Love Thaws: Melting

The Same Sister

There was a long moment of silence. The man—Kristoff—cleared his throat. "We weren't expecting you today. I thought that maybe you wouldn't make it since it was already so late."

"Nah, I decided it was worth it to go ahead and drive through the night if we could reach here. I didn't really want to stop at any motels or anything. Too dangerous," he replied nonchalantly.

Elsa felt like she was missing something. She was still trying to process the fact the Kristoff was standing there. Elsa shook her head again. She couldn't believe it. "Jack?" she asked softly, confusion evident in her voice.

He brushed his lips against her forehead and tugged her wrist as he stepped towards the door. Elsa blinked in the bright light. She could only see the dark silhouette of Jack's figure. She paused at the door way. With another tug from Jack, she found herself inside the house, though she still couldn't' see anything. She blinked rapidly, trying to force her eyes to adjust. She squinted and observed her surroundings through her lashes. They were in a carpeted living room with two sofas on either side of a wooden coffee table and there was a flat screen TV plastered to the wall.

"Is Anna awake?" Jack asked, still holding her hand.

Elsa's heart nearly stopped beating. Anna? Her mind went back to the last time she'd seen her. Her innocent blue eyes wide with shock, silently pleading, her strawberry blond hair whipping around in the wind, her mouth slightly parted, her arm outstretched towards Elsa, as if she could breach the distance of the road simply by stretching.

"I'm pretty sure she fell asleep. She was really excited today. She couldn't stop washing dishes and dusting furniture. It must've worn her out." She heard a loud, groaning squeak, like a door was swinging wide open on its hinges. "Or not."

Something barreled into her, pulling her hand out of Jack's. "Elsa!!!" She was barely able to right herself. Elsa inhaled sharply, freezing. Her first instinct was to panic, to draw away. She cast a helpless glance towards Jack. His expression softened and he smiled gently. The action calmed her. If Jack was smiling, everything must be okay. Anna's slender arms were tightly wrapped around Elsa, as if she was scared something would rip her away from her sister. Elsa arms trembled as they gently settled around Anna's shoulders. Tears flooded her eyes, making everything blurry. She didn't dare blink, lest the brimming tears spill over.

"Anna." Her voice cracked pitifully.

Anna's arms tightened around Elsa in response. She sniffled, desperately trying to rein in her emotions. Anna's sniffles joined her own and that was all it took for Elsa to burst into tears. Her grip on Anna tightened and she grasped the soft material of the t-shirt on Anna's back tightly. She rested her forehead on Anna's shoulder. She felt Anna's hot tears seep into her shirt. Both sisters' bodies were wracked with sobs. Elsa soon found herself kneeling on the floor, still hugging Anna tightly. She sniffed and pulled back, studying Anna for the first time in three years. Elsa offered Anna a watery smile.

"You've grown," she remarked. Anna's cheekbones and face shape seemed more define and her freckles had faded until they were barely visible. She had matured beautifully. Anna's turquoise eyes glittered brightly with tears.

"So have you." Anna paused and stiffened, her eyes widening. "I mean, not like-like wider, but just you know, um—"

Elsa laughed and threw her arms around Anna's shoulders again. Anna quickly responded, once again hugging Elsa tightly. Elsa drew back to study Anna once more. She couldn't believe she still wasn't the cute teenager she'd left. Elsa's cheeks hurt from smiling so much. She saw Anna was smiling just as widely, if not wider.