A/N: Yay! Another update! You guys have been making me super motivated lately, so I felt like rewarding you with another chapter! I mean, 841 views? 26 Follows? 10 review? 8 Favs? I feel so loved! :) I just want to say thanks so much! I'm happy y'all are enjoying this story!
Please review, and, as always, I'm open to suggestions.
Now without further ado…chapter 3!
*****line break*****
Chapter 3
I'm not the same as yesterday, Ooh...
It's hard to explain how things have changed,
But I'm not the same as before.
-"E for Extinction"
Thousand Foot Krutch
I look down at the card in my hand. I read it again for the millionth time, even though I've already memorized the information.
I want to call her, I do.
But then I don't.
What if she doesn't answer? What if she doesn't remember me?
What if she does?
…
What if she changed her mind?
I mean, why would someone like her want to date me?
Or even have a meal with me?
I'm beneath her.
"Ugh," I flop down on the bed in the on-call room.
"Huh? What?" says Aurora, my out-burst waking her from her nap.
"Sorry," I say.
Not really.
"Just call her already," says Cinderella.
I shoot her a glare.
"And say what? 'Hi! Remember me? The girl who broke your nose? Sorry I haven't called in three days, I've just been having my own mini crisis over the fact that a gorgeous billionaire invited me to lunch. A lunch which, by the way, may or may not be a date'?" I say, exasperated.
She shakes her head at me. "You're such a drama queen."
"Just say you've been busy with work," yawns Aurora, rubbing the sleep from her eyes. "I mean, it's not a lie."
She's right.
I have been pretty busy lately, thanks to a certain Weasel.
Man I wish he'd get off my back.
But that's not the real reason I haven't.
Truth is? I'm a coward.
I continue to stare at the card, not moving from my spot on the bed.
"Oh for Christ's sake!" says Snow suddenly, grabbing the card from my hand.
"Hey! Give that back!" I yell, as I lunge for her.
She shrieks and tries to escape as I chase her around the room.
Out of nowhere, I'm tackled.
"Oof!"
I look up to see both Cinderella and Aurora sitting on top of me, pinning me to the ground.
"Get off!" I grunt, struggling against their combined weight.
It doesn't do much good.
"Do it Snow!" yells Cinderella over my frustrated grunts.
"This is for your own good Anna!" says Aurora.
As I try to get out from under the two women, I hear Snow talking to someone.
"Hello, is this Ms. Arendelle's number?"
No.
Oh no.
She didn't.
She wouldn't.
…
She did!
That bitch!
"What're you doing!?" I hiss, struggling even harder.
Cinderella just clamps a hand over my mouth.
Snow smirks at me, and continues.
"Oh good! Well I'm calling on behalf of my friend Anna. She said Ms. Arendelle had invited her to lunch?" she paused to let the person on the other line respond. She raises an eyebrow at whatever it is they say.
"Oh really? Well that's great, because Anna is free tomorrow around noon. M-hmm. Tiana's Place? 12:30? Sounds great, I'll be sure to let her know. Yes it's A-n-n-a C-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n-s-e-n. Okay. Thank you! Bye." She hangs up the phone, a look of triumph on her face.
I'm still pinned, Cinderella's hand over my face.
I lick it.
"Ew! Anna! What the hell!?" she shrieks, pulling back.
I use her momentum to finally throw the two girls off. They land on the floor with a collected "Oof," as I lunge for Snow.
She looks up just in time to see me tackle her.
We struggle on the ground for a few seconds, before I come up victorious, holding the card in my hand.
"What the hell Snow!?" I turn on her, standing over her prone form.
"Well you weren't going to do it yourself! As far as I see it, I did you a favor. And did you really have to tackle me? I mean really, what are we, five?" she grumbles, picking herself up and rubbing her rear.
I scowl at her comment.
Look who's talking.
"Besides," she continues, oblivious to my glare, "the receptionist said she's been expecting a call from an Anna for a few days now. She said, and I quote, 'Ms. Arendelle has been quite dejected upon not receiving a call from Ms. Anna. This will definitely lift her spirits!'" she mimics, using a ridiculous English accent.
"That doesn't mean you can just—wait what? She's was expecting a call? From me?"
Snow snickers at my astonishment.
"See?" Cinderella says from the floor. "You had nothing to worry about! And Aurora can cover for you tomorrow, seeing as she still owes you one."
"More than one" I mutter.
Surprisingly, Aurora nods in agreement.
But that doesn't change anything.
"Nothing to worry about? Cindy, I'm going to a five star restaurant! With a billionaire! I think I have a whole hell of a lot to worry about!" I yell dramatically.
