Chapter 21: The truth about the past.

Yesterday, as soon as I arrived home, I got a call from Anna, who asked me to meet with her in a coffee shop today. Thanks to it being Saturday we won't see each other at school, so I had to agree. I don't want her to think that I'm mad with her because she tried to talk to me about my mother, but… I just hope she doesn't bring up the subject again.

However, right now I have bigger problems.

You see, Anna gave me a hickey yesterday and I didn't notice, so right now I'm facing an interrogation from Kai and Gerda who are trying to make me confess who I was with yesterday. I don't want to lie to them, but I don't want to tell them the true either. So I've been giving them elusive answers for a while, until I realize I'm it's almost time for me to leave for my date with Anna, and start thinking that I should maybe tell them the truth. After all, Anna's parents already know and they didn't react badly, so maybe (hopefully) Kai and Gerda won't mind either right?

I really hope so.

Well, your hopes are about to be crushed.

Ugh, you again. Why don't you just disappear?

I'm a part of you, remember? I can't disappear.

"Elsa, please, we won't get mad if you tell us you were with a boy." Gerda's voice saves me from my internal fight.

"I would." Kai contradicts her.

"But only because that'd mean you lied to us." Gerda clarifies, even though I'm pretty sure that wasn't what Kai had meant. "We want you to be honest with us." I bite my lip at her words, because really, I want to tell them the truth, but… I'm scared.

"Even if you don't like the truth?" I find myself asking in a shy voice.

"Of course." Gerda assures me, giving Kai a jab on his ribs when he just frowns.

"Of course." He quickly says, and I have to take a deep breath and close my eyes, preparing myself to speak. I inhale twice, calming my racing heart and, in an almost inaudible voice, pretending that I'm alone in my room where no one can hear me, finally admit it.

"I was with Anna."

"What?" Gerda asks, confused, and I sigh, knowing I have to clarify myself, even when I really don't want to.

"Yesterday, after the trial… I-I was with Anna." I repeat, and now my whole body is shaking in fear, and my shoulders feel extremely tense. I really just want to run away right now, or better yet, disappear. I don't want to confront their horrified faces.

"Then who gave you the hickey?" Kai asks, clearly confused. I just stare at him with a guilty face, hoping he isn't going to tell me to get out of his house once he realizes what it means, and as the silence stretches, my hope grows thinner and thinner until I just want to break in tears. I mean, after all I've been through, I'd hoped I could just have some peace for a while, but their reaction is not precisely accepting… I don't think I could handle their rejection right now; I need them to support me, I need…

"Elsa?" Gerda's tender voice helps me from panicking. "Are you… gay?"

"I-I…" I try to answer, but my throat is swollen, and I realize I'm mere moments away from crying. Before I can do just that, Gerda walks towards me and gives me a crushing hug that, while quite unexpected, was really appreciated. It comforts me; she's not mad at me, she doesn't hate me. Numbly I feel myself hug her back.

"Oh, Elsa." She says. "I don't care if you like women instead of men. I still love you." Instantly relieved tears fall from my eyes, because really, that's something no one that I really cared about has told me before, something I wished my father would've said to me.

"She's right." Kai says as he puts his hand on my shoulder in a comforting gesture, and I force myself to let go of Gerda to look at his accepting eyes. His gaze is filled with so much love, that it's almost impossible to believe. "I was surprised, that's all, but I'm okay with you being Anna's girlfriend. Actually, I think it's better than you having a boyfriend, since you can't get pregnant."

"Thank you." I say with a huge smile, wiping my tears. "I really needed to hear that."

"Anytime, Elsa." He reassures me, and I quickly hug him before glancing at the clock and realizing I'm going to be late to my date.

"Sorry for being late." I apologize as I reach the table where Anna is and sit down. "I-I couldn't find the place." I lie, not because I don't want to tell her what happened with Kai and Gerda, but because I still can't believe they accepted me as I am. I'll tell her later, once it feels more real.

