Disclaimer: This work of fan fiction uses characters from Rise of the Guardians, The Guardians of Childhood, and Frozen which are trademarked by DreamWorks Animation, William Joyce, and the Walt Disney Company respectively. The author of this story claims no ownership over them. The story the author is telling is of her own invention and it is not purported or believed to be part of the canon storyline. This story is made for entertainment purposes only. The author is not profiting financially from the creation and publication of this story.

It's late, I need to sleep and
I already counted all the sheep in my head.
Cause your like caffeine,
I can't fall asleep all night.
My heart keeps racing.

– Caffeine, Yoseob ft. Junghyung

Caffeine, Yoseob ft. Junghyung

Minuet in D Major

The handle nearly stuck to Jack's hand when he yanked the door of the Yeti Bro's Coffee Emporium open. The modern coffee house greeted him it's heavy warmth, welcoming him with its familiar embrace.

Jack immediately saw her there, restocking the glass display of pastries and cakes, carefully arranging the tarts, croissants, muffins, and cinnamon rolls into neat lines. She glanced up at the sound of the door chime and smiled softly when she saw it was him.

Soft-pink painted lips lifting into a pretty smile.

She wiped her hands on the black apron wrapped around her waist, closing the glass case and meeting him at the front of the counter.

"The usual for today?" she asked, her fingers hovering above the order tablet. Jack nodded, and she handed him the debit machine as he tapped his card. She had already started on his drink, marking a clear, plastic cup with his name and the letter 'A' for Americano. When he handed the machine back to her, sliding his wallet away into his back pocket, Olaf suddenly stepped out from the kitchens.

"Wait. Elsa," Olaf started. "We are out of macaroni and cheese." His words were stilted, coloured with strange intonations as if… rehearsed?

"But I just served some to a customer ten minutes ago; we cannot be out that fast," Elsa replied. She hastily pushed falling strands of hair behind her ear and marched towards the kitchens. Olaf suddenly spread his arms out, leaning his head against his left arm and putting his right leg on the door panel opposite to him, effectively blocking the entrance. Elsa stopped in her tracks, confused by his actions.

"Well, uh, we – we are out if it now," Olaf said.

"Oh," Elsa murmured. She turned back to Jack, confusion marring her brows and pulling her lips into a pout. "Uh, well… I'm sorry, but we're out of mac 'n' cheese?"

Marshall appeared then, carrying a tray to deliver to another customer. "But since you're already paid, how about a special holiday pastry and Elsa makes you one of her own concoctions, instead?"

Jack blinked several times. He turned see Elsa's face turn white and her eyes widened. Behind her, Olaf nodded enthusiastically.

The whole situation was so ridiculous – he didn't mind that they were out of mac 'n' cheese. But now with both the brothers urging him, how could he say no?

"Um, alright..." Jack said. He backed away from the counter and took for the stairs to claim his usual spot before they told him that they were out of espresso too. Jack sat down, sighing softly to himself. The campus grounds were quite busy during the final days of the semester with students spending sleepless nights cramming for exams or finishing procrastinated projects at the library. But Jack was no exception, with a practical examination and two written finals, he had left an essay last minute. So, he wanted this afternoon at the café to be productive, to at least be able to finish his readings for the essay. Jack was starting to pull his textbook out of his backpack and boot up his laptop when he saw her ascending the stairs.

She was carrying a tray with a couple of small plates and a dull copper pot that looked awfully well loved. She placed the tray on the table across from Jack's before setting the arrangement on his table. She set the copper teapot down at the corner of the table, flanking it with a spotted clay teacup and saucer and a matching plate with a large pastry on top. Beside the teapot, she set a small plate with creamer and bowl of sugar on it.

"Um," she muttered, folding her hands in front of her. She swallowed, audibly. Jack tried to maintain eye contact, showing that he was giving her his full attention – but it was hard to keep his eyes off the elaborate dishes she set before him.

"That's a cranberry orange scone with a white chocolate drizzle. Marshmallow just pulled it out of the oven. I mean – Marshall," Elsa explained, gesturing at the biscuit. "The tea is a Masala Chai. Traditionally, it's supposed to be made with milk and sugar in a saucepan. But… I didn't know if you want sugar or milk in your tea. So, I brought you both separately. The black tea might be too bitter on its own, so I suggest at least a bit."

"So, do I just put the milk and sugar into the pot?" Jack asked.

"You can, or you can pour it into the cup. Um, would you like me to show you?"

