The start of the day met the woman curled beneath the covers when she had found the other half of the bed empty. Björn was out of it early. She could hear his movements from the bathroom ahead behind the closed door. The sink was running, before it was the shower, and before that was a toilet flush. She yawned, her half asleep mind was unprepared for thoughts to begin circling around her mind. Different ones, random and irrelevant things. Shifting her head up, she saw the open door to their closet reveal that Björn put out his suitcase. The subtle irritation disappeared after a moment.
Flipping to her back, she stared at the ceiling as she recalled the last 5 days between them. A bump of disagreement they got over. Impulsive choices made— some his, some hers, equally. Their busy schedules never giving them an opportunity to have a truly relaxed or enjoyable time as they usually would. She spent her time making it out to Benny's studio for a few meetings that involved her production team, time with Jörgen in the studio, and life at home. Meanwhile, Björn was occupied on things that dominated the hours of his day. By the time he got home, they'd share the most simplest of exchanges, even should it be with fondness, but nothing that took more energy. They found themselves only frustrated when they are alone, or as soon as they left each other for their own thing. If Björn left the house for a meeting, she internally sighed to herself and let him. And when he sits with her but her needs call for something else, his chest lets out a breath when he finds her walking away. What could they honestly do? Stand at each other's sides at every moment?
Agnetha's blue eyes met the small plastic blue suitcase once again. Tomorrow he'd be on his way for his journey to multiple cities and she couldn't admit to him just yet how she hated the thought of it. At least not another time. For some reason, this time felt different. Perhaps it was the distance already created. Perhaps, it was the fact that she missed him already when he is only 20 feet away from her, something she was very reluctant to admit to him. If he knew her well, then he was already aware.
The time had gotten on, their places swapped as she took place in the bathroom for her shower, and he was getting dressed and preparing himself for a morning meeting. Two knocks at the bathroom door had her reach her hand behind her to open it. Obviously he was looking for something, and she was finished with her shower so she didn't need the space as privately. Her 'Me Time' could be spared.
It was misty and steamy in the space, he could feel it with each inhale he took. Björn opened the drawer at her side, finding his styling hair gel and during the moment he did he noticed her step slightly aside to give him space, wrapped in a white towel with her hair pinned up casually, dry, wavy and unwashed. He began to style his hair, despite the fact the mirror was covered and there was no reflection. He trusted the process, and carefully combed over his hair and during that time, she was putting tooth paste over the toothbrush for herself.
Her chest expanded and released a breath which she let him hear, then she hunched over the sink, taking up his space and she spit to wash her mouth. Björn let her finish, and he thought it was interesting she would choose his sink, she could have very much used the other. The bathroom was spacious, yet she took her spot again even if it meant she had to step right in front of him, interrupting him from what he needed to finish. His breath was soundless but felt as it was taken before his arms slide around her hips and under the running water. She was brushing her teeth another round meanwhile eyeing the actions of his hands in the sink. Björn closed the faucet with the first thought to use her towel to dry his hands. If she was going to use his space, he was going to use her towel.
Her patience as she waited for him to finish was held with silence. He noted her hesitation, as if she expected something that wasn't yet coming. She however with all that she predicted did not expect he'd curl his arms against her and hug her that moment after but he did. He was not afraid of giving her contact. Finally, it happened and it was so obvious but unexpressed how craved it was by the both of them. Often times he learned that the less talking they had, the more connection of any sort was longed for.
"Finished?" He wondered, mouth just beneath her jaw. Agnetha bit back her smile. He decided distant communication wasn't going to work for him anymore not when he's leaving soon. The whole week passed that way, since their argument and tension of those days meant nothing now. She washed her mouth again gazed at him. Pulling her arm, she was made to face him, her bottom against the sink and his eyes against hers.
She was something else in the morning, a beautiful woman whose features struck him all in ease. Eyes were gentle but speculative of his actions, until they fell lower to settle over his lips and flashed back up in an instant.
