Feel, don't conceal!

Sven didn’t relent. “No one’s coming over until 4.”

Kristoff sat back in his chair.  “Why do you care so much that I’m there?”

“Because Nikki is having some friends over and I haven’t met them yet.”

Kristoff shrugged.  “So?”

Sven just sat there not moving for a moment, blinking at Kristoff.  “So, I want to make a good impression.” Sven leaned forward and spoke quieter.  “You know I can’t shut up if I get nervous and start talking. I need you there to reel me.”

“You’ll be fine.”

“Kris, bud.  This is for Nikki, not me. I do not want to screw this up and you’re the only one that can shut me down.”

“Wow, you really are actually nervous about this aren’t you?”

Sven looked back at the screen. “You know me and first impressions. I’ll be fine once I meet them.  Nikki’s making friends and I don’t want to screw anything up.  She’s really happy and I just need this to go well.”

Kristoff crossed his arms and sat there for a moment to make Sven sweat.  It had been a lot for Nicole moving to a new state again.  While she was used to it, it didn’t make it any easier.  He could see how Sven was devoted to Nicole’s happiness and why he was unusually nervous right now for this to go well. Kristoff finally gave Sven some relief. “I may be a little late, but I’ll be there.”

Sven broke out into a big grin.  “Thanks.”  

Sven’s grin was short lived when he looked up past Kristoff’s shoulder at the rap against the doorframe.  Masters stepped in and saluted, an amused smirk plastered on his face.

Kristoff gave a nod of acknowledgement.  “At ease.  Can I help you?”

“I won’t be long.”  Kristoff gestured for him to sit, but he shook his head.  “I see we have an audience.”

“Nobody asked you to show up.” Sven snapped before Kristoff could answer.

Kristoff quickly took over. Sven knew he and Masters didn’t get along and had taken up an instant disdain for Lieutenant Masters the first day he arrived on base.  While Kristoff appreciated Sven having his back, he wasn’t in the mood for anything to start today.  “We’re working on the layout for the show.  What do you need?”

Sven had moved to lean back in his chair, arms up and behind his head as if he was ready to watch a show.  “It really bugs the hell out of you that you have to salute him, doesn’t it Masters?”

“Shut the fuck up, Olsen.”

“Last time I checked we are the same rank.  I don’t have listen to anything you say.”

Masters sneered. “You fleet guys are all the same when you come down here.  Thinking you’re hot shit when all you are is a bunch of circus clowns for the Navy.”

“At least I’m not a Whiskey Delta.”

Master’s whipped his head towards Sven and stared him down. “What did you call me?”

Sven returned the stare, unflinching. “Did I stutter?  You heard me.”

“Alright, enough!” Kristoff said sternly.  “Masters, what do you want?”

“To give you this.”  He stepped forward and handed Kristoff a file.  

“What’s this?” Kristoff’s eyes flicked up from the file to Masters.

“The re-evaluations you ordered.  Enjoy.”

“My orders were for your team to submit re-evaluations.”

“Oh, we did.  Except these three in the file.  I’m not passing them based on the guidelines you set.  Those are the entire files- grades, notes, flight documentation.  You want us to change things around here? Fine then you can start with these three ensigns.”

“What?”

“Advancement decisions are now yours for the ones in this file.”

“You can’t do that.”

“I can and its already approved.  I’m not the only one around here that has connections.”

Kristoff wanted to reach over and grab Masters by his collar and give him a piece of his mind.  But he thought of the goading look in Master’s eyes and wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

“Is that all?” Kristoff said as controlled as possible.

“Yes.”

“I’ll have my decisions to you by the end of the week.”

“Run along now,” Sven said in a sing song voice turning away to look back at the screen.

Masters glared at Sven, but quickly composed himself.  He saluted Kristoff and turned to leave.

“You want me to kick his ass?” Sven asked as soon as the door was closed.

“I want you to stay away from him.”

“What an ass.”

“Agreed.” Kristoff tossed the file down on the table.

“What are you going to do?”

“Pass them.”

“Just like that?”

“You think I would have been on Masters team so much if I hadn’t been through every detail of these files.  These kids are solid.  I just need to make sure he hasn’t slipped something in here to catch me up.”

“You ready to put so much on the line for three ensigns?”

“It seems that I don’t have much of a choice, do I?”

********************

“Oh, here’s the street. Turn right.”

Camilla followed Anna’s directions until they came up to the address.  They pulled up to an open space on the street and parked.

“I don’t know Anna,” Camilla said, undoing her seatbelt.  “Are you sure Nicole really wanted me to come?”

“Of course she does.  She invited you, didn’t she?”

“Yes, but I’ve only met her a couple of times through you and-,” Camilla blew a breath into her bangs.  “I feel like you want me to come to this party more than Nicole does. Are you sure she didn’t ask me because you didn’t want to go by yourself?”

Anna laughed.  “Don’t be silly. Nicole wouldn’t have asked you if she didn’t want you to be here.”

Camilla pondered Anna’s answer for a moment. “Fair enough,” she finally said then looked pointedly at Anna.  “And you?” 

“As much as I’m excited to meet new people, having someone I know along with me is nice. But I didn’t ask her to invite you.  I swear.”

Camilla feigned contemplating her decision.  “This does beat sitting at home tonight alone.  Jose already got called into work.”  He’s had to go in for emergency surgery the last three times he was on call.”

“A surgeon’s job is never done.”  Anna sat there for a moment and looked down at her hands.  “Camilla, if you really don’t want to go, we can leave.”

A smile broke out on Camilla’s face.  “I’m just giving you a hard time.  Come on, let’s go.  This should be fun.”

Nicole was already at the door as they walked up the driveway.  She pulled Camilla into a hug then did the same with Anna.  “I’m so excited you’re here!  Come inside.  There aren’t too many people here yet. Let me show you the house first.”

After a tour of the house Nicole excused herself to get Sven.  She was back a minute later from the backyard with a tall man with brown hair in tow.  Nicole was smiling as she led him up to Anna and Camilla.  

“Pleasure to meet you,” Sven said holding his hand out to Anna after Nicole introduced them.

Anna noticed how striking he was, his features warm and inviting with a smile that had to have gotten him in trouble before.  His hair was trimmed short on the sides and back, a telltale sign of his military status.  But he had a little bit of growth on the top that gave away just hint of a wave in his hair.  Anna found herself analyzing Sven with a familiarity she couldn’t place.

“Congratulations!” Camilla exclaimed.  “How was it finding out?”

