Chapter 10
Anna opened her phone scrolling through her messages as she hurried to the main campus. I seriously lack in social variety, she thought in amusement as she looked at the inbox. Out of all the names that filled her inbox, 4 names were consistently at the top. Well, at least it's still 2 more than high school!
She quickly read through each text and sent an appropriate response:
- Rapunzel's latest drama over Flynn pestering her for a date: 'Give the guy a chance. Have you introduced him to Pascal yet?'
-A photo of Kristoff's newest ice sculpture: 'Totally awesome. You'll so get an A!'
-A kiss-y face from Hans: ' :) '
Finally, she opened the text she saved for last. It was short and direct, much as she had expected.
'I am in the usual study room.'
Every week since duo started their tutoring deal, Anna and Elsa met on Friday nights for a tutor session. It had started as a 1 hour meeting, but it gradually extended into 2 hours. This extended time was due to the growing openness between the two, unsurprisingly at Anna's insistence. But Anna couldn't help it if she wanted to show Elsa all of the crazy viral videos on YouTube! She didn't even know if the professional woman even understood the concept of a viral video, but that didn't stop her. Elsa didn't find them nearly as funny as the redhead, but every passing week she at least seemed to enjoy Anna's excitement more and more.
Last week had been the most productive yet. As Anna died of laughter over 'Keyboard Cat', Elsa had given her a light chuckle. Anna couldn't be sure if it was due to the video or Anna's obnoxious laughter induced snort, but a win was a win. One day I'll get her to really laugh, Anna had decided that night, already preparing ideas of other viral videos to share.
Now, Anna quickened her pace and typed an answer back to Elsa's message. 'Sorry I'm late, almost at the library! I couldn't find my I.D. which totally threw off my time'. Well, that was the partial truth. Aside from misplacing her I.D. in her sock drawer, she had also taken a nap and woken up late. However, Elsa needn't know that.
She pushed open the glass door entrance into the 3 story, 'Home of the Books'. After rounding a few bends, with a smile to her friends working the library desk, Anna bounded up the stairs toward their super secret study room. Super secret only signifying it was at the end of a corridor.
Her pocket buzzed again.
'Do not worry. I have other work to occupy myself. I will see you soon.'
Anna rolled her eyes at the unnecessary formality that always accompanied her TA's texts. Only Elsa would be that stiff. She couldn't help but smile though. It was an Elsa quirk. She hadn't asked, but she was pretty sure Elsa did not frequently text many other people. She'd seen Elsa's brand new iPhone-6 (Anna could swear those weren't even on the market yet..), but it was only momentary as the blonde checked a calendar date. All her other friends were practically glued to their phones. It was a bit refreshing to think Elsa wasn't like that. Most of Elsa's traits were a breath of fresh air, actually.
When Anna got to the big door, paired with a viewing window, she briefly peaked in. She smiled seeing the lone blonde, engrossed with typing something on her laptop. This tutor time was specially organized just for Anna. Elsa's usual TA hours were during Anna's Nutrition class, so Anna never had to worry about not getting Elsa's full attention. She didn't like the idea of having to share Elsa's attention anyway.
She knocked, stepping inside. She was met with Elsa's polite smile as she moved her textbooks away from the seat next to her. Anna smiled. Her seat.
When the redhead dumped her books onto the chair and started slipping off her coat, she finally took in Elsa's appearance. She abruptly put her hands on her hips, not even bothering to finish removing the coat that now draped haphazardly on her sleeve.
"Seriously?"
Blue eyes looked at her in confusion. Elsa had gotten used to many of Anna's excentricies, but most of the time she still had no idea what caused them.
"I'm sorry..?"
"How did you have the time to dress so nice right now?" she said referencing Elsa's professional TA attire. The last time she had seen the blonde was earlier at the Athletics Center where they were weight lifting. Elsa was certainly more put together now than how Anna found her earlier; sweat dripping from her bangs, tank-top damp, arm muscles bulging as she curled her bicep reps. (Oh, fun fact. Elsa was curling a 45lb dumbbell. Like really?!). Anna eyed the loose, long sleeved blouse that currently stretched the length of Elsa's arm. It made her arms look tiny. You lie.. I know what kind of muscles lay hidden beneath your surface.
Elsa cleared her throat. "I had 2 hours.. I cooked dinner, showered, got dressed and came to campus.." Elsa looked down to her blouse, sweater-vest and dress pants, before back up at Anna. Now it was her turn to analyze Anna's appearance; messy hair, casual sweats, exposed t-shirt and slight drool stains on her lip. Her eyes narrowed, raising an eyebrow in amusement. "And in these 2 hours I see you have yet to even change your workout shirt.."
Anna sighed. That was true. While Elsa may be able to utilize every aspect of a 2 hour span perfectly, Anna spent her share gorging on a burrito at dinner and then passing out in her bed. Naps were tricky for her. She'd either wake up super refreshed, or in a pile of drool, completely unaware of what year it was. Tonight was the latter.
"Come now, time to get to work." Elsa patted the table top after casting a glance to the wall clock. "I'll start you off and then I need to type up my report."
Anna did as she was told, pulling out her papers and pencil. She put her notebook and Polish textbook next to the Macro-Economic textbook. As she scooted her chair in, she looked at the blonde with interest. "So is your report on macro-economics?"
Elsa's lip curled up slightly. "How deductive of you."
Anna waved her hand with a proud smile. "I know, I am brilliant after all."
She was met with a nod. "But my paper's actually on Cognitive Linguistic theory."
Anna blanched, not expecting that. "Uh.. well.. that's random.. I mean, I was guessing you were doing something with business because.." She shook her head, stopping herself from blurting out anything. It may not be a good idea to mention that Flynn told her about Elsa's parents and that whole 'inherit the family business' thing. Instead, she chose to ask the question that had been eating her up since their first race. "Seriously, what's your major anyway?"
"Double major actually." Elsa corrected before shrugging at Anna's raised eye brows. "Economy and Linguistics."