He couldn't let her go in this moment. Their lips combined, merging in perfect harmony which matched a sudden flame that lit between them that morning. At last they'd broken the ice between them. Coolness was melted quicker than it took to be formed. His hand fisted gently in her hair, holding her neck in place meanwhile her arm curled around his back. She was sure nothing was more important now than to give him the access to give her more, and all she wanted by now was simply more.
Passion didn't find its end when they pulled away. It just rested in the air of the steamy bathroom. The sound of her was low, but still, never missed. His gaze fell between them, where should have been perhaps a gap between their bodies. It was only her white towel that separated their chests— a towel that was becoming untucked, bunched, and only held together because they refused to separate. She noticed it at the moment he gave it undivided attention. He memorized her teasing nature.
"Oh... no. No. Don't you do it to me," he warned. "You have a meeting today." Her chuckle was deep.
"I know. So do you." And even with the acknowledgement of their professional commitments, he felt her pull away, knowing the towel could fall apart any minute. Björn pulled her closer to keep it together and was not dissatisfied to feel her body pressed to him, but the more he stood this way, the more he was put to a test.
"There's a lot we have going on. But you making yours is far more important to me." She smiled to him softly.
"I still have time." He began to feel her right leg rise slowly as he kissed her, curling behind him, and then she pressed him closer that his balance pushed him forward. His hand was met with the glass behind her, keeping him from falling over her, and his other hand over her other leg. A hesitant look was shared. "What? You started it," she breathed to him.
His defeat caused her snicker. Agnetha's hands ran along his back over his navy tee. He was clean and simple, a Björn that not many would ever see. A moment lost in cradle with each other became an expression of their wants and she knew it clearly. He didn't need to state that he was excited by her. After all, he is a man, and being close to the age of 80 meant very little. She felt him inside and out and it told her enough. But the blonde woman that controlled his every feeling unhooked her leg's grip. She turned around and had casually tucked her towel in for a better hold.
"Did you start packing?" she asked, though she presumed he hadn't by the suitcase in the entrance of the walk in closet, recalling that it had two shirts on hangers draped over it.
"Not yet."
"Do you need help?" Björn shook his head in answer.
"No. But... I don't mind if you do."
"Too bad. I don't plan to help you." His reaction of pulling back and laughing gave her more confidence in herself.
"Then why do you ask?" He wondered during the same moment she turned her head to see him as he stood behind her.
"Maybe I wanted to make the point that you do need me." She laughed and he followed.
"I always need you." Her hand held his cheek gently as she tilted her head back over his shoulder to see him.
"I don't want you to go at all," she admitted in a whisper between them. "But I can't keep you from it. I'd love to help you. But to help you pack and leave me? Never." He suppressed a laugh.
"Okay. That is valid. I would pack you with me if I could. What shall I bring you from the trip?" He watched the way her gentle eyes scanned over his face, both distracted at the lips until they saw their eyes again.
Her mouth reacted hearing his words. She looked away for a moment and thought of what came to her mind.
"Chocolate," she answered.
"Chocolate."
"Not just any kind of chocolate," she warned, turning back to him. "I want a very good kind." And he couldn't resist. He kissed her again.
"The very best I will bring." If only she could persuade him to stay. If only he didn't have to go. She already planned how she would spend the days with him away. Thinking of preparations for the move into the house next door was a start. It would occupy her mind long enough and when she tires of that, she would have another thing to put her ideas into. Agnetha attempted to step aside. She had to get ready, and so did he, but her first try was a fail as he kept her surrounded along the sink she stood in front of. "Wait... two minutes," he whispered, the blow of his breath on her neck and moving up along the edges of hear ear. She froze in her aware and curious nature, and she listened. "Just two."
The rest of the day passed on meanwhile Agnetha had made it out to Lidingö to see Jörgen. Since they had last been physically in his studio, he had come far from using her idea to rework the new single. The words she said to him stuck with Jörgen, and he wondered what it might actually mean to her if he wrote new lyrics to match. She said very little to him about her life but it didn't mean he didn't understand her. Jörgen like many in Agnetha and Björn's eventually understood everything without anything needing to be stated. Agnetha had looked over the lyrics many times and between shimmery eyes and a sweet smile, she revealed that it was much better and closer to what she expressed to him.
