𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 | roger taylor

I

SEPTEMBER, 1972

The first thing I noticed about him were his eyes.

It seems unrealistic that they were the first thing I noticed, but it was true. His eyes were large like a deer's, round, and colored a startling blue that shined like two cut sapphires. He was the very definition of "doe-eyed." While his eyes sported an innocent vibe, the rest of him differed. He wore a floral-patterned button-up, loose and wide open, exposing his golden-tinted chest. His pants were tight leather that clung to his skinny legs. He had a cigarette poking out of his mouth, and a girl sitting on his lap. She was fondling with his long, blonde hair, running her fingers through it admiringly.

He looked badass from a distance, but it was his eyes that gave him away. They softened him. I hadn't noticed them before while the band was on stage. I could hardly see him it all, for he was hidden behind the drumset, and of course the crowd had closed my view by a ton.

"That's the drummer, Roger," my best friend, Josy Massey, murmured in my ear. She elbowed me in the side, grinning in my direction. "Can you imagine if you dated him? Then we'd both be dating members of Queen."

I sighed, dismissing her muses as I usually did. Josy's head was always up in the clouds. For some reason, she was convinced her and Freddie Mercury were in a committed relationship, when I was positive he had merely bought her one drink two nights ago. I don't think they even went home together, which was surprising. Yet, she couldn't take her mind off of the singer. She was probably already planning their wedding.

"It looks like he's taken, love," I pointed out, eyeing the girl on the drummer's lap. She was a stunningly gorgeous brunette, wearing a tight dress, her curves spilling out.

"But for how long? Besides, I doubt she's his girlfriend. More of a fling, maybe," she commented, observing the two with narrowed eyes.

"That makes it even better," I muttered sarcastically, but Josy couldn't hear my words over the noise of the bar. She searched for my wrist and grabbed it, yanking me towards where the band was seated, at a circular booth in one corner.

Josy walked ahead of me, still with an iron grip on my wrist. She shook out her long, red waves of hair, giving the table a wave. "Hi, Freddie," she said with a wide grin plastered across her face. I could tell the smile was genuine. She had been waiting for the moment to speak with him again for days.

Freddie's eyes landed on my friend, and he smiled. He was a beauty, with a strong jaw and tresses of voluminous black hair. "Darling! Come sit right here next to me, it's lovely to see you again."

Beaming, Josy squeezed in beside Freddie in the booth, pleased with herself. She glanced my way, waving me over. "Come here!"

The band shuffled to their left to make room for me, and I shyly sat at the end, hip to hip with Josy, directly across from the drummer and the brunette on his lap.

"This is my dearest friend, Thea," Josy introduced me with a flourish. "She comes with me to all your gigs. And she's single," she added. I dug my elbow into her ribs, cheeks flaring up.

The men chuckled at that, introducing themselves to me, even though I already knew all their names. They were a kind looking bunch. Freddie with his sparkly, tight outfit, Brian with his head of wild curls, John with his crinkly, soft smile, and Roger... Roger had a whole new charm of his own. When he told me his name, he had his head cocked curiously to the side, his eyes burrowing a hole in my head. Even as I turned away to whisper something to Josy, his stare didn't fade.

Josy, of course, was too preoccupied with Freddie to bother with me. She was laughing loudly at one of his jokes, toying with one of her red curls as an effort to appear flirtatious. The two were leaning towards each other, fascinated with one another. Good for her, I thought to myself. Maybe she hadn't blown this as out of proportion as I thought.