Forever with you
7 years later- 2028
“Babe? You home?” Simon called out, as he strides into their apartment. The apartment they moved into a year prior.
“Hi, älskling! I’m giving Jupiter a bath in the guest bathroom.” Wille answered back. Jupiter was their cat, who they had just gotten.
Simon walked over to the bathroom to see his boyfriend.
“Hey, mi amor. How was work?” He kissed Wille.
“It was good, love. We started working on our next event. We are going to have a big pride concert,” Wilhelm runs an LGBTQIA+ organization called Pride For All: Sverige’s Branch. There are multiple branches around the world, but Wilhelm only runs the Sweden one.
“How was the studio?” Wille asked
“It was great!” Simon replied.
“I have a question for you, Simon.”
“Hmm?”
“Would you like to be our headliner for the show…again?”
“Yes, of course! I’d love to, Wille! Thank you!” Simon kissed him again. “When will the event be?”
“We are thinking July 29th. We just have to confirm the dates, though.”
“I’ll put it on my calendar!”
“Jag älskar dig, Simon. So much.”
“Te amo mucho, mi sol.”
*****
July 29th, 2028
“Good morning, Simme. Happy concert day! You need to wake up now, love.” Wille spoke softly, as he woke up his boyfriend.
“Good morning, Wille. Happy concert day!” Simon and Wille leaned over for their daily morning kisses. They always end up leaning in at the same time every wake-up.
What started as soft, slow, sweet, but chaste kisses, quickly turned filthy. So what if they gave each other quick handjobs before breakfast? They weren’t late for the concert so…
*****
When they got there, Simon made his way to his dressing room to get ready, whilst Wille took care of everything he had to do job-wise.
Simon was a little nervous about performing, but he felt ready. What he was really nervous about was his surprise for Wille.
Wille was nervous for reasons too…
*****
After the opening acts performed, Simon Eriksson, the headliner, was up.
*****
Simon stepped out on stage, microphone in hand.
“Good afternoon, Stockholm! Happy pride! It is an honor to headline again this year. I wanted to thank my beautiful Wille for asking me to perform. I’m not saying this because I’m biased, I’m saying it because I truly mean it; Pride For All is such an incredible organization. I am so grateful that I have gotten to work with Sweden’s branch, and I’m truly hoping I can work with other branches as well in the future,” He paused for applause. “Please welcome my background dancers, Maddie McCoy, and Maja Hult!”
The intro for “Moving Like That” started playing. Cheers erupted from the audience. The crowd screamed the lyrics and also screamed the background lyrics for Simon.
Then the beginning of “Mi Casa Su Casa” started. This was the song that went viral on TikTok, which led to new fans, not just ones in Sweden.
Simon danced elegantly across the stage with Maddie and Maja. He paused for some water, then continued on his set list: “I’m So Excited”, “In The Sunrise”, and “Pull Up” followed.
He sat down on a stool and played “Mama” on guitar. Then he moved to the piano for “She Fell In Love In The Summer”.
The crowd was cheering and applauding loudly.
“Um, I have a bit of a surprise. Um, Wille? I know you’re in the audience, but uh, can you come up on stage?”
Wille looked around befuddled but went past the security guards, and took the stairs up to the stage.
“So, Wille, I have some songs I wanted to sing to you. I wanted to be able to see your face clearest while I sang them, so,” He gestured to the empty stool on stage, which had been moved closer to the piano by Maddie.
Wille sat down bewildered. “What are you doing?” Wille mouthed to Simon.
All Simon did was smirk back.
He started playing the chords for “Breathe”
He sang his heart out and played with passion. Once he finished, he paused to speak, “This next song is extremely special to me. I mean, all songs I sing are special, but this one was the first song I ever wrote. Me and Wille had been on a break, but my feelings were still so strong. I was asked by my choir teacher to write a new school song, so I wrote this. In all actuality, the lyrics are about Wille. When I played it for him, it was right after we shared a kiss, the first kiss we had since the breakup. He didn’t know it was about him, though,” They both chuckled and Wille rolled his eyes fondly. He finished, “When I told him, he was a bit shocked. But I found it cute. I ended up singing this song to him on a regular basis. To this day, I still sing it to him. Wille always calls it “Simon’s Song” so that’s the name. Here you go, mi amor.”
