A/N - A special shoutout and thanks to andrewtootru for being my beta and sounding board on this and future chapters. I'm going to be switching things up a bit from here on out. While this will stay a fic based on songs, I will be using less in the way of lyrics and instead title the chapters after the song that inspired it. Also, I am free from school and plan to write daily, even if only a bit, so this will be getting updated fairly regularly from this point. The song in this chapter is "When We Were Young" - by Adele.
"What can I get ya?" the girl behind the counter of the ice cream parlor asked as she shooed her friends out of Anna's way.
"Can I get a cup of mint chocolate chip, a cup of double fudge on top of a brownie, and two hot fudge sundaes, please?"
"Sure, coming right up."
Anna spun around to look at her family. Her eyes met those of her older sister, and she beamed. Despite the low level of anger, Anna was finding it very hard to stay mad at Elsa.
"Your girlfriend?"
Anna's eyes snapped to one of the guys that had been chatting with the girl behind the counter. "What?! No," she chuckled nervously. "She's my big sister."
"Oh. She's gorgeous, and the way she looked at you, I … I'm sorry, I assumed."
"No worries. Besides, even if she weren't my sister, she's way out of my league."
"I don't know about that," the other guy chimed in.
"I'm Kristoff, by the way," said the first guy, coming to Anna's rescue in the awkwardness of the situation.
"Anna," she offered, extending her hand.
"Pleasure to meet you," he said as he shook her hand. "And this guy here is Hans."
"It's nice to meet you, Hans."
"And I'm Ingrid since we are making formal introductions," the counter girl said as she returned with Anna's order. "Family vacation?"
"No, my sister and I go to university here. Our parents are just visiting; we're actually on our way to drop them off for their flight home."
"So you're new here?" Ingrid asked, a bit of mischief in her eyes.
"I am. My sister has lived here for four years now."
"Well then, consider me your first friend. Unfortunately, these two knuckleheads follow me everywhere, so you'll have to put up with them too."
"That's cool," Anna said with a chuckle.
"Sweet!" Ingrid fist-bumped the air. "I'm off tomorrow. Do you maybe wanna hang out?"
"Sure. Our flat has a pool. We could have a pool party."
And that was how Elsa found herself in the company of three complete strangers. The privacy fence that surrounded the pool area of the apartment building did nothing to calm Elsa's nerves as she laid in a lounge chair beneath a white umbrella. While her baby blue tankini was modest, and the rainbow sarong she paired it with offered more coverage, it still showed far too much for her liking. She'd planned to wear shorts and a tank top, but as was always the case, Anna managed to talk Elsa into stepping outside of her comfort zone. To her pleasant surprise, Anna'd also talked Rapunzel and Esme into coming and making it a real party.
"How ya holding up?" Esmerelda asked as she plopped into the lounger next to her friend.
"This is ridiculous, Esme. It's been four years. I thought being away from Anna would make things better, that everything would go back to normal, but …" Elsa shook her head.
"Hey, it's okay, Elsa. Everything is going to be fine," Esmerelda tried to reassure her.
"Is it, Esme? Because my feelings didn't go away. They didn't even get weaker. How is that possible? I abandoned my sister so that I could be a better person for her, and I've failed."
Esmerelda shrugged as a playful grin painted her lips. "Maybe instead of trying to run from your feelings, you could, maybe, perhaps, embrace them instead."
"What?! No! That is not an option, Esme! Aside from society's view, what would my parents think of me? And Anna would certainly be disgusted if she ever found out. Not to mention, it's illegal !" Elsa whisper shouted, trying not to be overheard.
" Ah, mais tu as tort ma amie . I may have done some research before I went to visit Anna. It is not illegal in France. So long as you are both consenting adults, two sisters can legally be together."
Elsa shook her head. "That is not the point. Anna would never harbor the same depraved feelings I do. She's too sweet, too innocent."
"She is sweet, I'll give you that, but as for innocent …," Esme pointed across the pool to Anna, who was nailing with complete accuracy Shakira's moves as "Hips Don't Lie" began to play through the speakers surrounding the area.
