NOTE: So I apologise in advance if there's no update tomorrow; it's going to be Pride and my day will be hectic. Hopefully, I can still throw up the next chapter early or something!

~ Chapter Twenty-Four ~

Hours later, they all had a light dinner together and discussed things. Though Elsa still maintained a stony silence with Esmé, she didn't shout at her again, preferring to ask Anna things and chat to her about various subjects. Anna tried her best to get both of them talking again, and Esmé herself made a couple of halfhearted attempts — which fell on deaf ears. Seemed Anna's idol was more than capable of holding a grudge.

However, when the taller woman announced she'd be going out for the rest of the evening, Elsa did tell her, "Have a good time." And even though there was no real enthusiasm to her wording, she also didn't sound sarcastic; it was something.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked when they were alone again.

"What? Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Esmé. You seem pretty… well, like you wanna hit her with a truck."

Frowning over at her from her spot curled up on the couch, she laid the book down and said, "She didn't check the group chat and came here when the house was already occupied. I think I have a right to be angry."

"I'm sorry. Guess I just didn't… wasn't expecting you guys to hate each other so much."

That genuinely seemed to surprise the pop star, and it took her a moment to recover. "I… what? No, I don't hate her."

"Really?" Anna muttered, still pointing her eyes down at her sketchpad more often than looking at her friend.

"No! God, no! I…" Sighing, she drew her legs inward, leaning more heavily against the arm of the sofa. "We don't get along sometimes. It happens when you have an ongoing working relationship. I am furious with her for intruding on the second half of our week, but it will pass. I promise."

"But I don't mind! Honest! Like, I'm still going to love hanging out with you, going swimming, everything, and it won't bother me the tiniest bit if she's here, too!"

"But it bothers me."

"Why?"

Elsa shrugged, looking away. "It was supposed to be just us. In the house, anyway. Maybe if she had asked first, and I discussed it with you and you told me you were fine with her coming, I'd have been mildly irritated for a second and then could let it go. Might even have been nice to have her here. But she didn't! She just flounced right into the house, not even knocking!"

"Well… it is partly her house, why should she knock?"

"That's… you're… right about that, but still!"

Chuckling, Anna got up, set her sketchpad down next to the chair and walked over to sit on Elsa's feet, leaning over so they looked like two books between a bookends that were spaced for several more. The pop star stiffened for a second, then relaxed and let her arm drape around Anna's shoulders.

"You're a really good friend. But you seriously don't have to be this mad. I, um…" Truth time - at least, partially. "I did hear Esmé apologise to you. She sounded pretty sincere."

"You heard that?" When Anna didn't answer, she began to rub up and down Anna's shoulder. "It's not fair. She shouldn't get a free pass just because of 'I'm sorry'; that doesn't undo the damage she did."

"You're still acting like she really hurt us somehow! We will still get to hang out together, still party, still find new restaurants, still go shopping! What did she even change?"

"I can't be myself around her!" she finally hissed harshly. "Just… any of them! They remind me of work, and I get into 'work mode', or… or get upset so easily because they…" Biting her lip, she turned away.

"They what?"

Elsa took a moment to choose her words carefully. "It's not that they're overly unkind. Just that they tease me, and sometimes, it feels too harsh. I know that's me being too soft; friends tease each other. I'm not used to it because… because I'm just not. B-but putting up with it all the time, it really wears me out. Makes me want to withdraw, get away from them. With Esmé, a lot of it's about how I never date and do 'boring' things with my free time, like reading. Even though I'm pretty sure she's just trying to get me to loosen up and have fun, it's really- who put her in charge of my leisure activities?!"

"Okay, okay," Anna soothed her, leaning even closer and cuddling around her back. She could hear how shallow Elsa was breathing from there, and it made her squirm. "You're okay. So they tease you a lot more than they should. I can get how you'd want to have a break from them, and just hang out with me since I don't do that."

"As much," Elsa murmured.

"Right. Do you want me to stop teasing you completely?"

"No…"

Smiling a little at Elsa's tiny pout, completely unable to believe it was THE Elsa pouting like a mopey puppy, Anna laid her head on her shoulder. "Good. But I'll make sure I don't go too far. And if I do, tell me, alright?"

"Of course. I just… really want to make sure this is the best week you've ever had, I already feel bad enough not being here yesterday."

"It's already the best week I've ever had. Ever!" Then she took a deep breath. Moment of truth. "And… I really hope tonight will be one of the best, too."

"Tonight?" Her head turned very slightly. "What's tonight?"

