Jack likes you.
Those three words echo in my head as soon as they slip from Tooth's lips. It was all I could hear in my head, over and over again, replacing the deafening music and even my own racing heart that I think just stopped beating.
"W-what?" I stammer, finding it hard to breathe. This has got to be a joke, right? There's no way that...there's just no way.
"Jack likes you," Tooth says again, but I barely heard her because I heard my heart again.
"How..." I breathe in sharply, trying to calm my rattling nerves. "How do you know? Did he...tell you?"
"Well," Tooth starts as she nervously fingers one of her long feathered earrings, eyes looking at everything that wasn't me. "No, he didn't. I actually...don't know if he likes you romantically. Not for sure, but...it's obvious from the way he looks at you and acts with you."
I chuckle, though I found nothing funny, and say, "Tooth, that's not proof at all. If he didn't actually say it then...he doesn't like me like that." And I'd really appreciate it if you don't get my hopes up.
Overcome with relief and disappointment and shock and even hope caused me to shift in my seat, trying to get comfortable since I knew I was going to be sitting for a while. There's no way I'll be able to walk straight with all these emotions running through me. However, Tooth must have thought I was leaving because she quickly takes hold of both my hands and frantically says, "No, wait, please! I didn't mean to upset you. Please don't say anything to Jack. I just...I know it's not my business, but I just thought you should know. Please don't be mad at me."
"But why?" I ask. "What compelled you to say something like that when there's no proof? I promise I'm not mad, I could never be mad at you, but I am curious. It's wrong to base something off of an assumption or observation and say it's fact."
"I know, but," Tooth's grip in my hands tighten, "The reason why I brought it up, the reason why I felt that you should know, is because...I love Jack. Like... love- love."
My eyes widen at something churns in my stomach. "Oh." was all I said as the tight churning in my stomach increased. Oh I've felt this before. I know this feeling. I've felt this feeling six years ago when Anna and Rapunzel grew closer. This is jealousy.
But why is it more intense?
"But Tooth," I say when I realized, "you're his--"
"Adopted aunt," Tooth finishes and sighs before letting go of my hands to rest in her lap. She gives a humorless laugh. "Trust me, I know. I'm well aware. Jack must never know about my feelings. It would make things so awkward for our family. You and Bunny are the only ones who know. At least, I think so. I thought no one knew until Bunny told me last week that he's known for awhile. He was also the one who suggested the idea of Jack liking you. And because I love Jack, because I would do literally anything for him, because I would protect him from anything, I need to know that you won't break his heart. Unless it's to reject him. What I mean is...I need to know that you won't lead him on, which I know you would never do on purpose. You're not that type of girl. I just..." And just like that, she bursts into tears and covers her face with her hands.
"Oh I'm so sorry," she says through her tears, her voice a little muffled. "You probably think the worst of me. Here I am accusing Jack of a crush that he probably doesn't have, which I doubt is true because look at you! How could he not fall for you? You're literally perfect!"
"Oh, Tooth," I whisper, my heart breaking. "I'm nowhere near perfect--"
"But then again I thought the exact same with Rapunzel and he threw a big fit over how he doesn't like her romantically. So I don't freaking know. It's different with you though. So different! And not only am I accusing what Jack feels, I'm also accusing you of possibly leading him on like...what the heck is wrong with me?" Her sobs intensify and that's when my sister instincts kicked into place.
I look around to make sure no one was watching before taking hold of her hands, and flashing her a friendly smile. "Hey," I look deeply into her purple eyes, all smudged with wet eyeliner and mascara. "Nothing is wrong with you. You're just...in love. You're looking out for your loved one and I'm glad that Jack has someone like you in his life. Now let's go clean you up. You're lucky I brought eyeliner and mascara. I brought it in case Anna needed it. She's going to dance until she floods the place with her sweat. I'm certain of it."
This gets a giggle out of Tooth and I smile in relief. "Okay," she says and allows me to keep holding one of her hands as I lead her to the bathroom.
Luckily for us there was no one there. "Okay," I say as I dig into one of my secret pockets to retrieve my makeup up. "I'll do your makeup for you since you're still a bit shaky." And knowing from personal experience, I'm well aware of how difficult it is to work properly.
"Oh no," Tooth says while shaking her head. "You don't have to do that. I can do it. Plus, not to change the subject, but you have pockets?!"
"Yeah," I laugh, "I didn't realize until last minute. My designers forgot to tell me. They were more focused on this." I point to my crown. "Along with their bickering. And yes, I insist that I fix your makeup. It's the least I can do since I made you worry so much."
"Yeah, but that wasn't your fault. It was mine--"
"Tooth, please."
She stares at me for a moment before chuckling and shaking her head. "You really are perfect. Okay, let's do this."
And so, for the next ten minutes, I cleaned her up and redid her makeup, making her look just as I had first seen her. The only difference is that she's even more beautiful in the brighter lights, even when her cheeks were stained with black lines. Jack would be one hell of a lucky guy if he got with her. If it wasn't for the adoption I wonder if he would fallen in love with her.
