Chapter Text
The heavily decorated tables - with their lace tablecloths, perfectly folded napkins, and numbers displayed in large, bold font on folded cards in the center - looked at her ominously from across the room. She glared at them, as if they had been personally mocking her, before scanning the rest of the room. Of course Elsa would have set her up for this.
Speed dating.
Anna did agree to the idea, so her current situation was entirely her own fault. There was a good reason her sister had grinned like a fool when she accepted.
None of the men in the room even remotely attracted her interest, though she attributed that to the current gaping wound in her chest. It wasn’t unreasonable to think it would take time to love again, but the lack of any attraction had jarred her a bit. Maybe it would just take more time.
She told herself that, but…
Any time in the last few months that she’s tried to get to know a guy, there was always something about him that just made her skin crawl. She grew quickly accustomed to letting them down easy after the first date. And without fail, she knew tonight would end up in a lot of declined dates.
A voice sounded over the speakers to announce the beginning of the event.
Let the games begin,
Anna thought with a smirk.
Reluctantly, she took her seat at her assigned table. She was on number three, with thirty-nine other tables spaced out across the large room.
The first man sat down. He smiled, and his square jaw and white teeth stood out first, with his perfectly coiffed hair and navy blue suit coming in as a close second.
He looks nice enough,
she thought to herself.
Maybe give him a chance.
“I’m Josh.”
“Anna.”
They shook with clammy hands across the table, and took their seats after sharing an awkward smile.
“So, Anna, why would a girl like you be need speed dating for?” He asked, his elbows on the table, hands clasped together under his chin and a charming smile adorned his lips.
Here we go,
she took a breath before answering.
“My sister put me up to this. And I guess there’s no harm in trying,” she explained honestly.
His eyes scanned her slowly, and she wanted the bell to ring
now.
“Don’t get out much?” He laughed, his shoulders falling back into the chair.
Anna couldn’t place why he irritated her so much, but she was slowly fighting back the urge to strike him right in his perfectly sculpted jaw. But that was a ridiculous reaction, right? She did come to this circus willingly, after all. Maybe she should be giving it a real chance.
“So, you’re a redhead. Tell me. Is it true what they say? That redheads are real firecrackers in bed?” He crossed his arms as if he were about to discover a grand secret, and looked at Anna expectantly with a raised brow.
Suddenly, she wasn’t thinking anymore. Truthfully, she didn’t want to be there, anyway. So, she had no regrets when she opened her mouth next. “I’m sure I can find something to explode up your ass if you want to try me.”
He stared at her, mouth agape, trying to find the joke in her words, but after several seconds, his shoulders sagged and he stared at the table, presumably waiting for the bell to ring.
The rest of the night didn’t go any better. It was a steadfast line of guys who were either
too much
or
not enough.
Anna was starting to wonder if she was just being too picky. It was probably partly true, given her stubborn disposition. She had perfected it after watching Elsa keep everyone at an arm’s length or farther.
Or maybe she was just damaged goods after Kristoff.
He did break her heart, after all, although she couldn’t find it in herself to be mad at him, even for a second. It wasn’t anything either of them could have controlled. It was just life, happening and showing them that it doesn’t always fall into the plan you’ve carefully constructed.
It was a shame, too. They seemed like perfect soulmates. She often wondered how she had possibly missed the signs. But, they were there. They had to be. Maybe it was best if she didn’t think too hard about it. It would only drive her insane.
Kristoff was gay. That was the fact, and after a lot of time, it was something that she still found herself surprised by when her mind began to wander off.
She had loved him for over two years. Of course her brain wouldn’t compute the sudden departure from life as usual right away.
After a month of secluding herself to her bedroom, her sister Elsa had finally insisted she get herself together and back out into the world. So, she did. Mostly because she didn’t want to face Elsa’s wrath, but also, she missed her friends and the smell of her favorite coffee shop. A month of wallowing would only get her so far.
So, a few days ago, when Elsa came to her insisting she go out and try speed dating, Anna had initially laughed, but decided she’d been faced with worse ideas.
She had been very,
very
wrong. By the end of the night, she was sure she was done with dating entirely. She didn’t want to see another man for a long time, and swore in the silence of her apartment as she dropped her keys on a table that she would focus on herself for a while. Maybe she would go to the gym.
No, that wasn’t good enough. Anna pulled her shirt over her head, stumbling blindly to the side.
“Shit!” She hissed as her big toe hit the leg of the sofa.
Of course my night would get worse,
she huffed to no one but herself.
Eventually she found her way into sweats and an oversized t-shirt, perched in front of the television. Her cat, in all of his puffy white glory, stretched out on her lap, purring his approval as she stroked his chin.
“Were you a good kitty today, Olaf?” Anna scrunched her face as she spoke, her voice an entire octave higher than usual. She took his chin between her thumb and forefinger, scratching behind one ear with her free hand. He purred louder.
She flipped through the channels for a minute or two before she stopped, a sudden clarity having washed over her as she watched a recent recap of a record-setting boxing match.
That’s it,
Anna thought, suddenly excited,
I’ll take boxing lessons!
She needed the boost in confidence, anyway. And she couldn’t deny that knowing how to defend herself was a great idea in general. She resolved to look into it in the morning.
