*wilhelm's point of view*
i hate the cars provided to my family. they always smell so clean, like no one had ever ridden in them before. i also hate the palace because everything always looks so clean, except my room when i haven't left it for a week. i kind of missed my room, but only for the bed. i've been sharing a twin sized bed with another person every day for almost two weeks. it would be much easier to share my king sized bed.
i clicked on my phone and looked at the lockscreen. it was a picture of simon playing with my snow globe. every time i turned on my phone i would smile at it. is this what love does to you?
oh shit.
agh how did i do that? i always tell him i love him before i go anywhere. well, not always, but i have every day for almost two weeks. and this time i didn't. he's probably freaking out.
"love"? he called me love. a bright red blush was spreading over my cheeks like a wildfire.
i plugged my headphones in and put on instrumental music. then i grabbed a piece of gum. i needed to be in the right state of mind for this.
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30 minutes passed and we were at the palace. i didn't occur to me that i would have to see my mom. my stomach turned a little, but i couldn't let it get to me. i opened the car door and stepped out. the queen was waiting for me at the door. i walked up the stone steps the the entrance and slipped through the door, right past her.
after i walked in a bit, a short man in a suit walked up to me.
"hello, your highness. i am devin nilsson. i will be conducting your interview today," he said, in a way that was very professional.
i could tell he wasn't used to working with royalty.
"thank you devin, for coming," i smiled.
he smiled back at me.
after some light conversation with other coordinators, devin led me into the hall, where a studio-like room was set up for the live interview. i was directed to sit in the chair that was placed in front of me. i did.
after a few minutes, devin came and sat down in the chair that was placed next to mine. he cleared his throat.
"alright, the time is 5:59. lets start rolling in 3, 2, 1."
i straightened up my shoulders.
"hello sweden! my name is devin nilsson, and today i am here with the crown prince."
he gestured to me. i awkwardly smiled. this is not what i thought it would be like.
"alright, let's get started right away then."
he cleared his throat.
"now, your highness, on saturday night, you were seen coming into and out of a restaurant with a boy your age named simon, i just need you to confirm that was you."
i swallowed.
"yes, that was me. we were on a date," i said with a forced smile.
he smiled back at me.
"good, now we can move along to the rest of the questions," he declared.
i nodded.
"in a video that had been circulating the internet," he started, "you seem to be asking that same boy to be your boyfriend, is that correct?"
"yes, yes it is."
he nodded.
"and again, in that same video you are seen shouting, 'he said yes!'. just to be clear, he is currently your boyfriend and you are in a relationship?" he asked.
"yes, that is correct."
this was going along much easier than i thought it would.
"now in early december..."
oh shit. i spoke too soon.
"...a video was spread around of two boys with relations, one of them being the boy who is now your boyfriend. you claimed 'that isn't me in the video' excuse me for asking, but was that you in the video?"
i took a deep breath.
"yes, it was me," i said, trying to squeeze out every last bit of confidence i had in me.
he nodded again to show his understanding.
"great. now, i apologize if this is too personal, but why didn't you say that in your statement, rather than declaring it wasn't you?"
my confidence was replaced with a false pride; anger. i looked to my mom, who was standing behind the camera. she was shaking her head. that only set me off more.
i tried to keep my voice calm.
"i wanted so badly to tell the truth, not only for the sake of me and the rest of the world, but for simon, who i was dating at the time. i was ordered to protect the monarchy, though, in spite of my beliefs," there were hints of strong emotion in my voice, but overall i think i did a good job at masking them.
"ordered by who?" he pushed.
i looked to my mom again, trying to select my response. she gave me a warning look. i made my decision.
"i'm sorry, but i'm afraid i'm not in the position to disclose that."
i would fight that battle later.
"thank you, i understand," he said, "let us move on."
i repositioned my shoulders.
"so you've just said that you were dating at the time the video was released, but you've recently asked him out again, it seems. was there a situation or problem that occurred, causing a split or break up?" he asked.
somehow this question felt more personal than the last. i chose to very vaguely answer.
