Nils continued his present sharing, handing one to Yolanta for Regina, and another to Regina to hand straight back to him.
“What I really wanted to get you,” Milo said in Keira’s ear as his family busied themselves with their gifts, “was an actual dog sled ride.”
Keira laughed.
“Sadly, we didn’t have enough time,” he continued. “So I got you this instead.”
He pulled something out from behind him. Keira gasped from the shock of there being yet another gift for her, and for the fact it had not gone through the official Nilson family channels.
“A secret gift?” she said, in a joke conspiratorial voice.
Milo nodded. “Open it,” he said eagerly.
Beyond touched, Keira carefully removed the paper. She was holding a small black rectangular box, and already recognized the packaging as jewelry. She snapped it open and gasped. Inside was a necklace of white gold and pale sapphire.
“Oh, Milo, it’s gorgeous,” she said, breathless.
She reached in and pulled the necklace up to her neck, laying the delicate thing across her collarbones.
“Let me,” he offered.
She turned, swiping her hair over one shoulder, and Milo fastened the latch. His fingers felt warm against her skin, making her tingle all over.
“Even though we will be hundreds of miles apart,” he whispered in her ear, “you now have something from me, and Sweden, that can be with you always.”
Keira turned to him, beyond touched. “I’ll treasure it,” she said, gazing into his eyes. “Thank you for making this the best Christmas ever.”
“No, thank you,” Milo said with deep meaning.
Then he laughed and pulled her into his arms as the family continued their present opening around them.
*
The rest of the day was a busy and joyous affair, though it was with a pang of relief that Keira found herself on the porch late at night, with the entirety of Milo’s family in bed, and just Milo for company. As much as she adored his family, having a few more precious moments just the two of them felt necessary.
They sat side by side, silently sharing a bottle of warming spirits, overlooking the mountains for what would be, for Keira, the last time. How sad that their first moment alone all day would also be their last moment alone for an undetermined time.
The North Star was shining brightly above them, and thanks to the thickness of the snow, it appeared as if all the cottages dotted around the mountains were nestled into it. At the edge of the forest Keira saw the dark fir trees, looking majestic in their most natural habitat of deep, deep snow.
Milo reached for Keira’s hand then. She looked over at him, the sight of his face just as breathtakingly beautiful as the scene she’d just torn her eyes from. She felt his warm fingers squeezing hers.
“I never thought I could fall in love with someone so quickly,” he said, in his usual open way. “Honestly, I thought the whole love at first sight thing was a myth. That people were confusing love and lust.”
Keira blushed. She had certainly been guilty of that. But she’d also, in her journey of self-discovery, accepted that lust at first sight was just as valid an experience as its cousin love. Not every relationship was meant to last, but that wasn’t a reason in itself to turn your back on the opportunities life presented you with.
“You’ve proved that wrong,” Milo continued. “It is real. It has happened to me.”
She smiled at him tenderly, and nodded in agreement. Not to mean that he’d changed her mind about falling in love – she knew very well that she’d fallen in love very easily in the past – but in agreement with his assessment that love at first sight was indeed real.
The thought reminded her, suddenly, that even though she felt like Milo was the one, in this moment, experience had taught that that could easily be proven to be wrong. And that thought leapfrogged her to another one. For the first time, Keira was actually looking forward to going home, to being independent in her new apartment. As much as she had loved being in Sweden and being with Milo, she knew this moment in her life needed to come to an end.
Just then, Keira realized Milo was looking at her expectantly. She’d been silent for too long. He’d confessed his love for her and all she’d done was nod!
“What are you thinking?” he asked, his expression a little crestfallen.
“Honestly, I’m thinking about tomorrow,” she admitted. “About the fact I’m leaving.”
He exhaled. “I thought you might be.”
She squeezed his fingers, which were still entwined with hers. “I’m sorry if that disappoints you.”
“No,” Milo said rather quickly, looking intently into her eyes. “I would never try and make you feel guilty for leaving, or for wanting to. I know this must end too. It’s just that it’s been such a magical experience. You’ve taught me so much about love, about myself.”
Keira leaned in and kissed him tenderly. “I feel the exact same way.”
Chapter two
A shrill, unwanted alarm woke Keira the next morning. She pulled her pillow over her head, trying to ignore it, but soon felt Milo gently shaking her elbow. Slowly, she inched the pillow from her face and peeped out. Dawn had hardly broken. Milo smiled down at her, but there was sorrow in his eyes.
“It’s time,” he said.
With a groan of resignation, Keira fully removed the pillow and sat up. She discovered that Milo was dressed. Beside her on the bedside table was a tray of coffee and breakfast.