Neither of us spoke while I fixed her up and when I finished, I broke the silence with: "There. Good as new."
Tooth looks in the mirror and sighs in relief. "Thank you," she says and smiles warmly at me through the mirror.
I return the smile. "You're welcome. It's not everyday I get to do a friend's eyeliner in the bathroom of a hotel during another friend's Halloween Birthday party."
Tooth laughs before looking away, ashamed. "I'm sorry if I ruined your night."
"You didn't," I assure her, the two of us still looking through the mirror at each other.
"Are you going to tell him that I told you?"
"No."
"Are you going to ask if he likes you?"
"No." Oh no definitely not. I can't just ask him if he likes me romantically and wants me to be his girlfriend. How does someone even ask something like that? How can someone be so brave? "That would just make things weird between us."
She nods and lets a moment of silence pass before slowly saying: "You could just ask if he likes someone and see how he reacts. Also do you...like him? Like romantically? If he feels that way towards you...do you feel the same? Because if you do and he really doesn't then I am so, so sorry for getting your hopes up."
"I..." I wanted to tell her that my hopes aren't up, that I don't return Jack's possible feelings, but that would be a lie and I think she'd know it. I don't want to lie to her, but I don't want to tell her that he's my first crush ever. I don't want to tell her that he's the first boy ever who's made me feel so alive within just one month of knowing him. It would have been two months if I had never avoided him during the first month of school and I regret that. I'll never get that time back.
I don't want to tell her because she's loved him longer. Not that I'm admitting I love him. I don't. You can't fall in love in one month of talking. We haven't been on a date yet. That would make me as bad as Anna.
"You don't have to tell me," Tooth suddenly speaks up, obviously noticing my hesitation. "It's none of my business. I think...I think it'd be better if I don't know. I'll be sad either way. Sad if you do because of obvious reasons, but sad if you don't too because Jack is one hell of a guy. You two would be so cute together. Just...promise me that...if you are interested in him...let him know somehow. And if you're not...let him know that too."
I nod and try to speak through my tight and dry throat. "Yeah," I nod again, "I will. I'll try."
Tooth's smile is friendly, but it's small. "Do you want the address of his neighborhood? It's the only place they trick or treat at because there's plenty of houses to fill up the buckets and it's the safest. My friend senses are tingling and they're saying that you'd rather be with him than here without him."
I feel my face heat up because that's exactly how I felt earlier when I realized he wasn't here, but I shake my head. "Oh no, that's...that's okay. He'll be here later. There's no point."
"Well," Tooth says as she reaches inside a secret pocket of her own. "I'll send it to you just in case you change your mind tonight." Her fingers quickly type on the letters of her mobile keyboard, the loud clicking satisfying my ears, and when she was done I feel my own phone buzz in my pocket.
"There," she says happily as she puts her phone away. "Now that that is all taken care of I think it's time I get some food in me. Might even drown myself in some candy. I'm not me when I'm hungry so a snickers is definitely a need right now."
I giggle, my fingers itching to take out my phone and read the address she sent me. "Just make sure to floss," I say, using her number one catch phrase.
Tooth takes out her container of floss from her other secret pocket and laughs. "Already plan on it. Do you want to go get some together or...take some time for yourself to think?"
It's like she can read my mind. Or perhaps I'm just easy to read. "I'd like some time to think, if that's okay."
"Of course!" Tooth assures me. "Stuff like this is definitely stressful and nerve wracking. But please try to have fun tonight, okay? I still feel really bad for bringing it all up."
I take her hand in mine again, squeeze it tight, and say, "I promise to have fun tonight if you promise not to feel bad anymore."
Tooth's smile is bright, the brightest it's been since we've started talking, and she returns the squeeze. "It's a deal. See you in a bit then." She lets go of my hand and walks out of the bathroom, leaving me alone with my swirling thoughts.
I lean against the wall and stare at my reflection in the mirror across from me. I drank in every detail, trying to distract myself, though I knew it was pointless, and when my eyes land on the small bulge to my side, my hands took no hesitation in touching it.
No, I shouldn't. If I look at the address I'll go to it. There's no denying that. I need to stay and have fun without him until he gets here. I'll dance with my sister and cousin and friends. I'll eat a whole bunch of candy until I'm sick. I'll go upstairs to where the haunted attractions are at. I'll do all of that without him and then I'll do it all again when he arrives.
That was the plan, and I had planned on sticking with the plan.
Until my hand reached into my pocket without warning, having a mind of its own. My fingers fumbled with the password of my phone, clicking away on Tooth's message, and my eyes scanned over the set of letters and numbers that she had sent.
And for a second time, my body acted on its own, moving my feet out of the bathroom, out of the party room, and eventually out of the hotel.
