#still iffy about this open jacket design but we’ll see

[otaku553]

Oc 2, electric boogaloo :) still unnamed tho, feel free to suggest names!

[lukin08]

Walk On Water

Kristanna Week 2017- Day 5: Waves

Rating: T

Words: 6500

Modern AU

A/N-  First, a huge thank you to @kristannafever for reading this over and helping make sure this would make sense to people aren’t familiar with the topic.  And for correcting all my mistakes!  

Second- this fic involves water skiing and since the sport is probably unfamiliar to many of you, here is a quick download of how professional slalom water works.  Don’t worry, the fic doesn’t get too in depth.  In slalom, there is a course of 26 buoys with buoy gates at the beginning and end of the course the skier must enter and exit.  Between the gates, there are 6 turn buoys the skier navigates around in a zigzag pattern.  (Think downhill winter slalom skiing but on water and with only one ski)  The rest of the buoys are for the boat to go between to ensure it stays straight. Going through the course is called a pass.  If completed without error, you go to the next pass.  Each pass gets more difficult.  The boat speeds up 2mph/3kph after each pass until a max speed is met (34mph/55kph for women, 36 mph/58kph for men).  After you hit max speed, the rope is shortened for each pass. In a tournament, the boat speeds up then the rope shortens until the skier fails to complete the course by falling or missing a buoy. 

Northern Minnesota

The water was favorable with only a slight ripple.  Later on, the wind was expected to pick up and cause a small chop that could interfere with how the skis maneuvered in the water.  But right now there were no excuses.  No wind or high waves to blame.  The sun was perpendicular to the course, so you couldn’t even use the oldest justification in the book.

Anna stood on the platform at the end of the MasterCraft scanning the course.  She kept trying to find something that was wrong, anything that would help her explain away any potential problems she might encounter.  After reluctantly finding nothing, she let out a deep sigh and reached for the bottle of dish soap.

She robotically squeezed the bottle into both bindings then over the top of her feet.  How many hundreds of times have you done this, she thought.  Her mind drifted to her parents and the first time they bought her a real professional ski when she was twelve.  She was so eager to try it out that summer day that she ran all the way down to the dock forgetting her lifejacket.

A large wave crashed into the side of the boat jostling it back and forth.  The dish soap had already dripped down between Anna's toes and sides of her feet, leaving her no chance.  Her feet slipped out from under her, and she fell to the platform in one ungraceful swoop.

Anna blinked her eyes slowly accessing any damage.  Luckily she had landed squarely on her back.  Thank goodness for life jackets.

“You okay back there?” The driver called out.

Anna sat up quickly. “I’m fine!”

The driver gave her a disinterested glance in the rearview mirror then focused back at the open water. She stood up as carefully as she could, mindful of how slippery everything now was.  Gingerly, she reached for the front binding of her ski, tugging outwardly at the handles of the front and back of the boot so her foot could slide in.

Her demeanor changed as soon as her foot was in the boot.  Skiing felt like home to her; like those summers of her childhood with her family at the lake house, living in the water every chance she had.  On land, Anna could barely keep both feet walking in a straight line, but on the water she was graceful and in control.  She was powerful.

“The hell?”

Anna’s head shot up just as she was putting her back foot into the other binding.  A boat was passing to their side about twenty feet out in the designated boat channels.  The engine revved as the driver threw the throttle in reverse and then back in drive for a moment to get the boat to stop.  

He killed the engine and stood up, stepping to the side closest to Anna.  “What do you think you’re doing?”

Anna caught herself staring at the man.  He was tall, his blond floppy hair fell over his forehead and a pair of sunglasses hid his eyes. He wore a tight rash guard that covered his upper body and arms, no doubt protection from the sun beating down on him all day.  It accentuated the v of his body and width of his chest, especially when he was being so animated and pointing at her.

Anna shook the thoughts out of her head, realizing he had yelled something at her.  “What?”

“I said,” he answered callously.  “Your rope almost got caught in my prop!”