"Whoah, how do you even have the time? Like on top of crew and all. Here I thought being Undeclared was a heavy work load already.."
"If you couldn't tell, I don't do much outside of crew and school," she said with a hint was bitterness in her words. Anna chewed her cheek, fighting back blurting something out again. Maybe she shouldn't have asked Flynn anything about Elsa. Who knew when her tongue would act before her brain again? Elsa suddenly broke Anna's trance by pushing the notebook in front of the freckled teen. "Speaking of work load, stop avoiding yours." She cocked a brow as Anna rolled her eyes, taking the notebook.
"I kind of want to major in 'Avoiding Responsibilities'." She grinned at the older woman, waggling her eyebrows in hopes of a reaction. "Eh? Eh?" She was met with the stoic, teacher face. "Oh fine.." She picked up her pencil and willed herself to begin working.
A few minutes later, there was a buzz on the table. Both sets of eyes fell on the i-Phone 6 that lay next to the laptop. Elsa dragged her finger across the screen, reading whatever came up. Anna only caught a glimpse of the large text box before Elsa turned it to silent and flipped it upside down. It was past 8:30. Who was texting Elsa this late? Elsa caught Anna's curious gaze on the device.
"Just a check-in from the Captains," she stated bluntly, practically answering Anna's inner question. Under a skeptical brow raise, she rolled her eyes. She knew Anna was just teasing her again. Anna always teased her whenever Elsa gave any hint of being a typical, modern day college girl. Which was rare, if that is at all hard to believe. "Trust me. I don't text anyone."
Except me, Anna thought proudly, also noting that Elsa did indeed not text the person back. That made her feel increasingly special. Her coxswain attitude absolutely ate it up!
Anna just nodded politely at Elsa, still enjoying the chances she got to tease her. Then Anna's curiosity (on top of her desire to avoid doing work) finally got the better of her. "Question."
"Answer."
She rolled her eyes while gently playing with her pencil between her fingers. "How did you get my phone number?" Sheesh. Finally she had the nerve to ask it. After losing sleep over this question weeks and weeks ago when she first met Elsa, she had forgotten it. But apparently, desperately wanting to avoid homework stimulates odd memories to resurface.
The question had caused the blonde to look momentarily puzzled, a pink hue gracing her cheeks at the suddenness. "I asked Coach Oaken," she said after clearing her throat.
"Why?"
Another puzzled look. "I told you. In case something came up and I needed to contact you about practice."
Anna shook her head. "No, why did you ask Coach and not me?" Elsa kept her mouth closed and averted her eyes. "I mean only creepy people get numbers without asking ya know." Anna chided, also remembering how her thoughts had circled around this notion. Like Hell she'd admit that though.
"It's not creepy," Elsa grumbled, sounding offended at the accusation. She rolled her eyes at Anna's smug look, bringing her knuckles to slightly cover her mouth. She drummed her fingers against her keyboard. "I just.. I didn't want to talk to you.."
That surprised the redhead. She tilted her head to the side, offering big bright eyes, trying to keep the conversation light. "Is it because I'm so scary?" Elsa glared at her, but only received a goofy, lopsided grin in return. Hell, Elsa's Button quail certainly thought Anna was scary. It could be true.
"I... may have been a little.." Her words were grumbled into her knuckles. "..by your excessive exuberance."
Anna's eyes narrowed and she leaned in to Elsa's personal space bubble, causing the blonde to lean her torso back. "You were a little.. what?"
The blonde puffed her currently pink cheeks. "Intimidated.." she growled unhappily. Her frown deepened as Anna's face lit up like the sun. Her toothy grin was absolutely impish. "It was because you were strange, mind you. Goodness," she huffed in aggravation as she watched the joy Anna took from the admission. No matter how hard Elsa tried to fight away the teen's goofy expression, Anna would not let it go.
The only way Elsa could manage a distraction was shoving the Polish textbook into Anna's lap. It caused her to let out an 'oomph' in pain as it brushed over the top of her scuffed up knee. Most of her abrasions had healed over the course of the week, but they were still easily irritated.
"Stop trying to major in 'Responsibility Avoidance', " Elsa said in a firm voice.
"Uh, excuse you it's 'Avoiding Responsibilities'." Anna said in a similar tone. "I am just trying to complete the pre-requisites and you are interfering with my education."
Elsa groaned, bringing a hand to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Just.. Read the 6th chapter. I know you haven't." Despite the cold and annoyed exterior that the blonde was desperately trying to exhibit, Anna knew that on the inside she was still burning in embarrassment. Elsa. All flustered. It was just too awesome an experience to not revel in. She smiled one last time up at the blonde before eyes fell back to her book.
The next hour and a half flew by, as they always did during the girls' study sessions. Anna was a little pouty that she couldn't pull up her list of YouTube videos. However, Elsa needed to write her report and wasn't up for distractions. Anna forced herself to understand, but she was still miffed she didn't get a chance to make Elsa laugh at the ridiculousness. Looked like 'Best of Fail Vines', 'Cat Betrays His Girlfriend', and 'Dogs Like Socks' would have to wait until next Friday.
As the two prepared to pack up, Elsa took out her TA sign-in sheet. Anna saw it and knew the drill well enough by now. She had to sign off that she indeed attended Elsa's session. The school required the form so the Senior got paid. It was such a casual and highly honor based system. She began signing her name and the date.
"Gotta make sure you make your mula, eh?" Anna giggled, while Elsa nodded. "Saving up for anything? An i-Phone 7? More ritzy shoes?" Anna had meant to keep her tone lighthearted, but when she looked back up at Elsa's expression, she realized she may have sounded more invidious.. offensive even. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't the least bit envious of Elsa's financial support. Flynn had said her parents were paying her tuition. Anna had to apply for every possible scholarship offered and still was going to be drowning in loans after graduation. But it was absolutely no reason to take it out on the blonde. She knew it was too late though. She had struck a nerve.
