Elsa was ready to go to bed when she noticed that Rapunzel had tried to call her. They had spent the evening together, so why did she still want to speak with her? She slipped into her bed and called her back.

"Hey Rapz. What's the problem?"

"Elsa, I've just realized I think I made a huge mistake!"

"What? When? Did you tell someone about me and Anna?"

"No, no. But... did you tell your girlfriend you were in love with me?"

"Yeah. Well, not really. I didn't want to lie to her too much, so I warned her I was in love with someone who was straight. She just assumed I was speaking about you, and I didn't deny it. Why?"

Rapunzel sighed on the phone. "She asked me. She wanted to be sure I would never want to go out with you. I didn't understand why she was asking me that, so I just assured her there was no way you had romantic feelings for me."

Fuck. "I should have told you. Now she knows I lied to her."

"Yeah... what did you tell her exactly?"

Elsa tried to remember the night she had met her in the club. "She... I told her I had someone else in my mind. And when she called me in January, she asked me if it was still the case and I said yes. I told her I didn't want to date her because of that. Because I thought I couldn't love someone else."

"Fuck, I'm so sorry. I should have thought about it before speaking. She really insisted."

"Well... if she asks me, I'll tell her it's some other girl from school. That I'm not even friends with her because I don't want to get too close."

"It doesn't really make sense. Why would you be desperately in love with someone you don't even talk to?

"I don't know. Or I can tell her I'm in love with… I don't know… one of my teachers?"

"Gross!"

"Grosser than my sister? I don't think so. Or maybe next time you see her, you can tell her that you've thought about it and that maybe I'm into you after all. Tell her you remember some times when I acted strange around you. At the gym or something."

"What... what if she finds out about Anna?"

"There's no way she can find out. How could she possibly think I'm in love with my sister? Only psychos would even consider it."

"Well... don't you think she acted strange tonight? I saw her watching you and Anna. And she saw how close you were on your birthday party. And she knows you beat up her last boyfriend. And what about the whole 'let's get Anna a boyfriend' thing that she did? What if she just wanted to see if you were getting jealous?"

The blonde didn't want to even think about it, to imagine that Esméralda had realized. "Was I? I mean, was it obvious that I was angry and jealous?"

"Are you kidding? Of course it was obvious. You even left the pub when she mentioned Anna should try to flirt with someone."

All of a sudden, Elsa's heart sank. Esméralda most likely knew. She remembered the way Esmé had watched them dancing. All the remarks she had made about Anna's clothes and her back dimples. Fuck, she knows. Then Esméralda had made her jealous to prove her point. A strange, uncomfortable heat spread in her body, and her heart ached. She had problems breathing correctly. What am I going to do? What if she tells everyone?

She imagined all the worst case scenarios in her head. At the very least, she would end up breaking up with her. Elsa knew it would be difficult and that she would miss Esméralda for some time, but she could deal with that. But what if Esmé told Anna? She would take Elsa's sister away from her forever. What if Esméralda told her parents? They would cast her out. What if...

"Elsa? Are you still there?"

"Yes... yes. I'm fucked, Rapunzel. She knows."

"We're not sure about that. Maybe she has doubts. She'll think it's absurd. Just be careful from now on."

"I... I hope you're right. I can't let her tell Anna."

"I'll tell you if she tries to talk to me about that again. And if she brings up Anna I'll back you up."

"Thanks... I just hope it's not too late."

They said goodbye and Elsa tried to sleep, but she couldn't. Dozens of scenarios went through her mind, none of them reassuring her. Her only hope, however small it was, was that Esméralda would think it was too absurd, too impossible to be real. That, even if it made sense from what she had seen, the idea of Elsa loving her own sister was too disgusting to be true.

She finally fell asleep a few hours later, but she woke up early the next morning. She spent the day trying not to think too much about the previous night, until she received a text from Esméralda in the evening.

08:35 Can you come to my place?

Fuck... that didn't sound good. What am I going to do? Maybe I can buy some time. She replied quickly.

08:38 Sorry, It's kinda late already. Maybe another day?

The answer came instantly: It's very important. Come as quickly as you can.

Fuck. She knows. It's for sure. She called Rapunzel, but Rapunzel didn't answer the first time, so she called again.

"Yes? What is it?"

"She knows. She sent me a text. She wants me to go to her place. Apparently it's important."

"Calm down, Elsa. Maybe it's completely unrelated."

"Yeah, sure... what a coincidence! What if she asks me? What do I do?"

"Umm... well, you've got two choices. Either you deny it or you admit it and try to explain everything to her."

"Sure. I tell her and I expect her not to get mad?"

"Well, I didn't freak out too much when you told me."