Sven beamed and placed his arm around Nicole. “Amazing!  I thought I was prepared, but when they told us it was a girl, I gotta admit, I was a little overwhelmed.” Sven looked down at Nicole.  “Shed a few happy tears.”

“Anna, were you at the office that day?” Camilla asked.

“No, I was off.  But I did hear something about Sven having to sit down for a few minutes to compose himself.” She winked at Sven.

The smile didn’t leave Sven’s face.  “Whatever rumors you heard; they are all true.  Come on, let me introduce you to everyone.”

********************

“One more thing,” Bulda said as she went into the kitchen.  Kristoff followed her in and watched as she opened the oven and pulled out a dish.

“What’s that?”

“Lasagna.  For Nicole,” Bulda stated.  “She mentioned she was craving it, so I made some you can bring over.  She started putting the dish in an insulated carrier.  “Make sure she gets this.”

Kristoff chuckled.  “Don’t be surprised if Sven is calling you asking to make more.”

“Any time for them.” Bulda fussed around the kitchen before saying nonchalantly, “Funny timing, Amanda called last week and asked for the recipe.”

Kristoff tilted his head.  “Amanda did?”

Bulda nodded then went to the counter to grab another container.  “She remembered having it once and asked if I could send the recipe to her.”

“That would have been a long time ago.  Your food must be that memorable.”

“Of course it is.  You’re just spoiled from having it for all these years.”

Kristoff cracked a grin. “Maybe, but I sure did appreciate it as soon as I got back home.”

“Is Josh going to be able to come out for beach week this year and the air show?” Bulda had stopped her movements and was looking directly at Kristoff.

Kristoff shook his head quickly.  “No.  Amanda said she still isn’t ready.”

“They could just come in for the day.  Or she could let him come by himself and stay with us.  I know he’d love to see you fly.”

“Ma, Amanda’s not letting him go anywhere without her.”

“He’s going to be eight this year.  I don’t think-“

Kristoff knew where Bulda was going with this and stopped her short.  “It doesn’t matter if you don’t understand or think its best.  We have to accept it as the way it is going to be.  They’re doing good and that’s all that matters.”

Bulda put both hands on the island across from Kristoff.  “That’s true?”

“Yeah, ma they are. Josh really likes Ben and Amanda-“ Kristoff hesitated, determining how much he wanted to share with his mother.  “Ben treats her like she deserves and she’s really happy.”

Bulda glanced over at Kristoff before putting both containers in a bag.  “And what do you think about Ben?”

“That doesn’t matter.”

“I disagree.”

“Ben’s a great stepdad. I’m glad if Josh can’t have his father that he has Ben.”

“Well then.” Bulda picked up the bags and walked over to Kristoff.  She seemed to be thankfully done with the conversation.  “Like you said.  It’s all that matters.”  She held out the bag to Kristoff.

“What’s all this?”

“Some other goodies to bring over to Sven and Nicole’s.”

“I was going to stop at the store and pick something up.”

“You aren’t showing up there with something store bought.  Not on my watch.”

Kristoff laughed.  “Thanks.”

“And I already told Sven you were coming with all this.  So, no backing out and going home instead.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it.”

********************

Kristoff could hear the group in the backyard when he got out of the Jeep.  He wanted to get the lasagna into the oven for Nicole first and opted to go in the open garage.  As he walked into the kitchen, two pictures on the counter caught his attention.  They were 8 x 10s, pulled out of an envelope.  The first picture was of his and Sven’s jets frozen in time as they crossed each other.  The bright yellow numbers 5 and 6 were clear on the tails.  The second picture was a formal portrait of Sven in his blue flight suit.  Someone from the team must have brought them over.  It looked like Sven had quickly looked them over then forgotten about them.  

After quickly perusing them, he noticed a women in the kitchen getting food at the island.  Not wanting to startle her, he cleared his throat and walked in. “Oh, hello.”

She jumped.  “H-hi.” 

“Sorry,” he said as he walked over to the oven, setting his face to a neutral expression.  “I didn’t want to scare you.  Guess I failed.”

“Don’t worry about it.” 

Kristoff fumbled with the oven trying to figure out how to turn the warming setting on.  He could feel her eyes on him, which did not help him figuring out how to get the setting to work.  After a minute, he gave up.  

“Do you know how to turn the warmer on?” he asked with a defeated sigh. “It’s for Nicole.  I wasn’t sure she’d be hungry, but I thought I should at least keep this warm.”

“She’ll be hungry,” the woman responded.  She went over and adjusted the settings for him.

“Thanks,” he said as she went back to her plate.  “You must be one of Nicole’s friends?”

She looked over. “Are you assuming or asking?”

“Asking.”  He noticed her stifle a giggle as the inevitable redness was most likely creeping up his neck.  

“Then the answer is yes.  I’m Camilla.”

“Kris.” Wanting to see how Sven had been doing, took a chance.  “Can I ask you something?”

 “Sure.  I may not answer though.” 

“Sven.  He hasn’t been too-“ Kristoff paused, contemplating the best way to ask. “-overwhelming, has he?”

She laughed then smiled over.  “No, he’s been fine.”

Relief washed over his face. “Good.”  He stood there silently not knowing if he should stay and try to make more conversation or leave.  Camilla smirked knowingly at his awkwardness.    

“So uhm, did you meet Nicole at the doctor’s office. Sven was saying that’s where she met some of her friends.”

Camilla quirked up a brow. “Gathering intel?”

“Maybe.”

“Actually, I met her through a friend that works there.  I work at the hospital.”

He nodded and went to get some food. As Camilla walked around the island, the pictures piqued her interest, and she walked over to them.  Kristoff heard her say “He’s a Blue Angel,” to herself she studied the pictures.  Kristoff noticed her look over to him and then back to the pictures.

Camilla came back to the island, not taking her eyes off Kristoff. “You work with Sven, then?” she asked slowly.

“Your turn to gather intel?” Kristoff didn’t bother to look up.  “I fly with Sven.”

“You’re part of the Blue Angels?”

“Sure am.”

After a few moments Kristoff could feel Camilla staring at him again.  He couldn’t take it anymore.  “What?”

She jumped slightly almost as if coming out of a trance.  “What do you mean?”

“Is there something wrong?  You’re staring.”

“No! No, I’m not.” She stopped and shook her head.  “No, that’s a lie.  I feel like I’ve seen you before.  Sorry, it’s just bothering me.”  

Kristoff had no recollection of seeing this person in his life.  But he could almost see the wheels in her head spinning when a thought came to him.  “You said you work at the hospital?”

“Yes.”