Elsa roughly pulled her navy jacket on and pulled her satchel over her shoulder. Her eyes hardened for the first time that night and she looked defensive. "Just because of my family's history doesn't mean that's all that I'm about." Her tone was insulted, but masked a layer of hurt as well.
Anna's eyes became remorseful. She dipped her head down once her backpack was squarely on her back. "I.. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound like that.."
"Whatever. I'm used to everyone thinking that anyway." Elsa put away the sign-in sheet and headed to the door. Her defense was up. She put that poker face mask on. That same poker face that had always indicated end of discussion. But Anna wouldn't have it. Not this time. She had come too far and cared too much. With a bout of courage, she moved.
"Well I'm not everyone," she stated, jumping in front of the taller woman. Her cerulean eyes bore into Elsa's hurt ones. Had the comment really bothered her that much? Anna felt her heart clench as she realized that Elsa, the anti-social, stoic, cold, critical woman, had been starting to.. trust her. That's why she's feeling like this.. "I just have poor social pragmatic skills when I talk." She did her best to smile a warm smile, hoping her sincerity would shine through. Elsa stared at Anna's face.
After they stood there for a long moment, gaze locked, Elsa uneasily crossed her arms across her chest. Anna could immediately read the woman's uncomfortable body language. She had done it. A moment of courage was all it took to bring those defenses down. She was staring at an exposed side of the blonde.
"I save it for rowing. My.. my parents.. kind of refuse to help with any of my rowing expenses.." Yes. I know that already.. Anna bit her tongue at the thought, this time coming way too close to speaking aloud. Don't interrupt her and ruin this, doofus. She's finally opening up! Oh please open up more.. "It's viewed as a distraction from my studies, which are more important. To make a point, they've never even gone to a race."
"Wow Elsa. I-I didn't know.." Well I did somewhat.. But man, hearing it from Elsa, it just sounds so painful. How can any parents force this on their child?
"Yeah, well.. I owe them, I guess." Anna furrowed her brows, as Elsa hugged herself for a moment before releasing a breath. "Whatever. When I start working for the company things will hopefully get better." Her voice had lowered gruffly, seeming to be speaking more to herself. She released a hand from her body and reached for the door handle. "We should get going."
This time, when the blonde went to exit, Anna just followed and shut the door behind them.
"So you saved up all your money to buy that amazing, personally designed boat?" After some quiet minutes of walking Anna chose to break the silence, hoping the question was an appropriate adjustment to their topic. Elsa nodded in response, seeming to appreciate Anna's effort. "How much did it cost?"
"12."
Anna blinked. "..Hundred?"
Elsa breathed what could have been an attempted chuckle. She shook her head. "Anna, really now?"
Oh Anna knew. She knew very well that Elsa did not mean 12 hundred. Not when crew boats cost the amount they did. Elsa meant 12 thousand. Anna had to visibly shake her head at the notion. God that had to be her entire life savings! Maybe two life savings! How many jobs had she been working? When did she start working? In Kindergarten? Her ever eager to help personality was stirred and she couldn't contain it.
"Wow. Looks like you need me to come to more study sessions so you can save up again!" Anna tempted to joke lightly. When Elsa snorted a laugh, Anna thought about her comment. If she was being honest, which she was, her words were only partially kidding.
"Maybe. You can always benefit from additional practice anyway."
Anna was so intrigued by her sudden idea that she didn't even acknowledge Elsa's jibe. She wouldn't mind getting to spend more time outside of practice with the blonde. It was the only time they actually were able to bond; to feel like more than just teammates and tutors. Yes, Elsa still had that critical attitude when they were in the crew setting, but she completely transformed when they weren't focusing on competing. It was still mind boggling, but definitely a foundation Anna planned on fully utilizing for her benefit. Tonight she'd seen an unsure side of the blonde. An emotional side which she could only guess was a sliver of everything else the women locked away from the world.
Anna couldn't help but think that, finally, she had proof that Elsa was not an Ice Queen. Not some ethereal creature incapable of considering others' feelings. Not an emotionless drone, unable to feel. No. Anna knew.
Elsa was indeed as human as she.
…
Anna found herself on Hans' couch as the two cuddled up and watched some crime show marathon on television. Hans loved crime shows. He talked about how fun it was to try and solve the crimes and get inside the heads of the mastermind criminals. Anna, however, tended to find them boring. It was more like once you've seen one, you've seen them all.
The one they were watching now was called 'Rizzoli & Isles' or something. At first Anna was apprehensive, not really caring for the previous crime shows Hans had her watch, but this new one was pleasantly different. Maybe it was because the dialogue was pretty funny, or the interesting side-stories, or how Hans happily kept trying to solve the murders…
Or maybe it was the odd sexual tension experienced between the two leading ladies. In all honestly, she was slightly confused as to why the two women weren't married. They certainly acted like an old married couple! Hans had explained that the characters were just best friends, but Anna wasn't so sure after watching a few episodes.
She did find the characters oddly relatable though. Actually she found herself drawing so many parallels. The little Medical Examiner was so quirky and awkward. She always rambled on about irrelevant things, but was always so chipper. Anna felt like she'd found a kindred spirit. And the tall, muscular detective was so cool and tough, but easily irritated. Yet the woman had this softer side too, but she only showed it around the Medical Examiner. Anna smiled and laughed inwardly at how much that personality resembled Elsa's. After watching the relationship play out on screen, Anna finally understood why their own polar opposite relationship worked so well. Well, in a friendly way. Just like how Rizzoli & Isles were friends.. Nothing more.
But they're just so oblivious, she thought in amusement, smiling as the two women on screen leaned in to hug each other. She found her thoughts drift in and out of the actual crime, finding it more amusing to think about the leading ladies. They way that they longingly look at each other is just ridiculous. No one stares into their friends' eyes like that.. It's like eye sex! And they always want to be together and talk about the other. So oblivious.
