𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧' 𝐆𝐮𝐲 ➺ 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝑀𝒶𝓎 & 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃

16. Guess What?

"Being a hippie isn't a personality trait, it's a lifestyle."

"Actually, shut the fuck up, you were born singing The Grass Roots," I retorted.

"Not the only grass roots."

"Of course," I burst out laughing, playfully smacking our friend James on the arm. Emma joined the laughter, taking a sip of her wine.

James was our friend from up North and had been a constant support for both Emma and me throughout college. He never failed to bring energy into any room he entered. While Emma and I had moved to London for university, James had stayed in Yorkshire and attended Hull University instead. Our reunions were rare, but when he announced that he was now permanently living in the South, we couldn't have been happier. Unfortunately, James had faced societal outcast and hate crimes due to his sexual preference. Back that, terms like 'fag' and 'fairy' were disturbingly common. All we could do was provide unwavering support and ensure he felt loved and accepted.

"Listen, London may be an absolute shithole sometimes," James began, taking a seat next to me on the sofa. "But it's also the most vibrant and diverse place you can be right now. I'm planning to explore every gay bar I can find."

"You go for it—you only live once, hun," Emma encouraged him, settling down at her piano and absently playing a few keys.

"I'm just fucking... shocked that you'll be staying down here now. We can see a lot more of you!" I exclaimed, unable to contain my excitement.

"Exactly," James nodded. "So, enough about me. What have you two slags been up to? Please tell me you've actually been having a life and not just studying, because that's fucking abhorrent and I will literally make a beeline for King's Cross."

"Actually, James," Emma smirked. "We've managed to snag ourselves some lads."

Before James could response, I jumped in. "She has a lad." I glanced over at Emma with a disapproving look and raised an eyebrow. "My lad is not my lad."

"He's basically your lad," Emma rolled her eyes, then turned to James. "She's so stubborn."

"You don't have to tell me that, Emma. I'm well aware that our Maria is a bit special," James chuckled, offering me a sympathetic smile.

"Um, I'm right here, you know," I leaned forward, playfully disrupting the space between Emma and James.

"Yes, you are here, and I'm telling you that Brian is practically your lad at this point."

The futility of Emma's blunt nature weighed on me, causing a grimace to form on my face as I heard the phone ringing in the hallway. Leaving Emma and James to their own conversation, I walked over and picked up the phone, trying to push away the discomfort brought by Emma mentioning Roger. Taking a deep breath, I pressed the phone my ear and greeted the caller, "Hello?"

"Maria, darling, is that you?" came the familiar voice of Freddie.

"Hi, Fred," I replied, a smile brightening my face. "Aren't you supposed to be in uni or something?"

"I don't need to go to a silly lecture when I'm not really in the uni to begin with, dear," Freddie responded, radiating confidence through the receiver.

"I can't argue with that," I chuckled, receiving a playful giggle in return from the singer.

As our laughter subsided, I could sense a sigh on Freddie's end. "Brian was going to call, but he overslept. We were rehearsing until the early hours of the morning, and... Ugh, I don't know, Maria, he had a lecture at nine and woke up at half-past ten."

It was the first time I had heard Freddie sounding so distraught, and witnessing his vulnerability was challenging. "Tell him it's alright. I'll call him later. He's just... working really hard to get where he wants."