IMAGINE: Nikolaj and You Falling In Love

     You’re cleaning up a table in the pub where you work in the small village of Tybjerg when you spot a familiar face walk into the restaurant. You nearly drop the glass you're holding. "Nikolaj!" You shout, before quickly dropping everything back on the table. You run to him and throw your arms around your childhood best friend and crush, who hugs you back. “Oh, Y/N, it's so good to see you." He breathes into your hair. You pull back to look at him, your heart thundering. "What-what are you doing here? You haven't been back in years." Nikolaj keeps his arms around you. "I had some time off of work and I really missed Tyberg." “Just Tybjerg?" You raise an eyebrow curiously. He laughs and pulls you back into his arms. "And of course its people." Nikolaj and you have been best friends for as long as you can remember. When Nikolaj's acting career took off, he left Denmark to fully pursue the art of acting, leaving you behind to manage your parents' pub. You were devastated and heartbroken. You have rarely seen him since he left, though you still have maintained contact with him. “Everyone is going to be so excited to see you." You beam up at him. An idea strikes you. "Hey, how long are you staying for?" “About three weeks." "What if-what if tomorrow night I hold a ‘Welcome Home’ party for you here at the pub?" You suggest. "There's a few new faces in town and, believe me, they have heard of the famous Nikolaj Coster-Waldau." You add with a smile. “That sounds like a perfect idea, Y/N. What can I help with?" "Oh, no, no, nothing. You don't have to help. I couldn't ask you to do that." You wave your hand in the air. Nikolaj catches your hand, his eyes twinkling. "Y/N, you didn't ask. I offered." He say softly. "Please, let me help." He squeezes your hand. You relent and smile. "Okay." ———      The next day, you close the pub a little early to set up for Nikolaj's party. Nikolaj watches you as you dry some mugs and put them in a cabinet. “Why do you keep staring at me?" You ask, not looking at him as you reach for a stack of plates. “Y/N, is this really what you want to do?" You look up at him, your eyebrows furrowing. "What do you mean?" “I mean, I pursued acting—I pursued my dream. Working here...managing your parents' pub...is this what your dream is?" “I admit that when we were younger, I didn't want to be a pub manager. But that's just how things turned out. Was it my dream to work in this pub? No, but I ended up love it. I love what I do. I love it because I love this place with it's creaky floors and peeling paint. I love it because I love every single one of my customers. Nearly every person that works through that door is my family, of a sorts. We're all close here. This village is one big family. And after you left, that's really all I needed." You say the last sentence softly. Nikolaj flinches. "I'm sorry, Y/N, for leaving you." He whispers remorsefully. “You didn't leave me. I chose to stay." You smile sadly. His eyebrows furrow deeply. He starts to open his mouth to say something when the door opens, announcing the first party guest. "Frederik!" You exclaim, grinning at him, as you hurry over to hug him, Nikolaj watching you, the same sad look on his face. ———       After the party runs past ‪12 A.M.‬ and cleanup, which Nikolaj insisted he help you with, lasts past ‪2 A.M.‬, you're finally ready to leave the pub. You put on your coat and scarf, pulling the keys out of your pocket. “Can I walk you home, Y/N?" Nikolaj offers. “Oh, no, that's not necessary." You tell him as you both step out of the pub. You lock the doors. “Please. It'd be my pleasure after everything you've done for me today." He says, offering his arm. You slowly smile and take his arm, feeling a little weak-kneed. You both walk close together in the snow. While you thought your crush on Nikolaj had subsided since he left, seeing him again brings back a whole bunch of feelings again. Talking to him, hearing him laugh, watching him smile, holding his arm...You sigh dreamily. You've missed him so much. You glance up at him out of the corners of your eyes. While you've had a crush on Nikolaj since you were a teenager, you've never known if he returned your feelings, and if he did, still returns them. You bite your lip and look away from him. “This place is so peaceful." Nikolaj whispers. “Isn't it?" You smile. “I think I was a little crazy to leave." You laugh. "You were young. You wanted to see the world. You wanted to have adventures of your own. I don't blame you." “Yeah, but I didn't realize at the time that we were already having adventures together, weren't we?" He