I recomend you to read Elsa's POV first if you're also reading Light in the darkness, but of course, it's up to you.

Chapter 16. First date.

I'm suspended in space, floating. Then, I'm warm and cozy, resting on something soft and comforting. But something isn't right. I don't know what, but… suddenly everything doesn't seem so perfect. I lean more on what I'm resting on, hoping this action will suffice, but it doesn't. I think someone is trying to wake me up, but this just feels so right! And besides, I'm already awake, I just haven't opened my eyes.

I'm about to fall asleep again when I hear, loud and clear, the sound that was disturbing me.

"Sven!" The potent voice of a man screams, startling me so badly that I literally jump, almost falling from the bench I was sitting on, but someone catches me. I think it's Elsa; I remember falling asleep with her.

Slumber is about to take me one more time, when I hear a voice asking me something about a dog.

"Dog? Uhmmm…" I blink, trying to clear my mind enough to answer. "Yeah… dog… found… over the…" I can't stay awake enough time to finish the sentence, but I don't regret it; I love sleeping.

"Where?!" The voice sounds again, this time louder and more desperate, so I almost instantly wake up completely (due to the great amount of adrenaline my body produced at his yell) and quickly rush to answer.

"Oh, right, dog!" I exclaim opening my eyes and looking at the blonde muscular man with a worried expression that's in front of me. "Uhm… there was a puppy over there." I point to the bushes where I found the animal before I fell asleep. "It was a… German shepherd." I smile to him and he runs away to where the puppy was.

"How rude." Elsa, who is sitting beside me, comments once he's out of earshot.

"Nah, he was just worried because of his puppy, I saw it in his eyes; he is nice, deep inside." I answer.

"Very deep inside." She mumbles, which makes me giggle. Actually I meant it when I said he looked like a nice person; I bet he could make a good friend, even if Elsa doesn't seem to agree.

In that moment, the guy appears again, this time hugging tightly a muddy puppy that doesn't stop licking his face… an action that his owner reciprocates. That must be the grossest thing I've ever seen. I can't help it when I grimace slightly, but try to cover it up quickly.

"Thank you." He says to me, finally stopping his show of affection towards the animal. "Seriously, Sven is my best friend and I don't know what I would've done if I couldn't have find him."

"It was nothing." I say politely, trying to ignore the smell of sweat and wet dog that emanates from him.

"I'm Kristoff." He offers his hand for me to take, but it's muddy so I obviously don't accept it. He seems to realize this and quickly tries to wipe it on his pants, only managing to make a mess, his hand still not being clean enough for anyone to hold.

"I'm Anna." I answer carefully placing my hands behind my legs, to indirectly say I don't want to touch him, without being too rude.

"Well… uhm… thanks again." He says awkwardly and turns to leave, just to turn around a second later. "I work near here, at Pabbie's Auto shop if you ever… you know… need anything?" A hopeful smile forms on his face and I almost feel bad for him, because I can see he likes me (better said, he likes my body) and maybe would want to date me sometime, but there's no way I could ever like him back; after all my heart is already taken.

"Thanks, I'll remember that." I answer just not to break his heart right away, and chuckle when he blushes and then turns to leave almost tripping on his way out since he tried to walk away while watching me. "He's kinda…" I let the sentence hang there, not really knowing how to describe him; he was quite different than a normal guys, and yes, it repulsed me how he didn't have any sense of hygiene, but that's not really what bothered me.

"Smelly? Gross? Awkward?" Elsa provides and I chuckle shaking my head, finally realizing why I didn't like him at all.

"I was going to say rude." I answer.

"Why?" She asks, clearly utterly confused.

"Because you're here with me and he basically ignored you. I mean, he didn't even spare you a glance! That's incredibly impolite." She giggles at my words, but her expression is sad, down casted, like she's telling herself horrible things. "Elsa, stop right there." I say with a stern voice. "I know you're thinking you don't deserve even the smallest amount of attention, but you do. It may seem like a small thing to you, something that can't even be taken as an offense, but…" I swallow and fix my eyes intensely on hers, trying to emphasize the importance of my next words. "Looking at someone… is acknowledging they exist, that they are human beings." At this, Elsa's expression turns from surprised to guilty and then, finally, to grateful and calm, and I know my statement fulfilled its purpose.