"Hey, it's fine." Anna shrugs it off, not seeming upset at all. "What's important is that you're here."

"Why wouldn't I be?" I ask confused. Why would I miss a date with my beautiful girlfriend after all?

"Well… yesterday you were pretty mad…" She trails off, looking down at the table with a guilty expression that makes me feel bad at how I treated her yesterday.

"I wasn't mad." I quickly reply. "Not at you, at least." I add, taking her hand between mine in a reassuring gesture. "I know you were just trying to help me, but…" I sigh. "I'm just not ready to talk about my mother."

You're a coward.

"Oh." Anna says and coughs awkwardly before blatantly changing the subject. "Uh… why don't I go get our coffees?" She gets up. "Is mocha okay with you?"

"Yes, perfect." I smile, trying to pretend I'm not confused at her reaction of me mentioning I don't want to talk about my mother. Was she just about to ask me about her again? Was that the reason she brought me here? I hope not, because then I'll probably run away. It's what I do best after all; running from my problems and hope that is enough to make them disappear… gosh, I think I really am a coward.

When Anna comes back with our coffees and a piece of chocolate cake, she tries making small talk, you know, the weather, homework, exams… but she's quite distracted and nervous, like she really wants to talk about something else, but doesn't because she thinks I'll get upset with her. I don't know what it is what she wants to tell me, but I bet it's about my mom, and even if I don't want to talk about her, I don't want this to ruin my date with Anna either. So I sigh, because I know that we can't avoid the subject anymore.

"Okay, spill it." I prompt her.

"S-spill what?" Anna stammers nervously in a poor attempt to pretend she doesn't know what I'm talking about. It's kind of cute actually, but I still raise an eyebrow at this and she sighs in defeat. Slowly she pulls out her cellphone and starts searching for something as she explains me. "Remember I asked you yesterday if I could search for a picture of your mother just to see if you look like her? Well, I did and..."

"Anna." I interrupt her before she can continue, because now I know what she is trying to do. "I told you I didn't want to see a picture of my mother, so..."

"That's not it." Anna quickly clarifies. "It's just..." She bites her lip and brings the cellphone to her chest in a protecting gesture, like she's hesitating about showing to me whatever she found, fearing it'll hurt me. Even though I know that's certainly a risk… I'm quite curious. I mean, she could've found something important. What if my mother's name isn't Idunn, but something completely different? Or what if she now knows where she is? What if she's been searching for me all this time, or…?

Stop. Stop right there. When are you ever going to understand that she doesn't love you, she'd never did and never will? Wanna know what she found? Ask her. You'll see your mother is even a worse person than you have imagined.

She's not, you'll see. I'll ask her.

Even in my head I'm quite hesitant, but I somehow find the courage to ask anyway.

"What is it? What did you find?" When Anna hears my voice, she sighs and hands me her cellphone.

"I found this article." She explains as I glance at the screen of her smartphone and find myself staring at a picture of a pale blonde woman with beautiful blue eyes and a kind smile. I can't help thinking she looks a lot like me… or rather, I look a lot like her; while my father and brother both had grayish hair and grey eyes, my mother and I both have the same blue eyes (well, maybe mine are a little lighter) and blonde hair (even if mine is a lot paler). My heart clenches when I think about it. "It's in Norwegian." Anna continues to explain. "So I didn't understand a thing, but I translated the title and..." At this I turn my attention towards said title and… what I find is something that makes my blood run cold.

