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Kristoff leaned against the window, staring at the sliver of moon that glowed high above the trees as he fiddled with the strings of his guitar. According to the clock sitting on his bedside table, it was 2:37 AM, meaning the world was asleep, except for him.
Business as usual , he thought. He finished tuning his guitar and gave it a strum. From the corner of the room, a shaggy-haired mutt with wide brown eyes started from his bed and trotted over to where Kristoff sat.
“Didn’t mean to wake you, Sven,” he said as the dog laid at his feet. He plucked a few chords absentmindedly as his eyes wandered to the window. The narrow road that ran past his apartment building was dark and silent, save for a single streetlight pouring orange light weakly onto the asphalt. Beyond the street was a wide swath of woods. The trees quivered in the wind and shadows seem to dance just beyond the forest’s mouth.
He was suddenly drawn from his thoughts by a knock at the door. Kristoff paused and glanced around the apartment. Just when he figured he’d imagined it, the rapping returned, louder this time. He sighed and set aside his guitar.
When he opened the door, he was surprised to see Anna, his neighbor from across the hall, standing outside. “Anna?”
“Hi, Kristoff,” she said. Her auburn hair fell in messy waves down her shoulders and she was dressed in striped green pajama pants and a baggy concert shirt. She had no shoes on, only a mismatched pair of brightly colored cabin socks.
“What are you doing here? Is everything alright?” Kristoff said, noticing the tension her shoulders and nervous look dancing in her eyes.
“Um, yes--well, kind of. C-can I just come in for a second?” she asked. She averted her gaze and bit her lip.
Kristoff nodded and stepped aside. She hurried into his apartment, closing the door behind her. Kristoff led her to the couch where they settled beside each other.
“What’s going on?” he said.
She wrung her hands in her lap. She still wouldn’t meet his eyes. “I just--I’m having a rough night. I can’t sleep, can I stay here? I just need some company.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever you need. I’ll get some blankets and sleep the couch and you can take the bed.”
“No, you don’t have to do that!”
“It’s fine, I--”
Anna burst into tears before he could finish his sentence. Alarmed, Kristoff reached to put his arm around her before remembering the she was only an acquaintance and awkwardly putting a few inches between them.
“I-I’m sorry,” she managed in between sobs. “I’m s-so sorry.”
“No, it’s okay,” Kristoff said, swiveling his body to face her. “You don’t need to apologize, just tell me what you need from me.”
She finally looked him in the eye. Her cheeks were flushed and tears clung to her eyelashes. “I think I just need to talk to someone. You know, just let everything out.”
“Tell me whatever you need,” Kristoff said.
Anna hesitated, “You won’t judge me?”
“I live alone, study animal guts for a living, and only spend time with my dog. I’m not exactly in a position to be judging other people’s decisions.”
Anna sniffed and managed a quiet laugh. It sounded like wind chimes singing in a flower-scented spring breeze. Kristoff thought it was the loveliest sound he’d ever heard.
“I guess just a lot is going on right now with my boyfriend, Hans,” she began. “He’s always been tempermental, but god, never like this. Just every night he comes home in a rage and finds some way to pin it on me.” She paused and chewed her lip for a moment, “Everything used to be so nice, I don’t know what happened.”
“How long has it been like this?” Kristoff whispered, as if Anna were made of glass and speaking at a typical volume might shatter her.
“Too long.”
“It’s all right,” Kristoff said. He gingerly wiped a stray tear from her cheek. His heart pounded when Anna met his eyes, glittering in the starlight falling through the window.
“I thought it was, too,” Anna replied. She stared at the floor. “But then I missed my period. At first I thought it was just the stress of the whole situation, but the days went on and it never came. Finally, I got a pregnancy test from the drug store, and sure enough, it showed up positive.”
She buried her head in her hands as great, heaving sobs wracked her body. Kristoff wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to his chest. She trembled against him, her tears wetting his shirt as she cried.
Emotions rioted inside him. Pain and concern for Anna, anger and frustration at the person who did this to her. He wished Hans were in his apartment so he could give him a piece of his mind. Instead, he focused on Anna and her fragile body cradled against him. Her skin was hot and her hair was soft on his neck. He tightened his arms around her.
She finally took a few deep breaths her crying faded. Kristoff released her and she sat up, grabbing several tissues from the box on the coffee table and dabbing her face.
“God, this is so weird,” she said. “I can’t believe I’m sitting on your couch telling you all this. We’ve talked like, what, four, five times?”
Kristoff laughed, “Don’t worry about it. You’re stressed out and everything’s falling apart and it feels like the whole world is on fire. I get it.”
“That just about sums it up. I just don’t know what I’m going to do about all this,” Anna said. She pulled her legs to her chest and rested her chin on her knees.
“Have you told Hans?” Kristoff asked.
“Yep. He threw a fit and walked out on me. That was last week and I have yet to hear from him again.” Anna sighed, “I always wanted kids--I love kids--but I didn’t think it’d happen this way.”
“If it’s any consolation, based on the single hour you’ve spent here I think you’d be an awesome mom.”
Anna laughed again. It rung in his ears and bounced in his brain and lit up every nerve in his body. He’d be satisfied if it was the last sound he ever heard.
“I hope so,” Anna said. “It’s just that I’m still working on my masters and I don’t have tons of money or time right now. My sister and her girlfriend live nearby so they could help me some, but they both work full time so even then it’s limited.”
“If it’s not too weird to offer I’d be willing to offer some help,” Kristoff said.
Anna met his gaze. Her lips lifted into a smile and her eyes twinkled. “That would be wonderful.”
“Just, if there’s anything you need, don’t be afraid to reach out,” Kristoff replied, fighting the heat rising in his cheeks.
“Anything?”
“Anything.”
Anna suddenly smirked, “Then I say you let me sleep on the couch and you keep your bed so I don’t feel guilty.”
“Seriously?” Kristoff groaned.
Anna laughed and hopped up from the couch, “You should’ve thought about that when you said anything.”
Kristoff rolled his eyes and stood. “Okay then, fine, I’ll keep my bed. At least let me grab you some blankets and a pillow.”
“Deal.”
~~~
Kristoff awoke the next morning to sunlight spilling through the sheer white curtains covering his bedroom window and the blaring of his alarm from the night stand. He shot up and shut it off, fearing the noise would wake up Anna. He pulled one his clothes and shoes as quietly as he could and stepped into the main room, where Anna’s snores echoed off the walls.
Thank god for heavy walls , he thought as he grabbed a protein bar from the pantry and shoved it into his pocket.
He headed for the door, but right as he was about to leave, he hesitated. His eyes went back to Anna. who laid tangled in a blanket on the couch, her hair spilling over the pillow and a bit of drool trickling from her mouth. Kristoff thought she looked like an angel.
He approached the coach and adjusted the blanket so it covered her body before grabbing a notepad and a pen from the kitchen counter. Balancing himself on the edge of the coffee table, he scribbled down his number and tore the page from the notebook. He placed it right by the tissue box so Anna would see it as soon as she got up. Once he was sure she was still asleep, he slipped out of the apartment, his mind still caught on her fiery red hair, infectious laugh, and the hope of seeing her again soon.