The Honest Affair

5

Friday, August 30th, 1985

The days had passed rather quickly. Agnetha found herself confused at her mixed feelings for Björn. She didn't understand why it was happening. They've both moved on, how are they falling back together? The family was getting along quite well altogether– even Lena and Agnetha were friendly to one another.

They had all gone to picnics, played at the park and visited the lake together. When they had, usually the children swam, or Björn took them on the boat and Lena, Agnetha and Emma would sit in the sun fixing the picnic for the family.

Seeing the struggling little girl, Agnetha chuckled and helped Emma crack open the pistachios and fed her. The three year old took a seat in Agnetha's lap and waited patiently to have another opened while she ate the first pistachio in her mouth.

"Mama!" Christian came running, startling her Agnetha. His voice was frightening as if something had happened, and she panicked, until she saw him smiling. "Come! Come! You have to see the fish in the water. They're huge!" Björn chuckled as he approached the picnic from behind Agnetha and Lena. He grabbed a forgotten item out of the car and set it down beside them. Lena looked to Agnetha, seeing Emma was distracted with her pistachios. She smiled and rolled her eyes.

"Come on," Lena said. "Let's go." She messed his hair and laughed, joining Linda too.

Björn sat beside Agnetha watching his daughter open her mouth for another bite. Agnetha playfully pulled it away before Emma could eat it and laughed. Though what neither of them had expected was for Björn to steal the little pistachios from between Agnetha's finger and thumb by his mouth. Emma was not pleased. It was hers.

"Don't pout," he laughed. "You'll have the next one."

"Aunt Agnetha!" Emma gasped. Agnetha mirrored her excitement and listened. "Chwistian said you have ho-ses!"

"Horses?" she laughed. "Yes, soon we will move to a new house, and I have stables with horses–"

"Can I come and see the ho-ses?"

"Of course," she said while she pushed Emma's fine hair back and behind her tiny little ears.

"Do you know how to wide them?"

Björn turned his head away because he couldn't fight off the remark. "She rides very well, believe me," he snickered quietly to himself.

"Björn Ulvaeus!" she whispered. Agnetha blushed even though she knew it completely went over the little girl's head.

The beautiful blonde was completely lost in her thoughts of that day beneath the steamed room from her hot shower. The heat of the water soothed her head and expanded her thoughts and ideas. She knew it. It couldn't happen again. It was clear what they had done was wrong and unacceptable.

As she stepped out of the shower into the hot humidity of the bathroom, she grabbed a towel to wrap herself in. Routinely, she wiped the excess of unwashed mascara and dried her face. As she did, she had brushed her hair then tied it up in another towel. Ready to open the door and exit, she abruptly halted in the doorway, finding Björn was already approaching the bathroom door. She let out a small sudden gasp from the stop of her heart.

"Agnetha," he greeted her in an unsure manner and stepped back anxiously, now regretting ever stepping into her room. She set her hair brush down beside the sink, never once moving her eyes from his.

"What are you doing here?" she asked. How could he just step into her bedroom while she's in the shower? Isn't that invasion of privacy, she thought.

"Dropped the kids off."

"Where are they? Björn, you shouldn't be in here–"

"They're already asleep."