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“Simon!”
It was Maddie calling for him as he approached their table. He had teamed up with Sara, Felice and Maddie at a group project and they had planned to meet in the library after school. The girls were already there and probably had been for a while.
Maddie and Felice were hunched over Felices laptop with Sara sitting on the other side of the table, reading a book. It didn’t look like she was engaging at all in whatever the other girls were doing. Nor did she look interested. She barely looked up as Simon walked over to them.
“Hey,” he said.
“Hi,” Felice said.
Sara looked up and smiled slightly.
“We are buying things for Wille’s room” Maddie said as Simon sat down next to his sister.
“What?” Simon said.
His heart skipped a beat as he thought about the other boy. They had barely talked since Christmas but everyday SImon found himself steal glances in Wille’s direction. Ever so often their eyes would meet which made SImon conclude that maybe Wille was looking at him to whenever he wasn’t looking back.
Wille looked sad most of the time, withdrawn and turned in on himself. He didn’t seem to interact with a lot of people and it seemed like he mostly walked between classes alone. It hurt to see WIlle hurt. It hurt to see Wille so lonely. But yet, SImon couldn’t bring himself to say more than a few words when they bumped into each other in the corridors or in the cantine. It hurt to much, His own wounds were still to fresh to give anymore to Wille. And Wille had stopped trying to take anything from Simon. Every interaction was on Simon’s terms. If Simon would smile, than Wille would too. He would ask about Simon’s day, ask about Linda and Rosh and Ayub, ask about trivial things.
He never asked for anything else. And even when he smiled he seemed sad.
“Felice got this idea to decorate his room because it’s just so depressing and boring,” Maddie said. “That boy needs some colours and pillows”
Felice rolled her eyes.
“I don’t think he wants glittery pillow cases. Or feathery. And I don’t think he want pink.”
“Why wouldn’t he want pink?” Maddie protested loudly.
Sara didn’t say anything but SImon saw her roll her eyes. THe others didn’t notice, too wrapped up in their discussion about Wille’s favourite colour.
“It’s green,” SImon blurted out, remembering how Wille had mentioned it casually one day when they were studying together. It was one of the things Wille had told him, little crumps here and there that helped Simon get to know the real Wille.
Felice looked up and smiled.
“Do you want to help?” she asked carefully, then she shook her head.
“You don’t have to,” she said. “I just want to do something for his room because he’s barely done anything to it. I thought it would be fun to surprise him. But we can manage.”
“No I’ll help,” he said.
Maddie wasted no time in scooting over and leaving room for SImon to join them on the other side. He bit his lip before he walked around the table and sat down next to Maddie.
Maybe it was a bad idea. It was probably better to not be involved. But he couldn't stand the sad look on Wille’s face. And while he couldn't be what Wille wanted him to be, couldn’t help Wille with whatever he was going through, he still wanted to put a smile on Wille’s face.
“What have you picked out?”
-
A week or so later Felice texted him and asked if he wanted to help them decorate Wille’s room over the weekend when Wille would be away.
He hesitated before he said yes but eventually he agreed to help. Picking out things were one thing and it had mostly been Maddie and Felice doing it anyway, sporadically consulting him over the different picks before Sara reminded them rather annoyingly that they needed to start with their project.
Helping setting up the new room was another thing entirely. Being in Wille’s room again was another thing entirely.
But over the week his interactions with Wille had been a little longer. More easygoing and not as awkward, And not as painful. Wille’s smile had even started to feel real.
He met the girls outside of Felice’s and Maddie’s room. Sara was there too but she was quiet and didn’t share the excitement Felice and Maddie obviously had.
There were at least 6 huge bags sitting in the corridor filled with stuff that Felice had ordered for Wille’s room. Simon took two of the bags that looked the heaviest. Felice and Maddie chatted together as they walked over the the Forest Ridge building.
He and Sara walked beside eachother.
“Are you okay?” she asked, taking him by surprise.
“Yeah,” he said.
“Good,” she smiled.
The closer they got, the more nervous and anxious Simon felt.
He had not set his foot in Wille’s room since the day before the interview but as soon as Felice opened the door and gestured for him to walk in he felt his heart pick up in speed and his stomach twist in a weird and unpleasant way. He dropped the two bags on the floor and looked around the room uncomfortably. The girls didn’t seem to notice, Maddie bumping into him with her own huge ikea bags and Felice and Sara immediately getting to work with their own things. Simon found himself standing with the bags at his feet, unable to move.
The room looked pretty much the same as last time. The two beds on either side of the room, one neatly put together and untouched made and on hastily made before Wille had left in the morning, looked the same as that morning, and as soon as Simon looked over to that part of the room he was filled with dread but also with warm feelings as the memories of their morning together returned to him. And then the good memories were gone and left were only the bad ones. The ones that still made his chest cave in everytime he thought about them. Of Wille’s fearful eyes as their gazes met on lucia. Of the paparazzis taking pictures of him from outside his window. Of the magazine covers. Of Wille denying it was him in the video and tossing whatever they had to the side. Of Wille abandoning him when he needed him the most. Of WIlle telling him he loved him and holding him as if his life depending on it.
Simon forced himself to stop thinking about these things. They simply hurt too much. Instead he looked around the room with a heavy heart. There was really nothing of Wille in here. It was just a room. It didn’t even look like anyone lived in here save for the sweater that hung over the back of the chair by the desk or the few books on the nightstand.
The walls were still bare and sparse. The curtains were still drawn.
Simon wondered if Wille had ever opened them again. He knew he hadn’t. His window had been covered for a long time now.
“Don’t” he heard himself blurt out as Felice walked over to the window to open up the curtains.
She stopped in her tracks and turned around. He felt stupid for overreacting, especially when she smiled at him.
