From Seeds to Flowers | John Deacon

Chapter 19

November 11, 1971

Thalia and John's knees collided as Brian made a sharp turn in the van. It had been a month since Queen's first U.K. tour had begun and now it was over. Their last concert was yesterday and they eagerly wanted to return back home and get a start on their second album. John was joyously conversing with Roger and Freddie; their laughter filled the car, but Thalia didn't join in. She had been too preoccupied with looking out the window to hear whatever Freddie said that caused the laughter to partake in it. After roaming the faces of the three band members in front of her, Thalia's eyes settled on John's. The way his eyes crinkling at the corners and the slight gap in his teeth showed when he smiled filled her with warmth. She hadn't noticed that a smile spread across her face, or that John was soon looking at her too.

Thalia was eager to be home again, too, but for different reasons. She would be able to get an ultrasound to make sure that her baby was healthy. She was excited, though, to see what else Queen had in store.

Outside, the familiar streets of London were rolling past as they were mere minutes away from their destination: home. Thalia zoned out once more and missed the next joke that Freddie made. Missing this one joke didn't matter much to her, because she knew that she would make many more memories with this group of amazing people and one more on the way.

After a more stressful than necessary unpacking of the van, John and Thalia were taking a quick stop at John and Roger's apartment before getting dinner just the two of them. Thalia was freshening up in the bathroom when Roger emerged from his room for the first time since he got home.

"You've stopped your sulking, have you?" John asked skeptically as he watched his roommate.

"Sulking?" Roger said in a strained voice. "I'm not sulking, I've been betrayed."

"For the last time-"

Roger interrupted, "you dropped your amp on my foot!"

"You were the one who knocked it over when you were pulling out your bag," John replied, slightly irritated that he had to sit through Roger's tantrum.

"You shouldn't have had you amp somewhere it could fall then. It's still your fault cause it's your amp."

"You're just lucky that it wasn't seriously damaged." John crossed his arms, hoping that Thalia would be done in the bathroom soon.

"You're the lucky one since my foot wasn't seriously damaged! If it was broken-"

Thalia opened the bathroom door a bit too excitedly and cut off Roger who was unfortunate enough to be standing in front of it. John couldn't help but laugh, while Thalia was trying her hardest not to. Once John cooled down he put his arm around Thalia's waist and led her to the door. "See you later," he called out to Roger, who was still fuming, before closing the door behind him.

The couple walked down the busy London streets as if they were the only people in the world. The noise of the bustling city seemed faint to the lovers' ears, overshadowed by their feelings for each other. On their way back from dinner, though, it was dark and cloudy and John's demeanor seemed to change to match the weather. He stopped walking once Thalia's apartment building was in sight, causing Thalia to take a couple of steps on her own before turning back towards him.

"Thalia," he began with a serious expression on his face. "I can't wait to start a family with you and I'll do anything for you and the baby. So, I was thinking that I should probably quit the band and get a job, or go back to school so I'll be able to support you."

John's proclamation his Thalia like a ton of bricks. She'd never even considered that the band wouldn't take off eventually. "That's nonsense, John," Thalia said, grabbing both of John's hands and holding them tightly. "There's no doubt in my mind that Queen is going to make it big one day. You guys are amazing on the stage together. And besides, you love being a part of Queen, I could never take that away from you."

A thick drop of rain splatted square on Thalia's forehead ruining the mood and Thalia worried about the state of her makeup too. She quickly pulled away from John and wiped her forehead dry. For a couple of seconds, John stared at her in confusion before he felt a drop of rain too. The couple fixed their gazes on the clouds above them that blocked the last rays of the sunset. As if on cue, it started to pour, drenching the couple.

Now soaked to the bone, Thalia and John didn't mind the rain. Thalia even began to laugh, holding her arms out and feeling the cold rain hit her bare palms. John reached out and took hold of her open palms with a smile spreading across his face.

"C'mon," Thalia said as she began to walk backwards towards her apartment building, still holding on to John's hands. The smiling couple splashed down the empty sidewalk, their faces only illuminated by the streetlights lining their path.

Upon entering Thalia's apartment they took off their wet coats and shoes. Thalia tossed a towel to John, who was wringing out his long hair, before changing into dry clothes.

"Could I borrow an umbrella?" John asked, still standing in front of the door.

"What?" Thalia asked as she peeked out from her room.

"An umbrella," John reiterated. "For the walk home."

Thalia walked out of her room, a large tee-shirt and pair of shorts replacing the maxi skirt and blouse she was wearing earlier. "You don't have to go back out in that storm, it'll only get worse out there! You can spend the night here," she offered. "We are engaged, you know. There's nothing wrong with spending the night together." She flipped her hair to the left side of her head and scrubbed at the hair at the base of her neck with a towel.

John stepped into the living room. "Alright," he said with a smile.

"I think I might have some clothes big enough for you to change in to," Thalia said before disappearing once more into her bedroom. John followed her, hoping he wasn't dripping too much water on the carpet.

After rummaging through her drawers, Thalia found a large tee-shirt and a pair of pajama pants that are too big on her. She handed them to John then went out into the living room. While changing behind the now closed door of Thalia's bedroom, John heard a bluesy piano riff. Once he emerged in the shirt that fit and the pants that were a bit too small, he recognized the song as something by Buddy Holly, but couldn't think of the name.

Thalia sat on the couch, cocooned in a blanket, and danced along to the song. John sat down on the couch with a smile and wrapped his arms around the cocoon next to him. Thalia said her arms under his and brought the blanket around him. John gently kissed Thalia's temple as he pulled her close. The lively tune ended and the next song on the album started.

To spend one night with you
In our old rendezvous
And reminisce with you
That's my desire

Thalia slightly swayed along to the slow beat, John soon joined in.

To meet where Gypsies play
Down in some small cafe
And dance till break of day
That's my desire

Thalia leaned her head on John's shoulder, who didn't mind that her hair was still wet.

We'll sip a little glass of wine
I'll gaze into your eyes divine
To feel the touch of your lips
Pressing on mine

The couple held each other close as the song progressed. Neither of them stirred until the rest of the album played out and the needle returned to its usual place. Thalia opened her eyes and lifted her head up. She saw John's head leaning against the back of the couch with his eyes closed. She placed a soft kiss on John's cheek before settling her head back down on his shoulder and drifting off to sleep.

~~~

Sorry for taking so long to write this chapter! I tried to make it longer than usual to make up for the wait so hopefully, you enjoyed this one. Also, the song is 'That's My Desire' I highly recommend it.

As always feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions or anything else you'd like to say.

Thanks for reading!