"Hi, darling," Agnetha's voice emerged as she was wrapping an arm around her son's shoulders just outside of the airport. As the mother she was, she greeted him with a kiss like she hadn't seen him in years and relief passed along relaxing her shoulders when he tightened the hug on her. He was so excited and it made her smile when he returned a strong kiss to her cheek.
"Welcome back, Mr. and Mrs. Ulvaeus!" he greeted back loudly, and suddenly received a look from his careful mother.
"Christian," she warned. His father wore a tired smile at his son, but for a man at his age, he was charming as ever.
"Well, who knows, after today, maybe she'll decide to retract the marriage," he joked. The middle aged man looked from one parent to the other, skeptical of what was meant. He'd never thought to hear that. His mother bit back at his father quickly.
"Are you trying to make it better, Björn? I promise, it's not working."
"What? We are already fighting?" their son questioned. Björn shook his head keeping another comment to himself, for his own sake. Christian had given them both a questioning smile, curious how their trip was. "Did you have fun?"
"You should ask Peppa," Agnetha laughed to her son just as she settled into the backseat with the dog, leaving the guys to do the rest. She cuddled the pup to her who quickly melted over her lap, kissing her arms so she'd pet his belly. "You spoiled, spoiled dog," she whispered to him. "Living a million people's dream, aren't you?" she giggled. "You keep those secrets to yourself now... or I won't take you ever again." She had a grin as she bit her lip at the dog.
And that precious grin she had on her face was faded when the door of the car had opened bringing in Björn and Christian, who was just the spitting image of him. She wondered about all the rest of the children. Agnetha had only called them a few times, though by now she felt she deeply missed them and felt their absence from being at her side. One thing was for certain, she couldn't wait to be home.
The drive was quiet and subtly awkward for Christian could sense something was different. He chose not to ask again, it would come about naturally. His sister would be the one to magically work a way until she'd know anyway, and he could trust to see it happen like that.
The car pulled in towards the house and it stopped just at the doors to find that even in the windy breezes there stood some of the kids ready to greet them. Peppa was out first, shaking his fur coat and happy to be home. He tackled the first, a vibrant Signe who was at her knees with the dog's homecoming. Agnetha left the car to turn to see her son removing the suitcase and cage from the trunk.
That loved grandmother was welcomed with hugs and kisses, the typical, and the feeling of missing them reminded her how she never wanted to be away from them for that long again. A simple week was a week too long.
"Is this all you had?" Jens questioned lifting the single suitcase that was left on the ground. He had beat Christian to it, and lifted its weight through the first steps in the house. Agnetha tossed her head back in a sarcastic laugh and patted the man's arm.
"Ask the one behind me," she said and turned her head back to nod over at Björn. She looked forward once again and rolled her eyes to herself. Linda had noticed and turned to her brother, wondering of her parents' attitudes with one another. Maybe he knew.
"What happened? Did you lose one?" Linda wondered after her mother's words.
"Ah. So that's the issue?" Christian said, relieved it was nothing more.
"Just always stressed over something small," he commented to his son. "It's fine," Björn muttered as he stepped into the house. "It isn't a big deal, we will have it tomorrow."
"Björn, really, you always think it is something so small. You don't know where it is and who has it."
"It's just a carry on, Anna. At least all the items you need are with you."
"They were important for the kids."
"Okay, so it will be found soon. I'll get a call back. You heard them say so." She hadn't spoken back but sighed to herself as she kicked her shoes off.
"Oh, it's fine. It will be found soon, mama," Linda eased. "How did you lose it?" she asked them in a light giggle. She looked at her brother and he only simply rolled his eyes. They'd always overreact, they could never predict it.
"Someone needed help with directions. Just forgot it behind."
"Yes. And of course, it was a woman," she filled in. "I wonder, why is it always a woman at an airport? Every single time."
"It's not always a woman at an airport," he countered.