It was then she caught sight of the rope from her boat floating in the water out in the boat lane. She must have knocked it off the platform when she fell.  “I’m so sorry,” she called over at him watching him pull the rope from under his boat. He tossed the handle at her and she quickly started pulling it back.  “I’m so glad that didn’t happen.  Did I say I’m sorry?  Because I am. Sorry, that is.  You see there were these waves and-“

“Save it,” he said cutting her off.   His head turned to the driver of her boat.  

“Don’t look at me, Kris,” her driver fired over.  “You know it’s the skier’s responsibility for the ropes in the holding area.  And I think she’s new.”

His attention moved back to Anna.  His rough stature seemed to soften and for a second Anna wondered what he looked like behind those glasses.  “Try to be a little more careful,” he said.  He stepped back from the side and into the driver’s seat, turning the engine back on and driving off.

 Her passes had been going exceptionally well.  Anna charged at each buoy, cutting such hard lines that the rope went so slack at each turn that it dipped into the water.  She used momentum when it tightened up again, the boat launching her diagonally to slice through the waves from the boat and hit the next buoy at just the right time.  Her mind went into overdrive, trying to picture the next turns ahead, visualizing the next pass, correcting any mistakes and wobbles.

She was in the water again catching her breath for the next pass.   Anna watched the spotter in the boat pull in the rope to adjust the length. The rope was shorter now than the distance to the buoys and she’d have to stretch her body to clear them.  No problem, she thought psyching herself up.  So what if she didn’t have a team anymore?  So what if they called her too impulsive for her own good?  She was doing just fine on her own.  The move back home was exactly what she needed. The boat passed around her.  She reached for the rope and steadied herself for the next pass.

And here comes Anna Arendelle coming around for her next pass, the announcer called over the loudspeaker.  11.75 meters, she’ll need to clear all buoys to stay in the running.  She’s through the entrance and is around buoy 1.  What a powerful skier ladies and gentleman.  Keep your eyes on this one.  Buoy 2 is cleared and now for 3.   Around buoy 4, getting on the back of her ski.  She’s having trouble, but stays up.  Can she hit the next one in time?  Just barely made it around 5 and-

The rope snapped up from the water quicker than Anna was prepared for.  It was amazing how fast it always happened.  She didn’t realize she was flying until her face smashed into the water at full speed.

Pulled right out of her ski!  The power of the MasterCraft launching her out.  We’ll wait as the boat comes up to her to see if she’s okay. …And we have a hand up!  Good news as she’s pulled into the boat and we’ll prepare for the next competitor.  

The sun was nearing the top of the trees across the lake when the competition for the day ended. Anna sat alone on the grass of the golf course that served as the viewing area.  She kept her distance from the rest of the skiers.  Normally, she’d throw herself into meeting them, but she hadn’t exactly made the best of debuts.  Everyone would probably try to be polite and ask her how she was feeling and she just wasn’t in the mood for their pity.

She grimaced at the movement when she looked down again at some of the skiers practicing for the men’s division tomorrow.  The right side of her face had taken the brunt of the impact with the water and her skin was stretched uncomfortably from the swelling.  

The sun partially obscured her vision, but she was able to make out someone walking to her.  He was tall and the top of his wetsuit was pulled off and hung next to his legs.  Anna found herself staring and forced herself to look up.  He kept heading to her and she groaned when she finally made the connection of who it was.  He had the same rash guard as earlier and those infuriating sunglasses that seemed to hold back any emotion his face might carry.  

She steadied herself, ready to tell him she wasn’t in the mood for another scolding.  He stopped a couple feet in front of her.  She was about to tell him to keep on walking when he held his hand out.

“Here.”

It was an ice pack and it instantly brought the throbbing in her eye to the forefront.  She must have been looking at him for too long because he spoke again.  “Take it.”

“Why did you bring this for me?” she asked reaching slowly for the pack.  She quickly activated it, grabbed her towel and wrapped it around the pack, bringing it up to her face.  “Oooh, that feels good.”

“Doc said you didn’t have a concussion, but you took a nasty face plant.”

