Never There ~ A Jelsa Story~

Eight; Flowers

Jack's POV

I looked at the beautiful way Elsa had arranged my flowers, and I couldn't help but feel proud that they were my flowers. However, no amount of roses could make up for how dampened my spirits were. I had truly thought that Elsa had had feelings for me, and therefore when I found out that she would never want to be more than friends, I was heartbroken. 

I nodded and smiled at the sight. "They are very nice, I love how they are perfectly arranged. And your room, too, is so tidy and well kept! It is fantastic." 

"Well, thanks, I try my best," she told me, sitting on her bed. I awkwardly stood in silence, unsure of how to proceed. "Sit down, please!"

"OK, I will..." I replied, and sat at the end of the bed, not touching her in case she got angry with me again.

"Closer, I'm your friend, remember?" she giggled, patting the space next to her.

"If you're sure?" I asked, sliding along the duvet towards her. 

"Of course, we aren't complete enemies, you know."

I gave her a puzzled expression. "I find that rather hard to believe. When you first met me, I was pretty sure you even hated my hair!"

She looked slightly guilty. "You looked like a complete ruffian, your hair, your uniform... but I got to know you, and you aren't a bad sort."

I squinted my eyes in a joking manner and said, "Who are you, and what have you done with the Elsa who a few minutes ago told me she didn't like me?"

"I didn't say that! I only said I didn't want you as a boyfriend," she assured me, but I wasn't certain that this was the case, and I didn't think she was either. "Would you like something to eat?"

"Well, sure, but... are you sure your news has fully sunken in yet? Do you not need a bit of time to think about everything that has happened?"

"No, I'm fine, Jack! They say it affects you terribly but honestly, I keep forgetting anything has happened. What would you like? A bit of birthday cake that's left?"

"Er... yes, please," I said, not trusting that she was fully over her parents. I watched her leave and lifted myself off the bed to look at the rest of her room. I hoped she wouldn't mind. I saw five framed pictures that were arranged on her dresser: one of her sister and her when they were about 5 and 8; one of her parents; one of a cat, that I assumed was this pet she called Olaf; one of a young Elsa, which made me chuckle, because it looked like she didn't want to be snapped at that moment; and one of Elsa and a boy that I didn't know, when she looked about 15. I didn't like the look of the last one, for I didn't like to think that Elsa had previously had a boyfriend, and I just wished that my picture could have been there too, which I thought must seem selfish to anyone else.

When she came back, I thanked her and sat back down, and asked her, "When did you and brunette guy date?"

"Huh?" she frowned, unsure of what I meant. I pointed to the fifth picture, and she seemed to understand. "It was a magical night. I'll never forget it. We went to the beach at nightfall and he was so romantic. I thought that I would love him for the rest of my life, that we would marry and have children, I truly did."

"Well... what happened? Why is the photograph taken a little too early?" I prompted, and she looked down.

"Then we leaned towards each other, and I was so happy, it would have been my first ever kiss!"

"Would have been?"

"It never actually happened. A girl ran onto the beach and broke us apart. Apparently he was cheating on both of us really, he had done exactly the same with her the night before as he had done with me... but they actually did finish their night. She asked him to be his girlfriend and he agreed, but he would have also agreed if I had asked him. But it still broke my heart."

I looked at her, and I guessed now why she seemed so wary of me, "I would never do that to you, you know that, don't you?"

"Do you really care about me that much?"

I nodded. I felt so strongly about her that I didn't know whether I could ever recover from the shock of her saying we were just friends... though maybe I was exaggerating that a little. "Of course, Elsa, you're just like a rose. When I first found you, you scratched me a thousand times with your thorns, but as I got to know where those prickly patches were, I found the flower, and it was beautiful." I smiled at her, and she smiled back, a little embarrassed. 

"In that case..." she replied, "This is for you..." She pressed her lips onto mine, and it felt like a dream.