Unexpected Encounters [B.H.M.]

9

The next morning came too soon, unsurprisingly. When I woke up I needed a few moments to let my drowsy brain figure out where I was. Brian May's guest room. Rubbing my eyes I sat up before I tried to bring my hair into a more controlled state. There was no clock anywhere in the room so I had no idea what time it was, but it had to be at least nine or ten. And yet I was still tired, my nightly trip hadn't left me unaffected.

Yawning I got up, mentally thanking Brian for having carpet in the room and not hardwood floor because there wasn't much worse than a cold floor in the morning. I struggled to keep my balance as I put on my clothes from the night before again before I opened the window and quickly made the bed. Then I took a deep breath, having to calm myself down before I felt able to face Brian. Who knew what he would say, and after all that had happened I was hardly in the mood to be yelled at by a grumpy upset with himself rock star. Quite frankly I thought I deserved a medal for hat I had done for him last night. He could have been kidnapped or worse after all if I hadn't taken care of him.

I wouldn't let him treat me badly, that was something I wouldn't put up with. With that in mind, I opened the door and with firm steps I made my way out into the hallway and down the stairs. If I seemed confident he probably was less likely to treat me like crap. The thought of him was still intimidating though, despite everything.

The last few steps were creaking as I stepped on them, probably giving away to Brian that I was up now. If he was up. Who could be sure. The house was still very quiet. I made my way through the empty living room into the kitchen, where I could see a certain man, sitting hunched over on one of the chairs. I hadn't expected that. The clock he had hanging on the wall next to his fridge informed me that it was quarter to twelve. An acceptable time to be up. I looked back at Brian who still wasn't paying attention to the outside world. "Good morning," I greeted him quietly, making him flinch and look up.

He looked incredibly tired, and done with everything. And yet he still managed a small smile, one that seemed genuine. "Morning..."

I smiled a little, looking around. "How are you feeling?"

"Could be better," he admitted, his voice a little croaky. "I suppose that's my own fault," he added quietly, averting his eyes again.

What was I supposed to say to that? I didn't know.

"Uhm... so how are you? Did you get some sleep last night?" He asked quietly, clearing his throat.

I chuckled and shrugged. "Yeah... yeah eventually I did. It's a comfortable bed you have up there."

"Mh, that's good." He sighed softly and lifted his head again to look at me. "Frida, I'm really sorry about last night. I'm so embarrassed that you had to see me like that, that you had to drive through the city for hours just because I don't have my life under control at the moment."

I sat on the spare chair beside him and shrugged. "Well.. I can't say it's something I enjoy doing, but I wasn't going to just leave you out there, drunk, without anything on you in the middle of the night. Who knows what could have happened to you."

Brian shrugged and opened his mouth to say something but in the end he didn't. His hangover was probably quite bad so I didn't blame him for that.

"You know... you're okay now, that's what counts, so I should probably leave you alone, let you take care of that hangover in peace." I glanced at him, but added something before he could speak up. "By the way, did you find my note? I left that just in case you couldn't remember much of last night. You were... well, a little unwilling to let me go home so ... that's why I slept here. I wasn't trying to be weird or creepy or anything, I promise. I would have gone home if you had let me."