Chapter 11:

Elsa felt a warm sensation about her before she was fully brought back to consciousness. She contemplated going back to sleep but the idea was dismissed as she realized where she was sleeping, and with whom she was sleeping. She opened her eyes and put a face on the pressure she felt on her shoulder. Anna.

Well this is a first.

Elsa had always been the person to avoid physical contact at all costs. Ever since she was little, she remembered she always hated when people showed affection towards her in the means of hugs, pats on the back, and even kisses. And as she sat there with Anna lying next to her, the redhead's hair all over her shoulder, she wondered why that didn't bother her.

Anna was something else. Something else entirely. Elsa could finally aspire to be the person she wished she could be around her. It was just as if Elsa's comfort zone was nonexistent when Anna was around. That moment was the first moment in her entire life that she felt completely comfortable, worry free and like she finally had someone behind her who could support her.

It finally hit her. Ever since her mother died she had been looking for affection and no one had been willing to give that to her. Not her father, not Ygrette and certainly not Carlos. She believed Ian could finally give that to her but she was wrong. And here was Anna, stubborn Anna who would never give up on her. Anna had given her what no one else had been able to give her in just a few short weeks. Anna was like a sister to her, a sister she always longed for.

A loud ring followed by a vibration suddenly filled the air in the room. Elsa stretched in order to reach her phone on the back of her pocket and inevitably caused Anna to wake.

Anna sat up and looked around the room, although unable to open her eyes. "Who- What's happening?" She said almost unable to recognize where she was.

"Sorry," Elsa murmured as she picked up the call. "Gotta take this-"

"Speak." She demanded annoyingly.

"We need to talk."

"No we don't. I've told you everything I needed to tell you."

"You haven't given me a chance to fully explain myself, Elsa."

"Look Ian, there's no going back after doing what you did." Ian's name put Anna on alert mode.

"I get it if you don't forgive me, but the least you could do is give me a chance to make it up to you. If I don't then, fine, I'll leave you alone."

"Why don't you just live me alone now?"

"Because.. It doesn't matter. Just one more chance. I'm not even asking you to get back with me I'm just asking for a chance to explain myself."

"I said NO." Elsa hanged up. Anna was amazed at how cold Elsa could be. Sure she had experienced some of that herself but this coldness was something she had never seen before, she couldn't even imagine it. No wonder a lot of people thought Elsa was a bitch, but Anna knew better than that; Elsa was one of the nicest persons she had gotten to know or maybe she had just fallen under her spell.

"What was that all about?" Anna yawned.

"He won't leave me alone."

"Then I think I shouldn't be the only one to shut off my phone." She took Elsa's phone away from her, too quickly for Elsa to even guess she would do that.

"There we go, much better."

Elsa only stared at her and smiled.

"I can't believe we fell asleep here-" Anna blushed at her realization. "What time is it anyway?"

"Late. It's almost ten."

"You mean early?"

"Yeah, yeah. Come let's find something to eat." Elsa grabbed her arm and dragged her to the kitchen. The short girl sat on the bar stool while Elsa handed her a bowl.

"Let me guess, chocolate puffs right?"

"You know me too well." Anna grabbed the cereal box from her as Elsa searched for milk on the fridge. Anna couldn't stop staring at her.

"You seem different, more relaxed." She told the blonde.

"Do I?"

"Yes, quite a lot."

"I guess I really needed this."

They both sat opposite each other.

"So, Anna-" The redhead tensed up recalling the last question Elsa had asked her and what followed after that. "Have I made it up to you yet?"

Anna smiled and thought about it. "Hmm. Well, there's one last thing you could do."

"What's that?"

"I might need some help with calculus later on."

"Deal."

After two hours of talking and sharing stories, mostly from Anna who seemed to have a lot of embarrassing ones, the girls went up to one of the master rooms. Upon Anna's insistence on making Elsa share her stories, the blonde decided that instead she would just show her.

"Pictures are worth a thousand words, right?" She had said and Anna's face light up with excitement.