"Thank you." She says smiling, a gesture that I reciprocate before taking her hands and getting us both up from the bench.

"Well, I think we've spent too much time in here and I still plan on having dinner with you. Come on!" I prompt her as I tug her hand to drag her towards the exit, excited about what we'll do next.

When we arrive to the restaurant it's almost sunset, which I think is very convenient because it gives this a somewhat romantic settling. Not that this is a date or something. It certainly seems like it but it's not, really. Just two friends going to dinner at a nice restaurant for no particular reason.

Right. Even in my mind that sounds like an excuse.

The restaurant is one I sometimes visit with my parents, usually at their respective birthdays and their anniversary, so I know the food is good. I wouldn't risk taking Elsa to somewhere they can't make delicious food.

The waitress leads us to our seats and asks us if we want something to drink. I ask for hot chocolate, since it's my favorite drink, but as I prompt Elsa to order she seems hesitant and says she doesn't have money to pay for the food. I roll my eyes; of course I know that! Besides, I invited her, so I should be the one paying, though Elsa doesn't seem to understand this. After me insisting her to order for what feels like hours she finally asks for a chocolate milkshake, my second favorite drink. I smile at this; it seems we're not so different after all.

As we wait for our drinks to arrive, we decide on what we want to eat. I can't decide between ordering a sandwich or pancakes with Nutella… or the big chocolate cake, or the Oreo cheesecake, or every other thing with chocolate. Even if Elsa says those are not healthy foods. So what? No matter how much I eat I still have a great figure (If I do say so myself). But my arguments don't convince her and I end up thinking she sounds a lot like my parents.

In the end, I order that special extra-large sandwich filled with bacon, cheese, jam, lettuce and a lot more delicious things, and a big chocolate cake as dessert, while Elsa just orders some chicken with salad. The waitress says she'd bring us our orders as soon as possible.

Now, there's only the two of us in complete silence and I don't know what to say… well, that's not true, I can think of lots of things to say, but I don't want to start rambling and ruin the date... Moment. Ruin the moment. But at the end the silence is too overwhelming and I decide to break it.

"So…" I start.

"So?" Elsa says.

"So… you… uhm…" I bite my lower lip and look around, trying to find some topic not only I can talk about, but Elsa as well. "Uh… this is a nice restaurant." I almost face palm myself; that's not a topic you can talk much about.

"It is." She just answers. I nod and continue thinking about what to say next. I know I can't wait until Elsa speaks first, but damn! I don't want to do all the talking either; I want to know more about her, that's what dates are made for after all, right?

Except this is not a date… or is it?

I laugh nervously as the thought of this being my first date with Elsa enters my mind, because it's almost exactly as I always imagined a first date would be; Spending almost all day together, going to somewhere nice (the garden where we fell asleep counts as somewhere nice) and then, at sunset, going to a nice restaurant and chatting a little, and then, at the end, finish the day with a goodbye kiss.

But of course, that last thing would never happen… right? I mean, it's not like Elsa likes me.

Though, to be sure, I could try flirting a little with her. If she blatantly rejects my advances or ignores them, I will stop, but if not…

"What?" Elsa asks confused, but smiling, as she notices me laughing for no apparent reason. I decide to get my plan in motion.

"Nothing." I shrug nonchalantly. "I was just thinking this kinda seems like a date."

"A-a… a date?" Elsa's voice sounds panicked and her breathing turns agitated, but she doesn't show clear signs of disgust for the idea. Scared, yes, but disgusted? No. I don't want to cause her discomfort though, because I know as soon as she feels fear, she retreats into her shell again, like a shy turtle. And I don't want that; I don't want to push her away.

