Day Three Hundred and Sixty-Four: Mr. Arendelle
I think, for good reason, Elsa and I were expecting something to fuck us over. With a month left in our stay, and considering how good things were, it felt inevitable that there would be one last thing to go wrong. And given how careful we were to continuously hide our relationship from Olaf, we knew that the fuck-up wasn't going to come from us. But it had to come from somewhere, right?
Well, imagine our surprise when a month passes by and...nothing happened.
No unforeseen loose ends, no surprise encounters with Olaf, no lingering questions about our relationship, and no crazy adventures. Unless you count last week when Elsa couldn't sleep and we went out to get waffles a 2 AM. But that story begins and ends with that one sentence. The month didn't have any surprises waiting for us.
...until today.
Dear Anna Reinhart,
Congratulations! You have officially secured your place into Arendelle University's Nursing Program. Attached to this email are your next steps including tuition payment methods, housing options, and your scheduled appointment with your admissions counselor. Our nursing program is one of the most highly-accredited programs in the country, and we are so excited for you to join us.
"Holy shit," I say as I scroll through the rest of the email. I guess Iduna's hunch turned out to be true, I'm going to be a nurse. Well...a nurse in training. And that's only if I survive all the classes, and now I definitely need the money so I can pay for tuition, and of course I'll need to figure out my living situation-
Oh fuck, I need to tell Elsa. I gave her the half-truth about applying, and now that I'm in, I need to tell her the other half of the truth. That's how it works, right?
And hey look at that, she's opening my door. "Hey, you ready to go?" Elsa asks me.
I put my phone in my pocket and nod a little too quickly, "Y-yeah. Yeah, I'm good. Let's, uh...let's go."
She raises an eyebrow, "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, of course. It's...I'll tell you about it later.
"Anna…" she says with a frown.
"No trust me, it's really good news. I just...we gotta focus on this thing first, right?" I walk over to her and kiss her on the cheek. With my hands on her arms, I reassure her, "Now come on, Mr. Arendelle's waiting for us."
So yeah, the admission letter isn't the only big surprise today.
When our check-ins started to go by a little quicker than usual, I knew I should have started to get suspicious. But I was so caught up with the easy Sundays that I didn't want to pry. And then at the end of last week's check-in, Olaf springs on the news that Mr. Arendelle wants to speak to us. And of course, he doesn't say why.
So now, Elsa and I are in an elevator traveling all the way to the top floor of Arendelle Towers, possibly on our way to impending doom.
"What do you think he wants?" I ask Elsa.
She shrugs, "I don't know, but I'm sure it's nothing bad. Remember, Olaf said that couples who failed the contest were immediately evicted." I actually didn't remember that, but I'm grateful that Elsa understands my concern.
"Well that's reassuring." I feel Elsa squeeze my hand, and when I look at her, she's smiling without a single worry on her face.
"We're in this together," she tells me.
I smile back and reply, "Always."
When the elevator doors start to open, she quickly lets go of my hand. Even though I know why she does it, I still grumble like a needy bitch.
We're greeted by the sight of a hallway lined with red carpet and rows of floor lights, which has us thinking that maybe we took the wrong way up here. This feels like an entrance for celebrities, and as good an author as Elsa is, I don't think she's celebrity status. And I'm definitely not even close to being famous. But there doesn't seem to be any other way to the top floor, and at the end of the hallway is a receptionist table. And an important-looking set of double doors. The receptionist doesn't acknowledge us until we've walked down the hallway. With a highly practiced customer service voice, she says, "Hello! Elsa and Anna?"
"Uh yeah, that's us," I reply.
"Perfect," she flips a switch on her desk and gestures to the double doors- solid black, with golden, cursive A's written on the center of each- and tells us, "You can enter whenever you're ready."
We say thanks and walk to the doors together, placing a hand on either of the handles, being careful to not touch each other. Just in case, you know? This is it...whatever "it" is. After sharing one more unassuming smile with each other, we push the handles together and enter the room.
It's...well, it's big. Bigger than any room has any right to be, but when you have the top floor of a hotel to yourself, then I guess you're bound to have so much space. And all of that space is furnished to fuck.
It was as if Mr. Arendelle had looked through the "Rich Person Catalog" and said he wanted everything on it. There was leather furniture everywhere, a full liquor bar, two stuffed grizzly bears that I hoped were fake, a massive fireplace, and a king-sized bed with a rolling curtain for extra privacy. Everything had accents of red velvet and gold, even the bears which were wearing red velvet capes.
And in the center of the room, nursing a glass of whiskey with his feet propped up on his solid mahogany table was the man himself: Adrian Arendelle.