He nodded.

She hesitated for just a moment, but then grasped the handle of the pot with long fingers and placed a hand on the lid as she poured tea into the cup from a height. Her movements so graceful, purposeful, gentle, well practiced. Nothing like her nervous speech or the stilted movements made earlier. It was almost artful. Curling tendrils of steam wafted from the cup, and Jack finally got a whiff of the fragrant concoction. She added milk and then sugar, stirring it with the little spoon on the saucer before pushing the cup and saucer toward him.

"Try it," she said, pushing the cup and the saucer towards him.

Jack hooked his fingers into the handle, lifting the cup to his lips. He blew softly before taking a cautious sip. It was rich, sweet, and scented with warm spice. It left a creamy aftertaste on his tongue and a desire for another sip.

"Do you like it?"

"It's good."

Elsa let out a silent sigh as if Jack wouldn't notice.

"Good," she said, with a relieved smile. "Um, if you need anything else, I'll just be downstairs."

She took the empty tray with her, leaving Jack with a dainty teacup between his fingers, a large pastry, and a half-forgotten essay.

Jack took another sip. He always got a cold drink from the Yeti Bro's Coffee Emporium; it helped him to stay awake while he worked. But the rich warmth of tea had him sitting back, crossing his legs and staring out the window. Elsa always made his Americanos, and they were always done well, bitter but not too bitter and never sour.

She was talented.

When he left, he stopped to thank her.

The next time that he came in, the weather grew colder. It wasn't like he minded the cold, it was nice, but something was comforting about the warmth of the Yeti Bro's Coffee Emporium with the dark coloured wood with soft white decorations. The brothers had lit the open fireplace in the middle of the establishment too. Perhaps it was the rich scent of grounded coffee or constant muffled chatter of patrons and customers, but Jack couldn't help but feel at home.

When he walked in, he saw Elsa preparing a drink across the counter, pouring steamed milk into a large, round cup and carefully spooning in the thick milky foam on top, sprinkling it with a light dusting of cinnamon and placing a biscotti on the side.

She set the finished drink on top of a tray accompanied by two other mismatched mugs and left it for Marshal to deliver. Wiping her hands on her apron and walked to the cash register, she finally glanced up at Jack, smiling softly when she recognized him.

"Mac 'n' cheese and Americano?" she asked as he approached.

Jack paused, hesitating though the confirmation rested on his lips.

"Actually…"

"Would you like the Masala Chai again?" Elsa asked quickly, and Jack felt his lips twitch upwards at the small, hopeful note in her voice. Her smile only grew wider after that – as if she was happy that he smiled.

"Or," Olaf suddenly piped in, and Jack nearly jumped at the sudden arrival. "Would you want to try something new. Elsa is the best barista in the café."

Trying something new. Voluntarily. He suppressed a visible wince, trying to appear calm and nonchalant. He never tried anything new. Especially something made by someone he barely new.

But – what's the harm in taking a small chance? He liked the spiced black tea well enough – though he barely got anything done that day, choosing to sit and watch some shows that he wanted to catch up on and enjoy the tea and scone rather than studying. And he paid for that decision by staying up late and cramming for his in-class exam the next day.

He didn't want the Masala Chai again – he needed to get work done. But now, there was a crowd, Elsa's younger sister just slipped into the back, and Olaf stood right there. There was no way he could say something now.

But at least they had mac-and-cheese, the familiar amount of carbs will wake up him and keep him focussed – no matter what drink she chose – and if he steered clear of the warmth of the fireplace, the pasta dish would stop him from being lulled into laziness by its crackling warmth.

"Sure," he said, pulling out his wallet and paying. He was beginning to head up the stairs when Elsa called out to him.

"Wait. Um. Is there anything you had in mind for a drink? Coffee? Tea?"

Jack paused, glancing over his shoulder at the anxious barista.

"Surprise me," Jack said.

When Elsa arrived at his table, she brought him a cold drink.

"I thought you'd enjoy something cold, seeing that you always order an Iced-Americano," she said. Elsa placed the bowl of pasta on the table beside a tall glass with a black straw. Inside the pale green drink, ice cubes tinkled against each other and crushed green leaves floated its way to the top of the glass.

"Um, it's my take on Moroccan mint green tea," Elsa explained. "It's... refreshing. It'll cut through the richness of the mac'n'cheese. Compliments it."

"Thank you," Jack said.

