Stars in Your Eyes (Queen/Roger Taylor)

28. Roger

"You're really going to wear that hat, mate?"

I've never been able to resist taking the piss out of Freddie, and now isn't an exception. As knackered as I am, it's too good an opportunity to waste.

"Would it be on my head otherwise?" he calls back over his shoulder as we amble down the jetway towards the terminal.

"It's tough to tell if it is actually on your head since that feather is so fucking--"

I'm interrupted mid-sentence as I run smack into Fred, who has stopped unexpectedly at the end of the jetway. Skylar runs into me, and Brian into her. Deaky manages to avoid the pile-up and continues to walk forward cautiously, stopping next to Freddie.

"Oh. Wow." His voice is barely audible.

"What the hell, Fred?" Brian mutters tetchily as he stalks past Sky and me. "Did you forget how to put one foot in front--"

"Ho-ly shit," I murmur as I finally manage to catch a glimpse of the scene over Freddie's shoulder.

Just outside the jetway, lined up with military precision, are more than a dozen uniformed security guards. They stand at attention with hands clasped behind their backs and officious black-and-gold caps on their heads.

"Are they here for... us?" Brian wonders aloud as one of the officials steps forward, prompting our manager to scurry over. They gesture back and forth for a few moments until, with a massive grin on his face, Jake turns our way.

"Well, lads. This is it."

We glance at each other in confusion as the security guards surround us. I glance over at Skylar, who's looking around wide-eyed, and grab her hand. She squeezes it reassuringly and gives me a small smile.

"We're either being arrested, or this is excellent news," I whisper as I playfully nudge her shoulder with mine.

"They're here for Freddie's hat," she replies with a giggle, squeezing my hand once more.

We begin to walk en masse towards the main terminal, Freddie's giant goddamn feather waving back and forth majestically in my face. No one has bothered to explain why we're surrounded by security but, as we get closer to the exit, it becomes apparent that there are a lot of fucking people awaiting us.

"Is that...?" Deaky is the first to speak.

"It's a lot more than eight fans," I reply slightly in awe.

"Goddamn right it is," Freddie exclaims as if he's been expecting this the entire journey. One of my favorite things about him is that he takes everything in stride. Oh, there's a whole mess of people awaiting our arrival? No sweat, he'll just put on a silly hat and call it a day.

Wrapping my arm around Skylar's waist to pull her closer, I plaster a smile on my face. My mind is a whirl of emotions as I process the fact that, just beyond the terminal doors, is, from the sound of it, a huge fucking crowd. To see us. There's a general hum of excitement, the sounds of lots of people talking, laughing, joking around.

Freddie is the first to arrive at the sliding door that separates us from whatever lies ahead. He pauses for a moment, which gives me the perfect opportunity to yank off the hat.

"Hey!" He whirls around, his burgundy velvet jacket shimmering under the harsh fluorescent lights. I yank the offending object out of reach, passing it behind me to John. Before Freddie can protest further, our manager claps his hands on my and Brian's back.

"Are you ready?" He looks more excited than I've ever seen him, and I can practically see the dollar signs floating in his eyes.

"Ready?" I murmur to Skylar, who is still pressed against my side. Just as she looks up at me, but before she can reply, we're collectively pushed forward into the loud terminal.