Elsa's eyes made their way over to the lime-green bikini-clad girl. Her hips certainly did not lie. Elsa could only tear her gaze from the girls gyrating when they caught sight of her breasts threatening to release themselves from the fabric holding them captive. Water droplets clung to her skin, cascading down her body slowly as if savoring every moment they were allowed contact with the girl. Just as Elsa resolved to look somewhere, anywhere but at her sister, the younger girl's eyes locked onto her. Elsa swallowed hard and licked her now parched lips. 'I should look away. I shouldn't be staring so openly,' she thought futilely.
Anna continued her dance, eyes holding her sister's gaze, that is, until they fell to the generous expanse of cleavage that Elsa's top revealed. 'Elsa had all the luck in the curves department. She's always been flawlessly beautiful. It's not fair,' she thought. A pair of hands gently took hold of her hips and pulled her back, stopping any more thoughts from coming.
"You certainly know how to work a crowd," Ingrid said as her lips brushed Anna's ear.
Anna's giggle died on her lips as she watched her sister's face morph into … was that anger? Hurt? She couldn't get a good read as Elsa shot out of her chair and ran into the building.
Anna made it as far as Esmerelda, who grabbed her wrist.
"Give her a few minutes," she said before she pulled Anna down into the now vacant lounger next to her.
"What happened?"
"She's just having a hard time with some things. She'll be fine."
"She didn't look fine. And she's been acting weird ever since she saw me. It's the same way she acted just before she…"Anna trailed off as a tear fell down her cheek.
"She's not going to leave, Anna. I promise. I won't let that happen. She just needs some time and space to process…" Esmerelda chewed her bottom lip as she tried to find the right word. "...things."
"Why won't she just tell me what's going on?"
"She's scared."
"Then you tell me. I know you know. Why did she leave me? And why is she being so distant and continuing to pull away?"
"I'm sorry, Anna. I've told you all that I can. She's scared, and right now, what she needs more than anything is for you to be patient with her."
Anna sighed and ran her hand through her hair. "Alright. Can I at least go check on her now?"
"Yeah. Just… be gentle with her, okay?" Esmerelda requested with a sad smile.
Anna gave a short nod before following after her sister.
Elsa bypassed the elevator and sprinted up the stairs two at a time, and when she reached the third-floor landing, her calves screamed at her. She finally slowed when she made it into the safety of her bedroom. She slammed the door, threw herself onto the bed, and allowed her tears to flow freely. If she thought watching some guy touch her sister and make her happy would be hard, watching that girl touch her sister was torture. The quick transition from blinding rage to utter heartbreak was too much. Everything was more raw than it'd been when she first came to France. 'It was so much easier when we were young. Why did I have to go and develop these feelings?' she mentally screamed.
Everybody loves the things you do
From the way you talk
To the way you move
Everybody here is watching you
'Cause you feel like home
You're like a dream come true
Elsa sang the all too familiar lyrics into the empty room. She sat on the floor, her back against the door and her knees pulled tightly to her chest. Adele had gotten her through many a hard and lonely time, but today the words sat like ice in her heart.
You still look like a movie
You still sound like a song
My God, this reminds me, of when we were young
Let me photograph you in this light
In case it is the last time
That we might be exactly like we were
Before we realized
Elsa took a shaky breath letting the lyrics fade out of existence. "It was all for naught," she whispered to herself. "Everything I put myself through, everything I put my parents through, everything I put Anna through. It's all been for nothing."
Elsa's musings were interrupted by a knock on the door.
"Not now, Esme. I don't have it in me to endure another one of your hope speeches. Legal or not, if I told Anna I'm in love with her, I might as well just leave again. She would feel betrayed and abandoned. She'd never want to see me again."
End Note:I know, I know! The cliffhanger! I would apologize, but I'm not really sorry. It was the perfect ending point. But rest assured, the muses are already at work, and with the help and advice of my new friend andrewtootru Chapter 6 is already in the works. Angst is coming.