“Maybe you’ve seen me there?”

“What?”

“I represent the Navy on an outreach committee at the hospital.  I’m there pretty frequently.  Maybe you’ve seen me coming or going there before.”

It was as if the last piece of a puzzle fit into place for Camilla. She let out a squeak and managed to say “excuse me,” before practically running out of the kitchen.

Kristoff watched her head for the backyard, almost knocking into Sven on her way out.  Sven caught sight of Kristoff, waving as he smiled and walked into the house.

********************

Anna was having a great time.  Sven and Nicole had introduced her to the other guests at the party.  She couldn’t remember all their names, but everyone was absolutely lovely.  She could tell that no one was interested in talking about their military work.  It suited Anna just fine.  Besides telling people how she met Nicole, she had no desire to talk about her work either on a day off.

Earlier, Sven had come and sat by Anna and Camilla to talk for a bit.  While she had only known him for a few hours, Anna could see that Nicole and Sven were a good match.  Sven was certainly charming.  He could pull information from a person like nobody’s business.  Camilla already had an invitation for her and her husband to go out sometime and Sven had gotten the story of Anna’s travels around the country over the last few years.  Anna sat there listening to Sven and Camilla, her thoughts going back to why Sven looked familiar.

As Anna was talking with Nicole and a few other people, she noticed Camilla come from inside the house, bumping into Sven as he was walking through the sliding door.  Camilla made a bee line for Anna.

“Can I talk to you for a sec?” Camilla said with an overly sweet smile.  

Anna was taken off guard at the force Camilla grabbed her elbow pulling her away from the group. “What is it?” she asked as they walked away.

“We need to go.”

“Wait, what?” Anna stopped so she could get a look at Camilla.  “Why?”

“I’m not feeling well.” There was an urgency in her eyes as she tugged Anna’s arm.

“What’s wrong?”

“I’ll tell you later.  Can we go? Now?”

“No. Wait. Camilla.”  Anna’s voice went lower.  “It’s ok if you want to go.  I can call a ride.”

There was a strangled laugh that came out of Camilla’s throat.  “We are not doing that again.”

Nicole came over, a look of concern on her face.  “I can give Anna a ride home.”

“Ooh that’s a good idea!” Anna said.  “Are you sure you’ll be up to that?”

“Of course, it’s not too- “

Camilla interrupted. “That won’t be necessary.  I’m sorry, Nicole.  Anna, I really need you to go with me.”

Anna went to protest, but the look on Camilla’s face was almost pleading.  She wasn’t going to get to the bottom of things until they were alone. “Ok fine.  Just give me a minute to say goodbye.”

“I really need to go.”

Anna felt Nicole’s hand on her forearm.  She gave Anna a sympathetic smile.  “It’s ok. I’ll let everyone know you said goodbye.”

“Thank you.” Anna looked back at Camilla and raised her arms from her sides as if in defeat.  “Ok I guess we can go.”  She went to take a step towards the house, but Camilla’s arm was around her elbow again, leading her a different way.

“We’ll just go around the backyard.  It’s closer this way.”

Anna tugged back towards the house.  “I need to grab my containers from the food I brought.”

Camilla kept pulling.  “Nicole can give them to you next time you see her.”

“My purse is inside.” Anna pulled free from Camilla and started walking towards the sliding door to the house.  “I’ll meet you at the car.”

“That’s not a good idea.  Anna, wait!” 

Anna kept walking, picking up the pace so Camilla couldn’t pull her back again.  She was going to give Camilla a piece of her mind as soon as they got in the car for whatever ridiculous game she was playing right now. 

Nicole had picked on the tension and was following Anna now as well.  “Is everything ok?” she asked as they walked into the house.

“I’m fine.”  Anna turned back to face Nicole and gestured to Camilla. “Ask her.”

Camilla was on her heels, her eyes going wide. “Oooh I really don’t think this was a good idea.”

“Camilla, what has gotten into you?” Anna was trying to stay calm, but she was embarrassed and losing the battle to keep her frustration with Camilla in check.  Camilla just looked past Anna, her mouth clamped shut, refusing to answer.  That was the last straw. “You’re acting ridiculous!” Anna yelled out so loud it surprised her.

“Wow, the name Firecracker really does suit you.”

Anna froze at the voice.  She scrutinized Camilla who mouthed ‘I’m sorry’. Then realization hit her as to why Camilla was trying to get her to leave so suddenly and why she didn’t want Anna in the house.  Anna spun around, refocusing he frustration on a different target.  

Kristoff was standing in front of Anna.  A first look of shock had morphed into a wicked grin.  

“You!” Anna pointed her finger at Kristoff.  

Sven stood next to Kristoff with a look of puzzlement across his face. “You know Anna?” Kristoff ignored him and kept his gaze fixated on Anna.

“What are you doing here?” Anna demanded.

 “What am I doing here?  Kristoff pulled his hands up to his chest and crossed his arms.  He leered over at Anna.  “Forget about me.  What are you doing here?”

Behind her, Anna could hear Nicole asking what was going on, but she was too distracted to answer.  She put her hands on her hips and her chin out.  “I was invited.  Are you following me?”

“Anna.” Camilla tried to interject.

“Why would I be following you?” Kristoff lifted one of his hands in bewilderment.

“Anna.” Camilla took Anna by the shoulder and twisted her until their eyes met.  “Sven’s a Blue Angel.”

It only took a moment for everything to click. Anna’s head was spinning. She looked over at Sven, wide eyed with another realization and pointed again.  “And you!”  Sven threw his hands up in surrender and took a step back.  “You were at the bar that night!”

“What bar?”  Nicole’s question was again ignored.

Anna took a step forward. “You were talking to Sue!” She looked back at Camilla.  “That was him, wasn’t it?”

Camilla grinned with her realization.  “You’re right.  He was!”

“Who’s Sue?” Nicole asked, this time with more forcefulness.

Sven’s hands were still up.  “I have no idea, hon.  Ask Kris.”

“You were the one apparently talking to her,” Kristoff shot back.

Anna put her hand to her head, her thoughts were jumbled.  “This is just my luck.  I meet one jerk at a bar and now everything’s a mess.” When she looked back up, Kristoff was staring at her, the jerk comment apparently not sitting well with him.  She met him with the most intimidating look she could muster.

“Wait a second.” Sven took a step between Anna and Kristoff. He looked at Anna.  “You mean you’re-” He swiveled back to Kristoff.  “-hospital Anna?”  As soon as Kristoff gave him a curt nod, Sven broke out into a wide smile, the epiphany hitting him.  “Karaoke girl!” he exclaimed before breaking into a howl of laughter.

