Frozen belongs to Disney
Trigger warning: Smoking (weed)
Chapter 14
Anna twisted around in her gondola seat; she always liked the view of the mountain first thing in the morning. The pristine trails spread out below like a map, and beyond that, the base lodge and forested hills in the background, beneath a clear blue sky. She chanced a glance to the side, as Elsa stared out the window. The early morning sun caught a few strands of white-blonde hair that had escaped, and a smile touched Anna's lips. Flynn and Rapunzel sat on the far side of the gondola, and as Anna looked over, Punzie gave her a thumbs up, hidden by her leg where only Anna would see it. Anna rolled her eyes and shook her head, but her heart started thumping and her thighs tensed up. She swallowed.
" You're just nervous about the first run of the season," she thought.
They arrived at the top of the mountain and the doors opened. The frigid Maine air cut across Anna's cheeks as she stepped out, and she picked up her board from the side of the gondola, then hiked the short trip across the flats. She followed Flynn over to an easier run, then sat down with him and Rapunzel to strap her boots in. Elsa set her rentals onto the snow, tapped her ski poles onto the side of her boots to knock off any excess snow, and stepped into the bindings. Anna hurried with her straps as Elsa waited.
"Alright alright," Flynn said, "let's goooo!"
He hopped to the lip, flipped his sunglasses down, and angled his board. First down the run, they cut fresh trails through the light powder. Muscle memory took over for Anna, and even though she still felt a bit unsteady, she sped up a little to catch up to Flynn and Rapunzel.
"Woo hooo!" Rapunzel's voice echoed up from below, and Anna grinned. There was no feeling in the world like flying down an empty ski slope, and the wind roared in her ears as she carved her way down the groomed trail. Flynn cut left, through a small path with trees on either side, and they emerged onto the terrain park. Large snow ramps and an impressive half pipe had been constructed by the resort, as well as several rails and other obstacles for boarders to take advantage of. He turned down hill to pick up speed, and Anna watched as he hit a small ramp and grabbed his board in mid-air before landing.
" Damn, he's pretty good," Anna thought. She considered hitting a jump herself, but told herself it was the first run of the season, and she should just take it easy at first. They arrived at the lift at the bottom of the slope and quickly hopped on the nearly non-existent line. Anna unstrapped, then hobbled her way forward as the chair swung around, while Elsa easily glided forward and used her poles to stop. The lift attendant held the chair back, and Anna sat down as it launched them forward. Elsa pulled the safety bar down, and Anna managed to get her board up onto the footrest. Anna glanced over at Elsa; the blonde had barely spoken two words since they left campus, hours ago.
"How are the rentals?" Anna asked.
Elsa looked down at her skis, her expression inscrutable behind her goggles.
"They're fine," she replied. Anna nodded, and she tried to enjoy the serenity of the lift as they ascended the mountain, but Elsa's apparent unwillingness to speak weighed on her. Squeaks against the cable as they passed the poles holding the chairlift up rose in volume and faded into the distance as they passed by. It was almost like the times Elsa pretended not to know her, and if they didn't find something to talk about, it could be a very long day.
"You're pretty good, but that board is Rapunzel's?" Elsa asked.
"Oh… yeah, I have a board too, but I outgrew it. I mean, I used to come all the time, until my dad lost his job," Anna replied. "Usually it's the two of us, and Kristoff, but he said he was working this weekend."
" More like he doesn't want to see me," she thought, but she kept it to herself.
Elsa nodded.
"That's good of her, to lend it to you," Elsa said.
"Well, yeah. I mean I'd do the same for her if she needed. Not like that's ever going to happen," Anna said. Elsa smirked, and Anna's heart rose at the thaw in her mood.
"Sorry I've been quiet… I don't know Flynn very well, is all," she said.
"Err, he's okay I guess," Anna said, and she twisted around to see the couple on the chair behind them. Punzie waved at them. "She spends almost all of her free time with him, and I trust her judgement."
" If you trust her judgement so much, maybe you should do what she suggests, and ask Elsa out on a date," Anna thought. She swallowed as her heart raced, and her brain wandered down a dozen different avenues at once, pulling her in twelve different directions.