"I hope you enjoy it," she said with a soft smile before turning to leave, making it down the stairs in quick steps.

Jack pulled out his laptop, determined to finish reading through all the sources for his paper. He took a cautious sip of the drink. A fresh coldness slid down his throat along with the taste of bitter tea with a sweet aftertaste.

Jack remembered a time when both he and Aster went to jazz lounge. Their waitress was a pretty girl about their age, flirty and cheerful as she waited to take their order. Jack was hesitant as he read through the long, long list of drinks, much to Aster's annoyance. So, the older man ripped the menu out of Jack's hand and had told the waitress to surprise them both and did she. The waitress brought Aster a whisky on the rocks much to Aster's delight. But for Jack, she brought him a gin and tonic along with a napkin with her number.

He scoffed to himself: it wasn't as if he didn't have Elsa's number already.

Jack came in on the following Monday, huffing a sigh – he had so much to get done and so little time to do it. His uncle was coming to town for the holidays this Thursday – and he knew for certain that he would not get any last-minute cramming done for his in-class final on Friday.

On top of that, his practicum at the clinic was going poorly; he knew that he doesn't work well with adults, but he decided to try it anyways. His mentor was not pleased, and Jack knew he made little progress anyway. On top of that, when Jack entered the café, it was not Elsa who greeted him – in fact, she wasn't even there at all.

Jack never remembered a day where Elsa was not present at the café. It was as if she worked there full-time. He couldn't help but feel a little disappointed.

The café was packed though. Tables were filled with students scribbling away, business meetings in the making, and university workers grabbing a bite to eat.

"Ah, Jack," Marshall called from across the counter. "You're here rather early on a Monday."

"My classes are finished for the semester," Jack explained. "I need to get a head start on studying."

"I see – well, I wish you luck," Marshall said. "I think the usual for today, yes? I'd love to concoct something special for our loyal patron, but unfortunately, I am not the master barista that Elsa is."

"That's fine," Jack sighed. "Hold off on the mac'n'cheese though. I'll come and order something else later."

Jack paid and chose a table on the main floor today. He started pulling out his textbooks, sighing quietly to himself as he prepared for another intense session with his books. When Marshall brought his coffee, Jack quickly took a large gulp the cold drink. It tasted different than how Elsa made it. It was still… good, but not… hers.

About two to three hours into his study session, Elsa walked into the café. It must have started snowing, for white powdered flakes dusted her beige wool coat, and she tilted her head to brush the snow from her hair. Jack had never seen her hair out of its usual braid, but today, he saw that her hair fell in soft curling waves around her shoulders and down her back. Marshal greeted her with a quick hello and an arm around her shoulder. Olaf came bursting out of the kitchen, enveloping her in a hug.

Elsa laughed, then headed for the stairs with her stuff, probably to drop them off in the staff room on the second floor. She saw him then, smiling softly and offering him a wave.

Jack found himself mimicking the movement, his back straightening and his hand raising. She lowered her hand and bounded up the stairs. Jack awkwardly raked the hand through his hair then, trying to take a deep breath to calm the redness rising to his cheeks.

When Elsa came back down the stairs, she was wearing the usual black apron over a loose, tan sweater and black skinny-jeans. She was in the middle of braiding her hair with a hair tie pinched between her lips as she skipped the last couple stairs, heading over to the counter and falling into routine. Marshall came out of the kitchen with a tray of cookies. He murmured something to her, and Elsa nodded, taking the tray and heading over to the glass display.

Jack returned to his books, having stared long enough at the girl.

Then a white plate with a single cookie – one of the cookies that Marshall just made – showed up on the edge of his vision.

"I just… thought that you would like a pick me up," Elsa said. "It's an oatmeal toffee milk chocolate cookie."

"Thank you," Jack said.

"Exam season taking a toll on you?"

Jack scoffs, "You can say that."

"Can I get you anything else?" she asked. "Marshmallow was telling me that you already ordered an Americano, but maybe you'd like something else to eat?"

He stretched, having sat long enough at the table.

"Yeah, I'll grab another drink and probably a mac'n'cheese."

Her lips press into a thin line.

"Caffé Mocha then," she concluded, snapping her fingers as if she suddenly realized the answer. "Caffeine and chocolate always make things better."

Jack started chuckling – surprised by her sheer confidence that chocolate and caffeine will brighten his day.

"Sorry," she said, wincing "Marshmallow teases me for my obsession with chocolate too."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh," Jack said, "Thank you, for trying to make me feel better."

