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kristannafever · 2 months

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Second Chances - 2

Kristanna Modern AU Rated: Explicit WC: 4769

Chapter Index

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Kristoff walked into the crowded coffee shop and spotted her head of copper hair right away. It was like that at the bar the other night too. She had struck him initially with her beauty, and he certainly recognized it again now. Only this time he was guarded.

She’d been watching for him and waved as soon as they made eye contact. Kristoff went over and sat at the other side of the table that was against the window.

“Hi, Kristoff. Thank you so much for meeting me.”

“No problem,” he muttered, adjusting his large frame on the uncomfortable metal chair.

“I took the liberty of getting you a coffee. Please tell me if I didn’t guess right and I will buy you whatever you want.”

Kristoff blinked and looked down at the cardboard cup he just realized was sitting on his side of the table. Slowly he reached forward and pried the lid off. “It’s black?”

“Did I guess wrong?”

He looked up and was met with some of the widest and most gorgeous eyes he’d truly ever seen. “No, actually. This is how I take it.”

Anna visibly relaxed in her seat. “Oh good. I wanted to have it ready in case you just want to hear what I have to say and then bolt.”

He found himself smiling. What the hell was it about her that was so… charming. “Thank you. And don’t worry, I won’t be that rude.” He winked, trying to take some of the tension out of the situation that she was clearly feeling. What he did not expect, was the delightfully beautiful pink hue that immediately spread out over her freckled cheeks as she smiled back at him.

“I deserve that,” she said through a bit of a nervous giggle. “So I will start out by saying I am deeply sorry for all those awful things that I said to you. You absolutely did not deserve that and I was way, way out of line.”

“It’s okay, Anna.”

She shook her head forcefully. “No. It was not okay. I was thinking back and you did nothing at all to provoke me being so mean to you. As I said, I have-”

“Issues?” he finished for her.

She nodded and looked down at the table, blush deepening.

“Well, you aren’t the only one,” he offered. “And I get it. We all have those moments when we just have too much on our plate and we maybe don’t act…”

He was fishing his mind for the right word when Anna said it for him. “Appropriately?”

He nodded. “Yeah.”

“So, is it safe for me to assume that you accept my apology?”

“I do.” He smiled. “And I really appreciate you giving it to me. But please don’t worry about it too much. I have thicker skin than you think.”

Her demeanor relaxed further. “I can’t thank you enough.” She sighed. “I was actually a little worried that you weren’t going to show or something.”

“Hmm. You assume a lot, don’t you?”

He’d meant it as a quip like the one he used earlier, only it got the opposite reaction that he was expecting. She frowned and averted ger eyes. “One of my issues,” she muttered.

“Anna, I am sorry,” he said softly. “I was just trying to kid around. I try and make jokes when I’m nervous. One of my issues, I guess.”

She looked back up at him and the side of her mouth turned up in a soft smile. “You’re nervous?”

“Um, yeah. A little,” he said, running his hand through his hair. “I really don’t date much and sometimes I struggle to think of the right thing to say to someone when it’s one on one. When in doubt, I make a joke.” He gave her a sheepish shrug which elicited a bigger smile from her.

“I do that too sometimes. And if I’m honest I was nervous to meet up with you today again after…” her voice died off with her smile.

He reached across the table and patted her forearm that was resting on top of it. “It’s fine. Water under the bridge now.”

Kristoff retracted his hand, curious that Anna watched it as he slid it back to his side of the table. Then her eyes met his, sincere and beautiful. “Thank you.”

“So, uh,” he cleared his throat gently, “how do you take your coffee?”

She lit up. “I love these Caramel Macchiatos. So good! I don’t like too much extra floof in my coffee, like all these added pumps of syrup and whatnot, but this one has caramel, which is delicious of course, and whip cream and who doesn’t love whip cream. And if I have a plain coffee of course I put cream and sugar in it, I don’t think I could drink it black. Too bitter for me. I barely like coffee enough for the taste, you know? Which is silly because coffee beans smell sooooo good!”

The more she talked the more his smile widened, and their conversation carried on to other things, which was exactly what he’d been hoping for when he met her at that bar the other night. Someone who was real and honest and easy to talk to. And it did not hurt that she was absolutely stunning.