As both girls entered the room, Anna noticed it had not been used in a while. White sheets covered everything around the adorned space, the dresser, the coffee table, the arm chairs. Everything except the bed. Anna figured the room probably belonged to her parents. She wanted to ask about it, but the way Elsa's face and mood changed as they entered the room, she decided she wouldn't.

"Sorry, I should have probably tidied up a bit before inviting you in here." Said the blonde apologetically.

"Oh, no worries. It's fine."

"I'd invite you to look around as I go in here and look for the photo albums but as you can see, there's not much to see." Elsa was standing under the threshold between one of the doors, that apparently led to a closet, and the room itself. The words obviously hurt her and Anna could see it.

"I'm sure you won't take long, I can wait." She gave Elsa a reassuring smile.

Elsa returned quickly, with two albums on her arms. Anna was already sitting, crossed legs, on the floor, Elsa did the same.

"Excited much?" Elsa said as she saw Anna rub her palms.

"Can't you tell?"

As they both went through the photos, Anna was surprised to see another part of Elsa she thought she would never see at all. The Elsa she knew now was a completely different person from the child she saw in the pictures. Photos of her childhood depicted happiness and freedom whereas now she knew Elsa felt compelled to be more in control of her emotions and everything around her.

In Anna's eyes, Elsa had the perfect childhood. As she flipped the pages, she spotted pictures of Elsa in a ballet, Elsa in a theater, Elsa riding a pony, Elsa playing in the snow and most importantly, Elsa not having a care in the world but her own happiness. Then there were the pictures she shared with Ygrette. Even as kids, it seemed to Anna, they probably didn't feel like they shared a relationship, much less the sister kind. They looked like strangers posing together for the sake of the photo, but that was it. Anna wanted to ask if she had any pictures of her parents but as she opened her mouth to say something she found one. A brown-haired woman reaching down to hug Elsa. The resemblance was there, they looked almost the same, save for the hair. Anna looked at Elsa now and she was just like her mother.

Why is she sad?

Anna's heart sank as she saw Elsa's reaction to the photo she was holding.

"Is something wrong, Els?"

Elsa closed her eyes, not wanting to speak. Anna wondered if she would actually say something at all because she remained like that for a while.

"I- I'm going downstairs. There's something I need to do, I'll see you later? Feel free to look around." She stood up quickly, a nervous smile on her face, rushing as if she would never make it out of the room.

What was that all about?

Anna wanted to keep looking, but it didn't feel right. Elsa did say to look around but somehow she felt like she was invading her privacy, like she didn't have a right to. Clearly there was something that bothered Elsa.

No, it didn't bother her. It hurt her.

She placed the albums on the bed, deciding there would be no better place to put them since she did not know where they belonged. Her unfamiliarity with the house left her with not much to entertain herself so she decided on a shower instead, hoping that it would clear things up.

Contrary to what she believed, a shower was a bad idea. She had more time to think, or rather to overthink things. She started to question the getaway as a good idea. Sure, Elsa needed a distraction but her? Anna knew she would only fall for Elsa even more by agreeing to come with her. Ultimately, she also knew that Elsa wasn't going to reciprocate which only made matters worse. Elsa would be the cause of her downfall. She could put a stop to it, she could distance herself rom Elsa if she so wanted to. But that was the thing, she didn't want to. She only wanted more and more and no matter how many times her brain told her to stop, Elsa would just keep coming in for more. She probably didn't intend to, maybe she wasn't even aware of the effect she had on Anna and that was what hurt her the most. She couldn't come out and say how she really felt about Elsa, it would ruin what they had built against all odds.

And that's why this trip seemed like a bad idea, a bad idea that Anna needed to stop. She had to talk to Elsa and convince her that they go back to campus before things got worse. She needed to be around other people, other things that would get her mind off the blonde. She hopped out of the shower, quickly ran a towel over her hair and put on a pair of shorts and a tank top, the nearest clothes she could find in the mess she called a bag. She didn't know where Elsa would be, but she had to find her. She had to look in every room and find her, demand that they leave today.