She smiled.

"I hope that I can."

Jack couldn't stay long the following Wednesday, having promised to go out to watch a movie that afternoon with Aster and Emma. Aster was going to pick Emma up, since he was already nearby her school at the museum, then he was going to drop by the university to pick Jack up and some of his own stuff. Jack only had about 45 minutes before Aster was going to come, but he couldn't resist coming to the café.

Jack was looking forward to it more than usual. This time, Elsa was nowhere near the counter. She was across the cafe, clearing a table of its dishes. When she saw him, she smiled, lifting the tray of dirty plates and cups into her hands and heading back to the counter. She smiled – as always – when she saw him, her bright grin reaching her eyes.

Everything suddenly happened so fast.

Elsa tripped, dropping the tray.

She fell, grabbing the back of a chair before she face-planted into the broken china. But her free hand reached for the ground to brace herself and landed right in the middle of the pile of broken glass.

"Elsa, are you alright?"

"I am so, so sorry!"

"Oh my god, Elsa, you're bleeding!"

The woman lowered herself gently onto the ground, wincing at the damage done. She lifted her left hand slowly, cringing at the small piece of glass stuck in the pad of her thumb. A line of blood trickled down her wrist.

Jack quickly reacted, dropping his messenger bag at the table occupied by who he thought to be Elsa's sister and friend and stepped around the table. He knelt beside Elsa, pulling her wrist away from her chest and assessing the injury.

It was a shallow cut, but the shard of glass was long in length, and it would be best to pull it out with a tool rather than bare hands.

"Come on," he said. "We need to remove the glass and stop the bleeding."

"Olaf, get the First Aid Kit," Marshall commanded, he tucked several napkins underneath Elsa's injured hand, catching the drops of blood before it splattered onto the floor. "Jack, you can go to the staff room and take care of it. I'll hold the fort down."

Elsa nodded, softly murmuring a thank you as Jack helped her to her feet. He let her lead the way to the staff room with a hand hovering at the small of her back in case she stumbled as they went up the stairs.

"We're going to have to pull the glass piece out," Jack explained quietly. "And check for shards."

"It's alright, Jack. I can do it myself," she replied as they entered the staff room.

"What's your dominant hand?"

"My…left," she replied, sheepishly. The staff room was quite large with a sink in the corner, a white square table in the centre, and a huge corkboard taking up the far wall filled with polaroid pictures, little-handwritten notes, and several recipe pages.

Jack pulled out one of the chairs at the table, offering it to Elsa as he half-sat-half-leaned on the table.

"I thought so," he replied. "It would be difficult for you to handle a pair of tweezers with your right hand. Let me help."

Olaf bursts into the staff room then, carrying a white box with the universal red symbol of first aid. Jack took the box, opening it and finding a pair of tweezers. Jack ripped open an alcohol pad and cleaned the tweezers before reaching for Elsa's hand.

"If you're squeamish, maybe you shouldn't look," Jack warned. Elsa shook her head. Jack held her hand steady, grasping the glass shard with the tweezer and in one swift and quick motion yanked it out of the wound. Elsa sucked in a breath and breathed it out slowly. Jack put the large, bloody shard on the used cotton pad, quickly opening a package of gauze and pressing it over the wound to stop the bleeding.

"Do you feel anything sharp?" he asked, pressing the gauze over her hand.

"No," Elsa replied.

"Good, so that's probably the only piece of glass," Jack said. He grabbed Elsa's free hand, placing her fingers on top of the wound, so he had his own hands free.

"You're really good at this," Elsa commented.

"I've … had some experience," Jack said as searched through the First-Aid box for butterfly closures or a large adhesive bandage. "I have a younger sister and I… work with the nearby elementary school. Injuries occur daily."

"I know," she replied.

"What?" Jack snapped.

"I mean – I know you work with kids," she said. "Uh - I saw you at the outdoor ice rink near the university grounds with the elementary kids. It was on the day of the first snow of the year. I was just on my way to the restaurant nearby. You looked like you really enjoyed it."

So, that was what she meant.

All she wanted was a smile.

When he saw her smiled so brightly, it was because he did. Jack felt a blush rising on his cheeks.

He cleared his throat, lifting the gauze to peak. The bleeding seemed to have slowed down.

"I don't think you'll need stitches," Jack said firmly as he peeled the gauze off and applied a large Bandaid across the pad of her thumb. "But I do think you should lay off on the work for today, no matter what your bosses say."