“It’s okay. I ordered these,” she said and picked up a package of window film. “They let the light in but you won’t be able to see through them.”
“Oh,” he said.
He hadn’t thought about that. Maybe he could also order that for his own room.
“You can help me with the cushions,” Maddie said encouragingly.
Simon nodded. She had put all the cushions on the other bed and had just started to open the cushion covers. Felice had really gone a bit overboard and even if most things were from places like IKEA and HM home, they must have cost at least a few thousand. Simon looked curiously into a few of the bags, spotting everything from new curtains, a small rug, candle holders and even a couple of lamps. There was a fluffy blanket in a soft green colour and two bed spreads. Simon assumed on was for the bed Wille slept in and one for the other one hat Maddie was seemingly turning into a sofa with all the cushions.
“Will you help me with this?” Felice asked Sara and SImon noticed that his sister still stood in the middle of the room.
He knew she didn’t like Wille very much. But she liked Felice and Maddie. And she loved to belong somewhere which was probably why she was here, helping them decorate WIlle’s room.
They worked together for about half an hour and during that time SImon and Maddie managed to transform the sparse bed into a cozy looking couch filled with soft pillows and Felice and Sara had managed to cover the window and hung the new curtains. Felice had even made Wille’s bed with the new bedspread and couple of extra pillows and SImon had helped her hung two new posters over the bed. One was a simple map over the Swedish archipelago and the other one was a graphic print. Simon had helped pick them out because Wille had told him he really liked spending his summers in the archipelago.
The bookshelf was now filled with a few books, the candle holders, a framed picture of Wille and Erik that they had found in one of the desk drawers, and the snow globe with the frog prince. SImon didn’t know the history of it but he just new it was important to Wille.
Maddie put the rugg on the floor before plunging down on the bed turned sofa next to Sara who already lay there.
Simon looked around the room, smiling to himself. The room looked nice and cozy. A lot more homey and like someone actually lived there. And now that there was actually some daylight in the room it didn’t feel as depressing. Yet it felt save with the window film.
“You are good at this,” Simon said as Felice joined him in the middle of the room, after plugging in the new window lamp.
“Thanks,” she said with a small smile. “I just want to do something nice for him, you know… he’s been so low lately.”
He nodded, feeling a bit guilty suddenly.
“It's not your fault,” Felice said. “Do you think he’ll like it?”
Simon smiled.
“Yeah,” he said. “I think he will.”
-
They all ended up hanging out in WIlle’s room Sara was visibly more relaxed and Simon find himself actually feeling more at ease too. He hoped WIlle would feel the same and that his room could feel like a real room and not just a place filled with bad memories and anxiety.
They played a few rounds of Chicago, sitting on Wille¨s new rug, while waiting for the prince to arrive home. The Felice’s phone buzzed and she immediately dropped her hand to the floor, revealing her two pairs.
“Henry texted that he’s here.” she said. “He’ll be here in like two minutes.”
Simon instantly felt nervous. WHat if he was overstepping? What if Wille got overwhelmed instead of happy?
His heart raced in his chest as they gathered their things, and Felice reranged a few of the pillows that on the bed, before lighting the candles on the book shelf.
“Should we just stand in here?” she said quietly. “Or outside?”
“No inside is better,” Maddie whispered.
They didn’t get any other options because just seconds later they could hear the door to the corridor open and then a few seconds later the door opened.
Simon didn’t feel ready at all but there Wille stood in the doorway, looking like a deer caught in headlights, taking in the new room and the four people standing in front of him.
“Sir?” Malin asked before she looked into the room, a small smile played on her face as she spotted them in the room and notice what they had done to it.
“Surprise!” Felice said, breaking the silence and walking over to Wille do lead him into the room.
“What on earth did you do?” Wille asked, looking around the room.
“Do you like it?” Felice asked.
“Yes, of course,” Wille said as the smile grew on his face. “This is amazing. Wow, I’m.. I don’t know what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything,” Felice said.
“Just say thank you,” Maddie said.
Wille smiled and turned to Maddie.
“Thank you, Maddie” he said. “Honestly, thank you so much. I really love it.”
He looked around the room again.
“How on earth did you do this?” he asked.
“We have our ways,” Felice said.
Wille looked over at Simon and his smile grew, causing Simon’s heart to skip a beat. He smiled back.
“I love it,” Wille repeated and gave Felice a hug. “Did you know about this Malin?” he asked excitedly.
Malin popped her head into the room again.
“I might have helped with a few details, Crown Prince WIlhem,” she said.
Wille smiled again and he looked so happy Simon felt a warm feeling in his body.
There was a minute of silence as Wille took everything in in detail, his eyes seemingly scanning every part of the room. He walked over to the bookshelf where he looked at the framed picture and the snow globe,the smile growing on his face.
Simon watched him look at the posters on the wall and the soft blanket that Felice had put on his bed.
“I love them,” he said.
“SImon helped pick them out,” Maddie said with a shrug. “I wanted pink but SImon said you like green better.”
Wille smiled again and once again their eyes met and Simon was filled with butterflies.
“Thank you,” Wille said, looking at Simon only.
“Maybe we should leave,” Felice said.
“Yes I’m starving,” Maddie said.
Wille sat down on the bed with all the pillows.
“Thank you again,” he said. “All of you. This is the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.”
“You’re welcome,” Maddie said. “Your room really needed a makeover and Felice and I were not going to say no to that.”
Even Sara smiled a little at that, Simon notice and for a second he watched WIlle and Sara’s eyes meet. Wille smiled.
“I’ll text you later,” Felice said to WIlle before she, Maddie and Sara started to leave the room.
Simon was just about to do the same when he heard WIlle clear his throat.
“Will you stay for a while?” he asked, looking at Simon with a nervous smile on his face.
“Yeah, okay,” Simon said.