"What?" he said without considering his answer. "I didn't disappear."
His cheeks burned at the lie and the shame of letting his pride get in the way of being her friend.
"I got three returned holiday cards from you. You moved and you didn't say. And you didn't come to my wedding or ask about Olaf when he was born. You didn't come to Hans' funeral! And you didn't even say anything to me when he died. You're probably only here because Sven twisted your arm and made you come."
Everything she said was true, and she mercilessly stabbed a knife in his heart by calling him out on it like that. He felt a new wave of guilt pass through him when he realized how much nursing his broken heart over the years had hurt her. Had he known, he would have gladly endured his own pain so she didn't have to.
"I was just busy, I guess. You know, with college, then vet school, then interning. Then I got the job with Veterinarians Without Borders, and I'm never in the country more than a couple of weeks every six months or so. Sven didn't tell you?"
He could see she wasn't buying his bullshit excuse, so he piled on another. "I don't even have a permanent address in Arendelle anymore."
Anna frowned disapprovingly, and said, "That's no excuse. Sven was in the army and out of the country, and he found the time to give me a call and send an arrangement for the funeral since he couldn't be there. He even finds the time to text me a 'thank you' when he gets my holiday cards. God, even your parents came to the funeral!"
Kristoff wiped his hand over his eyes, and in frustration said, "We haven't even seen each other in 20 years."
"17."
Kristoff rolled his eyes, and the worst thing that anyone could ever say to Anna rolled off his tongue, "We're not even friends. You're just my brother's friend's sister."
He was more afraid of the cold look in her eyes, crossed arms, and fully extended spine than he was when she chased him with the fork. "Nope. I'm not buying it. Try again."
Kristoff studied every curve of her face and the tiny beginnings of barely there wrinkles around her eyes and mouth the roaring fire revealed. He'd probably never get the chance to see them deepen, and it broke his heart all over again that he'd missed seeing them form.
"You're right," he said with a deep sigh, ready to finally take some responsibility. "I'm so sorry, Anna. I should have been there for you."
She didn't soften a bit, though she arched a judgemental brow. "Then why weren't you?"
He lifted his eyes in shame to her demanding glare. "The truth, Kristoff."
Kristoff sighed and looked down, considering his options very carefully. He was going to tell her how he felt when he raced up her steps. Then he waffled, and he lied. Then Sven lied to cover for him. And now he had another chance.
He took a deep breath and reasoned that if she was this upset that he disappeared from her life, there was a chance that she might not push him away. But more than that, his secret was hurting her. There wasn't another option.
She started to chastise him for the unreasonable amount of silence, "Kr–"
"Because I'm in love with you, Anna. Still in love with you, actually…"
"Still?" her face wrinkled in confusion. "I don't understand. You couldn't stand to be near me." He put his hand to his forehead, and cringed. "It was really hard being near you, but not because I didn't want to be. I was intimidated, and overwhelmed, and I didn't know how to handle it. And then I finally worked up the courage to ask you out after I finished that slice of pumpkin pie, but–"
"But that was the day Hans asked me out."
Kristoff nodded and gave a weak smile, and said, "Yeah, he bought the rest of your pie."
She opened her mouth in surprise, but let him finish.
His head dropped, and he said, "I know it was wrong, but I kept hoping you'd break up with him. And I promised myself that if you did, I wouldn't hesitate. But then you married him. And you'd still be married to him if–"
Anna's eyes flipped to him, and he stopped before he said anything else to hurt her.
"Maybe. Probably. And I wouldn't take my relationship with Hans back for anything. I loved him, deeply. And I have Olaf because of him." She smiled wistfully, and added, "And I miss him everyday…"
Kristoff started to feel queasy.
"But, Kristoff," she said as a tear fell down her cheek. "I turned him down."
"What?" he asked incredulously. "But I saw you write your phone number down for him."
She shook her head in surprise, "No. It was a receipt showing how much he paid."
Kristoff's jaw dropped, but then he said, "Anna, I saw the way you looked at him, though."
"Yeah!" she dug in with a guilt trip. "Do you have any idea how it made me feel when you ran off like that? I thought you liked my pumpkin pie at first. But then I wasn't sure if you thought my pie was repulsive, or if you thought I was repulsive. Kristoff, you broke my heart that day! But then a cute boy actually asked me out, and made me feel wanted and attractive, which is the exact opposite of how you made me feel."
"But. Um. Wait. What?" He scratched his head, his disbelief overshadowing his guilt. Because either she was lying or he was more of an idiot than he even thought he was.
"Ugh! Kristoff!" She withdrew her toes from under his leg and turned away from him.
"No, I mean, I had no idea. You liked me?"
