Chapter Fourteen: Take My Breath Away
As she sat at her desk in her cubicle, Anna smiled fondly down at a blank pad of sticky notes as she reminisced. They had emerged at the other side of a maelstrom of hurt and strife relatively unscathed, she and Elsa. Every time Anna thought about how she had waited she found herself on the verge of laughter, how could she have been so stupid as to think that things would go poorly? Some deep part of her had known the whole time that nothing but good could come of her confession, if only she had listened sooner.
Though they hadn't been out together since the night of Belle's birthday party, the phone calls came frequently and the text messages even more frequently. The increased interaction had had a wonderful effect on the normally scatterbrained Anna. Every day her work was done on time and all of her client issues had been resolved before she headed home. Her coworkers thought she had simply found a spark of motivation, but none had known the truth. She was falling for someone, falling for a woman.
How could they know the truth? How could she casually insert those words into conversation? 'Oh, your weekend sounds lovely! I spent my weekend smiling like an idiot at my cell phone while talking to my maybe girlfriend.' Even thinking the words sounded silly in her mind. They were still an undefined, a question mark and nothing more.
Yet at the same time they were so, so much more. They were little good mornings and wishes of good luck during meetings, they were genuine compliments when a photo of an outfit looked flattering, they were sweet conversations before bed and sleepily muttered 'good night's, they were...they were friends and something a little more.
The numbers at the bottom of her screen rolled over to five o'clock and Anna, who had finished with her workload nearly half an hour earlier, clocked out as quickly as she could. Any other evening she might have been able to quickly make her way out the door before anyone caught her, eager to respond to the gentle buzzing in her pocket, but tonight would be different. As she rounded the corner of her cubicle Anna nearly bowled someone over in her hurry.
"Anna,dear. How lovely it is to see you again, I had thought that you might have left us!"
Anna suppressed the look of dread and irritation on her face as best as she could. Turning around, she forced a small smile in the direction of one of her longest standing and most nosy co-workers. "Of course not, Miss Gothel. You know I would never just up and leave!"
"What a pleasant thing to hear. I see you're heading out right on time, that's certainly a change. If I recall correctly you currently hold the record for having to leave after hours. Is there some reason your work ethic has changed or were you just lucky with your client draw today?"
Anna's smile faltered, but she pressed on through the conversation – the sooner this was over with the sooner she would be able to get away and get to Elsa. "Just luck of the draw I guess."
"Come now dear, there must be something driving you to work so hard?" Gothel smiled and toyed with the strap of her gaudy purse, "Perhaps a young man has found his way into your life?"
Anna couldn't push away the heat creeping into her cheeks, though she did manage to laugh and try to play it off as she rubbed the back of her neck nervously. "Of course not, nothing like that."
"Now, now. No need to fib to mother."
The words caused Anna's skin to crawl. For as long as Anna and Gothel had worked together the woman had insisted that she and every other female in the building call her 'mother.' Whether it was the lack of her own children or some other reason, no one had ever been able to decipher. Everyone did know, however, that the suggestion was a strange one, to say the least.
Despite what she claimed was her advanced age, the woman hardly looked out of her late thirties, maybe early forties at the latest. Her hair was still lush and curly and black as night, her skin hardly had a wrinkle on it, it was quite unnerving that someone like her could even want to be called 'mother' by a bunch of random coworkers.
"I-I'm not." Damn it. Of all the times for Anna to falter, did it have to be right then?
"You know, a man might be just what you need. Do be careful though, snakes hide in the most beautiful of skins. They all bite in the end though, dear." Gothel had already begun to walk away by this point, waving a hand in the air at Anna as she left the building. Clearly she didn't intend Anna to respond, but just before she left, she added, "Sooner or later they all bite."
