#threads.agnes

[olletorres]

"I think I missed out on that kind of partying. I know a lot of people who talk about how they were in college, and I feel like not going to college sort of took away a lot of experiences," Olle admitted, shrugging. He wasn't sad about it or anything, he didn't think he would have done well in college even if he hadn't been too busy trying to please his boyfriend at the time he could have gone. School wasn't his strong suit, and trying to be successful in some kind of higher education would've probably stressed him out way too much. "That's cute though! I loved being read to, when I was a kid. It was always so nice, because you get to hear a whole story but in the voice of someone who sounds, like, safe. Y'know?"

"Two Dala horses, tack." Agnes placed her drink order once they made it up to the bar area. She specified that one had to be made with Absolut; but the vodka in the other didn't particularly matter. She was just a vodka snob and refused to drink any other type than her beloved Absolut. She wanted Olle to try the drink, to try its wonderful lingonberry flavor and take note of the gorgeous color gradient brought about by how the syrup mixed with the ginger beer and the vodka. As they waited for their drinks, she turned her attention to Olle. "I used to like parties, back when I was in university... Having Gunnar changed that." She admitted. "Now, I would rather spend my nights reading him his favorite Bamse stories until he falls asleep." With how often the toddler requested his Bamse books, it wouldn't be long until he had sight words from the books. It was sometimes wild to think about. Her son was growing up so fast, truly becoming a little human of his own.

[olletorres]

As they approached the bar, Olle leaned on it a bit, smiling and waving at the bartender. There were a few others there getting drinks, but the bartender was kind enough to come and take their orders fairly quickly. "Can I get another one of those blue drinks? I think it was called Adios!" He said, grinning. After Agnes had ordered what she wanted, Olle shook his head in response to her question. "Jag älskar fester!" He said, taking a deep breath and tilting his head back, as if to show her how much he liked soaking up the energy in the room. "It's just been so long since I've been to anything even a little bit like this. I mean, I don't think I've ever actually been to anything like this, but still."

"Tack." Agnes gave a soft nod at the compliment before allowing herself to once again be led in the direction of the bar. Hopefully it wouldn't be too busy once they got there. From the look of things, Olle could really use a drink right about now. "Så tell me... Are you having fun tonight, at least? Eller... Are you like me who hates parties and wants to be home in my bed right now?" Hopefully another drink in her system would fix that. She was trying to make the best of the evening; but it was a task much easier said than done.

[olletorres]

After a moment, Olle smiled, though he wasn't entirely sure he believed what she said. It was like a loose string in a sweater. Once it was pulled, it would just keep unraveling, and so his sweater was unraveling. Olle hadn't even realized the loose string was there. "You look really good, too," he said, pushing forward, pulling her along so they could keep walking again. Another drink could help, right? It would at least get his mind off of his own anxiety.

Agnes stopped dead in her tracks as she heard Olle's nervous rambles regarding his choice of attire for the evening. She turned to face him, pulling her hand away from his in order to place both hands on his shoulders as ocean hues looked up to meet dark eyes. "Lyssna på mig, Olle." She began, ensuring she had his full attention before finishing what she had to say. "You look incredible. Så jävla snygg. There are not many people who can look good in a jacket without a shirt; men, you are one of those people. You look fantastic."

She took his focus on how he looked as a chance to ignore his inquiry regarding whether or not everything was okay. She hoped he'd be too focused to realize she hadn't answered. She didn't want to answer. It wasn't such an easy question for her to answer as of late.

[olletorres]

Olle's cheeks turned red, and he shook his head, looking at Agnes almost bashfully. "I didn't forget it, I just didn't wear one," he said, shrugging. Then his smile faded a bit. "Does it look bad? I liked it, but I don't know. I just didn't have any dress shirts to go under it, at least none that fit, and I mean I know the jacket is a little big but I thought without a shirt that would look good and deliberate and stuff," he was rambling again, though this time almost nervously. He'd worn some out-there things back in high school, but not really since. A lot of what he'd worn in his adult life had been based on what Trevor preferred him to wear, and a jacket without a shirt definitely wouldn't have been on that list. Now Olle worried that maybe he should've stuck to something simple.

He caught her tone and her words, and he cocked his head to the side, looking at her with some concern. "Is everything okay?" He asked, gently squeezing her hand.

