Season 3 Young Royals (Version 1)

32. Simon and Wilhelm

"So what else do you remember?"

"About what?" Wilhelm rolled onto his side and looked at Simon who was lying on his back looking at the ceiling. The only lights that were on were Wilhelm's red LED string lights.

"Like when and why did you decide you liked me?"

Wilhelm chuckled softly.

"Oh, um...you really want to know?" Simon rolled over to look at Wilhelm and propped himself up on his elbow, lifting an eyebrow and smiling.

"Yeah."

They were both lying on their sides now and looking at each other.

"Ok...so...the first day I saw you." he began hesitantly, "Well, I heard you first and then I saw you. I was surprised to feel that way, but all of a sudden, I...felt, like, joyful, and calm when I heard you singing, and I just thought I wanted to be around you to feel like that all the time. So...I tried to be around you all the time." he smiled.

"But when were you trying to be around me that you didn't have to? In class we didn't have a choice. In rowing either."

"I did, actually. The first morning we had rowing training, I planned to skip it when August came to get me, especially because he was so annoying... But then I looked out the window and saw you join the group, so I got dressed and ran down as fast as I could."

Wilhelm furrowed his brow then pulled the covers over his face and groaned at himself in embarrassment. Simon laughed at him and pulled the covers off his face gently.

"I didn't know that." Simon smiled at him sincerely. "That was it then?"

Wilhelm hesitated "Mmm no...I knew I liked you the first time I heard you speak in class too, remember?"

"Not really, no. What did I say?"

"You basically said that the Royal Family were the biggest welfare recipients in the country, then you looked straight at me with an attitude like it was something personal." Wilhelm chuckled. "I kind of loved that you weren't being fake to me like everyone else. Then I introduced myself to you at lunch later that day because I wanted to meet you."

"Ah, yeah, I do remember that. I was surprised you were being nice because I assumed you'd be stuck up like August. I remember thinking you were really polite even though I still wasn't very sure about you. Then you nearly dropped your fork when you stood up and I thought it was sort of adorable."

Wilhelm pursed his lips slightly through his smile.

Simon lowered his voice slightly and spoke more quickly, as if he hoped it might go unnoticed. "Actually, that's sort of why I changed my mind about getting the alcohol for your initiation party."

"What? Wasn't that just to get Sara invited?"

"Mmm, sort of, but...my dad asked me if it was to impress a cute guy...and I don't know if I'd really realised how I felt at that point but I thought of you right away."

Wilhelm grinned.

"I think it was also an excuse to see you at the party." Simon gave Wilhelm a shy smile as Wilhelm beamed back at him.

Wilhelm inched himself closer to Simon and they looked into each others eyes, then down at the other's lips, smiling.

"And then you invited me to Rosh's game..."

"Well, when you asked about me not going to training, I thought I might as well try, but I didn't expect you to say yes." he smiled slyly this time.

"I almost didn't. I knew August would probably notice I left and give me shit...it was worth it though." he smiled to himself, "That was the best I'd felt in a really long time." He smiled to himself. "I was excited to see you away from everyone, and like...I was actually free for a bit, like a normal person."

Simon smiled sadly thinking about how it must be for Wilhelm, always being observed, not really allowed to be himself because everyone would have an opinion. He studied his face for a moment, wondering if Wilhelm would be a different person if he hadn't been a prince.

"It felt, like, safe." Wilhelm looked away for a moment, thinking to himself.

Simon smiled and pushed Wilhelm's now shorter hair back behind his ear. Wilhelm brought his face closer to Simon and touched his forehead to Simon's for a moment, then touched his nose to Simon's and smiled, enjoying the closeness and feel of Simon's skin and the sound of his breathing. He touched his hair and twisted his finger in Simon's curls.

Suddenly Simon's phone vibrated on Wilhelm's desk. He leaned over to grab it and look at the message.

"Sara's home safe." He began to write a response and Wilhelm went to fish his own phone out of the pocket of his jeans that had been thrown to the floor. He saw several missed phone calls and messages, mostly from his mom, and a few from Jan Olof. He hadn't heard anything from Jan Olof since the interview and his mother had only contacted him once to tell him how disappointed she was in him again.

"Vad fan vill de?"

"What happened?" Simon set his phone down again and looked at Wilhelm.

"My mom and Jan Olof." Wilhelm was irritated, closed his phone and dropped it on the bed. "Who knows what they want now..." He decided to deal with it tomorrow after Simon had gone home.