"Move the board," Elsa said, and Anna blinked. The summit lift station loomed ahead of them, and Elsa tapped on the safety bar. Anna slid her snowboard off to the side and they got the bar up just in time to slide off from the chair lift. They took a few more runs, including once more down the terrain park. Anna even managed to pull a trick or two. When the lines started to grow at the lifts, they took one more ride up, then Flynn and Rapunzel slid to a stop and sat on the snow, near the woods at the edge of the terrain park.
"We're gonna smoke for a bit. There's more than enough, if you want," Rapunzel said. Flynn pulled a joint and a lighter out of his jacket pocket. Anna glanced to Elsa, but only her ski goggles stared back at her, and Anna had no idea what she was thinking.
"No thanks, I think we're going to do a few runs on our own," Anna replied. "You're going to be here? See you later?"
"'Kay. Yeah we'll be around here; later," Punzie replied, and Flynn waved to them. Anna pushed off and Elsa followed. She slid to a stop at a fork in the trail and sat down, and with a whoosh of snow, Elsa stopped next to her.
"Sorry, I wasn't sure if you smoked and honestly this might be the only time I get to go this year so I didn't want to spend it sitting around," Anna said.
"It's okay. I don't smoke, actually… and really, I'd much rather ski on this ski trip, as strange as that may sound," Elsa said. Anna chuckled at that.
"So… where should we go now?" she asked.
"I don't know. I'm not familiar with this mountain, so I'll follow you," Elsa replied.
Anna thought for a second.
"There are some good runs over on the left, but we'll have to take a couple of lifts," she said. Elsa nodded and Anna stood up, then led the way to the bottom of the mountain. By now, the lines had grown, and they waited for a good ten minutes to get onto the chair lift. The sun shone down out of a brilliant, clear blue sky, and Anna took in the sights from their vantage point as they rode up the mountain.
"So I guess you went skiing a lot growing up?" Anna asked. Elsa nodded.
"Yes. It gets very cold and there's plenty of snow, so…" she replied. Then she sighed deeply.
"Sorry, I guess that reminds you of home and growing up…" Anna said.
Elsa glanced at her and smiled briefly.
"It's not that. Merida asked me to rejoin the team," Elsa said.
"Oh. But you said you don't have time," Anna said. Elsa nodded.
"Actually, now that I think about it, Punzie mentioned something too," Anna said. "Honestly it's kind of annoying."
Elsa's head snapped to her, and Anna felt like she needed to clarify. Even though she wanted more than anything for Elsa to come back and play, Anna wanted it to be on Elsa's terms, not anyone else's.
"I mean… they should know better, is what I'm saying. It's only hockey," Anna said. Elsa looked down and used her pole to shove some snow off her ski. They got off the ski lift and because there were a number of people milling about the top of the slope and even more getting of the chairlift, Elsa pushed off and stopped near the top of the slope while Anna sat down to strap her boot in.
"Well well, Anna Christiansen."
" Hans fucking Westergard," Anna thought. She looked to see him in a pair of skis, with Chloe, who wore a bright white jacket. They both glided to a stop next to her.
"Still rocking LaFleur's hand-me-downs, I see," he said as he nodded to her board.
"What the hell do you want, Hans," Anna said. He took off a glove, unzipped a jacket pocket, and pulled out a phone. Gaston and a girl Anna didn't recognize skied over from the lift.
"Anna?" the big man asked, then glanced at Hans. "Whoa, is that a new iPhone?"
"Good eyes, my simian companion," Hans said, to Gaston's confusion. "The newest model. Christmas gift from Chloe, the best girlfriend ever."
Hans pointedly looked down at Anna, then held up the phone to take a picture of her. She tried to hold up her middle finger but it was difficult with her heavy gloves on.
"Fuck off," she said, but Hans just laughed and snapped a few selfies of him and Chloe. "Smile, babe."
Anna stood up and half-hopped, half-slid over to where Elsa waited.
"Was that Hans?" she asked as Anna approached.
