A/N: Finally, right?
Tick-tick-tick-tick.
The sound was barely there, but Anna could definitely hear it from across the café.
Tick-tick-tick-tick.
4:52. Just eight more minutes.
Tick-tick-tick-tick.
Wide blue eyes followed the movement of the second hand. Each second drug itself out as long as it could before passing along to the next, and it was driving Anna absolutely insane. Her fingers were working furiously at the strap of her apron as scenario after scenario played through her head.
Okay worst case scenario. Let's think. Worst case, she says that she doesn't feel comfortable talking with someone who has a boyfriend. She bit down on her bottom lip, eyebrows furrowing. That doesn't mean we couldn't be friends though. We'd be awesome friends! We could do stuff that girls normally do. Braid hair, hang out, go to the movies. Yeah, almost like sisters! We'd talk about games and have sleepovers and hold hands and make out and, wait, what!?
Anna physically shook her head. You're not making this any easier on yourself.
She sighed a breath of relief as the minute hand ticked down. 4:53.
Come on, seven minutes. You only need to wait sevenmore minutes. Think of the best case scenario. She thought, closing her eyes in concentration. Best case would be is she dropped everything right there and then and took me right on that table. Anna was somewhat caught off guard by her own thoughts and couldn't help the shy blush that crept up into her cheeks. But let's keep this within the realm of reality. Best case scenario would be if she agreed to see me again sometime.
Throughout the entire day, thoughts of meeting Elsa at five in the café plagued Anna's thoughts. She could not stop thinking about it, no matter how hard she tried. Even in classes she was unable to listen to her professors for more than five minutes at a time before her mind wandered off to think about how the meeting would go.
So far, Anna had come up with seventeen different situations that could play out once her and Elsa sat down to talk. Two of them ended with hot coffee getting thrown in her face, five with Elsa storming out in anger, two with Elsa deciding to never speak to her again, and the rest with everything working out just fine between the two.
Anna had been so deep in thought that she completely missed her name being called from the other side of the shop. She also missed the second time, and the third, and the fourth.
"ANNA!"
The girl's head whipped around to face the source of the yell.
Eric, one of Anna's co workers who had been wiping down the countertops moments ago, was now walking over to Anna with a slightly concerned look on his face. "Are you okay?"
Anna noticed just how hard she had been twisting her apron strap and removed her hands from the top to shove them into her jean pockets. "Yeah, yeah." She waved the comment off before giving the man a reassuring smile.
Eric only cocked an eyebrow before returning behind the counter to join the redhead. Today had been a relatively quiet one, aside from the usual morning rush. Unfortunately, not too many people were craving coffee at five in the afternoon.
"You've been really distracted today, are you okay?" Eric asked as soon as he leaned against the back wall and slipped his phone from his pocket.
Anna chuckled humorlessly. If only you knew. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine. I'm just meeting a... friend soon." She looked back to the clock. 4:56.
Eric followed Anna's eyes to the clock. "Oh yeah, you get off at 5, right?"
Anna nodded.
"You can just sit back right now if you want, I've got it." Eric cast a glance around the empty coffeehouse before looking back to his phone.
Anna smiled to herself. "Thanks Eric."
The man simply waved her off from behind his phone as she ducked under the counter.
DING
The service bell rang through the air and Eric quickly shoved his phone into his pocket, ready to take an order.
Anna smiled up at the man and held up two fingers. "Two cafféé mochas please!"
Eric chuckled, picking up a nearby napkin, crumpling it up in a ball, and tossing it at Anna before going to the coffee machine. "You're the only person I know that likes coffee at this hour." He punched a few buttons before the usual sound of the coffee machine filled the empty café.
Anna giggled as she shoved her fists into her apron pockets and leaned back against the counter. "You've never experienced life until you've had a double shot of espresso at ten. That stuff will change you."
Eric merely rolled his eyes before going back to fixing the drinks. The two coworkers had always gotten along. Anna had been friends with Eric's girlfriend, Ariel, since Junior year of high school. Both Eric and Anna had frequented talking about their lives once the shop's traffic had slowed and the door rarely opened. Anna had learned quite a few things about the young man. For instance, she had learned about his infatuation with the sea and anything to do with the ocean. In fact, many times he had invited Anna to join him and his girlfriend on his father's yacht at sea. Anna, however, normally declined these invitations.
Anna pushed a ten dollar bill forward once the drinks were done. "Thank youuuu!" She mused as she took the two hot coffees from the man's hands. "Oh, and, keep the change."
Eric scoffed as the cash register opened with a ding. "Thanks. Maybe I'll buy myself a nice pack of gum."
"Don't go too crazy now." Anna took her seat at the table directly across from the register that touched the furthest wall. Elsa's seat. She placed the two coffees down directly in front of her and looked over to Eric, who had returned to leaning against the wall and tapping away on his phone.
