The Chance to Fly, Chapter Five
A.N: Finally, I am two chapters ahead again. So here's number five for you guys. I hope you enjoy it. I love hearing what you think, so if you feel like leaving a review then please do!
The hot chocolate was the best Anna had ever tasted, and she'd tasted quite a lot of hot chocolate in her time. In fact, she considered herself quite the hot chocolate connoisseur, and this mug was taking first prize. Anna told Elsa as much.
"It's just powdered chocolate and hot milk." Elsa said in response to Anna's high praise.
"You must have, like, magic hands or something then because seriously… this is really good." Anna assured her. The blonde sighed, defeated. Who was she to question Anna's taste in hot chocolate?
"How old are you, Anna?" Elsa asked suddenly. Anna was taken off guard for a minute. "Sorry, that was rude. I just wondered though, because I have… no idea how old you are." Elsa continued.
"23." Anna answered simply, still sipping from her mug of hot chocolate happily, "Nearly 24." She clarified. "How old are you?"
"28. Just." Elsa replied.
"Not that much of an age gap then." Said Anna. "I mean, not that that's relevant or anything." She finished. Elsa nodded thoughtfully.
"It's my birthday in a few weeks," Anna continued, "I'm probably going to have some sort of party at Oaken's. You should come!"
"Oh, I…" Elsa started, but she was interrupted.
"I think you'll like Oaken's. I mean, you like music, obviously." Anna nodded towards the record player and stack of vinyl in the living room. Her gaze continued to the bookshelves and then she continued, "And books. You clearly like books a lot. Have you read all of those?"
"Most of them," Elsa replied, "Some of them I've read twice, you know, comfort reads." She explained.
"Chocolate is my comfort. Yours is a much healthier option." Anna said, mulling Elsa's words over. Elsa laughed, for the majority of their time together that morning Elsa had had a smile on her face. It was a quiet smile, but Anna relished the realisation that the smile even reached her eyes.
The two were sitting opposite each other at the counter, perched atop matching barstools. Anna had her elbows resting on the counter top whilst Elsa alternated between wrapping her arms around her own waist and periodically picking up her mug of tea and blowing on it to cool it down. At her feet, Kai sat cleaning himself. Anna couldn't help but liken the seating arrangement to that of a date and, considering the conversation topic, a first date at that.
Stop it Anna, this is not a date. It's nothing like a date. It's just two new neighbours getting to know each other a bit better… two unmarried neighbours, with no children, getting to know each other better. Anna thought, a sly smile tugging at her lips. No. Anna. Stop. Just because her and Hans are not married, just because Kai happens to be a cat and not a child, it does not make Elsa suddenly available. Or suddenly interested in women either for that matter. She lives with a man, she's in a relationship with a man, that usually implies that someone is interested in men. Anna's lips won out, and no smile appeared. Instead the edges began to tilt downwards as she realised the truth in her thoughts.
"Have I lost you there?" Elsa voice cut through Anna's contemplations, and beneath the table, Elsa's foot reached across to nudge Anna's leg gently.
"Anna? Are you alright?" Elsa pushed.
You've gone all silent on her again. Say something.
"Fine. So… what is it that you do, Elsa? You're at home at… 11.30am on a Friday, so…" Anna asked the first question that came to her mind, then followed it up with a comment she realised too late was kind of insulting. Thankfully, Elsa laughed. Again. God I love making her laugh.
"You make a very good point." Elsa conceded, "And the honest answer is nothing. Right now I'm doing nothing. By trade, I'm a writer. I write for environmental journals. But currently… not so much. Luckily, I have some inheritance funds to fall back on. Well, not luckily. Lucky is exactly what I'm not…" Elsa's voice trailed away and the sparkle deadened in her eyes. For what felt like a long time, Elsa gazed into her near-empty mug.
"You must be crazy smart." Anna noted, trying to retrieve Elsa from wherever she had just gone to. And it worked. Light was dancing in Elsa's eyes again; she looked at Anna with what could almost be described as fondness.
"You're very sweet." She said softly. Anna shrugged.