Anna's eyes narrowed as the watched the crone retreat to her own vehicle, she made sure that the car was no longer in the lot before exiting the building herself. What exactly was Gothel getting at? Why bother asking about Anna's love life if her only intent was to attempt to throw a wrench into it? As she sat down in her own car, Anna quickly yanked out her phone and forgot all about the resident office creepy lady.
'Anna, would you be opposed to having a late dinner with me this evening? My place?'
Simple text on a screen should not make a heart race, but Anna's clearly didn't know the rules. It had been a while since they had seen one another, after all, and her nerves were frayed at the very idea of seeing Elsa in her own environment. What would Elsa's place look like? Would it be full of books? Did she have any pets? Anna had never been so excited to find the answers to such mundane questions.
Once Elsa had received her acceptance, Anna was greeted with a small barrage of queries regarding her likes and dislikes of food and drink – though Elsa kept quiet about what exactly would be made for the meal. Something that might normally have been irksome just served to add another layer of excitement Anna hurried home to get out of her work clothes and into something a little more 'her.'
Yet as she stood in front of her closet, the decision of what exactly was 'her' became more difficult the longer she stared. Elsa had seen her plenty of times in jeans, so why not go with jeans? Or was it smart to try and shake things up, wear something unexpected? Quite suddenly an uneasy feeling washed over her, what if things went farther than they had previously? If Elsa had invited her to her home for a made from scratch dinner that might mean...
Anna panicked. In an instant she was at her dresser, tossing under things all around her room and searching for something, anything, that wasn't too childish. Snowmen,various superheroes, penguins, reindeer...all of it seemed like it would be the cause of laughter if things did progress between them. Swallowing her pride, Anna snatched up the reindeer themed underwear and, having used all of her judgment on something that might not even be seen, threw on a pair of shorts and a light gray tee shirt with a cutesy cartoon character emblazoned across the front.
Yet even as she tugged the shirt over her head and stared in the mirror, the feeling of unease in her stomach only grew. Though the possibility of things heating up on what would essentially be their first one on one date was slim, Anna's mind couldn't rest without considering it. Would she need to bring anything along with her in case she needed...protection? Anna shook the thought quickly, obviously things weren't going to get to that level. And if they did, she would just rationally discuss them with Elsa and figure things out then and there, right?
The drive to Elsa's place had been far too short for Anna's liking. Nerves knotted her stomach as Anna pulled into the parking lot of Castle Heights Apartments, noting that the bright, cabin-esque exterior was hardly what she had expected. The walls seemed to be wooden, but as she made her way up the first set of stairs she realized that it was merely a cover of some sort, done purely for the aesthetic. That made a little more sense in her mind, though it was still an odd thing to do.
Number twenty three came sooner than Anna expected, she had hardly made it up the flight of stairs when she noticed the numbers hanging to the left of the stairs. The door to Elsa's apartment looked very much like the others, though hers was noticeably bare. Her neighbors had some welcome signs or cheesy wreaths, but the only form of decoration Elsa had, if you could even call it that, was a plain black door mat.
Knocking on the door Anna began to rock back and forth on her feet, worrying that maybe she had gotten the wrong apartment when it took longer than expected for her to hear any sound coming from inside. Just as she was ready to retreat back to her car, however, a deadbolt slid and the door opened to a slightly flustered looking Elsa.
How cute! "Sorry, I'm a little early..."
"You're just in time!"
Elsa didn't seemed to be bothered by Anna's early arrival, in fact she almost seemed elated. Anna smiled tentatively as Elsa shut and locked the door behind her before motioning for Anna to follow her. Anna followed, but her pace was slow as she attempted to casually take in the appearance of the living area.
The room as clean and clearly well kept, just as Anna expected there was a large bookshelf overflowing with books large and small. Despite the modest size of the apartment Elsa had both a regular sized couch as well as a love seat, even her television was a rather impressive size. By the time Anna reached the kitchen Elsa was already there, hands on the back of a chair that she seemed to have pulled out just for Anna.
"Wow, this looks incredible." Anna mumbled, her eyes widening as she realized just how much effort Elsa must have put in to this evening.
