Chapter twenty-three

Pace yourself

Anna struggled and strained, her face turning red. Slowly, she pushed the bar upwards, as the 25-lb weights on either side shook.

Elsa stood above her, hands encircling the bar without actively lifting it herself. "Calm down, Anna. We can reduce the weight, if you need to."

"No! I've got it!" she said in a strained voice. "Fuck…"

After what must've felt like an eternity for her, at last she straightened her arms, holding the bar above her horizontal body. "Four!" she declared triumphantly.

"Okay, let's take a break," Elsa said, hastily and effortlessly moving the bar back to its supports. Anna attempted to protest, but didn't seem to have the breath for it.

"Seriously, Anna. I appreciate your drive, but 95 pounds is a lot for your first attempt," Elsa said worriedly.

"I was getting used to it," Anna said defensively.

"You were getting a hernia," Elsa said, removing the 25s and racking them. "I think you'd do better to start at 65."

"Just the 10 pound weights? That'll look so pathetic," Anna protested.

"It won't," Elsa promised. "Everyone starts somewhere, nobody will judge you. And if they do, they'll soon be kissing that mirror." She pointed at the full-wall mirror, smacking her fist for emphasis.

"Well…okay," Anna said. She put one of the weights on the bar, while Elsa added the other. Per Elsa's advice, she took a short break before going back to lifting.

She took the new weight a lot better. Her arms weren't shaking at all on her first few lifts, and her face retained its natural color. Looking down at her body, Elsa observed that her breathing was regular, measured.

Uh-huh. That was what she was looking at. Her breathing. Nothing else.

Her own bashfulness exasperated her.

For fucks sale, one little scare makes you regress this far? Just look at her damn tits before your head explodes!

So she did just that. She was wearing her jogging shorts and a bright red sports bra, both of which fit her like a goddamn glove. A glance at her face confirmed that Anna was also looking at her chest, earning her a smirk and a blush.

"There," Elsa said when Anna's set was done, astonished that she had retained the ability to count to ten. "Much easier, yeah?"

Anna nodded as she sat up. "Almost too easy," she said. "Barely felt the strain at all."

"Well, this is just the first set," Elsa pointed out. "Talk to me after nine more."

Anna grinned impishly. "That sounds like a challenge to me!" She laid back down and launched into her second set, thrusting the bar upward with gusto.

"Easy, easy," Elsa cautioned. "It's not a race."

Her form degraded as she continued, and her last rep ended sloppily, with the bar barely lowering before she lifted it again. "I guess I did that one wrong," she panted.

Elsa chuckled. "Here, I'll help you with the next set," she said. She moved her hands inward on the bar, so they were nearly touching Anna's. "Just follow the pace that my voice sets."

Anna smiled, pleased by the dulcet tones her voice had entered. "As you wish, Teach," she said.

She lifted the bar off the stand again. Elsa tightened her grip on the bar slightly, the spotter now a guide. "Down, up, down, up," she said, speaking softly and rhythmically.

Anna's arms slowed their trembling, and her breathing decelerated, syncing up with the motions. She closed her eyes, and though she was still struggling, her duress was greatly reduced.

At the conclusion of the set, Anna's eyes flew open. "Was that better?" she asked, setting the bar down.

"Much better," Elsa said, her voice still low.

"Mm, I love it when you do that with your voice," Anna said, drawing her arms into her chest in delight.

Elsa smiled. "Why, whatever could you mean?" she intoned.

Anna giggled. "That voice makes me so happy," she said. "Makes me feel warm and fuzzy, like everything's gonna be okay."

"Thanks," Elsa replied. "I started doing it when you started asking me to sing you lullabies, when you were about eight."

"Oh yeah, I remember," Anna said. She raised the pitch of her voice. "Oh, Elsa, could you sing me a lullaby tonight? Pretty please?" she said, mimicking her pre-pubescent voice. "God, I was such a goober." She looked up at her sister. "Hey, Elsa? Everything all right?"

Elsa roused herself. "Yeah, I'm fine," she said. "I'm fine."

She'd just had a vivid recollection of herself standing over an eight-year old Anna, wrapped in her fuzzy blankie, drifting off to sleep. It hadn't been all that long ago, really, when she thought about it. And that was the same girl that she'd just been ogling.

She shook her head, and brought herself back to the present. The Anna lying out in front of her was eighteen, and not eight, and therefore an adult, and therefore it was not the least bit weird to be lusting after her, except for the part where she was her sister, of course.