"Yeah. Fuck him, let's go," Anna replied. She slid over the lip, aimed down the slope, and rapidly picked up speed. The wind roared in her ears as she blasted down the mountain and weaved between other skiers and boarders, partly out of frustration or annoyance, but partly to put as much distance between her and Hans Westergard as possible. She caught some air over a lip, not really a jump, and heard a whoosh off to her side, followed by the clap of skis as Elsa kept pace with her. Anna chanced a glance up at her; the blonde moved easily, naturally, her skis tight together as she zoomed down the slope, occasionally carving a wide turn to keep from passing Anna. She glanced over and flashed a smile at her, and Anna had to remind herself to watch where she was going. They reached the bottom of the hill, and Elsa took a few deep breaths in the lift line, her cheeks rosy and a smile plastered on her face.
" That's right, she likes to go fast," Anna thought. After that, they picked up the pace, screaming down the hills at top speed, and Elsa easily stayed with Anna, no matter how fast she tried to go. After every run, Anna was rewarded with a broad grin from Elsa, and even on the lift, looking down at snow covered trees and slopes, the smile never seemed to leave her lips.
"Wanna stop for hot chocolate?" Anna asked as Elsa swung the safety bar down.
"Sure," Elsa replied.
Anna led them to the lodge at the top of several lifts. It was preceded by a large flat area, so she hobbled her way along as Elsa pushed with her poles. They set their equipment on the stands provided outside the lodge and entered into the warm interior. Bits of snow from boots littered the carpet near the entrance, and Anna led them to a table near the window. She stripped off her helmet, gloves, goggles, and jacket, and Elsa did the same. Blonde hair poked out in random directions from static electricity from her hat, and Anna stifled a giggle; she was sure her hair didn't look much better. They went to the counter to order, and Anna bought a pair of Oreo cookie packets.
"Here, try this," Anna said as she passed a packet to Elsa. "There's something about hot cocoa and Oreos and skiing, best hot chocolate in the world."
Elsa raised an eyebrow.
"In the world?" she said. Anna nodded seriously. She dipped her own cookie, let it absorb the cocoa for a moment, then blew on it to cool it off before sticking it in her mouth. The cocoa layered on top of chocolate and sugary creme filling practically melted in her mouth.
"Oh my God, so good," Anna said as she closed her eyes.
"Wow," Elsa said, and she picked up her second cookie.
"Yes! Another convert," Anna said with a grin. They sat for a while and watched as the skiers and boarders wound their way down the slopes. Elsa pulled her heavy boots off to rest her stocking feet against the windowsill. All the while, Anna's heart thudded in her chest, and she let her mind wander to what could be… if she actually asked Elsa out and she said yes. Even though Rapunzel seemed to think it was a sure thing, the thought that someone like Elsa Anderson, Norwegian world class hockey player, Olympic silver medalist, and billionaire heiress, could find working-class, small-town USA Anna Christiansen worthy of dating seemed absurd.
" What would we even do? We're from totally different worlds," Anna thought.
"Ready to get back out there?" Elsa asked. Anna nodded.
They skied the rest of the afternoon, then met Rapunzel and Flynn by the base lodge at five o'clock.
"Hey, you made it. I was starting to get worried," Flynn said.
"Yeah, we made it, did you guys have fun?" Anna asked.
"Oh yeah, we had a blast. Flynn's better than I thought," Rapunzel said.
"Yup, and I didn't have to practice at all. I was just born this way," Flynn said, and he swept his hair back. Anna couldn't tell if he was being serious or not.
"You were pretty good too, Elsa," Rapunzel said, "maybe next time you could try some tricks in the terrain park."
Elsa smiled.
"Maybe," she said. They hiked over to Flynn's SUV and threw their equipment in the back. On the way to Rapunzel's cabin, they stopped at a Subway for sandwiches. In line while Elsa went to the bathroom and Flynn ordered, Rapunzel turned to Anna.
"So?" she whispered.
Anna shook her head. Rapunzel rolled her eyes.
"What the hell, it was perfect," Punzie whispered.
