If I Could

{26} - Father To Son

Forgiveness. His daughter deserved forgiveness. Freddie rested his head on the door of what used to be Belle's bedroom, thinking of what to write on the letter that he wanted to send her. He rushed downstairs and spent about ten minutes writing on the kitchen table, until the domestic worker informed Freddie about the visit of an unknown man to her.

"Mr. Mercury", she politely said. "There's a man outside who goes by the name of Rami Malek and he wants to talk to you".

Freddie raised an eyebrow and grabbed his chin, wondering why his daughter's boyfriend wanted to talk to him. He stopped for a few seconds to think about his decision and ultimately agreed to see him, rushing to the door to receive him.

The domestic worker opened the door again, and there he was. Rami was wearing a fitted suit, his hair perfectly coiffed. Freddie had to admit he looked very presentable.

"Good morning, Mr. Mercury", Rami greeted with a smile as he shook Freddie's hand, trying to sound as polite as he could.

"Good morning", Freddie replied with a toneless voice that showed no emotion. "Please come in", he said as he stepped aside, signalling Rami to go into his home.

Rami nodded and entered the house. He eyed the area as he stood in front of a sofa, unsure of what to do next. Did he have to sit? Did he have to stand? Would it make Freddie uncomfortable if he just sat without permission? Well, Rami being present was probably already uncomfortable enough for Freddie.

"You can sit down", Freddie awkwardly said as he tried to be polite to Rami. He was the father of his grandchild after all and Belle was right, he wasn't going away anytime soon.

"Well, as you can probably guess, I'm here to talk about something", Rami firmly said to Freddie, who was in front of him, as he sat down. "I want to talk about Belle's pregnancy. She came home crying yesterday after a small discussion she had with you. I want to know what's making you uncomfortable".

"She hid her pregnancy from me for I don't know how long. It hurts me because we are really close and you know, she's my only child. That's why I reacted the way I did, but I kind of regret being so severe towards her, I have to admit".

"I know, and to be honest I understand your reaction", Rami affirmed as he made strong eye contact with Freddie. "I just want you to let me know if you have any problem with me or my relationship with Belle. I'd like to be really straightforward with you, Mr. Mercury, because I want you to know I intend to marry your daughter and don't want our disagreements to cause any problems to Belle or my child".

Freddie was dumbfounded by Rami's sudden statement, from the wedding part to the way Rami acted so effortlessly calm around him. He was used to people freaking out when they were around him, not only because he was the biggest rock star in the world, but because his presence was strong and intimidating, even though he wasn't what he appeared to be.

"Well, you want me to be frank and honest and I will", Freddie stated. "I've always thought of you as a very conceited and egocentric man, but you know, we have lived totally different lives. You are someone who has always been surrounded by luxury and opulence and this type of personality is probably the norm for people like you. I'm sorry if this is a little too blunt, I hope there are no hard feelings between us after this".

"Don't worry, Mr. Mercury, I'm not offended by your words at all, nor will I try to change your mind or opinion about me", Rami politely responded as he fixed his the sleeve of his suit. "The only thing I'd like to ask you is to please try to keep our differences away from Belle and the baby. You know I will do it too".

"Of course I will, Belle and her child mean as much to me as they do to you", Freddie declaimed. "I promise to be at peace with you if you treat my daughter with love and respect, that's pretty much I ask. There's nothing that is as important to me as Belle's physical and emotional wellbeing".