"They're my cousins, so, I don't think they'll mind," she said. "Thank you. I really appreciate this."

"It's no big deal," Jack replied.

When they returned to the main floor, he glanced over to see two new arrivals who appeared so familiar.

"Emma?" Jack said, seeing his sister enter the café with Aster in tow.

"Ah, thought I'd find you here, mate," Aster said. "Emma wanted to see the campus, so I was going to take her on the scenic route before heading to the Arts Building."

"The campus is so pretty, and this café is so cute, no wonder you're always here," Emma giggled.

Jack scoffed and rolled his eyes, suddenly remembering Elsa standing beside him.

"Ah, Elsa," he started. "Um, this is Aster – my close friend. And this is my sister, Emma."

Elsa smiled, offering her right hand to both Aster then Emma in a handshake.

"Nice to meet you both," she said.

"And I'm Olaf!" said the man as he barged into the group. "And that over there is my younger brother, Marshmallow. We are the Yeti Bros that own the café."

"And we have Jack here to thank for patching up our cousin," Marshall said, entering the scene and placing a hand on Jack's shoulder. "Why don't you all order something to drink, find a seat, and I'll bring you a plate of treats all on the house."

Emma hummed an agreement and began reading through the menu and Aster suspiciously glances at Jack.

"What did you do?" the Australian mouthed.

"I'll tell you later," Jack muttered.

"I'll make your drinks myself," Elsa insisted as Jack threw her a warning glance. "Then I'll be off for the rest of the day. I'd recommend the Gingerbread Hot Chocolate, Emma. Do you like sweet drinks, Aster?"

"Uh not really."

"Then maybe the holiday flat white for you?" she asked.

"I like the sound of that," Aster said, nodding.

Elsa's gazed turn to Jack then, a hopeful look in her eyes.

Jack nodded, holding back a grin.

"Jack, what are you ordering?" Aster asked.

"Elsa knows," Jack replied, retrieving his bag that he left and ushered his sister and friend up the stairs, away from prying ears so Jack could talk to them privately.

Marshall came stomping up the stairs not too long after, carrying a heavily laden tray.

"Elsa wanted to deliver these herself, but I wouldn't let her. Here is an almond latte, Jack. A Gingerbread Hot Cocoa for the young lady, and our holiday flat white blend for you, Aster," Marshall explained, then he placed an intricate three-tiered tray filled with scones, cookies, muffins, and other fancy treats.

Jack glanced down at his drink, complete with a pretty snowflake in the milk foam. Emma took several pictures of her drink: a tall, skinny mug topped with whipped cream and a light dusting of spices topped with a small gingerbread man cookie. Aster was reaching for one of the pastries on the tray, but then Emma smacked his hand away

"Wait. I wanna get a picture of this," she said.

"What, so you can post it on whatever social media you got?" Aster asked.

"Yeah," Emma said. "I got quite a following."

"Your sister has a following on social media," Aster said, "You okay with this?"

"I follow her," Jack replied. "She exclusively posts pictures of food. Her pictures are actually quite good."

Emma took a couple more shots, stealing Jack's latte to take a picture of the snowflake latte art.

"Wow, did that barista make this?" Emma asked. "Elsa? The one who lent you her phone?"

"Yeah. She's pretty good at what she does," Jack replied.

"How is your drink?" Emma asked.

"I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know."

"I haven't had it before," Jack replied. "Elsa's been making me 'specialty drinks' for the past couple times I've been here."

"Wait… you're saying that you've been letting her decide what kind of drink you have?"

"Ya."

"You let a stranger decide how you take your caffeine," Emma clarified.

"She's not exactly a stranger - I've been coming here a couple of times a week since it opened."

"Mate, I've known you for practically half of your life. And I know you are one hell of a snob about your coffee."

"And you're like the pickiest eater ever," Emma emphasized. "You never try anything new."

"Oh shut up."

"You must really like her."

"I was just curious, okay. With her cousins boasting that she was the best barista and everything."

"Awe, she's broadening your horizons," Bunnymund said.

"Ask her out," Emma demanded.

"Yeah, mate."

Jack clicked his tongue, "I don't even know her."

"She's so pretty," Emma sighed, standing a little to peer over the railing.

"She is a beaut," Aster agreed, "And she has an artistic touch."

"You should ask her out, Jack."

"Emma – "

"You're like – what, 25 now? When's the last time you went out?"

Silence.

"When was the last time you had a date?"

