Another way (Young Royals)

In the studio

Hector greeted me by the front door of the studio, where Simon worked when he was not out on tour. Hector told me Simon was in the recording booth, trying out a new song he had written the base for before summer. Their dog, Maple, came in and waged his tail at me. Hector and I went into the studio, where Hector's husband Peter sat. He had headphones around his neck.

"Hi Wilhelm! Have you come to check on Simon?" he asked. I nodded.

"Yeah. We only had one lecture today, so I thought I would come by when I still have time to do so," I replied. The pace of university was of course higher than it was in high school, and I did not know how fast it became intense. I sat down next to Peter in a chair and looked at all the buttons and things. I could see Simon through the glass. He was singing with his eyes closed. He was in a white t-shirt and black jeans and had headphones on his ears. The golden necklace that I had gotten him for his birthday earlier that summer was around his neck. I heard his voice through Peter's headphones. As usual he sounded like an angel. I did not understand how his voice worked even after a big concert, like the one he had the night before. When Simon opened his eyes and saw me in the studio, he smiled. He left the recording booth to join us. Before I could react I had him sitting in my lap, with his arms around my neck.

"Hello, darling," I said while looking deep into his eyes. His sparkling, glistening eyes. Our foreheads met gently and I felt our noses gently rub against each other.

"Hi, my love," he replied. Then he closed the gap between our lips and kissed me. "Did you get in time for class today?" He said that when we finally separated.

"What a way to ruin the mood, Simon," I replied with a grin. Simon laughed. "But yes, I did. Thanks to you." We kissed a little more, while Hector and Peter listened to the recording Simon had just made for the new song, probably pretending that we did not behave like we had not seen each other for a full year. Hell, we had been apart for what, four hours? And I still missed him like we had not seen each other for much longer than that.

"You guys. Are you still in the honeymoon-phase? Haven't you been in a relationship for like four years?" Peter teased, when he apparently needed Simon's attention. Hector laughed and gave his husband a pat on the back.

"Leave them to it. You know how we were when we just moved in with each other. We had been in love for far longer than them, and it was like falling in love with you again," Hector told Peter.

"With all my dirty socks that I never put in the laundry bin that drove you crazy, huh?" Peter joked.

"You make yourself seem so much less romantic than you are," Hector replied. We laughed a bit and then Simon listened to the recording. When they were satisfied for the day, Simon and I left to go home. We held hands when we walked down the street. It felt so safe, having his hand in mine. I had never imagined myself as the type of person who would hold hands with my partner in public. It was something I had been taught early in life. Affection was not something for the public to see. But that was so far from who I was now. We got down to the subway and some of Simon's fans asked for photos on the platform. I offered to take the photos. We got on the train and then went by the supermarket on the way home.

"What do you want for dinner, baby?" I asked.

"What about some hamburgers with fries?" Simon replied. I nodded and got a shopping basket on my arm. Simon picked the things we needed and then we went to pay. 

Author's note

Here is a short chapter for you guys. I have had finals all week, so I have prepared for that and have not had much time to write. But now I have more time on my hands as I will write my master thesis this upcoming semester. I hope you all are doing good.

A.A.