Five weeks had passed since Elsa had first fled the house after the fight with her father. In many ways that night had been a turning point in her relationship with Jack as well as the one with her parents. It seemed to her that where one relationship continued to blossom, the other relationship was slowly floundering.
As she had expected, her parents had not been happy when she had walked through the door. They had wasted no time in calling her into the lounge room. Her father had remained oddly silent and had simply stared at her while he let his wife take over. Lillian Blanchard had calmly explained that while they were happy for Elsa to join a study group, they did have an issue with the erratic hours that had come with the study group. They had also claimed that the altering of work shifts and the tone in which she had spoken that evening was not to their liking. Elsa had reluctantly apologised and had promised to try and keep them more informed with the hours that she would be spending away and to alert them if she was going to be later than expected.
As time had passed, Elsa had found herself slowly beginning to open up to her mother some more. The older woman had claimed that she was starting to miss out on a lot more now that Elsa was 21. As a result, she had insisted on a few mother-daughter dates to try and touch base. It was one of these dates where Elsa had braved telling her mother about her friendship with Lana. To her relief, her mother had not minded and had suggested that Lana be invited to dinner.
After a bit of consideration, Elsa had agreed and had invited Lana to visit. She had taken care to remind Lana of the rivalry between her family and Jack's and had sworn her to secrecy in regards to their relationship. The night had gone well. Walt had failed to recognise Lana from the time when she had visited the flagship store. In fact, he had been so impressed with Elsa's new friend that he had suggested she apply for a part-time job with Kingdom. He claimed that having another person on staff would be beneficial, especially with the added pressure that the company had been facing.
The Guardians company had continued to expand their stores. Slowly, but steadily, the rival business had increased in numbers and had started to level with Kingdom's in terms of store numbers and profit. The worst of it had been when a Guardians store had opened in a large shopping mall within walking distance from the Kingdom store that had held the monopoly for ice cream sales in that particular centre.
The added stress at work had seen a flow-on effect in the home. Walt had become increasingly short-tempered while he strived to find ways to ensure that Kingdom Ice Creamery remained the number one ice cream chain in the country. His stress levels, coupled with Elsa's growing independence had led to more and more short arguments occurring between the two of them.
The sudden firm grip on her waist no longer startled her, nor did the presence of a firm body pressed flat against her back. In fact, she had come to expect it from Jack. In the early days of their relationship, he had taken to sneaking up behind her quite a lot. He loved to watch her jump out of her skin and would chuckle softly each time she did get a scare.
This morning, he had found her nestled deep amongst the row of books in the library. He had struck while her head had been buried in a particularly interesting book.
"How did I know that you would be in the library?" Jack murmured before pressing a few soft kisses to the side of her neck.
"Maybe it is because I sent you a text saying that I was coming in here prior to Professor Lawrence's class," she responded matter-of-factly. "I think the bigger question is what are you doing at school this early?"
She felt herself being spun around as Jack turned her to face him. She let out a sigh as he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. "The earlier I get here, the more chances I have to do this," he replied and leaned in to press a soft kiss to her lips.
She took one look at the irresistible grin that had appeared on his face and shook her head. "Jack, I came here for a reason," she moaned.
"I know," he replied, hanging his head in shame. "I just can't resist annoying you in the library."
She groaned and pulled herself out of his grip. Reaching down, she gripped his hand and pulled him further along the shelves while she continued to browse the titles.
"We get the result of our project back today," she informed him and bit her lip. "The one that we did as a group."
"We'll pass, El," he replied, his thumb tracing lightly over her hand. "Anything you're attached to is guaranteed to be perfect."
Jack sat in a cafe a short distance from Elsa's work. His hands curled around a steaming hot cup of coffee while he waited for Elsa to arrive. His eye's glanced at the clock and he was relieved to find that it wasn't long before Elsa's shift at work would be over and she would be with him. She had suggested they meet to make up for the fact that she had left him alone with their friends at lunch while she helped her sister and cousin with an art project.
The small ding of the cafe door bell rang to signal the arrival of a new customer. Jack raised his head in interest, his smile widening when he saw that it was Elsa, who had arrived. Standing to his feet, he quickly swallowed the last of his coffee and went to greet her.
"Hi," he greeted, wrapping his arm around her waist. "Good shift?"
"Hi to you," Elsa replied, standing on her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek. "Work was okay, but it's better now that it's over."
He nodded. He released his grip on Elsa and watched as she moved to inspect the selection of cakes on offer. After a minutes deliberation, she decided on a slice of Black Forest cake and a chai tea. She turned to stare at him while he placed an order for a coffee and a slice of apple pie. Digging in his pocket, he was about to pull out his wallet to pay for their orders when Elsa's hand fell on his arm.