~*~
Children flooded the street when I make it to Jack's neighborhood. There were plenty of them dressed as witches, vampires, werewolves, superheroes, princesses, animals, etc. Each one put a smile on my face. Their laughter and joy radiated off of them. How could I not smile? Especially when they saw me and looked at me in awe. One little girl dressed as a princess even came up to me and asked if I was a real princess.
"Not quite," I had said to her as I bent to her level. "I'm a Queen."
The girl's already bright eyes seemed to have shined brighter. "Really?! A real Queen? Like the Queen of England?"
"More like the Queen of...Arendelle." I always did like to think of my last name as a name of royal status.
"Oooohhhh where's Arendelle?"
"It's a place that can only be seen in your dreams."
"Oooohhhh, and do you have a King?"
Her question had definitely taken me off guard, but I had smiled through the heat of my face and said, "I'm looking for him now, actually. Have you see him? He's wearing a white tunic, a short brown cape, brown pants, has a long staff, and exquisite silvery white hair."
The little girl's nose had scrunched up in disgust. "That doesn't sound like a King. That sounds like an old peasant."
I had burst into laughter because that's exactly what Jack had said he was going as. A peasant, but not exactly old. "He's a very...peculiar King." I had told her. "Very mischievous."
"Well," the girl had said, "Luckily for you, I did see someone like that." She had pointed the directed where she had last seen Jack and a second later her mother comes over and scolds her for running off and talking to strangers. She apologies to me, thinking I was being bothered, and leaves with her daughter.
The girl waves to me and I curtsy, which puts a huge smile on her face and an even bigger one on mine. After that, my search continued.
I know I could have just called him, but I want to surprise him. Maybe even scare him. And just as my walking got to the point where I felt I was lost and had no choice but to call him, I finally find him crouching down behind a bush and peering over it to spy on his siblings who were on the porch of house from across the street.
I perk up at the sight of him and bite my lip to stifle a giggle from the thought of scaring him. I quickly, but quietly sneak my way up to him and as soon as I approach him, I grip his sides and say, "Boo!"
"Oh fuck!" Jack yells as he falls on his butt and frantically scrambles backwards, unable to get to his feet. I step back and laugh like I never have before, my sides and cheeks hurting within seconds.
"Oh my god," I says through my laughter as I held my sides and slightly bent over. "I am so sorry." No I'm not . "Are you okay?" I wipe away the little tears at the corner of my eyes that were threatening to fall down and was thankful for my mascara being waterproof. When I was done with that, I lock eyes with Jack, who hadn't replied yet and who is looking at me like the children were moments ago.
In awe. Shocked. Starstrucked. Mesmerized. Enchanted. Whatever you want to call it, the stars were literally in his eyes.
"Elsa," he breathes, gulping a second later, and making no effort to get off the ground. He remained sitting on his butt with his legs stretched out, staring up at me with wide eyes that scanned over my body in a way that set my insides on fire.
"Hey," I say, averting my eyes briefly as sudden shyness took over. "Are you okay? I didn't think I'd scare you that badly."
Jack laughs as he leans his head back and sighs. "Oh geez this is so embarrassing. I guess this is what I get for trying to scare my siblings for the billionth time tonight."
"Well," I step toward him and extend my hand, "Even the King of Pranks deserves to get pranked on once in a while." Jack grins as he takes hold of my hand, and when I help him get to his feet, he does not step back to give us space. I freeze at his sudden closeness, but felt no discomfort in it. Instead, I smile more.
Ugh what's wrong with me? Yes, I have a crush on him, but I don't even know if he likes me back. I'm acting as though he does. He doesn't. He hasn't said anything to Tooth and he certainly hasn't said anything to me. Tooth was just assuming. Isn't that what I'm doing too? I'm just....I'm so happy right now because of what she said and it's probably not even true. And asking him is just too stressful. Ugh why does this have to be so complicated?
"So, not that I'm not glad to see you, but what are you doing here?" He asks, and that's when I notice the faint blush on his face. It's from me scaring him, right? Not...the sight of me....right?
The thought of him blushing because of me causes me to blush too. "I...uh..." Shit what do I say? I haven't thought this far ahead. "I didn't want to wait for you at Mavis's party so I asked Tooth for the address to your neighbor and now here I am." Half a truth, half a lie. "Gotta love Uber."
Jack cocks his head to the side and rises a questioning eyebrow. "Really? You couldn't wait for me? You came out all this way just...for me?" There was no teasing tone in his voice, no playfulness in his eyes. Instead they were both coated with genuine surprise.
"Yeah," I nod, and shyly look away, down to our feet. That's when I noticed he's not wearing shoes.. "Um...where are your shoes?" I look up then and laugh when the redness in his face increased.
"I may or may not have gotten robbed and the thieves may or may not have taken my shoes."
"Liar."
