September 24 - 1971
"Hi." A voice called to Brian over his desk. He looked up completely dumbfounded. His professor had told him that his graduate assistant's name was Aaron but it was only now that he realized it was that kind of Erin....not Aaron. "I'm...Erin...Erin Miller. Dr. Ambrose said that you needed some equations run and some essays graded? He also mentioned you have some physics problems that needed completing? Oh, here are the clear overhead transfers your requested for the orbital patterns." she said, tentatively reaching into her briefcase. Brian found his pulse racing as he glanced stupidly around his desk at the piles of papers and books. Dr. Ambrose, another member of his thesis board had said nothing about him having a female graduate assistance for his thesis work and help with his class workload. It wasn't that he minded, it was simply that this was terrifying because she was barely Brian's age and knew how to run quantum equations. Now here she was with a handful of clear overhead transfer sheets with the outlines of the orbits of Saturn, Mars, Earth and...and whatever other planets that were in the solar system that Brian couldn't name right now. She smiled waiting for him to take them.
"Um..." Brian cleared his throat and squirmed in his chair. "Um...thank you. Thank you very much. I...I appreciate these and...yeah. I...Brian. Err..." Brian shook his head. "Pro...fessor May. I'm Brian May. You can call me Professor May or Brian or....Brian." Oh god it was the worst introduction in the history of introductions.
"Nice to meet you professor. I brought you my schedule and I've got my number here if you need to ring me for anything. I have a mailbox down in the physics department office. You can leave any student papers there that I can help you with or if you need reference materials for your research I can help you with that too. Anytime you need equations run please let me know. I can do them and have them back to you within a day." She said smiling at him again.
"Uh huh...I mean...yes, yes. Thank you, Erin. I appreciate that and thank you for the transfers." Brian told her, staring across his desk not saying anything else. She shook her head before awkwardly waiting for Brian to give her his office phone or what she should be researching for him for his thesis material. Instead, there he was, hands nicely folded on his desk and a stupid smile on his face.
"Um...Professor May? It's nearly 3:30 and I have to meet my boyfriend across campus. Do you...have the equations for me? Do you have anythin' else I should work on for you this week?" she asked seeing as Brian was not making a lot of progress. Oh thank god, thank god Erin had a boyfriend whom she had to meet across campus!
"Oh! It's...it's almost 3:30!? Shiiii....yes. I'm...I'm sorry Erin. I have to go too. I'm...I'm in a band and we have a show tonight. Um, here is the envelope with all the equations. Here are the essays and here are the physics problems. I'll write down my office number for you here and if you need me after hours with questions or something I'll give you my phone to my flat. Perhaps I can get you a list next week of some materials I need for me thesis?" Brian had finally snapped back to reality. Erin smiled more comfortably seeing as he had lightened up.
"Sure! Absolutely. I'm happy to pull any journals you need." She said taking the piece of paper from him. "I'll have all the equations done for you Monday. I'll put them in your mailbox between my nine and eleven o' clock classes. Thank you for your contact information." Erin said as she turned around. She spun partly back around to face Brian. "Professor May? Did you say you were in a band?" she asked a bit perplexed.
"Yes. I play guitar...and I sing some." Brian said, the words sounding almost foreign to even him. Erin smiled and shook her head.
"That's pretty rad. Nice to meet you Professor. Have a great weekend. I'll talk to you next week." She said before leaving Brian's office.
"John! John!" Veronica called excitedly as the door had barely cracked open. "John! Get up here!" John hurried up the stairs at the sound of Veronica's excited calls to him.
"What? What is it?" he asked anxiously, hurrying into the kitchen where Veronica sat at the table where her notebook opened. She had never looked so excited as she shoved her notebook at John. He couldn't help but smile at what he saw as they were £200 ahead this month. It was the first month in a year that they were financially comfortable. Maybe it had been all of the consistent gigs or perhaps all the work at the childcare center Veronica had been able to get. It could have been a combination of factors but it didn't matter. They were in the black rather than teetering on the red. No debt and not even close to being over budget this month.
"I can't believe it. I..." John was so thrilled that he didn't even finish his thought, instead leaning over and pressing his lips into Veronica's. "This is bloody exciting." He told her, his forehead against hers.
"I know it is." She said still unable to hide her excitement.
"You don't have to come to the show tonight if you want to stay here and count the money." John teased her.
"It's okay. I've already counted it...twice." Veronica laughed at him. John took a seat beside her.
"We wouldn't be this much ahead if you didn't watch our budget so closely." He credited her. Veronica smiled.