The redhead sighed and attempted to collect her thoughts. Okay Anna, you've got this. She'll be here any moment. You just need to explain what's going on and tell her that yo-
Anna wasn't prepared for the door to ring to announce a new customer. She wasn't prepared for the door to swing open to let in a cool blast of air from the winter night. And she certainly wasn't prepared for a tall blonde figure to step into the empty shop.
Oh no, Anna was far from prepared.
Anna's grip on the coffee tightened as she felt her jaw go slack.
Elsa seemed to glow in what little dim light was emitted from the hanging lamp by the door. Her platinum blonde hair shimmered in its braid, every so often a hair or two sticking out of place. Tight black jeans hugged the woman's long slender legs and curved hips. They were torn a bit at the left knee and tucked over red Chuck Taylors.
Anna felt her gaze gravitating towards the woman's full hips. She marveled at the very size of the curves. Compared to her own slender body, Elsa was far more womanly and aged than the redhead.
Anna's eyes lingered on her hips a second longer before she forced her eyes up to the loose fitting navy blue Guns N' Roses tee. It was slightly tucked into the jeans, showing off Elsa's thin waist. On her wrist was a spare hair tie and red watch that looked fairly expensive.
Damn, she looks beautiful. The redhead quickly cast a look down to her own attire and felt a twinge of embarrassment shoot through her chest as her eyes fell upon the coffee-stained apron, blue jeans and dirty checkered Vans. Well I'm underdressed.
Anna's eyes locked with Elsa's deep blue ones, causing the girl's breath to hitch. She shot up her hand to wave, a goofy smile making its way onto her face.
Elsa offered her own polite smile as her hand subconsciously rose to push her black glasses up the bridge of her nose. She then offered a wave with the same hand.
Anna felt her stomach do a flip as Elsa made her way over to her. Nervousness filled every square inch of her body. The redhead's hands shook violently as she brought them up to her apron and worked her fingers around the blue fabric. Crap crap crap. You've got this Anna. Just say something, do something. Give her a hello hug. Yeah, just say hi and give her a hug.
Anna stood from her chair and braced herself as the woman came closer.
"Hi!" Anna greeted. She reached out her arms to greet the woman.
Elsa, on the other hand, had been thinking something more along the lines of a friendly handshake to start off the meeting. The blonde extended her hand at the same time the redhead opened her arms. There was a few seconds of awkward eye contact between the two, both thrown off by the other's actions.
Then, all of a sudden, the two swapped greetings. Elsa attempted to answer Anna's invitation to a hug with a hug of her own, and Anna with a handshake. The corner of Elsa's mouth twitched upwards in a suppressed smile, while Anna looked slightly horrified.
"Umm." Hummed Anna as she pulled back, a look of confusion gleaming in her eyes. "This went better in my head." She felt her cheeks grow warm with a blush as embarrassment once again became apparent across her face.
She was surprised, however, when she heard a giggle from Elsa. "Me too."
The barista couldn't stop her grin from bordering dorky once again. So she was thinking about this too.
Anna looked up at the woman, blush creeping further up her face. She noticed for the first time that Elsa was slightly taller than her. She was maybe, one, two inches taller. Anna slightly rocked up onto her tiptoes so she was closer to eye level with the blonde.
Elsa grinned warmly down at the girl before looking to the table that Anna had been previously sitting at. "Is this our table?"
Anna snapped out of her trance, looking down at the chairs. "Huh? Oh, yeah! Yeah, just sit here." She gestured to one of the chairs as she took her own seat. She looked over to Eric, who was still busy on his phone.
Elsa sat and crossed her legs, bringing her hands to rest on her top knee.
Anna took a deep breath before pushing one of the coffees over to Elsa. "I got you a coffee. I think you'll like it because it's the same one as yesterday. It's my favorite too, actually." She cleared her throat and looked up into Elsa's blue eyes which gleamed with amusement. "Um, actually, I like anything with chocolate in it. Or coffee. I really like coffee too. Which I guess makes sense since I work at a café." She looked around the shop, but stopped as she noticed the clock on the wall, realizing that it was five in the afternoon and odds were that Elsa wasn't a late coffee drinker. "But I just noticed that it's kinda late and some people, well most people, don't go for a coffee right now. I do, but I guess that's kinda weird. But I'm really sorry if-"
She was cut off by a laugh from the blonde. Elsa brought her hand up to her mouth as her shoulders shook with chuckles. "Anna, it's okay."
Anna immediately stopped, mouth tightly pressed closed as her eyes grew wide. She remembered your name.
Elsa's warm smile calmed the previously flustered redhead.
The blonde picked up the drink and took a long sip, her lips curving upwards into her own smile at the familiar taste of chocolate and coffee. Her eyes fluttered closed once more as she savored the sip, licking her lips once she had placed the drink down.
