Time Passages (Queen or Freddie Mercury Fanfic)

18. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner

Julia

I sprang into action. Although I'd asked Danny to give the house a quick once-over, I brushed past Freddie to make sure everything was shipshape downstairs. "Trust, but verify," I always say.

Freddie followed me about halfway down. "Are we expecting someone?"

"Ah, yes, I failed to mention it, but Stuart said he was going to stop by tonight," I replied. As I had expected, the couch pillows were still smushed up and sagging from where I'd slept two nights ago. Stuart often would drift down to the living room and sip his drink while we would chat, so I went over to fluff them up some, disturbing a very comfortably-lounging Fry in the process. But he didn't mind; all he did was wag his tail and jump up to greet me.

"Who's Stuart again?" His voice was too flat for me to determine whether or not he was being tongue-in-cheek.

"He's Stuart!" I said, distractedly rubbing Fry's back. "You know, Stuart?"

"Her boyfriend," Danny called from above. Funny, I still had such a hard time with that word. My own son could say it with less effort than I.

"Oh, yes," Freddie sighed, faintly smirking. "I'm sorry, dear, that's just such a forgettable name."

I looked up. "Well, do me a favor, please, and don't tell him that," I quipped. "He's touchy enough when people don't pronounce his last name correctly."

He arched his brow. "Is he?"

Before I could answer, or realize I'd just made a huge mistake in even telling Freddie such a thing, the door bell rang three times in rapid succession. "Danny, would you please get the door?"

"No, you go ahead and answer it, I'll fluff these fellows here," Freddie said, coming closer. "I can at least do that."

"Thank you, Freddie," I said.

"It's no bother whatever," he replied.

Even though the past couple of days had been absolute wild cards as far as Freddie's emotions were concerned, I really was glad to see him that evening. Before I hustled back upstairs, I leaned over and kissed his cheek.

His eyes widened with genuine surprise, looking me up and down as though he was asking me, "Are you off your head?"

"That's for the flowers," I said softly. Foolishly I marveled to myself, I can't believe he remembered.

Freddie blinked, started to smile, then proceeded to pop my balloon. "Well, actually, they're some of my favorites, too, so I mean- um- and they were sort of for the house, as opposed to-"

"I know, but thank you anyway, they're lovely." I smiled and turned away, hoping he couldn't see how stupid I now felt, how idiotic to almost assume he had bought them for me. I knew so much better than that. After all, we weren't an item. Not anymore, anyway.

And, God willing, never will be again, I told myself defiantly as I marched up the steps. Certainly not considering how short a time he's going to be here. Why, for all I know, he could be gone tomorrow, shipped back to Munich, picking up where he left off, partying down with all his "friends," remembering nothing and living out the rest of his numbered days.

Such thoughts didn't summon the darkness the way they might have in a normal setting. Whenever my emotional situation became extremely perilous, such that I couldn't stand against that shadow without assistance, I always had my "happy pills" to fall back on, and protect me (which meant I'd been on them since Saturday)- a secret I kept solely to myself. It affected no one but me, so one else needed to know- especially not the man standing outside the front door, whom Farnsie greeted like any time before, and whom I now received with a pair of open arms and a "Hello, Stu!"