"I went out for dinner with Toothiana last month."

"Jack, Toothiana does not count. You're like best friends – she asked you out to the graduation banquet out of pity, and neither does Astrid. You know exactly how well that went."

"Emma!"

"Mate, your getting roasted by your kid sister."

"Oh come on."

"You should ask Elsa out to dinner."

"What –"

"She clearly likes you – for more than just that weirdly handsome face."

They had picked a table right against the glass railing looking down the rest of the café. Jack glanced down to see Elsa crossing the floor, clearing tables with her left hand tucked against her side. Olaf then loudly charged into the scene, ripping the cloth from her hand and snatching the bottle of cleaner from the table. He pushed her to the table shared by her sister and her friend and sat her down. Marshal brought over a mug topped with whipped cream and a bowl of bright red soup, putting it in front of her and rumbling a reply. Marshal turned to leave, but not before ruffling the hair of the red-headed sister. It was now obvious that they were family, whether it was the soft resemblance of pale skin, high cheekbones, and bright round eyes that gave it away or the way that they all interacted.

"You're interested in her, Jack," Emma accused.

"She just cut her hand open. I just want to make sure she's okay."

"Oh yeah," Aster started. "What exactly happened between you and her today? How did you do that warranted this kind of royal treatment."

Jack quickly explained what just happened in the quickest and minimalist amount of detail up until their brief conversation in the staff room. Jack lingered on those details, telling Aster and Emma his discovery of what her words meant all those weeks ago.

"So, all she wanted was a smile," Jack concluded.

"Oh, my gosh," Emma said, nearly squealing. "That's the cutest thing I have ever heard. Jack – you have to ask her to dinner."

"What – "

"One dinner. One evening," Emma continued to press. "Please, Jack. For me."

Jack sighed, turning his eyes away from his younger sister's puppy dog face.

"I'll think about it."

It was a Sunday morning at 7 am when Jack arrived on the campus grounds. The exam break had just started, and he desperately needed to get some studying done before Emma's winter break comes and he gets distracted with trying to spend time with his kid sister. It doesn't help that his uncle came to town for the holidays a couple of days ago.

Jack decided to take to the university, for his family's constant chatter and antics will undoubtedly distract him. He went to the E-Lounge, hidden away on the top floor of the Engineering Complex. It was the quietest place for studying and had the largest tables for him to spread his stuff out.

Many of the spaces had already been taken when he arrived though, amongst the bookshelves and intricate, randomly placed pillars were what he guessed to be engineering students at their breaking point that decided to game online rather than study (the frenzied clicking of a keyboard mouse indicating anything). Jack found one open table as he rounded the pillar, open enough that he could spread his papers and textbooks out.

But then he realized that there was already someone who occupied the furthest end of the table.

Elsa.

She had a large tablet in front of her, a silver stylus in one hand, and her chin in the other hand. She was staring at the ground blankly, and then Jack suddenly stopped, she glanced up.

"Jack," she whispered.

"Um, hi, Elsa."

He waved awkwardly.

"Uh, do you mind if I –"

"No, no – ah," she gestured to the rest of the table. "There is lots of room."

He sat on the other side of the table, diagonal to her. He pulled his backpack over his shoulder, pulling out his laptop and textbook. He sat down, smiling nervously at her as he booted up his laptop. She ran a hand through her hair, eyeing her tablet and flipping through her binder.

"You're – um – here early," he said – wincing at how stupid he sounded.

"You too," she replied. "Just trying to get some studying done. And it's difficult to study at home with everyone coming down for Christmas."

"Me too," Jack replied. She smiled.

"Uh, how's your hand?"

"Good," Elsa replied, opening her hand to display the small Band-aid across her palm now. "Thank you.

He turned to his books, and she returned to her tablet. Jack pulled up his documents, working on complying enough sources to finish this paper.

Across from him, Elsa slowly flipped through her binder, showing off pages filled with neat diagrams and notes in a multitude of pastel colours. She tucked loose locks of blonde hair behind her ears. She glanced up once, catching Jack's eye and Jack quickly looked down, so peeved with himself that he was caught staring.

That he was even staring to begin with. He tried to return to his studies.

They worked in silence, her flipping through her papers and Jack occasionally turning away from his laptop to scan his textbook for reference pages.

She got up a bit later, pulling a black purse over her shoulder, Jack glanced up, after tiredly staring at the same paragraph for the past 15 minutes.

