Good Old-Fashioned Lover Boy (JoeMazzello!JohnDeacon fanfic)

twenty two

"He's right," Brian nods, "You already do so much for us. Take care of the bookings, the cash and who better to do it than the drummer's cousin?"

Roxanne looks at the other two and when they shrug, she laughs, "Better make myself some business cards then."

++|++

"This is bullshit," Roger mutters as he and Roxy make their way towards the fourth studio on their part of the list, "Why am I stuck with you?"

She shrugs, "Brian thought it'd be best. Said you were a flight risk."

"Fucking Brian," he mutters, tossing the butt of his cigarette to the ground, "You punch someone once and he holds it against you."

"You punched him because he said that you weren't good."

"Then he deserved it in my opinion," Roger says as she looks down at directions that Brian had given her, "And this, this is humiliating. We've been laughed out of three places already."

"And I think it's going to be four," she sighs as they come to a stop outside their destination on Northfield Road: Ablestar Recordings.

"Why do you say that?"

"I'm pretty sure I rang here yesterday," she says, holding the door open for him, "And the manager, Jeremy? Total arsehole. He didn't even give me the time of day. Hung up on me."

"Then what is the point in us being here?"

"Shh," Roxanne hisses, eyes glancing toward the reception desk, where there is a young woman with dark hair watching them curiously, "Just...I spoke with her yesterday, too. She was lovely, just let me..."

He follows her as she approaches the desk, "How could you possibly know that it wa-Nessie!"

"Hi!" Roxanne greets, "I'm Roxanne, I think we spoke on the phone yesterday...you're Joan?"

"Sorry," the woman says quietly, "I'm not. I'm just covering reception while she has her break." She tugs on the apron, "Just the cleaner."

"Told you," Roger mutters and she elbows him in the ribs to get him to shut up.

"Oh, sorry." Roxanne apologises.

"That's alright," the woman smiles, "Happens all the time but maybe I can help you? Are the two of you here to record?"

"No. We were hoping we could maybe talk to the owner of the place. Jeremy, right?"

"That's right but he's in a meeting with another band right now. If you want, you could take a seat and I'll let him know you're here as soon as he's finished." She gestures to some comfortable looking couches and Roxanne nods.

"Great! Thank you."

While she turns to go sit down, Roger stays put, leaning against the desk with a smile on his face, "We didn't get your name, love. I'm Roger. Roger Taylor."

Roxanne rolls her eyes.

"Oh," he woman slips her hand into his with a smile, "I'm Rebecca."

Roger's teeth find his bottom lip as Roxanne grabs hold of his arm to drag him towards the couches, practically shoving him onto the closest one and she gives him a look.

"What?" he asks, frowning up at her.

"Alyssa," is all she says, sitting down beside him and he shrugs.

"'m just looking, Nessie. She's pretty."

"She is," she agrees, "But again, Alyssa. Who I'm st-"

Roxanne doesn't get a chance to finish because they hear chatter coming from the desk behind the desk and they both sit up straighter.

"That's him," Roxanne whispers, recognising the voice that she had spoken with briefly, "Remember what we said. Polite, yeah?"

"Got it."

++|++

Roger had gone back to the meeting room with Jeremy himself which left Roxanne in the lobby and although she insisted that she was alright, Rebecca had gotten her a cup of tea and gave her a couple of magazines to read before Joan returned from her break.

"It was nice meeting you," Roxanne called before the young woman could disappear with her hoover and Rebecca turned to smile at her.

"You too. And good luck."

And so Roxanne sat there, reading gossip magazines and drinking he tea until Roger returned, shaking Jeremy's hand before pulling his jacket back on.

He looked her way, nodding toward the door and Roxy quickly gathers her things, saying a quiet goodbye to Joan and rushing to catch up with her cousin.

"So?" she asks eagerly, falling in step with him as he lights another cigarette.

"No."

Her face falls, "No?"

"The place is a shit hole, Nessie." he explains, "Small studio, the four of us would never fit in there without killing one another. And you're right, he is a wanker and the money he's wanting..."

Roxanne sighs and digs her list out of her bag along with her pen, scoring Ablestar off of her list.

They were four for four.

++|++

my baby rebecca made an -albeit brief- appearance. if i had planned all of this better and known that i would be writing a deaky story, roxanne would have definitely been part of STL