"Oh, right. There was also the woman at the restaurant," she quickly added after him. Her frustration seemed to really become obvious and it pinpointed what upset her. It wasn't about the suitcase. With that understanding, Björn's eyes twinkled a laugh and he smirked as he stood around the kitchen island with everyone. He brought his eyes down to his legs as he pulled a stool. Now he finally lightened.
"Oh, Björn, what could honestly be so funny?" Agnetha asked, removing a scarf from around her shoulders. His eyes gazed at her softly, staying unmoved, and she hated it each time she did because it was so simple but it always got through to her.
"My wife is jealous." They felt the family chuckle around them. He was so proud.
"Now he remembers he has one," she said in a sarcastic laugh.
"Anna..."
"Would you still have forgotten it if she didn't speak to you?"
"Maybe. Yes." She narrowed his gaze at him because she knew he said it to win the argument. And while their eyes communicated a more heated fight, their children and grandchildren around them never took it so serious. They'd laughed to where even the stressed couple had their own overwhelmed laugh too. It was silly but didn't ever mean that either of them were not angry or upset.
With those late hours, Agnetha and Björn put everything aside despite their differences and the argument was forgotten. Almost, at least.
Perhaps mostly it was because they were in different rooms. The girls took over the kitchen and they all listened to Agnetha explain about the honeymoon and all they had done– not so in depth, but she didn't fail to tell them all they had seen. The joy in her eyes could not be hidden as she talked. She had a special glow each time she shared a memory to the girls and to himself, Björn smiled from the other room as he peeked in. She bit her lips often and her face was a reddened flush, as she was both shy and confident. She kept a lot to herself and still left enough to gush about the joys of doing the things they did.
And Björn, like she, had shared his own memories and reflection of the honeymoon. Many things were for himself, of course that was without a doubt even when he did have the habit of over sharing, but this, he personally couldn't. He showed the guys photos on his phone until he noticed they swiped to see images the other way. He shyly took the phone and changed the subject. It didn't go unnoticed.
"Ah... Mom looks happy," Christian commented in a teasing remark. He raised is eyebrows and laughed.
"I do?" she asked, coming from nowhere, as she had come from behind Björn.
"Did," he corrected himself quietly and fixed the way he sat. His laugh faded, for the sake of maturity, but they were his parents and the situation was more funny to him because of it. She made eye contact with Björn and as much as she loved him and wanted to she couldn't throw herself into his arms. She poorly hide a smile from her lips and Björn knew her so well like this. Her eyes had a light roll, so much it wasn't noticeable.
"I'm going to unpack the suitcase."
"I–"
"I would have something to unpack and give you all something but as you know, the tiny suitcase was stranded." She frowned to Björn and then winked at her son and Jens and carried on towards the bedroom.
By 11, Agnetha was changed into pajamas and behind her was the man who still didn't know how to speak to her. She was short with him each time and he really couldn't believe that their first day back from their honeymoon they were in a fight. Typically their bicker was short and they'd get over it but this one dragged over and it made him short tempered. She wouldn't end the night without putting things aside. Surely she couldn't.
Still Björn smirked in a quick thought. He knew the way to her heart. He warmed a cup of milk for her, as she drinks nearly each night, he prepared the bed, and lastly he turned on the television to start her favorite show. Agnetha left the bathroom in wonder with him to herself. Björn checked her out in her pink pajamas and then opened the bed for her to climb in. Instead, he saw her unfold her arms and leave the bedroom only to come back with three pillows in her hands.
"Do you want to build a fort?" he asked.
"Ha-ha. Did you forget all about these pillows?"
"This didn't work when we were younger. You seriously think it will now?"
"Yes. It will."
"Anna, just drop it."
"I tried, okay. I really tried when I saw her talking to you and I thought that, 'No, Agnetha. Don't be extreme. Don't make a fuss of nothing like the time before.' But look at what I had to find. A woman giving you sweet eyes and you forgetting the bag in a shop!"
"Sweet ey— Anna, it was a smile. People smile with their eyes, too."
