There were foot prints in the sand that belonged to Björn by 9 AM. The couple had each devised a plan together, something that was found to be rather logical. If they were really to stay, then they needed to hunt and gather.
Agnetha began the task that was soon to be interrupted with another distraction. She realized she could not walk away from making the bed. It had to be done before she could leave the space. But half way into that, she wondered why she had made it at all. In the back of her mind she had plans to use the bed again, and she laughed to herself knowing what she wanted had nothing to do with sleep at all.
The blonde woman still in last night's clothes snooped around the room, opening drawers and closets, doors and windows, and she hoped to find things that would help them know if anyone lived here but the house was really vacant. She considered if this was a place was a remote hotel of some kind. A house rental, perhaps.
By the time she remembered her original plan, she got back to rummaging through the kitchen in search of food, any kind of food that can sustain them for the day since they'd be detached from the city and they'd brought only so little.
Meanwhile, the man who trusted her to stay inside the house took the chance to make his way back to the boat like she asked of him. She reminded him they packed things that they could still eat. There were beverages and had fruits and left overs, chips and treats. He'd packed it up so that he could bring down with him, and he also had it in his mind to bring a few things they might have an interest for. Like for him a notebook, for her a novel, and for them both a speaker to enjoy music.
He'd gone back to the house to drop the things off, already smelling coffee brewing and he was beyond grateful. So grateful to understand that the odds were in his favor, that even being on an island, unplanned, there was still coffee and he would not be banned from that.
"Agnetha. I brought all the food I found!" he hollered from the kitchen.
"Okay!" was the only response he heard back from the upper floor, five steps higher than where he stood. He assumed she was in the restroom and just left her to see what the backside of the house had to offer now that there is daylight.
It was a special treat to be in the quiet and calm outdoors. There were no sounds from people at all, just sounds of birds and the shore. For Björn, he found words in the silence, melodies that took over in his mind and finally he itched to write again. He wrote words quickly in scribbles and he formed lyrics that for the first time in a while made sense to him. His mind was unlocked and he was content in sitting for over a half an hour inside a hammock with Peppa's weight crushing half of him, while using his other leg as a support to write.
He'd watched the sky carry clouds across and over, trees swaying, and breezes passing him by. Björn's imagination was open and spent his time taking every bit of what he could. He could see Peppa's brown eyes watching him lazily, the dog's ears stirring at the distant sounds because it was in his nature to be alert. The man must have been relaxed that way for some time because Björn's eyes closed and the mood was entirely tranquil. It was bound to stay that way if it hadn't been for the dog's reflex, barking and jumping off of Björn's resting body to jump down the hammock at the first sight he had of Agnetha. She'd finally come, and even Peppa knew that she would entertain him better than Björn could at that moment.
The bad luck was for Björn because in a swift moment during the dog's leap, the hammock was unbalanced and he simply tumbled over and onto the green grass, face down. It was a painful fall to his belly, but at least it was soft ground.
"Oh!" Agnetha exclaimed and covered her laugh. "Darling, are you fine? Are you hurt?"
"Peppa..." he growled, just under his breath as he climbed up. She was at his side in a short five seconds and from where he was he could see she was barefooted and wearing what was a below-the-knee length of a dress he hadn't even realized she brought with her.
Her hand pulled him up so he'd stand on his feet and he stayed silent and speechless that it made her worry. She watched his eyes roam freely to what she wore and he hadn't known exactly how to ask but she knew he was wondering of where it came from because as far as they were concerned they had nothing with them.
"It's not mine. I found it in the drawer upstairs," she giggled and smoothed the crochet white dress. "Probably forgotten, not complimentary..."
"It fits you like it's made for you," he added.
"Doesn't it?" Agnetha laughed.
"Let me guess. Finders keepers."
"Maybe." She shrugged shyly. "At least for today."
Agnetha had walked back around and she stepped onto where the open shore was. She looked back to find him watching her and wondered what she was up to, but her hand extended out and so he tucked the notebook he carried right under his arm and he walked with her. They'd spent a lot of time just walking and talking. He watched her bury her feet into the sand that felt like mud as the waves splashed in and it was like a thoughtful process as she talked with him. He did realize how she meant now, that it was quite different to be on an island where no one could find them. They were in open space and he found that contrary to any place else, she was free to be herself. She could hold his hand without thought, kiss him and sit with him without feeling the pressure that someone, somewhere might take that away.
And as he sat he pondered about when the last time they were on a beach like this was... well, it was like a memory locked up further than forty years. He was settled down, burying his toes in sand and she walked a bit more towards the water, soaking her bare feet.
He watched her pick up shells from the ground where she stood, knee deep in the water, and each one of those shells she lifted and analyzed was an interesting quality. Some had colors of tan and white, some she found were the color of stone. She decided she'd take a few interesting ones back home for the girls thinking maybe they'd even make necklaces of them.