"I was just kidding!" I scream far more frantically than I intended, startling the people on the table next to ours. I blush and continue with a more normal tone. "I mean… it's not a date, come on, that's just…" I chuckle a little to show how absurd the mere thought was, but then I feel sadness at how her reaction, even if it wasn't a direct rejection, obviously it wasn't the one I'd have expected if she felt the same for me, and it hurts. "… Yeah." I finish lamely. Suddenly not in the mood to talk anymore.

However, as silence stretches on, I don't have another option except to initiate conversation with the blonde again, but I'm careful to change the subject and make sure this time she has no other option than to talk.

"You know? I actually took you out to dinner because I wanted to talk to you in a nicer settling than usual. I was hoping that way you'd… I don't know… be more open?" I say.

"Well, I guess it's a good strategy." She admits with a small smile that banishes all the tension I felt before. "What would you like to talk about?"

"I don't know." I shrug. "Whatever you want. I just want to know you better, as in, know what you like, what you don't, which movie is your favorite, if you prefer dark or milk chocolate… you know, the usual stuff you learn about someone before helping them overcome an emotional crisis." I chuckle at my own joke and Elsa does too. Our situation can indeed sound comical when you say it like that.

"You're right." She agrees. "Okay, let's see." She thinks for a moment before answering, and her thoughtful face (when it's not distressed) appears way too cute to me. I can't help smiling widely even before she answers. "I like drawing, usually buildings because I want to become an architect, but I can also draw people."

"You're very good at it!" I quickly compliment her. "The other day I saw a drawing you made of me, and it was very well detailed." I add at the look of confusion on her face.

"Y-you saw it?" She blushes and averts her gaze while smiling in the cutest and shyest way.

"Yeah, it was totally an accident, but I'm glad I did. You'll be a great architect." I say honestly.

"I won't." She replies with a sad tone, and suddenly her posture is the one of a defeated person.

"W-why not?" I ask, concerned and confused about her response.

"Because…" She sighs and then pauses, closing her eyes for a moment as if her thoughts were far too bad and overwhelming. "Father." She says at last, obviously not wanting to talk more about the issue.

"Oh." I simple answer, wanting to know more about it and at the same time not wanting to distress her. "I see, well…" At the end, I decide to let it slip. For now. "I still think you have amazing skills. Maybe one day you could make me a drawing of you?" I ask her instead. I'd really like to have a picture of the girl of my dreams made by herself.

"Of me?" She asks in disbelief and a little hesitant. "Uh… what about I make a drawing of us instead?" She counters. I don't know what does she have against drawing herself alone, but that's okay. A drawing of us will be enough. Better even. It'll remind me of the amazing relationship we have.

"Sounds good to me." I say and she smiles, but just when she's about to say something else, our meal arrives and we start eating… well, more like I start stuffing my mouth with the sandwich while Elsa calmly and composedly cuts apart her chicken. I can't talk right now because if I did, I'd end up choking, but Elsa can, so I give her an encouraging look, prompting her to start talking, hoping it will work. Thankfully it does and soon I'm hearing from Elsa herself everything and anything about her life.

I learn that her favorite chocolate is dark chocolate, being closed followed by the cookies and cream one (my personal favorite). I find it odd that she likes the two most different types of chocolate, but I don't comment on it as she then says she actually loves any kind of chocolate in almost every one of its many forms. I smile at this; she is too similar to me in that aspect.

She also tells me she absolutely loved Ice-skating and that she used to go to practice said activity with her brother Jack… until he died and she stopped doing it all together. At this her gaze turns sad and I quickly distract her telling her that there's an ice rink near the mall and that I'd totally love to go with her if she wanted to. To my relief, she accepts with a smile and soon she's talking about her love for math. I frown at this; I've always hated math and I suck at it, but I still think it suits her, so I don't say anything.

Then she continues talking and talking about herself and, for the first time, I see that she's being truly open, like she wants to share everything about her life, and doesn't need to be forced into it. After a while, she looks happier than I've ever seen her and more like her real self, so relaxed, so beautiful, with such a dreamy gaze… like the seventeen year old her she truly is and not the old lady her attitude would make you believe she is. I'm proud of her, of how, without me prying the answers out of her, she voluntarily showed me a little of who Elsa Frost really is. And what I saw, I liked. I mean, I already liked Elsa before, even if didn't know much about her, and the little I knew was mainly about her tragic past, but now I like her even more. I love her. Every moment I spend with her reinforces that feeling.

