"Thank you, my loves, for a wonderful night! See you next time!" Lillie called out to the cheering crowd, lifting the electric guitar in triumph as she grinned.
The whole night had been something else. Lillie couldn't remember another time playing where she felt so alive, as if she was on top of the world. In reality it was nothing, a gig in a pub function room full of students and young graduates. It was nothing, in the grand scheme of things, and there were a lot of musicians out there who experienced concerts on a whole different scale to that, but as Lillie looked out at the excited crowd, she couldn't help but think that maybe it was just the beginning.
Lillie usually didn't like to look out to the crowd, it reminded her of how everyone in the room was watching her, and that often put her on edge slightly. That night though, she couldn't help it, revelling in how happy everyone seemed. There was one place her gaze seemed to drift to in particular though, and that was the table in the back corner, out of the way from the attention of everyone else, where Queen were sat. The fact that they were watching her still terrified her, no amount of hang outs and jam sessions had gotten her over the nerves of playing in front of them, but if anything, the fear was making her play better.
The one thing urging her on throughout the whole night, however, wasn't the happiness of the crowd, or the thought of her friends in the back. No, it was the sight of Brian, grinning at her from right at the back of the room, watching her as if she was the best singer on earth, and not some wannabe. The lights normally made it quite hard to see out very far, but as if by magic, Brian stood out to her over everything else. It was as if he was the only person in the room, the only one who mattered. She wasn't quite sure if it was because of the fresh memories of the kiss, still playing through her mind, or if it was because she was playing music he helped her write on a guitar he'd lent her, either way, it was like she was trying to impress him, trying to make him like her more.
And it was working. Brian was blown away by her performance, considering it was even better than the last one. She'd grown so much as a musician in such a short space of time, and as she finished her set, beaming as if she'd just played to millions rather than just under a hundred people, Brian couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of pride. He was proud of her, and he cared about her the more time he spent with her. He wasn't sure when he'd next get to kiss her or hold her like he had done before, but that didn't matter, just being around her was enough, as his endearment grew more and more.
After a few moments on stage, Brian watched as Lillie leapt off the platform, and he was in awe of how graceful she seemed to be, managing to not even stumble in her high shoes. Guitar still in hand, she went straight to the bar, where Mick handed her a pint. She was grinning, her smile seeming to grow as the alcohol was handed to her, and then her gaze drifted to the far side of the room, where they were all sat, waiting for her. Upon meeting his eye, Lillie winked at Brian, before weaving in and out of the crowd to get to her friends.
Brian wanted to hug her as soon as she got over to them, and Lillie couldn't wait to be near him again, but as soon as she got close to the group she was practically tackled by someone else, and it took her a second to realise that someone else was John. The bassist was ruffling her hair and shouting approvals to her, but Lillie couldn't quite pay attention to him, struggling to take it all in.
"Deacy!" She exclaimed eventually, snorting with laughter. "Get off me, soppy bugger!"
"Sorry, I can't help it, I'm just so proud of you!" he cheered, making her flush bright red. "The crowd loved you, you were amazing!"
"The whole time he kept hitting my arm shouting 'that's my best friend!'" Roger called to her, holding his pint glass up as he watched the two friends with a small smirk. "You were bloody brilliant, though, better than our last support artist,"
"Roger is absolutely right, darling!" Freddie cheered to her. "You were amazing!"
"Thanks, Roger, thanks Fred," Lillie grinned over to the drummer and the singer, her arm still wrapped around John's shoulder.
All the compliments were leaving Lillie almost flustered, as she turned to John looking to her best friend for some normality, snorting out a laugh. Glancing from John back down to Brian, she bit her lip slightly, thinking of their time alone before, and seeing his small smile and the way his eyes had lit up as soon as she joined the group made Lillie want to kiss him all over again. Not that she could, of course, considering the fact the rest of the band were there and would surely go wild upon seeing them kiss.
"Lillie, you were so good up there," Brian spoke up eventually, as if feeling her gaze fall upon him, their eyes meeting. She bit her lip slightly, blushing.
"Cheers, Bri," was all she could managed to get out, knowing that if she spent any more time thinking about him or looking at him, she'd want to kiss him all over again.