"Except that we hadn't been dating for two months when I told you. And you're my best friend, you wanted to help me."

"I still think she might understand. She's really into you."

"There's no way she can let this go. I lied to her and I used her because I couldn't have what I really wanted."

"If you're so sure about that you can try denying... you will end up arguing, you may even break up. But she won't know for sure."

"I'll try that. Tell her she's crazy to even consider it. And that I can't be with someone so jealous and paranoid. Thanks for the advice."

"I still think you should try and tell her the truth… Call me back when you leave her place."

"I will."

Elsa took her car and drove to her place. She felt like she was on death row, walking towards her doom. Please, just dump me but don't tell anyone. She parked next to Esméralda's flat, climbed up the stairs and knocked on her door. Esméralda opened it and told her to come in. No kiss, no smile. She knows.

"Have a seat, Elsa." She sat down at the table and her girlfriend sat across from her.

Esméralda took a deep breath and asked: "Are you in love with Anna?"

The blonde had prepared for this, but it hurt more than she had expected.

"What? Are you crazy?"

"Elsa, don't fucking lie to me. You're way too close to her. She's always clinging to you and not in a sisterly way."

"We're sisters! How could I love her? She's... she's just affectionate."

"Yeah. And the way you look at her? You don't even look at me that way. Do you think I missed all the stares you throw her way when you think nobody's watching."

"You're being paranoid!"

"Your parents gave you a freaking car for your birthday, but all you talk about is that damn cheap locket she bought you."

"A... a car is just a material possession. The locket..." Esméralda didn't let her finish.

"How many siblings do you know of that go out of school during lunch-break to eat together once a week? Who use any excuse to kiss and hug? Who smile like dumbstruck lovers every time the other one walks into the same room?"

There was no way she could convince her it wasn't true. Tears were welling in her eyes.

"I... I'm so sorry, Esméralda. I knew it would hurt you. I told you..."

"You told me you had feelings for someone that you couldn't be with! Of course I thought you were just in love with a straight girl! How could I ever imagine you wanted to bang your sister?"

"Don't..." the blonde tried to calm down.

"Is she even adopted or something?"

"What? No!" The idea turned her stomach.

"You're a freak Elsa." I know.

"How can you...? Does she know? Did you cheat on me with her? Is it why she's so jealous? Or was I just a way to keep up appearances in public while you went to visit her in her bed at night?"

"No! I never ever did anything with her. How can you say that? I would never take advantage of her!"

"It doesn't make it any better, Elsa. And the way she acts with you, she is clearly as fucked up as you are." What? No!

"Fuck." Esméralda started crying and Elsa knew she wasn't far from it either. "I fucking loved you Elsa. I had never met someone like you. I had finally found someone I could love and I was just hoping you could love me back with enough time."

"I'm... I'm so sorry."

"Why did it happen to me? No one has ever loved me. No family, no great friends, no serious relationships. And as soon as I think I might have found someone, it turns out she's a monster who's in love with her own sister?"

Elsa couldn't keep her tears in anymore. Out of sorrow for Esméralda, for the pain she was inflicting her, and also because Esméralda's words were cutting her like knives. She had forgotten how wrong her desires were, how broken she was.

"Just leave, Elsa. Get out and never come back."

"Esmé..."

"Leave me alone. And don't call. Just delete my number, and forget we ever met."

The blonde stood up and went to the door. She knew she couldn't forget. She looked back at her and couldn't stop a sob as she watched Esméralda cry alone at her kitchen table. Elsa closed the door behind her and ran to her car. She shut herself in it and cried as she had never done before.

She knew she couldn't drive in this state, so she just waited for her tears to stop, knowing that her ex-girlfriend was in an even worse state just a few meters from her. When she finally stopped shaking and her eyes were red and puffy from crying, she started her car and drove home.

She didn't know how much time she had spent at Esméralda's place, or how long she had stayed in her car, but it was almost midnight already. She climbed the stairs and lay down on her bed.

She couldn't stop thinking about Esméralda's words and she soon started to cry again. A part of her half-wished that someone would hear and come to comfort her. She's got no one in her life to comfort her, why would you? But soon enough the door opened and her sister was laying at her side, taking her in her arms.

"What happened?"

"We broke up." Elsa knew she wasn't crying because of the break-up. She would miss Esméralda, sure, but what really crushed her was knowing that she had immensely hurt a good person, and that Esméralda was right. She was a freak. She had to stop wallowing in her forbidden desires.

"Oh... it's ok sis. It will pass, I guess we all have to go through this. I'm here for you."

She let her sister comfort her, even though it was only increasing her guilt. I really need to get out of here. I'll fill in the college files tomorrow.