“You made me this?” she asked, touched.
“I didn’t want you going hungry on the plane,” he said with a shy shrug.
Keira reached for him, stroking his stubbled cheek. She kissed him tenderly. “Thank you,” she said with deep affection.
The pang of grief she’d been nurturing since yesterday returned. She felt knots of emotion in her stomach as the realization sunk in that today really was the end for them. Quickly, she shoved off the duvet, not wanting to break down in front of Milo, and busied herself by collecting strewn clothes off the floor.
“Keira,” she heard Milo say in a kind, cautious tone.
“What?” she replied, not looking at him, trying to keep her voice steady.
“Your breakfast.”
Keira grabbed some toiletries from the chest and hurriedly slung them into her case. “I have to pack.”
“You don’t need to rush,” he said. His voice was measured as usual, which was at complete odds with how Keira herself felt. “There’s time to sit and drink coffee.”
“I’d prefer to get this done first,” Keira replied, hearing the strain in her voice.
From behind, she heard Milo stand. He came over and took her by the shoulders. She tensed, not feeling able to handle any kindness in her emotionally vulnerable state. But it was too late. Just the sensation of him behind her made her facade crack. Tears began to trickle from her eyes.
She turned and folded into Milo’s embrace. They stood that way for a long time, as Keira let the pent-up emotion out. To her surprise, just allowing herself to be vulnerable and let out the tears seemed enough to lessen their power. She quickly collected herself, much quicker than she usually would, and felt significantly better.
“Coffee?” she said, moving from Milo’s embrace.
He nodded, and they sat together on his bed, sharing their last coffee together. The tears on Keira cheeks dried.
“I’m not looking forward to saying goodbye to the family,” she confessed between sips. “I mean, you all feel like my family now. I’m going to be a blubbering idiot.”
Milo’s lips quirked. “It’ll be fine. It’s not like it’s forever. Or at least it doesn’t have to be.”
Keira stayed silent, her mind mulling things over. She wasn’t sure yet what she wanted from this, or how their story would progress, whether there even was a story for the two of them.
Milo must have noticed her hesitation.
“But we don’t have to talk about that now,” he said, his gaze drifting away.
They finished their coffee and breakfast, and then Keira washed and dressed in preparation for the long flight ahead. Usually she dreaded journeys, but she’d become so used to it now it hardly fazed her. How quickly she’d grown accustomed to her new jet-setting lifestyle. And, she remembered with a little spark of excitement, she had a new apartment waiting for her in New York City; her first real step toward complete independence.
With her bags fully packed, she and Milo headed downstairs. The family was gathered in the kitchen, all mid-breakfast themselves. Keira knew they’d made the effort to wake up early just to say goodbye, and was touched by the gesture.
Regina was the first to stand. She came over and hugged Keira tightly, her usual stern expression greatly softened.
“I’m going to miss having another woman about the place,” she said. “It was nice having a sister for a week.”
“I’m just the other end of the phone,” Keira reminded her.
Nils took Regina’s place, towering above Keira with his six-foot-something frame. He patted her shoulder firmly.
“You are welcome back anytime,” he said. “Anytime at all.”
“Thank you,” Keira replied.
Then he pulled her into an awkward half-embrace. Keira felt like a child enveloped in his large arms.
She moved from the embrace and turned her attention to Yolanta. She’d grown closest to Milo’s mother during the vacation, and it would be the hardest to be parted from her out of the three of them.
Yolanta cupped Keira’s face in a very motherly gesture.
“Beautiful, talented girl,” she said. “You’ll be back to see us, won’t you?”
Keira blushed. “I will.”
Yolanta nodded, satisfied, then the two hugged tightly.
“We’d better go,” Milo said from behind.
Keira disengaged from Yolanta’s arms and looked back over her shoulder at him, standing by the door with all her luggage at his feet. Then she glanced back at the family.
“I guess this is it,” she said, with a heavy sigh. “I’ll miss you. Thank you for your hospitality. It’s been the best Christmas I’ve ever had. I’ll cherish these memories forever.”
“It’s been a delight to have you,” Nils said.
“Come back anytime,” Regina added.
“We’ll see you soon,” Yolanta said, emphasizing the final word.
Keira nodded. Then she turned away from them and joined Milo, collecting one of her bags from the pile. Milo opened the door and a cold blast of Swedish winter air rushed at her, making her shiver. Milo headed out into the chilly day, heading for the car. Keira swallowed the lump in her throat as she waved behind at the family one last time.
“Goodbye!” everyone said in unison.
