Anna's eyes were blind with tears by the time she opened her flat door. She went straight through to the bedroom and threw herself on the bed. What the - FUCK - is wrong with you. You can't just tell men you're not even officially seeing that you want to marry them and have their babies. Of course they're going to freak out and run away. You MORON.
She rolled over and stared at the ceiling. That same stupid ceiling. She should put something up there, the amount of time she spent lying here alone staring at it. Maybe one of those Where's Wally posters like they had at the dentist.
Her phone rang, waking her from a doze, and Anna forced herself up to find her handbag, which she had dropped somewhere in the hall.
It was a number she didn't recognise. Anna answered it automatically. "Hello?"
"Ah, hi, this is Sven McAllister? We met earlier this evening, Kristoff gave me your number, I'm here with him now, he has something to say to you - yes he fucking does, come back here -" There was the sound of a door slamming. "Oh, Jesus. He's just - okay. I'd better - just quickly, sorry, Anna, are you still there?"
"Yes?"
"Quick message. He's a fucking idiot, we all know this, but please don't give up on him. Okay. I'd better go, sorry to disturb you -" The call disconnected.
Anna looked down at her phone, her heart thumping. Don't give up on him.
There was a knock at the flat door, or rather a series of thumps. She put down the phone and went to look through the peephole. Kristoff was leaning against the opposite wall, out of breath - and he must have run straight here, to be outside her door so quickly. Anna steadied herself and opened the door. Kristoff pushed himself onto his feet.
"I'm sorry," he said. "I'm sorry. Sven rang a bit after I got home and asked about you, and I - told him some of what happened, and he came back over and shouted at me and took my phone."
"He said you were an - effing idiot," Anna said.
Kristoff smiled ruefully. "He said that to me, too. Several times. And I'm not saying he's wrong."
"And he said I shouldn't give up on you."
Kristoff sighed. "It's been a long year," he said. "For you too, I know. Maybe I feel like - I've given up on me, why shouldn't you."
"Your friends clearly haven't."
"Sven's been my best friend nearly twenty years. If he was going to give up on me, he's had plenty of opportunities."
"You're so lucky, to have a friend like that."
"I know." Kristoff pulled a face. "I hope he's not still looking for me."
They were both silent for a minute. Kristoff looked at his feet.
"I meant it," Anna said. "What I said, on the street. I meant it. I love you."
"I know. I love you too."
Another silence.
"So now what?" Anna said. "Now we've got ourselves here, now what?"
Kristoff's phone rang and he fished it out of his pocket, smiled at the screen, and answered it with "I'm at Anna's, I'm talking to her, go home to your family, you mad Scottish bastard."
He listened for a minute. "I've got one. OK. Go home. Bye." He hung up. "He was worried I'd run out without a key and locked myself out."
"That's the kind of thing I do. Lock myself out, I mean. Plus, you know, general tendency to leap without even considering looking - and saying the first thing that's on my mind and going too fast -"
"Anna. It's okay."
"No, it's not - look. I'm sorry. We can go as slow as you want, okay? I can do that, I can. I promise. I just don't want to lose you."
He nodded. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I'm so…"
"You're fine." Anna stepped forward and hugged him. After a second he hugged her back.
"Kristoff," she said into his chest, "Can I ask you something?"
"Of course?"
"Am I your girlfriend?"
"I'd like that."
"Me too."
He kissed the top of her head. "It's settled, then."
Taking it slow. Okay, she could do that. So she didn't see him on Saturday (although she did text him a bit), and on Sunday he came round and watched a film and at no point did Anna say 'if I'm your girlfriend does that mean we can have sex now' and it was nice and cosy and they kissed a bit on the sofa and then he went home because it was a school night.
She wondered if she should ring Sven and thank him. Would that be weird? Probably.
Anna had also wondered if it would feel awkward at work but it felt the same as ever. Judy did have once to ring down to IT to find her, but she really was there for a genuine reason and she'd have been back in a couple of minutes anyway. Probably. Why were leaflets for a dog grooming business an 'emergency' anyway.
On Thursday, Kristoff and Anna walked home together, so when he rang her ten minutes later she was a little surprised.
"Quick question," he said, "Are you free this weekend?"
"Yes, I think so. What day?"
"Both days."
"Are we going somewhere?"
"Maybe. Are you free?"
"Yes, sure."
"OK. Bye -"
"Wait! What's this about?"
"It's a surprise. I'll come over later and tell you." And he hung up.
A couple of hours later there was a knock on Anna's door. It was the person she was expecting.
"Denmark," he said.
"Denmark?"
"You can just email them your documents and then turn up and get married. No waiting period. Pretty much anywhere else in the EU it takes at least a week, I've been looking into it and really you'd need more than a weekend to go to Las Vegas or somewhere, but - and I rang this Danish company earlier and spoke to a very nice lady called Gerda and they have a cancellation for this Saturday. Four PM. Said I'd let her know in the morning. And send her scans of your birth certificate and passport and everything. If, you know. That's something you still want to do." He paused for breath, leaning on the doorframe.
"Kristoff," Anna said. "Is this - a proposal?"
"I - I mean, it was your idea - but yes. Yes I suppose it is." He laughed. "Will you marry me? In Denmark? On Saturday?"
"Is that why you asked if I was free this weekend?"
"Yes. I mean, we can just go and have a mini-break or whatever, we don't have to do the wedding part if you don't want."
"But you do? You said - and I don't want to rush you -"
"Last time, I was sensible. Last time I waited and I planned how I was going to ask her and we lived together first for six months to make sure, and we saved up for a deposit and it was all so organised and then it just - went to shit. You can do everything right and it still goes wrong. So I was just - fuck it. Fuck it. I love you. Let's get married."
Anna laughed. "Okay," she said. "Okay. Yes. Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes. Just one thing, though, and don't take this the wrong way -"
"What?"
"...have you been drinking?"
He laughed. "No. I'm just - life's short, you know? Life's so fucking short. Marry me."
"I already said I would. And, um, you don't have to stand in the doorway, come in."
He came through, kicked the door shut behind him, and pulled her into his arms.
"You're very masterful today," she said, laughing.
"I know what I want, so I thought I'd come and get it," he said. "Sorry, that was a bit much, wasn't it?"
She kissed him, still giggling. He kissed her back, but had to stop when he also started laughing.
"Let's not tell anyone until after we've done it," Anna said.
"Isn't that the point of eloping?" Kristoff said. Then he pulled a face. "My mother's going to go spare."
"And my sister. But I don't care. Did you already organise flights and everything?"
"Flights, car hire, hotel. We'll have to get the train to the airport. We can sneak out at lunchtime tomorrow and get rings, that's all, isn't it?"
"Yes. I think so. Yes. That's everything."