It wasn't the first time she'd paired up T.V. characters. Not even lesbian pairs. She loved Gabrielle & Xena from 'Xena'.. Oh and Beca & Chloe from 'Pitch Perfect'! It was a guilty pleasure she had never admitted. But it was just in good fun. Still, she chose not to voice her inner thoughts to Hans. It just felt odd to talk to her boyfriend about the subject of two girls being together.
Her thoughts slowly drifted around to the topic of sexuality. Anna furrowed her brow.
There was nothing wrong with girls liking girls, or boys liking boys, in Anna's mind. She'd just never actually met any lesbians until coming to Arendelle. Mulan.. Elsa.. Well, that's only assuming. Technically she had never been explicitly told anything, so who knows. Maybe Elsa's girlfriend was a onetime thing. Girls sometimes experiment in college after all..
Anna's focus was now fully broken from the crime show and its lady lovin' sexual tension.
What if Elsa was one of those experimenting girls? Granted, as much as Anna had been wondering about Elsa's past girlfriend (girlfriends?), she never actually thought about Elsa's sexuality. It never even fazed her. She had kind of thought that if she ever met someone gay, her whole perception of the person would be skewed, though not necessarily in a bad way. Just a different way. A good different probably. But here, there was nothing. Elsa was just.. Elsa.
She chewed her lip.
Well, certainly she wasn't just Elsa. Elsa was so much more than that on so many hidden levels. She was like an onion, always revealing more by peeling back layer by layer.. only she didn't smell or make Anna cry. She actually made her happy-
"Anna? Hello?" Anna blinked, snapped from her trance as Hans looked at her curiously. "I know you said you didn't like crime shows, but is this one really that boring?"
She looked into his questioning hazel eyes. "Oh, no no. I actually really enjoy it! I was.. getting really into it." She smiled, glancing at the screen to see the rolling credits.
"You're so cute," Hans cooed, moving a hand beneath her chin. He brought Anna's face back to his own and pressed his lips to hers. It did not last long as Anna quickly pulled back and stretched with a dramatic yawn. Hans didn't seem bothered by the girl's sleepy state.
"I'm going to have to go back and get some sleep," she said.
"I understand." Tomorrow was their last race of the season and it was arguably the most important. They were racing their longtime rivals from Atlantica College. Everyone needed to get a good night's rest to beat those dastardly Barracudas.
As they stood to say goodbye Hans looked at her again.
"Oh, tomorrow night, after the race, we're having an end of the season party here."
Anna tilted her head. "I thought the team was doing a team dinner to celebrate?"
"Well yes, but we mean for the upperclassmen." He waggled his eye brows. "There'll be alcohol and Flynn's Captain so it'd be a legality issue for him to invite anyone not 21."
"Soooo people such as me?" Anna smirked.
Hans smiled down at her. "Right. Buuuuut I pulled some strings for you to come as my guest." Of course Hans talked his roommate into this. "It'll be a belated costume party since none of us got to go out for Halloween last week."
At first, the thought of going to a party without her best friends at her side was a bit saddening. Rapunzel was still 18, Kristoff didn't turn 21 until the spring, and Olaf was perpetually 14. But she'd get a chance to socialize with the older students. That could be entertaining. And experience her first college party scene.. Oh, and also spend time with her boyfriend. Shouldn't that be her first thought?
But at the mention of costumes, Anna was sold. There were never crazy Halloween parties to attend since they all had early practice. But soon the season would be over. "Sounds great! I'll be there with bells on!" She gave a cheeky smile, using a phrase her Aunt Gerda said back home.
"Oh I'll be listening then!"
…
Sunday morning came so soon and the air held an early winter chill to it. All of the rowers were bundled up, their typical uni covered by long spandex leggings and long sleeved under-armor. The groups that weren't getting ready to row were huddled together, covered in layers of sweats, jackets and scarves. It was severely much too cold for a certain redhead's liking.
Anna stood on the porch of their boathouse. A home regatta was a nice change. They didn't have to endure long bus rides or get up at 4am just to travel. And best of all, a home race gave the team a home advantage. Anna smiled nervously, eyeing the familiar, yet choppy river. The waves lapped against the docks, splashing the wood. It looked rough enough to flip their Double on the dock, let alone after they were on the river.
Come on Anna. You know this course. You know this river. There were no surprises when she came around winding bends. She knew how far she could steer the boat to shore without hitting land. She knew how the winds could change drastically through the cavernous fjord.
She breathed deep, watching the frost crystallize in the air in front of her. She wasn't coxing the Four today. No. Her only race would be in the Double. Being the only race made the stakes even greater. And she was not going to settle for anything less than a win today.
"How are you feeling?" asked a calm, feminine voice from her side. The redhead looked as her sculling partner stepped up beside her and leaned her forearms against the railing. Elsa seemed to sense the slight anxiety from the younger girl.
"The chop always makes me a little nervous," she admitted a little unsurely, eyes downcast. "Like what if we flip.."
"We won't flip," Elsa said with complete confidence, those words alone alleviating some of Anna's anxiety. Elsa tilted her head."Why does it bother you that much?"
Anna scrunched her shoulders. She shook her head with a small chuckle. "I had scare as a kid. Just never really learned to be a good swimmer after."
"Yeah, I saw that," Elsa said with a sly grin. Anna's cheeks reddened. Yeah, the entire crew team had seen that! There was a pause between them. To spare her the embarrassment, Elsa asked again, "How are you feeling otherwise?" She nodded to Anna's arm. The conversation redirection brightened the redhead's spirit. She pulled up her sleeve.
"Good. Everything's healed up thanks to your amazing medical skills!" she said happily, eyeing the scabs that had molded on her hands and arm. Training that week had started out fairly painful. Any time she moved her arms and knees just irritated the skin. And blisters on her palm? Ugh. She may as well have used the sanitizer again! However, now all the healing scabs did was fuel her excitement. If she could row through such injurious pain, obviously she'd endure the muscle draining pain of the race! Her body made its full recovery and she was ready to show off her skills. She glanced down at the blonde's body and she reeled her head back. "Where are all your warm clothes? It's like below 40 degrees!" she asked in an appalled, mother like voice. Elsa was only wearing her uni.
