"More job hunting today, Anna?" came the morning greeting from Elsa sitting at the tiny round breakfast table. She crunched into a crisp, green apple as she scrolled through the daily newsfeed on her phone.

Anna yawned loudly, stretching her arms high up into the air. No matter how much she tried, she couldn't get the knots out of her shoulders that formed after sleeping on that lumpy mattress.

"If it means I don't have to spend the rest of my life sleeping on some old springs on your living room floor, of course more job hunting today," she groaned.

Rising from the barracks of duvet she had built for herself to shield her from the lack of heating, Anna made her way into the kitchen and flicked the tab on the kettle. It whined quietly for a few moments before rumbling slowly to the boil. Grabbing a mug from beside the sink, she poured herself a strong coffee.

"Careful," Elsa smirked without looking up from the screen of her smartphone, "caffeine is a dangerous game."

"There's no other way I can wake up from half a night's sleep on that thing," Anna mumbled, gesturing to her makeshift bed on the floor on the other side of the room.

Plonking herself down opposite Elsa at the table, Anna yawned again and ran her fingers loosely through her wild nest of bed hair. She noticed Elsa glance up and giggle, and Anna wondered how high her frizz had risen today.

"Where to, then?" Elsa said, finally putting her phone down on the table and looking her sister in the eye. "Anywhere in particular? Or just handing out CVs again?"

Anna just shrugged. She had been playing the hunting game for two weeks now with not a single call back. Just a sweet smile from the staff behind the desk, and a, "we'll let you know," at best.

"Don't give up hope, Anna," Elsa soothed. "Someone out there is going to hire you. Someone wanted to hire me, and I don't even have a degree!" She paused after a light-hearted chuckle, then saw Anna's helplessness plastered on her freckled morning face. Elsa tutted loudly. "Such a scowl!"

Anna's lips perked up at that, and a light blush emerged on her cheeks. "Says you, miss ice queen!" She retorted. Then, mocking her sister in an unnaturally high warble, "my name is Elsa! I don't want porridge for breakfast, I want ice cream!"

Elsa gave an exaggerated gasp. "Excuse me! I seem to recall that it was YOU who wanted strawberry ice cream for breakfast every morning!"

The two of them giggled and mocked each other in turn, laughing more at every increasingly ridiculous impression of the other. Soon, the girls were crying with laughter remembering their childhood together in silly voices.

A ping from Elsa's phone brought them back to the present. Anna snickered quietly in the background as she finished her coffee, which was now just lukewarm.

"I have to be at work in three hours. I think that's enough time to pass out your resume to a few places, don't you think, Anna? We can try out those office buildings on the other side of the city centre. I'm sure there is a desk job somewhere with your name on it."

Anna immediately felt regret as soon as she walked through the rotating glass doors. Glancing around sheepishly at the ladies in their pencil skirts and sleek black heels, it took almost all of her willpower not to turn around and race back to the car. The foyer was large and echoey, with marbled pillars and a slick tiled floor. There was a grand glass staircase to the left and Anna could see men in well-fitting suits dashing about, paperwork in hand.

Her black pumps squeaking on the polished floor, she walked up to the reception desk where a very generic-looking blonde was waiting for her, all pinned-back updo and red lipstick smile.

"Hi, hello," Anna stumbled. Why did she always find herself tongue-tied in moments like these? "Yes, uh…"

The blonde's expression was unmoving, polite, unreadable. Is she judging me? Anna thought.

"I was just wondering if you had - I have my CV here and thought maybe - I just recently graduated and am looking for -" Anna began, trying her hardest to finish her sentences. Her tongue became stiffer in her mouth the more she spoke, and soon she couldn't even understand the babble spilling from her lips. Eventually she could do nothing but swallow and thrust out the piece of paper detailing her life's accomplishments so far. Her face was burning, but she was trying her hardest to ignore it.

The lady behind the desk took the paper from Anna's trembling fingers and cast a glance at its contents.

"I will pass this on to HR for you," the receptionist chirped in an all-too-familiar voice.

Anna tried not to show her disappointment and frustration, biting her tongue and simply nodding her thanks. She turned to leave, staring down at her feet walking across the tiles, not caring at how squeaky her new shoes, that were not expensive fancy heels, were.

"I wouldn't have fit in here anyway," she mumbled to herself bitterly. "Stupid fancy posh place full of pretty blondes and - oof!"

Anna looked up, her eyes wide in surprise, at the man she had bumped into. He tutted loudly in annoyance and brushed down his suit.

"I'm so sorry! I wasn't looking where I was going, it was totally my fault! I'm such a-"

The rest of her words died in her throat as the man looked back at her with an amused smirk and pale green eyes. Immediately she felt the fiery blush shoot up her neck and spread out onto her cheeks.

"Hello," he said slowly.

"Hello," Anna murmured in reply.

"And you are..?"

"Just leaving, actually," Anna said quickly. "Really sorry about that, I have a habit of not looking where I'm going. I'll work on that, of course, I guess, uh…"

"I meant your name," he chuckled back.

"Oh," she breathed. "Anna. I'm Anna."

"Are you new here, Anna? I haven't seen you around here before."

"No! No, no, no," Anna laughed awkwardly, searching for words. She tugged at her skirt before bringing her hands up to her left plait and twirling the ends of her hair in her fingers, suddenly all too aware of how close they were standing, confused as to why he hadn't moved away or why she hadn't stepped back yet. "I just, um, my CV - job hunting. Just graduated-"

"Mr. Westergard!" came a woman's voice from the balcony above. At this, he took a step past Anna and waved a hand up to the brunette standing by the railing.

For some reason, Anna felt the corners of her mouth turn down in a frown. She checked herself, straightening her blouse, and went to take a step further towards the exit when her acquaintance turned and called to her.

"Wait!" He placed a firm hand on her shoulder and she felt her breath hitch in her throat for a split second. "Anna," he said, softer, removing his hand quickly. The sound of her name in his rough voice, she was startled to notice, gave her a strange sensation that started in the pit of her stomach and rose to her chest, making her head feel lighter. "Just wait here a moment."

Anna watched, confused, as he went over to the reception desk and exchanged a few words with the blonde. She handed him a piece of paper - was that her CV? - and held it up, waving it at her. He shot her a reassuring grin, all gleaming white teeth, and winked, before rushing up the stairs and disappearing further into the building with the brunette.

Anna raised a disbelieving eyebrow, shaking her head. She felt the giggles rising in her throat as she turned and walked back to the car.