"Recently divorced woman brutally murdered." I read out loud in English as a sensation of absolute dread settles in my stomach, already knowing what this is all about. A part of me doesn't want to continue reading, but I know I have to; I need to know what happened to that woman who gave me life. "Very early this morning, Idunn Olafrdottir, previously known as Idunn Frost, who recently got divorced from her now ex-husband Adgar Frost, CEO of North Mountain enterprises, was found dead in the living room of her new apartment. The police say that the neighbors reported having heard constant cries of a baby for about a day and, since the owner of the apartment wasn't answering her door, they thought something may have happened. And so the police forced the door open and found the woman lying in a pool of blood and with multiple cuts on her body." I pause, trying not to imagine it, but it's too easy to picture that woman, so similar to me, lying in the ground in a pool of her own blood. That's a vision that'll give me nightmares… it's a good thing that this article didn't have a picture of the crime scene, because I'm already trembling now, unable to continue.

However, in that moment, Anna, as sweet as always, gets up, takes her chair and pulls it until she's sitting right beside me, then wraps one arm around my shoulders and pulls me towards her for comfort. I really appreciate this gesture, because otherwise I doubt I would be able to continue; Anna's presence gives me the support I need in this situation.

"Her hands were tied up with a rope and she had been gaged." I continue with great difficulty. "There were also strangulation marks on her neck and a few bruises on her face. The forensic analysis points that she died from strangulation." I pause, noticing the next words on the text and doubting if I should continue, but then I hear Anna's steady breathing and feel her warmth, and I know she'll be at my side no matter what. I'm not alone in this. I can do this. "T-the baby, on the other hand, was her three-month old daughter, Elsa Frost, who fortunately remained unharmed in her crib until the police found her. She will be given to her father, who will take care of her ..." I pause, looking horrified at the next few lines. What this article says… it's too horrible to even think about it, how am I going to say it out loud?

"There's more?" Anna asks and I know it wouldn't be fair of me to leave her with doubt. Besides, I know she wants to help me, and to do that, she has to know what is going on, so I reluctantly read the last paragraph.

"S-some people think… he was behind his ex-wife's murder. However, this hasn't been confirmed and the police will keep investigating." I say with trembling voice and hands.

"Elsa?" She asks carefully. "Are you okay?"

"No." I say softly. I'm shaking so much that I actually leave the cellphone on the table to avoid dropping it, and instead snuggle closer to Anna.

"I'm sorry." She apologizes with a sad and remorseful voice.

"No, that's not…" I sigh, thinking about how can I explain that I'm not mad at Anna for telling me the truth. "I mean… I'm glad you showed me this, because it makes me feel better about myself, now that I know my mother didn't abandon me, but…" I swallow as I feel my throat begin to swell and my eyes prickle with tears.

"You're sad that she's dead." She completes the phrase for me.

"Yeah…" I admit, almost whispering, realizing that's what I wanted to say. "I mean, I don't miss her, because you can't miss someone you've never met, but… I have a similar feeling, like…"

"A sense of loss?" She suggests.

"Yes, I think that's what it is." I say as I take a deep breath, trying to calm down and not let the feelings overwhelm me. Unfortunately it's quite difficult because, though only now I found out about my mother's death, the sadness of losing her has been there all my life, just now it's a lot worse. "Do you think that's strange?" I ask, separating myself from Anna to look at her in the eye. I really need to know if she thinks my behavior isn't normal in this situation; after all, I never met my mother.

"No, of course not." She assures me, and I can see the sincerity in those teal orbs, which helps me calm down. "Maybe you never met her, but she's your mother; she's an important part of who you are."

"I guess." I shrug confused, because I still haven't figured out who my mother is to me, or what changes now that I know that she's dead. "But it's just… I don't know what to do with this knowledge, you know?" I voice my thoughts as I start nervously fidgeting with my hands. "It's not like I could just erase a lifetime of hating her, but I can't love her either because I never knew her… and if my father really k-…" I swallow, not able to pronounce the word the first time. It's one thing to think your father is a bad person because he treats you poorly, and another, very different one, to know he could be a murderer. "K-k-killed her…" I'm finally able to say with difficulty. "Then I still can do nothing about it; I can't prove it true, but I can't prove it false either." I look at Anna searching for reassurance and support. "How will I ever be able to talk to him… t-to even look at him, knowing he could've murdered my mother?"