The cameras didn't do this man justice, this was someone you had to see in person to believe. His jet-black hair looked permanently slicked back, his chocolate-colored eyes felt warm, inviting, striking, and cautious all at the same time, and his olive skin reflected perfectly against the sunlight coming from his massive windows. This, paired with his all-white suit down to the soles of his shoes, made him feel like an angel that got bored in heaven and came down to earth by himself.
Mr. Arendelle stretched his arms out wide and exclaimed with a silky, baritone voice, "Anna Reinhart and Elsa Stark. I can't believe I'm meeting the legends themselves."
"Oh? Uh, I mean y-yeah it's...nice to meet you too, Mr. Arendelle," I say with as much poise as I have in my body. Legend?
He waves off my comment, "Please, no need to be so formal, Adrian is just fine. Now come and sit, it's been so long since I've had the chance to speak to my contestants."
Adrian gestured to the two chairs in front of his desk that are so tall and ornate, I wouldn't be surprised if they used to belong to a king and queen. Elsa sits politely in her chair while I struggle with whether or not I should use the armrests on mine. I decide not to.
After a sip of whiskey, he continues, "You know, Olaf really likes you both. Every week, he spends at least half an hour talking about you, and how much he wished you two would make it all the way to the end."
"I can't imagine how he must feel now," I joke.
"Oh, he's ecstatic. He told me that he's going to take his wife and daughter out to dinner to celebrate."
"He's celebrating us?" Elsa asks. Also, he has a daughter?
"Do you know how long it's been since a couple has made it all the way to day three hundred and sixty-four? A lot of people thought you wouldn't."
"What people?" I blurt out. "I mean which people? Did you have spies tailing us?"
He puts a hand up, "No, I'm a man of honor. The only means of accountability in this contest was Olaf. But when you stay in the same hotel for almost a whole year, of course the staff is going to gossip. I know our bellhops had a running bet on how long you would last."
I bite my tongue before I can say something I might regret, and decide to let Elsa speak for us for a little bit. "Did you place a bet on how long we'd stay here, Mr- er, Adrian?"
He snorts, "Of course not. If I win, that money goes back into their paychecks anyway." He laughs like he's just heard the funniest joke in years. It's so loud that it almost wakes me up even more than I already am. "Now I'm sure you two are dying to know why you're here. Am I correct?"
"Yes," we both say at the same time.
"Yes we are," Elsa adds.
"Do your worst, Adrian," I add for literally no good reason.
He stares at me with a raised eyebrow that I can tell has been recently threaded (ouch), "Anna Reinhart, do you think you're in trouble?"
"Pssh, I am the trouble," I reply.
"What?" Adrian asks straight-faced.
I open my mouth to reply, but thankfully all my words have abandoned me. All that comes out, instead, is an airy squeak. I turn to Elsa, mentally pleading with her to save me.
"Anna's got a lot on her mind right now," she explains. "So this meeting is a pretty sudden shock to the system. For both of us, really."
"Ah, I see," Adrian says before downing the rest of his drink. The air around us shifts as his posture changes, he takes his feet off the desk and straightens up in his chair. And with a pen he grabs from a holder shaped like a fist, he begins tapping on a piece of paper. "Well, you can allow yourselves to be shocked. Because we're about to do your final check-in."
"Wait, what?" we both say at the same time.
Adrian chuckles, "That's so cool how you guys can do that."
"I thought it was Olaf's job to do check-ins," Elsa says. "And usually we do them separately."
"For most of the year, it is Olaf's job. But I take over for the final check-in. After all, it's my money on the line and I'd like to know just who might be getting it. And because my questions pertain to both of you, it just makes sense for you to do the final check-in together."
Elsa and I turn to each other, exchanging a look without trying to make it seem too obvious that we're exchanging a look. It's hard to explain, our faces don't really move much and we try to make sure our eyes don't get any wider or narrower. Right, that's not important to know. We prepared for Olaf, we prepared for the same five or so questions, and we prepared for just another lazy Sunday aside from the packing that had to get done. We sure as shit didn't prepare for this.
What are we supposed to do now with the fruit basket we bought Olaf?
"Now, these questions will be very straightforward." He points his solid gold fountain pen at me, "I'll start with you, Anna, and then I'll ask the same question to Elsa. No, your answers do not have to be exactly the same. In fact, they should be different. Except for maybe one, but we'll get there when we get there."
At some point, my spine subconsciously straightened up, and I find that I'm gripping the armrests. God, I really wish Elsa was holding my hand right now. I look at her and realize that, of course, she's anxious too. I wish I could hold her and tell her that we'll get through this. But, like, in a platonic way.
