Feelings Long Buried - Roger Taylor

September 1979

Three days later and Y/N didn't leave her flat once. She knew being totally unresponsive to the guys wasn't exactly mature, but she was dwelling on her rather loud and emotional conversation with Roger. How could she not? Normal life seemed to be ripped apart with just one conversation. As she sat on her couch, knees tucked under her chin, she tried to focus on the tea in her hand, the Bee Gees record playing, anything besides the fact that Roger hadn't reached out in the past three days. She hadn't reached out either but...

An exhausted sigh pass through her lips while her fingers passed through her hair. Why'd I have to say anything? Why couldn't I just get over him?

A sharp ringing pulled her from her regretful thoughts, and she untucked her legs to get the phone. Her stomach twisted at the possibility that it could be Roger. The worry was enough to make Y/N pause when her fingers touched the phone. Two more rings were what it took for her to answer.

"Hel-" Y/N started with a raspy voice, but a far more vibrant one interrupted her.

"So you are alive! Where have you been? We miss you!" Freddie whined through the receiver before she even finished her greeting.

Y/N cleared her throat to throw off any suspicion that she'd spent the past three days sobbing. "Hey, Fred... Sorry, it's just after your party, I..." Would rather walk on broken glass than face Rog right now? "I needed some time to clear my head. I'm sure you guys can record for a few days without me."

"We can barely function without you, you know that, darling," Freddie joked, and Y/N was actually able to muster a smile. She gnawed on her lip while contemplating a response. Above all else, she wanted to know how Roger was, but she wasn't sure if she should ask. As far as she knew, Roger hadn't mentioned their discussion the night of the party to the rest of the band. As far as she knew, he was still happily engaged.

"How have you all been the past few days?" Y/N said light-heartedly, casually even, and paused. "How's Rog?" she asked before stopping herself.

Freddie's hesitation on the other line only made her anxiety worse. "He's alright, same old Rog," Freddie replied simply, though there was a slough of different emotions lurking underneath the statement. Angie's face contorted in confusion. Same old Rog? After getting engaged, shouldn't that not be the case? "How are you?" Fred's question reigned her in before she got too caught up in her thoughts.

"Me? Oh, uh..." her voice drifted off. "I'm okay. As okay as I can be, at least," Y/N sighed, running a hand over her face, and leaning against the wall. "I have closure now at least. I'm not clinging to an open end anymore."

She heard Freddie sigh on the other line. "Are you home right now?"

"Oh, I'm not really in the mood to see people right now, Fred," Y/N said sadly. "But thanks."

"I'm not sure you have much of a choice," he added, and Y/N's eyes dragged open in confusion.

"What do you mea-" she started to ask but was greeted by a dial tone on the other end. Blinking a few times, she hung the phone back on the wall. "What the hell was that?" she asked to her empty flat.

The strange ending to the phone call was still settling over her as she walked back to her spot on the couch. What was that about? She wouldn't have a choice? Her best guess was that the guys were going to surprise her with booze and take away, consoling her as well as they could after news of Roger's engagement, but it still seemed suspicious.

Before she could sit down, a determined knock sounded at her door. They got here quick... she thought. Y/N didn't even bother looking in the peephole but after she swung the door open, she wished she had.