“It’s not funny, Sven!” Kristoff and Anna yelled at him in unison as Sven bent over from laughing so hard.

Their shared reprimand took Anna by surprise, and she noticed for a split second Kristoff’s eyes grow softer.  She didn’t have a chance to think about it as Nicole’s voice rang out, silencing Sven.

“That’s it!” Nicole yelled.  “Sit! Now. You’re all going to explain to me what is going on.”

“Shashaty and Kesselring.”

“No fucking way! For what?”

Kristoff didn’t really know what to say to Sven.  While he had his suspicions, Kristoff wasn’t given the full details of the meeting.  He knew it had to do with the new pilot training at the base, but there was more to it to be meeting with both men.  Kristoff answered nonchalantly, hoping Sven would drop it.  “Just some stuff about the flight instruction program I’ve been helping with during the offseason.”

“That can’t be all.” Sven squinted his eyes and studied Kristoff.  He was quiet for a minute before stating confidently, “I know what this is about.  They’re looking to move you up.”

Kristoff scoffed at Sven’s words.  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“That’s it. I know it.” Sven sat back in his seat, crossing his arms.

“It’s just a meeting.”

Sven instantly leaned forward and turned to face Kristoff.  “The head of the base doesn’t want to just talk to you about the program. They have their eye on you.  Just tell me I’m right. Come on, you know.”

“I don’t know anything. “

“Blink twice for yes.  Kris, please.  You know I won’t say anything.”

Kristoff shook his head.  “I don’t even have enough years in for board review to move to Commander.”

Sven held his finger out.  “One, you will next year.  And two, your work on the flight instructions makes total sense to help you move up.  So, there you have it. Done deal.”

The thought had crossed Kristoff’s mind, but he had been trying to ignore that. His year in Pensacola had brought up an urge to stay longer and he wasn’t really sure how to handle these new desires.  But flight instruction was a means to possibly stay, and Kristoff had thrown himself into the program, finding ways to improve it.  He found the work more enjoyable than he thought he would.  Assisting on the program could give Kristoff an advantage to being re-assigned at Pensacola.  Throw in a commander rank and he might have a shot when his time in the Blues was over to at least stay a few more years.  But he didn’t want to have that conversation with Sven on the drive to work and needed to change the subject.

 “You know what I think?”

“What?”

“That you should spend less time worrying about me and more about focusing on yourself and getting moved up to LT. commander.  I’m sure the pay jump will help especially now for you and Nic.”

Sven was sitting back again in his seat.  He turned away to look out the window, letting out a deep breath. “I know.  I slacked and you were right to push me like you did even if I didn’t appreciate it before.   But you know I recommitted to it.  I’ve been working my ass off like you’ve been on me to, and I got the highest marks after my last deployment.”

Kristoff smiled at that.  He felt guilty pushing Sven as much as he did over the years.  Sven wasn’t behind in his promotions as far as the Navy viewed it, but Kristoff knew the potential Sven had and how he could be farther ahead in his career.  It didn’t help that Sven sometimes compared himself to Kristoff and perceived he was lacking. It was quite the opposite.  Sven had proved himself by applying to the Blue Angels.  Kristoff had no influence if he would make it or not.  Sven stood in front of the sixteen officers that interview day and everyday leading up to that and was accepted into the team on his own merit.  A pilot was only accepted by a unanimous vote.  Sometimes it would take long hours into the night to get everyone to approve a pilot.  Sven was voted in within ten minutes of the discussion starting.  Kristoff couldn’t wait to tell Sven that fact next year when it was Sven’s turn to take part in the voting.

 If anything, Kristoff felt Sven had a healthier view of his career and more importantly what was outside of it.  Sven had a wife, a family, things that Kristoff never thought he’d get to experience.  The idea almost felt foreign to him now. Kristoff had pushed that yearning down so far for so many years that he almost believed that he didn’t want that anymore.

“Keep grinding it out and you’ll be in good shape to move up at the next boards.”

Sven grinned.  “I hope so.  It would be the best news to tell Nikki.”

“Speaking of Nic, how’s she doing?”

The smile was back on Sven’s face.  “Better.  She hasn’t been feeling as sick lately, thank goodness.  She’s set up with a good doctor now and I’m starting to be able to breathe again. I’m glad you’re here with me. I know we told you early, but I needed someone I could trust to talk to.  You’ve been a lifesaver.”

“Any time.  I hate to ask this, but are you set for when we leave for El Centro? That’s going to be a long stretch with you gone.”

Sven nodded.  “We’re going to tell Boss’s wife and a few others about the pregnancy so Nikki will have a support system while I’m gone.  She’s starting to make some other friends too outside of the Blue’s family. You know Nikki.  She’s strong.  She’ll be good.”

“And how about you?” Kristoff asked, glancing at Sven from the side of his eyes.

“Don’t worry.  I’m good.  Focused.  I’ll huddle up in our cocoon out in the desert and be 100 percent in.  I’ve been away from her before.  I can manage a couple months.”

Kristoff nodded.  He needed Sven’s head in the game when they went to winter training.  And while he trusted Sven, he was still going to have to keep an extra eye on him.

Sven managed to stay quiet for a few minutes.  Then if on cue, he started up again. “So, are you working on the instruction program for any other reason?”

“You know that’s where I want to focus on after this is over.”

“And?”

So much for not talking about it.  Kristoff silently swore at Sven.  It was like the man had radar to focus in on exactly any topic he’d rather avoid. “…and it’s been nice being home.  I wouldn’t mind if I happened to get stationed here as an instructor. I have zero say where the Navy sends me. “

“But a nudge from the base commander wouldn’t hurt when the time comes. I get it.”  Kristoff was a little surprised Sven didn’t push more.  Instead, he sat there in contemplation for a moment before shifting the conversation.  “I’d give anything to be assigned to the states after this?”

“Really?”

“I just want to be done with all the long deployments.  I know you do too no matter what you say.  We aren’t supposed to live for months on end on the carriers anymore.  That’s for the younger guys.  We’ve been living like this since we were what? 22, 23?  It’s time for us to come on the carriers for shorter stints and patrol domestically.”

“You almost sound like you don’t want to fly anymore.”

“Hell yeah I want to fly.”  The look on Sven’s face was pure indignancy. “I want to every day!  But you know the optimal age for a dog fight-“

“30.”

“Well, we have started that downhill trajectory my friend.  And going out on patrol to hunt for subs is for the newbies anyway.  That’s not our role anymore. We should be working on projects and training and going out and leading squadrons when there is a conflict, and you know it.”

