𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 | roger taylor

XVII

 "I'll be there as soon as I can, alright? I promise." Cradling the shop's phone to my ear, I kept my voice low as I spoke to my best friend on the other end. Accepting personal calls was technically against the rules, but if I was quiet enough my boss wouldn't notice. Mrs. Ramsey was always holed up in her office anyways, so I doubt she knew anything of what went on outside.

"Okay. Thank you, love," Josy murmured in reply, her response quiet. "I'll see you then."

I hung up the phone with a small sigh through my nose, getting back to the paper work I'd been doing at the front desk where I was currently stationed. Business had been quite slow today. It was nearly noon and we'd only gotten about three customers. Granted, it wasn't ever particularly busy at Ramsey's, but this was slower than usual.

"Taking personal calls again?"

The curly head of my co-worker appeared in front of me, leaning up against the desk. Ever since our encounter at Freddie's, we'd become fast friends, putting the little incident with Roger behind us. We were able to laugh about it now, looking back on how ridiculous that'd been.

I scowled playfully at him, shaking my head once. "It was important," I said breezily.

"Whoever it was, you've been calling them an awful lot," Stephen teased, flashing me a one sided smirk.

"Only twice, and don't you have a job to do?"

With a final lingering laugh, he flitted away back to the stock rooms, leaving me in peace.

He was right. I had been making calls to Josy recently, but it was only because I worried about her. Freddie had broken it off with her the day after Christmas, as he promised, and ever since then she'd been cycling through her personal stages of grief. I'd dealt with them plenty of times in the past, so I knew how to take care of her when she was going through it. The first stage Josy went through was the crying stage. Lots and lots of tears, puffy eyes, tissues decorating the floor. Next, her tears would dry, and she'd start to eat. Luckily, she was so tiny that none of it stuck. I watched for days as she ate and ate and ate, like a bottomless pit. After that stage was over, the depressive stage hit, which was the one she was currently in, and why I had to monitor her closely right now. Josy would mostly lie in bed and sleep all day, and all I could do was call to check in, and be there with her whenever possible. This would pass soon enough, and she'd get through this. She was strong.

New Year's Eve was tomorrow, and I was going to try to get Josy to go out with me at least, but I doubt she'd come. I just wanted her to feel like herself again. Freddie, of course, had invited me and the rest to their gig that night, and then an after party at the same venue that he said would be "a night to remember." I was getting quite sick of the long nights, the loud music, the party goers colliding into me at all angles. It was the same, tiring scene every time, and the hangover that it left me with just didn't seem worth it all.

Suddenly, an idea slid into my head. I hadn't know Stephen for very long, and I didn't even know him well, but the idea of him was exciting. It lit a small spark inside my chest- the possibilities with him enticed me, romantic and other. I didn't know why, but being with Stephen seemed... safe. No chances of being hurt, a happy ending. Maybe I was jumping to crazy conclusions, but I might as well invite him to the party, just to see if this could go anywhere. I'm sure Freddie would be delighted to see me with a man of any sort.

"Hey, Stephen!"

There was a slight commotion in the stock room, and then his stuck his head out, dark brows raised. "Yeah?"

"What are you doing tomorrow night?"

Curiosity uncoiled his features, and the lanky man closed the distance between us, now facing me from where I sat. "Nothing yet. Why?"