"Earth to Elsa, what's going on up there?" Anna asked.

"Next set!" Elsa blurted out. Anna obediently lifted the bar again, and Elsa found that the easiest way to resolve the conflicting feelings in her head was to stare straight ahead and try very hard to think of nothing at all.

xxxxxxx

"I thought we were just doing arms today," Anna said.

"Normally, you would," Elsa said, walking toward the leg machines. "But since it's your first day here, I thought I'd show you a little bit of everything."

Anna shrugged. "Fuck it, I'll try."

They walked up to a line of machines facing the wall, chairs with pads next to the legs. "This one is called a hip abductor," Elsa explained. "You press your outer thighs against the pads, and push outwards, like this, see?" She demonstrated with her hands.

Anna stared at the device. "It's a leg-spreading machine!" she blurted out.

The comment caught Elsa off-guard. "Uh…yeah, I guess you could say that. It works your inner thigh muscles."

Anna grinned. "Heh. Could always use more of those, couldn't I?" she said.

"Um, sure," Elsa said, realizing that she might have made a tactical error. "If you feel uncomfortable with this one, we could try leg lifts instead."

"No, I'm cool with it," Anna said, not a hint of a blush on her face. She sat in the chair. "I'll let you pick the weight for this one. I really have no idea how strong my thighs are."

Ten different responses to this statement entered her head. Wisely, she kept her mouth shut. She set the weight at 100 lbs and motioned for her to start.

Anna pushed her legs apart. "Ooh, yeah, I can feel that stretch," she remarked.

"It takes a couple of sets to get used to," Elsa said.

A few sets and a series of unladylike grunts later, she definitely seemed to be getting the hang of things. "I bet I'll be feeling this one tomorrow," she commented.

"Oh, definitely," Elsa said, standing behind her.

Anna turned her head to look at Elsa. "Am I spreading my legs far enough?" she asked.

Elsa glanced down at her legs. "Yeah, you got it."

Anna chuckled. "You can't see from there," she chided. "Come around and look for real. I want to make sure I'm doing it right."

"Oh, don't worry, you'll know when you're doing it right."

"With your legs, I'm sure you've got this."

"Not now. When we get home, I'll look at your legs all you want, okay?"

"It's just leg spreading, Anna. It's not that difficult!"

Reviewing her options for rebuttal, Elsa again elected to stay silent and acquiesce. She stepped in front of Anna – front row seats, as it were.

Anna opened and closed her legs rhythmically, in a motion Elsa found hard not to stare at. A few beads of sweat trickled down her face and legs, but otherwise, she looked comfortable as could be. She was looking right at Elsa, making direct eye contact, and she bore a devilish grin. Hey face was slightly red, but Elsa was willing to bet dollars to donuts that it was all from exertion, and not a blush.

Geez, Anna, I remember when you used to blush when you saw me in a swimsuit! What happened?

It was a question with an obvious answer, but realizing it still hit her like a brick.

I happened.

Belle had done something similar to her, but it wasn't the same. She had never been truly that innocent, just repressed. Belle dating her had mostly just taken the handcuffs off. But Anna…she was different. Had been, anyway. She was pure and innocent, like a snowflake. She hadn't even used a single swear word until age 14, and even then she'd rationed them out sparingly. Hans hadn't broken that innocence, but she had. In the course of only a month, too – that must be some kind of record.

"Ten," Anna declared. This time, Elsa was paying close enough attention to look up at her in response and smile. "So, how was my form?"

"It was good. Very good," Elsa said. Anna snickered, and Elsa realized the double entendre. "S-so, how are your legs feeling?"

Anna stepped out of the chair, stepping bow-legged as she walked away from it. "Like I'm not gonna be jogging tomorrow," she said.

"Yeah," Elsa answered guiltily. "I'd give it a few days. Eat some protein, you'll feel better in no time."

"Can do," Anna said. "So, what's next, squats?"

Oh, sweet mother of god, no. Do you want me to have an aneurysm?

"Maybe next time," she said. "I think you're pretty good, as far as…those muscles are concerned."

Anna flashed her devilish grin again. "Why, thank you, Elsa," she said. "Good to know you're keeping an eye on them."

At this point, Elsa was sweating far more than Anna.

"Okay, so what do you suggest?" Anna asked.

Elsa thought through all the different exercises they could try, filtering out any even remotely sensual ones. "Crunches," she decided. "Floor mats are on the far wall."

"All right," Anna said. "Lead the way, Teach. Unless you'd prefer the view from behind?" She wiggled her hips suggestively.