“I’m not arguing with you.”

“Sorry bud.  I just get myself worked up sometimes thinking about what’s best for my family.”

Hearing Sven talk about his family sent a knot in Kristoff’s stomach.  So many things were changing, and it was the first time in a long time that Kristoff wasn’t 100 percent where the next step in his life would take him.  He reminded himself that the next two seasons were devoted to the Blue Angels.  Talk about next positions and assignments were distractions he shouldn’t be fixating on.  He’d cross that bridge when this run was over.

They made it to the base.  Kristoff pulled into his parking spot and went inside.  

Kristoff stopped before heading to his office.  “Remember not a word.”

“Roger.  I’m going to go over the flight map before El Centro before our briefing.  Anything else you want me to look at?”

“The inverted to inverted roll.  I want to work on that today when we’re up.”

“Got it.  Good luck,” Sven said before saluting Kristoff and heading over to his desk and parting ways with Kristoff.

******************************

“So how did it go?”

Sven was sitting across from Kristoff in his office, tossing a baseball in the air.  They had just finished the team debrief and were starting to go over some of the solo flight details for the next day.

“It was…fine.”

“What was Boss’s and Shashaty’s feedback?”

Before Kristoff could say anything, there was swift knock on the door.  Kristoff looked up.  “Come in.”

An ensign came saluted and handed Kristoff a folder. He already knew what this was for and quickly opened it and signed his name.  Kristoff handed the folder back and dismissed the junior officer.

“What was that?”

Kristoff looked up and saw Sven eyeing him.  For a half second, he thought about reprimanding Sven for stepping out of line and asking about the file.  But they were in private, and Kristoff allowed a more informal environment when it was just the two of them.  There wasn’t anything classified in the files anyway and Sven was bound to find out sooner than later.

“Re-evaluation orders for a group of flight trainees.”

Sven raised an eyebrow.  “You ordered that?”

“Sure did.”

“So that’s how it went today,” Sven said with a knowing look.  “Masters is going to be pissed you are questioning his team’s flight evaluations and recommendations.”

“I’d be surprised if he wasn’t.  And I’m not questioning them.  I’m questioning the process. They are passing up on some top tier candidates for fighter jet pipeline.”

“Good luck with that one.”  Sven let out a whistle and shook his head.

Kristoff started pulling out his bag and checked his watch for the time.  “You got a ride home?  I’m going to the hospital as soon as I get changed back into my Khakis.”

“All set.”  The grin was back on Sven’s face.  Kristoff knew instantly where this conversation was headed.  He didn’t like it one bit.  “So, are you going to see the red head today? What’s her name again?”

Kristoff’s eyes narrowed as he glared at Sven.  “Anna.  Why are you bringing her up?”

“Just getting ahead of you before you start complaining about her.  Do you actually get anything done in these meetings or do you just fight with her all the time?”

“I don’t fight with her.  She fights with me and I correct her.”

“Right.  Cause you never rub people the wrong way.  Are you sure you can’t smooth things over with her.  Apologize and move-“

Kristoff cut Sven off.  “I don’t have anything to apologize for.”

“Doubtful. But think about it.  Maybe you two could get on a better standing.”

Kristoff leaned forward, putting both hands on his desk to get his head lower and more in line to where Sven was sitting.  He stared directly into Sven’s eye to emphasize his point. “She called me a liar and said she didn’t have any respect for me.  I know exactly where I stand with her.  And I’m just fine with that.”

“She really gets under your skin doesn’t she. I think I could like her.”  Sven started laughing to himself. “Man, I wish I could remember what she looked like from the bar.”

Kristoff stood back up.  “And I wish you would stop bringing that up.”

“Hey, great idea.  Take me with you next time.  I’m dying to see this war between the two of you play out in live action.”

Sven was laughing again.  Kristoff picked up his bag.  “Absolutely not,” he barked before walking out and leaving Sven as fast as he could.

******************************  

“Why are you always so late!”

Anna chastised herself looking at the time on her phone again.  She knew she was running late, but she really wanted to get changed out of her scrubs before leaving the hospital.  The drive took longer than she thought and she wasn’t that familiar with downtown Pensacola. Between finding parking and walking in the wrong direction twice, she was running over fifteen minutes late.

“Oh, that’s cute!” Anna slowed for a second to admire a dress in a boutique’s window before catching herself and walking again at a brisk pace.  “Focus!”  She made a mental note to come back to this area soon.

She made it to the restaurant and found the hand waving to her across the room.  Anna quickly dodged around the tables to get to her seat.

“I am so sorry I’m late!”

“Oh, my goodness do not worry about it.  I’ve been living on this bread.  It’s so good. I’m on my second basket.”

“Nicole!”

“What? The baby’s hungry.”

Both women burst into a fit of giggles.  Anna looked over at her new friend.  She was so happy they hit it off.  From that first day they met when Nicole came in alone to her appointment, they had become fast friends.  Anna was the nurse that day and stayed with Nicole her whole appointment after finding out Nicole’s husband had just been deployed out of state and would be gone for several months.  They cliqued immediately and Anna was grateful for this new friendship.

“I saw some baby shops on my walk here, we should check them out some day.”  Anna hesitated.  “Unless you rather go with your husband.”

Nicole waived her off. “Are you kidding me.  Sven does not need to go baby clothes shopping with me.  I’m terrified of what he’d pick out.  I’d rather go with you.”

Anna smiled at that.  “So, what is the countdown at?”

“Three weeks.  Right before we find out if it’s a boy or girl.”

“I’m so glad he’ll be back for that.”

Nicole nodded.  “Me too.  And I can’t wait for you to meet Sven.  You’re going to love him.  We’ll have you over when he gets back, maybe with a few other friends.”

Anna squinted her eyes at Nicole.  “You mean Navy guys, don’t you?”

“And their significant others…at least some of them.  Relax Anna.  I promise we only know the good ones.  I’ve already vetted any of the single ones.”

“Why don’t I trust you?”

Nicole purposely ignored Anna.  “It’s set.  I’ll get a date when he’s back and we’ll have some people over.  It will be fun.”

“I don’t have a choice in this do I?”

Anna awoke to the familiar sound of her phone’s alarm and rose with uncharacteristic quickness. It was just the first of the three alarms that she set for herself each morning during the semester, and she couldn’t recall having ever risen with the first one, let alone now when she didn’t need to be up for anything.

Falling asleep with your phone on your face certainly has the benefit of startling you awake.