The blonde shrugged, gaze out on the river. She let out a crystallized breath. "The cold never bothered me."
Anna involuntarily shuddered beneath her sweatshirt. She was looking forward to, yet simultaneously dreading, the approaching time at which she'd need to strip down to her uni for the race. "You are crazy.. whoah what happened there?" Anna leaned in to the blonde's uni. The golden 'A' emblem was tearing off of the spandex shoulder strap. It was flapped down, exposing the bare collar bone beneath it. It wasn't like Elsa to tarnish anything that was rowing related. The thought even seemed sacrilegious. Teal eyes looked at Elsa, expectantly.
Elsa unconsciously brought her hand to the loose fabric, tugging it gently. She knew Anna was awaiting a dramatic tale. "A reindeer charged me on my way to the race and its antler tore the fabric." Anna's eyes widened, her face astonished. Part of Elsa's lip turned upward. "Kidding. It caught on my coat zipper this morning."
The younger rower's face fell and she incredulously stared at the blonde's face. It was barely concealing her amusement. And Anna had been hoping to get the blonde to start making jokes? She seriously wasn't expecting Elsa's humor to be so dull.
"Oye," she mumbled putting her palm against her forehead, shaking her head.
Elsa looked slightly offended. "What?"
"Your humor.. it's going to be the death of me."
"Because I'm that clever?"
Anna shook her head again and cocked a brow. "I think we need to have you watch a few more viral videos."
Elsa was about to retort when the women heard a call to attention echo across the docks. "Will all the teams' coxswains, bow seats and coaches please come to the front docks for the debriefing meeting!" boomed a race official into his megaphone. All of the traveling teams, as well as the Arendelle members, headed down to where the official stood.
Anna sent a nervous smile to Elsa and gave a salute. "Be back soon!" As she ran down the wooden ramp, she glanced out at the water. Gone were the choppy wakes, replaced with flat, glass-like beauty. She felt her nerves from earlier suddenly turn into anxious excitement. In an hour, they'd be racing down for the final race this season. She eagerly bounced on the balls of her feet all through the entire meeting, hardly processing the official's announcements.
It felt all too soon, yet also too slow, by the time her watch struck the signaling hour.
It was time.
Anna walked down the bay, hand slowly trailing overtop of the sleek Double. She smiled looking down at Arendelle's Glory. The golden letters shined against the dark purple hull. This boat had seen so many things this fall. Training, racing, and a blossoming comradery between two unlikely rowing partners. Anna smiled at the dorky thought. She heard soft footsteps enter the bay. She needn't look up to recognize the sound of those fancy Italian boat shoes..
Elsa stopped at the stern of the boat. She watched as Anna finished her lazy path down to the bow, from which she commanded their boat.
As the two girls stood by the Double, prepared to get hands on, Anna remembered something. Quickly, she hopped over to Elsa. The blonde looked at her partner curiously as Anna grabbed her pale hand. She pried open Elsa's slender fingers and placed an index card there. She used both hands to wrap the fingers back around the object and held the rower's hand for a moment. Her sparkling eyes looked up. "I do these with the boys at each race.. Today, I wanted to give you one too."
With that, she stepped back shyly, going back over to the bow of the Double. However, she kept an eye on the platinum blonde.
Elsa blinked as she processed what had just transpired, eyes falling to the index card in her hand. She delicately unfolded the card and read the messy scribbles across it. She scanned the words carefully:
'Whoever wrote 'Row Row Row your boat gently down the stream' sure as Hell never sculled with us!'
Elsa sent a narrowed side glance to the giddy redhead who was bouncing in her Crocs, trying to bite back a smile. After a moment's delay, Elsa's lip turned up in an amused smirk. She let out a frosty breath that almost sounded like chuckle. "Cute."
Anna's cheeks hurt when her grin exploded at the compliment of her little gift. She watched the blonde tuck the card into her sports bra. She patted it for safe keeping. The action was endearing to the younger girl.
Elsa then reached her hands around the hull of Arendelle's Glory. She code switched immediately into her low, rower voice. "Ready to show them how to row?"
Anna followed suit, smiling with determination. "Sure as Hell… Hands on!"
…
The 6k was a race of the clock, each boat staggered 10 seconds apart as they crossed the start line.
Powerful.
Strong.
Every stroke is done in synchrony and yielding a power to be controlled. Each stroke is stronger than the one before.
The agonizing 19 minutes of racing against that intangible clock, boats sporadically decorating the winding fjord as each stroke moves them closer to the boat ahead, closer to the finish line.
One boat.. two boats..
The Arendelle University Double easily breezed past their third boat. It was the final stretch of the 3 mile race. Only a few more strokes and..
"Let it run!" Anna called out, finally having a chance to catch her breath. "Blades down." The four sets of oars dropped flat on the water as their boat glided, slowly losing momentum.
The two had crossed the finish buoy line and paddled a few more strokes to clear the finish area. Finally, they were stopped. Both women reached for their water bottles, gratefully chugging back the delicious liquid. After some deep breaths, both women found their respiration and heart rates to come back down within a normal range.
They had passed 3 boats in their race, and their boat's run had felt absolutely amazing. All the chop and wakes from earlier had dissipated the moment their boat hit the water. Gentle, pristine water made the row amazing. Although they would need to wait to arrive at the docks to hear their final time and ranking, Anna felt pretty positive they'd medaled. The race just went too well not to have.
Unable to hide her giddiness, she eagerly tried to envelop the blonde in excitement as well.