The smell was the first thing that had struck her as she sat down, her mouth had begun to water the moment she had taken her seat. There were a variety of vegetables, as well as different types of side dishes. Most noticeable was the plate of chicken breast in the center of the table, garnished in some sort of honey colored sauce and nestled atop a bed of what looked to be some type of rice. Anna was stunned, and clearly Elsa had noticed her reaction.
"I take it this is to your liking?"
Anna nodded fervently, "This is practically a banquet, you should have let me come over even earlier to help you. I feel bad that you did all this by yourself."
Truthfully, she felt awful. Anna had spent so much time worrying about her own appearance that she hadn't even given a second thought to poor Elsa slaving away over a hot stove to prepare all of this bounty for her. What kind of girlfriend would she be if she couldn't even consider something like that at this point in their semi-relationship?
"Don't." Elsa smiled, placing her elbows on the table and smiling in a way that made Anna's anxious stomach settle, "The look on your face was worth every bit of work."
Everything seemed to come so easily to Elsa. She could cook, paint, had incredible hair and a stunning body, and far more than her fair share of eloquence. And here, across from this picture of perfection, sat Anna. Her braids were messy despite her best efforts, she was so nervous that even her fork shook as she ate, and she simply couldn't begin to compare to Elsa. What was it about her that drew Elsa to her? They said opposites attract, whoever they are, but could that really be the reason?
"You look tense, is everything alright? If something is bad you can tell me, I'm not the best cook in the world or anything."
"No, no! That's not it at all."
"Then what is it? Is something bothering you? Did something happen at work today?"
Yes and no... The memories of 'mother' Gothel swam in her head momentarily, but Anna shook them away. "I'm just...this seems like so much for you to have done alone..."
"I told you already, it isn't a big deal. I'm happy to do it, especially for you."
"But why?"
Anna couldn't look at Elsa as she asked the question, she chose instead to keep her eyes fixed firmly on her plate as she waited for an answer. The seconds seemed to stretch into minutes, though she was certain that hardly any time had passed by. The question was ridiculous, if she was being realistic with herself. How could she just ask something like that of Elsa, who had no real relationship with her outside of an, until recently, strained friendship?
"Anna, haven't we been through this? You know how I feel about you, what better way to show you than to feed you? That old saying 'the way to a man's heart is through his stomach' works with women too, you know."
She couldn't help it, Anna snorted and stifled her laughter. "So you're feeding me to make me like you?"
"Is that really so wrong?"
All at once Anna was laughing away all of the anxiousness that had grown inside of her, feeling so much more at ease when she was finally able to stop laughing. While Elsa seemed to be the queen of cool, even she seemed to be concerned that the night might not go so well. What better way to keep things running smoothly than to feed your guest?
"No, but I'm surprised that you'd even think you have to try." The words escaped her and she immediately looked up, wide eyed, at Elsa. How could she have said such a thing so easily? "I mean you're just so beautiful and..."
There was no amount of stammering or blushing that could mask the words that she'd already spoken. It was so quiet in the apartment that there was no doubt in her mind that Elsa had heard her. Still, was there really cause to fret? Anna had already made her feelings clear after all.
"Thank you, Anna, but you must know that you yourself are quite attractive. I'm certain that I've already told you as much."
"Yeah, but, it's not true."
"I could easily say the same about you telling me that I'm beautiful."
Flustered, Anna closed her mouth and refrained from discussing the subject any further. She couldn't help but notice the small, triumphant smile on Elsa's face. Clearly Elsa had seen Anna's silence as a win, even Anna couldn't argue that her logic had been soundly defeated.
Anna watched as Elsa smiled coyly across the table at her, happily devouring the last bite of rice from her place before pushing away from the table as if she were going to clean things up. Anna followed suite, trailing behind her and being as helpful as she could possibly be in spite of Elsa's repeated protests. Anna was more than happy to assist in the efforts to clear the table, even if Elsa was being difficult about it. But once the table was cleared, the food was put away, and the dishes safely nestled in the dishwasher, things seemed as if they would be taking an interesting turn.
