I'm going slightly mad // Hardzello

Chapter 78

Gwil nervously taps his foot on the ground while he looks at the door. After debating for five minutes he knocked on the door. It is opened by someone he doesn't recognize. A man in his middle forties stares at him with a piercing look. 
"Hello, sir. I have an appointment with Brian May." Gwil tries his best to sound as polite as possible. The man looks at him with a pierced look.
"Sure, that's what they all say." The man wants to close the door again but is stopped by Brian who walks from the other room.
"Gwilym. It's nice seeing you again." Brian excitedly lets out. The man who opened the door steps aside so Gwil can walk through the door. Brian is waiting for him with open arms. Gwil smiles before wrapping his arms briefly around the older rockstar.
"Don't you think we look a lot alike?" Brian asks. He turns Gwil around by his shoulder so he stands next to Brian. The unknown man lets his eyes glide between the two.
"Yes, yes you do. Are you two related?" The man asks. Brian turns his head to Gwil.
"No, we are not. Gwilym is actually the actor who has played my role in Bohemian Rhapsody." Brian says before patting Gwil on the back.
"Nice to meet you, sir," Gwil says while stepping forward to shake the man's hand.
"My apologies." The man says. After shaking Gwil's hand he turns around and walks away.

Brian turns to walk back into the room he came from. He is followed closely by Gwil. They walk into the room where Gwil and Brian had once jammed a little.
"Let's have something to drink and take some time to catch up first, alright?" Brian asks. Gwil nods. Not that later Brian comes back with a tray with two glasses of tea and a jar of cookies.
"So, how have you and the boys been doing?" Brian asks as soon as he sits down.
"A lot of things happened but right now everyone is doing okay, I guess," Gwil says before steering his spoon through his tea.
"No bad things I hope?" Brian asks. Gwil sighs. He already regrets that he has said anything.
"Unfortunately also bad things." Gwil looks up at Brian. Once Brian sees the broken look in Gwil's eyes he raises an eyebrow in anticipation. 
"Where to start? Paul and mr. Jones came back. We nearly lost Joe. My girlfriend broke up with me. Ben and Joe got in a brief fight but they are engaged now so that is all good." Gwil rambles. He hopes that if he gets it over with as quickly as possible Brian isn't going to ask any difficult questions. Unfortunately, Brian is doing the exact opposite.
"What do you mean with you nearly lost Joe? As in he almost died?" Brian asks. Gwil closes his eyes before looking up at Brian again. He nods slowly. As briefly as he can he explains everything that happened. From Paul and mr. Jones until Eve breaking up with him. 
"Pff, that is some heavy shit you got there, son. Anything I can help you with?" Brian asks. He looks at Gwil with a concerned look on his face.
"Nah, it's alright. I still have the boys as best friends. That is enough for me right now." Gwil smiles. 
"Anyways, Ben and Joe. Rog and I were debating whether Joe or Ben proposed." Brian says to distract Gwil.
"Ben did," Gwil says. He tries his best to distract himself from the thoughts rushing through his head.
"Yes, Roger better gives me those keys," Brian says while rubbing his hands over each other.
"Did you two bet on this again?" Gwil lets out a loud laugh.
"We sure did. I get to drive his car and he is not allowed to sit next to me or watch me drive." Brian smirks.

After catching up Brian hands Gwil a guitar.
"Can I hear what you've got?" Brian asks. Gwil takes a deep breath and tries to ignore Brian's presence before starting to play. When the song comes to an end he lets out a relieved sigh. 
"Amazing. The only thing that is not quite correct is, like you already told me, the first line from the chorus." Brian plays the part of the song to catch the notes again. He clicks with his tongue once he has found the right notes.
"Can you play the line again?" Brian asks. Gwil plays and Brian watches his fingers intensely. 
"Yeah, so the only thing is the second note you played there. Look at my fingers and repeat it after me." Brian carefully puts his fingers in place before playing the note as reference. Gwil copies the action and plays the note.
"Now the whole line." Brian plays the line again, followed by Gwil.

"Okay, got it. I swear this note wasn't on any of the sheets I found." Gwil says before playing the whole chorus again.
"Well, I don't know. I usually don't read sheet music for my own songs online." Brian shrugs. Gwil furrows his eyebrows while he looks at Brian. He eyes him suspiciously.  
"Your own songs? You are not a member of Queen. What are you talking about?" Gwil jokingly says.
"Queen? As in the royal majesty? I didn't know she made music." Brian says grinning. 
"No, no, Queen the band. You know with the singer Freddie Mercury?" Gwil says. He rubs his hands over each other while he tries to look at Brian as confused as possible.
"Mercury? That is a planet right? Freddie. Freddie. Such a weird name. I do know somebody whose name was Farrokh Bulsara. He wrote songs?" Brian tries. It takes all Gwil has in him not to burst out in laughter.
"Farrokh Bulsara? You think Freddie is a weird name? Farrokh Bulsara that is even weirder. What about the bassist of the band John Deacon?" Gwil says. He drums his fingers on the table. Brian tries to come up with something to say. When he can't he breaks out in laughter.
"That was genius," Brian says. Gwil shakes his head now laughing too.
"It was," Gwil says. He looks down at the guitar laying on his lap. He picks it up and plays the line again.
"Thanks, Brian." He says as soon as the line is done.
"Anything for you, Gwilym. You know that. I actually had lots of fun with you here. Next time Rog and I are in New York we will visit you four again. But for now, play me a cool riff, Gwilym." Brian says.
"You should. I had lots of fun too. And er I haven't practised that much the last few weeks. You know, with everything that happened but I can try?" Gwil ends his sentence questioned. His fingers glide over the strings while he plays a riff his teacher once thought him. It was not Queen related but just a quick thing to warm up his fingers.
"I'm impressed. Can you teach me that?" Brian says as soon as Gwil is done.  Gwil's eyes get wide.
"Are you serious?" Gwil asks. Brian nods. Gwil takes a deep breath before going over each note. This is something young Gwilym would have dreamed of, teaching the Brian May something on a guitar.

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Hi friends,

Someone requested more Brian in this book. I know that was a while ago, but here you go. I think it's a pretty good moment between Brian and Gwilym. I am actually kind of proud of this chapter, ngl. 

How are y'all doing?

I love y'all. Take good care of yourselves.

Goodbye,

Xx Itsametaphorjoe