She exited her room, looked around as if somehow that would help her decide where to look for Elsa in the spur of the moment. She didn't have to though, she heard the girl's voice downstairs.

But why is she screaming?

She ran down the stairs, Elsa seemed to be in a serious argument with someone. When she had a clear view of the first floor she noticed Elsa was having an argument with someone at the door. She didn't have to think about it twice, she walked and stood next to her.

"I thought I made myself clear. I need you to leave me alone. I don't want to hear about you." Elsa almost begged.

"Elsa, please. It was a mistake. I just needed someone with you being busy all the time-" It was Ian. Anna didn't have to get to know him well to decide she hated him then and there.

"And who's this?" He finally noticed Anna.

"That doesn't concern you. You need to leave."

"I'm not leaving."

"Now!"

"Elsa! I'm not going anywhere! Not until you give me another chance."

"And what good would that do, Ian? Tell me."

"It wouldn't hurt, you'll be convinced to get back with me. You just need to listen."

Everything went quiet. Anna felt anger within Elsa's reluctance to answer a sign that she was willing to give him another chance?

"I can't." Elsa finally said, Anna came closer and placed a hand on the blonde's back.

"You have to." Ian persisted.

"I don't have to do anything."

"Give me a reason why you can't give me a chance."

Elsa hesitated on her response once again. It seemed like every time she did it, Anna died from suspense. Why is she taking too long to come up with an answer?

"C'mon, Elsa."

Anna was infuriated by that point. Ian needed to go away, he needed to leave Elsa alone. How could he come here and insist that she go back to him after he cheated? He had no right, he at least needed to respect Elsa's decision and give her some space. How did he even get here? How did he know Elsa was there?

Anna's brain began processing thoughts faster than she could manage. She was too busy thinking about what to do with Ian that she didn't see Elsa's hand reach for her chin. The blonde girl turned Anna's face towards hers, she leaned in and angled her head. Anna felt she had finally died when Elsa went in for the kiss. She had died and came back to life when she felt Elsa's soft lips on hers again. For the first time in forever her thoughts were blank, all she knew was that she wanted more; she wanted Elsa. She had wanted Elsa for a while and she finally had her. Or did she?

Elsa pulled away and turned to Ian. Anna was speechless, she couldn't even remember why she even hated Ian so much, it didn't matter. Nothing mattered.

"There's your reason. That's why I can't be with you. I'm with someone else." Elsa smiled at Ian confidently as she said that. Anna couldn't decide what was more unbelievable, the fact that Elsa had kissed her or the fact that Ian finally understood.

Ian stepped back and Elsa could finally shut the door. She leaned against it as she did, sighing and sporting a smile. Quickly, she realized Anna was standing in front of her, staring in fact. Anna was speechless, unaware of what happened.

"Anna, I'm so sorry-" she quickly began. "I didn't mean to get you involved in this. I just... I just didn't see another way to go about it. I understand if that might have offended you but please know that I didn't mean it in anyway, I just. I just wanted him to leave." She narrowed her eyes as she said that, expecting, hoping that Anna would understand.

Oh. Was all Anna could think of. She retreated to seat on the couch. Even if she wanted to say something, she didn't couldn't think of anything. Elsa remained standing, too guilty to approach her and failing to understand Anna's true feelings.

"Anna." She took a step forward.

"Anna, say something please!"

Anna, she's scared. Answer her! Say something!

The redhead finally mustered enough courage to speak. "I'm just a bit shocked, Elsa. You don't need to apologize."

No more words needed to be said. In fact, no words were exchanged between the two for the rest of the day. Elsa, too afraid Anna might reconsider their relationship and Anna, afraid that she would be unable to stop what she felt for Elsa. Neither of them knew what awaited, they had one more day before they returned to campus. Anna couldn't wait, and she couldn't stop thinking. It would be another sleepless night.

AN: I expected this chapter to be longer but I decided that what comes next should be in a separate chapter. I feel kind of bad for Anna though, Elsa doesn't know :(

We'll also be peeking into Elsa's head a bit more.

Enjoy!