After a while, when Elsa finishes her chicken (Like fifteen minutes after I finish my sandwich), I decide it's dessert time and eye the chocolate cake in front of me desperately wanting to stuff my mouth with it. But decide to give it a better use, one that'll help me know if she reciprocates my feelings. So I get up and go sit at Elsa's side of the table, placing the chocolate cake between us. She shots me a questioning gaze and I beam mischievously in response.

"I think you've earned half of my cake." I say. "After all, you answered all of my questions and talked for over an hour almost uninterrupted."

"I didn't do it to win a prize." She rolls her eyes.

"Oh? So then can I have it all for myself?" I say raising an eyebrow as I cut a forkful and place it right under her nose, where I know the amazing smell is going to drive her crazy, to then quickly take it into my mouth humming in delight at the taste while I close my eyes. I'm teasing her, I know that, but it's for a good cause. I think.

"Okay, I do want my prize." She says extending her hand so I pass her the untouched fork beside me, just at the edge of the table. I smile in triumph and pretend to reach for the fork, while actually giving it a little push to send it to the floor. "Well, I guess I can ask the waitress for another." She says resigned, clearly desperate to taste the threat.

"Yes, we could do that." I answer with what I hope sounds like a nonchalant tone, when I'm internally screaming in excitement at the thought of what I'm about to do. Then, my expression turns into a mischievous one and Elsa actually gulps nervously. "Or, we could just…" I pause, cutting another piece with my fork and then approaching it to her face. "Share." I finish with what I hope sounds like a flirting tone and with half-lidded eyes. Elsa's face turns bright read as she keeps staring at the piece of chocolate placed on my fork, but I don't really know if it's from embarrassment… or something more. I'll know it though when she accepts or refuses my offering, being that this isn't something normal friends do. It clearly has a romantic undertone, at least under these circumstances.

When she just stays there petrified, I press the tip of the fork lightly to those pink and smooth lips (great, now I'm jealous of a piece of cake), prompting her to take it in, to which she responds by blushing even harder, the blood in her cheeks giving her a healthy peachy color that makes her look all the more appealing. This encourages me to keep pressing and this time she doesn't resist.

She gives me a shy look as she takes the piece of cutlery in her mouth, looking extremely adorable as she takes the small amount of cake with her lips before I extract the fork from her mouth, smiling triumphantly. It felt nice, intimate, like there was a real connection between us, one that went farther than we could fathom yet, and I can't stop myself when I quickly proceed to cut one more piece for myself and, once I've eaten it, another one for Elsa. We continue like this until the cake is gone, both blushing and smiling all the time. By this point this is going better than any date I've ever imagined.

Once dinner was over, we take a bus to Elsa's house (I couldn't just let her go alone, what if something happened to her?) and, when we arrive to the bus stop, we descend and start walking the few blocks that separate it from the place where she lives. This time we both stay silent, but it's fine that way, calmer, and it allows us to relish each other's presence all the more. However, too soon for my liking, we arrive at our destination and it's time to say goodbye. She turns to look at me when we get to the door, and I give her a tiny smile.

"I guess it's time for me to go home." I say, even though I'd like to stay here forever.

"Yeah…" She sighs, obviously not wanting me to go just yet either. "I-I really had a good time with you." She says, and I notice true gratefulness in her eyes.

"Yes, it was pretty amazing." My smile becomes wider as I remember what a good time we had at the restaurant, especially at dessert, and unconsciously, I lean closer. "I'd never seen you more happy and relaxed. And the cake part was really good!" I giggle and Elsa follows suit, covering her mouth with one hand cutely. "It really was what a first date should be." I speak without thinking as I usually do, and my eyes widen as my cheeks blush. But this time I don't try to deny what I just said, because I'm really curious about what her answer will be. I've never been good at dealing with uncertainty.

