speechless | roger taylor

two

"What if they don't like me? I'm not all that likeable, you know," Elise asked nervously, stumbling over her words. She was sat in the passenger seat of John's car, her knee bouncing up and down anxiously as they neared closer to the pub. 

Veronica had chosen not to go with the two of them, claiming that she'd had a long day and wasn't feeling too up to it. John kissed her forehead and made sure she had everything she needed before he left, bundling her up with blankets and a mug of hot tea. 

"Elle," John chuckled, using the nickname he had come up with a few years back, "you'll be fine. Trust me."

It was if all of her worries went away as she looked at the young man beside her. He had a smile on his face wider than she'd ever seen before, almost as wide as it was when he had told her that Veronica said yes to his proposal, and when he and Veronica were standing at the altar together. Elise could tell that he was happy for her to meet his other friends, and that made her as happy as ever. 

"They're going to love you," he told her. "You're like the snarkier version of me. You'll fit right in, okay?"

Elise nodded. "I promise that I won't embarrass you, even though I've got so many memories I could share..." she trailed off, "might be a good idea to keep the alcohol away from me."

John and Elise became friends in the year two when Elise's family moved in across the street. They were the only children living on the block that year, leaving them to be the only ones each other could play with. 

John had shown her around the school, her hand in his as they skipped through the hallways, pointing and laughing at how stuck up some of the older kids looked in the class photos that decorated the walls. They'd been inseparable since, spending almost every day of the week together.

When John had told Elise about his plans to marry Veronica, she'd been just as ecstatic as he was. She and Veronica were rather good friends, as she had been the one introducing the two to each other a few years back. The two of them met while she was in college, in an extracurricular art class. Elise was glad that she was able to introduce the two of them because only one other person could make him as happy as Veronica, was herself. 

"As long as you don't say anything too embarrassing, I think you'll be fine," John laughed, pulling into the car park of the pub. "We're here."

Elise's heart began to race. She fiddled with the small, silver band around her wrist and sighed, looking out of the window at the large building. "Do I look okay?"

"You look as beautiful as you always do," he said. "Wait, look here a second?"

Elise turned her head to face John, her hands running along the skirt of her dress. He pushed a small strand of her honey brown hair behind her ear that had fallen from one of her pins and she smiled brightly, a gleam in her eye.

"Shall we?" she asked him, suddenly gaining a bit of confidence, as she was excited.

John nodded and the both of them made their way out of his car, meeting at the hood. He held out his arm for her and she linked hers with it, not having stopped smiling since she had got out of his car. 

"I'll walk you in, yeah? Then I've to go backstage and get ready, but we won't be too long getting ready. We'll be out in a few, okay?" John explained, almost tripping over his words a few times as he led her into the pub. 

The smell of beer and cigarette smoke immediately hit Elise, causing her to stumble for a moment. "That's bloody strong," she told him, laughing slightly. 

"You get used to it, sometimes," he laughed back. "Have you got everything you need? Money? Smokes?" 

Elise turned to her best friend, removing her arm from his. She placed her hands on his shoulders, trying to calm the overexcited man. "I'm okay. I've got everything, see?" she laughed, holding up her small purse for him to see.