Anna shrugged helplessly. Rapunzel made it sound easy, which it was anything but. She didn't even truly know if she wanted to ask Elsa out. By the time they collected their food and ate, night had fully fallen. They drove through the darkness along heavily forested, winding mountain roads, and into a small gated community. Rapunzel pulled a radio clicker from her backpack and used it to get them through the boom gate. The white bar with red and orange reflectors lifted to allow them access, and they drove along a narrow paved road, lined on both sides by heavy woods.
"Turn left here," Punzie said, and gravel crunched beneath the tires as they continued. "Left again."
Flynn pulled into a dark driveway in front of a brown cabin with a sharply sloped roof, surrounded by naked trees. An old, broken-down snowmobile, partially covered by a white tarp and littered with the remains of brown leaves, sat off to one side.
"I used to call it the gingerbread house," Anna said quietly, and Elsa smiled. Flynn left the headlights on so they could see, and they carried their equipment and bags up exterior steps to a second level deck, while Rapunzel fished out keys for the front door. As soon as they entered, Anna breathed in the scent of old mold and the remnants of wood smoke from whenever the fireplace had last been used. They stood in darkness for a minute as Rapunzel descended into the basement to switch on the power. The lights sprang to life, filling the cozy cabin with a warm light. A second later, and Anna heard a low hissing as water filled the pipes. A full kitchen sat to their right and a living room and fireplace to the left. The roof sloped up to the center, and large cross beams held up an open loft across most of the cabin. Anna, already familiar with the layout, busied herself with turning on the electric heaters nestled down in the corners. Stomping of boots heralded Punzie's return.
"Okay. Good. Everything still works. My parents have another tenant coming in on Monday, so we've got to keep it clean," Rapunzel said. Anna nodded as she returned to the kitchen.
" Not like I'm a super messy person anyway," she thought.
"Flynn and I will take that bedroom," Rapunzel said as she pointed to one of the doors on the bottom floor, then she pointed to another one. "That one has two twin beds in it, so you could share a room, or someone can sleep up in the loft, I guess. Whatever works best for you."
"I'll take the loft," Elsa said. For a split-second, Anna felt slighted that she didn't want to share the bedroom.
" But it makes sense. Why share a room if you don't have to?" Anna thought.
"Unfortunately, there's only one shower. I need to set up a few things, so I'll go last," Rapunzel said.
Anna looked at Flynn.
"Absolutely not. Ladies first," he said. Anna glanced to Elsa, who shook her head. Anna quickly moved to the second bedroom and dumped her equipment on the bed, all except the board which she leaned against the wall next to a window. She dug around for her toiletries, then poked around the closet for a towel. She tried to make it quick, both because she didn't want to be rude, and because she wasn't sure how long the hot water would last. When she emerged, Flynn had apparently ventured outside and retrieved a few logs of firewood, and currently busied himself rolling up old newspapers to use as kindling. Elsa showered next while Anna helped Flynn get set up by the fireplace, and by the time the blonde emerged, they had a merry blaze going.
"Flynn, why don't you go next," Rapunzel said as she unfolded a garbage bag into the can in the kitchen, and started preheating the oven. Elsa had gone upstairs, so Anna set the table for Rapunzel, who threw a frozen pizza in to bake. Before long, the smell of tomato sauce, garlic, and mozzarella cheese filled the room. Anna returned to the fire and used the poker to maneuver the logs around, then threw another one on for good measure. The girls split the pizza, each of them taking a slice, and Anna blew on hers to avoid burning her mouth. Flynn opened the bathroom door, still toweling his hair, and Rapunzel finally took her turn.
"Oh… oh shit," Flynn said as he looked down at his phone. He started tapping furiously.
"What happened?" Anna asked.
"Westergard is on his way," Flynn said.
"Westergard, as in Hans Westergard, my ex-boyfriend?" Anna asked.
"Yeah," Flynn replied.
"Well tell him he can't," Anna said.
A knock sounded at the door.
"He's already here," Flynn said. Anna leapt over the couch to stand between Flynn and the front door and hissed between gritted teeth.
