Anna hated to admit it, but she rushed home as quickly as she could. Not that she thought he would call right away, but there was no denying that she was antsy. It had been four years since Hans left – and therefore, it had been four years since anyone called her and asked to spend time with her. Well, except...
She shook her head, picking up her sleepy son out of the car and carrying him back with her up to the apartment. He groaned into her shoulder, nuzzling into her warmth and yawned.
"C'mon baby boy..." she mumbled, placing a kiss on top of his head. "Bed time..."
She took a heavy breath, juggling her bags and her son, with grabbing out her keys, and managed to unlock the door and step inside. It was a challenge that she had perfected, putting down all of her bags without disturbing her sleeping child. Sighing and moving swiftly, she had gotten to his room and woken him up just long enough to change him into pajamas before tucking him into his bed.
"Good night, baby. Sleep well, okay?"
"Mommy... I like mister Bjorgman." Agdar was fighting to keep his eyes open, and Anna pulled the blanket up to his chin.
"I like him too, buddy," she smiled, petting a hand over his hair. "Get some sleep."
It took barely a minute for him to fall asleep, and Anna moved out to the main room of the apartment to get herself ready for bed. She was only able to afford a one bedroom apartment after all was said and done, and she had figured that it was more important for Agdar to have his own room and privacy, so she bought a cheap pull out couch for herself.
Rolling her shoulders, the springs creaking under her foot as she adjusted the cushions, Anna yanked with all her might to tug the old contraption out of her couch. Sure, she hadn't gotten a decent night's sleep in years, but she didn't really have much of a choice.
After plugging her phone in, flopping down on her bed, and cuddling up under the blankets, Anna finally took a minute to breathe and think. What if he did believe the rumors? What if he did just want to sleep with her? What if…
She groaned and threw her hands over her face, pressing the heels of her palms into her eyes. She didn't know him well enough to know he wasn't just in it for sex, but something about him seemed… different? Honest? Her phone vibrated on the arm of the chair, displaying a number she didn't recognize, and Anna snapped out of her thoughts.
Reaching over and squinting at the bright light in the darkness, she answered. "Hello?"
"Hello? Anna? It's… Kristoff."
She gulped.
Men only called her this late for…
"Hey…"
"I'm… I'm sorry for calling so late. I… Oh jeez, I'm embarrassed."
Anna laughed behind her hand. "Why are you embarrassed?" Her cheeks were flushed. This meant one thing or another, and she didn't know which way it would go.
"L-look I… I couldn't stop thinking about you. I know it's some sort of unspoken rule to not call for a few days but I just really wanted to talk to you and i know you suggested drinks yesterday but then I got to thinking what about dinner you can't drink on an empty stomach that's silly and yeah anyway I just wanted to know if maybe you'd kind of like to possibly maybe-"
"Kristoff. You're rambling." She bit at her bottom lip.
"Yeah, wow. Yeah I am. Okay. Um. Tomorrow. I mean, are you busy tomorrow? Do you want to get dinner tomorrow? With me? ...Tomorrow?"
Anna was grinning like an idiot behind her hand. "Tomorrow, you said?"
He laughed.
"... Yeah. Sure. I… Well. Let me see if I can find a sitter but -"
"Uh, Yeah… So I asked Gabe if he wanted to have a playdate with Agdar. My mom offered to watch them. I mean I'm now realizing how creepy that is but I'm sorry. I was just excited to ask you and I was pretty hopeful that you'd say yes."
Her cheeks were flushed, smile dimming down into one of happiness instead of giddy joy. "Y-yeah. I'm done work at four. Should I just… come by?"
"Yes! Great. That's… yeah, great."
He gave her an address after she scurried out of bed to find a pen, and after a few more minutes of chatter, Anna realized that it was getting later than she had liked, and suddenly cut him off. "Oh, gosh. I'm sorry. I really need to get to bed. I have to be up in like four hours but thank you… I'll see you tomorrow!"
"Oh man, I'm sorry. Yeah. Um. See you. Goodnight, Anna."
"Night…" Hesitating as she hung up the phone, Anna continued gnawing at her lower lip. She was uncertain if she would be able to sleep… but she knew she had to try.
