Jack Frost was a young man who loved to be first.
It didn't matter what the occasion; whether it was first person to dip a knife into the peanut butter, first slice of pizza, or first place in a sporting pursuit. Jack Frost liked to be the first to achieve it. So, it comes as no surprise that the first time he saw her - just happened to be on the first.
It was a Monday, six years ago when he first saw her. He'd turned up to university ready for the first day of his last year to commence. His friends, Aster and Flynn, had invited him to meet up in the university cafeteria prior to their first lecture. They had claimed the need for coffee was calling them- a necessity in helping them stay alert for their lessons. Especially after the long, relaxing summer break. Jack had just taken his seat at the small table nestled between his friends and their girlfriends, Tia and Punzie, when he noticed her.
She had wandered into the cafeteria, dressed neatly with her clothes pressed and a brand new messenger bag slung on her shoulder. The first thing that had caught his eye was that she was beautiful; slender with the lightest shade of blonde hair, which she'd worn down and pale skin. She had carried herself with poise. Her movements had been graceful, controlled and to anyone else, had appeared confident, but Jack wasn't as easily fooled.
He had noted the way her eyes darted about while taking in the large cafeteria. He had sensed that she was trying to ignore the stares of fellow students. Slowly, she had walked towards the counter. Jack had sworn that he saw the briefest glimmer of doubt as she moved to wrap her arms around her small frame before deciding against it. Instead, she directed her hands to fix the strap of her bag. He caught the look on her eyes as she stood with her coffee in hand and assessed the situation. Her eyes had continued to roam the cafeteria while she looked for a place to sit. It had been clear to him that she was not only a new student fresh out of high school, but that she was also alone with no friends or accomplices to sit with.
Looking around he noticed that she had gained the attention of several other single guys, many of whom were known players. They had looked at her with hungry eyes and Jack realised that they were sizing her up, wondering who would get her 'first'. Her beauty, combined with her obvious innocence, had made her nothing more than a prize to be won in their battle of egos.
Something inside of him had snapped and he had decided to act. All thoughts of being 'first' had shifted. This girl was not a trophy to be won. She was pure, innocent, someone who had dreams for her future. She had interests and hobbies and Jack wanted to know what they were. He wanted to know what her voice sounded like and to hear her laugh. He wanted to know her name, to know what it felt like to hold her hand in his before dropping it long enough to open the door for her. He had wanted to know her.
Getting up, he'd made his move. He ignored the playful digs of his friends as they joked about his determination to be 'first'. He had moved through the cafeteria, keeping his eyes soft and a wide smile on his face as he made his way towards her. It was important to him that he approached her in a way that appeared genuine. His focus hadn't been on wooing her. He'd simply wanted to offer her friendship first and to see to it that she didn't fall into the clutches of those who viewed her as nothing more than a pretty conquest.
He had hoped that the presence of his friend's girlfriends would help his cause. While he knew that his intentions had been genuine and that his friends were all kind, caring people, this girl hadn't. He could only imagine how it would have looked to her, if the girls had not been there and it had just been him and two other men, all of whom were clearly older than she was.
To his relief, the girl had not reacted negatively to his interruption. Instead, she had offered him a shy smile. Her blue eyes had glanced over him, taking in his appearance and lingering on his silver- white hair before she'd extended her hand for him to shake and nodded. He had fixed his eyes on their table and gave a thumbs up to Tia who had leapt from her seat to place a spare chair for the girl in between her seat and Jack's. He had then led her back to their small table.
Along the way to the table, they had made small talk. He had introduced himself to the girl and had told her that he was in his last year of a computer science degree. She, in return, had told him that it was her first year of an architecture degree. He had also discovered that her name was Elsa.
Jack shook his head, smiling as the memory of that fateful day ran through his head. That day had been the best 'first' of his life. The thirty minutes that he had spent sipping coffee with Elsa had been the start of something beautiful.
From there, it seemed that fate had had a plan. Jack had enjoyed a few more chance encounters with Elsa while on campus which had allowed for more friendly, but brief conversations. Then, after a few weeks he had invited her to brunch at the home he shared with Tia and Aster.
Her first visit to his home had led to him asking her out on their first date. He had felt nervous at the prospect of asking her out. He had been worried that the fact that he was five years older would scare her off. However, Aster had decided to intervene and had called Elsa's attention to the fact that Jack liked her. He had then called Tia out of the room and had told Jack to not leave the room until he had asked Elsa out.