Then Keira followed after Milo, shutting the door gently behind her. She stepped down the snowy garden path, drinking in the sight of the mountains one last time, trying to take a picture for her memory. She never wanted to forget this view, this place, or this family. She wanted every detail seared into her mind.
She added her bag to the trunk, then got in the passenger side of Milo’s little car. He gunned it to life.
“Ready?” he asked.
“Ready,” she replied with a nod of finality.
As he pulled away, she looked back over her shoulder, taking one last photograph with her mind.
Just as the house disappeared from sight, Keira heard her cell phone ping. She fished it from her purse and saw that she’d received a text from Elliot. She frowned. It wasn’t like Elliot to text her; he usually kept everything between them quite formal.
She opened the text and read it.
Merry Christmas, Keira! Hope you had your happy ending…
She smiled, touched that Elliot would send her a personal message. But then she scrolled down and read the rest:
Just a reminder that the deadline for your article is tomorrow. You’ve already had one extension, so this is final.
She groaned. Elliot knew when her plane was leaving today and yet he’d chosen to contact her now, through the most direct and personal means he could, rather than an email like usual. He was trying to take what little time she had left with Milo away from her. She turned her phone off and slung it back in her purse.
“Everything okay?” Milo asked.
“Yes,” Keira said with a breezy smile.
But really, she felt reality come back to her in a sudden flash. Her fantasy trip was over. It was time to get back to the real world.
*
Keira and Milo stood side by side, hand in hand, in front of the gate for her flight. The board gate number flashed up onto the screen, just as a voice came over the PA:
“This is a boarding call for flight Swedish Air one forty-five from Sweden to New York. Please could all passengers make their way to gate ten.”
Keira turned to Milo. “That’s me,” she said.
He nodded. His expression was more morose than ever as he leaned forward and kissed her forehead.
“Good luck with everything, Keira,” he said.
“That sounds so final,” she murmured in reply.
“Sorry,” Milo replied. “I’ve been getting vibes off you all morning, that once you leave, it will be over.”
Keira raised her eyebrows. For straight-talking Milo to be guided by her vibes seemed a bit out of character. Except, he wasn’t wrong.
She sighed.
“It’s a practical thing,” she said. “You know that, right? You don’t want to fly or leave Sweden, and I don’t want to move away from New York. It’s just how it is. I don’t mean to be so cold about it.”
“No, it’s okay,” Milo said with a nod. “You know how much I appreciate honesty. It’s just a shame. We’ve had a lot of fun together.”
“I don’t mean to make it sound like we’ll never talk again,” Keira said, offering a tentative smile. “We can still be friends.”
Milo’s troubled expression lessened somewhat. “Okay. Yes. I’d like that.”
“Good,” Keira replied with a relieved sigh. She couldn’t bear the thought of him being completely gone from her life, even if she did understand they had to romantically untangle themselves.
She offered her arms for a hug, and Milo took up the offer. They held each other for a long time. It was only the voice coming over the PA a second time asking passengers to board that made them break apart.
“I’d better go,” Keira said. She gazed deeply into his eyes. “Goodbye, Milo.”
He held on to her hand, lingering, drawing out the time. “I know this is a strange thing to say…but thank you. I feel very lucky to have met you.”
Keira smiled. “I feel the same.”
“Goodbye, Keira.”
As her hand fell from Milo’s, Keira turned and walked away. When she reached the gate and handed her boarding pass and passport over to the man, she looked back one last time. Milo was still standing there where she’d left him. She waved, feeling a sad pang in her chest. He waved back.
“There you go, Miss Swanson,” the man at the desk replied, handing her back her documents.
“Thank you,” she said, taking them.
She didn’t look back again.
*
Keira found her seat on the plane. Though she felt somewhat sad about ending things with Milo, she also felt energized. Her whole experience in Sweden had felt like preparation for her newfound independence.
She looked around at the other people on the plane. On the seats to her left were a couple kissing, and a little further ahead was a family with kids bouncing around as the parents tried to get them into their seats. For the first time, Keira didn’t feel envious. Instead, she felt a newfound freedom and solace in her independence. Her journey was different from all of these other people’s, and she wouldn’t want it any other way.
Feeling emboldened, Keira took her laptop from her hand luggage and began to work on her article. She used a different approach than she had in her past articles, writing about the freedom of no attachments.
From now on, when I do love, I will love the Scandinavian way.
Chapter three
The next morning, Keira woke with backache. She blinked and looked around, disoriented. It took her a long time to work out where she was. Not Milo’s, nor her room at her mom’s, but her brand new apartment. Unfortunately, the only thing she currently had inside of it was a mattress. She didn’t even have a bed frame; hence, the backache.