"Tonight is my shout. Consider it a celebration for passing Professor Lawrence's assignment," she declared. She flashed him a smile before pulling out a $20 and handing it to the sales assistant.
Once she had paid for their orders, he took her hand and led her back to the small table where he had been sitting. He pulled the spare seat out and shifted it so that Elsa was sitting as close as possible to him. He waited for her to take his seat before leaning in to press a quick kiss to her lips.
Breaking the kiss, he rested his head on her forehead and caught her gaze. "So," he drawled. "If this is my reward for helping you pass a project, then I hereby volunteer to help you with all future assignments."
She chuckled. Sitting back, she watched as the waitress placed their orders down in front of them before turning to face him. "It wasn't just my assignment, Jack," she pointed out. "It was yours, Eric and Allison's as well. You should be just as happy as I am with our grade. You worked hard on it."
He nodded. He could feel his cheeks heating up as he swallowed a piece of pie. "It's true. We all know that the only reason that we got an A+ on that assignment was because of my expert work," he joked. "Professors can't help but fall at my feet."
Elsa snorted. "Right, like Weselton," she quipped. "I've noticed that he's had less grey hairs over the past few weeks. Either he's bought a better toupee, or you are going soft and not annoying him as much. You need to step up your game, Frost."
Pouting, he turned to look at her. He placed his hand over his heart in a sign of mock hurt. "Oh that hurt, Elsa," he joked, reaching over to swipe a spoonful of her cake. "You know that I can never resist the chance to annoy Weaselton."
"Or me," she teased.
Swallowing the last of his coffee, he raised his head to smirk at her. "I do my best."
He watched as she paused to look at her watch before frowning. "I have to go," she stand and stood up. "I told my parents that I was stopping at a friend's house after work, but they still expect me home at a somewhat early hour."
Groaning, he stood to his feet. Leaning down, he carefully tidied their empty plates into a neat pile for the waitress before turning to follow Elsa out the store. Stepping outside, he felt the slight chill in the March air and shivered. He draped his arm around Elsa's waist as they walked towards her car.
Slowly, they came to a halt at her car. He moved to lean against her car while she fumbled in her bag for her keys. He watched as Elsa unlocked her car and pulled the door open to toss her handbag in before turning to face him. Stepping closer, she wrapped her hands around his neck and caught his gaze before she let out a loud exhale.
She reached her hand up and brushed her hand through his hair. "What are we doing this weekend?" she asked.
He reached down to tighten his grip on her. "I don't know what you are doing, but I'm planning on taking this really beautiful girl that I've been dating for eight weeks out ten pin bowling. That is, if she will agree to go with me," he smirked.
"Beautiful girl, huh?" Elsa murmured as a sly smile crept across her face. "Do I know this girl?"
Leaning down, he placed a quick kiss on her lips. "You do," he replied. "You're quite close to her. In fact, it's almost as if you are the same person."
She giggled before tilting her head to look at him. "You're in luck, Frost. I happen to know that this girl would love to go bowling with you."
Smirking, he pulled her close to him and nuzzled his head against her neck. "I knew she would," he boasted.
Tightening his grip, he leaned in to press a soft kiss on Elsa's lips. He felt Elsa's body relax as she pressed herself closer to him. Breaking the kiss, he turned to grin at her before he moved his hand down to softly squeeze her bottom. He chuckled as Elsa let out a soft squeal from the contact.
The sound of birds chirping outside her window woke Elsa from her sleep. Rolling over, she checked the time. Her eyes widened when she realised that it was almost midday and the longest that she had slept for a long time. Sitting up, she stretched her arms out and pushed the blanket aside. Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed, her eyes fell on the small plastic trophy that Jack had bought for her following their bowling date. He'd claimed that she had earned the prize as a reward for beating him.
Standing up, she made her way to the window. She peeled back the curtains to survey the ground below. Her eyes fell on the brown dirt that was beginning to appear as the last of the winter snow melted. Grinning, she turned and padded over to her chest of drawers. She pulled out a pair of trackpants and a t-shirt to wear and threw them on before heading downstairs.
She found her mum in the kitchen furiously mixing a chocolate cake batter around a bowl. Her eyes lit up as she turned to face Elsa. "Morning, hun. Did you have a good sleep?" she asked.
"Yeah, apparently so," Elsa replied, switching the kettle on. "I haven't slept that long for a while."
"You must have needed it," Lillian surmised. "How did the bowling go last night?"
"Bowling was good. I didn't get hurt, nor did I drop the ball on my feet. Somehow I managed to win the game," she replied, sipping at her coffee. "I even got a little trophy for my effort."
Lillian laughed and reached over to pull Elsa into a hug. "So, in other words it was a pretty successful night then?"