Simon sang the song perfectly. By the end of it, there were tears in his eyes.
“I love you” Wille mouthed to him.
“I love you more. I have two more songs, stay there.” Simon mouthed back.
Wille complied.
“This song I’m gonna play now is one we sang together as a duet at karaoke,” They both smiled back at that memory. “I truly love this song.”
He played a flawless cover of Ed Sheeran’s “Perfect”.
“Um, Wille? I wanna move your stool. I got one last something for ya’.”
Wille got up and Simon moved the stool, then Wille sat down again.
Simon stood center stage. He spoke loud into the microphone, “When I was told by my choir teacher that the Prince of Sweden would be coming to Hillerska and that the choir would sing a welcome song, I was confused. “Why is she telling me this in private?” I thought. Then she told me that I would have a solo for it, and my mouth dropped. The little socialist,
Latino, curly-haired, poor boy from Bjärstad, would be singing for the Prince? Even though I never liked the monarchy, I knew how special this event was. Plus, I always found him cute. I asked her what song I’d be singing, and she said “It Takes A Fool To Remain Sane” by The Ark. I’ve always loved that song. After a shit-ton of choir rehearsal, we were ready. When the day Wille got to Hillerska and we had that welcome, I saw the prettiest human smiling at me. That was just the start of a lifelong love. I wanted this to be a full circle moment so, here is that song.”
Wille seemed a bit confused to Simon, but he knew Wille was about to find out.
The curtain came up and there it was- the Hillerska choir- all of the members were the ones that had sung with Simon that sacred day– in their Hillerska uniforms.
Wille was crying now– so was Simon.
Simon’s voice was loud and powerful, but a bit shaky from crying happy tears.
When the arrangement was done, he walked over to Wille and brought him up to the center stage.
Wille opened his mouth to speak, but Simon stopped him, “Please let me get all of this out. Wilhelm Carl Ludvig Berglund, you are the love of my life. The one I love more than anyone. You are the one who changed my life in the best way possible. You have made me the happiest man in the whole world. I’ve always felt forever about you. I truly have. I know I cannot be without you like I can be without air. You’re my oxygen. I breathe in your scent every day, and I cannot be without it. I want us to stay living together, to have more fur babies, to have actual human babies, I want you to be my husband. So, my Wille,” He got down on one knee and pulled out a ring box, “Will you marry me?”
Wille nodded his head as tears streamed down his face.
Simon stood up and kissed his fiance. Tears streamed down both of their faces. Simon placed the ring onto Wille’s ring finger.
Then before Simon knew what was going on, Wille was sinking to one knee and pulling out a ring box. He took the microphone out of Simon’s hand and started speaking, “Well my fiance, I actually planned on proposing at the end of your set, so I guess we had the same idea,” They both chuckled as they cried some more, “Simon Michael Eriksson, I have loved you since that very first look. I know it took some time to realize it, and I know we’ve been through hell. But we overcame it. We did it, love, we did it. I know our relationship hasn’t been easy, but nothing has felt more right than us. I want everything you said. I know what you’re going to say, but I’m gonna say it again, my dear Simme, will you marry me?”
Simon shouted, “Hell yes, I will!”
Wille slipped the ring onto his finger.
They shared another passionate kiss as their fans cheered loud in the audience. Sara, Linda, The Duke, and The Queen came out from the wings to see their family. Maja and Maddie came from backstage to congratulate them. Their friends from the choir made their way to see them all. Felice somehow had smuggled two bottles of champagne into her choir uniform and flashed it around to the gang. Henry, Walter, Fredrika, Stella, Rosh, Ayub, and Yasmina made their way from the front row to the stage to celebrate. They shared hugs and smiles. The group promised to send their videos to the happy couple.
“HAPPY PRIDE BITCHES!” Maddie screamed into the microphone. (She had pried it out of Wilhelm’s hands)
*****
Forever was a promise. A promise Wilhelm and Simon will keep.