𝐝𝐫𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐘 𝐎 𝐔. "*°• 𝕭𝖗𝖎𝖆𝖓 𝕸𝖆𝖞 & 𝕼𝖚𝖊𝖊𝖓 •°*"

#11, Need Your Loving Tonight.

Monday, December 31st, the last day of 1973. Tomorrow we would all start with a new fresh year.

The time currently read 9:24 P.M. which meant I still had a little more than thirthy minutes left to get ready. Well, no, actually I only had fifteen minutes left because we still had to drive to the location. Fortunately it was nearby and Chris was already here too, that saved us some time. He was well-dressed in a suit while Delilah wore a pretty lilac purple glitter dress. The color really fit her dark skintone. I myself had opted for a burgundy red dress. It was a dainty picture to behold.

Around a quarter to ten, we drove away from home and at a little before ten we arrived at a large car park that was next to some kind of empty festival site. We followed the crowd to the entrance of the venue where a gracefully lighted archway stood, surrounded by gold and white balloons. There was also a giant neon sign which said Happy New Year. Finally on the grounds themselves, there were several large white tents that had been decorated with fairy lights, creating a cosy atmosphere. Also on display, were tables filled with snacks and other food. Somewhere further on was a bar indicated by more neon signs. Most guests were chatting with each other or hanging out at the bar for a first drink.

"You made it!" A figure appeared in the corner of my eye. I turned around and found Roger standing there, a pretty suit perfectly wrapped around his body and his arms were open for a welcoming hug. "Hey!" I smiled widely and gratefully accepted the hug. "You look absolutely stunning, Maria." He returned a smile and scanned my outfit from head to toes. "Awh thanks, so do you Rog." I meant that. He looked good in the grey checkered two-piece suit. "Thank you. Freddie helped me pick it out." He spun around so I could see the whole piece. "Speaking of Freddie, let's go find him." He then said and led me further down the property. Delilah and Chris had already gone elsewhere.

Somewhere between a bunch of people I had never seen before, was Fred. A cocktail in one hand, a cigarette in the other and a broad smile across his face. His eyes then finally fell on us. "My oh my! Hello darlings!" He excused himself and approached us. "Enjoying the party?" There wasn't much of a party going yet, it was more like some huge family reunion but I didn't want to dissappoint Freddie. "Of course! It's great. You know how to throw a party." That was true, if I had to appoint anyone as king of parties, it would be Frederick Mercury. Hah, he would probably get a crown with 'king of parties' on it. "Glad you're enjoying yourselves. Come on, let's go sit down somewhere." He signed for us to follow and we walked to one of the white tents. There were 3 sofas, in one of them was Deacy with his girlfriend, Veronica. On the second sofa was someone I totally forgot about when Roger asked me to come. Brian Harold May sat there, one leg resting on the other and a drink in his right hand. To my surprise, it was just him. No Loreen as his plus one. Did something happen between them?

Even though he was alone, it still hurt to see him. Roger instantly noticed the change of my mood and put a hand on my back. "We can sit elsewhere, if you prefer." He whispered, leaning close to my ear. I could see Brian squinting his eyes at us. "It's fine." I assured him and went to sit down on the third sofa. Roger and Freddie also sat down, Roger at my side and Fred on the empty spot near Brian. "It feels good to be back together, doesn't it?" Freddie tried to break the awkward silence. "Sure does.." Deaky said, although it sounded sarcastic. Without throwing any glances into Brian's direction, I just knew he was looking at me. I could feel his eyes burn on my skin. That was not a pleasant feeling. "I'm going to check out the rest of this place." Brian then said as he got up. Apparently I wasn't the only one who felt extremely uncomfortable. The boys mumbled a quick goodbye before the guitarist vanished into the crowd of guests.

