pulling at her braids with both hands. "This guy–"
She tapped him angrily on the back of his muscular shoulder, as ferociously as she could manage with her height disadvantage.
The man whipped around, expecting to see someone at his eye level, and was surprised to glance down only to see the same fiery redhead from earlier.
"Oh, it's you again."
Anna tapped her foot impatiently. "Yeah, it's me. You just cut in front of me again."
"Sorry," the man grimaced. His warm brown eyes seemed to twinkle in the low light of the pub. "I didn't see you."
Anna frowned. "It's because I'm short, isn't it?"
He shook his head. "Nah, it's because I'm tall."
After a moment of contemplation, Anna sighed.
"You are pretty tall," she acquiesced, biting the inside of her cheek as she gave him a once over. Maybe he wasn't such a bad guy after all– simply oblivious, moving through life blissfully unaware of his surroundings.
Not that that trait was any more endearing than just being plain rude.
The man's expression shifted from cool indifference to something akin to remorse. He pushed his blond hair away from his face with a large hand, shuffling on his feet.
"Let me, uh– can I buy you a drink to make it up to you?"
Anna was taken aback by the request; no guy in all of her eighteen years had ever offered to buy her a drink before.
"Oh, I was actually going to get drinks for myself and my sister," Anna explained, nervously tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Wait, why am I nervous?
"The blonde one?" He took out his wallet. "I'll get hers, too."
Anna shook her head. "No way, I can't let you do that."
"It's no big," he laughed, moving aside to let Anna approach the bar. "I owe you guys anyway for the incident at the door."
Anna bit her tongue; there was no point in arguing the matter further.
As the unnamed man ordered three beers for himself and Anna, she awkwardly tapped the rubber-soled toe of her sneaker against the floor, unsure of what to do with herself while the bartender poured their drinks. She ended up speaking first, eager to break the silence as they waited.
"So, are you here to see The Southern Isles?"
The man chuckled. "No. Actually, I'm with the band."
"Oh." Anna absentmindedly eyed his bulging, tattooed forearm as it rested on the bar top; she had never considered tattoo sleeves attractive before, but they seemed fitting on the strange man. "Are you, like, a roadie?"
He chuckled again, heartier this time. "Something like that."
"Does that mean that you know Hans Westergaard?"
The corner of the man's mouth twitched at the name. "I've met him once or twice."
He knows Hans Westergaard.
Anna's blue eyes lit up with excitement and she grabbed ahold of his arm with both hands before she could stop herself. "Could you introduce me to him?"
His face seemed to fall slightly, a sour look dampening his boyish features; the change in expression wasn't lost on Anna. She wondered if she had offended him somehow. Apologetically, she released his arm. His skin was warm and left her palms burning.
"Sure, I'll see if I can put in a good word for you." The tone of his voice was flat and emotionless; the look on his face had returned to one of indifference.
Their beers arrived and he placed a handful of bills on the counter, lifting two of the plastic cups and placing them in front of Anna before grabbing his own and turning to leave; she felt her heart sink as she watched his receding back, and found that she didn't want him to go.
She hadn't even asked for his name.
"Wait, I didn't catch your name!" Anna spurted loudly, startling a few people nearby.
He glanced back at her from over his shoulder. "It's Kristoff."
"My name's Anna. And, uh, thank you for the beers." She swallowed thickly, struggling with her words. Why is my mouth so dry?
"Sure thing." He nodded once. "Enjoy the show, Anna."
"B-bye," Anna stuttered, puzzled by their odd interaction and his sudden coldness towards her. Within moments, he had disappeared into the crowd. But, she supposed, the handsome stranger wasn't worth dwelling on; she had come specifically to see Hans, after all.
Anna returned to Elsa and handed over her drink just in time for the opener to start, announced by the rowdy round of applause that sounded from the front of the room, near the stage. She looked towards the source of the commotion to see a lanky, curly-haired brunette enter the stage, taking his place behind the microphone.
"Probably the local opener," Anna suggested to Elsa without being prompted.
The lead singer was followed shortly after by other members of the band– a drummer, a guitarist, a bassist, and a banjo player, the latter of whom Anna recognized even from the other side of the pub.
"Kristoff?" Anna uttered in disbelief. In the bright light of the stage, he looked even more handsome and rugged, his arm muscles bulging as he lifted his instrument to play.
Elsa raised an eyebrow in her sister's direction. "Who's Kristoff? I thought we were here to see Hans."
"He's the guy who cut in front of us in line," Anna explained. "He paid for our beers."
Before the elder Arendelle sister could even open her mouth to respond, the music started, much to the excitement of the audience. Anna wanted to get closer; she wanted to see Kristoff play.
"Do you wanna go to the front?" she yelled to her sister over the noise.
