"Finally here." Elsa closed her car's door with a flick of her wrist and pressed the lock button on her key ring. It chirped and she placed her keys in her pocket. A sudden gust of wind tore at her hair and she clucked in annoyance.
"Damn, and I just spent all morning making it look good." She reached up and tried to replace the errant hairs, but the wind wasn't having any of that. She grumbled and headed inside the building.
Airports had always unnerved her, no matter how many times she'd traveled. They were so big and open, and she was horrible with directions. Elsa made her way to the arrivals wing, still trying to control the damage the wind had inflicted upon her hair. She was dressed in stylish but comfortable clothes, a long sleeve white blouse with a light gray vest over the top, jeans and running shoes.
She entered a large circular area marked Arrivals and looked for the large screens filled with flight data. Then she settled herself against a pillar and waited.
Elsa checked the arrival board for the hundredth time. Then she checked her watch. Then she checked the board again. As a nervous habit, she kept straightening her vest and patting the keys inside her pocket.
"Where is that plane?" She huffed, frustrated. The board said the plane had arrived, but it had been saying that for nearly half an hour.
She hadn't thought it would be this hard, waiting. She'd been waiting for over a month, and now that the day was here….
Elsa was about to leave her place on the pillar and start pacing, walk off some nerves, when a woman came up to her.
"Excuse me miss, are you local?" Surprised, Elsa turned towards her.
"Uh, y-yeah, I live around here if that's what you mean." The woman smiled.
"Oh good. Do you know where I could find a coach dear?"
"A… coach?" Elsa was puzzled. The woman's accent placed her as British and Elsa racked her brain for what 'coach' meant. "You mean, like a taxi?"
"No no, a coach. To get downtown," the woman frowned. It clicked.
"Ooooh! A bus!" The woman nodded.
"Yeah, there's a station over there…," Elsa pointed and continued to give the woman directions and tips. The woman thanked her and started to walk away before turning back.
"Miss? If you don't mind me asking, what is a beautiful girl like you doing here by yourself? Who are you waiting for?" Elsa blushed at the unexpected compliment.
"I-I'm waiting for someone special. She's been gone a long time, and…," she smiled, "I just can't wait to see her." The woman smiled in return and told Elsa good luck before moving away with her bags. Elsa sighed and resigned herself back to waiting. She was about to lean back on the pillar once more when she felt her phone buzz in her pocket. She groaned, but cut herself off quickly when she saw who it was. Elsa punched the answer button and whipped the phone up to her ear. When she heard the caller's voice she nearly cried with relief.
"Where are you? I've been walking around for, like, ten minutes. Are you even here?" Elsa chuckled and started to look around.
"Of course I'm here doofus. You really think I'd forget to pick you up?"
"Well no, but if I had to get up at four in the morning to pick you up, you'd be sitting on your ass for hours 'cause there's no way I'd get up before nine am."
"Hey now, that's not nice," Elsa replied. Where was she? "Where are you exactly?"
"I'm by the-. Oh! My, don't you look sharp in that vest today Elsa."
"Huh-?" Elsa spun around, bewildered. "You can see me? Where the heck are you?"
"And you're wearing the pin I got you for your birthday! Don't think I can't see the little golden snowflake on your lapel. Well I must say Elsa I'm flattered you wanted to look so handsome for me." Elsa heard giggling through the phone and blushed hard. The giggling turned to full blown gales of laughter.
"Awww Elsa! You're so red, look at you! Ohmygosh Elsa, Elsa, you cornball!"
Elsa was losing patience. "I swear if you don't tell me where you are I'm gonna-."
"Ellllsaaaaa!" A singsong voice rang out behind her. Elsa's heart lurched in her chest, excitement pounding through her veins. She pocketed her phone and slowly turned around.
The person she'd been waiting for was about five feet away leaning casually on her luggage, a smirk tugging at the corners of her mouth. She was dressed for comfort, a soft pink and yellow striped sweater with dark blue jeans and sneakers.
"Anna…" Anna smiled.
"That's me!"
Elsa felt a smile form on her own face as she walked towards Anna.
Her sister.
Her best friend.
Her Anna.
Anna walked forward too and they met halfway. Anna eyed her up and down.
"Elsa, really, you look wonderful." She met Elsa's gaze, "Any particular reason?"
"No. I just slapped something on this morning. I'm just always fabulous." Anna snorted and rolled her eyes.
"Well, you missed a spot, Miss Pristine," Anna teased, taking a half step forward and touching Elsa's hair. Elsa blushed again as Anna combed her platinum locks behind her ear.
"There," Anna pronounced, finished, "much better." They remained close. Elsa had had a hard time remembering what Anna smelled like after only a few days without her. With Anna so near, Elsa felt something inside her unclench, relieving a tight, unworded fear that she'd never be able to remember the small little details that made up Anna after a while. That she'd forget what made Anna… Anna.
But Anna was here, Anna was real.
With a small hiccup-sob, Elsa put her arms around Anna and held her close to her chest. Anna gasped, but immediately returned the hug with equal fervor.
"Oh Elsa, I'm sorry. I'm sorry you were alone, I'm sorry I couldn't be here with you." Tears stung Elsa's eyes and she turned her head into Anna's neck to hide them. Anna began to rub small circles on her back and Elsa let out a shuddering breath, feeling like the weight of the past month was being lifted off her shoulders.
"I missed you so much," she whispered. Anna squeezed her tighter.
"I know."
Elsa gave another shaky breath, feeling like she was falling. She opened an eye and realized she was indeed getting closer to the ground. Anna was gently lowering both of them to the floor, careful not to make any sudden moves, preserving the moment. Elsa noted in the back of her mind that they were surrounded by strangers but she didn't care.
All that mattered was her Anna, hugging her tightly.
All that mattered was Anna, that she was home.
Home with Elsa.
Little story I came up with after seeing some really sweet and affectionate meetings between people when we picked up some family from the airport. Ironically it was two girls, possibly even sisters that inspired the story.