Agnetha glanced over her shoulder and saw Björn scribbling a bit more in the notebook. She was curious. He didn't always let her read. And not that she always insisted, but she had her own curiosity and it grew more whenever he hid it from her. She walked back up to him, setting the stones and shells down to squeeze water from strings at the end of the dress.
"What are you writing today?"
"Good things," he smiled.
"Won't you ever tell me what you really write?" she asked him.
"Just stuff."
"I'm curious."
"Lyrics, ideas. Things."
"Mm," she hesitated briefly. "Well don't forget that I sing most of the lyrics you write. So you should share it with me." She reached for it, her eyes to him waiting for his approval and he didn't stop her this time. She carefully opened the recent page and found it was indeed lyrics he was writing this time. She asked about the tune and it took a minute for him to not laugh, but she was entirely serious.
Björn sat behind her, his legs on both sides of her and he held her, cradling and rocking. He hummed softly what he imagined based on the melody Benny and he had arranged. This would be the very first time it'd be sung now.
He was patient as she followed after him, trying to remember it. She paused in between and asked what it was again. He sang it for her and she sang after him and he was sure then the song was coming along.
"It's beautiful."
"Your voice will always have my heart. I was certain of it the day I first heard it." He kissed her temple, and held her tighter. "But actually this is for Frida."
"I hope you didn't decide that after I just sang it," she giggled.
"No," Björn snickered. "Long ago. I have others for you to sing. This is hers."
"Okay," she subsided, turning the pages backwards. "What's th—"
"Unfinished." She felt the notebook taken from her.
"Wha—"
"When it's ready, and it's not ready, so no." She turned around fully and gave a surprised face that he'd do that. She tried to reach for it but he'd tossed it a bit back and he tilted his head, jokingly pouting to her. He watched her turn fully and crawl up to him, giving him no choice but to lay back into the sand he sat in. She lifted his glasses which had darkened under the light of the outdoors and she put her eyes to his.
"Build me a sand castle and I'll forget it."
"What?" he laughed.
"A sand castle."
"I don't have any tools to use."
"You never needed any. You have amazing hands," she lifted them and kissed inside of his palm. "They've built bigger things than sand castles." She watched his eyes roll and he laughed for a moment to think that her ideas would surprise him every time.
"Fine." He placed his hand right at the nape of her neck and he pulled against her to meet her lips. He didn't let her go even when she tried to move back. Her chuckle was felt, but the pressure was stronger and he had her in a comfortable place to twist her so that she rolled over and was the one laying in the soft sand instead.
"What are you gonna give me for building you a castle, hm?"
"I'll decide after." She watched his eyes run down her body in that white dress and she shoved at him gently to get him working.
He moved to wet sand area and began digging. She was there beside her as there could be no other place more important for her to be, and she watched him shape towers with his hands. It was rough and what he produced certainly could have been better had he had the correct tools. Whatever he built would hold but had no defined shape and she watched him struggle for a little while. He didn't give up, he almost never gave up on anything he put his mind to. She decided to help him, and she challenged him to see who'd be the one to build it faster. But the quicker she tried, the bigger fail it was. And they'd gotten to a point where the castle was large, but looking at it from afar both chuckled realizing it looked like just a hilly landscape instead.
"I was better off writing lyrics," he laughed.
"And I was better off collecting sea shells," she agreed.
He walked towards the water with her, both entering to feel the coolness of the water wrap around their legs, wading away any grains stuck on their feet. It felt good because although there was a shaded sun that day, the heat was immense, and wind that would pass them by was a seriously hot breeze.
The water was a motion with waves coming again and again to pass them and clash against the shore. And it was great, they thought, until the particular wave came and it was strong enough to knock Agnetha down.
She had a laugh that combined with Björn's as she tried to come up from the water. The waves kept coming one after the other, and floating on her back, she could see that each wave would come by just to take her to the shore. Björn reached a hand, chasing her and he tried to pull her up to her feet. It was not the wisest of choices he considered after, because her chuckle had her tug his arm until he fell too. And maybe he had the strength to keep himself from falling, but then again inside his mind he told himself his clothes were already as soaked as they could've been and this was an rare moment that would now be another memory.
The rest of the afternoon had seen waves hurry to meet the land. They had gone far enough to hit Björn's toes and he watched them fall back down again until the next. His mind was lost as he sat in the warm breeze, almost mesmerized by the nature all around him, just until he felt a thud on the table next to him that carried a basket of food and an apple. He flinched because it was sudden and looked over his shoulder seeing Agnetha standing on the balcony. She was tall, blonde, and wrapped in a towel.