She made a mental note to avoid the position in the future, and quickly unlocked the device with her fingerprint, just to confirm that last night’s texting had not, in fact, been a dream.

The blue and grey text bubbles that greeted her had her heart fluttering as she looked at the screen and replayed the conversation. He’d been so easy to talk to, and she’d found that having to wait a bit longer for his replies than she was used to when texting Elsa had made each message just that bit more precious. It felt silly to count the extra few seconds as “worth the wait” but it had been.

She flushed when she scrolled down past the last message she remembered sending and receiving, to find another.

Huhgtgcfrgyu

She really had fallen asleep with her phone on her face, and somehow, as it the universe didn’t think she’d had quite enough mortification, the message had sent.

Huh?

She scrolled past his response and found another ten minutes later:

I’m guessing you fell asleep? That’s alright, it’s late.

Then a few minutes after that, a series of texts sent a minute or less apart:

It’s been a long and exhausting semester honestly. I wouldn’t blame you for sleeping all week, I feel like that’s what I’m about to do.

I’m glad you were part of it. Even with everything.

Maybe we can talk about that? The everything?

When we both wake up from our hibernation of course.

Sorry, I’m rambling again.

Sleep well Anna.

She didn’t feel quite so embarrassed by the time she got to the end of his messages back to her. There was something about his messages, short as they were, that mirrored the gentleness with which he treated her in person. There was a nagging part of her that was imagining one more message after what he’d sent. She just couldn’t put out of her mind that he was the sort of man who would end his messages with “I love you”.

She tried to push the thought aside but she only succeeded in hearing his last message in her head, complete with her silly addition, in his voice.

Sleep well Anna, I love you.

It was unfair how her brain could forget the answers to exams after several hours of studying, but how she could perfectly mentally replicate the tone of his voice saying something that she’d never even heard him utter before. She could even imagine how it would sound, breathy in her ear, with her back pressed to his chest and his arms wrapped around her.

She collapsed back on the bed, knowing full well that she wouldn’t be able to put herself back to sleep, but feeling unwilling to face the day until she managed to stop blushing and thinking about how good it would feel to just be in Kristoff’s arms.

***

Kristoff allowed himself a moment to breathe, Sven not the least exhausted at his side, was looking at his owner in rapt anticipation of the next leg of their jog around town.

He’d barely slept, unable to keep himself from listening for his cellphone to chime with another message from Anna all night long, even hours after he’d sent her a goodnight. He’d just stayed up and let his imagination run wild with both the ways he wished and feared his relationship with Anna would evolve in the coming days, weeks, and months. The worst fear was that it wouldn’t go anywhere at all. He already knew her too well to let himself worry about the worst case scenario effecting his work, despite the fact that they still had plenty to talk about there, he knew that Anna was not going to tell anyone about his extracurricular activities.

It had really been his hopes keeping him awake all night. He’d forced himself into a cold morning run at 8 am because of those hopes, because of those fantasies. He’d imagined holding her in his arms and kissing her gently and slow. He’d imagined lifting her from the floor, pressing her back into a wall and swallowing her gasps and whimpers as he kissed her. He’d even thought about what it would feel like to have her small hands explore his body.

Then he’d envisioned carrying her to his bed and giving himself to her in all the ways she wanted him. His fantasy was that she’d share her fantasies with him, carefully curated from hours of watching him, and rife for exploration together.

He flushed now, and not from running, at recalling the ways he’d imagined that he would tuck her into bed at his side, pressing gentle soothing kisses into her hair to help her fall asleep. He wanted everything with Anna, and his active imagination wouldn’t allow him to come up with any situation in which he didn’t take care of Anna in every way. He wanted her for more than sex, he wanted her for life.

The frosty run was helping, but he was still thinking about running toward the park next and launching himself into the partially frozen pond to cool his head. Sven, always excellently observant for a dog, tilted his head at him with curiosity.

“Look buddy,” Kristoff said, huffing from the particularly hard run he’d just subjected them to, “I know you like her a whole lot, and that’s making this even harder because I know you deserve a mom, but we have to give her some space, okay? I kind of did this whole thing wrong I think, and we’re going to have to wait for her. She might not even want to see me again.”

He didn’t have it in him to say that she wouldn’t want to see them both again, because he was extremely aware that he was the one who had screwed up in this situation, and that his dog was, frankly, irresistible, and impossible to stay mad at.

Sven, fully knowing this about himself, huffed through his nose and lowered his head before giving Kristoff a meaningful look.

He knew what the dog was communicating.

Don’t count yourself out yet.

In his pocket, his phone chimed. 

The dog wagged his tail in response and Kristoff couldn’t help but chuckle to himself.

“If this is her, I owe you double treats when we get back.”

***

Anna typed and deleted at least five texts as she poked at her oatmeal. Elsa was taking a call in the next room over, and Anna could overhear all the details of the business transaction taking place. It was hard to think about what she wanted to say when she was listening to her sister talking shop. It was a good thing that it was a family business, or her breakfast would constitute corporate espionage.

She finally settled on setting her phone down and actually putting some food into her actual mouth. Normally the quantity of brown sugar and maple syrup she put on top of the oats would have been enjoyable, but she’d spent too long ignoring it and nearly gagged at the cool sticky gruel she’d managed to shovel into her mouth.

She couldn’t stop herself from opening her mouth and letting the mush fall back into the bowl with a very unladylike and unceremonious plop. It wasn’t the oatmeal’s fault that it had turned into a disgusting gluey abomination, but Anna still stared at it with narrowed eyes as if it were the enemy.

It’s too early for this. Or anything.

She sighed and picked up her phone again before standing up deciding that if she was awake, and if her home was currently being used as a corporate office, she may as well go out and get a halfway decent breakfast. Visions of cinnamon rolls danced in her head as she trudged toward her bedroom to don some clothes that were at least halfway appropriate for public consumption.

She decided to tear the proverbial band aid off before tossing the phone on her bed.

Good morning

Two words, zero punctuation, no room to read into anything at all, putting the ball firmly in his court so she didn’t have to text any of the things she wanted to say because they were undoubtedly too much to say now.

She slipped off her pajama yoga pants and made the difficult decision to choose her jeans over her daytime yoga pants after consulting the overly complicated smart home device that Elsa had purchased for her as a birthday gift and being informed that it was too damn cold for thin breathable fabric. Comfort, sometimes, unfortunately had a temperature component.

When her phone buzzed from its place on her unmade bed, she made herself take two whole breaths before descending on it like a woman starved.