Adrian Arendelle doesn't seem like the kind of guy to screw people over just because he can. I hold on to that assurance as I wait for the first question.
He writes something on the paper in front of him, I bet there aren't any snowflakes on it. "Anna Reinhart, what was the worst part about living with your roommate and ex-girlfriend, Elsa Stark?"
"The worst part?" I repeat.
"And be honest," he says...warns?
I force my mind to start being useful, and I tell it to focus on the negatives about Elsa for the first time in who knows how long. "Uh...when we first started, she'd...it always felt too awkward talking to her. Sometimes we'd go days without saying anything to each other, and it just...silence makes me uncomfortable."
"I see," Adrian comments, writing that down on his paper. While his head is down, I mouth to Elsa that I'm sorry. She mouths that it's okay. "Now, the same question. Elsa Stark, what was the worst part about living with your roommate and ex-girlfriend, Anna Reinhart?"
From the way she looks down at the floor, I can tell that I'm not going to like what she was about to say. "It didn't feel nice when she would go places without telling me, and then never telling me when she'd get back."
The easy response would be to say that Elsa was guilty of doing the same thing. But then I remind myself that it'd be shitty of me to bring that up, and that we've already forgiven each other for it. When he finishes writing what I assume is Elsa's answer down, Adrian turns back to me.
"Next question: Anna Reinhart, what was the best part about living with your roommate and ex-girlfriend, Elsa Stark?"
Yeah, these questions are definitely a lot different than the ones Olaf asks. I bet he's not even gonna ask us about the fluffiness of our pillows. This should be so easy to answer, but I have to remember that we're not supposed to be dating right now. So I shouldn't say anything that makes me sound like I'm fucking crazy for her. Even though I am.
I go with a neutral, yet still kind of cute answer. "She likes to sing a lot, and she's really good at it. And, I don't know, something about hearing her sing makes me feel comfortable."
Funny enough, I've never actually said that to Elsa. Which means the blush on her cheeks is super genuine. Oops.
"And you, Elsa Stark, what was the best part about living with your roommate and ex-girlfriend, Anna Reinhart?"
Elsa shakes herself out of her trance and looks at Adrian, "Hmm? O-oh, it's my turn. I-I guess...it's never boring with her. Whenever we hung out, she'd always find something fun to do. It helped a lot of the days pass." Oh, she's never actually said that to me either. My heart swells with pride over knowing that I've made this year fun for her. For the most part, definitely not for the beginning part.
The urge to tell Elsa I love her is pretty strong right now.
"Okay, last two questions," Adrian says. "Anna Reinhart, what are you planning to do with your $100,000?"
Damn, that's specific. But at least I can answer it without subtly professing my love for Elsa. I shift in my seat, "I'll definitely have to find a new place to live since my old landlord hates me. Plus, I was kind of thinking I'd use that money for tuition. I'm going into Arendelle University's nursing program."
Adrian smiles in a way that disarms me, but in a good way. "Oh wow, congratulations!"
Elsa's reaction, of course, is much different. "I thought you didn't know if you were going to apply."
I give her an apologetic smile, "Surprise! I...didn't want to jinx anything. I was actually going to tell you after this meeting."
"Oops," Adrian remarks without looking up from his paper.
I know Elsa wants to ask way more questions, like when I actually applied and how much Iduna knows, but now's not the time. Still, I have a sneaking suspicion that I'm going to be getting a lecture at best and an innocent yet effective punishment at worst.
"And Elsa Stark, what are you planning to do with your $100,000?"
Elsa looks at him dumbfounded, and so do I. We're both thinking the same thing, but she speaks first. "Wait...we're both getting the full amount?"
Adrian nods, "Was that not clear? Oh well, I thought we made that clear. But anyway, back to the question, what are you planning to do with your money?"
Elsa lets out a deep breath, eyes wide, "I, uh...wow. Umm, well I was planning on putting in a down payment on a house and then saving the rest. It'd be good to have that kind of money on me while I'm writing."
"Oh right, I forgot to mention I've actually read some of your works before," he says while pointing at Elsa with his pen. "You're great at dialogue, but your endings are a little contrived."
"Oh. Uh okay, I'll make sure to keep that in mind." She's not showing it, but I know Elsa took offense to that.
There's some very uncomfortable silence as Adrian writes out Elsa's answer. I want to smile at her again, but I don't want to risk anything. Not when we're this close to freedom. I have to keep reminding myself that we'll have all the time in the world to look at each other, and kiss, and do other things. Fun things. I'm doing my best to not get too confident, this last question might end up biting us in the ass.