"Of course. " Jack admits, laughing as he rubbed the back of his neck in a nervous manner. "The truth is none of my shoes looked good with my outfit and being the fashionista that I am I simply couldn't wear them. Speaking of outfits though," he blows an impressed whistle as he stares me up and down. "You look like real royalty. If we didn't know each other I'd really think you to be a queen or princess or duchess or whatever. You look beautiful."
How many times will my heart race tonight? How many times will I blush uncontrollably? "And for a peasant, you look rather...cute." Oh my god, am I flirting? No, no, no, no, NO! Elsa what are you doing? You're setting yourself up for heartbreak. You only think Jack likes you. It's all in your head.
Jack shrugs nonchalantly. "It just comes naturally to me."
I open my mouth to respond but three loud gasps from behind Jack make me halt and we both turn to see the source. What I saw was a shocked skeleton girl, fairy girl, and superhero boy, all jaws dropped and eyes wide. And their responses told me their shock came from different sources.
"Princess dress! Pretty, pretty, pretty!" ~Sophie
"That cape is huge! Way bigger than mine!" ~Jamie
"You're holding hands! You guys are dating! I knew it, I knew it, I knew!" ~Emma
"What?!" Jack and I exclaim together then look down at our conjoined hands that we never let go of when I helped him to his feet.
I jerk my hand away and take a step back so violently that a bystander would have thought I got burned. Jack took a step back too and quickly bends over to pick up his staff that I hadn't noticed was beside the bush. "Emma," he says, his voice cracking, which would have made me laugh if I wasn't so embarrassed right now. How had I not known I was holding his hand? It must have been the gloves. "Stop with the teasing. That's my job."
She giggles, but that was the only response she gives him before she invades my space and looks up at me with wide eyes. "You're so pretty! I love your crown and dress! Where did you get it? I don't think I've seen it in any stores."
"That's because it's one of a kind," I say, noticing that Jamie is behind me, inspecting the cape. "Some friends of mine made it for me. They're famous designers."
The twinkle in her eyes increased. "Ooohhh that's so cool! Do you think they can make my costume next year?"
"And mine!" Jamie cut in, followed by Sophie: "Me too! Me too!"
I giggle at their excitement while Jack looked annoyed. "Guys," he says in a rare warning tone, "that's--"
"A wonderful idea," I interrupt before he could disappoint them. "As soon as I get home, I'll make sure to tell them." The three Frost children cheered, while the eldest look at me in shock. "What?"
"You do know we won't be able to pay for it, right?"
"You do know I'm rich right?" I remind him. "I'll pay for it all. Edna and Gabriel love my family so they'll probably do it for free. It's no problem."
"Yeah, Jack," Jamie says as he punches his older brother's shoulder. "Don't ruin this for us."
Jack ruffles his brother's hair and says, "Well if I can't ruin that then I guess I'll have to ruin your fun right now. Home time!"
"Home time?!" The twins say in unison.
"But we don't want to go home," says Emma.
"And I don't want to get in trouble," Jack reasons as he picks up Sophie, who is eating away at her candy. Her mouth is covered with chocolate smudges. I bet Anna looks like that too right now.
"You like getting in trouble though," says Jamie, confused.
"No, what I like is getting on people's nerves when I get in trouble. Except for mom, but sometimes she makes it funny too," says Jack as he starts walking, leading the way to their house. "Grandpa North should be at the house by now too. If he is we should scare him."
"Is that such a good idea?" I ask, worried for my Principal. "You might give him a heart attack."
Jack, Jamie, and Emma all laugh, Sophie oblivious and focused on her candy, and I blush in embarrassment while Jack says, "When that man moves on into the next world it certainly isn't going to be by a heart attack."
"He's too badass for that," says Jamie who gets smacked by Emma.
"Watch your mouth, asshole."
"Emma!" Jack hisses, mortified, while I held in my laughter. However, I did not hold back my surprised expression. "You need to watch your mouth too. Jesus!"
The twins laugh and that's when I release my own laughter. Jack was playfully glaring at me when I glance back at him. "You're only encouraging their bad behavior."
"Which they get from you," I quickly retort. "You need to clean up your act."
Jack shakes his head, indicating that he doesn't agree with me, but his respond said otherwise. "I want to disagree with you, but you're right. Will you help me clean it up?" He wiggles his eyebrows in a flirty manner and I roll my eyes while my face burns.
"I'll hand you the mop, but that's it."
"Can you send a hot maid instead?"
"No."
"Damn."
And of course, the one curse word sent his three siblings in attack mode, scolding him and entertaining me. And as our walking continued, I realized that Jack isn't the only Frost who had stolen my heart.
His siblings did too.
~*~
When we make it to Jack's house fifteen minutes later, Sophie was already in a deep sleep and so was their grandfather. I never thought I'd ever see my principal asleep on a recliner, pushed back so his legs were leveled up, and mouth wide open, snoring up a storm. He looks very at peace. It was definitely a sight to see, but it was nothing compared to Jack struggling to put Sophie in bed.
"Do you need help?" I quietly ask as I stood under Sophie's door with the twin siblings standing by my sides.