“Are you always so concerned about total strangers?”

He shifted his weight from one foot to another.  “No, just the ones that can’t control their ropes and that’s iffy at best.  I could see you from the boat.  You’ve been sitting up here alone, probably beating yourself up about that fall without a fresh pack.  I always bring one with me and I thought I should at least offer it to you.”

She pressed the pack a little harder against her eye.  “Thank you. I really do appreciate it.”  She looked up at him again and noticed that he had recently gotten out of the water.  His hair was still dripping, keeping a darker ring on the shoulders of the rash guard.  “You drive and compete?  How does that work?”

He gave her careful consideration before answering.  “I help out sometimes when the events are short on drivers.  Only on days I don’t ski.  You do what you have to do to keep the season going.  It’s a lot smaller of an organization when you can’t run year round.”

Anna nodded, thinking it best to not say anything more.

“Anyway,” he said. “Make sure you come up with a good story about that shiner you got if anyone asks.”

“What, getting smacked in the face by the lake after getting pulled out the front of my ski doesn’t sound believable?”

“On second thought, maybe just go with that.”  

Anna watched him laugh and his mouth upturn into a partial smile.  She wished she could see his eyes.  She had no idea if they held amusement in them or annoyance.  She was still pondering this when he went to step away. “Wait!”  He stopped and turned to look back at her.  “Chris, right?”

“Most people around here call me that.  But actually, it’s Kristoff.”  

“Thanks again, Kristoff. Maybe I’ll see you at the next tournament?”

The smile was back on his face.  He went to walk away again, but hesitated.  “You know, it’s funny how in this sport you have to believe you can walk on water.  But now and then we all get reminded of the reality that we absolutely cannot.”

Anna squinted at him and tilted her head in confusion.  He chuckled at her reaction.  “My point is its one fall.  It happens to the best.  Don’t let it stop you from thinking you can’t get right back up again.”

“And what?  Walk on water?”

“Exactly.  See you around, Anna.”

She was about to ask how he knew her name, but he called out first.  “Loudspeaker.”

 There were tournaments every week.  Sometimes two, split between the smaller towns during the week and larger, more accessible cities on the weekend.  Anna loved that most of them were on natural lakes.  Up here, there were so many options compared to the small, repetitive man made courses she trained and competed on down south.  It was a refreshing change to be skiing to a backdrop of a natural lake again.  It made her feel free.  

Anna spotted Kristoff a few times over the next competitions.  He’d pass in one of the boats and she’d call out his name, giving him a big wave.  He’d offer her a small wave in return that seemed almost shy, but he’d smile at her before disappearing.  He never was around near the viewing area like that first day when he came up to her. But she held out hope that they’d run into each other again.  

It was the middle of the week when Anna found herself driving back to the nearby town to watch the men’s finals.  She had crashed again the day before at the same rope length.  She hadn’t had a clean pass at the mark yet.  It used to be so easy, but now what she wouldn’t give for just one pass without having to suck in water each time she fell.  11.75 meters was nothing to hold her nose up at, but she knew it wasn’t anywhere near her best.  Her marks kept her consistently in the top ten, but she was growing increasingly frustrated with herself.

Anna grabbed a spot next to a few other skiers she had met and was starting to get friendly with. She watched, half interested the first group of skiers take their passes until she heard the name she had driven to see.   Kristoff was out of the water before she had time to stand up to get a better view. She watched in awe as he made his first pass and wondered why she hadn’t thought of coming to see him sooner.  His movements were fluid, not jerky and aggressive like hers.  Where Anna used her small stature to slingshot herself across the waves, Kristoff used his height for leverage and was more free-flowing in his turns.  His body stretched at each turn so much that he was practically horizontal to the water, his ski spraying a perfect arc of water behind him.  As much as he looked so at ease, there was also a power to him as he raced back and forth between buoys.  She was mesmerized.

He made it down to 10.25 meters before he missed the 5th buoy.  It was an excellent run.  So much so, he ended up winning his division.  Anna waited until the winners were announced, then headed to staging area where all the competitors kept their gear.

