The next evening, Elsa and her dad were ready to leave for dinner. Elsa had put on her finest casual dress, hoping to impress Anna without seeming too eager to do so or making things seem too formal. It was a simple, yet elegant strapless sky blue summer dress that stayed up with the help of a zipper on the back and a see-through sleeve on each arm. The dress was long enough that it wasn't revealing, but short enough it didn't seem too modest. Accompanying it was a pair of white slipper-sandals that were both pretty and quite comfortable at the same time. Elsa had spent quite some time picking out this outfit.
On the way to the restaurant, they had to pick up Olaf, so they went around to his place first, and Elsa got out to greet him. "What's with the dress?" he asked after forcing another hug upon her.
None of your business Olaf, but it's all for Anna.
- "What, can't a girl put on something nice once in a while?" Elsa said jokingly and escorted Olaf back to the car, getting into the front seat herself. After they'd gotten in and her dad and Olaf had greeted each other, her father asked if they were going to pick Anna up. "No, she's meeting us there," was Elsa's short reply, and heard the faint buzz of her phone in the small purse she'd had to bring along since there weren't any pockets in her current outfit. 'It's for her, isn't it? The dress, I mean,' Olaf had asked in a text, clearly aware that this wasn't exactly information she wanted to share with her old man. Once again, Elsa elected not to answer the question, soon receiving another text from her friend 'I'm gonna take your silence as confirmation. I'm really looking forward to meeting this Anna :)' it said, and Elsa couldn't help but smile. She knew Olaf didn't entirely approve of her feelings for the ginger actor, but only because he hadn't met her before.
When they arrived at Buena Comida, Anna was already outside, waiting. She was wearing a pair of short cowboy shorts and a loose purple shirt that hung loosely around her body, not at all like the tight blouses she usually wore. It exposed a bit of her bra, and Elsa had to suppress a lighthearted giggle, when she just about burst with joy and excitement, resulting in her only blushing. Anna's hair was done up in twin braids that resembled thinner versions of the one Elsa usually fashioned her own hair into. Either she had dyed a single strand of her beautiful ginger hair, or she had put an extension in just for tonight, because one strand of her hair that was twisted into the braid was blonde, almost the same blonde as Elsa's own natural hair color. Elsa hoped for the former of the two options since it seemed like the smarter decision.
Elsa's dad parked the car on the other side of the street and Elsa practically jumped out of the car, halfway skipping across the road to get to Anna in a hurry. When she got there, she grind to a halt, a strange fear gripping her suddenly.
My God… What the hell do I say to her? I haven't thought this through at all!
Anna came closer and hugged Elsa "Thank you so much for inviting me along," she said and broke off the hug, shooting her that glorious smile of hers. Elsa felt like she was in heaven. This was the first time Anna had touched her at all, and it was even a hug. For just a moment, everything she adored in the entire world had been pressed up against her body, and the sensation of finally finding out what her crush smelled like was almost too much of Elsa to bear. As Anna took a step away, she extended her hand and bowed, greeting Elsa's dad and Olaf.
No, come back, don't go away now! I need more, this can't be the end of it. It was so short! I need you!
Elsa smiled at Anna, trying to act cool about the situation, but not mastering it entirely. "N-no problem at all! I'm just happy you wanted to come along," she stuttered, her voice shaking. They went inside, and her father told the hostess that they'd reserved a table for four. The middle aged, yet attractive woman then looked in her book of reservations for about half a minute before looking up and smiling, telling them to follow her. She led them upstairs to a table that was in a secluded corner. She placed four menus on the table and told them to just stick a hand in the air when they were ready to order, and a waiter would be right with them. She then smiled and bowed before leaving.