She dropped backwards onto the bed, holding her phone close to her chest and smiling into her pillow. These feelings hadn't hit her since she was seventeen and Hans had asked her to go out with him. She felt butterflies in her stomach and kept hiding her face behind her hands.
She felt like a teenager again.
The next day had gone by so painfully slowly.
Anna didn't think she had ever, ever, had a day drag on quite like this before.
As soon as she got off, she raced over to Agdar's school, picking him up from the after school program they had, and drove rather hastily over to the unknown address. There were nerves settling in, making her stomach do flips again as Agdar bounced happily in the backseat.
"I get to hang out with Gabe all day?!"
She turned around as they pulled up to the curb. "That's right buddy! Until Nine!"
"Do you think I can sleep over?" He was practically standing in his seat to get closer to her and ask.
Anna tapped at her chin, rolling her eyes up and around. "I don't know buddy! You're gonna have to ask Gabe's mom! But… just in case…" Reaching down in the footspace of the passenger seat, she pulled out a small backpack. "I brought your pajamas!"
Agdar smiled and giggled, bouncing in his chair and watched his mother get out of her seat and came around to let him out of the small Toyota. When she picked him up and then set him down on the ground, she noticed a tall blond waving at her from the doorway.
"Mister B!" Agdar hollered, running forward to throw himself at Kristoff's legs.
He hoisted the kid up and threw him over his shoulder, watching Anna sort herself out and start the walk up to his door. "C'mon, buddy. Let's get you inside." Placing him down onto his feet, he patted him on the back before directing him towards Gabe's room.
When Anna came over the threshold, he quickly spun on his heel and coughed, a blush coating his cheeks. "Hey-" he jumped back a little, glancing up and down her form. "Wow. You look… Hah. Should I dress nicer?"
"Oh gosh, no," she started, looking him up and down. "I just came from work in an office so I'm still just in my work clothes." The blush on her cheeks only deepened when he grabbed her hand and smiled.
"Oh, uh. I assume you want to meet my ma, right? Since she'll be watching the kids." Kristoff led her through to the backyard, where a bunch of kids were running and screaming, and a large, round woman was hollering at them.
"'EY! Jackson! Get back here, kid! You'll break your neck!"
Anna couldn't help but laugh, immediately silencing herself when curious brown eyes turned to her. She held her breath when the woman came darting over. "Hello! Wow!" Kristoff's mother grabbed at her hands and twisted the redhead back and forth. "You're a cutie! Are you my Kristoff's date for tonight?"
Biting at her lip and avoiding the woman's gaze, Anna nodded meekly.
"Wonderful! And where's your little boy?"
Kristoff noticed Anna's nerves and pointed to the back. "He's already with Gabe." He peeked down the hallway and hollered for the two of them to come out, and after a short introduction and some well-wishing, Anna and Kristoff were climbing into his truck and on their way to a casual restaurant for dinner.
The car ride was awkward, with a little chatter and a lot of awkward laughter, but they finally pulled up in front of a small, local restaurant, and Kristoff darted around the side of his car to help her down the single step under the door, laughing slightly as she stumbled over her own feet. "S-sorry," he mumbled, rubbing at the back of his head.
Anna waved him off, muttering a small "Don't worry about it," and took his hand in hers as they walked towards the restaurant.
In about twenty minutes, they were seated with drinks in front of them. Just a beer for Kristoff, and strawberry daiquiri for Anna (who had felt so embarrassed in her order that she almost didn't get anything). They were just waiting for food when he reached over to grab her hand.
"So..." He ran his thumb over her knuckles. "Tell me about… well, anything, really. Your choice. Tell me something."
Anna blushed, bit at her lip and took another sip of her drink. "Do you want backstory or fluff?"
He grinned. "Backstory. Lay it on me."
One deep breath, and she started. "So… my parents died when I was fifteen. That was kind of the start of things."
His eyebrows knitted together as he listened, mouth pressed into a firm straight line.
"My older sister was eighteen. She got a hold on all of the inheritance. But… we weren't close. I don't know what it was, but she never really spoke much to me after my fifth birthday." Anna took a deep breath, laughing to herself. "Oh gosh, this is so dramatic. I'm so sorry."
