Anna looked up at Kristoff, worried as he paused as he spoke. With years of customer service skills, she learned how to look at noses to fake eye contact. But Kristoff was one of the few people, apart from her sister, that Anna was comfortable making direct eye contact with. "Kristoff, is everything alright?" she asked, reaching out and placing a hand on his arm in a comforting way. Anna was not the best at reading other people's emotions but she did her best when she saw any possible signs. To Anna, Kristoff appeared panicked and stressed out. But then he spit it out all at once.
"Oh!" Anna exclaimed as she realized she misread another social situation. She quickly moved her hand away, pulling her purse up more onto her shoulder. "Not pizza or tacos like usual? Like, an actual sit down restaurant?" Anna questioned, a big grin forming on her face. Getting casual take out food was a cheap option but Anna still had fun spending that time with Kristoff after a long shift.
"You know what, now I have the money to spend for my half. Let's do it! Where did you have in mind?" The possibilities were endless: 'Pasta? Steak? Sandwiches?! with fries?' Her stomach rumbled with hunger as she thought of so much food.
"And a gift too?" she was bewildered. "What's the occasion? My half birthday was last month! Wait, don't tell me!" It was a gift after all so it had to stay a surprise until Kristoff gifted it to her. Anna giggled but was really excited about receiving a random gift regardless of what it was for. "But yeah, we can go to your place after dinner," she replied. "We better hurry to the parking lot because I am getting hungry already!"
โY-yes, why wouldnโt it be? Everything is fine. Are you fine? Iโm sure weโre all fine. Fine, fine, fine, fine.โ
The words shot out of his mouth like bullets, far too fast and far too loud. He was moving toward Anna like a derailed train, which felt fitting, because this whole situation had all the grace of a train speeding straight at him and knocking the air clean out of his lungs.
Breathe, Kristoff. Remember to breathe.
He tried to steady himself, forcing his shoulders to relax even as his heart pounded like it was trying to escape his chest. Why was this so hard? He had faced blizzards, wolves, trolls, and mountain cliffs, yet one outing with Anna had him more terrified than all of them combined.
โI was more thinkingโฆ picnic in a park type of situation,โ he said, clearing his throat awkwardly. โWith a movie afterward?โ
Like a date, he thought, his face flushing so hot he was sure it could melt snow.
โAnd then we can go to my place so I could give you the gift I got for you!โ he added quickly, as if blurting it out faster would somehow make it less embarrassing.
He winced internally the second the words left him. Smooth, Kristoff. Real smooth.
Still, he managed a grin and held out his hand to her. โWell, I wonโt keep you waiting, so letโs go.โ
His fingers closed gently around hers as he guided her toward his car. Wellโฆ Svenโs car, if he was being honest. Shared ownership was only fair, considering Sven acted like he made most of the decisions anyway.
-----
Before they knew it, they had arrived at the park. The nerves that had nearly swallowed Kristoff whole during the drive began to settle as he stepped out and moved to the other side of the car.
He opened the door for Anna and helped her out like the gentleman he was trying very hard to be. Then he reached back in and grabbed the picnic basket, which was packed with an impressive spread of delicious foodโthanks entirely to Kronkโs advice, though Kristoff would be taking at least partial credit if asked.
The park itself was beautiful, with a soft darkness and a gentle breeze rustling through the trees. Birds chirped overhead. It was peaceful, warm, and somehow made the moment feel even more important.
Kristoff glanced at Anna, suddenly nervous all over again, but this time he smiled.
โCome on,โ he said softly. โI found us a good spot.โ with that he softly dragged her to a field amongst some flowers, lets pray she isnt allergic to those.
















