Chapter 52
Kjell
Gently, I kiss Sky's nose as her lips are hidden beneath the covers. She lets out a contented sigh, her eyelids flutter, and her hair glows in the light of the rising sun.
It's been over twenty hours since the show, and I still can hardly believe that Sky actually dared to do it.
"You look stunning," I whisper and brush a strand of hair from her forehead.
At that very moment, she opens her eyes, and the azure of her iris shines as intensely as ever. "Hej," she murmurs, snuggling closer to me. "Are you watching me sleep?"
I grin and raise my arm so she can rest her head on my chest. "I would never do such a thing."
"Mm-hmm." She nods, and her hair tickles my skin.
I press a kiss to her temple and enjoy the warmth of her presence. This day is not like any other; it's the first day of our shared life.
Under the covers, she reaches for my hand and entwines her fingers with mine. "That was incredible, wasn't it?" she asks, looking up at me. "It's a shame Aurora had to leave for Paris this morning. We could have continued celebrating all day."
I nod in agreement, then can't help but smile at the thought of Sky on the runway. "Youwere incredible," I reply because that's exactly what she was.
She wrinkles her nose, and I know what she's thinking. "Your dress was the most beautiful; everyone saw that," I say, running my thumb over her palm.
She gazes thoughtfully out the window, where the snow-covered rooftops of Stockholm are visible. "Perhaps it was even good that I didn't win," she says with a wistful smile. "Father would have had a difficult time dealing with that."
Touch av lyxemerged as the winner of the competition. And maybe that's precisely why Gustav Blohm didn't attempt to punish Sky further yesterday.
"At least he has one less reason to sic his lawyers on me," she says, shaking her head as if she still can't quite believe it. "Although... the way he looked at me after my speech. There was something in his gaze."
I understand that she still hopes for reconciliation with her father. "Give him the time he needs."
Sky sighs heavily. "Sometimes I wonder how he became like this."
I wrap my arms around her and pull her close. "We all have a story," I reply, as I'm sure of that.
Suddenly, Sky pushes herself up, her intense gaze locking onto mine. "Including you."
I nod thoughtfully. "Including me."
And mine has gaps. There are words yet to be spoken, sentences yet to be brought to light, and moments that need to be captured for eternity. I shouldn't wait any longer. It's time to do the right thing.
"Would you accompany me to my parents'?" I ask, my heart racing as soon as the words leave my lips. Simultaneously, I feel in every fiber of my being that it's the right thing to do.
Smiling, she places her lips on mine. "There's nothing I'd rather do," she whispers as we part again.
***
An hour later, we're on our way to the place where my story began. Hand in hand, we walk along the cobblestone street to my parents' house. With each step, my nervousness grows, but at the same time, another feeling steadily increases.
A sense of peace that I can already feel even though I don't yet know why my parents reached out to me.
With a pounding heart, I finally stop with Sky by my side in front of the red-painted house with the weathered garden fence covered in inches of snow.
I let my gaze wander, seeing a young me playing in the garden. There's my mother, playing soccer with me, and my father standing by the grill. I smell the charcoal smoke, hear my own childhood laughter, and taste my mother's lemonade on my tongue.
"You can do this," Sky says, squeezing my hand.
I nod almost reverently, for I know that I can overcome anything with her by my side.