That was when she noticed the two newcomers; a blonde woman sat next to Freddie, their hands interlocked tightly, and a brunette sat next to Brian, looking up at John as if he made the world turn round. Mary and Veronica, Lillie realised, instantly thrilled that she was finally meeting them.
"Lillie, dear, this is Mary," Freddie called to her, realising he hadn't introduced his partner. "You know, my fiancé, the love-"
"The love of your life, Fred, we all know," Lillie grinned at the singer as she held her hand out to Mary to shake. "It's nice to meet you Mary, I've heard a lot about you,"
Mary smiled back, shaking Lillie's hand with her free hand, her other not letting go to Freddie's. Lillie couldn't help but notice the way Freddie looked at her, looking at her as if she was the most wonderful person in the room. It was the way everyone wanted their significant other to look at them, and the sight of the two of them made Lillie slightly envious, not that she really understood why; maybe it was because she wanted what they had, but with someone she liked?
"Oh, yeah, sorry," John spoke up, suddenly remembering his girlfriend at the same time. "Lee, this is Veronica,"
"It's nice to finally meet you!" Lillie exclaimed, turning her attention back to John and his girlfriend. As Veronica stood up, the two women embraced. "John never shuts up about you!"
"I could say the same about you!" Veronica laughed. "I've heard so much about you, it's nice to meet the famous Lillie Sparrow at last, I'm sure you can tell me loads about John,"
"Oh God, the stories I have!" Lillie shot John a mischievous grin, thinking of all the ways she could embarrass him with old anecdotes.
"Please no," John muttered quietly, taking hold of Veronica's hand as if pulling her away from his best friend, the best friend he didn't trust to not recall stories of their childhood. "I'm going to regret introducing you two, I know it,"
"Yes, you are," Lillie nodded seriously before cracking another smile. "Just like you're going to regret introducing me to Freddie, Rog and Brian,"
"As if he could ever regret that!" Freddie called enthusiastically, making Lillie blush bright red, still not entirely used to having friends who liked her so openly and warmly.
"Right then," Lillie called to the band, clapping her hands together as she looked between them all. "Shall we get pissed?"
***
As usual, Lillie and the boys were the last ones left in the pub, to the extent that Mick had left the keys with Lillie for her to lock up, but not before telling her to make sure they paid for whatever they took from behind the bar. Anyone else, any other member of staff, Mick wouldn't have trusted, but Lillie was different. Lillie was the hardest working barmaid he had, not to mention she always managed to draw a crowd when she played her music. For once it was nice to see her let her hair down and have fun.
And Lillie was doing just that. She normally had quite a high alcohol tolerance but that had seemingly gone straight out of the window that night, and even though she was considerable drunk after only a few pints, she couldn't remember ever feeling so happy. She wasn't quite sure how the situation had gotten to that point, but she knew that, as she found herself laid out on one of the sofas next to Roger, wearing his sunglasses as he was wearing her leather jacket, she hadn't laughed so much in such a long time.
The past few months had been so monotonous, so dull. In fact, every day since about halfway though her first year of university, Lillie had felt that way. Of course there were good days, but most days she felt miserable. It wasn't something she told many people about, preferring to just savour the good times than revel in the bad, but for the last few weeks, Lillie hadn't even felt down. Sure, there was the argument with her parents, a reminder of the bad times, but being around her newfound friends, she forgot all about the bad times. Instead, all she wanted to do was laugh, savouring the way she felt, a grin seemingly never leaving her face.
And if anyone noticed, it was John. He'd known Lillie for such a long time, seen her through the ups and the downs, seen her at rock bottom, but he'd never seen her so happy. He knew she never really had that many friends, instead just relying on him and her siblings, and what with him always being away working and her brother being in America, Lillie often got quite lonely. He worried about her when he was on tour or in the studios, and missed her a lot when he was away from home. He didn't know how long they'd be at home until they got dragged back off somewhere by Sheffield, their manager, but he knew he was going to enjoy every moment he got with Lillie, enjoy every moment he got to see her smile.
John had known Lillie to be so down for such a long time, it was like music to his ears to hear her laugh. She never really let anyone see her bad side, but he could always see through her façade, see her true feelings. Those true feelings, which hadn't been even the least bit down for the last few weeks. Those true feelings, that told John how much she loved his bandmates. Those true feelings, that told John that Lillie was developing a major crush on Brian.
