Hello Stranger- I'm a Disaster (Freddie Mercury love story)

56.)All This Time Honey

Veronica:

The doorbell wakes me up and I stretch my body from it's uncomfortable position on the hard floor. It's been ringing for at least a couple of minutes and for some reason no one has answered it yet. I peak over the side of the couch to find it empty. Cherie must've been too tight a fit on the couch and went up to her room sometimes between last night and now.

The other girls start to stir and Anita sits up and looks my way. "Should we get that?," she asks while rubbing her eyes and yawning.

"Someone please, make it stop," Rose mumbles into the pillow she's cuddling on the floor next to me.

I get to my feet and try my best to straighten out my now wrinkled clothes. "I'll get it," I respond as I walk towards the entry way and to the front door.

It feel odd to be answering the door at someone else's house, but being as it's so early, it must be something important. Just as I reach for the door, I see Freddie coming out of his room and down the steps. His hair is a mess of thick, knotty black hair and his eyes are only half way opened, I don't even think he realizes I'm at the door. I open it anyway and my eyes finally adjust to the morning light as I'm shocked into a stand still.

"Veronica! Honey! How are you?," She gushed and squeezed me into a hug, before I even get the chance to respond. At the sound of her voice, Freddie leapt over the last few steps of the staircase and pulled Mary outside with him, but not before turning to me first.

"Don't wake Cherie.," is all he says while pointing his long slender finger at me.

I really need to stop putting myself in the middle of the Mercurys' messes. I haven't seen or spoken to Mary in ages. I don't know that Freddie is still in contact with her. Why is he being so sly about it? It's none of my business.

Trotting back the way I came, I see the girls starting to clean up the wreckage from last night. I start to help them by piling all the cups together and taking them into the kitchen.

"Who was at the door?," Kash asks me as she places more dishes into the sink while I wash them. If anything Kash should've been the one to answer the door at her own brothers house, but she hadn't made a peep so maybe she was still asleep at the time.

My hands stop scrubbing for a second as I look at her and then over my shoulder to make sure no one else is in the room. I hate secrets!

"It was Mary," I hurriedly whisper to her. Her eyes widen with realization before she answers me.

"What does she want? That hag broke my brothers heart and now she's back here..for what?!," Kash raises her voice in anger and I shushed her and pointed toward the ceiling.

"Shhh, he said not to wake Cherie. She must still be in bed asleep.," I explained.

"Oh, noooo. No no no. My brother is not fouling things up again with Cherie. Especially not for Mary, of all people!," Kash has a defiant look in her eyes. I swear she looks just like Freddie when he's angry. "I'm going up to wake her," she concludes, but I reach a soapy hand to her arm to hold her back.

"Do you really think she needs this stress right now? I'm sure he's just trying to get Mary to go away," my words come out sounding rather persuasive and I think I've gotten through to her.

"Nonsense. Cherie deserves to know. I'm not even sure if she knows who Mary is at this point and-," I cover my hand over Kash's mouth when I see Cherie slowly descending the stairs into the kitchen. I'm sure she's had to have heard some of our conversation, but I'm praying really hard against it.

"Morning ladies!," Cherie boasts with a radiant smile on her face. Just great. Remind me to never spend the night here again.

"Morning, Cherie. Did you sleep well?," there's a nerves tickle in my throat and I hope my voice is normal sounding enough. I'm really no good at keeping secrets. Thankfully, for the moment Kash is silently holding her tongue and only smiles back at Cherie, while she sits at the kitchen table.