Another way (Young Royals)

The journalist

"Yeah. I went to the shop to buy more milk yesterday. Our faces were on pretty much every tabloid I would say," Simon said. I was laying on my bed at Hillerska, alone. I missed having Simon there next to me. I had been spoiled by being with him constantly for the winter break. That girl who had met Simon behind the hotel kitchen had recorded their conversation. You heard him cry for my help once she had wrestled him down in the snow and then you heard my voice screaming at her to leave my boyfriend alone. Most people online found her creepy, but that did not make the fact that I had outed our relationship less real.

"Did they at least choose good pictures?" I asked a bit jokingly. He told me they used the photos from my first day at Hillerska. There were pictures from the choir that day as well, so they had pictures of Simon too.

"You look very pretty. I promise," Simon said, assuring me I did not have to worry about the pictures in the tabloids. He smiled at me in the camera. I smiled back. "Wait a second, babe. Someone is banging on the front door." He got up and I saw more of his room as the front camera of his phone went around.

"Aren't you home alone?" I asked. He had said his mother was still at work and Sara was somewhere with Felice and the girls.

"Yes, I am. Should I take a frying pan from the kitchen with me in case someone is out to kidnap me?" he said jokingly.

"Well you are after all my boyfriend, so you never know. They might use you to get ransom money from the royal family," I joked back. "Who is it?" Simon was in the kitchen now. He should be able to see the person through the window.

"I don't know. It's a dude outside," he replied. "Never seen him in my life."

"Maybe the frying pan is not such a bad idea then," I said. He made a funny face at me.

"And make him think I am a weirdo?" he asked.

"Well aren't you?" I teased.

"Well I am with you, so that says everything, doesn't it?" he teased back. That made me laugh. "I am opening now, so don't say something stupid, okay?" I promised and heard him open his front door.

"Hi, how can I help you?" I heard Simon's voice say. I only saw his orange t-shirt and a bit of his neck.

"Are you Simon?" the dude asked. I guessed Simon nodded as a response. "I am Joseph and I work for Today's news. Would you like to comment anything about your relationship with the prince?" I wished that I could see more than I did.

"No, I don't have any comments," Simon said. "I would appreciate it if you would leave now." He locked the door and went into their living room to hide.

"What was that about?" I asked. He laughed with me. It was all so bizarre.

"Well you apparently become a celebrity when you date a prince, who would have known?" Simon replied. I made a silly face at him. "I would be careful if I were you. He might go to Hillerska to ask you for a comment next. Maybe you should ask Göran for a frying pan." He would not. I knew he would not come here. It would cause him problems if he did. The media were under the instruction to not bother me at school. They had not been allowed to go close to Hillerska when Erik lived here either. The place where we got our education was supposed to be our safe space, just as the palace where we lived unless we had invited them ourselves. Or well when mom and the royal court did. If I could choose I would never let them close to me. Simon and his family were not under the same deal with the media, and therefore they went after him. It made me hate the media even more. I just wanted to be left alone and that included them leaving Simon alone.

"Is he gone now?" I asked. Simon peeked out of the window and nodded.

"I think so, yeah," he said.

"Are you okay, baby?" I asked him. I was used to media attention. I was brought up with it. It did not make me hate it any less. Simon was not used to it.

"I am fine," he said. "Are you okay? Or should I bring a frying pan and protect you from the bad journalist?" I laughed.

"He is not allowed to go here. He knows he will be in trouble with the royal court if he does," I explained. "So if they keep harassing you, you can always seek shelter here with me. They can't reach us on the school grounds."

"Nice to know," he replied.

"I will talk to mom and see what we can do about it too," I said. "This is why I have never had a relationship before. I was scared that whoever I liked would be scared off by the media."

"Well I have not run away, have I?" Simon said. "It takes more than some stupid journalist to keep me away from you." That made me teary eyed.

"Did I make you cry baby?" Simon asked. I nodded. "Why?"

"Because I love you so damn much," I replied.

"I love you too," he said.

*************

"Simon has journalists knocking on his door now," I said. Erik looked at me through the screen on my phone.

"Well of course they want to check out the pretty boyfriend of yours," he replied. I sighed. "I understand it is frustrating. How is he?"

"He says he is fine," I said.

"And how are you?" he asked.

"I am scared, Erik," I said truthfully.

"Scared of what, Wille?" Erik replied.

" I am scared that Simon will be pressured until he can't take it anymore. I don't want him to disappear from me, " I said. I looked into the wall and closed my eyes and did my best to not cry again.

"Have you seen how he looks at you? He looks at you like you hung the moon just for him," Erik said. He smiled at me. "He is a good kid, Wille. And it's not like you can't talk to him about it. You will get through it, okay? And there are solutions to everything if you are a bit creative." I looked my brother in the eyes.

"Solutions like what?" I asked.

"Well in the worst case he could move in with you at Hillerska. The journalists can't reach either of you there," he said, a bit jokingly. He saw my little smile. "You'd like that. Admit it." That made me giggle. To have Simon with me all the time sounded like a dream to me.

"You know Simon can't afford that though," I said. My bigger brother was an optimist. I was realistic.

"You only see problems, Wille. You have to see the opportunities, little brother," Erik said teasingly. I laughed.

"I am being realistic, Erik," I said.

"Pessimist," Erik replied with a grin. "You are the prince of Sweden, Wille. If you were to ask the school board for a scholarship for Simon, who by the way has excellent grades and is a good influence on you, do you think they would tell you no?"

"I don't think he wants to move away from his family though," I said.

"That boy spends more time in your dorm than he does at home already," Erik said. "So if that is the only solution to this little problem, by the way you caused a bit yourself, you could make it work."