"Oh. So romantic to say," she spoke in between his sentences, yet he carried on.
"She was confused and she asked. It was not even two minutes and she was on her way." She wouldn't even look at him by then and it stressed him. "I don't know why you're so upset. If you were so worried about it, you could have offered to take the carry on instead of leaving it to me." She lifted her eyes and stared at him for a moment and both of her brows lifted, displeased with his answer. She tried hard to bite back the words but they were already at the tip of her tongue.
"Suddenly I'm thinking why I don't offer you the other bedroom instead," she replied. "But for the kids and to not be dramatic, you can stay here." She divided the bed by three pillows in line and he immediately frowned as she climbed onto her side.
"Not dramatic at all," he breathed below his breath. "I've heard that one before and look how we always end up. A-And I have used the guest bedroom once out of all the times you asked me to... only because I had to. What makes you think I will now?"
"I can be convincing."
"Oh. Okay. Try again." He picked them up one by one and threw them behind him. Her eyebrows knitted together at him furiously.
"Pick them up, Björn."
"No."
"Yes!"
"For someone who can be very convincing, baby, my answer is still no." She locked eyes with him for an eternal moment.
"Fine. Enjoy the bedroom. I'll take the other bedroom." She sat up, moving what she had aside, but it wasn't quick enough. With a hand against her abdomen he made her lay again. He huffed upsettingly. How does she always win him over?
The two laid silently in bed, divided by three fluffy, white pillows. They failed at keeping themselves from looking at each other. They'd done so from the corner of their eyes, but time passed this way, tiring them, and she noticed Björn knocked out after a while. His glasses were still on his face and his hand had a book on his chest. Netflix was just about to begin a new episode when she stopped it and she turned to see him. There were wrinkles defining around his mouth and his forehead and he was calm after giving him hell for God knows what. She saw him so tenderly and hated so much that she always had a temper with him. How could he stand her at all? How could he always put up with her? How doesn't he run the other way? Agnetha rolled her eyes at her stubborn self and removed his glasses and then the book to set them both aside.
She closed her eyes and after some while she was fully asleep. But when she woke up again, she had no idea what it was that she felt beneath her. It was like a mountain and out of strange discomfort, she wondered where she was, and it wasn't because she had forgotten so much, but it was strange to have a barrier between her and his side of the bed. She remembered what a stupid thought she had before going to bed and one by one she chucked the pillows to the floor. What made her think it would work? Agnetha took that space up the first chance she got. Her leg draped over his leg and her arm reached against his abdomen, feeling how warm his body was. She buried her face into him, filling her nose with his scent and somehow he knew. His arms immediately tightened around her subconsciously when he felt her and she nuzzled into him more.
She inhaled a breath of him against his chest. It was a long day and they were overwhelmed with each other and the most thing that overwhelmed her was that it felt like there was a distance between them, and she felt she missed him.
"Björn," she mumbled a moment later. "Björn."
"Mm. What?" he turned his face and opened his eyes a bit after when he heard nothing.
"I love you." He heard her voice small and like she felt bad. Björn turned and faced her completely, then he stroked her face with the palm of his hand. His eyes stayed closed, sleepily and his lips pressed a peck to her head.
"I love you too."
"I don't want to fight with you," she breathed as she kissed him. "I miss you. I'm sorry." She could feel the smile that turned against his lips and his hold on her pulled her to him until there was no gap between them.
"Mm," he hummed exhaustedly. He was silent for a while until he remembered to say anything. "Do you really miss me even after spending every minute of the day with me?" She nodded sleepily.
"Yeah. And I'll miss you forever, too."
"Even when I made a girl smile?" he teased and he felt her huff as she thought.
"I don't like it, but yes."
He kissed her cheek once and that was all it took. Slowly she wiggled herself on top of him and their blue eyes blazed against each other in the darkness.
"The pillows never work, do they?" he commented in a voice tired and coarse.
"No," she admitted. "They don't."