"Lay it out, will you?" He looked to the dress that was cleansed now after the dip in the sea, rolled up, and sitting in the same position it landed, and then over his shoulder and back to see she was gone. He'd done as she said, laying it on the chair he sat on to dry and then gone back towards the tiny house. He passed Peppa along the way, who was snoozing in the coolness of the room and Björn was up the stairs in no time.
"What are you doing?" he wondered.
"What does it look like? I need shower."
"I thought we'd leave soon," he said turning his wrist to check the time.
"There's plenty of time."
"Nearing the evening and we have to have real food. We have hardly eaten today."
"I know," she sympathized with agreement. "I'll be quick." Her eyes went to his wavy hair from the salt water and down to his belly. "You should shower too. You've been in salt water. You'll feel it on you all day if you don't."
"So I will when we get back." She lifted her eyebrows minimally, judging him lightly for his decision, but it was his decision. He watched her get into the clear shower space and bowed his head to his feet, seeing grains of sand on him and indeed he seemed like he lived on the beachside. He rolled his eyes for her to always be right and have her way, but still, he followed.
Her smirk was just to herself when she felt that he stepped in too. It was lovely inside the shower, she told him. They'd even had brand new shampoos and conditioners, body wash, soaps and lotions inside. It was like a mini hotel, she laughed, and how lucky were they that they'd come across this place.
He was first to finish, but did not exactly mean he'd ever have his chance of exiting. A task for him, a duty, a shift, or a brush against him had him light up in a way he could never control. He ignored it, but it wasn't the end. He knew she was teasing with him, she couldn't resist her playfulness. She'd always been that way naturally, and with him, it brought on all the more mischief. Intentional or not, he knew her too well to understand what she'd been doing.
"Where does your energy come from, Anna? I'm on my tenth cup of coffee and it still doesn't give me more boost to meet your needs." Agnetha chuckled and leaned her head back onto his shoulder. She turned her face to his as she answered.
"You know already that you're just as bad as me," she whispered. "I really don't know what you do to me. I can't make myself stop." She turned around and hugged his shoulders to meet his eyes. Agnetha's lips softly trailed against his shoulder to his neck, and as delicate as her kiss could have been it caused more than it should have. He tried to calm her because whatever they'd begin, possibly would never see an end. Knowing them, it couldn't. And if he really understood why he was keeping from wanting to start something, it was solely because he didn't want to delay their departure from the island that they shouldn't even be on. And to add, he was still very hungry.
"Agn–"
"Give me one more memory here that no one will ever know of," she whispered. "Me and you only, it's all I want."
"There is not one memory that you and I share together, alone, that anyone is ever going to know," he reassured. "But I bet you, they wish they did."
"I know," she smiled, dragging her upper lip down to his chest. She took her time kissing him. The water raining down against them was warm and perfect to be under. The perfect cozy, but that, too, didn't help. He was holding up roughly between resisting and wanting. Her lips reached the center of his chest when her eyes flashed up to his and that was when he realized that was that.
Despite the fact that he fought every second thought in his mind, he knew that it was actually pointless. He would have to give her what she asked, partly because he couldn't turn her down, and secondly knowing he wanted for himself everything she wanted.
He had rolled his eyes again, wrapped his arms around her by her waist when she least expected it and he walked her back. He lifted her as he made a step to get out her of the shower, both of their bodies soaked and slippery. Her shock at his quick decision had her heart pound and cheeks redden.
His palms rounded to her, lifting her off her feet and to the corner of the sink to set her down again, perfectly where he needed to see her. They were both drenched and dripping, thoughtless and careless to the water still crashing down in the shower. They were synced the moment they wrapped their arms around one another like it was the most natural state of them to be. She had a nervous grin that told him he was meeting her expectations, and he had made that same smile vanish the second his lips touched hers. It wasn't gentle, and it wasn't anything less than needy. The only moment he broke his lock on her was only to pass his lips elsewhere. Her cheeks reddened over and over again watching him sink from her chest and down the center of her body. Her legs were praised and the sight of him where he was opened up a whole bag of desires. She voiced words she couldn't swallow down, just until he rounded his mouth back up and met her striking face again.
Agnetha felt his arm curl around her leg to bring around him and he stubbornly kept his gaze to her. He touched her to see where she was and there wasn't anything less than he predicted. Her eyes lit up for him with a glow that intensified and his chest grew more passionate to see her.
"Why is it that I love you so much, hm?" Björn spoke in a deep whisper. She only shook her head, but she was pleased with his words. And his fingers, well, they pleased her too. Her eyes fluttered and her smile was perfectly grown across her face.
"Because I am your wife."
"More than just my wife," he replied, pressing kisses to her lips which were soft, wet, and plump. She took in her bottom lip shyly, keeping her stare on him until he added. "Who is my wife?"
