Another way (Young Royals)

The lake

We had not been back to the lake in Bjärstad for a long time. It was Midsommar, which was the first holiday Wille and I had celebrated together after he abdicated, years ago now. We celebrated Midsummer with mom and Sara during the day. Now we were by the lake and it was past midnight. And still it was light out. We were all alone with just the sound of crickets surrounding us, laying next to each other on a picnic blanket. The air was still lukewarm after a hot summer day.

"Think that we are back here again. It felt like it was ages ago, while at the same time it feels like it was yesterday," Wille said. There was some nostalgia in his voice.

"Yeah," I replied. "Time flies when you have fun, I guess." That made Wille chuckle. It had been almost two years since we graduated high school together.

"I guess it does," Wille said. "It feels like I have not been a prince for ages."

"I hate to break it to you, honey. But you abdicated like four years ago. I hope you have not changed your mind," I replied teasingly. Wille laughed and pulled me into a hug. I laughed too, with my face against his chest.

"You know I have not. It was the second best decision of my life," Wille said. He played with the curls in my hair.

"And what was your best decision then, if your second best decision was to break up with your family and the traditions that were suffocating you?" I replied.

"To be with you," Wille said.

"That is maybe the nicest thing you have ever told me," I said. Both Wille and I giggled.

"That is not true and you know it," Wille said. We playfully fought each other and he ended up rolling over me. He had me trapped under him, with our lips centimetres apart.

"I know," I said and pulled him into a kiss. "Do you want to swim with me?"

"Yeah," Wille said. He pulled himself up and then reached out his hand to me. He helped me up from the ground. We went down closer to the water and undressed. Then we went down into the water, which was still fairly warm from the summer sun. I held his hand until we could not reach the ground under our feet anymore. It was maybe the most beautiful Midsummer night I had ever experienced. The day had been good too. Mom had made pabellón and Wille and I had collaborated on a cake with cream and strawberries. We had to clean the kitchen afterwards, as we had made quite a mess with the flour while baking. Mom had laughed at us, calling us silly. She adored him. Treated him like an extra son. I loved that about my family. How we loved with our whole hearts. Mom and Sara had taken Wille in with open arms, because they knew how much I loved him. I knew Wille was grateful for having a motherly figure too, one who actually cared about him. One that did not want anything from him, but to be happy. That was everything my mom wanted for me and Sara. She would support us doing whatever we wanted to, as long as we were happy doing it. Wille's parents had put up conditions for their love. My mom just wanted him to be happy. Just like me. We swam together until Wille said that he was freezing. It was not too warm in the water, even if it was lukewarm in the air. Wille got up to dry himself on a towel, while I kept on swimming for a while. He sat on a rock by the lake, looking at me. He had not buttoned up his white shirt, and he had yet to put on socks and shoes. His eyes rested on me. I swam closer to the shore.

"You look like something from a fairytale," Wille commented, as I made my way up on land. I got my towel from the picnic blanket and started to dry myself off. He was smiling at me, with eyes filled with love. Something more than love. Lust. I could not help but return his smile.

"Your brother usually says that I must have been a siren in a past life," I replied.

"There is definitely something true in that claim," Wille said. He pulled me closer and put his head against my naked chest. His arms were wrapped around my torso. I had a hand on his back, while one hand's fingers were playing with strands of his hair. "Would you marry me, Simon?" I looked at him in shock. I had not been prepared to answer such a question. It seemed like he had asked it spontaneously. That was him in a nutshell. Rosh had called him impulsive a lot, especially when we were still in high school.

"What?" I asked. I could not help but laugh. It could not happen for real, could it? I had to be dreaming.

"I know it is a bit sudden and that this was not very planned," Wille said. "But you are the love of my life, and I want to spend every minute of it with you. And I want to marry you." I just laughed. I could not take in what was happening.

"You are crazy," I said. "So, so crazy." Wille laughed too. He probably realised that he was a little bit crazy, asking me that question in the middle of the night. On the night where you were supposed to pick seven flowers and put under your pillow and dream of the person you were to marry.

"So that is a no?" Wille asked. He looked at me with puppy eyes.

"I never said no, Wille. I said that you are crazy. There is a big difference," I said. I kissed him. "Of course I want to marry you one day." I saw a tear run down his cheek. The biggest smile I had ever seen on his lips. We laughed and kissed each other. I was so happy. I was warm inside.

"But are you really proposing without a ring?" I teased Wille a little. He picked a flower and knotted the plant stem around my ring finger.

"I will get you a real ring one day. I promise," Wille said.

"I would marry you with paper rings, honey," I said.

"So why do you complain?" Wille teased.

"I am just teasing you, love," I said.  

Author's note

Hello everyone! I hope you have not given up hope about me posting more on here. Life has just been hectic recently. I have (hopefully as my final grade is not published yet) graduated from law school, attended one of the biggest Nordic moot courts for law students and celebrated a friend of the family who graduated high school yesterday, all in the span of two weeks. I now take this summer to read and write, as well as trying to find my first job as a lawyer. 

I hope you like this chapter and that you have a good summer.

Love,

A.A.