So they began recording again, and this time, to much relief, there was no immense heat, and the air conditioning wasn't broken like the time before. Her phone rang and out of her back pocket, she pulled it while she found a moment as the others were occupied. It was Björn and she wondered what he'd need. She was sure he was at his own meeting.
"Hello?"
"Hey," he started.
"Hi. W-What are you doing? I thought you're at your meeting now."
"We moved it till later. How are things in the studio?" he checked in on her.
"Fine, we're just recording."
"Again?"
"Yes... do you need something?" she wondered, now suspecting something had gone wrong. "Is everything fine at home?"
"Everything's fine. I just— so it turns out, I do need your help."
"With what?" she looked up to find the guys waiting to share something with her from the distance. They would've called for her, but saw her already occupied.
"I am looking for my blazer. Baby, I can't find it anywhere and I looked. I wear it all the time. I'm sure I had it just yesterday too."
"Björn," she sighed his name in a whisper. "Which one? It must be in the laundry room, hanging probably... How will I know? If it isn't then the dining room, you always have it thrown there on the chair. I tell you not to, but you never listen."
"I—" he would've responded about it but she was so right. "I don't know, I checked the closet, the laundry room, the other closets... Yes, even the dining room."
"I don't know," she said. She gave many attempts to help him think, but he couldn't locate it. "I'll see you later, I have to get off now." And as she said, the line had ended just after he agreed.
By the time Agnetha returned home, it was still early afternoon and Björn was gone and out of the house. She had asked Linda who she crossed paths with where he might've gone though she already knew, he had things going on.
She was in the bedroom and by habit she peeked at his suitcase. She said she did not want to help, but really, she couldn't do it. She looked for his navy jacket, and it didn't take long for her to find now that she was physically at home. It was exactly where she said it could have been the first place she gave him. To herself she rolled her eyes as she laughed and pulled it from the hanger to pack it for him.
There she found the spot that bothered her the most. The pocket looked like it had a pen leak, and several cleanings ago, she tried to remove it. It never worked. Every YouTube video of stain hacks was watched and still it didn't go away. She didn't understand why he hadn't bought himself a replacement yet. Between the two, he was the one buying things more often, and she had seen more suit jackets join his collection, but this one never exiting. Her thoughts invaded and pulled her away from any other actions. She had a better idea and with the hours left of the day, she could make it work.
That evening when Björn entered the room, he had brought in with him a boy whose arms were linked around his shoulders and legs dangled around Björn's waist. The playful kid was put down onto the bed his grandmother was fixing, and it was just a moment before he had begun jumping and bouncing that it stopped her from placing clean sheets in their place. She laughed with him and tickled him until he was breathless.
"Okay, come, darling," she said. "Now that I have you here, you have to help me." Her grandson hopped off quick, dancing his way and awaited the rest of her instructions. Of course if he was promised to sleep at his grandparents' then he had to keep his promise and listen to them when they needed it. She glanced up to Björn momentarily. "And anyone who sleeps here has to help me fix the bed," she winked to the boy. Björn had glanced back to her laughingly, a look she fully read since the comment was specifically for him. Of course he would not only promise to fix the bed with her, but would be delighted to wreck it with her as well. That would be the only contract between them and the bed that he would sign, he thought.
When the night fell into the early hours of the morning, Björn was the first to rise. Not alone of course because to the alarm, he had also awoken the young boy although he refused to make a move out of the bed. The young child was aware it's too early, but interesting movement was happening in the meanwhile. His grandfather was taking his time in the bathroom, then entering a walk-in closet, then leaving it then entering it and back to the only lit space in the room, the bathroom once more. His grandson's blue eyes were wide and he only wondered what frightened him, seeing him go back below the covers and crawl back up beneath them to reach where Agnetha's head was. Björn looked over his shoulder towards the bathroom and laughed. He got the picture. Something he didn't expect to see.
