The Simple Reality

Baby, Calm Down

The warmth she was wrapped in felt like the most comforting way to wake up on a morning when the sun was already beaming, birds sounding, and most especially when she began feeling the calm after a tiresome storm. It was quiet, and there was stillness.

Her eyes were pained each time she'd blink, a constant sting, and rubbing them hadn't made it go away. Agnetha laid facing the direction of the open door which led to the bathroom, observing the minimal details of cluttered items that were knocked over or not put away, reminding her how disorganized she had left things last night. Now with a gap through the dark curtains, daylight pushed through the room and she saw it all too clearly.

Over her hip she felt Björn's arm rest over, a weight she undoubtedly always enjoyed as it gave her a sense of security in the simplest form. It wasn't all she felt of him, however, noting now that he was closely pressed to her, making her aware of a few things. For instance the heat of his body, the breath on her shoulder, and a friend who had not greeted her in well over a week. Well, until last night, she thought.

Last night. She closed her eyes recalling what a mess she made, her emotions taking the best of her. Something that could have ended smoothly evolved into something, more or less, disappointing. She didn't want to remember it and part of her hoped Björn had totally forgotten about it.

Agnetha turned over her shoulder again and watched him, a snore gently sounding at his inhales. Her thought now was how he must have hugged her again during the night, even if she had turned away, even if she had left him uneasy with the way she had left him, not once but twice— running away to the archipelagos was one, and ending the night the way she did was another.

Nonetheless, she hadn't woken up like this in a while that it almost surprised her to have felt him still holding onto her. Her sigh was to herself as she turned back over, relaxing once again, and preparing herself for what the day would turn into. Taking a glance at her cell phone on the night stand, she checked the time; just after six in the morning.

The woman had left the bed and made her way around, finding the pan she used for self defense last night. Agnetha winced and rolled her eyes at her choices. This one was forgotten until now...  At least it was by her. If she had not recognized Björn, she was going to swing at him. They'd be in more trouble with one another, that was for sure. He might never forgive her, and leaving to the summerhouse without telling him would no longer be the worst thing she might've done that night.

Not much later was when her other half had awoken, yet again finding that there within his chest was the unsettled feeling coming back to him. The bed on her side was not only empty but already cooler, telling him that she had been up for a while now. His bare feet on the cold floor had been perhaps the only good feeling on his body. He took care of his needs first thing, doing everything he needed to with taking his time, and then he sought her out throughout the large summerhouse. He did not find her anywhere he looked, and he had called out to her on several attempts. She couldn't have possibly ran away again. He hadn't known what her issue was. Sure there was pressure from what she had seen yesterday, he equally hated it, but he had only followed what she approved and by their talk last night that problem seemed to have been solved. Until the next shift in mood took him by surprise, just when he thought he'd settled the first of their issues.

"Agnetha," he called out on the patio beneath the blue sky. He had stepped out of the house and realized immediately the area beneath his feet was wet, understanding she must have washed the area. His toes wiggled and he grimaced at the sensation. There she was, he found, occupied with a watering can, gardening gloves, and scissors. "You can't honestly tell me you hadn't heard me calling earlier?" She turned over her shoulder with a wince from the sun, and he was rewarded with her glowing clean face and waves of blonde hair falling over her shoulders.