They ended up just talking about anything and everything for the better part of an hour and Kristoff found himself thinking he was going to do something that he had no intention of doing when he headed to the coffee shop that morning to meet her.

He waited for a natural lull and went for it. “So, Anna, I have to ask if maybe you would like to give a first date a second go?”

She blinked at him. “Despite what I said, you would give me a second chance?”

It was his turn to blush. “Well, I’ve had a good time talking with you. If you are interested, I’d like to take you to a proper dinner?”

Anna was still for a moment and then slowly nodded. “I would like that. But only if you allow me to pay for the meal.”

Kristoff smirked. He really liked her. “No way. I have a rule I always pay on dates.”

She shook her head at him, a real smile spreading over her face for the first time. “Why do I feel like you are going to be trouble…”

His eyes narrowed playfully. “Funny, I was thinking the same thing.”

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Anna was nervous. Holy Hell was she ever nervous. She paced her apartment shaking out her hands, trying to calm her rampant anxiety.

She did have a wonderful time talking to Kristoff. In fact, he as the first person she actually felt herself opening up to since her ex had left her. Aside from her disastrous first impression, he was the first man that she didn’t have immediate reservations about, and yet he was also the first man since her ex that she worried about actually disappointing for real should they begin to start dating.

Grinding her teeth, she cursed her asshole ex for the millionth time. She’d flip flop with having courage – lacking it way more than having it – and every once in a while, she’d look at herself in the mirror and tell herself that she was pretty, smart, and that her dirtbag ex had no idea what he was talking about. Then memories would flood her mind of him being lackluster in the bedroom and she’d remember that there was a reason for saying the things he had said.

Her buzzer scared the living hell out of her and she rushed over to the intercom to let him in. It wasn’t long while she took deep breath after deep breath until he was knocking at her door.

Anna opened it with what she hoped was a natural smile and was met with a bouquet of flowers. “Oh, Kristoff. Hi.”

He smiled. “Hi. Got these for you.” He offered her the flowers.

Anna took them, even though she didn’t feel like she deserved them. “They are beautiful. Thank you. Come on in.”

His cheeks went pink and he stepped into her apartment as she went into the small kitchen directly across the front entrance to fill a vase. She thought she had one under the sink but it wasn’t there. Puzzled, she looked up and spotted one on top of the fridge pushed to the back. Rushing over, she was about to pull a kitchen chair to assist her when he loomed over her.

“I can grab it,” he offered, and reached up to pluck the glass off the top of the fridge.

Anna looked up as he moved, impressed all over again with the size of the man. She had never been out with anyone of his stature. He was so broad and thick in the neck it was not a hard stretch of the imagination to think about what the rest of him might look like, and heat spread through Anna’s core in a way that was very foreign to her.

“Here you go,” he said, handing her the vase.

“Thanks!” she squeaked, and went to the sink to fill it with water, ignoring the way her body was suddenly tingling to be so close to someone so imposing. And hot.

Anna resisted the urge to run her head under the cold water and set the flowers in the vase. Kristoff was waiting patiently and she rushed to get her shoes on so that they could leave even though he wasn’t giving her any inclination that he wanted her to hurry.

His truck was very clean, like him. He was in a similar outfit as the first time she’d met him. A button up shirt with some dark jeans and black Adidas. Anna was glad that she’d opted for a similar look. She was always comfortable in jeans and a sweater, although she’d chosen a pair of ankle boots to be just a little bit taller.

They chatted as they drove. Anna learned that he was in construction and she told him that she worked reception at a local publishing company, which led to asking each other questions about what their jobs were like and before she knew it, they were at the restaurant.

It was an Italian place, dimly lit and romantic. She had to wonder this sudden change of first date location from that of a crowded Pub. Maybe that was his way of meeting on neutral ground before? Anna was thrilled that he had given her another chance and maybe he was showing her more of him since they’d had their talk at the coffee shop.

They were sat at a table for two tucked away in the corner so that they could talk without too much noise. The place was packed, and it was ideal for them to be able to hold a conversation. Which they did remarkably easily. He was such an easy guy to talk to, Anna found herself thinking of things that she knew she should not. Like what a body like his would feel like pressed against her own. She may be bad at it, but she was still a flesh and blood woman who wanted things. Needed things. It wasn’t until this handsome and massive man appeared in her life that she realized just how much she needed them. How much she had been missing them.

