𝐏𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐋𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐧' 𝐆𝐮𝐲 ➺ 𝐵𝓇𝒾𝒶𝓃 𝑀𝒶𝓎 & 𝒬𝓊𝑒𝑒𝓃

(19) 𝘫𝘶𝘷𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘴𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘴𝘧𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯

"But the cafeteria ketchup is rank." I whined, watching Emma get up from her seat.

"It's not, it's good! You don't have to eat it."

"Yeah, but it'll be near the chips and that's not democratically friendly." I pouted.

"There's a reason you got a U in politics, Maria." She shook her head, heading to get her ketchup.

This was the problem with being broke... We had to share chips for lunch.

The chips were especially crispy that day, and I remember because everything seemed to be going my way. Lecture was decent, meaning Professor Ross didn't go on about his favourite thinkers for the whole hour and a half, and we got the whole story from Albert about how things were going with Ellie. They were apparently going more than fine, which made Emma more than happy. She was quite the little matchmaker when she wasn't desperate for a shag.

I had managed to push off most of the Roger and Daisy drama, and had slowly come to the conclusion that Brian and Freddie were entirely right about his inclinations. He just couldn't help it. After all, I did see how happy he made Emma and that was all that mattered to me. If she didn't know, she couldn't get hurt.

As if on cue, guess which blonde drummer plonked down across the table from me? Yes, you guessed correctly. He just grinned at me, before looking passed me to eye up Emma from across the cafeteria.

"For someone who's just dropped out of uni, you sure do spend a whole lot of your time here." I said, placing a chip in my mouth and looking down at my notebook in front of me.

"Well, when you have a bird, you have to be there with her when you can. It's called loyalty, Maria." His eyes were still fixated on Emma, and I couldn't help but scoff under my breath – it wasn't intentional, I swear. It earned a confused and slightly offended look from Roger. But he didn't get a chance to question my reaction before Emma sat down in between us, a small pot of ketchup in her hand.

"Hiya!" She squealed, falling into Roger's arms, to which he responded by wrapping his arm around her. They were soon caught up in a kiss – way too intimate for the middle of the cafeteria.

I just occupied myself with the notes laid ahead of me, feeling slightly awkward.

"Honestly, darlings, get a room. The whole world doesn't need to be subjected to...this." I saw Freddie in the corner of my eye, gesturing to the scene ahead of us before sitting at the table across from me. He gave me a smile, clearly understanding of my discomfort. "Hello, darling, how is your day going?"

With a stifled giggle, I glanced at Emma and Roger. "Yeah, I'm great." I put emphasis on 'great', looking back at Freddie. "How are you, Fred?"

"I've spent the morning designing and coming up with ideas that nobody else has even been able to muster up, how do you think I am?"

"Oh!" I squealed in slight excitement, sliding over to sit right next to Freddie. "Let me see!"

"Calm down, darling, I'm not the next Givenchy... Yet." He chuckled, sliding over his folder in front of me.

Grinning, I flipped open the folder and let my eyes drag over the masterpieces that were fragments Freddie Mercury's mind. I stopped on an outfit he had sketched up, but Freddie was quick to try and turn the wallet over to the other side, but I stopped him.

"Why don't you want me to look at that?" I looked at him, us both trying to stop each other from doing what the other wanted to do. I gripped his wrist, trying to keep it from the folder as I tried to look at the sketch.

"Maria, it's a silly idea—"

"Oh, shut up, when has any idea you've had been a bad one, Farrokh??"