Love Thaws: Melting

Warmth

Elsa's eyes were glued to the computer screen. She briefly wrote in her notebook before glancing up at the computer. She was curled on the living room couch, her back propped up by a cushion. A grunt from the next room distracted her. What was he doing? Elsa had a mild headache from staring at a tiny, bright screen for so long. She decided she could use a break. Elsa closed the lid to the laptop and set it aside on the couch. 

She timidly walked into the kitchen, peering around the corner into the next room. His back was flat against the weight bench. Jack let out another grunt as he straightened his trembling arms and completed a bench press. Elsa watched in fascination as the muscles along his bare chest and arms moved in sync. The metal clanged loudly as he set the barbell on the squat stand and his arms fell limply to his sides as his chest heaved. Elsa shifted her weight on her feet, causing a wooden board to creak beneath her. Jack turned towards her, his eyes brightening.

"Hey." He offered her a tired smile. He sat up, wincing slightly, his chest still heaving. "Would you like to join me?" Elsa's immediate inclination was to say, 'no,' but Jack cut her off before she could reply. "I could show you some self-defense moves... in case you don't feel like using her ice powers to blast bad guys away."

Elsa looked down at her dormant hands. Mere months ago she was able to summon ice. Considering she hadn't been able to use her ice powers lately, Elsa thought it was a good idea. She nodded.

"Do you want to change or do you just want to do it in that?" he asked.

Elsa self-consciously glanced down at her jeans and t-shirt. "I'll change," she murmured softly before disappearing down the hallway. 

She selected a pair of supple yoga pants that fell just below her knee and a snug gray tank-top. Elsa walked back into the workout room and surveyed the equipment as she refused to meet Jack's gaze, suddenly feeling shy. 

She crossed her arms. "So?"

"First, you should probably jog. To warm up."

She nodded and followed Jack as he headed towards the front door. Before leaving the house, Jack grabbed a light jacket and Elsa felt the strangest twinge of disappointment. He held the door open for her and easily matched her pace. Her feet slapped against the unforgiving pavement as she jogged.

"You might want to try bouncing less when you jog. Look at the scenery in the distance and try to keep it from going up and down as much as possible," Jack suggested.

Elsa adjusted accordingly, though she didn't feel any immediate change. They jogged around the neighborhood once before returning to their house. Jack opened the door for her again. She was coated in a moist sheen of sweat, making damp tendrils of hair stick to her skin. Using the back of her hand, Elsa wiped her damp forehead.

"That was good. Now that your muscles are warm you'll want to stretch. It's supposed to help prevent injuries."

Elsa followed him back to the workout room. He led her through several stretched before he was satisfied. 

He thoughtfully rubbed the back of his neck. "I think it's best if we start off with pressure points." He signaled for her to come closer. He took her arm and held it up, bending it at a ninety degree angle. "Alright, see the crease where your arms bends?" Elsa nodded. "So, on the upper arm—the inside part--, three fingers away from the crease, you put your thumb. On the other side you put your other four finger and you squeeze. It hurts more if you rub the spot and apply as much pressure as possible." Jack demonstrated, grabbing her arm, but he didn't squeeze. "Now, you try on me."