She just shakes her head at me.
"Oh my God." I say, "Oh my God! I'm having lunch with Elsa Arendelle! Elsa-freakin'-Arendelle! At a five star restaurant! What do I do? What do I say!?"
…
"What do I wear!?"
"Anna! Anna calm down!" shouts Snow, grabbing my collar.
I start to respond, when the door suddenly opens, revealing a familiar toupee.
Dr. Weasleton takes in the scene with an unamused look. Cinderella and Aurora are on the ground, still trying to untangle themselves, Snow is holding me up by my collar, and I'm having a miniature panic attack.
We look like the aftermath of a WWE match.
"This isn't a wrestling ring ladies," he sneers. "I suggest you don't treat it like one."
The four of us struggle to collect ourselves under his judging glare.
"Nurse Christiansen," he says, turning to me. "Mr. Chip has come back in with another stomach ache. Please see to it that he is taken care of."
With that, he turns and walks away.
I stare after the door in disbelief.
It's quiet for moment, when suddenly the three women bust out laughing as I let out dejected groan.
Seriously!?
"Oh man, bad luck Anna! Hope you have a clean pair of scrubs!" cackles Snow, holding her stomach, tears coming down her face.
"Why is it always me?" I groan.
"I swear that kid is vomit machine! Have fun girl!" laughs Aurora
I scowl and stomp to the exit.
"I hate you all," I growl, earning another bout of laughter as I slam the door shut behind me.
What am I going to do with them?
*****line break*****
"Eeeeeeee!"
I pull the phone away from my ear as Rapunzel screeches.
I swear she's as bad as the others.
"OMG Anna! This is so cool! Who would've thought Elsa Arendelle would come to my coffee shop! Oh my God, I have to post this on Twitter. And Facebook and—"
"Rapunzel!" I yell, cutting her off. "You're kind of missing the point here!"
"Oh calm down Anna; it's just lunch." She responds.
I roll my eyes.
I'm not the one who was going to blow up Facebook because someone famous came into my shop.
"Punz, it's not just lunch! What if I can't find anything to wear? What if I make a complete fool of myself? What if—"
Now it's her turn to cut me off.
"Anna!" she yells. "You'll be fine. Just be yourself. And just don't freak out, or you'll end up doing something stupid, like—"
"Like breaking her nose?" I deadpan.
"Yea! Wait…no…you…Damn it, Anna! Now you're the one missing the point! She obviously likes you, so quit stressing! And if you really need something to wear, you know you can always borrow stuff from me."
I sigh.
She's probably right.
I sit down on my bed.
"You're right, Punz, as always."
I smile. "Thanks."
"No prob! It's what friends are for, right? Hey, I gotta go, my break's over, and you know I can't leave Eugene alone with the cash register for long. I'll call you later, 'kay?"
"Yea, talk to ya later Punz. Bye."
I hang up and flop back.
I think about tomorrow.
I have a lunch date—well at least lunch—with Elsa Arendelle, billionaire extraordinaire.
Fuck.
Okay, breathe.
You heard Rapunzel, don't freak out.
You can do this, Anna. You got this.
I mean, it's just lunch right?
Right?
…
*****line break*****
It's 12:25
I'm standing outside Tiana's Place.
I don't know what I'm doing.
Is there a reservation?
Do I go in?
Do I wait for her here?
I pull at the neck of my sweatshirt.
Sigh.
Maybe I'll just go in. I mean, they would know if she's coming, right?
Just as I'm about to walk in, a stunning white limousine pulls up in front of the restaurant.
As soon as it stops, a valet runs up and opens the door, and out steps Ms. Elsa Arendelle herself.
She's not wearing anything fancy, just her usual—or what I assume is her usual—pen-suit. But she's still absolutely stunning.
And I feel completely underdressed.
Damn.
I knew I should've worn that stupid dress.
She looks up at me.
I notice her brace is gone, and the bruises are (finally) starting to fade.
Thank God.
"Anna!" she smiles "It's good to see you again! I was afraid I'd miss you. I do apologize for being late. My chauffer decided to take a wrong turn," she turns to give her driver an ice cold glare.
Late?
I look at my watch.
12:30 on the dot.
I shake my head and smile.
"It's okay," I say, not wanting her driver to get in any more trouble. "I just arrived myself."
She looks back at me, and smiles again. "I'm glad to hear that. Shall we?"
She gestures to the doors.
"O-oh yea! Of course!" I stutter.
She smiles, and we head inside.
Don't freak out, Anna.
Just play it cool.
We walk through the doors, and my jaw dropped to the floor.
"This place is amazing!" I say, the second we clear the door.