Jack had watched as Elsa's cheeks had turned to a deep blush, which perfectly matched the red hue of his own cheeks. Once alone with Elsa, he had been forced to admit his feelings for her along with his desire to take her out on a date. To his relief, Elsa had agreed. Her voice had softened and she'd looked at him from behind a loose strand of hair and mentioned that she liked him as well.
Their first date had been casual. Jack had chosen to take Elsa for a drive through the hills that surrounded the city. Together, they had stopped to pick up some take-out for lunch before choosing to stop at a secluded park. He had then taken hold of Elsa's hand and led her to a small lake. They had taken a seat overlooking the lake where Jack had laid a picnic blanket out for them to sit on.
He hadn't expected her to sit so close to him, but she had. Without hesitation, she had shuffled to rest beside him while they ate the lunch he had purchased. After lunch, they went for a walk around the lake. He had taken her small hand in his while they'd shared tidbits about their past, their present and their hopes for the future. During their walk, Jack had discovered that he was Elsa's first date and that she had somehow made it through the first eighteen years of her life without having had a boyfriend, let alone a kiss.
Jack had decided that seeing as she had never been kissed, it was up to him to make it extra special. Slowly, he had turned to face her and had confessed that he really liked her and that he would like to kiss her, if she would allow it. He had continued, telling her that seeing as it was her first kiss, he wanted to make it special. He didn't want to leave her with the cliche kiss at the door once they parted. Her cheeks had blushed a soft pink colour and she had nodded.
His eyes had glanced at their surroundings, wanting to ensure that they had privacy. Once he was certain they were alone, he had made his move. He had reached one hand out to pull her to him. He had then wrapped his right hand around her and had rested it on her lower back, pulling her closer. His left hand had then moved to cup her cheek, gently tilting her head so that she faced him. Staring into her blue eyes, he had told her that she was beautiful before he leaned in and pressed the softest of kisses to her lips.
"Jack," Elsa's voice called, from the hallway. "It's time."
Jack could feel his heart rate pick up. Grinning, he jumped to his feet and ran out of the study to find his wife. He found her standing by the door that led to their garage, her pale face scrunched up with pain from the contractions. Hastily, he grabbed his keys, wallet and phone and ushered her towards the car.
.
"Jack, slow down," Elsa cautioned, her voice ragged. "I am not giving birth in the car simply because YOU went and got a speeding ticket on the way to the hospital."
Jack opened his mouth to object, but the look on his wife's face made him think twice about going against the wishes of the pregnant woman. Groaning, he lifted his foot off the pedal.
"Just don't start coming yet," he cautioned, placing his hand on the baby bump. "I don't want your mum messing up the seats of the car."
"Jackson!" Elsa warned.
"I'm joking, I'm joking," he replied, smirking. "Besides, don't worry. These seat covers are pretty easy to wash, so even if you do make a mess you can-"
"Jack, shut up now," Elsa interrupted.
Jack groaned. Pulling into the hospital car park, he carefully scanned the area for an empty space. His eyes settled on one that was located not far from the entrance and he hit the accelerator pedal, steering the car into the park. He leaned across to press a quick kiss to Elsa's forehead before jumping out the car and running to collect a wheelchair to wheel her in.
A few hours later and Elsa's pain had disappeared. Instead, she lay against his chest with a blissful look on her face. Reaching around, he held onto her hand as they took in the sight of their first child who lay wrapped tight in a blanket and nestled in the arms of his doting aunt, who had been only too happy to take him off their hands.
"He really is beautiful," Anna said, moving to lay her newborn nephew back into the small crib.
"Takes after his mother," Jack grinned.
He watched as Anna turned to face him, her eyes softening slightly as she nodded her head. Looking down, he smiled. After a long and painful-looking labour, Elsa had fallen asleep. Her head had sagged to rest on her shoulder. Carefully, Jack lifted her up and moved from his spot behind her, before laying her back down on the bed. Leaning down, he pressed a soft kiss to her forehead before moving to sit in the chair beside to the bed.
Settling down on the chair, his eyes flicked between his wife and their firstborn, Lucas. His mind wandered as he thought of all the 'firsts' that he had been for Elsa. Over the course of their relationship, he had been her; first date, first kiss, first person she was intimate with and first love. She, in return, had become his true love.
Elsa was his wife, his best friend and the mother of his child. She had also become the last person he would kiss, the last person he would share a bed with and the last person he would see before he closed his eyes for the rest of his life.
All his life Jack Frost had loved firsts. That was, until he'd met Elsa and realised that sometimes beauty could be found in being last.