"I know I just asked you for dinner, but it being a Friday evening..." Elsa trailed off, suddenly looking significantly more meek than Anna had ever seen her. Was this the impending question? "I thought you might like to also join me for a movie? Here, of course. I wouldn't drag you out all around town at this hour."
Truthfully Anna was nervous, after all this was how things progressed in cheesy romance films wasn't it? Boy meets girl, invites her over for a movie and then... But things were different, Elsa was certainly no boy and she had shown that she had significantly higher amounts of self control than any other person that Anna knew. Still...
"This wouldn't be a clever ruse to get into my pants would it?"
For the first time, Anna saw Elsa's face in a complete state of shock. Immediately Elsa shook her head in protest, "Of course not, I would never force myself on you Anna."
"I was only teasing."
"O...of course you were."
The little rush of bravery, or perhaps it was stupidity, had paid off. Elsa now seemed a little more at ease and Anna had felt the little butterflies in her stomach return in place of the nerves. And so she initiated the movements towards Elsa's couch, taking a seat along the left arm and tucking her feet up beneath her. Elsa sat in the center, giving Anna a respectable amount of space, and switched on the television.
"Let's watch something scary!" Elsa said with a wicked grin, though she did pause to look at Anna for confirmation before actually selecting something.
Anna, who didn't truly care for frightening films, hesitated for a moment. "Not too scary though..."
"You got it!"
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Elsa, who had been sitting somewhat on the edge of the couch, had finally begun to relax and sink into the couch about half an hour into the film. She was careful not to intrude in Anna's space when she rested her left hand on the cushion between them. Anna sat so quietly, hardly even moving as the film built slowly up toward the inevitably frightening climax. Elsa fretted beside her, had she chosen something too scary for Anna?
She wouldn't have long to contemplate if she had chosen correctly or not. On screen, from between a thick grove of trees ahead of the protagonists, a massive beast rushed toward the group, fangs dripping in blood. A thunderous roar escaped its' dripping jowls as it advanced on them, easily picking off the slowest one as they attempted their escape. Anna made no sound, but her hand shot down to the cushion of the couch and gripped Elsa's hand tightly.
Whether it was done on purpose or instinctively out of sheer terror Elsa had no clue, all that mattered was that Anna was holding her hand. Not just holding it, initiating contact with Elsa in the most unapologetic of ways! Though the images on the screen were grisly, Elsa's heart fluttered in her chest as though they were watching a romantic film. Truthfully she wondered how she could feel so giddy and nervous, after all she had done much 'worse' things with other women. Elsa couldn't help but wonder, was it because it was Anna that she felt this attraction so strongly?
As the remaining protagonists escaped the gruesome beast Anna's grip loosened but her hand did not move from atop Elsa's. In fact, Anna's fingers seemed to gently nudge between Elsa's, or was she imagining it? Elsa debated for a few moments, wondering if she was imagining the subtle movements of Anna's fingers. Was Anna really trying to hold her hand or was Elsa's wishful thinking too strong for her own good? There was only one way to know.
Smoothly Elsa turned her hand and laced her fingers between Anna's. At first Anna's hand tensed and Elsa could almost taste the regret rising within her. But just as Elsa was mentally preparing herself to break the contact between them, Anna's fingers gripped her hand as well. Elsa couldn't help the little grin that tugged at her lips, she didn't even have to look at Anna to know that she, too, was smiling.
Despite her original 'outburst,' Anna didn't seem to have any further adverse reactions to the film. In fact, somewhere between the first attack of the beast and the counter attack mounted by the protagonists, Anna's grip on Elsa's hand seemed to lessen. It wasn't long after that Anna slumped sideways, ending up with her head on Elsa's shoulder. Elsa's heart raced as she tried her hardest not to look down at Anna, but the temptation was too great.