"Me."
"And who is me?" he questioned, a raspy voice emerging from him to just below her jaw. She was entirely engulfed with him, and he was possessing every part of her. She had no where to turn to avoid the answer. He made her feel all the more hot and flushed. "Doesn't 'Me' have a name?" He continued kissing her cheeks to her lips, and mumbling to her warmly and his fixated eyes were so kind to her.
"You know my name."
"I know I know your name. I want to hear you." His palm was grasped against her neck keeping her perfectly direct to his face. She rolled her eyes tenderly. "Remind me, as if I am ever to forget."
"Agnetha," she answered him.
"Just Agnetha?" Björn breathed over her mouth, and he felt her shudder when he teased her. She closed her eyes to feel him just where she needed him most, not able to control the slip of words that left her mouth. He had her nearly forgetting what he'd asked.
"Fält—"
Her words were cut off feeling his pull, a tight grip on her hair, and he watched the way her eyes gleamed at him in a sudden when he had her head back. Her hair was soaked, as was his, and it leaked water between his fingers, causing it to trickle against her back and to the sink behind her.
"Ulvaeus," he corrected through his teeth. His mouth was just to her neck and picked up drops from her collarbone and up towards her ear. "Agnetha..."
"Ulvaeus," she finished in understanding.
"And you just happen to be my favorite Ulvaeus," he smiled.
He was one with her and he moved and he loved her, and he knew he wouldn't give her anything less passionate than he could provide. She wanted it in all the ways they knew how to exchange their love, and still it shocked her every single time.
Purely careless to anything around them, no attention to the water they never got around to turning off. No attention to where they were anymore. Both knew no boundaries together— their voices clashed, movements synced, and putting his lips to her ear, he spoke words only to ever be heard by her. He was sure he'd never forget her voice, or the way she felt when he gave her everything he had.
He had left her panting by the time they'd collapsed holding onto one another. She didn't let him move quickly, for she was still trying to recover. Her grip on him was still tight and he gave her all the time she needed. Her body felt tense and only then had they concluded, they really needed a rest.
Once they had found courage and strength to move at all, they'd stood in the sunlit bedroom towel drying their hair. Agnetha was once again in the dress she arrived in the night before, and Björn with his only option, the clothes that were not yet dried completely.
They had eyes to one another that were laughing after what they'd shared in the heat of such intimate moments. No, they never intended it to go that far but it wasn't even much a surprise to them. Björn wouldn't stop laughing, and his consequences came with a giggle from her and a towel to hit against him.
Her silencing words were interrupted by a strong horn come from outside, to which both turned to see from the balcony another boat had docked just beside theirs.
"You're kidding," Agnetha muttered, a laugh immediately disappearing. It was joined by a sigh from Björn and his completely faded smile.
"Oh, great. Anna, I told you..."
"Oh, don't begin with that, Björn. How are we to know? They should have come last night if they really wanted the house."
Björn gave a face at her reasoning. He walked to the window to see a young couple coming off the boat with a guide, and just behind him, she'd come close and moved the curtain aside to look too. There was a tall, slender woman with an arm around a man with perfectly groomed beach hair, and they surely seemed like two young newly weds.
"We should probably go."
"Can you imagine what they'd have seen if they came just a bit sooner?" Björn said to her, serious but smirkingly. She put her forehead against his arm and she released a deep laugh that always got to his heart.
"Well... Someone ought to tell them they need fresh towels." She made a face that was humorous as she lifted her brows and looked around the room. Björn grabbed all of his belongings, and he hurried to lead Agnetha out. She had found Peppa and carried him as they made it out of the house as quickly as they could.
They'd seen the bewildered faces of three people who did not expect to see anyone else on the island. Of course, they'd seen the boat, but they never signed up to be with neighbors.
"Hello," Björn raised a hand awkwardly. "Hi there."
"We're just... um, leaving," Agnetha added politely, coughing a chuckle between her words and tried to sneakily escape the situation. Björn was just behind her, but as she was waiting for him to catch up to her, she saw him turn around quickly and walk up to the chair he sat in a good while ago.
"Sorry," he apologized to the couple who'd still been speechless and Agnetha watched him, bewildered with what he was doing. They'd all seen him reach for the chair they were passing by and pick up the white crochet dress that was drying in the sun. "Enjoy the... um, tiny house." He turned around and hurriedly met with Agnetha, who was still waiting for him to lead her on the boat. "Ready."
"Are you crazy? Just leave it."
"After I've seen you in it?" he asked rhetorically. "Not a chance."
"Björn... It's not even mine." She chuckled in disbelief.
"It is now. Finders keepers." He'd opened his palm for her to take so that he may lead her on the boat at last.