By the time she found him, Kristoff was already changed into a pair of worn jeans and a t-shirt.  He was kneeling on the ground, packing up his gear.  He caught sight of her right away.  

Anna gasped, coming to a dead stop.  Those eyes that she had been longing to see were now fixed on her.  Whatever it was that had drawn her to him had now hooked her completely with the warmth of those amber eyes.  Kristoff wore a shocked expression that turned into a smile.  For a brief moment it looked as if he was genuinely happy to see her.

“Hi,” she squeaked out.

“Hi.”  Kristoff shook off his smile and stood up with his ski and started to put it in its bag.  “I didn’t know you ever bothered to come on days you didn’t ski.”  

“I…”  Anna went to defend herself, but stopped short.  They were weeks into the season and she should have been making a larger effort to support the other events.  She had been so focused on her issues that she had forgotten how much she loved the comradery with the other skiers.  “I’m here now.”  

“Congratulations.” Kristoff threw his backpack over his shoulders, grabbed his ski and started walking towards the parking area.

Undeterred, Anna jogged to catch up with him.  “I should be saying that to you.  Nice win.   That last pass was national’s levels.”

He side eyed her and held his scowl.  “Thanks.”

She had to make a point to keep up with his pace.  “Your turns look so effortless.  It was so fun to get to watch you and – oh wow, do you always walk so fast?  Talk about keeping a brisk pace!”  He didn’t answer but there was now a definite smirk on his face.  Anna liked that face so much better.  “What I was saying was that I really enjoyed watching you.  How do you even ski like that?  It’s so smooth.  What are you thinking about when you’re out there?”

He stopped in front of a black pickup, placing the ski in the bed.  “I’m not.” He turned and leaned against the truck, crossing his arms over his chest.

“What do mean you’re not? How does that even happen? Because my brain is just like… pow!“ Anna lifted her hands over head at the same time to emphasize the explosion of thoughts that happened whenever she skied.  “It’s all over the place and the only thing I can ever do is try to cut through it all and attack the course.”

“There’s nothing wrong with being aggressive.  Seems to work for you.”

“Not so much recently.”

Kristoff pushed off the truck and opened the passenger door to toss his bag in.  “Everyone’s different, but I’ve found more often than not if you’re thinking when you’re skiing, you’re done.  The thinking is done in practice.”

“I don’t know how to do that.  How to turn it all off.”

Kristoff looked like he wanted to say more, but instead he pulled his phone out of his pocket and glanced at it.  “Where’s your car?”

Anna found it a fair distance off at the now empty lot and pointed at it.  “Over there.  Why.”

“Because as riveting as this conversation is, I need to go to work and it’s getting dark, so I’m going to walk you to your car.”

“Work?  At this time?”

“Yes.”

“What do you do?”

They headed in the direction of Anna’s car.  “Mechanic,” Kristoff answered.  “Over at the Marine and RV shop on 169.”

“You work on boats! That is so cool!”

“Yeah.  And the RVs too once we have all the boats winterized in the fall.”

“Why are you working so late? Aren’t they closed?”

“The owner gives me whatever days I need off for tournaments as long as I get the work done.  On days like this, I’ll come in late.  We only have two boats in the shop right now. Shouldn’t be too late of a night.”

They were over to her car too quickly.  Anna opened the door to get in, but stopped.  “You were right about me not being at the other events.  I need to stop being so wrapped up in myself and get out more.”

He shrugged.  “Like you said, you’re here now.  You can only move forward from that.”

She could feel him staring down at her.  She tried to fight it, but there was no stopping her from stealing one more glance into those eyes that took all of Kristoff’s hard exterior and turned him into something that was softer, lighter and even more inviting.

She sighed and quickly remembered that she had been looking at him a little too long.  “Annnyway, I really did enjoy watching you ski.   You’re beautiful.”

Kristoff laughed so hard, he threw his head back.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it!”  Anna said, her face growing beet red.

“Too late!” Kristoff said, backing away from the car.  “Anna Arendelle called me beautiful!” He yelled out to the empty lot.

