SEEK And Find

Chapter 24

Hours later, they all had a light dinner together and discussed things. Though Elsa still maintained a stony silence with Esmé, she didn't shout at her again, preferring to ask Anna things and chat to her about various subjects. Anna tried her best to get both of them talking again, and Esmé herself made a couple of halfhearted attempts — which fell on deaf ears. Seemed Anna's idol was more than capable of holding a grudge.

However, when the taller woman announced she'd be going out for the rest of the evening, Elsa did tell her, "Have a good time." And even though there was no real enthusiasm to her wording, she also didn't sound sarcastic; it was something.

"Are you okay?" Anna asked when they were alone again.

"What? Why wouldn't I be okay?"

"Esmé. You seem pretty... well, like you wanna hit her with a truck."

Frowning over at her from her spot curled up on the couch, she laid the book down and said, "She didn't check the group chat and came here when the house was already occupied. I think I have a right to be angry."

"I'm sorry. Guess I just didn't... wasn't expecting you guys to hate each other so much."

That genuinely seemed to surprise the pop star, and it took her a moment to recover. "I... what? No, I don't hate her."

"Really?" Anna muttered, still pointing her eyes down at her sketchpad more often than looking at her friend.

"No! God, no! I..." Sighing, she drew her legs inward, leaning more heavily against the arm of the sofa. "We don't get along sometimes. It happens when you have an ongoing working relationship. I am furious with her for intruding on the second half of our week, but it will pass. I promise."

"But I don't mind! Honest! Like, I'm still going to love hanging out with you, going swimming, everything, and it won't bother me the tiniest bit if she's here, too!"

"But it bothers me."

"Why?"

Elsa shrugged, looking away. "It was supposed to be just us. In the house, anyway. Maybe if she had asked first, and I discussed it with you and you told me you were fine with her coming, I'd have been mildly irritated for a second and then could let it go. Might even have been nice to have her here. But she didn't! She just flounced right into the house, not even knocking!"

"Well... it is partly her house, why should she knock?"

"That's... you're... right about that, but still!"

Chuckling, Anna got up, set her sketchpad down next to the chair and walked over to sit on Elsa's feet, leaning over so they looked like two books between a bookends that were spaced for several more. The pop star stiffened for a second, then relaxed and let her arm drape around Anna's shoulders.

"You're a really good friend. But you seriously don't have to be this mad. I, um..." Truth time - at least, partially. "I did hear Esmé apologise to you. She sounded pretty sincere."

"You heard that?" When Anna didn't answer, she began to rub up and down Anna's shoulder. "It's not fair. She shouldn't get a free pass just because of 'I'm sorry'; that doesn't undo the damage she did."

"You're still acting like she really hurt us somehow! We will still get to hang out together, still party, still find new restaurants, still go shopping! What did she even change?"

"I can't be myself around her!" she finally hissed harshly. "Just... any of them! They remind me of work, and I get into 'work mode', or... or get upset so easily because they..." Biting her lip, she turned away.