Good morning

She grimaced. She’d never been good at tennis but she could see, very clearly, that it had been an easy serve to hit and that the proverbial ball was, once again, in her court.

“Shit.”

She took another two whole breaths before buttoning and zipping her pants and thinking long and hard about both the t-shirt she would choose to wear (whichever was on top) and whether she could text him any of the eighty things she wanted to say.

“Hi Kristoff, just wanted to say that I absolutely didn’t have a dream about you and I making out on a lab table last night because that would be super weird, haha.”

She rolled her eyes at herself and instead typed out what she knew she should say.

Sorry I fell asleep on you last night.

She couldn’t help but to wish that she had fallen asleep on him in the literal sense. She could only imagine how good that might feel. She just hoped that she didn’t mess this up badly enough that she would never get the chance to find out.

It’s okay Anna, I’m glad you got some rest.

She’d tugged her top off while she had been waiting for his response, and she forced herself to choose a shirt to put on while she thought about an answer to send back. It was easy enough to manage the first requirement, tugging on a green sweater when she remembered exactly hot cold the weather was meant to be. The second was, as the rest of the conversation had been on her side, more complicated.

What are you up to this morning?

She played it safe, because the last time she hadn’t, she’d been crushed. She knew Kristoff enough to know that he wouldn’t ever hurt her intentionally, but she’d grown up since her last assumption of a man’s feelings toward her, something that being home brought back to her mind.

She was dressed and out the front door by the time she got his answer.

Just went for a run with Sven. We’re about to get breakfast. Have you ever been to Oaken’s?

 Anna nearly snorted out loud, but the cold biting her face kept her from dawdling long enough to manage it. She didn’t run to her car sitting in the driveway, worried about any ice that wasn’t making itself evident, but she did walk briskly.

I used to think they had the biggest cinnamon rolls in the city.

She texted him quickly when she sat in the car and pulled the door shut and then, once she’d managed to click on the seat heater with chilly fingers, she sent a follow up.

You proved me wrong at that diner by campus, but they’re still my emotional support baked good.

She’d been planning on going to a closer, less delicious breakfast place, but there was really no harm in going the extra few minutes towards the city center to join him if that was where he was heading. She did find him much easier to talk to in person after all.

Did you grow up here?

Immediately after, faster than she thought that he could type, her phone buzzed again.

I think I just put two and two together with your last name. I feel like an idiot.

“You’re… uh, on my coat.”

The final indignity. This will be the end of me, dead of embarrassment in the coatroom at a party I’ve tried to escape twice.

“Oh,” Anna replied with a shrug, trying to shake off both the thought and the awkwardness of the entire situation, “You know, sometimes it’s just nice being in someone else’s coat.”

The tall, unreasonably attractive blonde man before her quirked an eyebrow and she realized that if she wasn’t yet in cardiac arrest or in a state of spontaneous human combustion, it was, in fact, impossible to die of embarrassment.

If it were, I’d have been dead on arrival.

She didn’t know why she’d agreed to come to the party in the first place. It was a great opportunity for networking for her family’s charity and she normally loved socializing, but she had fully known, somewhere in the back of her mind, that Hans would be there. Of course, he would be, he was a fixture at major social events, high end restaurants, and sundry “hoity toity” settings in Arendelle city. No one knew, of course, that he wasn’t the wealthy eligible bachelor he passed himself off as, no, that was something that Anna alone seemed to have intimate knowledge of alone.

“Which is, of course, a very normal and reasonable thing to say and do,” she added after a moment of silence.

To her immense relief, the man before her didn’t seem to be backing away slowly or pulling a cell phone out of his pocket to call 9-1-1 on the clearly disturbed young woman withholding his coat from him. Rather, he actually appeared to be calm, maybe even entertained.

“Of course,” he nodded, his voice carrying with it a note of amusement, “I can’t say I’ve tried it myself, but anything has to be better than being out there.”

At just that moment, Anna noticed a well-tailored suit, purchased on her dime, and a smarmy smile approaching the side of the room where the coatroom door was. She could only see him through a small gap between the entryway and the large stranger’s side, but she would know that jerk anywhere.

“Close the door.”

The man gave her a curious glance, still not offended, but clearly taking his time in deciding whether it were in his best interest to be in an enclosed space with her.

“Quickly!”

She swore she could smell Hans’s overbearing, stupid floral cologne from where she sat on the small settee, but she knew that it was probably just her mind playing tricks on her.

“Please.”

That did the trick, and the man, with a glance over his shoulder, closed the door behind him and leaned back into it, providing extra security that it would not be pushed open again until he moved.

Anna breathed out a sigh of relief and felt, for a moment, that she was going to maybe make it through the night after all, even if she was going to spend it in the coat closet avoiding detection by her terrible ex-boyfriend.

“So,” the man said, making Anna realize that he, at her behest, had trapped them in a small space together, “I don’t know whether to ask about the coat thing or the hiding thing or if they’re both none of my business.”

If she would normally be afraid of being trapped with such an immense man, she wasn’t now. The blonde before her seemed to be doing everything he could to make himself seem less intimidating while still leaning his body weight into the door. She noticed his body language, leaning back to make himself appear shorter, his pose otherwise open, casual. He was speaking slowly, calmly, and it was very clear to Anna that the man before her had some practice in trying to minimize his physical presence in a space. She was getting better and better by the day at reading people, both for her own safety, and to better glean which people in a room would be most receptive to hearing about the Arendelle Angels, a no kill shelter she was currently on the board of trustees for.

“I suppose the coat, at least, is your business given it is evidently yours.”

With that admission, she did shift down the settee, removing her bottom from his jacket. He made no immediate move to retrieve it and she wondered if he was just that intent on guarding the door for her, or if he was worried that she’d bite.

“It’s sort of boring though, I just sat on it by mistake when I came in and I am really bad at answering questions on the fly so sometimes I say things that are strange or too much.”

That, in and of itself, was probably “too much” of an admission to a total stranger.

Every nonprofit should want you to oversee their fundraising, you’re crushing this normal and charming thing.

He nodded, like she’d said something sage, and then continued to stand in front of the door, not saying anything at all and continuing to stand in the least intimidating way a man of his stature could muster. He was acting as if he had every intention to stand there for the rest of the evening, party and world beyond the door be damned.

“The hiding thing is a little more fraught,” she added, just to fill the quiet. She’d never been great at quiet.

He nodded again, and she assumed that it was not a surprise to him.

Hiding in closets at parties is not normal behavior, something more complex going on only makes sense.

She sometimes wished that her thoughts would be a little less pragmatic.