I can see she's thinking about what I said, I mean, she's shocked and petrified, but I can see in her eyes that she's considering my last statement. It looks like she can't decide which course of action she'll take, and I think maybe I wasn't clear enough. Maybe she doesn't understand the meaning I'm giving this date and fears that I'll get mad if she starts assuming things, so I decide to make my intentions more clear. I just hope that she reciprocates my feelings and this doesn't ruin our relationship.

I take a deep breath to settle down the thousands of butterflies that suddenly appeared in my stomach and subtly wipe the sweat out of my palms in my jeans. Then, before I can think better about this and repent, I lean in to kiss her lips… but when my lips finally touch her, they meet the skin of her cheek. I open my eyes confused and see that she has turned to the side, eyes shut and trembling badly.

This is not the reaction I was expecting at all.

"I'm sorry." She chokes out as tears fall from her eyes, and my heart clenches in pain when I realize she's not only rejecting me but that I probably just ruined everything. However, her next words tell me this situation is a lot more complicated than Elsa simply not feeling the same for me. "I-I can't… it's… w-wrong." As she says this, more tears escape her eyes and she starts sobbing quietly.

"Wrong?" I don't understand. I expected her to say that she doesn't feel the same or something like that, but to say it's wrong? "How? Don't you love me?" I ask, wanting to understand, even if I have to force Elsa to blatantly say she doesn't like me that way. I prefer that than to be left confused and uncertain.

"Anna, of course I love you." She says opening her eyes so I can see how true she's being about this, how deep her feelings for me are. And now I'm even more confused, because if she loves me back, why did she say she can't be with me? Why there's so much sadness in her stare? "But…" She continues sighing. "We're both girls. This isn't natural." A new torrent of tears escapes from her eyes and her sobs intensify. I feel pain again, but this time it's because I don't like seeing her suffering. However, the strongest emotion I feel right now is anger.

"Not natural?" I exclaim. "How can you say it is not natural? It sure feels natural to me!" I didn't go through hell to figure out my sexuality for the love of my life to come and say my feelings are not "natural". "You can't say it's wrong just because we're both women! It's still love." I pause and take her arms to emphasize my next words. "You know what is wrong and unnatural? To force yourself to be with a guy, just because that's what society expects from you, when you really are in love with a girl, but you're too scared to admit it and you end up hurting her instead." Suddenly tears fall from my eyes because of the overwhelming emotions I'm feeling, because if homosexuality was considered normal, we probably wouldn't have suffered so much. "True love is never wrong." I continue after wiping my tears, my voice sounding much calmer this time. I have to convince Elsa, not only because I want her to be my girlfriend, but because I know she'll be hurting herself if she keeps thinking that what she feels for me isn't right. "It doesn't matter if it's between a man and a woman, or two women or two men; if it's love, it can't be wrong."

"I-I don't know Anna…" She weakly tries to protest while averting her gaze, but I can sense her hesitation so, before she can react (and before I have time to reconsider), I decide to show her just how right this really is.

When I first feel my lips pressing against hers, a wave of pleasure courses through my body, so overwhelming and different to anything I've ever experienced before, that for a moment I'm afraid I'll just spontaneously combust due to the many intense emotions I am feeling. It's nothing like kissing Meg, and it's definitely light-years away from what kissing Hans was like. This feels special, not only giving me physical satisfaction, but also emotional relief, like this is what I've been searching for all my life… and maybe it is. I know it sounds crazy, but if there's such a thing as a 'true love's kiss', this is it.

I wish this had been my first kiss.

However, as amazing as it is, I know it has to end sooner or later, so I pull away to stare at Elsa's eyes and see her reaction.

"Did that feel wrong?" I ask, determined to keep kissing her until her answer is "No". But if her blushed cheeks and heavy breathing are any indication, I don't think I'll have to do that.

"No, no at all." She answers just before taking my nape and crashing our lips together one more time.

I can't help smiling into the kiss, because I know this moment will not only change our relationship forever, but also the way Elsa feels about herself. And both changes will be for good.