The little group spent a couple of minutes, idly chatting over what was on the menu, Elsa keeping her mouth shut most of the time, not wanting to say anything embarrassing or inappropriate. Her dad kept asking Anna questions about how it was to be up on stage, throwing spaghetti and fake blood at people, or other stuff related to the only play he'd ever seen Anna in, and she kept responding politely, not at all in the manner Elsa was used to her redheaded crush talking. Olaf just watched and observed like he always did when he was assessing whether or not a new person was good enough to be around. The fact that he hadn't shot Elsa a glance told her that Anna was doing good so far. When they were finally ready to order, Olaf and Anna got a couple burritos each, her dad ordered tacos and Elsa ordered a bowl of chili con carne, one of her favorite foods. The waiter then asked about which drinks they wanted, Elsa was just about to just order a tall glass of water when her dad cut in "Can we have a bottle of red wine?" he asked the waiter, who nodded and smiled before going away.
Elsa stared in disbelief at her father, who just chuckled. "What? You're all at least eighteen or more, right?" he asked and then looked at Anna with a slightly concerned look.
- "Oh, yes sir, I am over eighteen," she giggled and responded. Once again, Elsa's heart melted right then and there, just by hearing her wonderful laughter and seeing the amused expression on her face.
- "Good! Well, I'm gonna have just a single glass. Some of us need to be able to drive, right?" he continued and winked at Elsa, who just shook her head, sighing and smiling in a surrendering way at her father.
Anna and her dad kept talking and laughing a bit more while they waited for the food, and Elsa just sat there, enjoying the company, as well as the wine, which she had to admit was particularly good.
Olaf was still just observing, but finally joined in on the conversation when the food arrived, cracking one of his horrible pirate jokes as he did. "Why does it take pirates so long to learn the alphabet?" he directed the question at Anna, doing his best imitation of a pirate-like accent. Anna just looked at him quizzically and bit her lower lip for a second before answering.
- "I don't know, Olaf, why does a pirate take so long to learn the alphabet?"
- "Because he's stuck at C! Yaaarrrr!" Olaf half-yelled, delivering the punch line with expertise. Elsa had heard him crack that particular joke a thousand times before, and it was still kinda funny, so she chuckled, as did her dad. Anna, however, must not have heard this joke before, because she was cracking up, laughing hysterically. Elsa was shocked that such a booming, noisy laughter could leave such a small girl. The people at the other tables on the upper floor turned their heads, making Anna shut up as quickly as she'd started laughing. Taking a sip of her wine, she choked down another burst of laughter, blushing like a madman.
- "God, this is awkward. Not you're awkward! Just.. We… I'm awkward, I mean, you're gorgeous! Wait, what?" Anna rambled, directing the last part of the sentence towards Elsa, twisting and twirling one of her braids as she spoke before blushing even more. "I'm gonna stop talking now."
Did she just call me gorgeous? She just fucking did, didn't she? It must have been the wine. Yeah, that explains it. She's just a bit tipsy, there's no way she'd actually say that on purpose.
Olaf and her dad were just laughing softly at Anna's sudden outburst of awkwardness. "Not a common thing for an actress to get embarrassed like that," Olaf commented, taking a large bite of his burrito before smiling at her and Elsa, shooting the latter of the two a wink.
Her dad didn't seem to notice his daughter blushing and glancing over at Olaf with an expression that told him to shut up, but she did. After another sip at her wine, Anna finally replied to Olaf "No, it's not, but I'm not on-stage right now, and there's some weird comfort in being on the stage, acting. People aren't really paying attention to me, you know?" she said, giving a more explanatory answer than what Elsa had expected.
- "Don't worry about it, Anna. We barely even notice a bit of awkwardness in our little family," her dad said and smiled at the two girls sat on the opposite side of the table, and something told Elsa that her father might not be as ignorant about the situation as she had hoped he'd be.
Does he know? He's not that stupid, but it can't be that obvious.
"How's your food, Dad?" Elsa asked sweetly, taking a sip of her wine, realizing it was almost empty. Olaf made a gesture, as if asking if she wanted more wine. Elsa nodded and Olaf delivered. She could feel herself getting more than slightly tipsy by now, perhaps even slipping into the realm of being actually drunk. Not something Elsa did normally, but this was a special occasion.