Sweet? She thinks I'm sweet? Sweet is what you call a kid when it brings you a picture that just looks like blobs and swirls. Anna thought dejectedly. But still… she thinks I'm sweet. Anna smiled. She'd take it. Sweet was better than nothing.
At that moment, Kai finished cleaning himself by Elsa's feet and decided to leap up into her lap. As an instinctual movement, Elsa rested her feet on the wooden bar beneath the counter, flattening her lap so that Kai could curl up there. Which he swiftly did, letting out a yawn that showed a pair of long fangs before resting his head against Elsa's abdomen.
What I wouldn't give to be able to curl up in Elsa's lap, thought Anna. That is one lucky feline.
"Are you originally from here, Anna?" Elsa asked, her hand idly smoothing Kai's black fur as he began purring softly.
Yeah, I'd purr too, came Anna's internal voice.
"Uh… No. I moved here after college, just felt like a change. I come from a small town a couple of hours drive away called Arendelle." Anna told Elsa.
"Arendelle. I've been there!" Elsa exclaimed, more excited than Anna had ever heard anyone be about Arendelle. "It's at the foot of the grey mountains, right? My father used to take me there when I first learnt to ski." Elsa continued.
"No way! That's cool. Arendelle is great for snow sports." Anna agreed, nodding at the recollection of her hometown.
"I'd love the chance to do that again." Elsa said quietly.
"You should come! My mom is still there, I often go back to see her." Anna said, her eyes lighting up at the thought of taking Elsa to Arendelle. They could ski together, have snow fights, drink hot chocolate by the fire… Wait. Did you just invite Elsa to meet your mom? Shit.
"That sounds… lovely." Elsa replied, surprising Anna completely. Oh wow, OK. "What about your dad? He's not in Arendelle?" Elsa asked before realising that the question was perhaps a little too personal under the circumstances.
"Oh, no. I don't really know where he is. I mean, I've met him a couple of times, but he's never really been a dad, more of a distant father figure. I was raised by my mum. She's great." Anna explained, her tone very matter of fact. Elsa instantly regretted her question but was relieved that Anna seemed to take it in her stride.
"It's fine. I can't imagine growing up with a dad. Well, I have a big brother, he can be like a dad sometimes… Do you have siblings?" Anna cut across her own ramblings to ask the question that had just occurred to her. Her and Kristoff were so close that she couldn't imagine not having someone like him in her life.
"No. Only child." Elsa stated plainly.
"Woah. What's that like? Don't you get lonely?" Anna wondered her question aloud. Elsa let out another of those laughs that were music to Anna's ears.
"No, not really. Maybe that's why I read so much." Elsa replied, voicing the final part as if it was only just occurring to her.
"Maybe that's why I barely read at all!" Anna countered happily. Elsa chuckled.
Anna spent almost two hours at Hans' and Elsa's apartment, just talking with the blonde. She felt that she had learnt a lot about the taller woman. Before today she had known next to nothing about Elsa; now she knew her age, her occupation, that she was an only child, that her eyes had flecks of darker blue interspersed with the lighter shade, that her laughter sounded like sleigh bells, that she had incredibly soft looking skin on her surprisingly toned arms, that Anna wanted nothing more than to kiss those tempting collarbones. What?! Oh Anna… Why do you do this to yourself?
Eventually, Anna realised that she couldn't just stay at the blonde's apartment indefinitely, even if Elsa did show no sign of wanting Anna to leave.
"Well, I better head off," Anna started, "Work tonight. Friday nights are always mad ones at Oaken's," She explained.
"Alright." Said Elsa, persuading Kai from her lap and then stretching out one long leg after the other before standing up. Anna's breath caught in her throat. "It's been nice. We should do this again, Anna." Elsa said, smiling that warm smile at Anna, the one that melted her insides.
"Absolutely. Anytime. I'm just next door!" Anna replied chirpily. She knows you live next door. Don't state the obvious, Anna. For a split second Anna saw something different flash across Elsa's features, something that looked a lot like regret.
She's just remembered the time you overheard her crying. Shit.
Elsa's face returned to its happier demeanour quickly and she followed Anna to the door.