Elsa took a sip of her lager and shook her head. "You can go, I'm good here."
Slamming her own drink for courage in a few huge gulps, Anna secured her crossbody bag across her chest and waist before heading towards the squirming mass of people dancing to the music. Wading through the tightly-knit bodies was tricky, but thanks to Anna's petite size she made it to the front in no time at all; she kept her eyes on Kristoff all the while, his shaggy mop of hair a golden beacon that bobbed along to the beat as he played.
"Thank you, guys, thank you," the singer said into the microphone as the band finished their song. "We're Midnight Sun. How is everybody feelin' this evening?"
The crowd responded with a wave of cheers and hollers. Anna grabbed onto the metal railing in front of her with both hands and leaned forward, desperate to get a better look at Kristoff; he didn't seem to notice her presence as he was preoccupied with taking a swig from the cup of beer behind him.
"This next song we're gonna play for you all is from our new EP, which is available at the merch table in the back."
A handful of people whistled as the band played out the first few notes of the song, stepping into position.
Anna watched, captivated, as Kristoff's hands ran over the strings of his banjo, his thick, experienced fingers strumming and plucking out a melody in harmony with the other instruments; the twanging notes of the banjo enhanced the music without overpowering it, like the bright green leaves of a pretty flower, but to Anna every other sound was drowned out until she could hear nothing else but Kristoff and his banjo.
It was then that Kristoff looked up and inadvertently locked eyes with her, brown meeting blue, and his face briefly registered with recognition. Anna felt her heart speed up at the prolonged eye contact, suddenly shy.
But he didn't look away.
He watched her as he played, his eyes sparkling, making Anna feel as though she were the only other person in the room with him. The song was enchanting, about a love long lost, but Anna could hardly pay attention to the lyrics as the lead singer crooned them, every stimuli forgotten and every one of her senses focused Kristoff. Maybe the effects of the beer were finally kicking in.
Her vision was suddenly filled by another person, and she looked up to see the curly-haired singer leaning towards her, reaching out a hand as he sung. Anna blinked, confused, until she realized that he wanted her to come up on stage.
Hesitantly, Anna placed her hand in his, and he yanked her up to stand beside him, squeezed between himself and Kristoff.
The crowd cheered even louder as Midnight Sun reached the climax of their song; Anna bopped along to the beat, feeling the music in her bones. She was extremely aware of Kristoff's heat radiating from his body and the smell of his aura, like cypress and cedar wood. It made her dizzy with euphoria.
As she stepped into another dance move, a cord tangled around her foot, catching her off-balance and causing her to trip. With a yelp, she stumbled face-first into Kristoff's barreled chest, and felt his arms instantaneously wrap around her to catch her. They stayed like that for a moment– Anna leaning into him and Kristoff holding her against his body– before Anna felt secure enough to tilt her face up to look at him. He was staring down at her with a look that made all the blood rush to Anna's head.
"Are you alright?" he murmured, his voice full of concern for her. Although he had dropped his banjo in his effort to catch her, the band continued playing around them.
"Yeah, I'm fine," Anna answered; she realized that Kristoff's lips were close enough to kiss, if she just stood up on the tips of her toes. "Now what?"
Kristoff laughed, and his eyes twinkled again. "I'm not sure."
An idea popped into Anna's head; as much as she wanted to stay in Kristoff's arms, they had been standing in flagrante delicto for much too long already.
"I have an idea," Anna said, straightening up. "Pick me up and throw me into the crowd."
Kristoff's brown eyes went wide; he was even cuter when he was shocked by her. "Are you crazy?"
"It'll be fine! Like a crazy trust exercise." Anna grinned.
"I can't do that."
Peeling herself away from him, she shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Before she could second guess her decision, Anna leapt from the stage and into the crowd, arms outstretched. The flood of people caught her small frame effortlessly, and within moments they were sending her to the back of the room. In between tumbling and turning as she surfed over the crowd, Anna stole one last glance back at Kristoff, who was watching her with a sheepish grin plastered across his features; seeing him watching her in such a way made Anna blush.
When Anna finally stumbled to their table, sweaty and out of breath from the excitement of it all, Elsa gave her an amused expression.
"That looked like fun," she teased.
Anna's red face flushed even further as she remembered Kristoff's strong arms embracing her.
"Yeah, it was."
–
"That chick was cute. Didn't you always have a thing for redheads?"
"Shut up, Sven."
Kristoff carefully laid his banjo down in its case before closing the lid and snapping the locks. The Southern Isles had just finished their set and returned back stage, destroying the relative peace and quiet that Kristoff and the rest of Midnight Sun had been enjoying until now.
"I saw the way you two were eye-banging each other," the curly-haired man joked. "It was almost disgusting."