- "It's great, sweetheart," he replied and took another bite of the taco, spilling some of the colorful filling onto his plate.
- "That's good, I don't wanna make more food for you when we get home," she winked at her dad and started to get out of her chair, breaking off the others before they could ask. "Oh, I'm just going to the bathroom."
Anna started to get up, too. "I'll come with you," she said and smiled sweetly at the blonde girl. It was that smile again, and Elsa could feel her heart pounding faster than she'd remembered it doing ever. It was probably a mix of the alcohol and Anna's clumsy ramble ten minutes earlier.
- "No, it's alright, I just need to splash some water in my face," Elsa said, her voice clearly shaking from the pounding in her chest. She let out a small chuckle as she started for the bathroom.
- "Oh, me, too," Anna said in a tone Elsa couldn't really place in any context she'd experienced before. The smaller ginger girl then followed her into the bathroom where Elsa went to a sink as soon as she got inside. She turned on the water and bent over, letting some water spill into her cupped hands before splattering it on her face a couple of times before looking into the mirror. It was a good thing she had decided to wear waterproof makeup. It still got a bit ruined, but it could have been a lot worse.
Calm down Elsa. Your dad might know, but it's not like that's the end of the world. Olaf knows, you've told him, and he obviously likes Anna. He even used that lame pirate joke on her. And Anna's ramble was probably just a combination of a panic attack and a bit too much alcohol. Everything is gonna be just fine.
Still caught up in her thoughts, Elsa turned around and started to walk towards the paper towel dispenser. She'd need a bit of those to clean up her face and get rid of what little ruined makeup would be left after her quick face wash. She was maybe a bit too caught up in her thoughts, as she didn't manage to notice herself walking right into Anna's open and waiting arms.
Feeling the warmth of her crush's embrace slowly wrapping itself around her was the single most exhilarating sensation Elsa had ever experienced. She did nothing but stand there for what felt like an eternity before she finally gathered the courage to look up into Anna's face. She met those wonderful turquoise eyes and almost got lost in them before she noticed them slowly moving closer, closing while nearing her. Elsa had to mentally prepare herself for what she knew came next.
Don't chicken out now… This is all you've wanted for several years. Just roll with the flow and do what feels natural.
And then it finally happened. Their lips met for a tender moment. The first contact between them was faint, barely noticeable, but Elsa felt every single second of it. She clung to the sensation like it would be the last thing she'd ever be lucky enough to have happen to her. Then another gentle kiss landed on her lips, and at the same time, one of Anna's hands moved its way up to grab a hold of the blonde's neck. Elsa shivered at her lover's touch, but then the kiss stopped and Anna started to move away.
"One more," was all Elsa could say as she grabbed hold of Anna's right shoulder, her voice raspy and her throat dry. Anna complied and planted another sweet kiss on Elsa's lips, this time more passionate, rougher somehow, but still as gentle as before. Once again, Anna started pull away. "One more," Elsa repeated herself. She could do this all night, no, scratch that, all week. Once again, Anna kissed her and Elsa wrapped an arm around her waist, but this time the kiss was fleeting, barely even there, quicker than their first kiss.
"Elsa, we need to get back out there, they're gonna wonder what's taking us so long," Anna explained. The logical part of Elsa agreed with her, but something else inside Elsa wanted them to keep going, to never leave this time and place. This was perfect.
Fuck, she's correct. But this is amazing. I've never felt anything like this. I want you now, Anna. No, I need you! Just stay here and kiss me for a few more minutes, please!
"Yeah, you're right. Let me just dry my face off, and we'll go back out there," the blonde girl agreed, denying her instincts. Never had the heating sensation between her legs spread so quickly, and never had she wanted to satisfy that need so viciously. But alas, now was not the time to do it.
The pair went back out into the restaurant, Elsa smiling like an insane person. "What took you so long?" Olaf asked with a slight smile.
"Oh, just girl stuff," Anna answered quickly before Elsa got a chance to fuck everything up and winked at the girl she'd just kissed.