As Elsa's eyes trailed down, her lips turned up in a fond smile. In the flickering light from the screen Anna's face looked almost cherubic. Her eyes were shut, though they seemed to shift beneath their lids as though she were dreaming. Anna must have had a harder day than she had let on, but Elsa was not about to wake Anna and ruin this beautiful moment.
But Anna was unwittingly making things so very hard! The quiet little breaths escaping Anna's parted lips fell like ghosts of kisses on Elsa's neck. Goosebumps rose on her arm as she bit her bottom lip, a sad attempt to control the heat spreading through her body. What is she trying to do to me? Even as she slept, Anna was finding new ways to thrill Elsa.
Still, a small portion of her felt guilty for enjoying this closeness so much. After all, if Anna were awake there was likely no way that she would be leaned up against Elsa, let alone purposefully breathing against Elsa's neck like this... The other part of Elsa was begging her to give in, despite how perverse it may have been, to the feelings of want. Who would it hurt if she just sat and enjoyed these too short, and unintentional, moments of intimacy?
This was wrong on so many levels, this feeling of desire, lust, building within her. Elsa knew it was wrong, there was no way to rationalize the things her mind was doing because of the actions of poor, sleeping Anna. Anna would likely be disgusted if she could hear the way Elsa's breath was growing uneven and ragged, if she could feel Elsa's heart beating as though she'd just run a marathon.
If she were honest with herself, the reaction her body was having to this closeness was certainly not the one she expected. She had been with women in intimate situations before, but more often than not it took a little more than just closeness and hot breaths on her neck before she started feeling this special way. What was it about Anna that made this reaction so intense?
By the end of the movie, Elsa's skin felt as though it were on fire. Having finally calmed herself down enough to interact normally, she reasoned that now would be a perfect time to wake Anna. Gently Elsa squeezed Anna's hand. "A-Anna?"
"What? What did I miss?"
Elsa was suddenly quite thankful for the dim lighting in the room, she couldn't help the way that she had smiled upon seeing Anna raise her head. Anna's hair was slightly mussed and she tried in vain to stifle a loud yawn.
"Nothing much. The monster is dead and only one hero remains." Elsa said, finally looking at Anna in the darkness. "I guess this wasn't scary enough for you, I'll find a better one next time."
"I didn't mean to fall asleep, it's just been a long day..."
Anna seemed genuinely remorseful, even so Elsa decided to have a little fun with her. "Don't worry, you didn't drool on me too much."
"Drool? I do not drool."
"Tell that to my shoulder." No sooner had the words left her mouth than was Anna's free hand on her shoulder, slowly feeling for any sign of wetness. Elsa's breath caught in her throat and she did the best that she could to play off her tiny gasp as being nothing, "I was kidding." she breathed, simultaneously remorseful and thankful that Anna's hand retreated. Even such a small touch felt electric, Elsa was beginning to think that she would never understand why she was so malleable beneath Anna's touch.
"I should get going..." Anna's voice was strange, and despite her mention of leaving her grip on Elsa's hand tightened.
You don't have to. The words rang clearly in Elsa's ears, almost as if she had spoken them aloud. She would never have said them, at least not this soon, but the thought was still there. What she wouldn't give to have Anna stay, even if just to have her sleep in Elsa's bedroom and Elsa on the couch...it was too much to ask of Anna, though.
"I trust you'll let me know if any hideous beasts try to steal you away?"
"I don't think Kristoff said he'd be coming over any time soon, so I should be perfectly fine."
Laughter rang out in the small living area, clearly too loud for the downstairs neighbor who jammed something into the floor of Elsa's apartment with a thunk – both Elsa and Anna jumped at the sudden sound. Elsa glared down at the floor and stuck her tongue out, rolling her eyes dramatically in a silly display that she hoped would bring a smile to Anna's face again. Oh that smile! Seeing Anna smile was something Elsa didn't think she would ever tire of.