He was gone too fast, leaving Anna alone in her car.   She flopped her head down on the steering wheel with a groan.  That was definitely not the impression she had been hoping to make.

Watching the other events proved to be a welcome distraction for Anna, helping take her mind off any difficulties she was having with her own skiing.  She loved seeing the jumping and trick events and today she had come out to check out wakeboarding.  She was in such awe of all the wakeboarders.  The way they jumped and twisted their bodies had always made her want to learn, but she never was able to tear away from her slalom practicing enough to try.

Anna went back to her spot on the grassy hill overlooking the course.  She had spent the afternoon half watching the event, half talking with the other skiers that were there.  The finals were about to start and she geared up to watch the top competitors take to the water.

“Still sitting by yourself?”

A smile came over Anna hearing the voice behind her.  “This is the best view.”

She turned to see Kristoff standing there with a large grin on his face.  “Have to agree with you on that.”

“I’ve been over in the stands, but I wanted to get a close up of the finals.”  

Anna patted the blanket next to her.  Kristoff nodded and walked around to the front of the blanket.  He let his body fall the last few inches when he sat, his feet kicking up slightly.  He straightened his legs out, groaning a little as he lifted his arms to stretch.

“Six hours hunched over the back of a boat working on the engine and my shoulders are killing me.”

Before she could register what she was doing, Anna was up on her knees behind Kristoff.  “Here,” she said.  He jumped when her hands touched his shoulders.

“…What are you doing?”

“What does it look like?”

“You don’t have to do that. I’m used to it.  The pain will go away in a little bit.”

“Relax.”

Kristoff went to protest again, but Anna dug her fingers into the base of his neck.  He let out a small moan and dropped his head.  “Okay, I take it back.  This feels amazing.”

“Told you,” Anna said. “I’m freakishly strong.”

“So I’ve noticed.”

Kristoff stayed with Anna the rest of the time.  He pointed out his friend who was competing and they chatted about some of the upcoming tournaments.  They compared childhood stories and Anna was surprised how close their lives paralleled each other.  Talking with Kristoff seemed so natural.  Every now and then she would catch him smiling at her and it made her stomach flutter. Kristoff asked her about how it was when she moved south to train year round.  She found herself telling him everything including her injury, being dropped from her team after it and her decision to move back home to get a fresh start.

“That was a good idea,” Kristoff said.  “Up here is good for new beginnings.  I think it’s the air.  Clears your head.”

“Well then, my head should clear up any day now.”

“Still stuck?” Kristoff asked.

Anna pulled her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around them.  “I know it’s all in my head.  But I can’t shake it.”

A cautious hand moved to rest on her knee.  “Hey.  You’re a great skier.  The way you attack the course with such determination; it’s so fun to watch.”

Anna lifted her head and turned to Kristoff.  He was looking at her again with those eyes and she thought she could get lost right in them.  “You watch me?”  

A twinge of red grew across his cheeks.  “Sometimes.  Usually if I’m on the boat that day.  I’m sorry. Does that bother you?”  

“Oh no!” She answered.  “I just didn’t know.”  Anna rested her head back on her knees and smiled at him.  He returned it with his own.  They seemed locked like that for some time until Kristoff snapped out of it and looked back over the course.

After the tournament was over, he helped Anna gather her things before they went to leave.  

So I have an idea,” Kristoff said as they walked to her car.  “I think it could help clear your head.”

“What’s that?”

He cleared his throat.  “I have tomorrow off and my friend and I were planning on hitting the water at my place. You know, just get out and blow off some steam.  Nothing serious.”

“Sounds like fun,” she said.

“Yeah.  So if you are free, maybe you’d like to come with?  We’d love an extra spotter.”

Anna instantly said yes.  They made plans for him to pick her up the next morning.

“Be ready at 7.  You know the best water is in the morning.”

Anna groaned.  “Fine. But you better show up with coffee.”