"Dude, come on, it's not like that."
"It's definitely like that."
"No, it's not," Kristoff insisted, getting flustered. "I just– she just– sure, she was cute, but it doesn't matter now, anyway. She only came to see Hans. She's probably already gone."
Kristoff felt his heart sink at his own words; she had said so herself that she was here to see the charming and handsome lead singer of The Southern Isles. Even though he had felt a chemistry between the two of them up on stage, it was painfully obvious to Kristoff that he wasn't her type.
"I just saw her out back, actually, when I was loading up the van." Sven clapped a hand on his buddy's back. "Just go talk to her. Invite her to the party."
The burly blond sighed and raked his fingers through his hair, which was still damp with sweat. "I've been out of the dating game so long. And who knows if she's even local. Maybe she just came to town for the show."
"Who said anything about dating?" Sven winked.
"I'm not like you, Sven. I need to have a meaningful connection with someone before we go… that far."
"Maybe you'll find that connection with her."
"Maybe."
"You'll never know until you try."
Kristoff sighed again. "Alright, fine. Whatever gets you off my case."
Truthfully, Kristoff wanted to see the fiery redhead again. Even if it was just one last time.
"Catch up with ya at the party?" Sven offered as he headed for the door.
Kristoff waved him off. "Yeah, man."
He looked at himself in the mirror, fussing with the wet strands of hair that hung in his face before giving up and heading out back. What would he even say to her if he saw her?
–
"How much longer?"
"It shouldn't be too much longer, since they finished their set like an hour ago. But you don't have to wait with me."
"Is this Hans Westergaard really such a big deal?" Elsa laughed.
"You saw him singing up there, he's the greatest," Anna replied sheepishly. Truth be told, she actually wanted to see Kristoff again; that's why she and Elsa were waiting outside the back of the pub, but she couldn't tell her sister that.
She had wanted to meet her favorite rockstar since she had first listened to The Southern Isles debut album in high school, but after seeing them perform live… well, the reality rarely met the expectations of the fantasy, did it?
But seeing Kristoff play as part of Midnight Sun– that had been an entrancing, otherworldly, surreal experience. She had to see him again and tell him so.
"You really don't have to stay and wait with me. As soon as I meet him, I'll head home," Anna promised.
Elsa raised an eyebrow in concern. "It's not safe to walk alone, Anna. Especially at this time of night."
"I'm not a kid anymore. And our flat is only two blocks from here. If I feel unsafe, I'll call you. Or even better, I'll take a cab."
Elsa secured her purse over her shoulder. "Well, then, if you're sure."
"I am. Don't worry about me. I'll be home soon."
"Alright." Elsa pointed her finger sternly. "Don't hesitate to call me for anything. My phone volume will be all the way up."
"Okay, okay. Got it." Anna smiled. "Thanks, sis."
With a final wave over her shoulder, Elsa was gone.
Breathing out, Anna fell back to lean against the brick wall of the building, tapping her sneaker on the sidewalk. Midnight Sun's music played over and over in her head until her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the backstage door opening; Anna whipped around, hoping to see Kristoff, but instead recognized the telltale russet hair that belonged to none other than Hans Westergaard.
"Hans," she called out in surprise. The man looked at her.
"Ah, you must be a fan," he said as he sauntered over, smiling slightly.
Somehow, Hans wasn't as attractive in person. Anna managed to speak. "Yes, I am– for years. The Southern Isles is my favorite band."
Before Anna could register what was happening, Hans was standing in front of her, leaning into her with his hand on the wall beside her head for support. Being this close, he smelled like liquor and cigarettes; it was a nauseating smell.
"Your favorite, huh?"
His other hand moved down to hers, holding it at her side. Anna's heart beat like mad; but not from excitement– from fear. She didn't want Hans this close to her. Just a few hours ago, she would've done anything for this type of interaction with him. But now…
"How would you like to come see the tour bus? It's parked just around the corner. My room is huge– the bed's big enough for two."
Anna shook her head, feeling her hair scrape against the rough texture of the brick. "No– no thank you. Actually, I really should get going, my sister is expecting me at home."
"Nonsense," Hans purred. "Come see it, since you're such a big fan. Why would you refuse? Your sister will understand."
Anna opened her mouth to protest again, but was cut off by another voice.
"Leave her alone, Hans. She said she wasn't interested."
Both Anna and Hans's heads turned in time to see Kristoff approach. With a scoff, Hans backed off, straightening up.
"This is none of your business, Bjorgman. But I'm feeling generous. Maybe, if you leave now, I'll let you have some of the second-rate groupies later after we're done with them."
Kristoff rolled his eyes. "Why don't you go and get started with them, then? This one's too good for you, anyway."
Anna felt her face warm at his indirect compliment.
