Dated 26th October
Summary: Whilst lying low after the wedding, Kristoff gets a call from his sister
Warnings: none!
The phone rang. Kristoff didn’t answer it, because he was too busy lying on his bed and staring at the ceiling, watching the shadows move across it as the sun set. Bunny had her head on his chest, lay along his side. The buzzing of the phone didn’t seem to phase her either. They waited until the buzzing stopped, and then carried on lying there as they had been before.
He knew he should just get up. Shake it off. Move on. He had work to go to, a dog to walk. He had to just jump right back into his life with both feet. So what if he was totally embarassed and gossip spread like wild fire so every single person who lived in Swynlake would know all about it?
It would help with the little voice at the back of his head, probably. The one that said see! This is what happens when you move to the town! Parents leave their children behind and girlfriends dump their boyfriends at weddings! We never should have left the quarry!
Kristoff knew that voice was dumb. But it was there, anyways.
The phone rang again. This was the third time in ten minutes, and Kristoff thought about not answering it again. But it might be work, he reasoned. And so he reached for it, squinting into the bright light as he checked it.
It wasn’t work. It was, perhaps, one of the only people Kristoff could fathom talking to right now, someone who would have absolutely no idea what had happened. It was Freya, his little sister. Well — not so little now, he supposed. Instagram had kindly reminded him that he had lost track of time. Freya had turned 22 this summer, and Agnetha had turned 20 in the spring. They were growing up — grown, in fact.
Sitting up, forcing Bunny to reposition herself at the end of the bed, he answered the phone. “Hei, Freya.”
“Oh, no. What’s wrong?”
Kristoff didn’t curse, but he did huff, running a hand through his hair. “Nothing. Just tired. What’s up?”
“Don’t lie to me, Kris.”
Kristoff chewed his lip, debating whether or not to tell her. His sisters were stubborn. Admittedly Freya wasn’t as bad as Agnetha, but still. She wouldn’t let it go. “Nothing. I just— got broken up with, that’s all.”
“Oh.” His sister’s voice was soft on the other end of the phone. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s—“ he didn’t want to say fine, because it wasn’t, really. He cleared his throat, and said, “Thanks. So — what’s up?”
“Well… I’m into my placement year at school, so I have a bit more free time than usual. I actually managed to score a week off, and I wondered if, maybe, you’d like to come visit?”
“Visit?” Kristoff frowned.
“Ja,” Freya agreed. “Visit me here, in Oslo.”
It had been a while since Kristoff had seen his sisters in person. They talked on the phone every now and again, messaged each other more often than that. But even when he did see them in person, they had come here. To Swynlake. Kristoff had never left Swynlake and it’s borders. The farmland, the quarry. That was the furthest he’d ever really been. So to go all the way to Oslo?
“I don’t know, Freya… I’ve got work, and the dog, and—“
“Don’t give me an answer now.” Freya said hastily. “I’ll send you the dates and just… take a few days to think about it. Maybe coming out here will help you clear your head, after the whole breakup thing.”
Kristoff closed his eyes for a second. “Yeah, maybe.”
“And it’ll definitely help you practice your Norwegian. Which you need to. If Agnetha hears you talking like that—“
“I know, I know, she’ll kill me.” He sighed softly, but there was a very faint smile at the edges of his lips. “I’ll think about it, okay? I promise.”
“Thanks, Kris. Talk soon?”
“Talk soon.” He agreed.
The phone beeped, the call over. Kristoff sighed, laying back on his bed. He would think about it… just not right now. Right now he was going to keep staring at the ceiling for a while, hoping that maybe the the town would get some kind of collective amnesia before he had to leave the house again.