“The long and short of it is that my ex is out there, and he’s an asshat, and I was trying to make it to the front door, coat be damned, but if I’d headed for the exit, he would have seen me.”

Kristoff nodded, as if her behavior made perfect sense.

“And you didn’t want him to see you looking so nice at a party after dumping him because you’re just kind like that.”

For the first time since she walked into the party, for the first time in a month maybe, her laughter was genuine.

“I mean,” she said through chuckles that dislodged the anxious tears she’d been so carefully holding in place, “you had the me dumping him part down, but I am not that charitable, at least not to him of all people. No, I just didn’t want to see him and hear whatever asinine comment he’d have already locked and loaded for me.”

She wasn’t certain whether he’d meant to actually compliment her, or whether he was just trying to make light of the situation, but she thought that his respectful twice over of her body from across the small room might tell her more than she was letting herself hear. If nothing else he had made her laugh and she could appreciate that.

“Good thing you dumped him then,” he replied, “and that does explain the coat closet. Have you been in here long?”

Anna shrugged, “Twenty minutes, maybe? I feel a little bad about it. I was in the middle of talking about a rescue lab-pit with a hedge fund manager that is our host’s cousin and I think he was interested in adopting and maybe also sponsoring some of the other animals.”

“You work for a rescue? Which one?”

She was grateful for the changing direction of the conversation. Something in his eye seemed to light up when she mentioned the rescue. Clearly he was an animal lover, those with an ambivalence or dislike for pets always seemed to regard her conversations about the rescue like those Sarah McLachlan ASPCA advertisements that gave everyone a close approximation to Catholic guilt regardless of religious background or lack thereof.

“Well work for is a little bit of a misnomer, I don’t get paid, but I’m in charge of fundraising for Arendelle Angels.”

“That’s amazing, do you have a dog?”

Dog guy, not surprising.

“No, I love them, but I’m only equipped for a cat at the moment.”

He smiled at that, “I work training service dogs, but cats can be really great emotional support animals. My dog thinks he’s a lap cat sometimes, I swear he even tries to purr.”

She laughed again and thought about filling this guy in on besting his record setting win at “most genuine laughter out of Anna Arendelle in a month”, but instead she made herself more comfortable in her sitting position and jumped into continuing the conversation.

“Lapdog?”

The man groaned in mock wistfulness, “120lb Irish Wolfhound.”

Anna snorted with laughter. Another new record.

***

Kristoff.

Her coat room companion was named Kristoff, and he had, rather than leaving as he’d originally intended, decided to spend the evening with her in a coat closet.

He'd even been brave enough to sneak out, not once, but twice, to sneak them both glasses of wine and snacks from the outside world. She'd spilled her guts about Hans after the first glass and he'd been respectful and kind in his responses, including in his offer to leave the room and knock him onto his ass.

She'd said no, mostly because it would mean that their time together would come to an end.

“What are you planning on doing after this,” he asked.

“Well I was going to go home and show my cat some memes. I think he likes the colors on the screen, but I like to think that he actually gets the humor because he's awesome like me.”

He laughed at that and her heart raced. Every time she'd managed to get a laugh out of him she'd felt like she won the lottery. She was frankly a little upset that his asking combined with the sheer amount of people who have come and gone from the cost room, giving them strange looks, meant that the night was almost over.

“I was hoping you'd want to maybe stay a while, meet Sven, finish your conversation with Stone, but I understand, Olaf sounds like an extremely entertaining cat.”

“Stay? Do you mean… head to your place?”

She did want that frankly but she wasn't sure whether it would be a great idea given she had to be up so early the next morning and she had no idea of where he lived. Hell, she knew that he was an introvert leaning ambivert with an emotional support dog weighing just a little less than she did, but she didn't even know his last name. It was funny what had and hadn't been addressed.

“Well I mean technically it's right here. Not this room, this is just my mom's overflow closet, but I do have a room here still, so while it’s not my house, it’s certainly a place I can invite you to stay at.”

Anna was confused.

“I thought this was Cliff and Bulda’s house?”

Cliff and Bulda were a somewhat well off couple whose families had been big in mining some generations back, but who were, themselves, important donors to a variety of animal rights and green charities in the community. They and their extended families seemed to be involved in just about every nonprofit and realm of business that one could think of. Kristoff, frankly, had their spirit but looked nothing like the dark haired older couple.

“It is, he’s my dad. I was adopted, if that explains anything. If you’re worried about it, I can go get my mom to confirm. Or we can both walk out of here now if you want. I had a cousin escort your ex off property the first time I ducked out for wine. I didn’t tell anyone anything you told me, but no one really was asking why I wanted him to go, apparently half the assemblage thinks that he’s an asshole who is no longer tolerable since his girlfriend left him.”

He looked a bit contrite after the admission, and took her shocked silence for judgment. 

“Sorry I didn’t say something sooner, I knew that I should have told you as soon as I got back, but I was feeling a little selfish and I wanted to keep talking with you.”

“You’re forgiven.”

She hadn’t needed to think about it. She knew that Cliff had a son, he often talked about his boy and how proud he was of him while they talked shop about donations and animal sponsoring for the rescue, that he was Kristoff made her already feel that her comfort and trust with the man was well placed. Frankly he hadn’t lied to her, he’d omitted, but given that he’d had Hans escorted out of the party and had continued to help her through her nervousness for the rest of the night had earned him her pardon for not mentioning that the object of her ire had been gone for an hour at most.

Kristoff’s expression went quickly from remorse, to surprise, to gratitude, and Anna liked watching the way the journey played out over his handsome features. She watched the crinkle in his brow give way to softness and his lips go from tight to smiling. 

“Just let me know straight away next time,” she added, “I’ll probably stay in the coat room with you anyway.”

He chuckled, and offered her his hand, which she took with a smile.

“I can and will promise you that.”

“Can you promise me a meeting with Sven, you speak very highly of him and I’m excited to meet such an excellent boy?”

Kristoff’s expression softened further at her request and she already knew that Kristoff was her new favorite person to see at any party.

“I can, his schedule is usually pretty packed but he happens to owe me  a favor so I will make sure he can pencil you in tonight. Maybe after you finish talking with Stone? He’s going to be heading for home in a bit and he’s already got some dogs on your website he’d like to sponsor after he adopts Axel.”

Anna grinned in response, appreciative that her night was not just a success for the rescue, but also for her meager social life. 

“That,” she said, letting Kristoff pull her off the couch and to his side with a freshly earned familiarity, “Sounds like an excellent deal.”