For now, she would enjoy her Double-Stuft Oreo’s and watch a cheesy romance movie.
---------------
She woke up to the sound of her phone ringing… somewhere.
Completely curled into the couch, Anna struggled for a brief moment to gain enough momentum to slingshot her way out of it. Eventually, she freed herself. It was a success, even if she did fly a few more feet across the room than she had anticipated.
She was a little sore, her muscles making a point to punish her with every sudden moment, but despite having slept on the couch for the entire night, Anna felt surprisingly refreshed. Maybe it was the fact that she swore off dating for a while, or that she was going to a gym today to start her boxing lessons, but there was a bounce to her step that she hadn’t had in a very long while.
Her phone began to ring again, and this time she found it. When she saw “Elsa” on the caller ID, she tossed her phone back into the couch and muttered, “Yeah I bet you’re dying for the damage report, sis. You’re going to have to wait.”
A shower, change of clothes, and Google search later, Anna was quickly on her way to “The Honey Pot.” She wasn’t sure what to think of the name when she researched it, but all the reviews were glowing, and in comparison to what she’d read about the other gyms, she was willing to take her chances on this small, privately-owned one.
Upon entering, the smell of leather, oils, and sweat immediately assaulted her nostrils, but she reminded herself that these were all the things a gym should smell like, and be grateful everyone around seemed to be capable of basic hygiene if that was all she could smell.
The patrons were few, but something about them told Anna they were longtime members here.
“Can I help you?” A velvety smooth voice tore Anna from her observations.
And onto an entirely new - and surprising - observation.
A polite smile graced the face of the olive-skinned woman before her, her dark bangs dancing carefully at the brim of her eyebrows. Anna took in a slow breath as she let her eyes roam liberally over the form in front of her.
She wore a black sports bra, a gap of skin and sculpted abs on full display above knee-high spandex shorts.
Anna closed her eyes as she felt her cheeks heat rapidly, and told herself that her reaction was completely absurd.
You’ve just been single for a while
. She shook herself out mentally before answering.
“Hi, I’m Anna. Your website said your gym offers boxing lessons?”
The woman looked at her curiously, then chuckled. “Yes. Usually by appointment, though,” she bit her lip as she slowly appraised Anna. Not once, but twice, Anna had to stifle a shiver as she felt eyes burning over her freckled skin.
She knew her cheeks matched her hair in color at this point. She felt like she had been lectured like a child, but also… Maybe there was a certain softness and wonder in those piercing dark eyes that she didn’t even want to think about for too long.
After a pause, the woman gave her a small smile. “You know what? I’m free this afternoon. If you want to hang around for a bit, we can start before lunch.”
If she didn’t say yes now, there was a good chance she would never come back to this place again. As much as her gut told her to run fast and far, Anna nodded, another blush betraying her attempt at stoicism.
“Great! Oh! You don’t even know my name,” she extended her hand to Anna, “I’m Honeymaren. But you can call me Maren.”
Anna held hers out, a little less confident than she would have liked, but she couldn’t rewind time, so she tried her best at a firm shake. In the hyperfocus of her physical movements, Anna had completely forgotten about the traitorous monster that was her brain, which unfortunately, controlled her mouth.
“Can I call you Honey instead?”
And just like that, Maren’s eyes went wide, her hand gripped
a little bit
harder than before, and
her
cheeks flushed with a furious blush.
“I-well,” Maren laughed, “Maybe buy me dinner first.”
A nervous laugh escaped Anna’s lips, and she thought for a moment to cover it up with a cough. No, the damage was done, because the smirk coming from Maren was all the confirmation she needed. She was giving herself away.
And why was she feeling so exposed suddenly? What possible thing was her mind reacting to so viscerally? They could become really great friends, sure. Maren had a sense of humor. She seemed kind. That was all.
Anna was dying to leave the conversation so she could get herself back in control of her thoughts, so she swore to herself to look at Maren’s eyes, and her eyes only. Definitely not the curves of her hips gripped perfectly in spandex. “So, what do I do until you’re free?”
“You wait here. Warm up a bit,” Maren flourished her hand over the vast room of equipment that Anna was too embarrassed to admit she found intimidating. Figuring any of it out by herself was just daunting, but she wasn’t about to tell Maren any of that.
Her face must have given her away because Maren was obviously trying to contain her amusement as she spoke a little quieter this time, “Or, you can do some stretches and hop on a treadmill. Just don’t tire yourself out before we get started.”
“So, do you have a stalker or something?”
“No. Why?” Anna wasn’t offended by the question, it was just oddly specific.
“Sorry,” Maren laughed, her cheeks turning a light pink, “I didn’t mean to assume. Most of the women that come here for boxing lessons are looking for a way to protect themselves in some way.”
Anna took her bottom lip between her teeth and thought for a moment. Maybe she was using this to protect herself to some extent. But not from any monsters in the dark. No, Anna needed protecting from herself and too much free time.
Maren’s gaze moved past Anna, who turned to catch her line of sight. A stuffy looking middle-aged man stood at the entrance, looking around curiously before his eyes landed on Maren.
“I’m sorry, I have an appointment. I’ll come find you soon,” Maren didn’t wait for Anna to say anything, instead motioning for the man to follow her into her office.
As soon as the door closed, Anna took in a deep breath.
What the hell is happening to me?