So much for playing it cool
"Look at the chandeliers! And the table cloths and—oh my god, the waiters are dressed like freakin' butlers!"
Elsa laughs, but I'm so excited, I don't care.
Cinderella was right. I have nothing to worry about.
Elsa smiles at me as we approach the podium.
"How can I help y—oh Ms. Arendelle!" says the host, looking up. "We have your reservation for two ready. Right this way."
He leads us to a booth near the back of the restaurant.
A private table!
I get to sit at a private table! With Elsa Arendelle!
My life is awesome.
"I'll just leave you ladies to look over the menu," he says.
And just like that, Elsa and I are alone.
"So, you've never been here before?" says Elsa, breaking the silence.
Is it really that obvious?
"N-no, I could never afford to eat at a place like this! This is awesome!" I exclaim, a huge smile plastered on my face.
Elsa smiles.
"I take it you're impressed then?" she chuckles, as I nod my head enthusiastically.
"Hell yea!" I say, earning another chuckle. "I mean this place is almost as gorgeous as you are."
I freeze.
Did I just?
Oh God I did.
Way to go, Anna.
Smooth.
"Yes, well it's nothing compared to you," I hear, and my mind fizzles out for a few seconds.
Did…did she just...call me gorgeous?
I look up in time to see an astonished look cross Elsa's face, a blush bright on her cheeks.
Evidently, she didn't mean to say that out loud.
She ducks her head in slight embarrassment.
Thankfully the waiter comes by at that moment, and takes our orders, Elsa's being a salad, and mine being some kind of gourmet sandwich.
Boy do I love me a good sandwich.
"So, how long have you been a nurse, Anna?" she asks, clearly trying to break the tension from earlier.
"Well," I start, glad for the change in subject, "I was hired almost right out of college, so just about two years."
"So you're around twenty-four then?" asks Elsa.
"Uh, y-yea, just turned a few months ago," I stammer, surprised by her sudden change of topic.
She nods her head, still smiling.
"What about you?" I ask before I can control my mouth.
She looks at me, clearly amused.
"Don't you know to never ask a woman her age?" she teases.
I blush slightly, and start to answer, but she cuts me off.
"I'm twenty-seven," she says with a smirk.
I stick my tongue out at her, and she giggles quietly behind her hand.
So she's three years older than me?
Who would've thought? She looks so young.
"So why did you decide to go into the medical field?" she asks, taking a drink.
"Well, I've just always enjoyed the whole laying of hands thing, ya know? I love watching people feel better because of my touch," I reply, playing with my utensils.
Elsa coughs into her glass, and I look up to see her turn scarlet.
I realize what I just said.
Oh God.
"I-I didn't…w-what I meant was…oh my God…" I hide my face in embarrassment.
It's quiet for a moment, then I hear it.
I look up and see Elsa laughing. Well, more like trying not to.
She has both hands over her mouth, and her shoulders are shaking from the force of her barely contained laughter, her face still bright red.
I start giggling as well, and we fall apart.
Soon we're both holding our abs in pain as tears roll down our faces.
I just about die when Elsa snorts.
It's so adorable!
And it was so unexpected.
Elsa clamps her hand over her mouth in horror, as I fall into another round of laughter.
Finally, we are able to collect ourselves.
"So, what do you do?" I ask, still chuckling. "I know you're famous and a billionaire and all, but not much else."
Elsa stops laughing.
I've never seen someone turn so uncomfortable so fast.
"Oh, well…My father is…training me…to take over his company," she says, fidgeting in her seat.
She looks down at her plate.
She obviously doesn't want to talk about it.
But that doesn't stop me from asking anyways.
"Take over? As in…You'll be the CEO of Arendelle Corporation?"
She nods, eyes still downcast.
I can tell she's not too happy about the situation.
Damn it, Anna. Learn some freaking tact.
"Is…is that what you want?" I ask, hoping I'm not overstepping my bounds.
She looks up at me with a guarded expression.
"I want whatever my father wants," she says coldly.
I blink, surprised at her sudden change in tone.
She's obviously surprised as well.
"I-I'm sorry, Anna. I didn't mean to snap at you," she says, guilt plain on her face. "I've just been asked that by rival companies since I was a little girl. They're constantly trying to break up my father's company, and the best way to do that is to eliminate the heir. They're all just jealous old fools," she says, scowling at her plate.
Wow.
I guess her job is off-limits then?
"That…that's okay Elsa. I didn't know it was a touchy subject, or I wouldn't've asked." I say, smiling at her to show her I wasn't upset.
She looks up at me shyly, before returning the smile.