"Hey, Elsa." Anna already knew there would be no response since Elsa knew Anna's post-race bubbly-ness was coming out. She had opted to attempt another joke."Two peanuts were walking down the street and one was salty." She furrowed her brow as she processed what she said. "Crap! That's not how it goes. One was salted.. Why isn't this right?" She searched her brain for how the one-liner went but just could not remember it at the moment. The race adrenaline wearing off must have been screwing with her brain. She let out a growl of frustration, huffing her bangs out of her face.
There was a moment of silence and Anna simply took her oars in her hands again. Eh. It was worth a shot. She looked over her shoulder, planning to get back to the docks for the final time that Fall season. Then the most absolutely, most unexpected, and most beautiful thing happened.
Anna heard the blonde emit a breath.
Soon it became more like a chuckle.
Then, before her very eyes, Elsa started outright laughing, her quick rising and falling shoulders the biggest indication of her amusement at Anna's comment. Her usual bell-like laugh had transformed into true boisterous happiness. Elsa actually found something Anna said funny. Like really really funny. For the first time in the entire season. It felt like the first time in forever! Oh goodness, was that laugh beautiful.
And if their win and this angelic laugh weren't enough, Life surely rewarded Anna for dealing with all its cruelties. She felt her heart flutter as Elsa cast a large, yet tired, smile over her shoulder. Her teeth sparkled on full display, and she even had the slightest hint of dimples. This smile was as true as her laugh. It was truly an award winning smile that Anna would tuck away in her memory forever.
Anna couldn't believe it. This was the true, happy side of this stoic woman. She was finally seeing it. She wouldn't trade this moment for anything.
The redhead could not help the toothy grin that spread across her face as she turned to get her point. And that toothy smile lasted well beyond after they docked.
It lasted beyond the congratulatory remarks that were given to them.
Beyond the news that they took 1st place.
Beyond the knowledge that they demolished their rivaling Atlantica Barracudas.
And how could it not?
She had finally proved that, together, they could win. That they were capable of something great. She knew Elsa saw it in them too. Perhaps that was what caused the blonde to let her feelings go, even if for just a few minutes. To laugh. To smile. To share in a joy with Anna. Together. Whatever Elsa's reasoning, Anna refused to question it.
…
Anna's same smile was ever present through the team's celebratory End of the Season dinner. Everyone was there, including her anti-social partner. It took some (a lot of) convincing from the coaches but finally Elsa begrudgingly opted to attend. While the 60 some rowers and coxswains rejoiced in elation at the finale of the season, Elsa sat quietly at the end corner, against the wall of the banquet table. Anna had tried to get the seat beside her, sensing Elsa's annoyance of being there, but a couple of Novice rowers beat her to it. She had to settle for a seat that was diagonal to the irritated blonde. Every so often, she glanced at the Senior and sent sympathetic smiles whilst Elsa dealt with Mogli and Tink's eccentric personalities. Their hands gestured almost as fast as their mouths ran.
Anna almost choked on her Mountain Dew when the wild boy's french fry suddenly went flying into Elsa's face. Elsa's appalled expression was priceless. Anna could practically hear Elsa's eye roll at the immaturity and she couldn't help but laugh loudly. When Elsa locked eyes with Anna again, she narrowed them, silently cursing Anna's amusement. But even that death glare couldn't make Anna's smile falter.
That smile even accompanied Anna as she prepared for the upperclassmen party in Flynn & Hans' suite.
She had graciously taken her time, trying to finagle something that resembled an acceptable costume. She was usually over prepared for Halloween costume parties. This year she just assumed she'd be skipping the holiday due to its random placement during mid-week. She grabbed an old pair of black jeans, a red flannel shirt and some old work boots she'd randomly decided to drag to university. She took two black belts and threw them over her shoulders, trying to clasp them onto her jeans to get that 'suspender' look. Lastly she taped a square of grey paper onto a pencil and stuck it in her pocket.
As she stood in her mirror, she nodded to herself. Well if college doesn't work out, I could always become a lumberjack.
The party didn't start until after 9 o'clock, although some of the upperclassmen had already begun drinking upon leaving the team dinner. No practice in the morning meant no waking up early. Some students refrained from going too hard if they had internships in the morning, but most upperclassmen had no morning courses.
When Anna arrived at the dorm room, the party was already in full swing and by the looks of it, most of the rowers did not have internships to worry about and were ready to pull an all-nighter. She glanced around from costume to costume. It was amusing seeing many of the upperclassmen dressed up. Their class status always made them appear more mature and professional in Anna's eyes.
But watching them dressed up like silly creatures, sharing boisterous laughter and drunken dancing was an exceptional experience. Marshall walked around in an Abominable snowman outfit. Esmeralda dressed like a gypsy. Odette was feathered up like a swan. Tarzan dressed in only a loincloth. And Flynn..
Anna tilted her head as the Junior came strutting up to her. Her eyes scanned down his outfit and then back up to his eye shadow colored eyes. The shade of purple did nothing for his hazel complexion.. "Uh. Why are you wearing the women's uni?" He made a face. "I mean the royal garment of unification." She extended her hand to point at the different design.
"I thought it would be obvious I'm a girl rower," he said offering her a solo cup. Anna raised her hands up for a moment to stop him, but he offered again. "Don't worry, I bought root beer for you. I'm still legally responsible as Captain for 3 more hours." He checked his watch. "Well 2 hours and 26 minutes. Then I'll get you a brewski."
Anna rolled her eyes at his silliness. She was quite happy to stick to root beer. "So, how's the party so far?"
Flynn turned to the crowd. Tarzan was acting like a gorilla on the center coffee table, and Esmeralda danced around with a paper plate, pretending it was a tambourine. A bunch of the other men cheered and hooted, taking large swigs of their beers. The Junior turned his gaze back and smirked. "Pretty chill."
The playful remark made Anna laugh. She continued to look around at the familiar faces. It didn't take long for her to notice that she was actually looking for a specific face. "Are all the upperclassmen here?" she asked, trying to hide a subtle hint of interest in her voice.