Adrian looks up from his desk and takes a deep breath. I'm expecting him to look at me like he's got me on the ropes, determined to get with one last shot. But he gives nothing away in his eyes, this is business as usual for him. Even if this is very unusual business. "Last question, and remember I need you to be honest," he says calmly. "Anna Reinhart, at the end of this contest, would you consider pursuing a relationship again with Elsa Stark?"
...oh.
Oh damn.
That's the final question?!
It seems so easy to answer, but I don't know if what I want to say is what I need to say. Adrian Arendelle's telling me to be honest, but what good is honesty if it might end up screwing us both over? It's so clear, and yet I don't know if I should say it. What if I give too much away with my answer? What if I sound too suspicious? What if my silence already tells him what he needs to hear? I need something, a sign or a memory or a word, to tell me that I'm going to get this right.
And that's when I look over to Elsa…and she's smiling.
She's smiling because she knows what I want to say. Because she remembers that, despite how much I've emphasized wanting to win this contest, there's something else I want more. And that's her. But her smile isn't cocky or confident, it's not manipulative, it's peaceful.
She's looking at me like this is just another day, and I'm the only thing that matters to her. And yeah sure, I need to pay for tuition now, and I don't technically have a place to stay after this. But I'm supposed to be honest, and I want to be honest, even if it means risking what we've worked for a year to get.
So, I look back to Adrian, who's waiting for a response with his pen spearheaded against his paper, and with a deep breath, I say to him: "Yes. I think I'd want that more than anything else."
He nods but doesn't write anything down yet. Instead, he turns towards Elsa and says, "Now the same question-"
"Yes," Elsa says confidently. "You don't even have to ask it again. My answer is yes."
Again, he nods but doesn't write anything down. His eyes glance down for a minute as if he's deep in thought. Maybe he's reconsidering this whole check-in, maybe he's dragging this out before telling us that we've failed, or maybe he just doesn't know what to say. But then he begins to speak, and I know that last one isn't true. "Since this contest started, we have interviewed fifty-six couples, and thirty-two of them actually moved into Arendelle Towers. Of those thirty-two, only thirteen couples lasted longer than a month, five lasted longer than six months, and two made it all the way to this check-in. Well, now three."
He grabs his whiskey glass, and when he sees that it's empty, he places it back on the desk disappointed. But he doesn't look disappointed when he says, "And no one has ever said yes to that question."
Neither of us knows what to say, we just look at each other and high five internally because even if that's a daunting statement, we're kind of impressed at ourselves for being trailblazers.
But Adrian doesn't look impressed. "I'm convinced that there's more to your relationship than you're letting on. I'm convinced that you two have been lying to Olaf for, well, who knows how long."
Ah shit, I guess it's the end of the line for us.
"However, that's suspicion without any evidence. Besides, I believe you two have something special, something I haven't seen before. And even if it is my money, and I do have the final say, I value compassion over competition. So, it brings me great joy to say…"
Adrian stands up, and his demeanor causes us to stand up as well.
"Anna Reinhart and Elsa Stark. It has been a pleasure getting to know you," he says, "And congratulations, tomorrow you will be rewarded with your prize money."
To our credit, Elsa and I are very professional as we say our goodbyes to Adrian Arendelle. And on the elevator ride and subsequent walk to our room, we both simmer our excitement so it doesn't boil over in front of everyone on our floor.
But when we get back to the room, and we're finally allowed to express ourselves, I let out my excitement in a way I've never done before.
There's adrenaline flowing through my veins, and I use it to step towards my soon-to-no-longer-be-secret girlfriend, pick her up by the waist, and spin her around. She yelps, but then starts to giggle; it's music to my ears.
When I put her down, she's still giggly and she has her hands on my shoulders. "Well, that was new," she says amused. And her eyes are telling me that she's slightly turned on by my circumstantial superstrength.
"It felt right," I say with a shrug. "But don't expect this all the time, I'm not a superhero. I'm just a girl who really likes going to the gym, and even if I tried doing it again I'd probably have to stretch first because my arms feel-"
Elsa shuts me up with a kiss. A kiss that says she understands. A kiss that says she'd never ask for anything more from me. A kiss that says all she wants is me, and that's all she'll ever want. A kiss that says she's so goddamn happy that we won't have to hide us anymore.
I can't believe how many things can be said through one kiss.
When we part, she catches her breath and speaks with her words, "We made it."
A/N: I'm sorry, were you expecting things to fall apart?