Elsa smiled. The memory of Jack dancing around her, pulling silly faces while trying to throw her off her game played in her head. "I'd say so," she agreed.
The sound of a throat clearing behind them caused both women to jump. "Finally decided to join the land of the living, Elsa?" Walt asked.
Pausing, she turned to smile at her father as he made his way to sit at the table with the Sunday paper tucked under his arms.
"Well, you know, Mum's making chocolate cake. I have to come to reserve my slice before Anna gets a chance to steal it," she joked.
A soft chuckle escaped her father's lips and he looked at her. "Good point," he nodded. "Your sister is awfully demanding when it comes to chocolate."
"Anything of interest in the paper, dear?" Lillian asked, reaching around to hand a cup of coffee to her husband.
"Unless you count the latest self promoting piece about Guardians and their newest store as news, then no." Walt grumbled.
Elsa's head shot up at the mention of the Guardians. She remembered that Jack had said something about an article appearing in the paper. "Dad, can I ask you something?" she asked tentatively.
"Of course, Elsa," he replied, furrowing his brow. "Ask me anything you want."
Clearing her throat, Elsa looked at him. "I was wondering if you could tell me why you hate Nick North and his family so much?" she asked, wringing her hands together. "I mean, I know his nephew, Jack. We went through school and are in uni together. We had to work on a project together as you know. Aside from that one issue at the beginning, he was actually really good. He worked hard and helped us pass."
Her father stiffened. He narrowed his eyes before turning to glare at her. "That family is nothing but back-stabbing, untrustworthy scum, Elsa. They always have been and always will be," he grumbled. "The reason you passed that assignment is because you always work hard. You're a good student and a good worker."
She shook her head. "No, Dad. Jack and the other two team members worked just as hard as I did. It was a group effort," she protested.
"Elsa, enough," Walt ordered, glaring at her. "We've been over this before. You can not trust that family, or anyone who works for them."
Biting her lip, she stared at him. "Dad, you are expecting me to be the future CEO and to continue my studies so that I can work for the company. You have always asked me to trust in your decisions and your reasons for hating the Guardians. I'm getting older now and my uni studies are getting close to being over. How can you expect me to be a good worker and a good CEO if I don't have the knowledge as to why we have this rivalry with the Guardians chain?" she stated. "I'd just like to know the truth."
Her father let out a loud exhale and shifted uncomfortably on his seat. Frowning, he turned to study her face as if considering his response.
"She's got a point, Walt," Lillian said, coming to stand beside Elsa. "I know you hate talking about it, but Elsa did raise a good point. It's time she knew."
Her father sighed. He pushed his empty cup out the way and turned to face her. "Alright," he agreed. "I suggest that you take a seat. It's a long story."
Elsa pressed enter on her laptop and waited. She had spent the last hour chatting online with Jack. After a bit of coaxing, her father had finally relented and had given her his reasons for hating Jack's family. Jack had tried to find out more information about the rivalry from his uncle, but had been brushed off. His uncle had simply waved him away after telling him that it was complicated and painful.
Elsa had struggled to comprehend the story that her father had told her. She had sat speechless while he told her how as children, he and Nicholas North had been best friends. They had gone through school and university together and had even attended each other's wedding. Following university, Walt and Nicholas, together with another friend, David, had opened their first business, a small ice cream store in an outer suburb.
Initially, the business had gone well and had allowed the three friends to make a comfortable living. Nick and Walt had both spent their paychecks wisely and had used the money to purchase their first homes. However, by the third year the cracks in their working relationship had begun to appear. The bills had started to pile up and it had seemed that Nick, who had been in charge of the finances, had not paid the full amount. As the weeks went on, their debt continued to get out of control and they'd had to file for bankruptcy. David had raised the idea that Nick was behind it and had reasoned that he was the one with control of paying bills and lodging the money with the bank. Eventually the business had faltered and the former friends had parted ways as enemies.
Tragic as her father's story was, something hadn't sat right with Elsa. She couldn't help feeling like there was more to the story. The fact that the other man, David, had apparently disappeared a few months after the business collapsed had seemed odd to her. Jack had agreed with her. He had been adamant that something sounded off. He claimed that his uncle was many things, but not a thief. Together, her and Jack had decided to try and find out more in the hope of being able to solve their families broken relationship.
The sound of her phone ringing startled her. Reaching over, she saw Jack's name on the caller ID and smiled as she answered it. Nestling the phone between her shoulder and ear, she crawled onto her bed and pulled the penguin that Jack had bought for her to her chest. Jack, on the other end of the line, was doing his best to reassure her. He was certain that they would get through it. He claimed that if he could get the girl of his dreams after eight years, then anything was possible.
A/N- Once again a huge thank you to all of you for reading, reviewing and sharing in this story with me. I love getting your reviews, seeing how they change as the story progresses.