Anna had watched the whole display with an open mouth and a reddening face. Jeez, this girl really likes her coffee. She shook her head rid of the blush and sipped at her own drink before looking Elsa in the eye. "So, you like coffee too?"
"Mmh." Elsa sighed as she leaned back into her chair, hands wrapped around the warm cup. "Yeah, I like coffee. It's really the chocolate that gets me though. I adore it." She looked at the cup in her hands. "How did you know I liked it?"
"Uhm." Anna looked away, slightly embarrassed. "Kristoff." She offered, as if it was a legitimate answer. But when the blonde raised an inquisitive eyebrow, she knew she had to elaborate.
"Well back when we were dating-uh Kristoff and I of course- he would talk about you. And, um, I would ask questions." Anna kept her eyes fixated on her drink, far too embarrassed to look Elsa in the eye. "He told me that you loved chocolate, and I thought that was super cool because I love chocolate too." She chuckled, the corner of her mouth curling up into a half-smile. "But anyways, that's how I know." She finished lamely. She looked up to see Elsa's tiny grin and her eyes once again twinkling with amusement.
Elsa thought for a moment, tapping her index finger to the lid of her cup. "What else did Kristoff tell you?"
Anna straightened up as she thought back to her previous talks with Kristoff. "Well, he said you were really smart, but you liked to show off how much you know about math." Anna looked at the woman apologetically. "I'm sure he was exaggerating on that one."
Elsa rolled her eyes as her smile widened. "Oh gosh, of course he'd say that. He's just jealous because I always got the good grades." She took another sip. "What else?"
"He said you have some obsession with the cold."
Elsa let out a humorless chuckle. "Obsession." She said the word as if it was foreign, weighing how it felt rolling off her tongue. "No, not obsession. It certainly doesn't bother me, I just like it." She looked to the redhead as if she may have understood, but was only met with large inquisitive eyes. "The cold is far more comforting than the warm. Where the warm makes you sweaty and uncomfortable, the cold makes you shiver and crisp. It's far easier for me to sleep when it's cold in my room then when it was hot. It just feels... good." She took another sip of her drink before interlocking her gaze with Anna's.
The girl's turquoise eyes were wide with wonder. "I guess I've never thought about it like that before."
Elsa nodded before putting her drink to the side and crossing her arms. Her previous smile had slipped away to reveal a serious face. The sudden change in expression from Elsa caused Anna to raise her eyebrows in shock and straighten her back.
"Elsa-" Anna began.
"You said you wanted to talk." Elsa stated plainly, once again reaching up to push her glasses into place.
"O-oh. Yeah." Anna was immediately overcome with nervousness. "A-about yesterday?" She found her fingers once again fumbling with the straps to her apron and her eyes settling anywhere in the room but on Elsa.
"Yes." Elsa's voice was sharp. It sent waves of guilt into Anna's body and caused her to hug her arms to her side.
Anna cleared her throat and resettled herself into the chair. "W-well. Hans... Hans is."
"Your boyfriend." Elsa helped, unable to filter the slight biting tone that was intertwined with her words.
"Yeah... but." Anna's shoulders scrunched up as crossed her own arms across her stomach.
Elsa's expression softened at the sight of the struggling girl. She uncrossed her arms and scooted a bit closer to the redhead in attempt to calm her nerves.
This did not go unnoticed by Anna. In fact, it had caused her heart rate to rise even further.
What do I tell her? What do I tell her?! The truth would be nice, but then she'd completely shut me out. Anna sighed and brought her hands up to cover her eyes. "Kind of, yeah, but it's complicated between us."
"Complicated? What do you mean? How are you 'kind of' in a relationship?" Anna could tell that Elsa was growing impatient. Answers is what she wanted, but answers were too hard for Anna. The redhead looked up at Elsa. She felt pathetic, she looked pathetic.
"We, just... Fight a lot." Fucking understatement of the year, Anna.
"You... fight a lot?" Elsa looked confused. "What do you mean? Are you unhappy in the relationship? If so, why don't you just end it?"
Concern was knit in with those words and it made Anna's heart do a somersault in her chest. She cares.
Because I'm terrified what he'd do to me if I even talked about breaking up. Because I don't know how. Because I can't. Anna shrugged lamely. "I... I don't know. We just..." She looked for words, but they had suddenly all vanished. She didn't know what to say. She didn't know what to do. This was a disaster.
The redhead looked down at the table, no longer able to look Elsa in the eye. She fiddled with her coffee cup. Silence hung in the air as Elsa pondered Anna's words.
Anna's mind was overcome with panic. She felt sick to her stomach. It wasn't supposed to go like this. She wished she could just find enough courage to say what really needed to be said, but courage was hard to come by for her.