"Yup! All but 3. Donald and Mickey have internships. But I assume you were asking more specifically about Elsa." Anna blushed. The Junior boy was more keen than she gave him credit for. "Nah. Trust me, I tried my hardest to get the girl here. She was going to come, at least for a quick showing."
A quick 'showing'? Anna's eyes narrowed and looked at Flynn's embroidered 'A'. It was falling off.. That's Elsa's uni! She looked at his face and makeup again. Only then did she notice his hair was in an elastic. A tiny tuft of hair sticking out toward his shoulder. "Oh my God, you were going as each other weren't you?"
Flynn laughed. "Yeah. I thought it'd be the perfect hook line and sinker to get her here, even for a moment. She doesn't socialize enough."
That's an understatement.. Anna chuckled. "What changed her mind?" she asked, sipping her drink as Flynn started leading them into the suite. He clapped a few high fives as they went.
He shrugged. "I was at her place after the race, doing clothing exchange and all and mentioned you were coming." Anna sputtered slightly into her drink, to which Flynn laughed. "Yeah. I thought it'd make her feel more comfortable coming. I guess that backfired."
Anna felt her stomach sink at the information. Why didn't Elsa want to come because of her? She felt guilty that she was the reason Elsa wasn't going to get to enjoy the team's company. I mean, Mogli and Tink probably gave her enough company to last a lifetime, but still! I wonder why she didn't want to see me.
"Although…" he drawled in a sneaky voice, bringing aqua eyes back to him. "Even though she refused to come, I managed to convince her to take a picture with me. I needed proof of our costumes." He handed his phone to Anna, both to boast his triumphant conquer of the costume as well and implicitly know Anna wanted nothing more than to see said conquest. She did a once over and gasped as a huge smile broke out across her cheeks, the feeling of guilt immediately being replaced with complete glee.
The high school friends stood in a mirror, Flynn snapping the photo and pulling Elsa's reluctant form close to him. He was grinning proudly and even the blonde offered a smile at the silliness. And goodness did they look silly in the switch! In the photo, Elsa's small, women's uni looked even more shrunken and constraining on the tall muscular man. Anna thought it was going to rip at the seams. But Elsa looked even more funny. Flynn's typically fitted uni hung loosely against her lithe frame. The long, hem of the legs reached her knees. Her bangs were tossed over her forehead, much as Flynn's usual style. Anna squinted closer.
"Is that a goatee?"
"Yeah, washable marker." Flynn laughed. "That was the hardest part to wrestle her to agree to!"
I approve, was the thought that entered her mind, absolutely loving the photo. It actually had to be her favorite costume photo. Ever. She had to have it. She shot a glance at Flynn and declared without a hint of jest, "You will send this to me."
Flynn had no time to respond as Anna felt a pair of arms loop around her midsection from behind. Next thing she knew, she was spinning in the air before making a landing once again. She was spun to come face to face with the auburn haired… prince?
Anna's eyes fell down her boyfriend's attire. White suite, tall black boots, medals, embroidered floral designs rich with Norwegian history. He was quite dapper looking.
"Anna!" he called excitedly. He leaned in and kissed her cheek before looking down at her costume. "Aw. You are gorgeous. But I was hoping you'd dress like a princess."
"How would she have known to?" Flynn questioned from beside Anna. Anna gave sideways glance, unsure if there was a hint of annoyance in Flynn's voice, regardless of the ending pleasantry. She'd never heard anything like that exchanged between the two best friends.
Hans grinned. "Because we have a mental synchronization. Right babe?"
Anna chuckled awkwardly. "Uh yeah.. Well, I just thought the lumberjack look would be a little more.. uh, easy."
"You're so cute." The older boy cooed as he put his hand around her waist, pulling her close. "Well, it's time for your prince to show off his bodacious lumberjack."
Anna forced a smile and fought the eye roll as the rower tugged her through the throng of people.
'Bodacious'. Really? I'm a coxswain and like my compliments but, man, even this is overkill!
…
After being paraded around for the last 2 hours Anna finally managed to (escape) take a break from Hans. She loved talking with everyone, even doing a couple of karaoke renditions of songs ranging from 'Don't Stop Believing' all the way to 'Shawty Got Moves'.
Anna sat down on the only empty couch in the room and put her aching feet up onto the disheveled coffee table. Maybe wearing work boats was a bit much. But oh did it feel nice to relax. Flynn had handed her a filled solo cup the minute the clock struck 12. She took a sip and cringed at the poignant flavor. God it was strong! What the Hell did they mix into this concoction? 2 or 3 of these and she'd surely be down for the count. Barely a minute later, she felt a body plop down at her side as she took a longer swig of the punch.
She turned her eyes to the Chinese Warrior beside her. "Whoah! Mulan, your costume looks so real!" she gushed, unable to stifle herself from reaching out to the armor and sword.
"That's because it is. It's my grandfather's," the Senior quipped. It made Anna quickly withdraw her hand in fear of damaging the antique armor. Mulan laughed. "Don't worry. It's seen rougher days than a college party!" She flexed her arms. "My grandmother, or Match Maker Fa as we called her, would always ask me 'when will your reflection show who you are inside?'. So I sent her a picture today and said 'Today. I am a warrior!'"
The whole spiel made Anna erupt in laughter.
Her dark eyes then gave Anna's costume a once over and smirked. "I like the choice of flannel." There was something playful in her tone, but Anna wasn't sure why. She opted to just smile and nod.
A silence drifted between them as Anna briefly looked at a group, howling with cheers. She smiled sadly watching the many teammates having fun.
"I can tell you look a little down," Anna heard Mulan say, drawing her teal eyes back to black ones. "I may be speculating, but is it because Elsa isn't here?"Anna flinched, cheeks growing hot. "I mean, you're just always more excited when she's around. And you get excited when she texts."
Why do the Captains have this 6th sense about everything?
At Anna's creeped out stare Mulan shrugged. "I'm Captain. I'm supposed to be observant of all my rowers and coxswains."
"I suppose.."
"So how's your relationship going?"