They got to know each other a great deal, and when Anna found herself in his truck being taken home after he had insisted on paying like he said he was going to, she had to wonder how she was going to end the evening. Did she want to kiss him? Hell yes. Was she nervous? Extremely. Did she think she was unworthy of a man like him… Yes. No. Maybe?

He parked on the curb and whisked himself out of his seat to get her door. He’d done the same thing at the restaurant, actually telling her to wait as he got out. It was old fashioned and cute as hell. Was there a chance that maybe Kristoff would be acceptable of her naivety in the bedroom? Would he be someone who could teach her the ways of lovemaking?

Anna felt herself hoping and praying that this was not going to end in a disaster as she rode up the elevator and walked down the hall with him to her apartment.

He paused, stepping back to give Anna room when they reached her door. “I had a really nice time, Anna. Thank you.”

Her cheeks lit up. “Thank me? No I think I need to thank you for giving me a second chance. I had a really nice time too. Great time.”

He smirked. “Mine was actually great too.”

Anna blinked at him, heart hammering away in her chest. She had no idea what to do next. She wanted to kiss him, badly. Would the fact that she was bad at it turn him off? His eyes regarded her while she stared at him stupidly.

“Would you like to go out again sometime?” he asked softly.

She nodded quickly. “Yes, I would.” Would you though? Even though you know you are going to disappoint him?

“That’s awesome. How about next Saturday?”

“Sure, sure. Sounds good.” Anna was practically vibrating with indecision and worry. Was he going to kiss her? Was she going to kiss him? Would he hate it?

He smiled slowly. “Can I ask that we take this a little slow though? I really don’t want to rush into anything.”

Her entire body relaxed. “I would like to take it slow too.” Relief washed over her to know that she was going to have some time to figure things out before she was faced with the potential problems that would arise with her complete lack of sexual prowess.

“May I give you a hug goodnight?” he asked.

Is this man real? Anna nodded. “Of course.”

She tried not to sigh too much into the hug when he pulled her body against his, but it was hard to restrain. The sheet size of him made her feel like she’d might have to hold on for dear life if they were ever tangled together in the sheets.

He let her go after a moment and did a little bow. “Have a good night, Anna.”

She bid him a goodnight as well and shut the door, turning and leaning her back against it. “Wow,” she whispered to her empty apartment.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Kristoff regarded himself in the mirror by his closet. “What do you think, Sven?”

He turned to the grey tabby cat who sat on the edge of his bed, looking at him with his curious feline gaze.

“Is it too much?”

Sven lifted his front paw and began licking it.

“I’ll lose the tie.”

The cat ignored him.

“Okay, yeah, lose the tie.”

Kristoff yanked the knot loose and whipped the tie off his neck. This was stupid. He’d already taken her to a romantic kind of place. What he needed to do was take her on something that was fun. Like a movie or bowling.

He worried that he had overstepped in the reservations that he had made. What was it about her that made him just want to dive in like they had known each other for months instead of weeks? He had no idea, and he had a lot of time to ponder it on his way to pick her up.

Without flowers this time, she greeted him at the door, slipped on her shoes – heels this time – and followed him out into the hallway without asking him in. Not that it mattered. She was still absolutely as stunning as last time, only in a knee-length black dress.

They made small talk as they drove and Kristoff soon pulled up to the tiny hole in the wall place that he was deeply familiar with. It was something he initially figured would be a while before he showed her, but with Anna things were different. Everything was different.

Nervous, he got out and hurried over to her door to open it. She gave him a brilliant smile and he offered her his elbow as they walked up to the restaurant.

He knew the inside like the back of his hand because he’d grown up here. It was his parents’ restaurant, and before he’d gone off to get his ticket for constriction, he worked almost every job there was in the place, including that one time he had to take over cooking.

They walked to the Matre’d, and to the man’s credit, he did not give away in his mannerisms that he knew Kristoff very well. He was there as a customer, after all. They were greeted and then seated at the best table in the place, a two-seater that was tucked into a little alcove beside the gas fireplace that afforded the little eatery a very romantic feeling.

“Kristoff, this place is lovely,” Anna said quietly after the waitress had given them menu’s and told them what the specials were. She must have been a new hire because Kristoff had never seen her before.

He nodded. “It is. It’s my favourite place.”

