"Welcome back. We've missed you."
"Me or my cooking?"
"I've missed your cooking, but Anna has missed you."
The last two days had been the slowest in history. Impatience was eating me alive. I had been feeling uneasy, and excited; without knowing how to spend time; without being able to concentrate on my studies, and, above all, without ceasing to imagine one and a thousand possible scenes that could occur when we meet.
Of course, in my imagination, it was Anna and not Elsa who opened the door and greeted me with one of her incredible hugs. However, although that was not how it happened, reality did not lose to fiction. As soon as I walked through the door, a decked Anna lit by a thick mauve candle appeared before my eyes. Her gaze shone without equal on the tinkling candle flame, her loose hair glowed as if the fire emanated from herself, her rosy cheeks rose from her smile, her lips, bright and soft, smiled sweetly at me, and, her shoulders… there they were, covered with a thin layer of freckles as the only clothing, her body, hidden under the suggestive and scarce fabric of a black dress, her legs, slightly overlapping, giving me the view of a new world and, her feet, totally covered by thick thermal socks printed with sunflowers, giving the look a homely and fun touch.
"I like your shoes…" I joked when I finally managed to look back at her face.
"They were the most elegant I had," she replied showing me her brilliant collection of teeth.
"I have brought red and white grape juice so that no convalescent palate is left without the one to their liking."
"You didn't have to. Thank you."
"Fine, fine, I'll take it to the fridge," Elsa said taking the bag from my hands and leaving us alone.
"You look beautiful."
"Not bad yourself."
"I've come even more informal than the first time."
"And I like it."
It wasn't my imagination, was it? The atmosphere between us was somewhat different; more direct and, at the same, time more loaded; as if we were letting out of our mouth everything that days ago we didn't dare to say out loud. We were… flirting?
Yes. We were definitely flirting. And a lot. Throughout the night, Anna's hand rested on my arm, my shoulder, or my leg so many times that I was unable to keep track. And, the feeling of the pressure of her hands on my body, did not help me at all to keep my sanity. Of course, the jokes and the budyship didn't leave the table, but neither did the meaningful looks, the mischievous smiles, and the arching eyes of Elsa probably fed up with all that.
"I think I'm going to need insulin tonight…" Elsa teased as she prepared the bowls of grapes.
"Didn't know you were diabetic," laughed Anna.
"I have been for a few hours already. I think I'm going to get some earplugs for tonight too."
Too many insinuations for my mettle.
"Tonight… I'll try not to leave too late. The excess of alcohol in people's veins makes the road more dangerous as the night goes on."
"What are you talking about?" Elsa asked in surprise.
"You think you're going home tonight?" Anna asked even more surprised.
"I'm not?" I asked, the most surprised of the three.
"Of course not!" Anna answered without hesitation. "What makes you think you're not our hostage this time?"
"But…"
"Your room is ready too," Elsa added, refilling our glasses with her hostess mode back on.
"Well, I guess I can stay."
"Not that you have a choice," Anna (probably) teased as she repositioned the collar of my shirt.
"For now, get up, grab your grapes, and walk off the carpet. I'm not willing to clean it a second time this week," Elsa ordered as she turned up the volume on the TV.
"It's going to be midnight already?!" Anna exclaimed getting up full of enthusiasm. "The evening has passed in a whizzy!"
"I bet," Elsa said with the same lack of subtlety as always.
The chimes began and after, as every year, spitting out the grape that we put in our mouths by mistake during the quarters, we ate the twelve grapes, hugged each other, congratulated each other on the year, and uncorked a new bottle of sad white grape juice.
I refilled our glasses once more, we raised them in toast, and Anna began to speak.
"To a year full of the people we love, new experiences, joy, and beautiful things. Happy New Year!"
Elsa and I smilingly nodded to Anna's good wishes; then we all clinked our glasses and had a good gulp. The first wish of the year.
At that moment, Anna carefully put her glass down on the table and threw herself into her sister's arms. After an eternal and tender hug, both said they loved each other and gave each other a new brief hug. Then, she approached me with a look that made my legs weak, took my glass and placed it on the table with hers, turned to me again, and, not caring at all about her sister's presence, she shot those words at me.
"I love you."
Then, without giving me time to even process it, she stood on tiptoe and kissed my lips as her arms crawled up my chest until they hung around my neck.
Her lips on mine are the most intoxicating thing I have ever experienced. Without quite believing what was happening and, at the same time, without understanding how it had not happened before, I hugged her back and her head and pressed her lightly against me, deepening our kiss and responding to her with all my being.
That meant all to me. I felt full, fortunate, loved, happy!
Anna slowly withdrew her body from mine and fixed that look that captivated me from the first second in my eyes, smiling at me and making me smile. Letting me feel her warmth and sweetness, her strength, her grip, her wonderful and essential presence. Nobody could be happier than me at that moment!
And, as it was not possible to be happier, I freaked out and ran away.