"Well… um, Mulan invited me to some huge house party that's happening a little further down the beach. A fuckton of people are supposed to be there, and a killer DJ is spinning, and… m-maybe I can see how it goes with her if we can hang out again."

Elsa couldn't disguise her disappointment entirely. Her eyes flicked between Anna and the coffee table a few times, her throat worked to swallow. "Oh. Well, you did say she's supposed to be leaving soon…" Then she gave a light shrug and smiled. "I hope you have a good time with her."

"Huh? Oh, did you not want to come with?"

"Me? I thought you were going there on a date. Is… that not-"

"Well, I am," Anna laughed. "But that doesn't mean you can't come, too! I wanted you to come!"

Elsa shook her head, biting her lip. Then her arm withdrew from around Anna and she slid it around her own stomach. "No, that's okay. I'm a little exhausted from all the craziness of Cannes; I'll just stay in and watch something, recharge my batteries."

"Oh." Anna sat back, her hand still on Elsa's shoulder but unsure of whether she should keep it there. All of the older girl's body language told her that she wanted to be left alone, but she hadn't said anything about it yet. She would almost rather have her yell at her like she yelled at Esmé than watch her withdraw into herself that way.

"I'll be fine," Elsa said when she noticed Anna wasn't talking. "Really. And we'll figure out something to do tomorrow - maybe touristy stuff?"

"Yeah." Swallowing her uncertainty, she threw her arms around Elsa again, cradling her as close as she could manage. Her body stiffened for a moment, but then relaxed… partly. "Um-"

"You should probably start getting ready. I mean, obviously you want to impress Mulan, and that takes careful planning. Feel free to borrow anything of mine that you think will make an impact."

Nodding, Anna finally pulled away completely. Elsa wasn't receptive. This wasn't the chill she had displayed to the other SEEK member, though; this was Elsa being too exposed, too vulnerable. Trying not to let on to Anna that at the moment, she had become a raw nerve, doing its best to protect itself.

"Elsa? I…" How could she phrase what she wanted to tell her? "I missed you."

"I missed you, too."

"Do you… wanna help me get ready?"

With a smile that was close to her usual self, she said, "Call me in there when you want more 'signal' marks on your cheeks." They both smiled, and Anna extricated herself from the couch. "And, um, if you need me to zip you up or anything."

"I will. Thanks." But when she went upstairs, her mind remained with the girl on the couch, pretending to read her book.

~ o ~

By the time she came back downstairs, Anna had transformed herself. White jorts and a pale green cami made her appear casual, but her hair was in an elaborate bun, and her makeup was flawless; the light dusting of glitter on her cheekbones was so understated that one had to lean in and squint to tell if it was that or just a natural sheen.

"How do I look?"

By that time, Elsa was sipping at a glass of wine and flipping through a magazine Anna had noticed in the bathroom; probably had been there for a year. When she looked up, she broke into a wide grin. "Killer, as usual. You really do underestimate your natural beauty."

"The natural beauty of six layers of makeup and more freckles than I know what to do with," she laughed, fiddling with the hem of her top. "Now, do you want to put signals on me, or do you think me going there for Mulan is good enough?"

Elsa set her glass down as she stood. "Probably fine. But I do think you deserve a kiss, anyway."

"I do?" Two hands came to rest on her shoulders. "I d-do, apparently!"

The soft lips pressed into her cheek, and lingered there even longer than they had when they were both drunk at the club. It took all of Anna's willpower not to feel things; not to think about this, not to focus on who was doing something so warm and sweet and… inviting. She had promised herself - promised that she was past the point of seeing Elsa as anything other than a friend. Even if certain parts of her weren't listening.

When Elsa pulled away, throat working to swallow, she breathed, "Elsa…"

"For luck. I… wanted you to have a lot of it." Though she looked shy about her slightly-unusual action, she also seemed entirely in earnest with her well-wishes. "Knock that girl's socks off like we both know you can."

"I'll try my best. Um, last chance to come with me? Please?" Elsa only shook her head, so she gave a little shrug. "It's cool. I'll… see you later."

Then, on impulse, she leaned in and gave Elsa the same kiss she had just received. The taller girl froze solid, blinking repeatedly. When Anna was through, she whispered, "What was that for? I'm not going anywhere that I'll need luck."

"Just wanted to do it. Seemed… fair, somehow. Bye."

"R-right, bye…"

And as Anna wandered outside, she distinctly heard Elsa sit down so clumsily that she knocked over her wine glass. Luckily, there was no rug under the table.

~ To Be Continued ~