The redhead jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned to see Elsa giving her a reassuring smile. Immediately her face lit up with its own and suddenly a fair amount of confidence was restored. Elsa's eyes filled her with an undeniable sense of safety and warmth. It was more than uplifting.
The two sat in the silence for a couple moments longer. An unspoken agreement to change topics was achieved between the two.
"Um Elsa?" Anna questioned. This better work.
"Hm?" Hummed the blonde in response.
"You said you were good at math, right?" Anna looked hopeful as the blonde nodded.
"Do you think you could tutor me? Like I said yesterday, I'm not very good at math. It just
flies right over my head." Anna gave the blonde her best puppy-dog eyes.
Elsa smiled a crooked grin before taking yet another sip of her drink. "Of course, Anna."
Anna felt flushed with delight. "What days are you open?"
Elsa thought for a moment. "Wednesdays and Fridays are good for me."
Anna raised an eyebrow. "Fridays, really? I'm sure a woman as good looking as you would be planning to be out having fun on Fridays." Anna smiled and suggestively wiggled her eyebrows.
Elsa chuckled and gently pushed Anna on the shoulder. "Now stop that, your face will stick. No, I don't go out on Fridays." She rolled her coffee cup in her hands. "I'd rather stay in on Fridays. Clubs and parties aren't really my scene."
Anna giggled. "Well now you'll have me to handle on Fridays."
Elsa sighed, the ghost of a smile still relevant on her face. "And what a task that will be. Certainly I am ill prepared to tutor someone with such high amounts of energy." She joked.
"Hey I'm not that bad!" Anna nudged her on the shoulder.
Elsa merely chuckled. "So, will I join you at your place on our tutoring sessions?"
"NO!" Anna almost yelled. What would Hans think of these tutoring sessions? He already said that he didn't like Anna hanging around with Elsa. He would be furious if he found out who she'd be spending more and more time with.
Elsa jolted back, scared by the change in volume, and slightly scooted away, confusion working its way into her expression.
"No, just... I don't think we can meet at my apartment. It's kinda far, plus, you know... Hans." She looked at Elsa helplessly before noticing the fact that she may have just scared the woman. "I'm sorry for yelling."
The blonde relaxed slightly and tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "It's okay." She breathed, once again settling closer to the redhead. "We can go to my apartment instead. Everything should be fine as long as you're comfortable with the fact that Kristoff also lives with me."
Anna nodded. "That's perfect."
Elsa merely nodded before looking to her watch. She inhaled sharply. "Kristoff is coming to pick me up in a few moments." She stood.
Anna looked slightly disappointed. "Oh..."
Elsa once again smiled crookedly before gently touching the girl on her shoulder, causing the redhead to look up and lock eyes with the blonde. The two shared in an extended moment of eye contact. Elsa's expression was so full of... something. Something Anna couldn't quite put her finger on, but it made her feel good. It made her feel safe. Warm. "Hey, our first tutoring session is tomorrow at five and I expect you to be on time."
Anna also stood and smiled. "Of course."
Learning from the first time, Anna offered her hand in a farewell handshake. She was confident that Elsa was going to shake it, but was surprised when Elsa had her arms outstretched in what could have been identified as an invitation to a hug.
"Not again." Anna muttered as she pulled back.
Elsa was laughing, her hand covering her mouth as she attempted to hide her reaction to the barista's awkwardness. "We must find another way to exchange our hellos and goodbyes. This is far too awkward for me."
Anna thought for a second. "We could meet halfway and high five." She offered. What the heck? Stupid idea! Why did you say that out loud.
Elsa giggled, offering her hand.
Anna smiled as she brought her own hand to clap together with Elsa's, filling the room with the sound of a successful high-five.
She looked over at the counter to see Eric roll his eyes and laugh to himself. Anna blushed slightly as she realized that Eric was probably listening to their whole conversation and was probably fully aware of her situation. She'd have to talk to him later.
"Perfect. I'll see you tomorrow?" Elsa asked as she began to make her way to the door.
Anna watched her go, goofy smile ever growing on her freckled face. "Yeah!"
The door's bells jingled as Elsa opened it. "I can't wait." She offered a small wave goodbye, which was returned by the redhead immediately, and let the door shut behind her.
And then she was gone.
Anna took a deep breath. That was... better than expected. She sat back down and finished her coffee before getting up and helping Eric clean up this and that. She didn't reject me. In fact, she still wants to see me. The girl closed her eyes and let out a content sigh, hugging her arms around her own sides. Oh my gosh, this could be amazing. Maybe... maybe she likes me.
A/N: Ahhhhh sorry guys. Usual excuses, I guess. Softball, school, finals, my own laziness. But, hey, at least this one is kinda long-ish, right? Well, thank you guys a TON for all the reviews and stuff. It really helps me to keep writing. Ahhh, I love you guys! I have every intention of continuing this, so I won't leave ya'll hanging! Keep reviewing! 3 3 3