"yes, we had an... um, a disagreement, right before our christmas break. we were split up for a few weeks," i explained.
"okay, thank you for clearing that up."
i nodded.
"you have previously stated that the royal family supports all sexualities and preferences. do you have a label that you personally identify with, such as homosexual, bisexual, pansexual and so on?"
at least he phrased it politely.
i cleared my throat.
"actually, no," i claimed, "after endless self exploration and questioning, i have decided, or really came to the conclusion, that i don't have a label i identify with. i am hoping to stress the idea that it is perfectly okay not to know who you are, or to not be interested in knowing. what i do know, however, is that i am very in love with a person, who happens to be a boy."
woah. i don't know how that just came out of my mouth.
"thank you for that, your highness. it was absolutely beautifully worded," he praised.
i smiled warmly. he turned to the camera.
"that is all we have time for, but i would like to give the biggest thank you to the crown prince, as well as the rest of the royal family."
it was over. that went so much smoother than i thought it would. i got up from the chair and walked over to devin.
"thank you so much for being kind enough to do this. it really means a lot," i said politely.
"it was my pleasure, your highness, thank you for having me."
i smiled at him again, this time as a goodbye. i saw that the queen was approaching me. i walked away from him very quickly. i finally made it to the doors of the palace and stumbled down the stone stairs once i got outside. i ran down to the car, malin following closely behind me. as soon as i made it to the car i was inside.
"please take me back to hillerska," i asked the driver.
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i didn't get any texts from simon on the way home. i assumed he was sleeping, just like he said he might be. the ride was mostly silent and emotionless, but i didn't mind. normally i needed something quiet and calming after high stress situations, so it worked out. at 7:54, i was pulling into the hillerska parking lot.
i got out of the car and started the walk up to my room, where i assumed i would find my very sleepy boyfriend wrapped up in my bed. in the halls, i saw a few people who smiled and waved at me. i smiled back.
i made it to the door to my room. i pulled my key out to unlock the door, but it was already open. i walked inside and it was almost pitch black, except for the flame from the vanilla candle that was burning on my nightstand. i came around the corner and saw him sitting on my bed smiling. he stood up.
"you are very possibly my favorite person on this earth."
i moved closer to him and rested my wrists on his hips.
"am i now?"
he hummed.
"i would consider anyone who professes their love to me to the whole world my favorite person," he claimed.
i kissed him softly, and then rested my forehead on his.
"i'm so tired," he whispered, starting to walk over to the bed that was covered in so many blankets and pillows there was barely enough room for one person.
i stopped him.
"i have an idea."
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an hour later, two mattresses and bed frames were cramped up next to each other. it was equivalent to a king sized bed. they fit perfectly wedged together in the space my single mattress previously took up, because the length of the beds are double the width.
"why didn't we do this sooner?" he asked when we were finally finished assembling the room.
i shrugged my shoulders.
"i was just happy to be sharing a bed with you in the first place," i said.
he nodded in agreement.
after we were ready to go to sleep, we both climbed over to the middle of the two beds that were pushed together, which he stuffed with extra pillows so we wouldn't fall through. he took the left side, and i took the right. when we were finally settled in and wound up in the giant blanket i was able to find, we turned to face each other.
"i'm so proud of what you did today," he whispered.
it was too dark for him to see how much my face lit up.
"thank you," i said, "and that suit you picked out really was great."
"i know!" he exclaimed.
we both quietly laughed.
"i don't want to wake up early tomorrow," i complained.
"we could always cut class," he suggested.
i groaned.
"you know we can't."
"i know," he sighed, "but sometimes it's nice to pretend that that's an option."
it got quiet for a few seconds.
"are you about to fall asleep?" i asked.
"mhm," he mumbled.
"okay. i love you."
i think he said "love you too", but it was so muffled i could barely hear him.
i moved closer and draped my arm over him. he slowly wiggled into the touch.
i am so incredibly proud of wilhelm in this chapter! please remember to vote and comment and share this. thank you so much for reading i love you with all of my heart <3