"This is a good start." She said but John didn't appear to be listening. He seemed to be in a bit of a trance as he stared at her. "What are you looking at?" she asked of him. John shook his head.
"I'm gonna' marry you someday. You know that right?" He said sincerely. Veronica laughed.
"Oh my god! We're £200 in the black and that's the spark you need to marry me someday!?" She giggled even more. "I love you but just because we're okay this month doesn't mean I'm looking for a marriage proposal."
"I'm serious! I'm bein' serious!" John laughed at her. "I'm tryin' to tell you serious things and you laugh at me!?" he said, unable to hide his smile as he unsuccessfully tried to tickle her.
"We've never even talked about such a thing. Besides, even if you say you want to marry me someday it certainly won't happen until we've finished our studies. That gives me more time to get these numbers up." Veronica said, pointing to the notebook she kept. John smiled at her again.
"So let's just say, hypothetically, we were done with school and you got all these numbers up where you liked them. Then would you think about marryin' me?" He asked, putting his chin in his palm.
"Sure I would. You wanna' know why?" she asked with a gleam in her eye that looked as if she were the happiest girl in the world. John nodded excitedly, dying to know her reasoning.
" 'Cause you got the moves!" She answered giving her fingers a snap to match the sway in her body. "On...and off the dance floor!" she said, continuing to let her rhythmic snap match her seated free-style dance moves.
"Veronica!" John laughed at her before burying his head into his arms on the table.
"Mmmhmm! That's right! Mmmhmm!" she continued with her snapping and swaying. John finally looked up to her again though his laughter as she continued her motions.
"See? That's why I love you so much." He said. Veronica stood up, snapping her fingers again.
"Then come show me your moves...in there." She said, nodding to their bedroom and raising her eyebrows at him.
"Oh I will. I'm gonna' talk dirty to you. I'm gonna' call you moneybags when I'm undressin' ya'." he teased her. Veronica let out a muffled laugh as she motioned him toward her.
"Freddie are you absolutely sure about this?" Mary asked as Freddie lay there shirtless on his plush bathroom rug. Mary found herself in a gray area with Freddie, teetering between friend and girlfriend. His answerphone message told her to come by at 5:00 with shaving cream, a razor, moisturizing lotion and two cans of flaked tuna cat food. He followed it up with promises of ordering in Italian and a bottle of red wine. It was no wonder Mary found herself in an odd place with him.
"Yes! Yes I'm sure. I want to be fresh and fabulous for the show tonight! I simply hate that you can't come." Freddie said as he lie there waiting for Mary to soak his chest down. Mary ran a wet washcloth over Freddie's chest, letting water trickle down his sides.
"I know. My mum's expectin' me at 8:00. I'll come next time though." She promised. Hmm. Freddie sounded as if she were more than just a friend.
"Now, lather me up, darling. I need my chest entirely shaved clean and I just know you'd be quite good at this!" He said, smiling up at Mary. Friend. Definitely friend.
"Alright. Here it goes." She said, leaving a dollup of cream on his stomach. "Um..." Mary began, looking a bit nervously at his jeans. "How...how far down are we..." Mary stopped and looked up at Freddie.
"Oh! Go right ahead and get in my pants!" Freddie giggled at her. "I'll tell you where to stop!" he insisted. Mary smiled nervously and positioned her hands in the most friend-zone possible way she possibly could, watching Freddie as she unbuttoned his jeans. She could feel her heart pound as she swallowed hard. This was indeed more than a friendly gesture. She worked his jeans down his slender hips slowly, taking everything underneath them with her. She was scared to death she would make a wrong move and pull everything off. She glanced up at him again as he watched her; both of them silent. Suddenly, Mary screeched and nearly jumped through the bathroom ceiling at the sound of a cat meowing; arriving to monitor the activities of the bath.
"Oh shit! Shit!" she said, covering her heart. "She scared me to death...I'm sorry." Mary said, breaking the silence.
"Its just Buttercup, Mary!" Freddie said, petting her over his head. Mary found herself relieved as she felt her pounding heart.
"Um...are we...goin' any further?" she asked, her mouth becoming dry.
"Hmm?" Freddie looked down. No, no. That's perfect!" he said, returning to buttercup. Oh thank god...the return to the friend-zone.
"Alright. Don't let Buttercup get cream all over her." Mary cautioned Freddie as she began to smooth shaving cream all over his chest. She swallowed hard again as she moved farther down his abdomen. Buttercup purred as she and Freddie didn't say anything for a moment.
"Do you think I'm too hairy?" he asked in his 'I value your opinion in a way more than just a friends' opinion' tone of voice.