Her eyes widened excitedly. “It is? What’s good here, then?”

He shrugged one shoulder. “Pretty much everything. The pasta is all home made, the steaks are always cooked the way you want them, and despite the fact that we don’t live near the ocean, the fish is always fresh.”

Anna seemed intrigued and eagerly looked down at the menu. Kristoff held his in front of him and watched her. He didn’t need to look at the menu; he had come up with half of it.

“I can’t decide,” she mumbled to herself, eyes still scanning the page and the corner of her lip pinched in her teeth.

Kristoff couldn’t take his eyes off her mouth. The way she’d been so clearly distraught over how to end their first date spoke volumes to him about some of her self mentioned issues, and he really did want to take it slow with her. For him just as much as her, because Anna was the first woman he’d been out with in a year that he felt he could have something with. Except, those soft lips of hers… he had to admit to his more primal side that it was going to be hard to take their time.

Anna set the menu down and looked up at him. “I really don’t know. There are so many things I want to try. What are you having?”

“Whatever the chef feels like making me.”

Her eyebrow raised. “You know the chef?”

“I do. He’s my dad.”

Her eyes widened. “Your dad?”

He nodded, smiling despite himself. “Yup. This is my parents’ place.”

Anna set the menu down slowly. “Oh, that’s… wonderful. It’s a very nice place.”

His smile faded to see that there was suddenly tension in Anna’s movements, like she was nervous. He realized then that to her this was not taking it slow. It had never crossed his mind that she might take it that way.

“It’s not like we’re here to visit,” he said quickly, setting his own menu down. “I just like coming here to eat. The food is excellent.”

“Oh… yes, I am sure. Of course it is. This is...” Her mouth floundered without words.

He let out a deep sigh. “Anna, please don’t read anything into this. I feel comfortable here, and I just wanted to share it with you.”

A slow smile spread on her face and she began to relax. “Okay.”

He smiled back and the waitress slid up to their table. “Can I get you some drinks to start?” she asked.

“Um…” Kristoff looked back to Anna. “You feel like some wine?” he asked.

“Sure.”

Kristoff ordered them a bottle of red and said that they would take an order of their bruschetta to start.

“Excellent,” the waitress said, committing the order to memory. “And would you like some more time with the menu for your entrées?”

He was about to ask Anna if she wanted more time when a thought occurred to him. “Do you mind if I order?” he asked her.

She shook her head. “Not at all.”

He turned back to the waitress. “Can you please tell the chef to prepare us whatever he would like this evening?” She looked at him a little confused, so he cleared the air. “Don’t worry, he’ll know who’s asking.”

The waitress took the menus as Kristoff handed them to her. “Alright. I will have the wine and appetizer out to you shortly,” she said, and walked away from the table.

They started to talk about something random – Kristoff couldn’t remember how it started, only that Anna had said something to get the ball rolling – when the topic of conversation naturally turned to their previous relationships.

“So your sister told my sister you haven’t been in a date in a year?”

He nodded. “Yeah, I tried but the dating scene is kind of awful so I had to give up for a bit. I was in a serious relationship that ended badly. You were too, I hear?”

Anna’s cheeks flushed with pink. She tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear and he could see this was directly linked to one of her ‘issues’. “Our sisters spilling our secrets huh?”

Kristoff chuckled.

“Yeah,” Anna continued. “Three years and one day he tells me he’s been seeing other people and we were done.”

He frowned and felt genuine anger that that had happened to her. “Wow. That’s awful.”

She nodded. “How did yours end?”

He sighed. He thought back to having to end it with his high school sweetheart. She had never desired to get married as her parents had a brutal divorce, and at the time Kristoff didn’t care one way or the other, as long as they planned to have kids some day. Which she said that she did. Then when the timing seemed right, she wanted to wait another year, then had excuse after excuse after excuse. She became increasingly hostile every time Kristoff would bring it up and then one day he realized that he hadn’t asked in nearly two years and there was a gaping hole in his heart that was missing the family he’d always wanted. He didn’t even bother asking her one last time. He ended it instead.

“You were hurt?” she asked quietly, and he realized he’d gotten lost in his own thoughts.

He nodded. “Eight years. I was with her for eight years. Then one day I realized that she was never going to commit to the things she said she wanted with me. I had to move on, and it was the hardest thing I have ever done.”

