𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧' 𝐆𝐮𝐲 ➺ 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝑀𝒶𝓎 & 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃

(50) 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘺

A/N

Okay, babies, here it is: the finale!

Thank you for joining me for this wonderful journey of Peace Lovin' Guy, it's really the project I have been the most proud of out of anything I have ever done. I love you all!

C x

//

12th July 1973

"What do you mean by that?" I asked, slightly offended and it must have translated, as Roger hurried to swallow his beverage, shaking his head rapidly.

"No! No, I didn't mean that in any bad way or anything. He just tends to get too nervous in relationships, he's overly sensitive, so he thinks a lot about a lot. The girls he's been with before didn't like that, so they took off. It's a compliment, really it is."

"Well... I guess I'm also like that, so I understand when he's like that..."

"Exactly! That's why it's working out for you both so well." He grinned. "Everyone loves you two together, Brian hasn't been this happy or confident in a while."

It felt nice, coming from Roger. It was as if everyone else had validated my relationship with Brian apart from his best friend, so when he finally confirmed his approval, it made me calmer. I felt relaxed and relieved. It was okay, everything was going to be okay.

"Thank you, Roger..." I started, voice soft and thankful. "It means a lot to me." I nodded, pushing a smile through easier than before.

"I know it does. Oh, and, uh... Don't worry about me and Emma. I'll work it out."

Maria and Roger sat there in the quiet, both of them sipping on their hot drinks for a few minutes, each of them silently trying to find a new conversation starter. But they both knew deep down that there was one conversation that must be had, whether they liked it or not.

"We haven't talked about it," Roger said bluntly, breaking the comfortable silence. Maria knew what he meant, one-hundred-percent, but like any other socially awkward twenty-three-year-old young woman, she didn't want to admit it. "We need to talk about it, Maria."

"I know," she quickly replied, her gaze staying at her lap. "I know we need to talk about it. But there's not much to be said. It happened and there's nothing we can do about it."

"Is it really that simple, though?" Roger asked, setting his drink down and turning to her. "If it was anybody else, I wouldn't care and I would never speak of it again. But it's you, this time. I slept with the one person I promised I wouldn't ever touch, yet I still did it."

"I said there's nothing we can do, Roger," she said a bit more forcefully, looking directly at him this time. "We can't tell anyone what happened. This never comes up, do you understand?"

Roger was a bit taken back by the sudden demand in Maria's voice, but he knew she had a point and she was more than right. They'd made a terrible mistake and it could never be spoken of again for as long as they both could breathe.

"Trust me, I'm not planning on saying anything, sweetheart, but just so we're clear... You're not into me, are you?"

"Oh, for Christ's sake, Rog, absolutely not," Maria scoffed. "Never in a million years."

"Good. Because I wouldn't touch you with a ten-foot barge poll," Roger replied, a little offended at her choice of words. There was another bout of silence between them before he spoke up again. "Promise you won't say anything?"

"I promise."

//

Imperial College was quiet that day.