A week into her visit, the weather finally took a turn for the better and Roxanne had suggested that they shut the shop early and all meet up at the park.
So now, here they were, traipsing through the crowded area to find a spot where they could set down their blankets and cooler because, in Roxy's opinion, you can't go to the park without a picnic.
She, Brian and Roger (who came reluctantly) arrived first followed by John and then finally Freddie, who'd invited Mary along too.
"This was a fabulous idea, darling," Freddie said as he lay down on one of the blankets (a tartan one that Roxy had found in the back of the flat's cupboard), "I don't we've done this before. All of us, I mean."
"There's a reason for that," Roger grumbles, swatting at a bee, yelping when Roxanne smacks his arm, "What?"
"Leave it alone, Roger. It's not doing anything to you."
Brian, who's hovering above the lot of them, looks over his shoulder towards the north entrance of the park, "There's a little ice cream van there. Does anyone want anything?"
At once, five hands shoot and Brian nods, "Alright, what's everyone wanting?"
They all tell him their requests and when it comes to Roxanne's turn, she sits up and pushes her sunglasses up onto her hair, "I'll have a double cone."
He narrows his eyes at her but doesn't protest, "Flavours?"
"Vanilla and mint please."
"Hang on," Roger sits up, "If she's getting a double scoop then so am I."
"No, you're not."
"But that's not fair!"
"Hang on, hang on," Freddie mumbles, suspiciously eying Roxy and Brian, "I'm sensing some tension here. What's happened?"
A smirk rises onto Roger's face as he remembers this morning's shenanigans.
"Nothing," Roxanne says quickly. Too quickly.
"Liar," Roger sang, taking a drink of his coke.
Brian's face has turned a brilliant shade of red while the blonde quickly finds the grass by her legs rather interesting.
"It's really not that bad," Roger then goes on to say, which makes his cousin glare at him.
"Not that bad?" she repeats, "Roger, he saw me naked!"
John, who was midway through taking a sip of his drink, chokes and Mary is quick to reach over and pat him on the back and the bassist looks at Brian, "You what?"
"I-I didn't," he stutters, "I mean, you should have locked the door, Roxanne!"
"That's easier said than done. You don't have one!"
"What?" Roger scoffs, "That's...we're not animals, Roxanne. We have a bathroom lock."
"I can assure you that you don't," she says, shaking her head.
"We do!"
"A fiver," she holds out her hand, "I'm betting you two a fiver each that you don't."
"Deal." both Roger and Brian shake her hand.
"Good," she grins, pulling her sunglasses down once more, "Now go get me my ice cream."
++|++
As the sun continued to beat down on them, Freddie had spent the majority of the time talking about what the summer had in store for the band and from what Roxy could understand, there was going to be a lot of travelling involved.
After a while, however, with their supplies running low, he and Brian volunteered to go to the closest shop to grab some more snacks and juice and once they'd gone, Roger had gotten bored and had gone to annoy some ducks that were -until he approached- content swimming in their pond. So that left Roxanne, John and Mary on the blankets and conversation quickly turned to her life up in Scotland.
"Where about are you from?" Mary asks, pushing her glasses up onto her hair so she can let her face get some sun.
Roxanne doesn't look up from the daisy chain she's making, "Pittenweem."
"Never heard of it," John says and she laughs.
"No, I wouldn't have expected you too. It's a little fishing village and yeah, mum and dad run a guest house that's right on the water."
"That sounds lovely," Mary says, looking at John when he lays down in between them and Roxy shrugs.
"It is. I mean, it's quiet most of the year but summer, business is booming. You guys should come up some time."
The three of them look over to where Roger was standing when there's a particularly loud hiss from one of the swans in the pond and they see that he's annoying it.
"Jesus Christ," Roxanne whispers, pushing herself up from the grass, "Roger! For goodness sake, Roger, stop it! You're going to end up with a broken-"
Mary and John watch them silently as the younger of the two Taylor's drag the other back towards them, pushing him down onto the blanket.
"You're such a child sometimes, Roger," Brian says as he and Freddie return, long limbs folding underneath him as he sits down.
Roxanne goes back to making her daisy chain but when she struggles to get them to connect the way she likes it, she settles for just sprinkling them over John's hair.
"Beautiful," she giggles when he opens one eye, "Truly beautiful."
He gives her a bright grin in return and she can't help but think that damn, he has a lovely smile.
"So," Roger hums, "What were we talking about?"
"I was just saying that you guys should come up sometime when I go home," Roxanne explains, "I know that mum and dad would love to see you."
He scoffed, picking up a bottle of water, "Please. Aunt Cathy, maybe but Uncle Greg? No thank you."
Roxanne rolls her eyes, "Roger,"
"No, Roxy. I'm not hearing it."
"What's going on there?" Brian asks, eyebrow raised.
"Roger," Roxanne begins, "Is convinced that my dad hates him."
"He does!"
"No he doesn't!" she laughs, "Rog, it was one time and we were just kids..."
"Ah!" he reaches over and covers her mouth with his hand, "We'll say no more about it."
She holds her hands up in surrender and he moves his hand, "You're the boss."
++|++
At around four, they decide to go their separate ways.
Freddie and Mary went off to do god knows what, Brian had arranged to meet up with some people he knew from the school.
Roger, Roxy and John, however, went back to the flat; Roger had a date late he had to get changed for, John was coming over to work on the amp he had found and since she was going to have an evening free from her pestering cousin, Roxanne decided that she would test out some flavours for Rog's birthday cake since there was just one week until the big day.
After a quick change of clothes, Roger was gone, telling her not to wait up as the door swings shut behind him.
"And then there were two," Roxy says, looking at John and he gives her another toothy grin in response and she notices that his face has taken the brunt of the sun's rays and makes a mental note to give him some after sun lotion before he leaves for the evening.
While he tinkers about with his amp, Roxanne busies herself in the kitchen and it's mostly silent except for the quiet curses he lets out every now and then.
She decides to make some cupcakes, they're easy to do and it'll let Roger try them all and even though she knows he's going to go for chocolate like he always does, she wants to at least give him some options. Who knows, he might surprise her.
When the first batch of cakes is in the over and he can smell them baking, John is intrigued and sets down his screwdriver so he can come and investigate, peering over Roxanne's shoulder as she mixes up the batter for the next flavour.
"How long have you been doing this?" John asks softly and although she knew he was there, Roxy still jumps before she turns her head to look at him, finding that he's much closer than she had anticipated.
John, also realising that quickly clears his throat and steps back and she turns her gaze back to the bowl, feeling a light blush creep across her cheeks.
"Since I was around ten," she answers his question, "My gran and mum have always been great bakers so I guessed it was a given that I'd be into it as well."
"They smell great," he says quietly and she smiles.
"Help yourself."
"Are you sure?"
She nods, "Yeah. I mean, Roger can eat but there's no way he'll eat them all himself."
"I think you underestimate him, Roxanne," John says and she can't help but think that she quite likes the way he says her name.