 The truck slowed and turned onto the gravel drive.  It wound down until the trees cleared revealing a small house overlooking the waterfront.  It was off set to the left of the property and at the perfect height to get an expansive view of the lake.  Kristoff stopped the truck next to the one already there.  When they got out, he grabbed Anna’s ski and life jacket from the back.

She followed him down the slight incline of the property to the dock.  Another man was in the boat securing a ski to the tower of the boat.  He spotted Anna as soon as their feet hit the metal and he jumped out.    

“Ah, another victim to join us!”  He threw his hand out when she walked up.  “Sven.”

“Anna.”

“Oh, yes Anna.  I know all about you.  Nice to finally meet you.”

Kristoff walked past them and jumped into the boat with Anna’s ski.  “Hand me the last board.  We’re wasting good water.”  Anna saw Kristoff with his hand out, looking cross at Sven.

“Easy man.  I was just getting acquainted with your friend here.”  Sven turned back to Anna.  “Excuse him.  He forgets his manners whenever he’s around a pretty girl.”

“Sven!”

Sven laughed.  “I think I’ll take off from here.  Unless you want to go first Anna.”

Anna put her hand up, waving him off.  “No, no.  Have at it. Please.”

Kristoff held Anna’s hand as she stepped in the boat.  “Nice boat,” she commented, looking around.

“Don’t be too impressed.  Picked it up at the shop for a song after it was in an accident.  Took some time get it back in running condition.  It needed a new engine and a bunch of other repairs. Its older, but it runs great.”

Kristoff backed the boat out and hooked the end of the ski rope to the top of the tower.  They circled around so Sven could grab the rope.  Anna sat next to Kristoff facing backwards to watch Sven.  As soon as he was up, Anna sat there in awe.  She’d never been so close up to a wakeboarder and watching him every time he hit the wake and flew took her breath away.  Each jump was different.  He twisted and flipped so many times it left her dizzy.

When he eventually dropped off, Kristoff swung the boat around to pick him up.

“Impressive,” Anna said to Sven, leaning over the side of the boat to grab the board from him.  She hauled it up, securing it in place on the tower.

“Want to go next?”  Kristoff asked.

Anna looked over to him in surprise.  “Oh no.  I don’t know how to wakeboard.”

“No time better to learn.”

Anna shook her head again.  “No. Go.  Please.”

Kristoff shrugged.  “Suit yourself.  But I think you’d like it.”

He stood up stepped to the back of the boat.  Anna’s eyes widened at the sight of his back when he took off his shirt. She knew he was built from the rash guards she’d seen him wearing, but now she could see every detail, every movement of muscle in his shoulders and arms as he bent and stretched his arms, pulling his life vest on over his head.  She was thinking how it was too bad his back was to her when she noticed Sven with a shit eating grin across his face.  She quickly averted her eyes out at the lake.  

“Really, Anna.  I think you’d like this,” Kristoff said from the platform of the boat, securing his feet in the bindings.  She was going to say no again, that she didn’t want to risk getting hurt or anything getting in the way of her skiing when Kristoff spoke again.  “It could be a nice distraction for you.”

Something in her mind clicked.  Why was she saying no?  She was always the one for trying new things and jumping into situations.  But she had gotten so single minded about skiing that she was turning down something she always wanted to learn.

“Okay, I’ll do it.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really.”

“You won’t regret it, I promise.” Kristoff said.  He jumped off the platform and secured his sunglasses as he slowly sank in the water.

Sven hopped into the driver seat.  He started the engine and adjusted the rearview mirror.  “He’s a great guy,” he said.  “Rough around the edges.  Real rough.  But once you crack it, he’s a softy.  He doesn’t show that side of him to many people.  Only special ones,”

Anna looked at Sven.  “Have you known him for long?”

“As long as I can remember.”

There was some shouting from the water and Anna pointed in the direction of Kristoff.  “I think he’s yelling at you.”

“Watch this,” Sven said with a smirk and a wink.  “What do you want?”  He yelled back at Kristoff.  

“Pick up the slack!”

“What’s that?”

“I said tighten up, asshole!”  Kristoff lifted the handle of the loose rope.