"So," I say, "jobs are obviously dangerous territory. What else can we talk about?"
She chuckles at my joke, looking relieved that we dropped the subject.
As we finish our lunch, I learn her favorite color is blue, and that she plays the piano.
She learns my favorite season is summer, though I do love building snowmen.
Soon the waiter returns with the dessert tray.
"What's that amazing smell?" Elsa asks as he approaches.
We both sniff the air.
"Mhmm, Chocolate!" we both say before we dissolve into giggles.
We both order the chocolate cake, and he brings out two slices the size of a small country.
It's the best cake I've ever had.
Now full, I lean back in my seat with a content sigh.
Elsa chuckles at me before standing and offering me a hand.
I take it and she pulls me up with surprising strength. She leaves the money on the table and leads me out of the restaurant.
This is the best lunch/date ever!
As we approach the entry, I see the valet bring the limousine around, and a feeling I can't quite place fills my chest.
Is it…disappointment?
Yes.
Yes it is.
Because I don't want this…whatever this is…to end quite yet.
Because this is the best I've felt in a long time, and I know as soon as we part, that feeling of emptiness I've been fighting for months will swoop down on me.
Elsa seems to feel the same.
"So…did you drive or…?" she asks, somewhat awkwardly.
"Um, no, I, uh, walked here," I say, flinching slightly at the look she gives me.
"Walked!? Anna, you must be joking, it's freezing out here!" she exclaims.
"It's not that bad…" I mumble, even though we both know it's not true. It's easily below freezing.
She raises an eyebrow at me before grabbing my hand and pulling me towards her vehicle.
"W-what are you doing?" I ask as she drags me along.
"Giving you a ride," she says simply.
What?
"N-no that's fine, really! I can just take a cab," I try to refuse.
"Nonsense. I can give you a ride, Anna. It's no big deal," she refutes.
Wrong.
It's a huge deal.
But she doesn't give me a choice as she all but shoves me in the door, before sliding in beside me.
I gather myself and look around.
The inside is huge!
I knew limos were luxurious and all, but this is ridiculous!
I mean, there's a flippin' television! Who even needs that!?
Elsa laughs at my look of awe.
She pokes me slightly to get my attention.
"What's your address?" she asks with a smile.
I give it to her, still in a bit of a daze. She relays it to her driver, and we are off.
The first few minutes are filled with silence except for my occasional ooh's and ahh's.
Suddenly, there's a pale hand under my nose, palm up.
I look over at Elsa questionably.
"Phone," she says.
I hand her the device and she types a number into it, before taking a picture of herself. She presses call, and I hear a vibration from her phone. She picks it up, and takes a quick, and very unflattering, picture of me.
"There," she says handing my phone back to me. "Now you have my personal number, and I have yours."
She smiles at me as I look at her dumbfounded.
I have her personal number.
I have Elsa's personal number.
And her picture.
Pinch me, I must be dreaming.
All too soon, we pull up to my apartment.
"I-I guess this is it then." I say, rubbing the back of my head.
"I guess so," she replies, looking down at her hands.
As I go to open the door, I feel a cool hand on my forearm.
I look up to see Elsa smiling softly at me.
"I had a lot of fun today Anna," she says, squeezing my arm. "I would really like to do it again?"
I find myself nodding before she even finishes her sentence.
"Great," she says, her smile widening. "How about next week? Same time? Only I'll be picking you up. I don't want you to catch a cold from walking around in this weather."
"Okay," I chuckle. She releases my arm and I exit the limo.
I wave goodbye, and watch as the vehicle pulls away, and I swear I see a pair of bright blue eyes watching me until it turns a corner.
I slowly walk up the three flights of stairs to my door, a smile on my face the whole way.
Because for the first time in forever…
I don't feel alone.
*****line break*****
A/N: So I'm gonna try that thing where I respond to reviews, so be sure to leave them!
Ymu: Thanks! I appreciate the feedback. I think I'm able to capture Anna so easily because I'm a lot like her, so I'm just writing this as if it was me.
Guest 1: Thank you :)
Scatty: Thanks! And please don't cry :( I promise things will work out in the end…just maybe not how you think. I have a plan. ;)
Guest 2: MAUH to you too!
Guest 3: Thanks you!
David Davidson: Thank you, thank you, and thank you.
xo-j-e-i-j-a-h-xo: Thanks! I hope you stick with it! I promise it'll all be worth it in the end. And I hope by very bad you mean very good XD
Human-HybridChimeraMute: I'm glad you're enjoying it! And yes, Anna is showing some common signs of depression…but why? Will she get better? Worse? Who know? ;)
Thanks to all for your kind words!