"I do not want to spend the night in a cabin with my ex-boyfriend, what the hell," she said.
Flynn looked at her quizzically.
"I thought you two were okay now," he said.
"We're okay because we avoid each other like the fucking plague," Anna replied.
The door opened from behind her.
"Did someone ask for a paarrrrty?" Hans asked.
Anna closed her eyes, gathered herself, then turned around and crossed her arms.
"The hell are you doing here, Hans?" she asked. Hans entered the room, followed closely by Gaston, Chloe, and Jessica, one of the hockey players who had been a healthy scratch several times earlier in the season, and incidentally, one of the ones who had been bullying Elsa in the locker room.
"Oh hey Anna. I come bearing gifts," he said. He set a large paper bag on the table, and with a loud clink, produced a bottle of Jack Daniels whiskey. No doubt there were several other bottles accompanying it.
" Just who the hell does he think he is?" Anna thought.
"You've got a lot of nerve showing up here unannounced," she said.
"Aw come on, it's a two-hour drive back to campus, where's LaFleur?" he asked.
"Shower," Anna replied.
"Well, we'll make ourselves at home until she comes out," Hans said.
"You will not. How did you even get past the gate?" Anna asked, but Gaston had already sidled around the far side of the couch and sat down with a groan, and folded his hands behind his head.
"Is Anderson here?" Jessica asked as she looked around. Anna blinked; where had Elsa gone?
"She's around, somewhere," Anna replied.
"Hmmf. Where? I wanna talk to her," Jessica said. Anna felt her hackles rise.
"Why do you want to talk to her?" she asked.
"'Cuz she needs some tough love to get over it already and help us out, otherwise we might actually miss the playoffs," Jessica said.
Anna gritted her teeth as a raw fury squeezed her chest like a vise.
"Just who the hell do you think you are? Maybe don't be so selfish because that's no one's decision but hers. Actually, shouldn't you be glad she's not playing? That gets you back on the team instead of a healthy scratch," Anna said.
"Hey, leave her alone," Chloe said.
"Fuck off Chloe, at least Jessica's still playing. Why are you even in this conversation?" Anna said.
Someone sucked in their breath, maybe Flynn or Gaston.
" Burn. Call the ambulance, but not for me," Anna thought.
She saw it an instant before it happened, blind rage on Chloe's face, and she managed to roll with the blow as bare knuckles clipped her across the cheek. Anna took a step back and pivoted; she was a hockey player and more than willing to throw down if called for, and this was definitely called for. As she coiled for a counterpunch though, strong arms wrapped her up from behind.
"Oh no no, we're not brawling in here," Flynn said.
"Aww fuck it, let 'em fight," Hans said with a laugh, phone in hand. Jessica held Chloe back as the blonde tried to charge through her or around her to get at Anna, who twisted impotently in Flynn's grip and cursed at him.
"What the fuck is going on out here?" Rapunzel's clear voice cut through the din. Anna's eyes widened and Flynn let her go. She turned around like a scolded child to see her best friend wearing only a towel from chest to thigh, hair soaked and dripping into a small puddle around her bare feet. Rapunzel wasn't looking at her though, instead she focused on the newcomers.
"You guys can't be here," she said.
"Aw come on LaFleur, you're not gonna make us drive all the way back tonight, are you? We'll behave, promise," Hans said. He held up three fingers, and Anna wanted to punch his shit-eating face.
"You can get a hotel for all I care, but you can't stay here," Rapunzel said.
"Hans, let's talk outside for a second," Flynn said. He pushed past the girls and opened the front door, and the two boys moved to the deck.
"Can I finish my shower without a fucking brawl breaking out in my house?" Rapunzel asked.
Anna nodded, and Punzie rolled her eyes and returned to the bathroom. She was still furious at Jessica and Chloe, but whereas Jessica glared daggers at her, Chloe just kind of stared at the floor, deflated. Gaston picked up the television remote and tried to turn on the TV, with no effect. He smacked the side of the remote a few times, and Anna worried he was going to break it. She was about to say something when Hans opened the door again.
"Alright, we're gone. Come, my simian companion," he said.