“Oh!  Say that again.  This time in your sexy voice!”

A string of expletives left Kristoff’s mouth and Anna found herself laughing along with Sven.  Sven popped up on his knees and faced out to Kristoff.

“Kris!”

“What?”

“Do you want a hard pull or a soft pull?”

“Shut up!”

“C’mon man.  Tell me how you want it!”

“Fuck you!”

“Never mind.  I know you like it hard!”

“Just go!”

Sven saluted him, turned back around and slammed down on the throttle with a loud hoot.

“He’s going to kick my ass for that.  But it’s totally worth it!” He said over to Anna, laughing.

“You’re horrible.”

“Yeah, but he makes it so easy.”

Her attention quickly turned to Kristoff.  He hit the wake and twisted his body as he flew into the air.  He made his moves look so uncomplicated, switching hands on the rope handle as he spun in a perfect 540 before landing on the other side of the wake.  

Kristoff wore the goofiest smile his entire pull.  He wasn’t worrying about anything except being on the water and catching the right edge.   He didn’t care if he fell or if he didn’t pull off the move perfect.  He was enjoying his time out there and that was all that mattered.  In that moment, Anna realized that was exactly what she was missing.  She had forgotten to have fun.

After his turn was up, Kristoff stood on the back seat bench tugging off his life jacket.  Anna had to look away, hoping he hadn’t noticed she was staring a little longer than acceptable.  She pretended not to notice how his shorts clung to his thighs, outlining the defined muscles of his quads when he went to grab a board for her.

“You ski goofy foot, correct?”

Definitely staring too long. “Anna?”

“What?  Oh yes!  Yes, goofy foot.  I always lead with my left foot.”

Kristoff climbed over to the platform.  “Okay. I set this board up for it earlier. Should work for your stance.”

Anna followed him onto the platform and he helped her into the boot bindings.  She squeaked when she felt his hand run along the back of her calf. He wrapped his fingers around it and gave her leg a good tug to make sure her feet were secure.

“Anything too loose?”

Anna mimicked his tug and her feet stayed in place.  “No.”  

It was such an odd feeling to be locked into the board.  She couldn’t remember the last time she had done anything except slalom.  Now her body was fighting where her feet were placed and a rush of panic hit her.  She was about to tell him that maybe this wasn’t a good idea when he stood and placed both hands on her upper arms.  She knew it was just so she wouldn’t accidently fall backwards into the water, but his touch calmed her.

“Okay, there’s no fins so you have to rely on your edges to move.  And keep on the back edge anytime you face forward.  Otherwise the front’s going to catch on the water and you’re going to be sucking up the lake.”

Anna nodded in understanding.

“I’m going to give you a soft pull up.  The ropes up high from the tower so you’ll probably pop up immediately.  We can adjust if you don’t like it.”

“Any other advice?” Anna asked.

Kristoff looked down at her, hands still gently around her arms.  “Yes.  Don’t take it seriously.  Take fifty times if you need to get up.  And when you get up, because you will, don’t think too much.  Try things.  Fall. Try again.  Fall again.  It doesn’t matter.”

“I can do that.”

“Good.  Ready?”

She nodded enthusiastically. “I got this.”

She watched Kristoff step back over the engine and to the driver’s seat.  She was thankful his back was turned and didn’t notice her lose her balance and fall backwards into the water.

It ended up only taking Anna five tries to get up and stay out of the water; two to figure out the pull of the boat and three to remember to stay on an edge so the board didn’t fly out from under her.  She surprised herself by catching on to the basic maneuvers easily, each new try eliciting a cheer from the boat.  By the time she finished, Anna was able to cross the wake with ease and could flip the board in a 180 to change which foot was in front.

When she got back in the boat, Anna was shaking from the adrenaline coursing through her veins. She didn’t see Kristoff jump up and come over to her.  She was already in the air before it even registered that he had lifted her up for a moment before pulling her into a hug.  She wrapped her arms around him, enjoying the sensation of him close to her.