"Right, well, bye then Elsa, thanks for the hot chocolate!" Anna said, about to turn towards the door. But she was stopped in her movement though as a slender pair of arms reached out towards her.
Anna froze. She watched as those arms got nearer before they wrapped themselves comfortably around her shoulders and pulled her in until her body was flush with Elsa's. Anna stopped breathing completely. Her own arms moved without her telling them to and enveloped Elsa's waist, settling above the taller woman's hips. Anna could smell Elsa's hair, she was breathing again, and now she was breathing in the scent that was, by definition, Elsa. It was like freshly washed laundry and something else… Something that Anna couldn't quite put her finger on.
"I thought you didn't like hugs." Anna squeaked. Elsa's arms stiffened around her shoulders.
"What?" the taller woman asked.
"With Olaf. Hans said you didn't like hugs, that you were the Snow—" Elsa squeezed Anna slightly and cut off her sentence in its tracks.
"Hugs from Olaf, a man I have never met, are weird. Hugs with you are… fine." Elsa stated, pulling back and looking directly into Anna's hazel green eyes, now widened in surprise.
Elsa's hands had remained at Anna's shoulders, now they slid down the tops of her arms slowly and then returned to wrap around the blonde's own waist protectively.
"Have a good shift tonight, Anna." Elsa said quietly, moving around Anna to open the door.
"Right. Yeah. Uh… Have a good… bye Elsa." Anna replied. She took her cue and exited the door. She nodded awkwardly at Elsa and then turned to make her way back down the hall to her own apartment.
'Hugs with you are fine.' Anna didn't stop smiling for the rest of the afternoon.
Anna's good mood lasted all day and well into the night. Once she had returned to her apartment she had begun to slowly get ready for work. All through her shower, the application of her make-up and her decisions over an outfit for the evening, all she could think about was her morning with Elsa.
When Anna had spied that misplaced envelope in her mail box, the last thing she was expecting was for it to result in one of the best mornings she'd had in a long time, for it to prompt one of the happiest, warmest feelings that she could remember.
That really was the best hot chocolate ever… Forget about the hot chocolate, Anna, she hugged you! She actually hugged you, by choice, unprompted… and she called you sweet.
Anna looked at herself in the mirror, blusher brush midway to her cheekbone. The look on her own face took her somewhat by surprise. She looked… ecstatic. When she thought about it, the fact that Anna had discovered that Elsa was in fact neither married, nor a mother, wasn't what had prompted her good mood. Sure, those facts did decrease the feeling of guilt that had settled like a rock in her stomach well over a week ago. But Elsa was still in a committed relationship, she was living with someone; that fact tends to imply that someone is quite dedicated to the other person. And Hans is great. Anna couldn't fault the guy. Perhaps that was the reason that though the rock of guilt in her stomach had diminished a bit, it still rolled around in there, more like a pebble now. She was still attracted to Elsa, probably more so than ever. Anna's good mood was, quite simply, the direct result of her easy-going, completely comfortable, conversations with the beautiful woman next door. How could a morning spent in Elsa's calming presence leave anyone feeling anything other than content? Anna didn't think it could.
Elsa's slender fingers gripping her mug of steaming tea, her eyes – complete with a playful glint – watching Anna from over the top. Anna had persistent flashes of her favourite moments from the morning, and with each one, her heart felt lighter.
Friday night, as Anna had told Elsa, was always a fun one at Oaken's. The live music was often a little more raucous those nights. Everyone who came in was celebrating the end of the working week, and although it was really only the beginning for the bar staff, they too chose Friday nights to let loose a bit. On this particular Friday, Anna was working with Magnus again, and Oaken himself was in as well, helping out behind the bar in moments when the customers were piling up the other side.
Oaken could be described as nothing other than jolly. Anna had never seen him in a bad mood. He was quite a rotund figure, with bushy gingery sideburns that joined to form a moustache under his wide nose. He spoke with a hint of an accent that gave away his Scandinavian background, and could frequently be seen sporting loudly colourful sweaters. The sound of Oaken's booming laugh never failed to improve the atmosphere of the bar, and Anna and Magnus were, without a doubt, the namesake's favourite members of staff.