"Anna," he whispered, when he hunched over her at the bedside a little bit later. His arm squeezed at her very gently, and lips kissed her temple. Björn felt her stir softly and a hum emerging from her. "Baby, I am leaving. I just want to say goodbye."
"Okay," she whispered. She felt him straighten and just about to take a step away. "Wait," she told him, her voice finally coming out clear. "One minute." He waited on her to fully rise, and watched as she rubbed her eyes. Part of him was frustrated but only because he wanted to be wrapped with her, but instead he had to leave. Nothing was better than that comfort in the early morning, but his journey was just beginning.
When she stood tall with her arms over his shoulders, she hugged him in a peaceful embrace that relaxed them. It was still so dim in the bedroom, the sun hardly up at just past 6 am.
"I love you," she told him and was at ease the moments she had felt his muscles loosen. "Take care, please take care." She pulled back and ran her eyes over his face like she does every time he takes a long trip. As if she needed to memorize him for herself. "And then come back to me."
"I will always come back to you," he shared with her. "All my life, I will always come back to you. I love you very much." He kissed her head another time and held her. And he couldn't hide it very well that he became emotional about leaving her for work. Because in another universe they'd be doing this together like they used to, with her being a part of his trips wherever he'd go. She pulled away first knowing he had to get going and she didn't want to delay him. She watched as Björn dragged the suitcase one step and then turned, a half smirk on his face as soon as he recalled something that came to his mind.
"Oh. Um, at some point— maybe it's a good idea we clean the bathroom mirror. I would have done it, but then I thought it's something for you to see too," he chuckled.
"What?" she looked towards the bathroom, and it was empty. She had no idea what he was talking about, and honestly she hadn't cared so much. She was sleepy and tired. Agnetha looked over her shoulder at her grandson who was shifting but awake. She crawled into bed and smiled at the boy whose blue eyes were wide and careful.
Plainly he informed, "There's a ghost in the bathroom."
"What?" He pulled the covers over his head and hid. She laughed and had not minded the words of her grandson, until the afternoon that day when Björn was on the phone with her after settling into the hotel room.
He had called as soon as he opened his suitcase to find that his items were shifted to his surprise, but all shifted in the most organized order and only Agnetha could have done so. The woman who stated she would not lend her helping hand to pack for a trip away from her. He licked his lips and smiled. And above it she had done more than necessary, included his favorite snacks, the blue blazer he was searching everywhere for, and to his total surprise, he unzipped a black bag to find a mint green Tom Ford jacket, shiny and brand new. The tags were still on it and he did not know what she did or why.
"You needed something new," she explained. "Something nice. I had the time and I went with Lolo yesterday and I don't know, we found this and I really like it. Do you like it?"
"Love it," he said. "It's a bit big— I mean long at the sleeves," he told her, wearing it in front of the mirror.
"I thought it would be. You could have it fitted."
"I could certainly. Thank you, honey. So much for not helping." She grinned.
"I couldn't."
He removed the jacket and walked around his hotel room, lifting a cup of coffee. He laughed as the thought came to him. "Did you check the bathroom?"
"I still don't know what you're talking about," she stressed.
"Run the shower, and you'll know," he laughed.
"I have to anyway," Agnetha commented. She turned the dials and walked out, pulling her clothes for the day and putting them out on the bed so they'd be ready for her when she's out. She began talking to him about a few things she planned to do, like putting things in boxes to be moved into the other house.
By the time she had returned five minutes later the fog in the bathroom was formed and one of the very first things she had seen were two hand prints against the glass. She was speechless but her laughter sounded just enough for him to hear and comprehend it was now seen.
"For heaven's sake—" his roar was to her ear on the other end and her smile wasn't one that was going to fade so fast. Agnetha bit her lip and raised her right hand fitting it where Björn's was, and then she changed the side she held the cell phone on and put her left hand to where hers was just the morning before. The memory flooded back to her how these resulted in the first place.
As she looked closer, she noted there were words and an awkwardly drawn bubbly heart heart that he left behind for her too, and she grinned as she read:
See you soon ᡣ𐭩
- B