A Killer Queen (John Deacon)

Chapter four

The winter months faded into spring. I kept up with my bass lessons. It was kept on the down-low until Roger came over to my flat uninvited. He walked in on John and in the midst of a lesson. He told Freddie who was immediately hurt. He couldn't understand why I was learning bass now of all times.

"Where was this when I needed you?!" He questioned when we went out one night.

"It's just a hobby. Thought it'd be fun. No pressure. I will never play it in front of anyone."

"You play in front of John!" He responded eyeing me. He was right of course. Before that, I never performed in front of anyone but Freddie. I had become comfortable with John now. I was nervous I wouldn't get what he was saying or doing in the early lessons. My fingers shook a little bit but he didn't notice. I hope.

But now I play bass in front of him and it's fine. I'm not nervous anymore. I don't sing though. Never. That's only for me and occasionally Freddie to hear. I remember it took me a long time to even warm up to him, and he was my best friend. It's just the way I am I guess. Maggie and Mary have never ever heard me sing. Just play guitar and that's usually by accident.

With time Freddie got over it. I kept reminding him that if I was his bassist he wouldn't have John. That shut him up.

John and I grew closer. But I couldn't tell if he liked me or not. It's been some time since we first met and neither of us has made a move on each other. But we flirted a lot. Or what I thought was flirting. I could always be wrong.

I hung out at band practice often and Freddie had questioned if I was with him. But I said no and it was never brought up again.

John wasn't as shy around me as he was before. But he still was shy. There's a different degree of it though. There's John just met you and isn't comfortable shy and then just his shy nature. But I hoped eventually I would break him out of that one as well.

He sat next to me at the bar. His head was leaning on his hand. He looked tired. There were bags under his eyes. He was wearing a jean jacket, his hair a little messier than normal. His eyes were drooping, staring off into space.

I rubbed his back.

"Are you alright there?" I asked chuckling a bit.

"Yeah." He responded plainly. "Just tired."

"Why?" I responded adjusting my seat on the stool to get a better look at him.

"I just couldn't sleep." He responded looking at the counter.

"You should have rung me," I responded and he shook his head.

"Then I'd have to wake you, and you'd be here looking like a mess like me." He said chuckling.

"You're not a mess, you're a hot mess," I responded and his cheeks went red. I poked his nose as Roger came over to the bar with an unfamiliar guy.

"Nina, John, this is Tim, he was the lead singer and bassist of our old band 'Smile'," Roger said as Brian appeared from behind Tim. Tim wasn't unattractive, he wasn't bad to look at that's for sure.

"Tim, this Nina, one of our very good friends and John our bassist."

"A pleasure," Tim said smiling as he shook both of our hands. He looked at John the most. "I know the search for bassist was a long one, Freddie told me all about it," Tim told us. John smiled slightly. "Lucky they found you, it seemed to have worked out, eh?"

Tim expected John to say something in response. But he just nodded, still giving his uncomfortable shy smile.

"I've heard so much about this John Deacon, Freddie even told me he's like a godsend," Tim said looking at Roger and then back at John. John just smiled. He was very uncomfortable. I could read him like a book.