Anna was quiet for a moment. “Can I ask, what it is that you wanted?”

He looked at her, wondering if he should say something so early into their relationship. Although, he supposed it would be good to get it out there.

“I wanted a family,” he said simply. “She said she did and then kept putting it off.” He shrugged. “I just had to move on when I realized she had changed her mind. Clean break. And I didn’t tell her that it was the only reason. I just didn’t want her saying she did want kids to try and salvage the relationship, you know?”

She didn’t answer, only nodded with understanding as the bruschetta he’d ordered was placed on the table. They both helped themselves and began eating without a word. It wasn’t until the plate was half finished when Anna broke the silence.

“That certainly sounds like a hard break up. Probably more on you than her.”

That surprised him for the fact that it was absolutely true. He nodded slowly, heart ramping up.

“It kind of makes me glad I only wasted three years with my ex,” she said. “Eight years is a long time.”

“It is. And… you know, I do still want a family.” He left it lingering and knew Anna picked up on what he meant right away by the way her eyes widened as she stared at him.

“Kristoff… I…”

He reached across the table and put his hand on her arm. “Anna, I’m not asking you to tell me right now or anything. I just wanted you to know. If you don’t want a family, I don’t want to waste your time.”

She visibly swallowed and turned her eyes to her glass of wine. “Ever since I was a kid, I’ve known I wanted to get married and have kids. And… I still do. I just… I am having a hard time picturing it for myself right now.”

“I understand. And I’m sorry, I did not mean to spring this conversation on you tonight.”

She laughed nervously. “You didn’t, we just kind of got there, didn’t we?”

He agreed. There was something in the way Anna reacted that he feared there was more to her breakup than she was letting on. It made him angry all over again to think of someone mistreating her.

*****

Anna had the leftovers sitting in her lap as Kristoff drove her home. The meal had been excellent; surf and turf, with a side of pasta in a creamy lemon sauce. And Kristoff had paid for it, chuckling that he knew his parents would always let him eat free, but to him it was a business and he a customer, so of course he was going to pay the bill. If he went in the back door to just mooch in the kitchen though, he told her with a wink, that was a different story.

He’d gone into the kitchen to say goodnight to his parents, leaving a relieved Anna at the table. It felt a little too soon to her to meet his parents, and she was glad all over again that Kristoff wanted to take things slowly.

He parked on the street outside her building and shut the truck off. She expected him to get out but he remained still behind the wheel. Anna was about to grab her own door when he looked to her.

“Would it be okay if I asked why you you’re having a hard time picturing a family for yourself?” He looked over at her, eyebrows furrowed with worry.

It gave Anna pause. “I don’t know,” she stammered. There was something in the way he was looking at her that gave her the feeling that he perhaps figured out more than she had wanted him to know.

“He really hurt you, didn’t he?” he asked quietly.

She couldn’t look him in the eyes anymore and turned them down to the cardboard box in her lap. She had no idea what to say to him. Instead, she swallowed the lump in her throat unable to help thinking back to what her ex had said to her.

“I’m sorry that happened to you, Anna. I hope you know that I am not like that. I could never cheat on someone.”

Anna nodded down at the leftovers, tears forming despite the fact that she did not want to cry. Then a moment later the cool night embraced her skin and she looked over to see that Kristoff had her door open and was holding his hand out to her. She took it, and let him help her down to the curb.

They walked into the building and rode up the elevator in silence. Anna was thankful she had reigned in her tears and that she was able to turn and finally look at him when they stopped at her door.

“Thank you for the wonderful dinner, Kristoff. Your dad is a fantastic cook.”

He didn’t say anything at first, he only looked at her like he was trying to figure something out. Then he tilted his head to the side, appraising her closely, as his hand came up slowly and he cupped it to her cheek.

Anna’s eyes went wide and her body instantly coiled with tension as soon as he touched her face. She stepped back and his hand instantly let go.

He lowered his arm slowly, his face morphing with understanding as she looked at him like a deer caught in the headlights. Then he pursed his lips, said goodnight, and disappeared down the hallway.

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#cee wrote this mess #second chances #kristoff #anna #kristanna #kristanna modern au #!The smut will start next chapter #that's why this one is a little longer #because I want to get to it #lol #thank you for your patience <3

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