"Nah," Jamie says for Jack, "he has it under control."
"Yeah," Jack says as he struggled to release his sister's arms from his neck. "I have this under control."
"That...does not look like it's under control," I mutter under my breath. Emma heard it and she giggles.
Eventually Jack finally manages to put Sophie in her bed, but that only lasted a few seconds. Because as Jack reaches for her blanket at the end of the bed to pull over her, Sophie had rolled over and hit the floor face first.
I gasp, horrified, and say in a not so quiet voice: "Oh my god!" But she wasn't crying. Hell, she wasn't even awake.
Jack winces and says, "Oops," while the twins laughed loudly. Not even their laughter woke up their sleeping sister.
"Oops?" I repeat, still shocked that Sophie isn't awake. She fell hard. "She could have gotten seriously hurt and all you say is oops?"
Jack shrugs, not bothered, and throws the blanket on top of his sister who slept peacefully on the floor. "This isn't the first time it's happened. When Sophie overdoses on sugar she sleeps through everything." He moves past her, towards me, but I put a hand on his chest to stop him from ushering us out.
"Hold on," I say, sternly, "you can't just leave her on the floor."
"She's fine," Jack assures me, which causes me to glare at him.
"Jack Overland Frost," I grumble, "you should be ashamed." I move past him towards his sister and carefully pick her up. I gently put her down on her bed and tuck her in, pushing her bangs aside in a loving manner and kissing her forehead like my mother used to do with me. Brush the bangs aside and kiss the forehead. I miss those days.
When I turn around to leave, Jack was looking at me the same way my uncle looks at my aunt and the same way my father looks at my mother. He didn't look at me in awe like he had earlier when he saw me in my costume. This look is more...intimate. He's looking at me with adoration. It set my insides on fire, but it terrified me too. Oh God, stop looking at me like that. Stop looking at me like I'm the most adorable person in the world. That spot belongs to Sophie. Stop it.
But of course, he didn't and I didn't want him to stop either. Not really. I want him to always look at me like that.
"Wow, Jack," Jamie says as he nudges his sister and gives her a knowing look, "Did you forget to blink?"
"Okay, time to leave." Jack ushers his siblings out of the room and I followed. When I exit the room, Jack gently shuts the door and whispers to his other siblings. "Since grandpa is asleep you can stay up as long as you want and eat all the candy that you desire. Just don't tell on me. I'm supposed to put all your candy in a bowl."
Jamie salutes and says, "Sir yes sir." He then waves at me. "Bye, Elsa."
Emma says goodnight rather than goodbye, but instead of retreating to her room like her brother had done, she hugs me, taking me by surprise. "Have fun and be safe. Jack tends to be stupid."
I giggle as I hug her back, tearing up a little too because I didn't think she liked me this much. "I know. His stupidity is so--"
"Stupid," Emma finishes then pulls away from me to show me her smile. "Good thing it skips the girls in our family."
"I don't know," Jack says from the top of the stairs, watching us with tender eyes, "It probably got knocked into Sophie. She's fallen off that bed a lot."
I shake my head disapprovingly and turn back to his sister. "Goodnight, Emma." She repeats it again then heads to her room, leaving me alone with Jack, who I quietly followed down the stairs.
Instead of going straight for the door, he heads into the living room where North is at, and before I could ask him what he's doing, he's taking his phone out of his pocket and snapping a picture.
"Really?" I ask, trying not to show my amusement. "Was that necessary?"
Jack puts his phone back in his pocket and flashes me a mischievous grin. "Would you rather me scare him awake?" He comes to my side and flicks my nose. "Pictures are memories, Snowflake. Blackmail too. I might make a photo album one day."
I rub my nose while I glare at him. "How sweet of you."
He chuckles while he shrugs. "I try, my dear Snowflake. It's not easy, but I still try nonetheless. And since I'm such a sweetheart, I was wondering," he walks past me to go back to the stairs and points up the second floor. "How about we skip the whole party and just...Netflix and Chill? And no, I don't mean sex. I mean, if you want to I'm certainly not going to say no, but it's your call. We could binge watch a bunch of classic Halloween movies. My favorite is the Nightmare Before Christmas. How can I not like it when the main character shares the same name as me?"
Thank god for the lack of lights on in his house, because my face is on fire at the mention of sex. Just the thought of being in his room is sending my face flushing. "As..." I clear my throat to erase the sudden tightness. "As tempting as that sounds, we really should get going. Or at least I do. My sister and cousin are probably wondering where I'm at."
Eyebrow raised in question, Jack asks: "You didn't tell them you were heading over here?"
"No," I confess, "Only Tooth knows. Unless she told them." But not even she knows that I left. Unless she saw me leave or tried looking for me afterwards. If she knows, I wonder if she did tell my sister and cousin where I had gone off to. Perhaps, she lied about my whereabouts? They're probably having too much fun to notice. Either way, it doesn't matter. Either way it isn't a big deal.
