Cold Secrets

-M. Lauren

Chapter Four

The hum of the fan overhead had Elsa's eyes briefly closing. It was Friday afternoon. The weekend neared. She was looking forward to having two days to spend with her niece. Unfortunately, Elsa also had a deadline. There were four short hours before grades were due. She was racing through the last of her midterms, and scrambling to make it to Millie's school on time. Oh, the woes of parenthood.

Yes, there was officially part of her which was grateful not to be a mother full-time.

Elsa saw the coffee before she saw her. It landed next to her hand as the one that placed it there pulled away. The chair beside her creaked. Startled, Elsa turned. Honeymaren had sat beside her with her lips curled slightly upward.

"Do you make it a habit of spying on people, or is it just me?" she teased.

Smirking, Elsa lifted the cup to her lips and drew in a slow slip. "I think you'll find that yesterday was purely coincidental." She set the coffee down.

"It did seem that way…" Honeymaren's eyes circled the ceiling.

Elsa was suddenly very aware of how uncomfortable she was. She wasn't entirely sure what she should say. Was it appropriate to comment on her son? Should she wait for Honeymaren to bring it up herself? The two were coworkers, afterall, and Elsa felt she had already overstepped their boundaries.

"So, you have a niece?" Honeymaren's eyes returned.

"I do," Elsa nodded. "-and it appears... you have a son."

"I do," Honeymaren mimicked her. "He's a handful, but he's great. His name is Ryder, by the way…"

Elsa smiled. "That's a very nice name, and he seems like a sweet boy! You're lucky to have him."

Her teeth clenched. Honeymaren's shoulders tucked against her ears. "I am, but listen- The real reason I came by was to apologize for running out on you yesterday. I probably should have stuck around to make sure everything worked out alright..."

"It's fine!" Elsa batted her off. "After you let me in and showed me the classroom, I handled the rest of it with far fewer blips. I do appreciate you helping me, though. Without you... Yeesh… I would have had to confess to my sister that I forgot the code, and that would have put her in a whole panic!"

Honeymaren ran her thumbnail against the streaks of woodgrain along the desk. "I know, but I have to confess... I was feeling a little uncomfortable with you seeing my son."

"If it makes you feel better, I was feeling a little uncomfortable myself. I didn't want you to think I was overstepping by being there." Elsa's lips pursed and pulled to the side.

"It's not that I am embarrassed to have him. I love my son, but sometimes, especially in the workplace, it's safer to keep my personal life separate."

Elsa merely nodded. Relating with her own experiences in mixing work and social life, she completely understood where Honeymaren was coming from. Though, Elsa worked double time to keep those memories in the past… exactly where they belonged.

"I get it," Elsa said slowly, a small smile curling against her lips. "-and I have no problems keeping that information to myself."

"You see, being a mom is one thing. It's messy, and fun, and it comes with a lot of perks. There's the nightly snuggles. Bathtime is a riot, but being a mom is also fairly… personal. When others begin to see you as more of a mom-figure than they do a coworker or librarian's assistant, you start to feel a little less like a person."

Elsa hummed. Her eyes lowered. "Well, I don't see you that way." She offered with a slight shrug. "You're Honeymaren to me- the random weirdo who keeps delivering me coffee. Why do you do that, by the way?"

She expected a blush, or even a diversion of the eyes. Instead, Honeymaren surprised Elsa by laughing. Her unwavering stare maintained.

"I was being honest with you when I said it was a mistake! The first time, anyway... Here I was, holding two coffees; one I definitely wasn't going to drink. I don't care what season it is, pumpkin spice is terrible, you know?"

Elsa rolled her eyes, shaking her head in reply.

"Anyway, my coworker was out. I felt inappropriate giving it to a student, and you were the only other staff member in here."

"Why did you continue, then? If the first time was a mistake..." Brows lowering, Elsa considered her with a slight tilt.

"Because of your reaction..." Honeymaren said nonchalantly. Her hand turned to its palm. "You were looking at me with these wide, scared eyes. I bet you were thinking I was trying to poison you! But then you accepted it, and you were so flabbergasted... It made me wonder how a simple cup of coffee had the power to brighten someone's whole day; a stranger's whole day."

Elsa's eyes turned to the side. "So you kept them coming?"

Honeymaren nodded. "I did, and if we're being honest, I didn't know your name back then either."

"You didn't?" She released a breathy laugh.

"Nope, I hounded a freshman who had the same textbook. I asked him who the blonde was in room four."

Heat rose to Elsa's cheeks and she quickly turned back to her computer to hide them. "Well, I'd be lying if I said I didn't appreciate the coffee."

"-and I would be lying if I said I didn't enjoy getting them for you."

Elsa's eyes returned as her blush still burned beneath her skin. She cleared her throat. Words caught against her tongue, sticking to the suddenly dry surface. This mystery woman had rendered her silent, and Elsa wasn't entirely certain why.

"So, for how long do you have your niece?" Honeymaren asked.

A sigh of relief escaped her lips. Elsa was more than grateful for the topic change.

"Until next Wednesday."

Smirking, Honeymaren stood. "First full weekend with a kid, huh? My suggestion- take her somewhere she can run around. Your Sunday morning self will thank you."

She was headed back to the door, but Elsa stopped her. "Can you recommend a place?" Her brows lifted.

Honeymaren spun back to her. she hummed, "A park- I don't know. I'm not sure."

Her foot tapped impatiently against the floor. Honeymaren was mulling something over subconsciously, the silent debate turning her eyes between white tiles.

"Listen," she finally said. "Meet me outside of the cafe at eleven tomorrow morning... I know somewhere close by we can take the kids."

"Okay," Elsa found herself responding before she'd considered the request. It surprised her. Rarely did she make decisions, even simple ones, without weighing the pros and cons.

"I'll see you tomorrow, then." Her back was to Elsa and the door was pulled shut.

Elsa sat there, blinking once, and then again.

She hoped that she hadn't made a mistake in taking her up on the offer. It was unclear if Honeymaren had any real desire to do so. The way she struggled with her words told tale of that much. Regardless, Elsa had committed to a Saturday playdate for Millie. Yet she didn't know if that was something her sister would approve of. Did she know Honeymaren from school? Did Anna even like her or her son?

And bonus fault; something clicked in her mind. The thought drew sudden tension to Elsa's shoulders.

She didn't have Honeymaren's number. Thus, there was no way she'd be getting out of it now.

This playdate was happening whether Elsa decided if it was a good idea or not.

Cheers,

-M.