Through Chrissie's eyes

After Dinner

The pizza finally arrived and everyone attacked it, including the boys, which proved that Roger was right to claim that his companions were also hungry.

Stopping to eat made us stop talking for a moment, which made me lose track of how many moments of silence we had that night. It was totally unprofessional, but I noticed Brian just picked up the cheese-covered slices, leaving the Calabrian aside.

I was tempted to ask why, but I held on, it would be another silly question to ask. Maybe he was allergic, but if he was, he would have talked and asked for another taste of pizza. I realized that I was already making a lot of case about a slice of pizza. I let it go, and I also tried to hold my curiosity about the reasons for Brian's choice.

That's when I thought of something else about him. He was going to tell me about his guitar, the one I had found so beautiful, both in appearance and sound.

I gathered my courage and turned to him.

"If you don't mind, Brian," I said, "you were going to tell me about your guitar. Where did you buy it?"

"I didn't buy it," he answered me in a mixture of modesty and shame. "When I was younger, my parents could not afford an electric guitar so my father and I had the idea of making one."

"Are you kidding me?" I exclaimed a little louder, impressed "your guitar was made at home? But it's so perfect ..."

"Chrissie, if you keep stuffing the boys with compliments, they'll think you're doing it out of interest," Jo warned me.

I really had praised Smile too much that night, not for interest, or for being false, or whatever else they thought, but I did it only because I thought they really deserved it. And, in a way, they had things in common with me, which could make us friends. Besides, it had become obvious that Brian and I had the personality in common.

"I don1t care, you can compliment me as much as you want," Roger dared to wink at me.

"Hey! I said she's praising the three of you" Jo patted him on the arm, which even after the scolding, still he got a kiss from his girlfriend.

"Can you get each other apart at least to eat?" Tim complained, and I agreed with him.

"No!" Said Jo and Roger, who kissed again.

"It's difficult to deal with it ..." I let myself slip away.

I noticed Brian smiling discreetly, as if agreeing to what I had said.

We left the couple happy and sticky, and the three of us finished eating. Tim took his share of the money to pay the bill, he took Roger's part, before he passed through Brian, I offered ten pounds, but the guitarist stopped me.

"You don't need yo Chrissie," he said, "you're our guests."

"Oh ..." that was unexpected and welcome "thank you. But if we have a next time out, I will help paying the bill."

"All right," Brian smiled, nodding, and I smiled back.

Tim took the part from Brian and settled the account.

"I don't know about you, but I just wanted to go, guys," Tim announced, but neither Roger nor Brian seemed to want to go "we have a show tomorrow remember?"

"If you want, you can go." Roger shrugged. "I'll catch up with you."

"How are you going home?" Brian pointed out, "I don't think there's a taxi service or bus around here."

"Argh Roger ... Tell me how you're still our friend" Tim covered his face with frustration "know what, I'll give you a discount because you see Jo personally very little, I'll take a nap in the van, Bri drives and we go when you want to leave, okay?"

"For me, it's fine Tim" the drummer gave one of his mischievous smiles "you're the man!"

"Whatever ..." Tim murmured impatiently and left us there.

Brian got up and looked at me for a moment. I knew he wanted to call me out, but I was still hesitant. We both were. But I still wanted to hear the history of the guitar.

"I can't stand the sight of these two lovebirds" I said softly, pointing at them.

"Want to go outside?" I saw Brian take advantage of the cue, even sounding timid and uncertain.

"Yeah ..." I murmured and nodded frantically.

My timidity had struck again. We walked side by side, he let me leave first and came right behind me. We lay back in the van, and Brian looked at the sky again, in that mysterious and philosophical way.

"I know I'm sounding very repetitive but ..." I looked at my sweaty hands "I really wanted to know more about ... You know, how you made your guitar."

"I don't care about the questions," he smiled. "I like to talk about Red Special and almost no one asks about it."

"Red Special? Did you name it?" I noticed.

"Don't you think I'm weird for giving a name to an instrument?" he got a little sad.

"No, not at all." I shook my head. "It shows that it's ... really special. Sorry for the pun."

"You're forgiven," Brian laughed, "and thanks for not thinking I'm weird."

"No, I don't think you are weird" I felt that vulnerability again "I also have to thank you for not finding me weird."

"You're welcome," he said, "now and now I understand why Jo and Roger get along so well together."

"Ah I know too" I understood what he meant "both like to tease us!"

I laughed and he also ended up laughing. When the laughter subsided, he looked up at the sky again. I ended up imitating him.

"Here on the side of the road you can see the sky better" finally I got the courage to speak, intrigued by him being so much looking for don't know what up there.

"Oh, sure," he smiled, "I'm easily distracted by such a sky."

"You wanted to be an astronaut when you're a child?" I guessed.

"Well, not exactly," Brian explained, and I turned my attention to him. "I study math, and physics, I could have be but only understanding about the stars here on Earth would be good."

"Well, if you can find the time to be a guitarist and a college student, maybe you can continue studying for that too," I encouraged, admired by his willpower.

"Who knows," he sighed, looked up at the sky, and then smiled at me.

"As in my interpretation of "Doing All Right" I commented.

"Yeah ..." Brian agreed.

I would keep talking, but a yawn interrupted me. Brian imitated me this time. And for the sake of our rest, Roger and Jo had finally appeared to finally return to the University.

Brian took the wheel and this time I went to his side in the passenger seat. Tim slept in the backseat and Jo and Roger set themselves up carefully so as not to wake him up. Brian was watching the road and so was I. And in silence, we made our way back to my University.