At least that's what I'm going to keep saying. Because being here with Jack really isn't a big deal at all. It isn't.
"Well," Jack heads for the door now and opens it, "if you don't mind, how about we keep them wondering? I have an idea that's way better than a party and movies. And that's really saying something since I love both parties and movies."
I give him a suspicious look. "I don't know. I feel like you're going to try to scare me since I scared you earlier."
The mischief in his eyes twinkled brighter and his Cheshire Cat smile grew. "Are you paranoid, Snowflake?"
"I have a good reason to be," I remark, smirking, but that smirk quickly fell when Jack made his way toward me, leaving the door open and allowing the cold night air to breeze in, giving me chills.
Or maybe it's not the cold night air at all that's the cause of my goosebumps.
Maybe it's him.
And maybe I like it.
I stood by ground, knowing that if I moved I'd be backed up against a wall, which would not help my heart at all, but really I think the reason why I haven't moved is because I literally can't. I'm frozen in place. And when Jack approached me, just a couple of inches away, I still did not back away. It would only amuse him.
"And what reason is that..." he pauses to bring his hand up to caress my cheek, which sent my heart into overdrive. "...Snowflake?" His stare is intense, his whispering words are intense, the atmosphere is intense, everything is intense, and I'm certain that if I had backed up against a wall I would have passed out.
I gulp as my thoughts went wild. He likes you, he likes you, he likes you, HE LIKES YOU! Tooth was right! No boy does this to a girl he doesn't like unless he's a fuckboy. Jack isn't a fuckboy. But...he is a flirt. He's toying with you. Don't believe anything. Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it, DON'T DO IT!
And for once, I listen. "Nice try, Jack," I say, trying to sound unbothered as I walked past him toward the door, my cheek feeling cold at the absence of his fingers' warmth. "But if you want an answer, how about, instead of being creepy, you just beg. Girls love it when guys beg."
Jack looks dumbfounded when I look over my shoulder at him, and when he snaps out of it he says, defensively, "That was not creepy. That was hot."
Yeah, it definitely was, but I'm not going to admit that. Obviously. "That's something I could put a restraining order on. Now," I gesture outside, indicating for him to exit his own house first, "how about we go do that idea of yours?"
Jack perks up at the words. "Yes ma'am." And just before he walks out of the door, he stops to ask: "By the way, you wouldn't really put a restraining order on me, would you?"
"Well, look who's paranoid now."
~*~
Jack insisted that I keep my eyes close during the entire car ride, and I obeyed despite how much it kind of freaked me out. He promised he wasn't going to prank me, and I believed him, but it was still weird.
"It's a surprise," Jack had said once we left his house. "You surprised me with your costume, so now I'll surprise you with this. Trust me, you'll like it a lot more than a loud room full of dancing and sweaty teens."
I wasn't keeping count on the minutes, but it did take us a while to get wherever he was taking us, and even when the car was finally parked, he made sure that my eyes remained closed until we got inside. He even took off one of my gloves and had me hold it over my eyes just in case I tried to peek. When we do make it inside, a cold air, colder than the air outside, hits my face and makes me gasp.
"You're lucky the cold doesn't bother me," I tease as I carefully walk, clinging onto Jack's arm for support since he's currently my eyes. "Otherwise I'd scold you for bringing me to a place that's colder than the weather outside. Can I look now?"
"Not yet," he says and a few steps later, he stops. "Okay," he releases my arm from his and says, "Stay here. I have to go get something. No peeking!"
"I promise," I says for the billionth time. "But you better hurry because I'm getting frustrated and losing my patience."
Jack chuckles but says nothing as he leaves me standing, blind as a bat, and when he returns he says the words I've been so anxious to hear. "Okay," he says, the excitement clear in his voice, "You can open your eyes now."
I remove the glove that I held over my eyes and gasp at the sight. My eyes stung due to the bright lights that filled the room, but I was in too much of a shock to squint so they were as wide as salad plates. "J-Jack," I stammer, unable to think of what so say, unable to breathe.
Because not only is his surprise a delight, but it's also terrifying too.
"I can see that you're speechless. I knew you'd be surprised," Jack says from behind me to the side. When I turn, I take note of the two pairs of skates he has in his hands and my heart skips a beat.
Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!
"You brought me to a skating rink," I say, more to myself than to him, my eyes going back to the large rectangle of ice. I went back and forth from excited to scared. Excited because I told myself back when the Fair first arrived that if I was brave enough to do all the rides then I can be brave enough to try skating again too. Because Jack would be with me through it all.
And I did do all of the rides, including the scary dragon roller coaster that Hiccup actually survived on. He and Astrid actually sat together and she screamed more than he did.
My point it, I was able to do that, so I know I can do this too, but...this is so unexpected. I didn't plan it. I...I'm not ready. I can't just try something that I'm not ready for, not even if it's something I've been wanting to do for years.