The rest of the evening was very pleasant. Everyone laughed and had fun. The two girls snuck out into the bathroom for a couple more kisses during the night, but they didn't take it any further, even though Elsa wanted nothing more by the third time they went to the bathroom together.
When her dad decided that it was time to go, they said goodbye, and Elsa went home with the happiest feelings she could ever remember having coursing through her veins. It was like her blood was fucking made of rainbows and sunshine or some shit. During the drive home, after they'd dropped Olaf off, she fished her phone out of the purse and texted him 'She kissed me! She fucking did!' barely a second had passed before her phone buzzed, which was weird. Not even Olaf was that quick.
'thank you for a lovely night, Elsa. i look forward to seeing you tomorrow :*' the text was from Anna. Elsa smiled again, biting the tip of her thumb nail, just about to reply when her phone buzzed again. This second message was probably from Olaf, so it could wait. 'Likewise. I was pleasantly surprised to say the least! I'll see you tomorrow, love,' she texted back.
She then went to check Olaf's text. 'Congratulations! :D I'm happy for you, but you have to be a bit careful. You are gonna spend the next five months with her, no matter of if things go well or not.'
Elsa smiled a bit at Olaf's concern. He was so sweet, probably the best friend one could ever have. 'Don't worry, I will. Sleep tight!' she texted him back and then dropped her phone back into the purse.
The next day was the big day, the day they'd leave and start the tour. This adventure was already proving to be the biggest in Elsa's life yet. The familiar butterflies were fluttering around in her stomach again with the anticipation of meeting Anna again for the first time after their first kiss. Actually for the first time since Elsa's first kiss at all.
There was nothing more to do than put her stuff in the car and leave for the theatre where they'd all be boarding the tour bus that would serve as their transport for the next five months. Their homes would be crummy hotel rooms most of the time, and even some nights just the floor of the bus as they had to drive far during the nights just to get to the next city so they'd be able to play on the same night they arrived.
Olaf had told them he'd meet them there since he lived closer to the theatre anyway. When they arrived at their destination, Olaf and her dad helped Elsa haul her luggage over the bus, but they hadn't taken more than a few steps before the familiar sound of Oaken's voice echoed over the parking lot. "Hoo-hoo! Let me carry that for you!" the big man shouted and took the bags from Olaf, who looked relieved that someone took that particular burden from him. Elsa didn't notice Anna anywhere, but simply concluded that the beautiful ginger had to be inside the bus.
After having put all of her stuff in the luggage compartments of the tour bus, it was time to say good bye. She started with Olaf, hugging him tightly, this time of her own accord. "I'm gonna miss you Olaf. Promise to call me once a week if I don't call you? And visit my dad so he doesn't get lonely?"
"I will," the little guy said, hugging her even tighter for a couple of seconds before letting her go.
Then it was her dad's turn. "I'm sorry this is going to be taking some of the time out of my time at college, but I have to do this. Just take care of Olaf. I'll call you as often as I can, and Oaken and Marshmallow will protect me," she said while looking deeply into his eyes and hugged him as he started to tear up a bit.
"Just remember to take care of yourself, too, sweetheart. And remember, I love you all the way up to the stars and all the way back again," he said and held her tightly. As they let go of each other she returned the phrase "Likewise Dad," before she turned around.
Elsa had barely taken another step before she spotted Anna out of the corner of her eye. With nothing but joy and expectations thereof, she started to walk towards the redhead, the biggest smile ever in Elsa's life on her face. But then her world shattered. It was as if time slowed down as Hans came around the corner of the bus, picked up Anna and spun around with her in his arms, the ginger beauty giggling like a schoolgirl, and then he kissed her, she kissed him back.
A/N: I know this is outside of the release schedule I promised you guys, but the story took a turn I hadn't expected it to take, and not even I know what's going to happen next yet, so I wanted to give you guys something, as well as a heads up about why there might be a bit more time before I post another chapter than what you're accustomed to.