"Not liked, Kris. Loved! I loved you! Ok?" She lowered her head so her eyes hid on top of her knees.
"But you were so out of my league–"
She raised her head and scowled at him, "God, Kristoff, are you really that stupid?"
"Well, I do have a thick skull," he said, completely missing the point.
"You were– ugh– You're still… well, I mean… objectively speaking… you're just… you're extremely handsome! Ok? And you always have been!"
Kristoff's ears were so hot they nearly melted off his face.
"But that's not why I loved you. I liked your thick skull. And the way your eyes lit up when you talked about biology or reindeer or dogs. It might as well have been poetry. And every time our assignment went well, you smiled, and it was the most genuine smile I've ever seen. Like all of your awkwardness–which I also find charming, so you can't even use that as an excuse–disappeared and I got to see the real you, and you were wonderful. It was the same you I got to see when you took that bite of my pie."
How could he possibly not have known she felt like that?
Without thinking about it, Kristoff placed his thumb at the corner of her mouth to wipe away some chocolate residue.
Anna turned her head towards him, and her eyes grew dark with understanding, and she let him have his thumb on her lips. Then she opened her mouth a little more, and dared him to follow through with his thoughts before taking control. Then she sandwiched his thumb with her upper lip, and he felt the warm wetness of her tongue as far away as the tips of his toes. He pressed it in just slightly and then pulled it out.
The bake sale hurt flickered in her eyes as her lips chased after his thumb. But her demeanor changed to affection when Kristoff stroked her cheek, and he said her name for all the times she wasn't their to hear it. He moved his other hand to the back of her neck, and warmed as much exposed skin as he could.
"You know," he said, "I always thought you'd taste like pumpkin pie."
She looked away and giggled.
"Wait, was that too cheesy?"
"No," she said. "But I'm sure I don't taste that good."
Kristoff moved her hair behind her ears because it's what she would have done if her hands were free.
"Anna," he asked, holding onto her cheeks, "Can I taste you?"
She faced towards him again, and Kristoff helped as she struggled to free herself from the blanket. Then she got on her knees, and cupped his cheeks to guide him towards her.
Their kiss was slow and gentle as Kristoff licked the last of the chocolate whipped cream from her lips. He grew so eager for her, though, that he thought he might consume her in his frenzy. But then she rose on her knees and moved to his lap and proved to him that he wasn't alone in his desire.
They stared at each other after a while, panting, biding their time until their jaws relaxed.
"So?" she asked, hopeful eyes hanging on his next words and movements. "How do I taste?"
Kristoff held onto her cheek again, and watched his thumb massage her exquisite jaw bone before returning his eyes to hers.
"I think I want another slice."
He bit into each other more hungrily than before, but stopped before his tongue had a chance to taste the rest of her body.
She crawled into his side and he put his arm around her and held her close to keep her warm.
"Do you have any idea how many pumpkin pies I've tasted?"
Anna pushed away from him, and said, "Kristoff, I really don't want to hear about how many people you–"
Kristoff laughed nervously. "No, Anna, that's not what I meant. I meant like, actual pumpkin pie. That pumpkin pie… your pumpkin pie… is the best I've ever had. And I kept hoping I'd find one I liked better, just so I could get your smile out of my head and the taste of it out of my mouth. I even tried making it myself! Which was a total disaster, by the way. But no matter what I do, Anna," his voice softened, "I can't fall out of love with your gooey insides."
"Gooey insides?" she teased through a raised eyebrow. "That's not exactly romantic, Kristoff."
She wrapped her arms around her shins and tilted her head to lay on one of her knees, as if enjoying the disaster that was Kristoff talking about his feelings.
"Well, it is to me." he explained.
She stayed quiet, teasing him more with her silence.
"I'm not great with words like you are. I could tell you in detail all the changes in my body when I'm around you and it wouldn't be very romantic to most people. But that's the only way I can express myself. I want to sweep you off your feet and read you poetry like–." He stopped before he made the huge mistake of comparing himself to her deceased husband again.
"But that's not who I am and I'll never be like that. This, " he held her hand to his heart, and continued, "Is what I am. Did you feel it quicken?"
She nodded, and bit her lower lip while she leaned in. "It's beating faster because you're touching me, and you're looking at me. And do you see my pupils dilating?"
He smiled when he saw hers growing, too. "It's so I can take all of you in. Because the default setting isn't good enough."
Anna giggled and put her hands on his face. Then she sat up on her knees so she could whisper into his ear, "You know, Kristoff, that was better than poetry."
Kristoff blushed, and his body flooded with so much adrenaline, and his first instinct was to move Anna off his lap and run away from her like he had that day in the gym. But then Anna straddled him and bit his neck, and the oxytosin took over, and he couldn't get close enough.