With Brian gone, the mood lifted a little and we shared fun stories. At a certain point I got thirsty and got up. "I'm gonna go get some drinks, anybody want some?" I looked around the sort of semi-square of couches. "I'm good, hun." Fred said, lifting his half-full glass. "I'll have a tequilla sunrise." Roger raised a hand. "Make that two." Veronica added with a polite smile. "Two tequilla sunrise, got it. You don't want anything, Deaks?" I double-checked with the bassist but he shook his head. With the orders in mind, I went to find the bar I had seen earlier. To be honest, I was a bit lost but thankfully I soon located the bar's bright neon arrows.

Right as I wanted to walk towards the counter, I spotted a familiar tall figure with indispensable long curls. Great, of course he was here too. With a sickening tingling in my stomach, I continued my walk towards the bar. "Two tequila sunrise and a blue hawaii, please." I told the bartender and sat down on one of the high stools. Brian looked up next to me and I caught him hesitating whether or not to say anything. "I didn't know you were invited too..." he muttered without even glancing in my direction. "Roger asked if I wanted to come." I explained but immediately received a wry snort. "Of course he asked." Brian had obviously not forgotten what had happened at Freddie's that night. "Are you seriously still upset about that? You're the one who didn't even tell me you had a girlfriend. How about that? I genuinely liked you and you simply played with my feelings as if it was nothing." A sharp pain I hadn't felt for a while reappeared in my heart. All the fury and sorrow of the past few weeks returned at once. How could he be so heartless? "I know I should have told you earlier but ... Loreen didn't make me happy. At least not since I saw you again. I missed you, Maria. I really wanted to tell you too but I didn't get the chance... I didn't want you to find out like this. When I entered that room it was because I wanted to apologise...but then...you and Roger.... Why him?" His voice cracked and I could hear the obvious pain and betrayel. "What happened between us that night was nothing. We never got beyond that. Roger is just a really close friend now. And the things he said were true, I did ask for him to do that. I wanted him to teach me." I just needed him to understand. I was in a lot of pain that night and Roger had been there to comfort me. Roger understood me. "Listen, I cannot do this right now. Seeing you two together really hurts.." Those words were all he said before he got up and left. It was always same bloody story with this man, walk away but never face the truth.

***

The clock hit 11:45 P.M. and everyone was requested to gather at the end of the field, near the cliff. The grass slowly faded into stone there and at the edge there was a balcony-like barrier. My eyes swiftly went from person to person but there was no sight of the boys or Delilah and Chris. I was all on my own, pressed between strangers in fancy outfits. Everyone wanted to see the firework show so most people tried to get a spot in the front. As a result, I only kept moving back more and more, to where it was quieter. At least there was room to breathe. All of a sudden I felt a hand on my shoulder. I thought it might be Roger but when I turned around Brian was there, dressed in his striped suit. "I'm sorry," he admitted. "Brian, you had your chance-" "No, let me talk. Only listen. Please." he pleaded. For once he seemed to really mean it. His eyes were telling me he had something urgent to say. "All right then." I nodded and let him do his talking. "Thank you. So okay, I wasn't quite friendly and honest--I was a jerk. I admit that. But Maria, you... you turned my world upside down when you reappeared in my life. After you left Freddie's place, I broke up with Loreen. If you had opened my messages you would know that. I love you, Maria. More than anything."

Those words hit me like a lightning strike. What on earth was I supposed to say to that? He, Brian May, liked me too and had broken up with Loreen a long time ago. Why had I been such a fool and didn't I just open his apps?

"Ten! Nine! Eight!..." The sudden countdown interrupted our chat. I half turned to look at the big countdown clock. "Five... Four..." Then my gaze slid back to Brian. Our eyes stared profoundly into each other. A tiny smile appeared on his face and he slipped an arm around my waist, his palm on my back allowing him to pull me towards him.

"Three!"

Butterflies emerged in my stomach and my heart pounded in my throat.

"Two!"

My hands slithered to his chest and remained there. Now, I could feel his heart racing too.

"One!"

The distance between our faces narrowed until his lips were only half an inch from mine. His warm breath brushed my lips and I felt a heat rise up my neck and cheeks."Happy new year..." He whispered before leaning in to kiss me.