Of course, he knew that anyway, and walking in on the two of them kissing before the concert confirmed that for him. He wasn't going to embarrass either of them by mentioning it at the time, but he also knew what they were like. He knew that the kiss was probably a one off, and that both of them would be far too nervous or scared to make another move, not wanting to ruin whatever they already had. He knew that no matter how happy they would make each other, they would both be far too scared to insinuate anything else.
So, that was why John decided he needed to intervene.
"Brian?" John called from where he was sat with Veronica, looking over to where his bandmate was sat on the sofa across from Roger and Lillie, talking to Mary and Freddie. "
"Yeah, John?" Brian called back with a small frown, wondering what he wanted.
"Can I have a word, please? In private," John spoke, almost nervously as he got up, kissing Veronica's cheek as he went, watching Brian rise slowly from his seat, following him as the two of them headed out into the corridor, leaving the rest of their group behind.
"John, what's wrong?" Brian frowned, almost worried.
"Look, Brian, I just thought I should let you know that I know you like Lillie," John spoke quickly, getting his words out before he could stop himself; it was surprisingly nerve-wracking confronting your bandmate about his crush on your best friend. John watched as Brians eyes went wide, as if he began to panic, and just before he could stumble out an apology, John stopped him. "Don't worry, it's fine, I don't mind. If anything, I'm quite glad, because I know she likes you too, and I haven't seen her this happy in ages. Brian, if you knew at least half the things she's gone through, you'd get why I'm glad to see her happy,"
"I'm sorry I didn't mean to, it just kind of... happened," Brian shrugged, till not quite able to meet John's eye. It was an odd shift of roles, considering Brian was normally the more confident of the two. "You're right though, she's just so..."
As he drifted off, the two glanced back into the main room to see she was still giggling wildly with Roger, the two of them loudly singing Tenement Funster. The sight of it was enough to make Freddie laugh almost hysterically and though John too was sniggering, Brian was left looking on in awe, losing his train of thought completely at the sight of her, lost for words from how much he liked her.
John hit his arm gently, pulling him back to their conversation.
"Brian, just tell her, alright?" John spoke almost gently, watching his bandmate carefully to see the nerves hit him all over again.
"A-Alright, Deacy, I'll try," Brian nodded nervously as John hit his arm supportively, the two of them turning to make their way back into the main room, Brian's heart pounding in his chest as he considered telling Lillie how he felt.
"Give me a good guitar, and you can say that my hair's a disgrace- Brian!" Lille was singing, until she caught sight of the guitarist standing in the doorway.
The sight of him made her, in her intoxicated state, jump up excitedly, leaving Roger to slip off the sofa where he had been leaning against her. Lillie laughed wildly at the drummer before running over to Brian, grabbing hold of his hand. She grinned at him, her eyes narrowing and eyebrows arching up as she gazed up at him endearingly. The way she was looking at him made his breath catch slightly, his stomach fluttering slightly as he couldn't help but smirk back down at her, especially as she pulled him into a tight hug.
"Don't tell Deacy, but you're my favourite," Lillie muttered, giggling slightly.
"Yeah... you're my favourite too," he muttered back quietly, though not quiet enough for the others not to hear.
"Oh, fucks sake!" Roger called from the floor where he was slowly pulling himself back onto the sofa. "Just kiss already!"
"He has got a point, dears," Freddie shrugged slightly, though Mary hit his arm gently telling him to be quiet. "This whole will-they-won't-they thing is getting quite boring so just get on with it,"
"Oh, shut up, both of you," Brian spoke up, going red from everyone looking at him before glancing back to Lillie, almost flustered. "Don't listen to them, Lillie, it doesn't matter,"
"Yes it does, why doesn't it matter?" she frowned. "It mattered earlier on in the supply closet... and I think it matters now,"
And then, as if the rest of the group weren't there watching, before Brian even got the chance to tell her what he felt, Lillie grabbed hold of his collar, pulling him closer to her face. Maybe if she wasn't drunk she wouldn't have had the confidence to do something like that, but the confidence was there, and before she could regret it, her lips were pushed against his once again.
***
Word count: 2787
***