𝐞𝐚𝐬𝐲 | roger taylor

XXIV

 I stood in front of the full length mirror, in nothing but underwear, scrutinizing my reflection with narrowed eyes. It was one of those days where I was feeling particularly low about myself, and none of the outfits I'd tried on worked. A pile of discarded clothes were in a heap at my feet, and frustration painted my cheeks pink.

"You alright?" Roger asked from behind me, as he pulled on a jacket to complete his effortless outfit. He came up behind me in the mirror, pulling a section of my hair behind my back, exposing my shoulder. His face loomed behind mine, full of gentle concern.

I sighed, leaning back into him. "Can you just pick out my clothes?"

Roger's lips brushed my neck, his breath warm on my skin. "I like what you're wearing right now."

"Seriously."

The blonde wrapped his arms around my middle, chin resting in the crook of my shoulder. "How 'bout the black dress?" he offered, referring to my signature dress.

"I always wear that one."

"But I like that one."

"You do, don't you?"

"And I haven't gotten the chance to take it off you yet," he added, causing me to smile. That was confirmation enough for him, because instantly he bounded off and disappeared into the closet we now shared. He reappeared with the black dress in hand, tossing it at me.

I pulled it on, the worn fabric morphing to my body, like a familiar blanket. Roger zipped me up, arranging the dark curtain of my hair around my shoulders. "Beautiful."

"You think so?"

"Don't fish, love. You know beautiful doesn't even begin to describe you," Roger huffed, arms tightening around my waist. His eyes roamed my reflection in the mirror. "Especially in that dress. You were wearing it when I first saw you, you know."

"And what did you think?" I genuinely wondered, leaning further into his touch.

"I thought, 'I need to shag her as soon as possible.'"

"Ah."

"And five months later I did."

"What did you really think?"

Roger hesitated for a beat, eyes meeting mine in the mirror. He gave my middle a loving squeeze. "I thought you were stunning. Much too stunning to fall for someone like me, but I figured I had a chance. I am a good shag, you know."

I laughed.

"You put me in my place," he mumbled into my neck. "And that just made me even more determined. I like the strong, independent ones. They draw me in."

"Uh huh."

"What about me? What did you think of me?" he asked, perking up a bit.

I paused. "I thought you were a prat," I said with full honesty. His eyebrows knitted together in the mirror, and his lips puckered into a pout. "But not for very long. I saw the better side of you, and I liked it."

"What did you like?"

My lips crept up in a half smile. "I liked how thoughtful and caring you were. And you know, before, I considered you my best friend. And you still are."

He kissed my neck in response, planting a few more along my jaw. "Well," he placed a final kiss on my temple, "you're my best friend, too."

"Good to know."

Roger spun me around so we faced each other, pressing a lingering kiss to my lips. "We better go, or we'll be late."

The band had another gig tonight, at one of the local clubs they'd played thousands of times previously, the one where we'd first met. The only thing different about this show was the expected turnout, which was supposed to be a lot bigger of a crowd than normal. It could be a game changer for Queen, according to Freddie, because of the potential it had to spread their music to new flocks of people.