Winter Queen (Roger Taylor fanfic)

4... she went home with him

Roger grinned and waited for them to leave the terrace. Then he reached to his pocket and pulled out a tiny sachet with a white powder in it.

"So, do you want to be a good girl?" he asked. Her eyes popped out and she stepped back a bit. He threw the sachet back immediately.

"Alright, I never said anything." he assured her.

"No, it's just... I don't even smoke, and this... Never..."

"Well, then it's not a good idea to try it here anyway. Sorry, I'd expected you did, since you're in the Resistance."

"We're here only because Susan knows the bouncer. We usually just have a beer or two at the campus." she explained.

"As I said, I never even suggested it."

"Roger, what was there in your beautiful little hand?" Freddie asked, when he pushed through the crowd. Roger rolled his eyes and pulled out the sachet again.

"You two won't need it?" Freddie asked.

"No." Roger replied.

"Thank you, Rog." Freddie grinned and disappeared inside the club.

"We do it just exceptionally."

"No, I don't judge you, it's just a fast change from my bookworm world to the rockstars world." Josie laughed. "I don't say I'd never... But not now, not like this."

"Understood. So, you want to get away from this world and go to a quieter one?"

She hesitated a little before nodding. They left the club together, Josie still wasn't sure if she can trust Roger, but his presence felt calming.

"Just to calm you down, I have two offers for your night. You can have my bed or there's a nice hotel nearby. My house has the benefit of serving the best breakfast in London."

"Rog, I..."

He smiled a little, she wondered about that smile for a moment.

"I like it, when you say my name." he explained, but his face was serious. "Both options of course mean you sleeping in a bed alone, I can sleep on a couch."

"Oh no, don't do that, your couch is too much of a luxury for me, I can't banish you from your own bed."

"Well, we can figure out later. I knew you cannot resist my breakfast." he grinned.

They went through the streets of London, which were still lively, until they reached quiet Notting Hill. Roger unlocked door of cream white house and let her go in first. He waved her to go upstairs.

"I changed the sheets today, I knew I won't be going home alone." he laughed and Josie felt guilt. He opened the door to his luxurious, but clearly male only bathroom, she was relieved, that there weren't any female products. He then opened wardrobe and took out his t-shirt.

"So you have something to sleep. The towels are in the cabinet under the basin. If you want a tour of the rest of the house, come."

He grabbed one pillow and blanket and went out of the bedroom, he pushed open the second door with his shoulder. There was his study, she was amazed how many books he had. She'd like to take a closer look, but he already went downstairs.

"There's a lots of trash in the attic, I bought this place during the tour, barely saw the inside, I don't even know if I'll stay here for a long time."

He threw his burden on the big couch.

"This is living room, over there are my instruments." He said a pointed at the open door. She went over there and saw a bit worn-ou drums, guitar and piano.

"It's just older stuff, the real ones are in the studio." Roger explained, as he could read her mind. "Well and then there's the kitchen, second bathroom down there and the garden."

"You live here by yourself?" she wondered, but realized immediately, how inapropriate this question was. "You know, I don't meant to pry. It's just I lived at the halls for a three years, I don't even have my own shower."

"Been there. But yeah, I live here alone."

If she'd be honest, she thought about her parents flat in Plymouth. For their first year there, they unfolded the couch everynight in their kitchen and living room, so they had place to sleep, just for Josie to have her own room. Those two rooms and tiny bathroom was all they had, on top of that the boiler in the house was often broken and there was no warm water. When she left for her studies, they made a bedroom in her room and the old couch was now hers to sleep on, when she came home. So she already prefered her bed in the halls. Also she noticed, that her accent is heavier, whenever she spent weekend with her parents and spoke Czech. And in the last year, almost every visit ended with a fight, which started with something petty and ended with reproaching everything to everyone.

Roger noticed, how she frowned, she looke older, maybe her real age, her eyes were darker.

"What's going on?" he asked and touched her elbow gently. She forced to smile, but he already could tell it was a fake smile. He also realized she already smiled this way tonight. "Chris wasn't very sensitive tonight, but she didn't mean any harm. We really haven't any prejudices." He tried to calm her down.

"Wow, Queen don't go to demonstrate against the immigration?" she grimaced. He raised his eyebrows in surprise.

"No, definitely not. What hapenned?" he asked again.

"Sorry, I just thought about some stuff. It's really nice of you to let me stay here." She tried to cheer herself up.

"Do you want some tea?" Roger offered. She nodded and Roger went to the kitchen and came back soon after with a tray with two cups and a teapot on it.

"Do you do this often?" Josie wondered.

"Make tea?"

"Make tea for a strange girl at three a.m.?"

"Well, that's a first time." he smiled and placed a cup in front of her. "Milk? Sugar?"

"Nothing."

They stared at the steaming cups.

"So, am I the only girl in the world, who had her tea made by the Queen drummer at three a.m.?"

"You certanily are." He laughed, and it sounded beuatifully to her ears, she watched him, his gentle features, long, golden hair.

"So, you know what you're gonna do?"

"Oh, aren't you all demanding." She tried to hide with a laugh, how unpleasan this question is.

"We all?"

"Chris and her queastions, now you want to know abou my absolutely unsolved future."

"But that's alright, there's no rush."

"I have no place to live in two weeks, just a couch in my parent's place in Plymouth. And I have no offers, no replies, nothing."

"Something will come up. I've never heard about anybody, who'd knew so many languages as you do."

They talked for about an hour, until the tea was cold and Josie began to fall asleep, while Roger talked about his dentistry studies. She was wrapped in his blanket, her head slowly went down.

"Come on, off to the bed."

"The couch looks comfy." she mumbled.

"That's why it's mine. Go go."

She left the blanket unwillingly. She wished him a goodnight and went upstairs. She undressed, left her clothes on the floor and put on Roger's shirt. She slipped under the duver and fall asleep quickly.