"Uh-oh, I didn't break you, did I?" Jack says as he steps in front of me, blocking my view of the ice.
I step back and turn toward the doors. "I can't do this, Jack. I...I'm sorry." I start walking away, but he grabs me by the wrist to stop me.
"Whoa, wait, hold on a second," he says, confused. "What's wrong?"
My eyes burned again, but not because of the brightness. They burned because of tears. Tears that I made sure did not fall as I kept my gaze away from Jack's eyes, keeping it directed on the floor. I'd probably break if I looked back at him. He was so happy and now he's probably confused and hurt. Ugh Elsa why did you have to get so emotional? This is so embarrassing.
I should have concealed my emotions.
But can I really be blamed? Being on ice is the reason why my life went to shit. That night...that pond...And then when I tried to do it again a year later, I hit my head hard. It scared me, and I'm scared now. Scared because I don't want to be back on there, scared because I do, scared because I don't want to hurt Jack's feelings, scared because I don't even know what to do with my feelings for him. The last one shouldn't even be a concern right now, but it is.
"Nothing," I lie, my voice weak and very unconvincing.
"You don't have to lie to me," Jack says, disappointed, and he lets go of my wrist. "But you don't have to tell me either. If you want to leave we can--"
"Skating was everything to me," I begin, feeling guilty and knowing he deserves to know exactly what I feel, even though I want to conceal it all. What I want though isn't what I need .
"It was my dream to perform in the Olympics, but after that night on the pond...It wasn't my idea to get on the ice, but I had the power to say no, being the eldest and all, and I didn't. We got on the ice and we skated, well not really since we didn't have skates, but...we were still on the ice regardless. And then I spun Anna around, accidentally let her go, the ice breaks...you know the story. I didn't get back on ice until a year later, and when I did...I wasn't even on the ice for two minutes before I fell and nearly busted my head open. It scared me because I hadn't taken a fall like that in years, since I first started skating. After that, I vowed to never skate again because I felt I just...lost that part of myself. I lost the connection with the ice. I felt that I deserved it."
Jack's response is quick, so quick that I wasn't sure if I heard him correctly or at all. "Well, I don't. I think you deserve everything you desire."
I drew in a shaky breath and finally decide to face him. "And if what you desire is to leave," he continued as he came closer to me, "then that's exactly what we'll do. But personally, I would at least try to get back on the ice again. Try to find that connection. You're not the same girl you were back then. Plus," he smugly points to himself, "you have me now."
And much to my astonishment, he cups both sides of my face and brings his face close. For a moment, I thought he was going to kiss me, and I tense, but he doesn't and instead says, "I promise I won't let you fall."
And I believe him. With every cell in my body, I knew he wouldn't let such a thing happen. Plus, now that I think about it, if I don't do this now that I have the opportunity then I don't think I'll ever do it.
Convinced, I nod and say, "Okay. I'll do it." For not only him, but for me too. Because he's right. I'm not the same girl I was back then. Not really. I've changed. If I hadn't, I would have stayed at the party instead of seeking him out. Hell, I wouldn't have even gone to the party to begin with. I wouldn't have friends either. I'd be a loner if it wasn't for my sister and cousin being by my side. They didn't have to because I wasn't by their side for years, and despite the awkwardness at first that I absolutely hated, I'm glad they stuck by me.
And of course, Jack helped bring me out of my shell a little too. Ha...he did more than that. He made me fall for him. The real people I should be thanking though are my parents. I thought sending me to live in the town where my life changed for the worst was a horrible idea, but now...it's the best thing that has ever happened to me, which is so ironic considering my history with Burgess. There's so much I want to tell them, and that includes my very first crush.
"Okay, we're going to go nice and slow," Jack says once our skates are on as he leads me toward the ice.
I had taken my other glove off, along with my cape, and tied the skirt of my dress together so it wouldn't be in the way, tying it so it wrapped around my knees. But it didn't help at all. Every step I took with the skates on made me more clumsy than Anna, and it's all because I'm heavily nervous.
"Nice and slow," I repeat, gulping. "Okay, I can do that."
And then he opens the gate door and steps onto the ice with ease.
And then he's holding his hand out for me, smiling.
And then my heart just explodes in fear at the sight of the ice but also in fondness at the sight of his smile.
And I realize that his smile is what made my heart pound faster, not the ice.
And then I'm taking his hand, skin against skin, filling me with a soothing warmth.
And then with as much gentleness as he could muster, he's helping me on the ice. Which is weird since the last time we were on ice together he was helping me get off of it.
And then...I'm there.
And I'm gripping onto the railing for dear life.
"Alright," Jack cheers, proudly, "We're done with step one. Getting onto the ice. Now step two. Moving. See my feet," I look down at them, "try mimicking the movement." And I do and oh my god it was hard.
How had I done this before? I learned how to do all of this by myself when I was a child ! Now it seems impossible and we literally just started.