"Elsa, calm down." She says, taking my hands and caressing them, which actually helps soothe me a little. "No one is saying that you father killed your mother; that article is very old, and the culprit could've already been captured. There's no need to panic for nothing." She says, trying to be reasonable, but I know the truth. I know my father is a very vengeful man, and that all he cares about is money, and if my mother really got divorced of him, probably taking half of his fortune in the process… well, I think he's very capable of killing someone for that. Maybe not personally, but he probably sent someone to do the dirty work for him and then turned them in to the police, coming out with his hands clean. However, I don't tell this to Anna; I don't want to worry her.

"And about what to do with the knowledge of your mother being dead…" She continues, not noticing my internal struggle. "Well, I think I have an idea." I raise an eyebrow with curiosity, desperate to do anything to make my situation better than it is right now. "Look, you can't change what happened, but you can make the best out of this situation." She pauses, apparently looking for any sign from my part that she should stop, but I don't give her one. "Your mother was a divorced woman when she died, and as such, all of her possessions weren't left to her husband, but to whoever she left them to in her will. However, if she didn't leave a will, then they'll be passed to her children, in this case you."

"Me?" I ask, utterly surprised; I'd never thought of it that way. "But… if that were true then by now I would have inherited everything."

"Yes, but you didn't know she was dead." She reasons. "And as a minor, your father is the one who manages all of your possessions, probably one of the reasons he wanted you to think that your mother was alive and she had just abandoned you." To my dismay, all what Anna said makes a lot of sense; that's just the kind of thing my father would do, but even if it doesn't surprise me, the intense pain in my heart comes rather unexpectedly. I feel a tear falling down my cheek, and I try to wipe it, but more follow and soon enough I'm weeping. Anna's arms wrap themselves around me, giving me the warmth and love that I so desperately need right now.

I don't know for how long I cried, but I do know Anna held me through all of it, whispering soothing words in my ear and, eventually, making me eat some chocolate cake. At the end, she managed to calm me down and, though I'm still feeling a bit… shaken, I'm much better now than before. Still, when Anna asked me to go to the movies with her, I didn't agree immediately. In reality all I wanted to do was to crawl into my bed and think about what I'd just learned. However, somehow she was able to convince me, probably because a part of me new that being alone in my room at that moment wasn't the best of the ideas, especially with the Other Elsa present in my head.

So that's why I ended up here, about to buy our tickets and arguing with Anna about watching the movie on 3D or 2D. I wanna watch it in 2D because, well… it's a lot cheaper, and I don't have money to pay, so it'd be unfair to take advantage of Anna making her pay more than necessary, but she doesn't seem to get that.

"Anna, please, I don't want to watch it in 3D." I say, subconsciously wrapping my arms around my torso.

"But it's earlier in 3D." She replies stubbornly.

"And more expensive!" I counter.

"So?" She rolls her eyes. "I'll pay, I told you."

"I-I don't want you to pay." I admit, lowering my gaze in shame. "I know I can't buy my own ticket because I don't have money, but I'm not going to take advantage of you and let you pay more than you should just to watch it in 3D." I sigh. "It wouldn't be right."

"Elsa." She says, putting a hand on my shoulder. "Look, I understand that you don't want to take advantage of me, but you're not. I want to pay for you, alright? I want it, you're not forcing me to do anything that I can't or am not willing to do."

"But…" I try to protest again, but she silences me by pressing a finger on my lips.

"Look, men do it for their girlfriends all the time, so I don't see why this is any different." I frown, since I think even in heterosexual couples that kind of behavior is a bit unfair. Anna seems to notice that I'm about to argue, because she continues. "But if you really are not okay with it… well, you'll pay next time." She finishes with a playful wink.

"Anna." I sigh, taking a step back. "You know I don't have any money." I remind her.

