Love Thaws: Melting

Inevitable

Elsa plopped down on a bench. The strings on the bags dug into her hand. She dropped them wearily and observed the flow of people before her. Jack had practically shoved her out of the house, declaring she needed some 'time off.' Elsa crossed her arms and leaned against the cold metal back of the bench. Her stomach rumbled quietly and Elsa glanced at her watch. 3:00. Elsa drummed her fingers, inwardly debating whether she should get food before heading back or not. A man passed by with a to-go box and Elsa caught a whiff of some delicious, fried food. In that moment, she made up her mind. 

Elsa stood and wandered a bit before finding the food court. She froze, her body stiffening as she felt someone watching her. She whirled around, searching for the person. There were only hordes of swarming shoppers before her, no one giving her a second glance. Elsa sighed, convinced she was just being paranoid. 

She stopped by an Italian restaurant and ordered a slice of pizza with two garlic bread sticks. She sat down at a table in the corner and selected a breadstick. The bread was fluffy and warm, tasting of garlic. Elsa wiped her fingers of the oil and began eating the pizza, savoring each bite. The crust was thin and crunchy, coated in a fine layer of cheese. She'd save the last breadstick for later. 

Elsa put the box with the leftover bread into one of her shopping bags. Shopping made her uneasy; she wasn't sure how much she should spend, but Elsa had a feeling Jack wouldn't be satisfied unless she'd bought enough items.

Elsa left the mall behind, with its shiny white floors and endless escalators. She walked to the back of the parking lot, avoiding a few cars pulling out along the way. She glanced down at her bags and her thoughts suddenly went to Jack, his handsome features and gentle spirit. 

Elsa gasped as she heard the blare of the horn and realized she'd stopped walking. She strode past the noisy car and unlocked her own car, dropping the large paper bags into the passenger seat. The drive home was uneventful. Though Elsa didn't want to admit it, she was slightly hurt Jack wanted her out of the house so badly. But she couldn't expect him to want her around all of the time. She sighed and shut off the engine, tugging her bags out of the passenger seat. She walked to the door and unlocked, surprised to find Jack behind it, waiting for her.

A smile brightened his face. "Hey." He took her bags for her and placed them on the coffee table. "Have fun?"

Elsa shrugged. The house smelled faintly metallic, like paint.

"Good, I want to show you something." 

Without waiting for her response, he grasped her wrist and led her upstairs. He reminded Elsa of an eager little boy on Christmas. His steps slowed as he neared the top. His grip on her unconsciously tightened. He seemed a little... nervous. He inhaled deeply and led her up the last few steps.

Elsa's eyes widened when she saw the piano room. There were thin, transparent sheets of plastic spread over the floor, a few colorful splatters of paint on them. The left wall was painted a bright, pale sky blue, dotted with a few realistically painted clouds. Elsa was tempted to touch them and see if they were as fluffy as they looked. The wall on her right was an inky black, speckled with clusters of glowing white dots. In front of her was a colorful sun on the horizon, its ray of tangerine and pink painting the clouds lavender. Elsa couldn't tell if it was setting or rising. She felt Jack's gentle touch around her waist as he pulled her closer.

"It's still wet. I couldn't get it to dry before you got back."

Elsa turned her head to one side to look at him. "You did all this?"

He laughed and shook his head. "No, I'm not very good at painting. I had to hire some people." 

His mirth slowly faded, replaced by a fiery intensity. Jack hesitantly bent down and placed a soft kiss on her cheek. Elsa was still for a few moments before slowly drawing away, her awe turning into confusion. 

She inhaled deeply. "Why would you do this?" Elsa asked, her eyes filled with a mixture of fear and confusion.

Jack offered her a gentle smile, but hesitated. "Because I... I... care deeply about you." He chuckled. "In a way, it's really quite selfish." 

Elsa raised an eyebrow, urging him to explain. 

He continued, "Because when you're happy, it makes me happy too. And when you're sad, I'm sad too." 

Elsa frowned again, not understanding how his emotions could be dependent on hers. Sensing her uncertainty, Jack gently touched her shoulder. She glanced up at him, her forget-me-not blue eyes locking with his azure ones. He took his hand off of her shoulder and instead offered her his hand, his palm facing up. Elsa could sense she stood on the brink of a precipice. Her heart began to pound as she considered whether to take it or not. 

She bit her lower lip. Her heart desperately wanted to trust Jack, but Elsa knew how vulnerable that would make her. With one mighty blow, he could shatter her to pieces. Jack still stood before her unflinchingly. As the battle raged within Elsa, her weak resolve began to crumble. Slowly, Jack was stealing her heart and there was nothing she could do about it. Before she could think about it twice, Elsa placed her trembling hand in his. 

His warm fingers closed around her tiny hand and a brilliant smile brightened his handsome features. Jack gently pulled her to him and held her close. Elsa's body still trembled. She shyly hid her head in his strong chest. Jack held Elsa firmly, pressing a kiss to her hair. She clutched a fistful of his shirt and clung to him, filled with fear, still torn between trusting him and protecting herself. A sigh escaped her lips as she realized falling for him was inevitable.