“I’m so proud of you,” he said before letting her go.

Anna saw from the corner of her eye Sven give them a knowing look before moving to search for his gloves for his next turn.

 Summer was in full swing and it had warmed the lakes up considerably from the start of the season.  Anna took note of how refreshing the water was as her feet swung back and forth from the edge of the dock.  

A set of footsteps came up behind her.  Kristoff sat down next to Anna cross legged and handed her one of the two beers he was carrying.  She accepted it graciously and the pair sat in a comfortable silence watching the moon over the lake.

That day out on the water with Kristoff and Sven had been exactly what Anna needed.  It unwound the mental knot that was giving her all those problems before.  She was able to focus on the course, attacking it in her usual way but with an ease she hadn’t incorporated before.  But most of all that day had given Anna back something she didn’t even know for the longest time was lost.  She had found her passion again.

Days out in the boat with Kristoff and Sven were starting to become routine. Even on days Sven wasn’t in town, Kristoff and Anna would still make the time to head out the lake.  She loved the freedom of being out in the open water, but it was the time with Kristoff that made her the happiest.  

Today had been perfect too.  Kristoff insisted on taking Anna out to celebrate after her first win of the season. Somehow that had turned into him making her dinner at his place and now they were sitting together enjoying the last of the evening.

“Thank you again,” Anna said.  “You didn’t have to do all this for me.”

“I thought it would be nice to have a quiet home cooked dinner after all the excitement from earlier.  And I don’t have a lot of people out here, so I should be thanking you.”

Anna tore her eyes off Kristoff to look back over the water.  “I love this lake,” she sighed.

Kristoff took a swig of his beer.  He sat it down and leaned back on his hands.  “See that island out to the right?  There’s an amazing sandbar on one side of it, goes out forever.  We should go there the next day I have off.  Throw a cooler in the boat and a portable grill and spend the day there.  There’s never anyone on it during the week.  We’d probably have it all to ourselves.”

He stopped at Anna’s giggle. “…That is if you’re free.  I mean, if it’s something you’d like to do.”

Anna tucked her head down and smiled up at him through her lashes.  “Are you asking me on a date?”

She knew if the sun was out Kristoff’s cheeks would clearly be flush.  “Uh…”  He let out two nervous laughs.  “I kind of thought tonight was one?  Maybe?”

“Kristoff-“

“It doesn’t have to be. It’s fine.  …Unless you want it to be.”  He let out a loud sigh and his head dropped.  “I’m sorry.  I’m not very good at this, Anna.  Just forget-“

Kristoff stilled as soon as Anna’s hand slipped over his.  “I want it to be,” she said.  

He kept his focus on their hands while Anna watched him intently.  When he lifted his head to turn to her, she was hit with the most intense gaze.  Even in the dark, out on the water with only the moon to illuminate them, Anna could still see every subtle emotion.  His relief and joy were so evident that she broke out in the largest grin.  When he matched hers with his own smile, Anna saw a flash.  Deep in those eyes that she would never tire of was something more.  She could see her future looking back at her.

“So, what’s a girl got to do to get a kiss around here?”

Kristoff’s shoulders moved in a silent laugh.  “Impatient. Just like you ski.”  

“Hey, it works for me,” Anna protested.

“Yes, it does.”

Anna saw the seriousness return to Kristoff’s face.  His hand left hers and moved up to cup her cheek.  

“May I kiss you?” He asked.

Anna answered him by leaning in to meet his lips.  His kiss was soft and unhurried, but there was a deliberativeness to it.  She fought back to the urge to deepen the kiss, letting him lead.  It was a perfect kiss that left Anna wanting more.

After they broke apart, Anna rested her head on Kristoff’s shoulder.  She looked out to the water again as Kristoff wrapped his arm around her.

“I should have asked you sooner,” he said.  “I wanted to, but I couldn’t work up the nerve.”

“In the words of someone who gave me some advice before- we’re here now.  We can only move forward.”

Together, Anna thought saving that for herself for now as Kristoff grinned at her and leaned in to kiss her again.