Chapter one: Simon

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Author's note

Disclaimer: This story and its contents are owned by me and all rights are reserved. To use my work without my permission are therefore forbidden. There is a Polish translation in progress of my story made by @Marvellover. 

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When I woke up on Christmas eve the whole house smelled like newly baked saffron buns. My mother loved saffron buns and we always had them for breakfast the morning of Christmas eve. Now she was standing by the oven in the kitchen.

"¡Feliz navidad, mamá!" I said. I smiled the first real smile in a long time. My whole life had become a mess the last couple of months and nothing was like it used to be. Celebrating Christmas as usual felt somewhat like going back to normal. I could at least pretend like it was normal.

"¡Feliz navidad, mi amor!" mum replied while going in for a hug. She had her perfume she wore for special occasions. The wine red dress was new. Usually she wore more comfortable clothes. I was still in my pyjamas and I guessed Sara would be as well. "If you go wake Sara up I can do the last preparations for breakfast?"

I smiled and nodded. I went to her room and knocked on the door. Sara loved Christmas, so I knew she would be exited for the day.

"Come in" I heard from the other side of the door and I opened the door. She sat on her bed, still in her pyjamas as I had thought. She had her phone up, as if she was facetiming someone.

"Is that Simon?" I heard from the other side of the phone. It was Felice's voice. I stepped into frame. I realized that I hadn't even brushed my hair yet when I saw myself in the camera.

"Hi," I said and waved to her. "Merry Christmas Felice." She responded with a smile.

"Merry Christmas Simon. I hope you have a nice day. And good luck with that performance you are doing today. Sara told me you were a bit nervous, but I am sure you will be fine." she said. I was indeed a bit nervous. Every year they had a little ceremony at the church in Bjärstad on Christmas eve and I always performed a Christmas song. I usually was not nervous about it. Singing was my passion. But doing the performance now after everything that had happened I did not know how people were going to react. Everyone had seen me in that video. The sex tape someone had recorded through the window of Wilhelm's bedroom at Hillerska. I still did not know who had done it and Wilhelm had told the press it was not him in the video. I hoped that the people at church would not comment on it.  That they would just be like they always were. If it was something I did not want to talk or even think  about on Christmas eve, it was about that. It reminded me of Wilhelm and how much I missed him. And that we could not be together.

"Thank you Felice," I said. "Mum has prepared breakfast in the kitchen, by the way, Sara." I had almost forgotten why I stepped in there in the first place.

"Tell mom I am coming." she said. I went back to the kitchen and helped mom take everything out to the living room. We always ate breakfast in front of the television on Christmas eve. It was cozier. And it was a tradition after all. Who would have thought that a traditional Christmas could be so comforting? To me it was. I guessed Wilhelm's Christmas would not be much comfort for him. It was the first Christmas since his brother Erik died. I could not imagine living without Sara. I could not imagine how much pain it must be to live without someone that close.

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I had just finished the last rehearsals for the performance when I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. To my surprise it was a text from the person who I had not spoken to since wishing him a nice Christmas. Wilhelm. He had told me he loved me. And I said "I hope you have a nice Christmas". I don't know what I was thinking. I don't know what I would have told otherwise anyways. 

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