Anna blinked, thrown off by the shift of topic. Or was that even meant to be a topic change..? Oh, come on Anna, obviously it is. "Uh w-with Hans you mean? Good. We're good." The face her Captain made was enough to clarify Anna's internal question.
"You're still dating?"
"Um yes. We are.." Anna said in weak defense, voice laced with suspicion. The Warrior clad woman pondered the statement and then nodded.
"Oh," she settled on, lifting her drink to her lips. Her aura took on an air of nonchalance. "I guess I just see you spending more time with Elsa." Wait. So did that mean her original question was supposed to be directed at her relationship with Elsa?
She started feeling an anxiety in her stomach as she processed their conversation's progression. Mulan was being so inquisitive, so presumptuous. Why was she so into Anna's personal life? More specifically, why was she so set on discussing Anna's relationship (well, obviously not relationship but whatever they were) with Elsa? Anna was growing tired of this nagging question chewing away at the back of her mind. Why did Mulan care so much? Was she the girlfriend? Did Mulan date Elsa?
"Did you date Elsa?" she blurted, eyes widening in shock. She clapped her hands over her mouth the instant the words flew out.
Anna knew it was bound to happen sooner or later. She had stifled herself so well with Elsa. It seemed that her inhibition could only suppress so much for so long. Oh God, she hasn't said anything. Why is she staring at me like that? Her face was steadily growing hotter and hotter.
The Asian woman's eyes had widened before she broke into a smile and laughed. "Goodness no. I'm going on 7 years in my relationship," she said amidst her laughter. She wiped a tear away and noticed Anna hanging her head and scrunching her shoulders in shame. "Sorry, I shouldn't laugh.."
Anna shook her head, hoping her tomato red face didn't look as bad as it felt. "No no. I shouldn't have even asked a question like that." Stupid Anna. This is why you never assume things!
Mulan sensed the teenager's distress. She rested a comforting hand on Anna's shoulder and looked down to her level. Her amusement was still evident, but her smile was soft. Anna had a fleeting feeling of a sisterly kinship with the Senior rower. A comfort. Mulan seemed to read Anna so well and know just what to say. But what Mulan said next threw her for a loop.
"Don't worry. I'm not intruding on your territory."Anna stared at the tall woman blankly, confused, as she was given a wink in response.
"I-I don't.. don't know what you..?"
Seeing the confusion growing on the freckled face, Mulan continued before standing up. "Hey. How about you think about your reflection." She left at that, picking up her red solo cup and returning to group of people.
My reflection? Anna thought as her stare became distant. She thought back to the words Mulan said earlier. When will my reflection show.. who I am inside? Frustrated, Anna lifted the plastic cup to her lips before taking another swig of the punch, cringing less this time stood up and headed back over to the punch bowl to refill her empty cup. I'm too sober to deal with all this cryptic bullshit.
…
It came to beyond the witching hour. It was only a little bit past 12, just boarding at the 2:30 am mark. So maybe it was a little bit later. To the red haired Freshman who'd arrived back at her room over an hour ago though, the sense of time seemed to be alluding her.
Whether the haze of her thoughts was due to the late hour or the inebriated state she was still in, Anna laid in bed, wide eyes trained on the ceiling as she recounted her day. Those words echoing and echoing, never ending. It was a broken record and it wouldn't stop. And it wouldn't stop her thoughts from swirling around and around. The more times it ran through her thoughts, the more and more she broke the meaning down, teasing apart every possible thing Mulan could mean.
And no matter how she processed it, no matter the path she chose, it kept coming back to one meaning.
Anna's territory. Elsa was Anna's territory. Mulan was alluding to Elsa belonging to Anna. And that meant.. she thinks that.. Anna closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose as she drew her absolutely crazy conclusion. Mulan thinks I like Elsa.
That just couldn't be true. She had a boyfriend. She liked boys. She'd never been into girls. Well, she never thought about it really. In Oslo, she grew up just assuming she was a girl so she'd like boys. Was there actually something else she wasn't seeing? Something about herself? Reflection. Is that what Mulan was hinting at? No no no..
A buzz came from her churning stomach and Anna reached for the flip phone. She opened the text message, unaware that she held her breath as she scanned the words.
'Congratulations on winning our bargain. We begin our training for Spring season tomorrow.'
Anna held the phone screen in front of her face, the glowing light illuminating the entirety of her dorm room. She gently gnawed on her lower lip as she read the message. She had won their deal. She won Elsa's favor in rowing together, in competing further, in being more intense.
Her favorite message, though, was the one that trailed immediately behind that first one.
'Additionally, you did nice work today.'
After the intensity of excitement swelled in her stomach, it soon drained away. Swept away as the churning whirlpool came back as her nerves began eating her up. She really did become so easily excited over Elsa's messages. She did feel her heart swell and feel warmth spread through her. Sure she was an oblivious person. She had the ability to call people out when they were being oblivious, but she could just never figure it out for herself. Never see what was right in front of her. Still, never had she thought she'd be capable of taking home a Gold medal in a 'Most Oblivious' competition. But this was all so new. Everything Mulan described was spot on. Everything.
Could Anna actually..
Did Anna really like..
She squeezed her eyes shut and rolled over in the small box-spring bed, clutching the phone to her chest. She tried to visualize Hans. She tried to imagine any boy in that moment. But the only image she had was of that award winning smile Elsa gave her that morning.
And God, it was more beautiful now than it had ever been before.
-End Chapter 10-
A.N. So here was Chapter 10… all 20 pages of it. I figured an extra long chapter was a good thank you for being so patient. Finally Anna has the idea planted in her head. It's about time! Let's see what she does with this new train of thinking over the coming chapters. Obviously our lovely Anna is smart and makes great, rationale decisions… right?
I just HAD to include my other OTP (Rizzoli & Isles) in this chapter. Season 5 came out and I was just too overly excited. So hope some people were able to get the reference. :)
Alrighty all. As always, thank you for reading!