"Seriously?" Jessica said as Gaston rose to his feet.
"Yeah yeah. On the plus side, it means we're not sharing this," Hans replied as he stuck the bottle of whiskey back into the bag and picked it up. They filed out the door and Flynn returned to the deck to watch them leave. He returned, shut the door, then leaned against it as he blew his cheeks out with a long exhale.
"What'd you say to him?" Anna asked.
"Ah, I just pulled the frat brother card, asked him to do me a favor," Flynn said.
Anna smirked, then her eyebrows came together.
"What's with the simian companion thing?" she asked.
Flynn smirked.
"Oh, that," he said, "eh, long story short, Hans has been going on about how Gaston must be part neanderthal, and then he started calling him his simian companion. Ten to one says Gaston has no idea what it means, and he's too embarrassed to ask and probably too lazy to look it up."
"Err. What does it mean?" Anna asked.
"Ape-like," Flynn replied. Anna paused for a second, then burst into laughter, and it must have been infectious, because after a moment, Flynn joined in. He held up a finger, and with tears in his eyes, he managed to speak, "the best part is, he's gonna fucking kill Westergard when he finds out."
Anna laughed all the harder at that, and that was how Rapunzel found them a minute later when she emerged from the bathroom, this time with a second towel around her hair.
"What are you guys laughing at?" she asked.
Anna looked at her, still giggling.
"Simian companion," she said, and then burst into laughter all over again.
Punzie looked to Flynn questioningly.
"I'll tell you later," he said as he wiped his eyes.
"Cool. Could you uh, help me with something?" Rapunzel said.
She walked to the bedroom, and Flynn followed. The door closed behind him, the lock clicked, and then Anna's brain clicked as she realized what was about to happen in there. She glanced around; where was Elsa? She definitely did not want to be alone in the living room while Punzie got it on with Flynn. Not even small, teensy, weensy, horny part of her wanted to stay and listen, nope, not at all. A sweep of the loft turned up nothing at first, until a draft brought goosebumps to her arms, and Anna remembered the ladder to the roof.
" Of course, the roof," she thought.
She pushed the window open fully and clambered out onto the ledge, left the window slightly cracked open behind her, then, breaths steaming, climbed up the ladder built into the side of the house. The nighttime winter air cut through her sweater, but she wouldn't be up for long. In the darkness, she spotted Elsa on the angled surface with her feet propped up against the brick chimney.
"Hey," Anna said. Elsa glanced over to her.
"Hey," she replied. "Sorry, I didn't want to be around any of those people."
"I don't blame you. They're gone now," Anna said.
Elsa nodded.
"Do you… mind if I pull up some shingle?" Anna asked.
Anna knew Elsa sometimes went up to the roof to be alone, so relief flooded through her when Elsa shifted over slightly and patted the spot next to her. Anna carefully shimmied her way across the roof and then down the slope to brace her feet on the chimney. The bricks were very warm from the fire below, and extremely comfortable against her stocking feet. Then she leaned back and looked up. Away from the lights of any city, a brilliant carpet of stars, thousands of them, lay spread out in the heavens above. The Milky Way, normally invisible, was a giant band of stardust splashed from horizon to horizon.
"Whoa," she said. No matter how many times she saw it, it still managed to amaze her.
"Yeah, this is why I haven't come back down. It feels like home. All we need now is a little bit of northern lights," Elsa said.
"Yeah," Anna said, "I don't blame you."
They stared in silence at the stars for a while, and Anna marveled at the sight, especially when the occasional shooting star zipped by overhead. As always, when she looked up at the night sky from out in the country, it made her think about her place in the universe, and how small and insignificant she, and everything she knew, truly was. She wondered if Elsa was thinking anything similar.
"I really had fun today," Anna said.
She heard rather than saw Elsa's smile.
"Me too," she replied.
Anna swallowed.
"Then again, come Monday, maybe you'll act like you barely know me again," she said, then winced. It had come out a bit more accusatory than she'd intended. She glanced over to see Elsa staring down at the chimney, her expression one of… panic? Apprehension? Anna wasn't sure. "Why do you do that?"