Elsa concealed the frown that threatened to overtake her face as Anna rose from the couch, her hand sliding away from Elsa's with ease. Anna still smiled nervously so Elsa, too, rose to her feet.
"Your keys should still be by the door." she said quietly, wondering if Anna could hear how hard she was struggling to sound happy, "I'm really glad you came tonight, I don't have guests often. Particularly not guests that I actually enjoy being around."
"What about Esmeralda?"
Elsa scoffed, trying desperately to hide her laughter. Anna had clearly missed her meaning, "Not nearly as interesting as you."
And so they stood in front of Elsa's door, silently stealing glances at one another as both tried to feel out how they should say their goodbyes. Elsa's hands twitched a time or two as she thought she might try to reach out to Anna for a hug, or even just to touch her arm, but she thought better of it. Now that she was awake, Anna might not be as open to such physical displays of affection in such a personal space.
"Could I..." Elsa tensed as Anna began to speak, but she remained silent, smiling fondly at Anna as she waited patiently for the rest of her sentence. "Would you mind if...if we k-kissed? G-goodnight I mean, as a goodnight...kiss...if not that's fine. In fact, forget I asked. I'm going to go."
Clearly Anna was flustered, but the stuttering and stumbling over her words only made her all the more appealing to a more than happy to comply Elsa. "I thought you'd never ask."
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Anna's heart raced, her eyes widening slightly as she realized not only what she had just asked of Elsa, but also that Elsa had agreed so easily. Anna had just, quite rudely, fallen asleep and leaned on Elsa with no permission whatsoever and now she was asking for something much, much more physical? Was it greedy of her to want this, to want something to seal the evening despite the fact that she had been unconscious for a large portion of it?
"That was too forward, I'm sorry. I can't believe I said that." Anna attempted to laugh off her suggestion, but as she looked up at Elsa's expression again she felt a jolt of heat rush through her chest, just what was that expression on her face? Was Elsa sad at the idea that she might not be able to kiss Anna? "But I mean if you're game then I am too..."
The addition seemed to perk Elsa back up, she was smiling that perfect, genuine smile that Anna was coming to love more and more every time she saw it. Turning her back to the door, Anna stood nervously in front of Elsa. It was hard to maintain eye contact with her now, knowing that in the very near future they would be kissing.
Licking her lips Anna chuckled nervously and was again met with a kind smile. Elsa had been ever so patient this whole time and even now, when Anna had been wishy washy on her desire for a goodnight kiss, Elsa still showed no signs of growing impatient. How anyone could be so stupid as to lose Elsa, how she could have been so stupid as to almost lose Elsa, was a complete mystery to her now.
Anna's hands shook as she stepped toward Elsa, her nerves caused her breathing to become more rapid and she was certain her palms were damp with sweat. Still, Anna pressed on. A sense of deja vu overtook her as she rose to her tip toes to be face to face with Elsa. This time, however, she only paused for a second before leaning forward – it was now or never.
As her lips touched Elsa's Anna swore she felt lightning shoot through her, from her lips to her toes and back again. And quite suddenly she felt as though she were melting to the floor, she exhaled through her nose and leaned forward to prolong the kiss. Anna found she was unable to control her hands as they rose, gripping Elsa's forearms for support.
That simple touch was all it took to break down Elsa's walls, it seemed, for she quickly released her arms from Anna's grip and wrapped them around Anna's waist to pull her closer. Anna wrapped her arms around Elsa's neck with no objection to the proximity. What had come over her? Was Elsa wearing some kind of aphrodisiac or something? Anna flushed with embarrassment as she moaned into Elsa's mouth and quite swiftly broke the kiss, clutching the back of Elsa's shirt in a feeble attempt to ground herself.
"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to..."