"Um...no. No, I don't. I...I don't think you're too hairy at all." There was silence between them again as Mary drug the razor in short stroked along Freddie's chest near his throat. "In fact I...I think you're...you know...you're attractive." Mary said clearing her throat before shoving the razor into a bowl of water that she had placed nearby to clean it out. She splashed it back and forth realizing that this little project would take longer than she had anticipated.
"Really?" Freddie asked of her, watching Mary work. She shook her head.
"Yeah." She said, not making eye contact with her gray area friend as she resumed her work. "I really love your eyes...Freddie. And...you know...the conversations we have and...well I don't mind shaving your chest though it's a bit obscure. I liked it just fine when you stripped your shirt off and laid in the floor." Mary looked up and smiled at him.
"Oh Mary! You're just a doll aren't you?" he said, petting the cat again as she continued to work over his chest. It was certainly a strange request to rope your 'friend' into, shaving ones' chest on the bathroom floor. Mary continued to exchange nervous glances with Freddie, wondering where to draw the line as she shaved further down his abdomen, periodically cleaning the razor as she worked. At this point in her life, it was the most sensual act she'd participated in. She and Freddie had never actually discussed the awkward nature of their relationship. One minute you're picking up flaked tuna for the cat and the next minute you're lathering up shaving cream in your friends' pants.
"Freddie..." Mary began as she eyed Freddie, resuming her shaving of him. He looked up to her, Mary's long hair falling around her shoulders as she slowly worked her razor around him. She made eye contact with him for longer than they had up to this point in their...knowing each other. She gave him her best smile before shaking her head. "Nothing. It's not important." She said, returning to the task before her.
"I'm really I met you." Freddie said sincerely as he watched her.
"Glad I met you too." Mary answered, turning a bit pink as she felt her palm become sweaty the lower she shaved on Freddie. It wasn't the exchange of friends, it wasn't the exchange of lovers, but it was an exchange. Mary didn't know what to make of the man in her floor. He was perplexing, charming, unpredictable and sought out her company often. As much as she had him coated in shaving cream, she couldn't help but inhale the scent from his body that seemed to overpower the fluffy lather. Perhaps it was the exotic scent of Zanzibar itself that hung in the air, or the spicy incense that Freddie burned in the living area of his flat. Whatever the case, Mary found herself enchanted in the actions of her hands, the intoxicating scent and the conversation that developed over a razor.
As I did my dishes that evening, I couldn't believe the thoughts that had invaded my mind over the month of September. I thought about Roger too much. I looked forward to seeing him too much. I had let my walls crack too deeply and now he was in. I was structured and calculated, Roger was more carefree. I had a tendency to be insecure; requiring periodic self-esteem boosts and Roger was emotionally needy with an ego made of glass. It was no secret that I spent a lot of money. I took him shopping with me after he begged me to the point of annoyance to go only to see that he had expensive taste like myself. He had all these big dreams and aspirations, even bigger than my own. Roger's mind seemed to never stop until I made it stop. I had inadvertently turned him into a very enthusiastic lover and I sure as hell wasn't complaining. I stared at the counter to the side of my sink as I let the water run wondering what the hell had become of me. I had to come to terms with the facts: I was crazy about him; crazy to the point where it just pissed me off. I simply had to talk myself into being less angry because I had at least a thousand emotions right at the surface that were about to explode like an overfilled piñata. On one hand, I was perfectly happy with the current relationship I had with Roger. Yet on the other hand...there was more to be had from the relationship we had. There was something happening that was entirely out of my control. I could feel it. I could feel it the way you can feel the city bus coming down the street to it's next stop. Roger was on the verge of crossing over from the friend with benefits territory to the boyfriend territory. I fought with him over paying his water bill. He got so mad when I had given him money. He fought with me over the fact that I wouldn't open up to him and so I got mad at him because he had no damn clue. He accused me of thinking like a man and loving like a woman, which made me pull my horns in. Roger and I hadn't spoken for two days because we needed to cool off...cool off from acknowledging that we both felt more for each other but didn't dare want to confront it. I knew there was a show tonight and wondered whether or not I would hear from him. Frankly, I wanted to hear from him but I sure as hell wasn't going to be the first one to pick up that damn phone.