"I'll be right back; can you watch my stuff?" she asked.

Jack nodded, watching as she fixed the bag on her shoulder and stepped out of the library. She wore all black today, a black sweater over black slacks and pair of black flats. It made the strands of blonde hair falling loose from her messy bun stand out. She looked neat and trendy though, in her minimalist fashion in comparison to Jack's dull and consistent ensemble of blue sweaters, khakis, and jeans.

She was undeniably beautiful.

And kind and brilliant.

Which meant that she's probably taken.

What was Jack even thinking to agree to Emma's deal?

Jack scowled to himself, tired of staring at the same sentence in his essay and at the tangents his thoughts took him. He pulled his phone out of his jacket pocket, checking through a text he received earlier.

Sis: where did u go? 8:36 AM

Jack: I'm at the university studying. 8:51 AM

Sis: this early on a Sunday 8:51 AM

Jack: Just go back to bed. 8:52 AM
Jack: I'll be home later to hang with you and Uncle North. 8:52 AM

Sis: uncle north is meeting with his old friend this evening 8:54 AM
Sis: so u wanna go out for dinner 2nite 8:54 AM
Sis: or if u have plans 8:55 AM
Sis: i assume no 8:55 AM
Sis: cause u know. 8:55 AM
Sis: u don't have friends 8:55 AM

Jack: :( 8:56 AM

Sis: :) 8:56 AM

Jack: You wound me.
Jack: We can go out for dinner. I'll come home and pick you up. What do you want? 8:56 AM

Sis: italian 9:00 AM

Jack put his phone down then, seeing a cup suddenly appear in his peripheral vision. Elsa had returned, carrying two drinks and balancing a clear plastic container on her forearm.

"An iced Caffé Mocha," she said, sitting down across from him again.

"Is this from the café?" Jack asked.

"Yes."

"Is it open?"

"No, it's usually open on Sundays during the school year, but with the exam break, Marshall and Olaf decided to close it. But I have a key, and they're always telling me to make use of the café."

She opened the large plastic container. "No mac'n'cheese because Marshall is the one who does most of the cooking. But I brought some of the pastries left from yesterday."

"Thank you…" he said. "I'll pay you at the –"

"No, it's fine," she said. "I made one for myself too – the hot version though. Besides, Marshmallow is always bringing home pastries so he happy to get rid of these cakes to make fresh ones for the new week." She pulled a slice of cake from the container by its plastic wrapper, producing a fork and cutting a piece off while opening the lid of her coffee cup.

Jack pulled a cookie out of the pile of pastries, the same one that Elsa had given him on Monday – oatmeal toffee milk chocolate.

"So, um, what is your major?" she asked. Jack paused, surprised by the sudden start of a conversation.

"Health and Physical Education - I guess…" he said.

"What do you want to after?"

"Teaching," he answered easily. "I think."

She smiled, knowingly. As if his answer made perfect sense to her.

"That explains your volunteering at the school. I think teaching suits you well," she said.

"You think?"

She nodded. "From what I've seen at least."

Jack felt his heart swell - for even he questioned his decision to becoming a teacher sometimes. His sister, friends, and North continually support him but, to have someone else – someone who barely knew him – believe in him, that was something.

"Thank you," he said, smiling and a blush rising on his cheeks. She matched his soft smile.

"So, um - what are you studying?" he asked.

"Oh uh, I'm in the school of architecture," she said.

"Why architecture?"

"Well, I lived in Norway for most of my childhood," she said. "And I fell in love with the modern architecture that blended in with the traditional Scandinavian designs. It's sort of my heritage. I want to be part of it, to design and see my projects come to life."

Jack could see her passion – and how well the idea of modern architecture blended into her style. Jack noticed that her colour pallet of clothes rarely extended past muted hues of blue and green and solid shades of black, grey, and white. Her work environment, now complete with a thin silver laptop, a clean white notebook, and her silver tablet were at clear right angles of each other. He vacationed once in the Scandinavian countries in his childhood, when his Uncle took him and his sister to Norway and Finland when he was 16. The country was certainly beautiful, wild in its untamed winters but held a stillness that charmed him.

"I can see you doing that," Jack concluded. She beamed.

"Thank you," she said, putting her fork down and clearing away the wrapper. In the midst of their conversation, she had somehow managed to wolf down a slice of cake. "That was a good break, and I think I wasted enough of your study time talking, let's try and get things done, shall we?"

He chuckled and went back to his papers as she returned to her textbook.

