Voyage 2002

He stood up. "I would like to say something." May 2002 / Björn

"Okay," Emma said, turning around and walking out of his suite after he had asked her to leave them alone for a moment. He ran his hands through his hair.

"You don't have to tell me it's not convenient for me to be here, it's painfully obvious!"

He looked at her. "It is indeed not convenient, Lena, I'm sorry."

Three minutes earlier, his eyes had tripled in size at the sight of her. She had taken Emma to the hotel and apparently she had been under the impression that she could stay too. He didn't even know she was in London, but that turned out to have been a coincidence. After taking Anna to the airport in Stockholm, she had suddenly wondered why she wouldn't visit her eldest daughter and bring her youngest back a few days later. So she had booked herself a ticket for the next day and now she was standing in his suite.

"I expected a slightly different welcome," she said.

He looked up. "What did you want? For me to wrap my arms around your neck?"

"Not directly, but now you're exaggerating."

He grimaced. "Am I exaggerating? I've hardly said a word yet, except that it's not very convenient, indeed."

"That's what I mean and your body language speaks volumes too."
"Yes, well, I'm sorry," he said, feeling incredibly uneasy, "but I wasn't expecting you and I don't understand why you are either?"

"I would have enjoyed eating dinner with all of you, is that so strange?" was her response.

Amazement went through him. "Well yes! I've tried to build up a civilised relationship with you for months. Why would you want to do that, now all of a sudden?"

She shrugged and looked at him somewhat disappointed. "I thought it would be nice if we got together as a family again."

"We were together on Anna's birthday!" he said, a little too loudly. "And now it's just very bad timing."

"Why?"

"Because."

"What are you hiding?"

"Nothing."

"Knock it off, Björn!"

He sighed. What a shitty conversation! He was looking forward to an evening with his kids and...

"Are you seeing someone?"

Her words like four slaps in the face. There was the mess...

"Björn!"

"Yes?"

"I asked you something," she insisted. "Are you seeing someone?"

He sighed again. Inwardly he quoted Agnetha; fucking shit! He was supposed to tell the children first and now she was here to ruin his plans. He cleared his throat briefly.

"Yes," he said, "and I thought you had Calle?"

"It's over."

"Too bad."

She shook her head, took a step towards him and put her hands on his upper arms. "No, I want someone else."

His heart flew into his throat, immediately. Not this! "Lena..."

She swallowed. Tears in her eyes.

"Lena, I..."

She was on the verge of crying now, he saw. "How serious is it with you and the other?"

He took a step back and rubbed his face. "Very serious."

Big eyes. She covered her mouth with her hand and her tears came out. It was strange, but he got irritated. He didn't feel like having this conversation.