I finished up my dishes, having put everything away. Turned out the light in my kitchen and headed for my plush, odor free sectional couch. Speaking of couch odors, The upholstery cleaner had successfully cleaned Roger's and it had become a much happier place to sit. As I sat there in my darkened living room, the light filtering in through the windows and the sound of the passing traffic serenading me; I started to think: What was so bad about a putrid couch anyway? I missed Roger's slim shoulder because it had turned out to be a most wonderful resting place for not only my head, but for my heavy, heavy heart. Chrissie had been right. What was so scary about leaning up against a man? I knew I was awkward around Roger when I wasn't drunk or he wasn't in me but had I not already shit in my own bed; I swore I'd work on it. I'd try to let Roger see the person that I really was instead of the one I'd been for the past two years; which was an oh too clichéd girl with a broken heart of which had been hastily put back together with several missing pieces. I had been knocked off my high horse and had felt softer in the past month than I had in the past year. If I had a chance, I had to free that softness.
Without warning the phone rang, scaring the hell out of me as it interrupted my screaming thoughts. I cleared my throat before picking up the receiver. "Hello?" I answered. "Hi...hi! Roger." I said, my second greeting more enthusiastic as I cleared my throat again and sat up on the couch.
"Hey. Whatcha' doin' right now?" He asked.
"Nothing much. Just watchin' the Telly...reading." I lied as I had just lectured myself about being softer and more honest. Roger nodded his head on his end of the conversation.
"I uh...I wanted to tell you that I'm sorry. I'm sorry for kinda' bein' a dick to you and...I...well I've just been thinkin' about you and about me and about...you an' me a lot. And when I start thinkin' about shit I...I just...I just get pissed off. And I get pissed off because in the last couple days I've seen at least a dozen gorgeous girls and I don't wanna' fuck any of 'em 'cause none of 'em are you! There. There I said it. I'd really like it if you came to the show tonight." Roger finished. My heart was about to beat from my chest but I didn't want him to know that. I had to keep my cool. So...he got pissed too. I guess I wasn't the only one who got scared and angry. I was completely silent as I chewed the hell out of my thumb and already mentally planned what I would wear to the show tonight. I desperately wanted him to come over to my flat at this very moment and tear into him the way I tore into a pair of Manolo Blahniks at a half off sale. I glanced behind me at the clock: 6:45 PM. Shit. The only thing I would be tearin' into right now was my makeup bag. "Lydia?" he questioned, his tone vulnerable...defeated.
"Uh...um...yeah, yeah." I cleared my throat again and shifted around on my couch. "I'm...I'm here. I uh...I'm sorry too. I have a hard time with my feelings, Roger and it's not your fault. I just...I've made it every man's fault until now and you need to know that. And you need to know that I...I fuckin' feel sorry for ya'. I hate that I can afford anythin' and you can't! I don't wanna' see you strugglin' to pay your bills and I hate seein' how damn hungry you are all the time. I hate...I hate that I can't just hold your hand without stiffening up like a fuckin' board! Okay? I hate all that! I also hate flowers, chocolates, stuffed toys, and cards. I love clothes though. Oh! And cars. I love those." There was a long pause between us again before I heard Roger snicker at me. Okay, that was promising.
"I need to ask you somethin'. In the past three months, who all have you slept with besides me? And if it helps, I slept with three other girls after I met you but shit it was...it was like ridin' bicycle after you've test driven a Maserati." Roger confessed. I laughed at him a bit.
"One. Just one other guy. Someone whom I've known for a while and...and someone I...want to forget and can forget." I said winding the phone cord around my fingers.
"Alright. So, you'll come to the show tonight?" he asked of me. I couldn't hide my smile as I shook my head yes on my end of the phone.
"Yes. Yes I'll come to the show." I promised him.
"And um...and you an' me? Are...are we okay?" Roger asked. I shook my head again.
"Yes. We're okay. I'll see you after the show?" I questioned.
"Yeah. Come backstage. Remember those steps near the front I showed you a couple weeks ago?" he asked. Here we were. Both of us stripped down to the raw, to the honest level. I was talking to a different person that I had fucked a week ago.
"Okay. I'll see you soon then. Bye." I hung up the phone and flew frantically to the bathroom. I had less than an hour to get ready.
It was nearly four hours later that I found myself headed down the brick steps as Roger had instructed me.
From Underneath Your Clothes
" ..."I've been doin' a lot of thinkin' and I wanted to ask you..." He breathed out deeply again..."...if you'd be my girlfriend. You know...like just you and me...no seein' or sleepin' with no one else."
I said yes that night, wondering what in god's Chrissie would think of me when I told her what I'd done.
Alrighty everyone! Just to let you know what's up next we will be heading into an arc of Brian and Chrissie's early relationship of which I pretty much spend very very little time on the first time around. I will of course, reference all the necessary parts of stories you need to know. Prepare to be entranced in the full essence of autumn, outdoor shows, apple cider and astronomy! ;)