The Simple Reality

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The day was fading, creating a tangy hue of the sky above Stockholm. The apartment was too calm being only Björn and Agnetha there, but it wouldn't be for too long. The kitchen, indeed, was where the action was again this time for a better reason than spilling thoughts, brewing ideas, and discussing deep and personal possibilities. They were cooking up something great, both of them together like two great chefs, except one would mince something differently, and the other would add a bit too much salt. There wasn't the perfect balance in the kitchen like they were when working at the studio, they realized, so although his efforts were appreciated and recognized, Agnetha asked him to leave it all to her and focus on something else.

So he had done just as she'd asked. They were tensed as it was today, the heat swirling around the kitchen was exhausting, and they did not need more to add on. Certainly not when they had a special guest to join them this evening and they didn't want to fail an expectation.

The meal was prepared— a delicious creamy potato casserole, meatballs, with sautéed veggies and mushroom soup on the side. Agnetha was impressed, she made Björn try each bite and tell her if she'd missed something from the ingredients, as if she hadn't shooed him out of her space 30 minutes earlier.

The hesitation as he tasted each made her impatient. It didn't look like he enjoyed it, until he'd smiled and kissed her right after, multiple times as she fought him off.

"It is delicious, baby. You make an excellent cook. I hope no one dares to tell you otherwise."

"Björn, I am not the best, but I am good and being good isn't the point. I know, I am good, but did I miss something?" She wondered. "Lingonberry. Cucumbers."

"They're right here. I pulled them out earlier."

"Oh, good."

"Then all we have is..."

"To wait," he smiled. "She should be here in..." The door bell had buzzed and Björn tilted his head. "Right about now," he said then kissed her head. "Relax."

"Right," she breathed out. He tended to the door, and Agnetha gulped the remainder of her white wine.

"Hey!" A woman's voice was heard down the hallway from where Agnetha stood in the living room now. "Beautiful house," she had acknowledged to Björn first. "Thank you for having me here. Sorry, I am late."

"Not late at all, come in," Björn smiled. The short blonde woman seemed badass at first glance, thought Agnetha. Her hair was straight, highlighted and pulled back apart from her side bangs framing her face uniquely. Her brown eyes were large and noting everything from around the room to them admiringly.

"Agnetha," she grinned. "So good to meet you. My name is Klara," she introduced herself. Agnetha had warmly hugged her. Although, her heart was pounding and she had given Björn a face as he stood behind the woman and laughing to himself. She would get him later. That was already decided.

They were seated over dinner, just the three of them at the table and the conversation somehow was much simpler and laid back than Agnetha predicted it to go. It wasn't exactly a business dinner, yet it was. Perhaps it was the environment, and she thanked everything for that, because it settled her anxiety more. They talked about the easy things up until they were reminded with the purpose of her visit.

"Well, Björn said the press is giving you both an issue. I don't doubt that for a minute. I see it daily," she shared with a smile on her face, and even if it wasn't a pleasant detail, it eased Agnetha because she was.

"We aren't even surprised anymore."

"We were talking the other day about it," she laughed to Agnetha. "But the answer is complex and it comes in different ways. Overall, you can alter anything you like and that's what the media is. People do it all the time. You don't honestly think stories are put out there because they're worth being told—"