A buzz was good for Olle. Agnes could tell it led him to unwind. He seemed happy, calm. It was a good look for him. Though despite all that, the fleeting moment where his eyes went sad hadn't gone unnoticed by the brunette. She assumed it had something to do with his mention of Trevor. But as it wasn't her place to pry, she would let that topic drop. If it was something he ever wished to share about further, she'd listen. "Did you forget your shirt?" She opted to change the subject as she caught sight of Olle smoothing out his jacket vest with his free hand. When she'd first seen him at the gala only minutes prior, she'd noticed his lack of a shirt. Not many could pull off such a look; but he certainly made it work. And as long as he was comfortable in what he wore, that was all that mattered. "Eller... Did you want to help me prove to this town that Swedes are just the hottest och you forgot your shirt on purpose?" She teased before switching her tone to answer his inquiry about how she was doing. "Jag... I am surviving." She left it at that despite knowing her words opened the invite for further prompting.

[olletorres]

"Exactly!" Olle practically shouted it, always excited to talk about the benefits certain foods could have on one's skin. He could also talk for days about the effects those same foods had on other parts of the body, as well. All-natural remedies were his thing, after all. If he'd had the brains for medical school, he might have gone into a career where he could really help people with that knowledge. As it was, he used it at the spa he worked at, and it had made him popular enough.

Olle nodded, looking around again. He actually felt comfortable in the crowd, something he couldn't have said just a year ago. Odd, how things could change so quickly in one's life. "Trevor never would've wanted to come to this," he said, and for a moment he looked sad, but he perked up almost immediately again. "I love dressing up, though! And I've never had drinks like these, either," he said, one hand smoothing the front of his jacket, which he'd buttoned over absolutely nothing, the open v of his jacket revealing his bare chest. "Jag mår bra! And you?"

"Lingon have many of the same benefits for the skin as blueberries... I wrote a paper about them in högstadiet." Agnes shared, pausing momentarily to remember that particular paper she'd written. It had been so fascinating to learn about all the wonderful properties held by lingonberry, about how they contained quercetin which could aid in slowing down the aging process of one's skin as well as reduce the lasting effects of sun damage. They also possessed anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial properties, both of which could aid in treating skin conditions such as acne. They truly were such a wonderful little berry. And they tasted phenomenal—especially when paired with köttbullar and mashed potatoes.

While Agnes had never been one for physical touch, Olle was one of the few individuals she was fine with allowing to touch her. She felt his hand reach out for hers as he began leading the pair of them in the direction of the bar. Intertwining their fingers, she allowed herself to be led back in the direction of which she'd actually just come. She knew when they arrived at the bar, Jette was surely going to make some sort of comment about how she needed to venture out at the party instead of constantly come to annoy him.

On their way to the bar, the brunette figured she might as well offer up some small conversation. "Så... hur mår du? Are you enjoying the gala och all its fancy glory?"

[olletorres]

Olle loved seeing Agnes around town, and he had been so excited to see her here. Granted, he sort of missed Gunnar, but it wasn't like he expected to see the baby at this sort of place. Parties weren't for small children. Olle may not have been the brightest bulb, but he could at least recognize that much. Still, he leaned into Agnes a bit, their shoulders smushed together, and grinned happily when she spoke. She was one of the very few people he knew nowadays that spoke to him in a language that brought back memories he kept pushed so, so far back in his brain. The mix of Swedish and English reminded him so much of his mother, when she spoke to other people in the community he'd been raised in for a few of his earlier years. "Ja!" He said in response to whether or not he liked lingon, even if she'd already answered the question for him. "It's good for your skin, did you know? How do you think I keep looking so young?" He patted his own cheek and then smiled again, handing her his empty glass without thinking about what he was doing.

With one last glance at the poker table, he nodded and looked back at Agnes. "Kom så går vi," he said, starting towards where he knew the drinks were. As he moved, Olle took Agnes' hand lightly in his own to pull her along, always one to be touching whoever he was with without thinking anything of it.

Now that she had a few drinks in her system, being at Heather's gala didn't feel as torturous as it had when she first arrived. Yes, there was still part of Agnes that wanted to find any excuse to leave and go home; but there was now part of her that was looking for enjoyment in the evening's festivities.

Hearing a familiar voice, the brunette turned until ocean hues landed on the source of the voice: Olle. If she was being perfectly honest, she hadn't expected to see him here; but alas, here he was. Listening to his words and taking note of his buzzed nature, the older Swede couldn't help the soft chuckle that escaped her lips. "We need to get you a Dala horse. It is my specialty drink och the best cocktail you will ever have in your life... Now do not disappoint me with your response to this question. Do you like lingon?" If he didn't, she was going to have to shun him until he came to his senses. "Actually, why am I asking? Självklart you like lingon. Now let us get you that drink... Poker can wait." What was it with everyone mentioning the poker table? Agnes had zero interest in playing poker and had made that known to multiple people at the party thus far. However, her conversations somehow kept making their way back to that particular card game.