~ Chapter Six ~

Elsa kept looking over at Anna every few minutes as they drove back from the airport. She was quiet, but it was an excited quiet rather than a sad or nervous one. Like she was bursting to say so many things but didn't want to seem silly or excited.

However, most of what was on Anna's face was redness. Elsa wondered if it was a sunburn or a blush, but either way, she was definitely not her usual hue of "slightly more tan than white". She had a sneaking suspicion that, if indeed it were a blush, the origin was the small handful of Polaroids she had slipped into her bag. It didn't have to be why, but some part of her would be quite gratified if it was.

"So… how was the flight?"

"Not that bad," Anna sighed, biting her lip and staring out the window.

"Really? No annoying people sat next to you, nothing strange in the airport?"

"Nope." After another second, she shrugged and went on, "Well, there was this one thing."

"Yeah?"

"Um… I think I got hit on by one of the flight attendants." When Elsa didn't react, she went on, "Like, I know they're supposed to be nice to you and everything, and they all were nice. But this one Asian woman kept winking at me every time she brought me something, or asked a question - and then she told me her name was 'Mulan' and asked if I wanted to meet her in the 'sky lounge' or something, since she had a break after her flight and I had a layover. Like, how did she know?"

That made Elsa's chest squeeze hard, but she didn't know how to put into words what she felt. Also, it wasn't fair of her to put her own jealousy - if that's what it was - onto her friend. "Oh. I m-mean, how did she know what?"

"How did she know I'm bi, or pan, or whatever I am!? Like, was I broadcasting it to the world and I'm just blissfully ignorant of the vibes I'm putting out?"

"Maybe you are. Or maybe you're just so freaking beautiful that she figured it was worth finding out." When Anna blinked over at her, she instantly refocused on the road. "So, um, did you meet her at the lounge?"

At this point, Anna seemed to want to clam up again, but after a few breaths, she answered, "Thought about it. But I honestly had to pee, and I lost sight of her, and… it seemed a lot more serious if I went through the trouble of asking directions to the lounge, so instead I just found a seat and waited for my next flight."

"Oh. I see."

"It's… she seemed cool and everything, but I didn't feel a connection to her, anyway. Except that maybe it would have been fun to… nevermind."

"What? Been fun to what?"

"I don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Smiling weakly, Elsa glanced over at Anna briefly. "You can say you wanted to sleep with her, I'm not going to lose it over something like that."

"Okay, then. Yeah, she was really hot. I wanted to do that."

"Okay."

Anna turned more fully in her seat, sneakers squeaking against the plastic floormat. "That doesn't bother you? That I want to bang other people? I mean, you're the one who looks at this as more of a… whatever, compared to me. I just don't want to hurt you by talking about stuff like that."

"Honestly, Anna, it's none of my concern. I'm not having sex with you - obviously, since I don't wish to do that. So if you did want to sleep with another woman, or a man, or a non-binary person, that's entirely up to you."

"You mean that?" Anna asked incredulously. "Because even though I'm not into lovey-dovey stuff, I at least know that people get jealous and pissed when their girlfriend cheats on them. And I wouldn't want to hurt you that way - never, ever!"

"Hey, how is it cheating if I'm telling you I don't mind?" When Anna just continued to stare at her, she pulled over onto the side of the road, in front of an antique shop. Anna only expressed mild surprise that Elsa wasn't still driving. "Listen. It would be really insensitive of me to prevent you from having sex. I can't give that to you - or I could, and would if you were okay with knowing I'm not enjoying it. But you said you won't ask that of me, which is appreciated. In light of that, the least I can do is give you one hundred per cent freedom to sleep with whoever you want to sleep with."

The freckled, possibly-sunburnt redhead chewed on that for a moment or two - literally chewing on her thumbnail while she did so. Then she looked up questioningly and whispered, "Are… you sure?"

"Yes. I've had a while to think about this now, and that seems the only reasonable course of action."

"You don't care if I go make out with some guy, and let him bang me senseless? And then I still come home to you like nothing happened?"

"Not exactly." Taking a deep breath, she looked down at her hands. "It's… not going to be completely easy for me to put my feelings aside for this. But that doesn't mean I want you to turn into a nun for my sake." Her anxiety clearly began to climb the more she talked. "You like sex. I know you've been getting hornier, that you've wanted to do something with someone. I know that night we played Scrabble, you, um…"

Suddenly, Anna was turning away, burying her face in her hands. "I th-thought you couldn't hear me in there - GOD, Elsa, I'm so sorry!"

"Don't be sorry!" Elsa protested. "It's very natural, I know it is - I'm the unnatural one for not wanting or enjoying such things!"

"It's just that you looked so good all day, and I gave you that massage, and your shoulders looked so good and your hair smelled great, and by the time I excused myself I was practically climbing the walls with-"

"Yes, I understand, I already said that!"

Biting her lip, Anna turned back to look at her again. "I'm sorry! God, what's the point, anyway? Why do you want to be with me if I'm just going to make you uncomfortable by wanting to bang you all the time?"

"That's the exact point, Anna." Reaching in, she caressed her cheek tenderly. "Because you care whether or not I want to have sex, or am made uncomfortable. You don't want me to force myself to be 'normal' for your sake, even though it's driving you crazy going without. Most people wouldn't be as understanding as you are. So I have to make those concessions where I can, and this is what I can do."

The car was silent for a minute or so. Elsa continued to pet Anna to calm her, and Anna just breathed deeply, both sides of the conflict warring in her mind doing significant damage to her stability.

"Is… that what the pictures were? A concession?"

"They were." Her voice got a lot quieter. "Do… you like them?"

"Like them? Like them?! I want to marry them!"

Chuckling self-consciously, Elsa said, "That sounds favourable enough. I was worried they wouldn't be any good, since I can't judge for myself what's sexy and what isn't. I just… found some Buzzfeed list and looked through it, tried to copy their process."

That made Anna laugh, too. "Out of all the places you could go to get my motor revving, you went to Buzzfeed?" After they both giggled for a minute, Anna sighed and hugged Elsa hard. "You did great. Don't doubt yourself so much."

"Thanks," Elsa whispered. "Glad I could help. Did I? Help?"

"Ohhhhh yeah." Elsa tensed up, so she followed that with, "They, um, were adequate and did the job required."

"Are you implying I'm a robot?"

Leaning back, Anna began to dance a little bit, singing, "I'm just a looove machine, and I don't, work, for nobody but you!"

"You sure are," Elsa snorted with one hand covering her mouth. "The Scrabble game isn't the only time I figured out you were 'blowing off steam', and I'm not even talking about that last morning before vacation."

"What? No, I- come on, I don't do it that often."

"What about the pool locker room?"

"…okay, but I admitted that to you."

"And the back of my car?" No answer. "You know, the time we went to the mall and got tacos."

"Hey, that wasn't- I didn't finish, I just needed to…" Pouting, she crossed her arms over her chest. The redness in her cheeks definitely was not allsunburn. "Sometimes, a woman has needs, okay?"

"Yes, but did you have to do it while Taylor Swift was on the radio? I can never hear 'Style' the same way again!"

"Her high notes drowned out my noises! I'd like to see you sneak one in this dinky car!"

"I just bet you would." Elsa's coy little smile was as infuriatingly serene as it was flawlessly beautiful. Anna tried to take exception, but in the end it was impossible.

"…yeah."

~To Be Continued~