"I…" Elsa said, and her mouth worked silently for a second, as if she were trying to figure out what to say. Anna let the question hang for nearly a minute as Elsa's breaths became unsteady.
"I guess I owe you an explanation," Elsa said. "I pull back because I… I don't want to get too close to you."
Huh?
"What?" Anna asked. "Why not? I thought you liked hanging out. I mean I know what you said before, but it messes with me… Every time you do that, I can't help but think I did something wrong, or-"
"No no, it's nothing like that, I just…" Elsa said with a sigh, "Oh… do I really have to spell it out?" She crossed her arms over her chest. "I guess… I don't want to get too close to you because, I'm afraid of making a mistake and-"
She clamped her mouth closed and breathed heavily through her nose as she squeezed her eyes shut. Whatever she wanted to say was difficult, and Anna wanted nothing more than to wrap her up in a tight hug and tell her it was okay… but at the same time, this was something that had been bothering her for months; she had to know, so she forced herself to stay still. Elsa took a deep breath, opened her eyes again, and spoke as she stared up at the stars.
"When I feel like I'm getting too close, and I might do something… inappropriate, I pull back because I… I know you wouldn't want that kind of relationship with me," Elsa said. She put a hand to her forehead and looked down towards her feet again. "And… I'd rather.. be friends, than nothing at all."
Elsa covered her mouth with one hand and closed her eyes again, and to Anna, it sounded like she was on the verge of tears.
" Oh my God, Rapunzel was right. She likes you. She really likes you, and she thinks you're straight, because of course she does, especially after what you said in New York, " Anna thought.
"I'm sorry," Elsa said as she shook her head. "I'm so sorry, I didn't want to feel this way, and I tried not to, I tried so hard…"
The pain in her voice was torture to Anna, but even then she knew it must have been only a tiny fraction of what Elsa had been going through, day by day, spending time with her, laughing with her, but knowing it could never go anywhere.
" Thinking it could never go anywhere. But you can change that," she thought. Before she could chicken out, she placed her hand on top of Elsa's as it lay in a loose fist on the shingles. Elsa's gaze snapped down, then to her.
"W-what are you doing?" she whispered.
"Maybe if you like me, you should ask me out," Anna whispered, and she struggled to keep her voice from trembling as she ran her thumb once over the back of Elsa's hand.
" What are you doing?" her mind echoed. Even in the dim light of the crescent moon, Anna picked up the quiver of Elsa's lip. The blonde swallowed and made a half-hearted attempt to clear her throat.
"Can I… take you out to dinner, Friday night?" Elsa asked.
Anna nodded.
"Okay," she replied.
"Okay. I'll um… I'll pick you up at your dorm. Eight o'clock," Elsa said. Anna nodded.
"Eight o'clock," she said, then took her hand back and crossed her arms in the frigid night air.
She practically felt the questions burning inside of Elsa, but nothing was said, not until Anna shivered in the cold. The chimney was warm, but it could only do so much.
"Okay… I don't know how you can lay out here so long without a jacket, but-"
"I'm from-" Elsa said.
"I know, but I'm not from Norway, and I'm freezing. I have to go back inside," she said.
Elsa smiled. Anna carefully climbed back to the top of the roof, and they made their way to the ladder, then down to the window. Elsa pulled it shut behind her. Mercifully, no sound came from the locked bedroom downstairs. Anna glanced at the mattress, laid out on the floor in the center of the loft.
" Should I ask her to come downstairs?" Anna thought, " better not."
"Okay so… I'll see you tomorrow, I guess," Anna asked.
"Yeah, see you tomorrow," Elsa said. She had a sort of shocked, half-smile expression as she fiddled with the end of her braid, and Anna flashed her a smile of her own as she turned the corner to head down the steps. She closed and locked the door behind her, then sat down on the bed and drew her knees up. Bits of dead leaves stuck to her socks, but she didn't care. Friday was six days away.
" What have you gotten yourself into? You have a date with Elsa. With a girl. You have a date with a girl, and the girl is Elsa," she thought. "What if you screw it all up?"