Chapter seventeen

What she wants

The two girls stepped off the bus, Elsa thanking the driver by name.

"That was quicker than I thought," Anna said. "Not as fast as driving, but still not bad."

"And now we don't have to worry about parking," Elsa added, gesturing to the packed theater parking lot.

They walked the short distance to the ticket booth hand in hand, already in the cool shadow of the theater. At some point during the bus ride, Anna had taken her hand, and they just hadn't let go yet.

"Hi! Anna said brightly to the elderly lady behind the glass partition. "Two tickets for The Moon Has Two Faces at 6:00, please!"

The woman frowned disapprovingly at them, but handed them their tickets regardless.

"Sheesh, what's her problem?" Anna muttered as they walked away.

"No idea," Elsa said quickly.

The lobby was just as crowded as it had been the last time, but a considerable line had formed at the concession stand. "So, I'll get snacks, you get a seat?" Elsa offered.

"Sure thing!" Anna said. "Grab me a pretzel?"

"You got it, dude," Elsa said.

"Thanks, Elsie!" Anna said. She kissed her on the cheek, then raced off to the theater. "See you in a few!"

Elsa ran her fingers across her cheek.

So I'm Elsie now, I guess. Does she know that's what Esme calls me, or…no, she couldn't know.

Elsa busied her mind, as best she could, with looking around at the other people in line. Of course, it consisted of exactly the sort of people she expected it to. Nearly everyone in line, and most everyone else in the lobby, had a boyfriend or girlfriend at hand or in arm. Guiltily, Elsa realized that this would've been an excellent first date spot for Anna's potential new girlfriend. Anna would've had the chance to apply all the lessons that Elsa Schneider, her helpful friend, had taught her.

But instead, she's here with me. And I'm trying to figure out whether or not I've corrupted her.

Elsa quickly countered her own thought. No, that's not true! Anna's a grown woman, she's capable of making her own choices. If she does feel something for me, then she arrived at that decision on her own.

Still, Elsa couldn't shake the intrusive thought. She thought of all the times that Anna had come to her for advice, naïve and knowing nothing about what she was doing. And just because she hadn't forced her sister down this particular path, didn't mean she wasn't partially responsible for it…

"What can I get you, ma'am?"

Elsa snapped out of her spiral. Back here on planet Earth, she had reached the front of the line. She quickly composed herself and told the cashier what she wanted.

Well, there's one upside to these existential crises I'm having on a regular basis now. Makes long lines just melt away…

xxxxxxx

The lights had just begin to dim when Elsa made her way into the theater. She scanned the crowd and quickly located Anna, waving eagerly from the center of the middle row. Elsa made her way up there, balancing their various concessions. One she reached the correct row, she edged her way past a couple that had already started sucking face, seemingly needing no assistance from the movie to get in the mood.

"Here you are, ma'am," Elsa said, presenting her drink and pretzel with a flourish.

"Thanks, sis!" Anna said, planting a kiss on Elsa's other cheek. A chaste, sisterly kiss, just as the one in the lobby had been. Maybe this all had been a misunderstanding after all. Not sure if she should be relieved or disappointed if that was the case, Elsa decided to just sit down and wait to see it any new developments arose.

Then, as the previews ended, Anna lifted up the armrest that divided them. She didn't move any closer or farther, she just lifted it and stayed where she was.

This is a test, she realized.

I suck at tests.

After a few seconds of intense internal debate, she scooched closer to Anna, and offered her arm. Anna accepted it in an instant, wrapping her pretzel-free hand around Elsa's waist in return.

"Just so you know," Anna whispered to her, "I might start crying at certain points in the movie. Can I hug you like this when that happens?"

Elsa smiled at her. "I am insulted you had to ask," she said smarmily, squeezing her shoulder. Anna, content with this response, lingered in Elsa's embrace for a bit longer.

Elsa sniffed.

Anna's wearing perfume. That's a new development.

xxxxxxx

Both armrests were down again, if only for Elsa to grip them.

