I Won't Let You Go

Chapter 9

Björn and Agnetha both hopped out of bed and got ready for the day shortly after making love to one another for the first time in ages. They were gushing like teenagers for sure afterwards. As he got ready for the day, Björn kept smiling to himself about many, many things.

First, he was happy that he and Agnetha are together again. Second, he was happy that he really has been easing Agnetha's depression as well as her fears and anxiety, as well as his own. And lastly, Agnetha's birthday was around the corner and he had a surprise in store for her.

At breakfast, Linda had made the entire family some wonderful looking Belgian waffles. When Björn made it to the breakfast table, he was greeted by his daughter and his granddaughters who were happy to see him as usual.

"Hello Papa," Linda said, greeting him through the traditional European greeting of kissing both cheeks.

"Hello sweetheart," Björn said, greeting her back.

Björn sat down at the table as Tilda handed him a cup of coffee and eagerly sat down next to her grandfather with a smirk on her face. I wonder why Tilda is so happy this morning. She clearly woke up on the right side of the bed this morning, he thought.

"Hey Morfar," Tilda said.

"Hello sweetheart. How've you been?"

"It's been good but I know you and Mormor are also doing good."

"Yes we have. I actually have a surprise planned for Mormor since her birthday is tomorrow."

"Ooh...what is it?!" Esther exclaimed.

"I was thinking of taking your Mormor a trip down memory lane and taking her to Gröna Lund for some fresh air. And then I could take her to the museum if it isn't crowded or the party as well."

"Can we go to Gröna Lund too, Morfar?" Signe pleaded with her big puppy dog eyes.

"I don't know. Your Mama has to be ok with it."

"You can't go tomorrow, sweetheart. You have school," Linda replied.

"Not fair!" Signe pouted.

"I'll make it up to you, don't worry," Björn replied, patting Signe's head.

"That sounds like a good plan, Morfar. I think Mormor would love it!" Tilda said gushing.

"Love what?" Agnetha asked as she walked into the kitchen.

"Nothing Mormor," Tilda replied.

The rest of the day ended up going by really quickly and Björn couldn't contain his excitement about the following day. April 5, 2019, was going to be a day to remember. It was Agnetha's birthday after all. But Björn wanted to make Agnetha's day as special as possible, knowing what Agnetha had been through over the past few weeks, months, and years.

Agnetha woke up the next morning totally cocooned in Björn's arms. She had never felt more secure in a long, long time. That's for sure. Agnetha couldn't help but smile and be happy and Björn took notice of this as he woke up.

"Happy birthday sweetheart," Björn said as he gave her a kiss on the lips.

"Thank you, Björn. You're so kind."

Agnetha and Björn got ready for the day and had a lovely family breakfast with their children and grandchildren. Agnetha couldn't help but beam with pride and joy and shed tears of happiness when Linda once again made some Belgian waffles, but this time Linda put some birthday candles and fruits on the cake.

"Thank you everyone. I love you all so much," Agnetha said tearfully after blowing out the candles.

"We love you too Mormor," Tilda responded.

"Anyways you should get going, Mama. Papa has something in store for you," Christian said.

"What is it?" Agnetha asked, sounding confused as Björn came back holding her jacket and purse.

"Come with me baby. You'll see when we get there, Björn replied as he helped Agnetha into her jacket and handed her her purse.

Agnetha smiled gratefully as she and Björn headed out the door awaiting the day ahead of them. They hopped into Björn's car and they drove off together. After a few minutes, Agnetha noticed that they were leaving Ekerö and was confused as to where they were going.

"Björn, where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

"Can you at least give me a hint as to where we're going?"

"Let me see...uh no. I can't. Sorry," Björn grinned as Agnetha sighed.

Agnetha and Björn drove around a little more while listening to Agnetha's 80s playlist. The first song that came on using the shuffle button on her playlist was Down Under by Men at Work.

Traveling in a fried-out Kombi
On a hippie trail, head full of zombie

Agnetha and Björn couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing the song. It brought them back memories for sure. Happy memories.

"Björn, don't you remember when we went to Australia?"

"Of course I do. A lot of my happy memories come from there."

"We were so close and so intimate with each other during that tour. I remember that one performance, I forgot if it was in Sydney or Melbourne, but we were really intimate while on stage," Agnetha said sounding a bit emotional.

"Honey, we were intimate so many times during that tour. It's no surprise you got pregnant with Christian during the whole thing," Björn chuckled lightly.

"Don't laugh at me!" Agnetha shouted as she broke down in tears and looked out her window. Björn couldn't help but notice her sadness and pulled over at the side of the highway and paused the music that was playing on Agnetha's phone.

"Sweetheart, I didn't mean to make you cry. I'm sorry. I was laughing lightly at the memories we had together as a couple. And Australia was where my biggest and happiest memories with you come from. Except for when Linda and Christian were born of course. In fact, I'll always remember that concert when we literally couldn't keep our hands off of each other and you kissed me while we were still performing. I remember the fans had a field day afterwards," Björn said.

"I'm sorry Björn. I didn't mean to take it personally. This is why I hate being so sensitive! I take things way too personally and I start crying! But I just can't help it! Why can't I be as strong as you and Benny and Frida?! And..." Agnetha shouted as she burst into tears again.

"Shh...baby it's ok," Björn whispered into Agnetha's ear as he held her closely.

"No, it's not!" Agnetha exclaimed through tears.

"You're stronger than you think. You don't give yourself enough credit than you deserve. You've always been so scared of flying and even more so after the ABBA years were over and despite that, you were still willing to fly because you were completely devoted to your fans and you enjoyed singing and being a member of ABBA. You were willing to leave the kids behind whenever we went abroad for interviews, tours, and promotions as much you hated doing so. But you did it for your fans. You didn't want to let them down. In fact, I remember you kept insisting that you show up at the premiere of ABBA: The Movie, even though it was only two weeks after you gave birth to Christian. And Benny, Frida, and I kept telling you that you didn't have to go. But you did as much as you had a hard time during the premiere itself. And there's so many other things that you went through that the list just goes on and on and on. I'm proud of you, Anna. I always have and always will. Now, no more crying. It's your birthday. I don't want your day to be ruined," Björn said as he wiped her tears.

"I love you, Björn. Thank you. Thank you for everything," Agnetha said.

"I love you too, Agnetha," Björn said lovingly before starting the engine again and playing Agnetha's music again. He was looking forward to surprising Agnetha on her birthday and seeing the look on her face once they get to Gröna Lund, along with the family gathering later that night.