She Makes Me - A Brian May Fan Fiction

Chapter 17: Say It

[Warning: Potentially triggering and (mildly) mature and angsty content ahead!]

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[Simone]

The journey back to Barnes was perhaps the quietest I had ever experienced. We divided ourselves into three separate taxis: Freddie and Ave accompanied me and Brian, while Roger and Cheryl rode in another, and Deacy and Stella took a third, bound for Chelsea. Seated between Freddie and Brian, they both made gentle attempts to console me.

"Ave, are you alright?" I inquired.

"Don't think about me much, love," she responded from the passenger seat. "I'm sorry that he did that to you."

Upon our arrival, Freddie had kindly assisted me in moving my trunk from Roger's room to Brian's flat, just a few floors away. Despite Brian struggling a bit to walk, Freddie's support helped him find his key and settle on the settee as soon as we arrived.

"Will you be alright?" Freddie asked, handing me the bag of clothes from Biba and placing my trunk in Brian's room.

"I think I just need a bit of time, Freddie," I replied, planting a sloppy kiss on his cheek. "Thank you, dear. Love you." He returned the gesture with a kiss on my forehead before heading out. 

I leaned against the front door, observing Brian who sat on the settee with his arms draped over the back cushion, legs spread wide apart. He seemed too exhausted to even lift his head. "Come here, love."

"You still hanging in there?" I chuckled, settling beside him on the settee and pretending I was alright.

"Mhmm. Would a cuppa make things a little better?" Brian asked, his eyes struggling to stay open.

"It always does."

He immediately rose to his feet, making his way to the kitchen and rummaging through the cupboards. I watched, feeling too fatigued to assist. He began boiling water and settled at the dining area to wait. At that point, I struggled to keep my eyes open, battling against sleep.

It wasn't until Brian gently roused me with two cups of tea in his hands that I realized I had dozed off for a while.

"Thank you, Bri," I smiled at him, taking one of the cups from his hands.

"I'm really sorry this happened," he said with empathetic eyes. "Do you want to talk about it?"

I shrugged, scooting closer and resting my head on his chest. He enveloped me in his embrace, gently stroking my shoulder. I really am not the type to dwell on negative emotions for too long. I like to talk about things for a while but I would need something to make me laugh at one point. It's like I will cry about it for a second and carry on with my life. 

We remained in silence for some time, sipping our tea. 

"I don't know what's wrong with me," I mumbled.

"There's nothing wrong with you, love," he assured me, planting a kiss on my head. "Don't blame yourself for what he did."

"Ave was able to protect herself. She even tried to protect me."

"And how does that make you feel?" he asked softly.

"Weak."

He leaned to set his cup on the coffee table before returning to embrace me more fully. "It doesn't make you weak, Simone."

I fell silent, absorbing his words. It did make me feel weak, being unable to stand up for myself despite this recurring with the same lad.

"Would you ever hit a woman you're dating?"