"Well, I never said anything about money, did I?" She says, checking me out with lust in her eyes.

"Anna!" I almost shriek, blushing and trying to cover my face with my hands in embarrassment. She laughs in my expense and pulls me into an embrace as I bury my reddened face in her neck while she keeps laughing. I must admit, however, that her little joke served to break the tense atmosphere that was forming around us.

"But seriously Elsa…" She says, once she's able to stop laughing. "You could pay next time; if only you put a demand on you father and forced him to give you your inheritance…

"No." I cut her off as I break our embrace without thinking it twice. "That's out of the question."

"But why?" She asks exasperated.

"I just don't want to confront my father, okay?" I lower my gaze to the ground, trying to suppress the panic I feel just thinking about it. "I don't think I have the strength to even face him."

Coward, as always.

Stop calling me a coward!

I will when you stop being one.

"I understand." She says in a reassuring tone. "But you can't let your fear get in the way of your happiness, your freedom..."

"Money doesn't give you freedom." I counter, though remembering all those times I couldn't buy what I wanted or go somewhere, or even stop depending on my father to give me everything… I start to doubt my own statement.

"No." She agrees. "But it sure helps, especially in your situation." I look at her, prompting her to explain what she meant by that and she soon continues. "You have nothing, Elsa; if not for Kai and Gerda you'd live on the streets. Is that what you want? Isn't a better life worth fighting for? Isn't it worth facing your father?"

"I-I guess..." I admit, because really, I've fantasized about getting enough money to forget about my father and leave the past in the past, but fantasies don't come true more often than not. "But I can't pay for a lawyer... Actually I can't even buy my plane ticket to Norway!" I exclaim, frustrated, since I really want to better up my life, but I can't. It's literally impossible. "I don't even see the point of discussing this; it not happening!"

"Are you sure about that?—She raises an eyebrow.

"Of course I'm sure Anna, why do you even ask?" I frown at her; Anna knows firsthand that I have nothing in the world, she said it herself! So then why…?

"Because I can make that happen. I can help you, Elsa... Well, my parents can, but it's the same."

"Are you crazy?!" I scream in disbelief. "I'm not asking them such a favor! That just wouldn't be right!"

I don't even know them all that well! I bet they would forbid me ever stepping into their house again as soon as I asked them to help me with such a thing.

"Okay, first of, you saved their precious daughter from being raped, and second, you are said daughter's girlfriend. Of course they'll be happy to help you!" She insists, apparently not seeing just how of a big deal it truly is.

"I-I don't know." I answer, not wanting to fight more with my girlfriend, but not wanting to relent either.

"Look, we can talk about that later." 2She suddenly says, glancing at the clock. "Let's go see the movie and enjoy ourselves. It's our second date after all." She gives me a little smile, and I try to reciprocate, but I'm really not in the mood, so I'm pretty sure it looked more like a grimace. She frowns when she notices this and gives me a little peck in my lips, before separating slightly and whispering into my mouth. "Please, I'm sorry about ruining the mood, you know I usually talk before thinking." She apologizes with puppy-dog eyes that I'm unable to resist.

"Alright." I relent pulling away from her slightly so I can see her eyes. "Lets watch the movie." I say, this time smiling for real, glad that she dropped the subject, but also because I know I'm quite lucky to have someone like Anna to look out for me, even if I can't always accept her help.

At the end it didn't matter if the movie was in 3D or 2D because we didn't even pay attention (but in case you're wondering, yes, we watched it in 3D). Most of the time we spent it stealing glances at each other, holding hands and, eventually, making out, much to the dismay of the people sitting beside us, but let me tell you, I regret nothing… except accepting to go to Anna's house after the movie ended, because as soon as we entered the living room, I noticed her parents were waiting to ambush us, and I already know what this is about.