It turns out dinner was not just Jack and his sister, for Emma had somehow roped both Aster and Toothiana into it as well.

Despite his hatred for the unexcepted, Jack was happy to see his friends. With Toothiana in dentistry school, Aster doing his PhD in Indigenous Australian Art History, it's not very often that the three get together. Toothiana was married to her school - swimming in a mountain of her studies and with Aster the middle of his dissertation, it takes him abroad back to Australia during the summer.

After they ordered and ate too much for dinner, told each other varies stories of the horrors of post-secondary and high school education, and Jack had three glasses of wine (two too many for Jack, but Aster insisted on it). Toothiana suddenly straightened her back and cleared her throat.

"So, how is everything?"

"What do you mean how is everything, I just told you how everything was," Jack said.

"I mean – well – you know – your love life."

Jack paused, realization dawning on him a lot slower than it should have.

"Emma – you told Tooth!?"

"Yes," Emma said confidently. "And I am not sorry. You need the push!"

"I thought she invited you guys for dinner for fun, but clearly this is a damned intervention."

Aster snorted.

"Opportunities like this come once in a blue moon!" Emma continued.

"Jack, calm down," Toothiana said.

"He is calm, Tooth," Aster said. "The bloke had three glasses – going on his fourth if I don't stop him – but if he had any less, he would have Emma in a headlock right now."

"I won't," Jack suddenly said. "I won't do as you asked, Emma. I just can't."

"But why not?"

"Jack, she sounds like a kind girl," Toothiana said, placing her hand on Jack's shoulder and eyeing him like a worried mother. "There is no harm in asking her out for coffee or dinner."

"She's so kind, and she's clearly interested in you, and you're interested in her!" Emma said.

"You're right," Jack snapped. "Elsa is kind and considerate, and she's… beautiful. But that only increases the chances that she's taken doesn't it? And even if she wasn't taken, and we do go out for dinner or something, what if she doesn't like me, once she gets to know me?"

Silence.

"I saw her today too," Jack confessed. "We were studying in the library, and she brought some cookies and coffee from the café to share with me. Like, she didn't even ask for anything in return."

"I think she cares about you. And she probably just wants to spend some time with you," Toothiana reasoned. "You have nothing to lose, Jack."

"And there is only one way to find out," Aster said, gesturing to Jack's jacket pocket. "Take a chance, mate."

Jack: Thank you for the coffee and cookies. 6:14 p.m.

Elsa: Of course. 6:35 p.m.

Jack: Same time next Sunday? 6:40 p.m.

Jack: Then would you like to go out for dinner with me? 6:40 p.m.

Elsa: I'm looking forward to it. 6:41 p.m.

Author's Note/Rant: Guys I have no idea where I am going with this. But it's going somewhere, I swear. Also, this was not well-edited, I put it through a grammar checking engine and read through it a couple of times. But this is about 15 pages on Word. And I just... I had enough and I desperately needed to post something for you guys. I also need to find a beta-reader... I'm sorry - if you guys see any glaring mistakes - please tell me!

Also, maybe because it's been a while since I started writing Minuet, I wanted to give like a chart of character ages and majors:

Jack – 25 years old – Master of Health Sciences (MHSc)
Toothiana – 25 years old – Doctor of Dental Surgery (DDS)
Bunnymund – 29 years old - PhD in Indigenous Australian Art
Elsa – 21 years old – Bachelor of Architectural Science
Anna – 18 years old – Bachelor of Communications and Media Studies
Kristoff – 21 years old – Bachelor of Business Management
Emma – 15 years old – High School Student

So, this is a college/university setting, but it's based on my experience in the Canadian education system. Which means college housing is not mandatory, a lot of students choose to live at home, and sororities and fraternities are not as prominent as in the United States. Hence why both Elsa and Jack live at home.

The campuses grounds are also very widespread in Canada (come on, with a population of 36 million and the title of 'second biggest country in the world' we got the room) with buildings named after what courses they mainly house (ex. "Arts Building" and "Science Theatres"). I think that walking from one end of the campus to the other could take like 30-40 minutes which is why, I believe, many students (such as Bunnymund in this case) choose not to leave their little niche.

Also, I know nothing about architecture or the study of it. But I can totally see Elsa as an architect, like did you see that castle she built? Also, I am a student in Rehabilitative Medicine, forgive my bias. I can see Jack as a gym teacher though. Yep.

Until next time!

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Cordially,
Eirene