Attraction - a fraudulent marriage

Epilog new

This is a new chapter of Attraction

I heard my aunt yell for Jessica to open the door. Ten seconds later, my cousin had flung herself on me, almost toppling me over in the stairwell.

"Joachim, du är tillbaka." She hugged me tight. "Mamma! Dom är här nu."

"Hey, it's good to see you, and yes, I'm back. Why don't you practice your English while Tom is here?"

She blushed, stepping back. "Hello," she greeted him, studying him under her lashes as if she wasn't sure how to proceed.

"Hi." Tom extended his hand, grasping hers.

"It's nice to meet you," she said. "Joachim has told us about you. We're sad you didn't get married in Sweden. You should have a second wedding."

I laughed. "All right, that's enough. Where are the others?"

Helena stepped out from the kitchen, drying her hands on a linen towel. "This dinner won't make itself, you know." She moved to hug me. "Welcome back. We've missed you."

"I've missed you, too."

"Är dom här redan?" Sandra shouldered her way past her sister. "Joachim!" Her hug was even tighter.

"Yes, we're already here. The trains aren't always late in winter."

Sandra peeked at Tom. "Hi, I'm Sandra."

"Tom. Pleasured to meet you."

I waved my cousin away. "Let him say hi to your mom as well."

"Oh, okay." She didn't blush as easily as her sister, but it was a close thing for once. They all appeared slightly nervous and excited.

"Ms Lind, thank you for inviting us." Tom finally had the opportunity to shake hands with Helena.

"Please call me Helena, we're not very polite here in Sweden. We all go by first names."

"Ah, yes, Joah told me." Tom was as calm as ever.

Helena smiled. "It's lovely to meet you. Joachim speaks highly of you."

"Aww, he calls you Joah, that's so sweet," Sandra said, even more excited than before.

"Let them get inside, Sandra," Helena said, gently tugging her daughter's jumper.

"Fine, okay. I'm going." She slipped back into the apartment. "I'll make the table. Come on, Jessi, help me out."

The apartment looked exactly as it had done when I'd moved out. Most of the furniture had been bought over twenty years ago, but Helena had somehow managed to make it look modern with little touches of good taste here and there. I slipped out of my shoes, nodding for Tom to do the same.

"Do you need help in the kitchen, Helena?" I asked.

"No, it's soon finished. I just have to get it out of the oven. Why don't you show Tom around?"

I clasped Tom's hand. "Do you want to see my old room?"

The moment he gave me a nod, I stole him away, going straight for the tiny room I'd lived in as a teenager. The apartment wasn't big, but Helena had somehow managed to install another wall and made two smaller rooms out of the former main bedroom. It wasn't terribly uncommon in Stockholm where apartments were scarce.

I had expected to see change, but the room still looked exactly the same as I'd left it. Well, there was a new laptop on the desk, probably belonging to one of my cousins, but my old posters still clung to the walls.