asks, looking at you. “Some adventures you have to experience by yourself." “I guess so." He sighs, looking unsure. You stop him in the snow. "Hey." You breathe, wrapping your arms around him and looking up at him. "I'm okay, okay? I'm not mad at you for going and pursuing your dream. I'm so happy for you, Nikolaj. Really I am. You didn't come to Tybjerg to be sad. You come to Tybjerg to reminisce on all of your happy memories and that's what you need to do. No more pouting, no more regretful thoughts, okay?" He smiles at you and kisses your forehead, before pulling you into his arms. You rest your head against his chest and close your eyes. “Thanks, Y/N." He whispers. You can hear how fast his heart is beating. It nearly matches the same pace as yours. ———      Nikolaj and you spend most of his three week vacation together. Whether he's helping you out at the pub or your mom is covering your shift, you spend every minute with him that you can. You find that your crush on him has intensified. You now believe you're falling in love with him. As much as you try to stop your feelings or withdraw from him because you know he's going to leave Tybjerg yet again, you can't. It's like he's a magnet and you're pulled to him in every way. On the night before his departure from Tybjerg, you make dinner for him at your house. As much as you've tried to enjoy this night, it's difficult knowing that he won't be here this time tomorrow night. “Do you know when you'll be back in Tybjerg?" You ask as you both sit on the couch. “I-I hope sooner rather than late." “Me too." You whisper, looking down. “It's just-it's just hard to gauge with my work schedule. It's so random that it's hard to say." “It's okay. I understand." You nod. The clock on your mantel strikes ‪11:30 P.M.‬ “I-I should probably get going. My flight is at 5 tomorrow morning." He says, but making no move to get up. You feel the sting of tears in your eyes and try to blink them away before Nikolaj sees them. “Y/N, please don't cry. We'll see each other again soon." He says. You sniff. "I know, I know." You whisper. “Come here." He whispers, pulling you into his arms. He holds you tightly for a few minutes before he pulls back. "I need to go." He whispers. You nod and stand up. You walk Nikolaj to the door, holding onto his hand. This is why you didn't want to get close to him again—you feel your heart breaking in two once again. He hugs you once more. “I'll see you soon, Y/N. Thank you so much for everything." He says. "You're welcome. Come visit us again soon." You whisper. You open the door to see it's snowing outside. Nikolaj gives you a smile and then walks out into the snow, and you shut the door behind him.       You rest your head against the door, silently crying. You're so angry at yourself. You let yourself fall him even though you knew he was leaving. "What's wrong with you?" You ask yourself, pounding your head against the door. It's as if pounding your head on the door has knocked some sense into your brain because you straighten, wiping the tears from your eyes. “What am I doing? Am I going to let that man walk out of my sight without telling him how I feel?" You challenge yourself. Before you can even think about what’re you’re going to do, you rip the door open and walk out into the snow. You can see Nikolaj's retreating back through the darkness. “Nikolaj! Nikolaj!" You scream at him. He stops and turns around. "Yeah, Y/N?" He asks loudly. You swallow. "I love you!" You shout. He walks a few feet closer to you and then starts running to you. He's there in a matter of seconds, cupping your face and kissing you passionately. At first you're so taken by surprise that you're just frozen in place, staring at him with wide eyes. Then you sigh, closing your eyes, and wrapping your arms around his neck, kissing him back.      "I love you too." Nikolaj whispers once he finally pulls back. “I gathered." You giggle, glowing up at him. “I've always thought fondly of you, Y/N. I used to have the biggest crush on you. Once I left, it kind of died down, but you were always on my mind." He whispers, brushing the hair back from your face. "Being here....being here in Tybjerg with you...well, it made me realize a few things like how much I love you and I never want to be parted from you again." Your eyebrows draw. "What are you saying?" “I want Tybjerg to be my permanent home when I'm not acting or when I'm on break." “Oh, Nikolaj!" You exclaim, throwing your arms around him and hugging him tightly. He laughs. "You're happy?" “Happy? That's an understatement!" You laugh. He chuckles before kissing you deeply. [THE END] I hope you liked it!