"Elsa." Anna's father greets me as he stands up and shakes my hand, her mother doing the same after him. "Please take a seat." He motions to the couch in front of him and I reluctantly comply as Anna sits at my side and her parents in front of us. I give my girlfriend a confused look, silently asking what this is all about, but she only answers a reassuring smile, which tells me she knew about this ambush all along. I glare at her briefly before turning my gaze to her parents.

"Elsa." Anna's mother starts. "Our daughter told us about your… situation this morning." I tense up. Of course Anna would do that without asking me first. I'm so mad at her right now that, when she tries to take my hand, I pull it away. "And we'd like to help." She concludes.

Wow, that's unexpected. I never thought they'd be willing to do such a thing for me. Maybe I underestimated their generosity.

Or maybe they just don't understand fully what they are getting themselves into.

It doesn't matter. We can't accept their help anyways.

"I appreciate it." I answer politely, but still making sure they know their intents are not appreciated. "But I can't accept your help."

"Why not?" Anna's father frowns.

"It wouldn't be right."

"Elsa, you saved our daughter from being raped. It's the least we can do." He insists.

"Please, I really don't want to argue." I say, tired of having been discussing about this with Anna all day.

"Well, then accept our help and then you can go."

"I can't! I would never be able to pay back such a debt." I try to make them reason.

"You don't have to." He says, making me realize he's just as (or even more) stubborn than his daughter.

"I said no, and my decision is final." I say, realizing that polite answers just won't do in this case, getting up to make clear that I don't want to talk about this anymore. "Goodbye." I start walking away, trying to escape from even thinking about the possibility of confronting my father in the near future, rather than of Anna's insistent parents, however, a hand in my shoulder stops me.

"Elsa, I understand that you feel us helping you would be taking advantage of us." Anna's mother says, but I don't turn around to look at her, fearing that she'll be able to convince me if I do; after all, yesterday she was so nice to me… she makes me feel so special that I would gladly do anything she asked me. "But that couldn't be farther from the truth. We want to help you. Please, let us do this one little thing for you." She pleads with a tender tone, that makes me feel bad about trying to leave so suddenly and I decide it's better to turn to face her and explain my reasons clearly.

"I can't." I say, distressed. "And it's not only that I can't accept your help, it's…" I look down in shame because of the vulnerability my next words will imply. "I don't want to face my father."

"I understand." She pauses, taking a deep breath, and for a moment I think she'll leave me alone (which I don't know yet if it's a good thing), but she doesn't. "But you have to." I look up, confused and scared and Anna's mother explains herself. "It's not only about the mental peace it'd give you, which is really important by the way, but it's also about your independence, your freedom."

"I-I… I don't know." I bite my lip, thinking about it, considering her words. Of course I want freedom, and independence, but… there's so much fear in me it paralyzes me, always has. I don't think I can get rid of it enough to face my worst nightmare.

"Think about this, Elsa: What do you think your mother would've wanted?" She asks, but as I try to answer her question, I realize that I can't.

"I didn't know her, how can I know that?" I counter.

"Yes, you didn't know her, but you do know that she got divorced from your father before she died. Why do you think that was?"

"Because he's an asshole." Anna says like it's the most obvious thing of the world, earning a glare from my mother that instantly makes her shut her mouth. This almost made me laugh for a moment (almost), but then I remember what her mother asked and try to think about what she wants me to answer.

"Because…" I pause, thinking. "Because she wanted to be free of him?" I say like a question.

"I don't know." Anna's mother shrugs, much to my surprise; I thought that was what she wanted me to say. "I haven't met your father, so I don't know the type of man he is, even though my daughter has clearly expressed her opinion." She glares at my girlfriend again and she sighs, rolling her eyes. "What I do know is that he didn't treat you all that well, and that may be the reason your mother got divorced; she wanted you to be free from him."

"Maybe…" I say unsure, because really, I know nothing about the woman. What if she didn't love me that much? What if she just divorced from my father because of selfish reasons?