Kristoff shook his head, held her hand tighter and smiled. "No. It's okay. Go on."
She offered a small smile in return. "Okay… so… When I turned seventeen, I met Hans. He was twenty-three." When the blond made a face of disgust, she laughed again. "I know. Right? Creepy. But anyway, he was kind to me… when I had no one else. So I fell for it. We started seeing each other and then… I got pregnant."
He swallowed, looked down, and took a swig of his beer. "That explains you having a six year old at your age."
Pressing her lips together, Anna nodded. "Yeah. Anyway… Elsa basically told me if I didn't get rid of it she was cutting me off. But Hans promised to marry me as soon as I graduated. So I thought it was true love and… I wanted to be married and have a family. And Hans was wealthy… so that was a positive." She paused, twisted her fingers in the bottom of her braid, and shrugged. "I told Elsa to go to hell, that she didn't know what love was or how to be a supportive sister, and took off with Hans."
Anna took another sip of her drink before swiping a hand under her misting eyes.
"Hey… you can stop if you-"
"No. No I'm okay."
He placed his other hand over top of their intertwined ones, and nodded. "If you're sure."
Smiling again, Anna nodded back. "So… Yeah. So we got married… at the courthouse. One of my coworkers was our witness. Things were okay for a little while. I had Agdar right before my nineteenth birthday. Hans… hated him."
"How can you hate your own kid?"
"Yeah… I later found out that he was just… doing the wife and kids thing… for appearance. He didn't want to marry me, and he definitely didn't want a kid. He punished him… physically."
Kristoff's free hand rose to cover his mouth, his eyes giving away the darkness of anger that was rising up in his chest.
She squeezed his hand. "I… wouldn't let him do that to my baby. Not… not mine." Pausing, Anna shivered when she felt people approaching the table. Food was laid down in front of them, and the two separated their hands for the waitress to set down their plates. The couple thanked them quickly, and turned to take small bites of their dinners.
"So… What happened next?" he mumbled through a mouthful of spaghetti, turning his eyes up to her.
Swallowing her bite, Anna nodded. "Right, yeah so… He was neglectful. That wasn't so bad. But then I started getting in his way when he wanted to get to Aggie… and his anger got directed at me. Which was fine… I'd rather get hit than have him shake my kid."
Kristoff nodded, letting her pause to take a bite of her food.
"Anyway, I started seeing a therapist who… Well, who kissed me once. He was gentle and warm and I accepted it-" she stopped him before he had a chance to interject. "- I know, He was just taking advantage of his position and me being vulnerable. I learned about that when he threatened me after I wouldn't sleep with him."
She took a few more bites of her food, shrugging. "After Agdar turned two, he walked out on me - well… kicked me out. Said I had been sleeping with the therapist. In fact, told the whole town I had been. I guess my lovely doctor had told him."
Kristoff dropped his fork with a loud clang onto the plate, and ran his hands through his hair. "A… Are you kidding me?"
"It gets better," she laughed, sitting up straight and shrugging. "He handed me about a thousand bucks. and told me to get out. You know how long you can survive on a thousand bucks with a two year old?" Shaking her head, she clasped her hands together on the table in front of her. "Barely a month."
He couldn't stop himself from reaching across the table and holding tightly onto her hand again. She interlaced her fingers with his.
"I found a cheap one bedroom apartment. It's not in the best place in town, but it's only about four fifty a month. So… I can afford it. I sleep on a couch, though." Anna laughed, squeezing at his hand. "Basically… Everyone hates me. I haven't talked to my family in seven years. The last four years my only contact has been men trying to sleep with me…" She sniffled. "Honestly I'm kind of scared that you just want to sleep with me, too…"
Kristoff swallowed the lump forming in his throat, looked at the table, and then back up at the redhead. Stretching his other hand over the table to grab hers, he did his best to catch her gaze. "Anna…"
Her breath hitched in her throat, chest freezing and hands shaking.
"I promise… I'm not like that. I want more than that. You set the pace here." He lifted her hands to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles. "However slow or fast or whatever you want to take it, I'm following. I promise."
There was a silence that fell between them, the only thing shared was a smile.
"Thank you," she managed, a few minutes later.
"You're welcome."