Why would I forget ? | Roger Taylor

10- Lying

21st July 1972

An- this chapter follows on from chapter 7

I sat on the sofa by myself with a cigarette in one hand and a half empty bottle of wine in the other.
Sitting on my own I was constantly distracted by my thoughts- and naturally Roger was my main fixation. The kiss we'd shared only two nights ago seemed to play on repeat in my mind. It was almost impossible to think about anything other than that fucking drummer.

I stretched our dramatically and yawned, glancing at my watch as I did. Reading the small clock strapped onto my wrist I realised it was only around six o'clock, meaning I still had an entire night of thinking to do. I sighed loudly to myself, filling the apartment with something over than the crackly sound coming from the tv.

Suddenly my attention was pinched from my thoughts as I heard the door swing open. I jumped up off the couch and put my cigarette out in the ash tray before three familiar figures contently walked through the door to my flat.

"I wish I never gave you that fucking key." I laughed, relived that some stranger hadn't just waltzed through the door. John and Brian looked at one another and smiled excitedly as Freddie danced over towards me and stole the bottle of wine from my hands. I rolled my eyes and in response as Freddie just smiled proudly.

"What's got you three all giggly and excited then ?" I questioned, watching as Freddie and Brian sat down on the couch. Deaky sat on the small stool by the window, but he was still close enough to exchange small giggles and suspicious looks with Brian. Even though the two of them hadn't been to my place in what felt like decades, they still had no trouble making themselves at home.

"Tell me he's lying." Freddie stated.

"Who ? What's going on guys ?"

"Roger."

I paused momentarily. If the three of them were all here in my flat asking me wether Roger was lying or not, I knew exactly what was about to come next.

"Lying about what exactly Freddie ?" I could feel myself blush at the thoughts of Roger and what had happened a couple of nights ago. Brian looked up at me and smiled, still acting like my older brother. John had his face resting in the palm of his hand, intrigued my the story I was preparing in my mind.

"You two kissing on Brian's birthday. You should of seen him at rehearsals talking about you." I shone a shade of bright red as Freddie continued to describe the drummers reaction. I was shocked, not because I'd told Roger not to tell them, but because by the sounds of things he didn't think it was a mistake.

"I mean yeah we did-" I stuttered a little. I didn't bother to mention the taxi ride home. Roger was either too drunk to remember or had decided the subject of him calling me the hottest girl from the pub was best to leave behind.

"See I told you he wasn't lying Fred !" John cried excitedly. Brian shook his head and laughed.

"You fucking hate each other though !" Freddie looked at me, worried about what me and Roger had done.

"Yeah. We do. That's the thing. I mean he was drunk and I was a little tipsy." I shrugged and agreed with Freddie. I didn't know what exactly went through Roger's mind to think kissing me was the right thing to do but something did.

"Well what does this even mean then ?" Brian asked, him and John both sat leaning forward waiting for an answer. I looked down and scratched the back of my neck awkwardly. I didn't know what anything meant, let alone what kissing Roger meant.

"Give her a break she's already tipsy." Freddie lifted up the bottle in his hand and Brian sighed.

"You're ok though aren't you Tee ?" Brian asked quietly. I immediately shot my eyes up and met his, being almost guilt tripped into telling the truth by his gentle stare. I took a brief moment and just nodded, chuckling a little in a desperate attempt to fully convince the guitarist I was alright. In reality I had so many different thoughts racing around my head that the only way I knew how to deal with it was of course drink.

-

Shortly after I'd confessed to kissing the drummer, the three other band mates left me alone with my thoughts again. Freddie however had left happily with my almost empty bottle of wine, leaving me with nothing over than tap water to drink.

I sat up on the sofa, listening to the quiet crackly music coming from some band playing on the tv. I nervously bit at my nails and tapped my foot. I was almost itching to hear from Roger. My mind was over flowing with questions and I felt desperate for some half decent answer.

Suddenly the phone rang loudly, causing me to jump a little. I chuckled at how easily scared I was and peeled myself up from the couch and towards the kitchen where the phone was hung on the wall.

"Hello ?" I answered, waiting to hear whose voice was at the opposite end of the receiver.

"Peps have you seen Freddie yet ?" Roger asked. He didn't bother saying hello to asking me how my day was going, but that was Roger.

"Him, John and Brian have just popped round." I heard the blonde sigh loudly and chuckle the smallest bit. I knew that this was another one of those situation where Roger hadn't though before he'd spoken.

"Oh right... yeahhh. Do you want me to explain or ?"

"I mean, a little bit of context wouldn't exactly go missed Rog." I replied sarcastically.

"We were at rehearsals and I couldn't stop thinking about you really. And then I kept coming in late and hitting the wrong fucking thing and then Fred asked me what was wrong. And I told them. It's you Peps, you're the terrible plague controlling my mind I'm afraid." Everything Roger said filled me with a million different feelings. I still hated him, yet hearing his soft, raspy voice tell me all about how I was stuck on his mind felt different- a kind of different I hadn't felt in far too long.

"Me ? I thought you hated me Roger."

"Only a tiny bit Peps."

An- thank you for reading :)