All in all, the three of them were having a great time behind the bar. The space they had to manoeuvre in wasn't all that large, so a lot of the evening was spent ducking and diving to avoid each other, spinning around expertly without spilling a single drop of anyone's drinks. When the time came for Anna to take a break, Magnus and Oaken – both big guys – grabbed hold of one of Anna's arms each and lifted the spritely redhead clean over the bar, depositing her gently the other side. That display of teamwork raised cheers from those who caught sight of it, and Anna, always one to please a crowd, took a small bow.
The band playing that night had been great – The Fractals – and Anna had a new freebie T-shirt to add to her extensive collection. They had played a few covers along with their own stuff and had the whole place singing along on more than one occasion. It was nights like these that Anna loved the most. By the time the band left the stage and the customers were beginning to wend their way home, the general feeling in the place was still one of merriment. Eventually there were only a few regulars left at the bar and a couple of Magnus' friends who had come in to see him, along with Oaken's partner Sven. The proprietor pulled the curtains on the small front windows and closed the large wooden door. Shutting the bar to any wanderers looking for a final drink of the night.
"Ooh Hoo!" Oaken called, wiggling his chubby fingers in the air and making his way to the stage, turning the footlights back on. He pointed at Anna and Magnus who were now perched on the bar top, their feet swinging. "Your turn!" He said with a slightly crazed smile.
This had been tradition for as long as Anna had worked at Oaken's. Friday night, when the bar was empty save for a few special guests, the leftovers would take to the stage and perform Oaken's own brand of karaoke. The staff, along with Oaken and Sven, any of the regulars who had chosen to loiter, and any other hangers on, would take it in turns to grace the stage, grab a mic, and belt out just about anything they pleased. Not everyone had the best singing voices, but most would give it a shot anyway, and hilarity always won out in the end.
It was nearing two a.m. now and Anna had had more than one turn on the stage, the night was beginning wind down and what had been various upbeat karaoke tracks was now becoming slower numbers. Magnus grabbed Anna's hand and pulled her up from the chair where she had been seated, she only just had time to place her bottle of beer on a nearby table before she was picked up and thrown over the big guy's shoulder.
"Duet time!" Magnus cried as he plonked Anna down on the stage and took his place next to her. Oaken cued a well known duet number for them on the karaoke machine and as the first strains of the song emanated from the speakers Anna let out a laugh of recognition and wrapped an arm around Magnus' thick waist. She gazed up into his stubbly face and batted her eyelashes comically.
They each took their appropriate lines of the song and played around, pretending to be a loving couple. Their singing was interspersed with much laughter from both themselves and the watching – and quite drunken – gaggle that was dotted about the room. Magnus, for all his enthusiasm, was not the best singer and could only just about carry the tune. Anna, on the other hand, was pretty good. It took a bit of Dutch courage to get her onto the stage, but once there she didn't tend to hold back, her voice met every note dead on and carried well around the room.
As Anna and Magnus continued their playfully loved up number, neither noticed, or heard, as the large wooden front door creaked open and a blonde headed visitor snuck into the room, motioning for the 'audience' not to draw any attention. The blonde stood towards the back of the room, in the shadows and out of sight of the two members of staff flirting and crooning at each other in jest on the stage.
As the song came to a close and the final note was held until both Anna and Magnus ran out of breath, the larger of the two swept the redhead up into his arms and planted a wet kiss on her mouth, holding her tight to himself until she began to struggle a bit. Magnus placed Anna back on the ground and ruffled her hair. Anna's giggles were infectious and the both of them fell about laughing.
That was the moment that the recently arrived blonde stepped out of the shadows. Anna looked up, immediately clocking the newcomer. Her eyebrows shot up into her hairline and she leapt from the small stage, taking a running jump into the arms of the blonde.
"Kristoff!" Anna shouted in pure glee. "You're back!" She cried.
Kristoff caught Anna just as she collided with his chest and swung her around a bit, his low chuckles reverberating in the chest that Anna now leaned her head against.
"Hey feisty pants, glad to be home." He said into her hair and squeezed her tighter to himself.