After a few minutes, my grip on the railing and Jack's arms was so tight that my hands began to hurt, and I knew that if they hurt, then Jack's arm that I'm holding must hurt more. "I'm sorry if your arm hurts," I say, taking note that we're nowhere near to being back at the beginning. We've been on the ice for at least a good 10 minutes. We should be so much closer if I wasn't so slow and panicky.
"Don't worry, Snowflake," Jack assures me, "Falling on the ice hurts more and that's the last thing I want to happen to you."
"It's going to happen eventually though," I try to reason with him, "It's inevitable."
"Not on my watch."
I roll my eyes and that was a big mistake. Because next thing I know, I'm slipping, going forward, but I never hit the ice because just as Jack had said, he caught me. "Whoa, easy there," he says, laughing. His arm that I wasn't holding was wrapped around my waist, and I blush both at that and at my mishap.
"Sorry," I say, sheepishly.
"It's alright. I don't expect you to suddenly get the hang of it. Practice makes perfect."
"And I suppose you want this to become a daily thing?"
"Exactly--WHOA!" And this time Jack's slipping and instead of me catching him, I'm falling with him too, mainly because I was holding onto him and he didn't have time to let me go. Luckily for me, I didn't hit the ice like Jack did because I fell on top of him, and while I know he was in more pain than I, I still groan at the impact. Landing on a person isn't exactly like landing on a pillow. It is however better than ice.
"Oh my god," I say, horrified that Jack is badly hurt, "Are you okay?"
Jack's groan turns into laughter and when he opens his eyes to look up at me he says: "I guess you can say that I just fell for you."
I give him an 'are-you-serious' look, definitely not amused, and say: "Yep, it appears you're perfectly fine. Also what happened to making sure I don't fall?"
Jack shrugs, looking a bit too comfortable laying on the ice with me on top of him. "I still caught you though. Just like I said I would. Plus, you have your dress to blame. I think we were unaware when it came undone and I tripped over it. Definitely not complaining though. It's been awhile since I've had a girl on top of me."
And that's when I feel his arms tighten around my waist, making me realize the position we had fallen in. I landed right between his legs. Our chests are touching. Everything is touching! Except for our faces of course. Oh god, he is below me !
And when dirty thoughts flashed through my mind, I have never hated myself more. Snap out of it, Elsa!
"Shut up," I say, both to him and to my thoughts, glad to have not stammered, but upset that my face is so hot it could probably melt the ice rink. I'm conflicted on why my face is even red. Is it more red because of our current position or is it red because of what he just said?
It's been awhile since I've had a girl on top of me.
Was he just messing with me or was he being serious? How many girls has he been with before? Who are they? And how long exactly is awhile?
"If you want a girl on top of you," I went on, feeling only slightly jealous, "I suggest you look elsewhere. I'm actually surprised you don't have a girlfriend already to help with that." I hadn't meant to say that, but it came out before I could stop it, and since I had already went passed the line, I decided to continue, using Tooth's advice from earlier and trying to be nonchalant about it. "Why don't you anyway? Have a girlfriend, I mean. You...well you're the whole package. I'm sure there are tons of girls that like you. There's got to be one you like back. So...what's up with that?"
Oh god, I rambled. That was so lame. God, kill me now.
But instead of finding it amusing, I see Jack gulp and the nervousness in his eyes was to the point where I'm sure he's internally panicking. "I...uh..."
I felt bad for prying, especially since I've never seen him like this before. "You don't have to tell me. It's none of my business." Oh my god, what if he's gay??? "I...I shouldn't have asked. We need to get up anyway. This is...weird." Jesus Elsa it wasn't weird until you said it. I go to get to my feet, but Jack stops me by tightening his grip on me again.
"Whoa, hold on," he says, his voice sounding tight, "don't leave yet. I...I have something to ask and...and this might be my only chance."
My stomach twists in knocks. "And that is?" And now my voice is tight too.
"What if," he starts, pausing to take in a deep breath. He even closes his eyes, looking as though this is the hardest thing he has ever had to do. Oh god, what is going to say? "What if I don't want to look elsewhere? What if I like what I have? Or...what I could have?"
I pause before answering, trying to find the meaning of his words. "What do you mean?" I whisper, becoming breathless at what he's insinuating. Oh god...did he really mean what I think he meant?
"What I mean is..." His eyes look away from mine and travel down to my lips.
"Jack?" I say, since he suddenly stopped talking. I could feel his heartbeat, its frantic beating just as rapid as mine, and without meaning to, I grip the fabric of his tunic right above his heart, anxious and not wanting to let go just yet.
He licks his lips and the nervousness in his eyes shifted into a look of hunger. "I think it'd be better if I showed you."
And then, before I could process his words, he's quickly removing his arms from my waist and is cupping my face. Then he's leaning forward and gently bringing my face down to meet his.
And next thing I know, our lips are crashing together in a kiss I never saw coming...
But still gladly accepted.