"I'll lead," she said hastily, heading for the mats.

Was I ever this much of an exhibitionist?

Not to Anna, that's for goddamn sure!

xxxxxxx

The car pulled into their driveway in the cool, crisp evening. Elsa hopped out of her seat, hauling their gym bag. Anna followed behind her.

"So, how'd you like the gym?" Elsa asked her.

"It was great," she said. "Very big, very clean. Though the showers were a little cold."

"Yeah, well…" Elsa opened the front door. "Sometimes that's nice to have."

They walked into the kitchen, and Elsa opened the pantry. "How are your muscles feeling?"

Anna tested her arms. "A little stiff, but not as bad as I thought I'd be."

"You'll be feeling it a whole lot more tomorrow," Elsa said, fishing out a tub of protein powder. "Get some milk. This stuff helps, but it tastes like shit if you take it with water."

She turned around, and nearly bumped right into Anna. "I don't need the calories," she said, draping her arms around Elsa's neck. "But I love how much you care."

Elsa almost dropped the powder, recovering just in time.

Hug your sister, idiot!

She wrapped her arms around Anna's waist, allowing the smell of a freshly showered Anna to wash away her anxieties for just a second. She allowed herself a kiss, as well - closed-mouth and brief, but on the lips. Anna, looking a little let down, released her from the hug.

"So, uh…" Anna said awkwardly, "How long do you think I should wait until I go lifting again?"

"A couple days, at least," Elsa said, thankful that the conversation was back in an area she was 100% comfortable with. "You said you'd help me with moving out of my dorm next Wednesday, right? You should be good by then."

"Okay," Anna said. She yawned, exhaustion finally catching up to her. "I'm gonna hit the hay. How about you?"

"I think I'll stay up for a little longer. Good night!" She gave Anna another kiss, a little longer this time. Anna smiled at her before heading upstairs.

Elsa sighed with relief. She had only just barely managed to keep that second kiss from turning into something more. She felt a little let down by her own cold feet, but also a little relieved. Things we going at a much more manageable pace now, one she was more comfortable with. She still hasn't managed to resolve her dilemma over whether or not it was 'right' to keep going with this, but she'd figure it out now. She had the time.

Just gotta pace myself, that's the trick. It only felt weird because we were going too fast. Now we'll have the chance to figure things out without all that pressure we had before. This will be good for both of us - Anna's changed so much this past month, I bet she could use a break more than I could. Patience. I just need to be patient.

xxxxxxx

God damnit, why did I have to freeze up like that?

Anna laid in her bed, looking up at the ceiling. Her hand ducked beneath the waistband of her pajamas, and she was rapidly approaching climax for the second time that day.

She'd woken up this morning thinking about Elsa and had to calm herself down. She'd tried to do the same at the showers, but the water temperature had impeded her. But every after the drive home, her mind blazed with the images of Elsa in her gym outfit, ignited by the tinder of their two kisses. It wasn't the first time she'd needed to go twice in one day – not even the first time this week. But, paradoxically, the less effort it took to arouse her, the more it was taking to excite Elsa.

Elsa was a great older sister. She was kind, considerate, and protective to a fault. Anna couldn't blame her for stopping herself cold after accidentally bringing back that memory of Hans – she appreciated it, in fact. But ever since then, she'd been talking things slow. Painfully, agonizingly slow.

Anna had explained to her several times that she was just fine now, that she was ready to go forward – and that was an understatement, if anything. But still, Elsa insisted on playing it safe regardless. It almost felt patronizing.

Elsa, my dear, I love that you care about my well-being, but can't you see that I'm about to explode?

Unless…she's having second thoughts about this?

She dismissed that idea summarily. This whole thing had been Elsa's idea, after all. And going from however often she used to have sex with her other girlfriends to not at all with her must be just as hard on Elsa as it was on her.

I shouldn't doubt her. She's so considerate. So kind. So…

She climaxed quietly, then sank back into the bed, now thoroughly exhausted. As sleep started to take hold of her, she looked at the wall that separated her room and Elsa's.

I wonder if, when she goes to bed, she'll do the same thing that I just did. If so…that's pretty damn ironic.

The mental image managed to arouse her again, in spite of her recent orgasm.

Goddamn, I want her. I want her so fucking bad.

She found herself wishing that Elsa would come through her door, but she knew it wouldn't happen. Elsa had made it clear that she wasn't going to rush Anna, no matter how much she might want it.

Which means it's up to me to make a move. Before I actually do explode.