You only say that because you don't want to think of the possibility. Would it really be so terrible to think about someone actually loving you?

It would. After all, the things we love most are the ones that destroy us.

"Please, Elsa. Don't you want to finally get him out of your life?" Her mother insists.

Of course!

Even I agree with that.

"Fine." I sigh, finally meeting her gaze, deciding I can't spend the rest of my life fearing my father, too afraid to claim what is mine and suffering because I own nothing. "But I'll pay you back someday." I add, my morals not letting me accept their offer without making sure they realize I'm not about to take advantage from their generosity.

"Of course, when you marry our daughter." Anna's mother jokes, but I still feel my cheeks burn bright red and hear Anna let out a mortified groan. "Just kidding." She says, still giggling a little. "You're still too young to think about that."

"That's true." Anna's father says, getting up from the couch. "But now if you excuse me, I have to go get some plane tickets to Norway."

"Wait… some?" I ask, not believing what I'm hearing. "You're going too?"

"Of course, we can't just let you fly all the way to the other end of the world alone. You're a minor after all, what kind of person do that?"

My father.

A sudden pain settles into my heart, but it's a bittersweet feeling, because sure, my father didn't care one bit about letting me fly to another country where I knew no one... but Anna's father does; he won't leave me alone, even if I'm not his daughter. It's such an overwhelming feeling of joy and sadness combined, that I can't help it when I lung forward and hug him tightly, relishing at the feeling of finally finding someone (a parental figure) that cares so much about me (Well, besides Kai, but… I never really saw him as a father, as awful as that makes me feel).

"I-I… thank you." I choke through my swollen throat. "For everything."

"No problem." Anna's father answers, hugging me back and patting me with affection, before pulling away and looking me at the eye with a proud and happy expression that I've never seen directed to me from an adult before… until he brakes it to look at his wife. "Now I'm gonna go before it gets too late." He says.

"I'll come with you." Anna's mother says. "I have to make sure you don't end up buying tickets for one in the morning."

"Alright." His father chuckles and I can't help wondering what was all that about, however I don't have time to ask, before he refers to his daughter.—By the way, Anna, don't think that just because we're gone you and Elsa can do whatever you want. The servants are warned that, if they see your door is closed, they have to open it.

"Okay, jeez, it's not like we're going to have sex while you're gone."2 She says, rolling her eyes.

"Alright, you've been warned." He answers before heading to the door together with Anna's mother. Soon, they're both gone.

"So… what do you wanna do?" Anna asks me once we're alone.

"Kill you. I so want to kill you." I say playfully, because really, I feel better now that I know this will all be over soon.

"Are you sure that's what you wanted to say? I think the right words in this situation would be: 'Thank you, Anna, you're the best girlfriend in the world.'" She says and I almost smile at her antics. Almost. I still want her to know she can't get away with everything.

"Right." I roll my eyes. "And the most obnoxious too."

"Hey!" She pouts adorably. "But you still love me."

"Yes, I do." I say tenderly, so she knows I'm serious about this. "And right now I want to kiss you so badly." I say, leaning in and eyeing her lips.

"Go ahead." She encourages. "He did say 'no sex', but no one said kissing was forbidden."

"That's true." I hum before pulling her towards me from her waist and pressing my lips with hers in a tender kiss that soon gets heated, until we're both forced to pull away to breathe.

"Let's go to my room." She says with half lidded eyes, full of lust.

"No sex." I remind her (though the advertence is also for myself).

"I never said we were going to have sex, you perv." She teases and I blush in realization that she's right; it was my dirty mind that made her words sound like she was implying something. However, before I can get more mortified, she takes my hand and leads me upstairs enthusiastically.

As I see her, so beautiful, so happy, so… radiant, I confirm that, indeed, just having Anna as my girlfriend is enough compensation for all the horrible things that happened in the past and all the difficult situations that, no doubt, are sure to pass soon.