AUTHOR'S NOTE AND A WARNING TO READERS: A story of incest between brother and sister, set during Swedish midsummer. Check the tags and make sure that they do not bring you any discomfort before you proceed, though I consider this story to be rather 'vanilla'.
It is a work of fiction, and all of the characters in the story are above the age of eighteen.
All of my work - including this one - is copyrighted. © Devinter.
--- YOUR GIRLFRIEND LOOKS LIKE ME ---
Midsummer, falling on the 22nd of June, was an important holiday in most Swedish households - and Mrs Elvira Leijonstedt, organized and pedantic as she was, needed no persuasion to prepare for the occasion. Her way of getting things done was simple enough; nag at her husband Charles until he gave in and did what she instructed him to do. Decorations were far simpler than both during Christmas and Easter, consisting mostly of paper garlands in yellow and blue hanging from the ceiling, a green wreath decorated with synthetic lingonberries on the front door, and a miniature midsummer's pole in the window overlooking the garden. A pristine tablecloth adorned with lace covered the kitchen table. More importantly to Elvira, the house was meticulously cleaned and dusted, carpets both vacuum cleaned and handwashed with a smidgen of vinegar, the old cedarwood furniture in the lounge polished up, and every picture frame on the walls carefully measured - with a yardstick - to hang perfectly straight.
"A little to the left," she instructed Charles as he hung an ornament consisting of a bunch of miniature Swedish flags on a string above their mantelpiece, and she sucked on her teeth and let out a hum of satisfaction as her husband got it just right. Cecilia, her daughter, rolled her eyes. "Thank you, sweetheart." She checked her wristwatch again, stressed out even though the celebrations wasn't until the following day. Though it was already starting to get dark outside. "Are you certain you prepared the herring correctly?"
"Yes dear." Charles sounded tired, and he patted the top of his head to straighten out what little he had left of his once majestic hair. "I followed your sister's recipe to the letter."
Pleased, Elvira clasped her hands together with a gesture reminding her husband of a satisfied owner of a prized pet that did not disappoint, then bustled off to find something else for Charles to do.
Midsummer was certainly a family ordeal. That meant her sister, Aunty Krissy, would be there - though not Elvira's parents as they were getting too old. Her two children, Cecilia who still lived at home and would start her university studies in the fall, and Fredrik - two years older, studying engineering down in Lund but making the trip up to Uppsala for the festivities - would also be present, as well as some of the neighbouring families on the street. Fredrik's girlfriend, Greta, would be coming over as well - and it was about darn time, according to Elvira, as Fredrik and her had been dating for months and they still had not had a chance to meet the young lass, or even see a picture of her. She complained about that every chance she got; mostly to Charles, whom had no power whatsoever to do anything about it.
"We just passed the old pet store! We'll be there in five minutes!" said the text on Mrs. Leijonstedt's phone. A smile spread across her painted lips, and she shared the news in the only way Elvira knew how; by yelling it loudly with her shrill voice so that everyone in the house heard it. Cecilia looked as her father, finally free of his wife's clutches for a moment, took a deep breath and collected himself. The poor man looked like he could sleep for 24 hours straight.
Elvira returned to the lounge. "My darlings! Did you hear me?" she cried to Charles and Cecilia. "Fredrik and his girlfriend will be here in five minutes! Let's share a drink in the kitchen before heading to bed, hmm?" The train ride from Lund to Uppsala was over five hours long, and quite expensive, though that was still far quicker and cheaper than traveling by air. Charles grunted as he made his way to the kitchen, but didn't put up a fight, and Cecilia was excited to be seeing her older brother again - they were very close compared to most siblings, and the last time Fredrik had been home the world outside the windows had still been painted in snow. It had been far too long. She was also highly curious about Greta. It was the first time that her brother had been in a serious relationship, and she wondered what kind of woman could attract Fredrik Leijonstedt's interest. Any attempt at social media stalking had been fruitless as the man stayed away from any form of digital life.
The family gathered in the kitchen, and Elvira brought out a tin full of store bought cookies. Cecilia's eyes went wide as the container opened and there was actual cookies inside, instead of the sewing supplies most people kept in their cookie tins. She was browsing the internet from her phone. Since the schoolyear was over, she felt rather lonely - even in the company of her parents - but she had never been particularly good at making friends, and the summer ahead before she'd begin her studies at Uppsala university would likely be a very solitary affair.
"Bit late for coffee, huh?" Mrs. Leijonstedt hummed, mostly to herself. "You want club soda? Or else we have pineapple juice.." She moved stuff around inside of the fridge, seeing what else might be hidden within its depths. "Oh! We have Ribena."
"Just water is fine, mom," Cecilia said in her disinterested voice. Mrs. Leijonstedt got the LaCroix out of the refrigerator. Black Razzberry - the only flavour allowed in their classic Swedish home built out of vertical wooden planks and white-painted corners, as was ever so common in the region. Then they waited, in silence, whilst Charles drummed with his fingertips on the kitchen counter and Cecilia read the text on the back of a cereal box after putting her phone away, just to have something to do. Elvira, on the other hand, held onto her own phone in front of her chest like a magic talisman; glancing at the clock as if willing the minutes to tick by faster, and constantly checking if she'd gotten another text, even though she would have clearly heard it if that had been the case.
Then, a taxi outside, and a knock on the door! "That must be them!" Elvira beamed - and she practically bounced over to the door to greet the visitors. A tall young man walked into the hall with a rather serious expression on his handsome face; dark blonde hair brushed back neatly, a white dress shirt that was properly ironed donned his upper body, and the suit pants had visible pleated creases. There was absolutely no mistaking Fredrik Leijonstedt, 'The Lion of Uppsala' as his friends had titled him - mostly in jest - due to his regal appearance. He had always had a taste for proper dress, and Cecilia smiled as she noticed the tie she got him for his 20th birthday around his neck.
"Come in, come in!" Elvira sang, and after Fredrik had helped his girlfriend with her suitcase, and moving his own indoors, the two of them walked hand in hand into the kitchen where he introduced Greta to his family. That's when things got awkward.