Hans growled. "You and your talentless band of pissants are so bloody ungrateful. My manager will be hearing about this."
"Well, make sure he hears about this part, too," Anna chimed in, pushing Hans away from her. "You're a pig."
Hans scowled. "Bjorgman, tell your bird to keep her mouth shut, will you? Next time she opens it I'm gonna shove my cock in it."
Kristoff stepped forward as though he was ready to throttle Hans, but Anna stopped him with a delicate arm across his chest. Reaching back, she brought a fist forward with all the strength she could muster, landing the punch square in Hans's nose.
Hans stumbled back from the force of her hit; a line of bright red trickled from his left nostril.
"You'll both be sorry for that," he growled, stealing forward.
Kristoff grabbed Hans by the front of this shirt before he could make a move. "You speak a word of this to anyone, and I'll be sure to explain how you threatened this young woman first and she was only acting in self-defense. I'm sure you don't want that kind of story getting around right as you're kicking off a world tour. Especially when I know that your manager is this close to dropping you if you screw up again."
He released him. Hans seethed, storming off without another word.
"Well, I'm sorry you waited this whole time just to meet that douchebag," Kristoff apologized with a sigh.
Anna toed the concrete self-consciously; her knuckles still smarted from making contact with Hans's face. "Actually, I was waiting for you."
"Me?" Kristoff's heart skipped a beat at her confession.
"Well, I was originally going to wait for Hans, but I also wanted to see you and tell you how amazing you are."
Kristoff seemed taken aback by her compliment and Anna shrunk into herself as she realized how it must have sounded.
"At the banjo, I mean! You're amazing at playing the banjo, not that you're amazing. I mean, you are too. Amazing. You're amazing. I'm awkward. What?"
Anna wanted to die. Why did she have such bad luck with men?
"Thank you," Kristoff chuckled. He reached up to push his hair away from his face, and Anna once again saw the tattoos that decorated the skin of his forearm, disappearing under the hem of his sleeve.
"What do those tattoos on your arm mean?" she asked before she could stop herself.
"They're Old Norse runes," he explained, holding his arm up for her to see them closer. "My family is from Norway. Our band's music is actually inspired by a lot of Norwegian folk rock, too."
"Wow," Anna mused; she wanted to reach out and touch the inked skin. "That's pretty cool."
"Do you have any tattoos?"
Anna shook her head. "No, but I've always wanted one."
"Tonight's as good a time as any." Kristoff lifted and dropped his burly shoulders. "Why stop at only one bad decision for the night?"
Anna blinked. "What was the first bad decision?"
"Meeting Hans."
She gave him a playful punch on the arm and he laughed. "That's not funny. And it wasn't such a bad decision, because I got to see you."
"Well, then, I guess there's still room for a really bad decision tonight."
Anna couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I don't even know what tattoo I'd get!"
Kristoff smiled down at her. "How about a sunflower?"
The strawberry-blonde woman in front of Kristoff froze, her eyes widening and mouth dropping open in shock. "How did you know that?"
"Know what?" he asked, confused by her intense reaction to his suggestion. She had simply reminded him of a sunflower, so bright and strong.
"That sunflowers are my favorite flower."
"They're my favorite, too." Kristoff smiled even wider; how could he let her go now? "Hey, maybe this is a bit forward, but– there's this afterparty, and the whole band is gonna be there, and I was wondering if maybe you'd like to go… with me?"
Anna smiled at his invitation; was he asking her to be his date? But then her face fell, remembering Elsa.
"Oh, I'd love to, but I can't. My sister is expecting me home soon."
Kristoff didn't want to lose her yet. "Are you from around here? Maybe we could grab a coffee sometime."
Anna bit her lip, worrying the pink, plump flesh between her teeth; Kristoff watched her, captivated.
She didn't want to leave yet. Elsa was surely asleep by now. What harm could it do if she stayed out for another hour or two?
"Actually, how about a coffee now?" she countered playfully.
Kristoff grinned. "I thought you had to be home?"
"My sister will understand."
"I know a great little diner not far from here," Kristoff offered, ticking his head in the direction of the establishment. "They're still open this late."
Anna's smile matched his. "What about your party? You'll miss it."
Kristoff only shrugged. "I'm sure it won't be much fun anyway with Prince Hans of The Southern Isles in attendance."
Anna snorted. "You might be right about that."
"So coffee first, and then the tattoo parlor." Kristoff stepped aside, gesturing for Anna to come with him.
"Only if you get the same tattoo as me." She winked.
Kristoff smiled down at the beautiful redhead beside him. "Matching tats? I'm down."
Anna slipped her dainty hand into his as they made their way down the walk, the first rays of red dawn cresting over the horizon, signaling the start of a new and beautiful day.