Anna rushed out of her apartment, closing the door, locking it, and turning around to see the most intense rainstorm of her life crashing down outside the apartment complex. Her face fell and she briefly considered calling in to cancel, but decided against it. People were waiting for her! So she turned around, grabbed the handle, realized she'd locked it, patted herself down for keys... no keys. She'd locked herself out. Letting out an exasperated groan, Anna thunked her head against her door.
She pulled out her cellphone- she had that, at least- and dialed the landlord's number. No answer.
"Ugh!" Anna muttered, kicking her door several times before turning around in a huff, leaning back aqgainst the door, and sitting down against it, knees up against her chest. A cold wind blew into her as someone opened the door downstairs to the complex, causing her to pull her hoodie tighter around her. "Better call Hans..."
As she dialed the number, she heard the sound of heels clicking against the staircase approaching her floor, and looked up expectantly. A flash of blonde hair entered her vision and she closed her eyes, groaning inwardly. It was her next door neighbor the Ice Queen- always business, always well-groomed and dressed in suits. Kristoff, her upstairs neighbor and friend, had said she was CEO of some bigwig company, but Anna hadn't caught the name of it. She'd waved hello a few times and gotten a tight smile in return. She didn't think the woman liked her very much. Anna had asked politely once if her music bothered her and the woman had looked practically ambushed by the question, stammering out a "No" and fleeing into her apartment. The door slamming shut had hurt Anna as much as any slap could have.
She was very beautiful. Normally her hair, kept wrapped in a braid, was done up across her head in a very regal-looking style, but tonight, it was down, and wet. Anna realized with a start that the Ice Queen was not dressed in her usual conservative clothing- she was wearing a low-slung blue dress made of some see-through material up top and along the sleeves, turning opaque and sleek as it flowed down over her hips- hips Anna found herself shamelessly staring at, but how could she not? There were slits going up the dress to the woman's thighs, as if she had painted a big blue arrow saying "LOOK AT THESE HIPS." She was wearing those lovely elegant gloves she was always wearing, too. They fit so snug and delicately on her hands.
"Anna?... ANNA." Hans yelled over the phone, snapping Anna out of her reverie. Praying the woman hadn't seen her staring she turned her head into the phone and tried to stare at the floor, hoping her blush would be construed as a reaction to the cold.
"Hey, Hans? Sorry about that. I, um. I can't make it tonight, I kind of locked myself out of my apartment and my keys are still inside. I don't think I'm making it anywhere tonight."
Elsa fiddled with her purse, losing her calm as she realized that she was missing her keys. She'd been chaffeured to the party that night and back, so she hadn't needed them... until now. She'd made it through the night without having to speak to anyone, but here she was trapped at the finish line, safe haven just a locked door away. She groaned and let her head THUNK on her door, pressing one hand against the wood. Trapped outside. She lightly pressed a gloved finger to the keyhole, and was snapped out of her tipsy daze by the sound of the girl beside her door.
"I know, I know!" There was a pleading tone to the girl's voice, one that made Elsa feel on edge. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to- I'm such a klutz." The girl groaned and bumped her head back against her door. "I know! I know what it means to the club. I can't DO anything about that, Hans. You're going to have to find someone else for tonight. I'm sorry." The girl turned her phone off and looked at the ceiling with her eyes closed. Elsa felt sorry for her- the girl clearly had some kind of appointment and was forced to cancel. Elsa knew how that felt, although she imagined her cancelled appointments had higher stakes.
This girl, though. Something about her had caught her eye. She wasn't sure if it was the freckles or the startlingly similiar facial structure, although they were certainly part of it. Maybe it was her mercurial nature or friendliness. Every time she'd seen the girl, the girl had tried to make eye contact with her and waved hello or tried to make conversation. Elsa wasn't sure how to respond, ever, and so many responses whirled through her mind- waving back, saying hello, smiling at the only person she knew who genuinely smiled at her, being invited in for a cup of coffee, and then they would watch movies and share gossip over orange juice and eggs and do all the things Elsa never got to do..
Whoa, where did those thoughts come from? Elsa thought, a heated blush rising up into her cheeks. Coffee first. Did her neighbor even like coffee? Maybe I should just forget about it...
"Hey, don't be embarassed." The girl called out softly, loud enough to be heard over the rain but lacking her usual energy. "I locked myself out, too. Haha." She shifted over to rest against her door frame, within an arm's reach of Elsa now.
Say something, Elsa. Say something!
"Um, hi." Elsa said. The girl's eyes visibly widened and a smile crept onto her lips.
Good start! Keep going.
"I didn't lock myself out, my keys are... in my car." Elsa hedged. That wasn't totally untrue. They could be. "Out there..."
"Oooh. At least you don't have as far to go as I do, I needed to hit the convenience store down the block." The girl laughed quietly. "Now I get to spend Friday night alone and hungry stuck outside my apartment." She took a breath and sighed. "Sorry, I shouldn't be... I talk too much."
You're adorable.
"You're adorable." Elsa said, then clamped her hand over her mouth. As the girl made a curious expression. "I mean, it's okay, I um, I have the opposite problem." The girl continued to look at her curiously, clearly wondering if she had heard what she thought she heard.
Distract her, distract her...
"My name's Elsa." She blurted out. That did the trick; the girl's eyebrows went up and she smiled in this earnest, genuine way that made Elsa's stomach do flips.
"Anna." The girl said, extending her hand up to Elsa. After a moment's hesitation, Elsa took the girl's hand and shook it like they were exchanging letters. Anna clasped her hand firmly, giving a vigorous shake. "Pleased to meet you. Greet you."
"Yes. Sorry about the... extenuating..? circumstances." Elsa spoke so nervously, like speaking wasn't something she normally did. She was putting on a good show- her voice was kind and charming, but it was as if the world's loveliest harp was in the hands of a burgeoning harpist. Plucks, whispers, occasional miracles of sound. "I-i-i-iI I'm locked out. too." She managed before swallowing.
"Then I guess we're locked out together tonight. Wanna hang out?" Anna grinned goofily, and though the statement was so mundane, the energy, playfulness, and surreality of Anna's nature endeared Elsa all the same. She felt terrified, that this woman who behaved in ways she couldn't understand, said things she didn't know, was welcoming her. It was like a dragon offering you brunch.
Elsa nodded. "U-um, sure." She smiled. Hanging out. That sounded better in her head.
"Do you have an umbrella in your car?" Anna asked.