Anna tried to defend herself, despite knowing that Elsa likely wasn't offended in the least at the sounds she had made. Truthfully she did mean to, Anna meant every last bit of what she had already done and more than anything she wished she hadn't been so quick to break off the kiss. Anna bit her bottom lip as she tried to calm herself down, the heat in her chest had begun to spread in a dangerous way.
"No, no, it's fine." Elsa's voice was breathy and she smiled down at Anna with something that looked to be lust in her eyes, "I shouldn't have-"
But Elsa wouldn't finish her sentence, without warning Anna leaned forward again, this time pressing her lips hard against Elsa's. She was insistent now, her own arms pulling Elsa's face toward her own. Despite her seemingly erratic antics, Elsa seemed happy enough to continue the 'goodnight kiss.'
Anna pressed multiple small kisses onto Elsa's lips, no longer feeling the shame that she had first felt at the little sound of pleasure she had made. In fact, she quickly came to realize that those sounds only served to intensify the emotions in the air. Feeling brave, Anna had dared to nip at Elsa's bottom lip and earned a strained groan from Elsa. The sound had set her desire into overdrive, Anna couldn't help herself as she responded with more eager kisses.
When they had stopped kissing Anna had no idea, but she knew that she now had her head leaned against Elsa's shoulder to hide the intense color on her cheeks. At least, that's what she told herself. More likely she feared looking Elsa in the eye now, how do you end a night after something like that? How do you just walk away from such a passionate event?
"Are you alright, Anna? Did we..." Elsa hesitated, raising a hand to place it gently on top of Anna's head, "...did I push the envelope too far tonight?"
"What? No!" Despite enjoying the brief presence of Elsa's hand in her hair Anna raised her head and looked up at Elsa, eyes alight with defiance. "I wanted this, I asked for this. You had no reason not to give me what I asked for."
The words had come out all wrong, it sounded like Anna was insinuating that anything she asked of Elsa should be given. It was far too late now though, the wicked, playful grin had returned to Elsa's lips. "Oh? Do tell, what else would you like me to give you?"
The heat between her legs couldn't be denied, or suppressed, at this point, and surely Elsa was in the same state. Anna had prepared for things to go much further than they had, but Elsa hadn't pushed for anything at all. It was clear that she was waiting for signals from Anna on how far they should proceed, a respectful, albeit frustrating, situation indeed.
Anna playfully pushed Elsa away, crossing her arms over her chest in mock anger. "You don't have to be so mean to me."
"I think you might like it if I were mean to you."
Anna swallowed hard, the very thought was more than her brain could process given all that had already transpired. No words seemed like the right ones to say, Anna could hardly admit openly that she might enjoy it, but denying it would only challenge Elsa to push the envelope and test her.
"I should go." Anna reiterated, managing a small smile at Elsa.
"Be careful on your way home tonight."
Elsa had surprisingly gracefully accepted Anna's need to leave, something that both pleased and displeased Anna. If Elsa really wanted her, really, really wanted her, wouldn't she have tried to invite Anna to stay? Wouldn't she have fought harder to keep her here?
"I will."
A gnawing feeling rose in Anna's stomach as Elsa opened the front door for her, leaning against the side of the door with a small smile dancing on her lips. Something in the way Elsa looked propped against the door conjured images of coming home to her just like that, waiting with a smile at the front door for Anna to return to her. Anna shook the thought, smiled, and waved to Elsa one last time before starting down the stairs.
"Sweet dreams."
Elsa had called it down the stairs as if she had had to build the courage to say the words that she had typed each night out loud. Anna paused mid step, glancing back up to see Elsa still in the doorway, arms crossed over her chest now and...was that a hint of sadness in her expression, or was Anna imagining it?
"You too."
a/n: Hello again and thank you all for sticking with me to this point! I will be doing my best to get you another chapter as soon as possible, but I have a week long trip coming up soon so I will be losing some time. I hope that you can continue to be patient with me, as always I appreciate you all.