A few hours ago, Elsa had been worried. Not about her feelings for Anna – those were ever-present now, always at the back of her mind. No, her worry had been that she wouldn't be nearly as into the movie as Anna was. She'd never so much as touched a romance novel, let alone a movie. There was no action, and based on the ratings, barely any nudity in the case of the films, which Elsa thought would've been the whole point of making such a movie to begin with. And the critics always complained about clichéd storytelling, bad acting, and unoriginal plots. She'd been preparing to bite down her own cynicism, to make it appear as if she was just as enraptured as Anna would be.

Well, as it turned out, there was no need for deception.

"Please, John," begged the woman onscreen. "Don't make this even harder for me. You know we can't be together. Your life, your job, your friends – your whole world is an ocean away."

John shook his head, drawing her into his arms. "My world is right in front of me," he said, holding her tight. "Right here, in my arms."

Was this bad writing? Elsa found herself incapable of judging it. She'd gotten hooked on these characters by the fifteen minute mark and hadn't let go yet. Critics must have hearts of stone.

The two kissed, and the music swelled. In the audience, there were murmurs of happiness and pleasure all around. Even Elsa felt some kind of stirring inside of her.

A hand now appeared on top of her own. Anna's, of course, perhaps clutching for the armrest as well. Except she wasn't letting go.

Elsa looked at her, and the movie, the theater, and everything else vanished from her mind.

Anna had tears on her face, but her eyes were clear now. The look she now fixed on her sister was a desperate one, radiating, above all else, need. Her tears were merely leaks in a floodgate of emotions, bottled up far too long to be healthy. Just seeing this look on her face sent Elsa's own body into a frenzy. She ached with desire for this beautiful, perfect woman next to her, and for once, had no doubt that Anna felt the same way.

"Elsa."

One single word uttered by her sister, and the fireworks going off inside her body doubled in intensity. Anna's voice was raw, emotional, and pleading. Elsa had never been good at reading emotions, but in this moment, she had absolutely no doubt as to what her sister wanted.

Elsa leaned forward, and hooked a finger around Anna's chin. Anna rushed forward as well. They kissed ferociously, their tongues dancing around each other. Whatever hesitance Anna had shown on the Ferris wheel was long gone.

Five seconds passed, then ten. Still they kissed, only separating the bare minimum required to keep breathing. Each time they did, a soft moan escaped from Elsa's mouth. Even more primal sounds escaped from Anna's mouth.

Elsa's senses were overwhelmed with Anna. The taste of Anna, the smell of Anna, the feel of Anna – it all swirled together into a cocktail of passion in her brain. She held Anna's head, eager to maintain as much contact as possible. In that moment, she regretted every time she had touched another girl, looked at another girl – even thought about any girl other than Anna.

Somehow, Anna maintained the presence of mind to raise the armrest again, allowing them to draw closer. With that done, she then set about wrapping her arms around Elsa as tightly as she could. Elsa kept her hands on Anna's head, not trusting them to stay above Anna's clothes.

Neither of them wanted the moment to end, but end it eventually did. Reluctantly, and very slowly, the two girls separated, then sank back into their seats, thoroughly exhausted. Elsa panted heavily, clutching the seat as if to affirm the reality of her situation. Once again, they were both thinking the exact same thing.

Did I really just do that?

xxxxxxx

The credits rolled across the screen, and people gradually stood up and left, mostly in pairs. After a quick web search to make sure there weren't any after credits scenes, Elsa and Anna did the same, joining the queue filing out of the theater.

It seemed several other couples had also taken the opportunity to draw closer together, as many couples were joined together by hands, arms, or mouths. Anna and Elsa looked straight ahead, shoulders an inch apart but not quite touching, keeping perfect pace with each other unconsciously.

At the bus stop, they stood stock still together, both wanting to talk but neither knowing what to say. Anna glanced at Elsa's hand and slowly started to reach for it.

"So," Elsa said. Anna withdrew her hand quickly. "That…movie. It's pretty good."

"Yeah," Anna agreed. "It was."

Silence.

"You said this was a series?" Elsa asked after some time.

"Yep," Anna answered. "Four books so far, fifth one on the way."

"We'll have to see those when they come out," Elsa said.

Silence. Deafening silence.

Elsa finally turned towards her sister. "We need to talk," she said.

Anna looked at her. "Yes," she agreed. "Yes we do."