#brissie

After dinner, the boys continued rehearsing and rehearsing, they would come to our apartment after the rehearsal, other days we would take turns, we would go out to eat pizza, so we could please everybody in our group of friends.

My new friends, I must say. I was used to Roger's company, Brian's best friend (though my boyfriend wouldn't admit it), and now I don't know if I'd be okay without Freddie and John around. Of course Freddie was the difference, the bold, the guy with crazy ideas, but in the end, (another thing Brian had to admit) were very good and worked.

John was the quiet one, that whenever he spoke, he added something that was missing from the conversation or what we were doing, and only he could see what it was. The boys were getting on so well that anyone who saw them didn't even suspect their fights when they started rehearsing together. But that doesn't mean they stopped fighting. Usually it was a childish bicker, or a disagreement here and there, but nothing close to a gladiatorial spectacle. Seeing the four coming home to the sound of laughter and excited conversations about music made me happy. I saw them coming like this after a day of rehearsal and I got excited too.

"It all worked out well today, by your faces ..." I said, after giving hi to them.

"Except for some broken strings, it went well," my boyfriend agreed.

"If you didn't get much excited that wouldn't happen," John mused.

"Don't care about them Bri," Freddie said in his defense. "The more you get excited, the better!"

"It's not good if that happens at a show." Roger raised the question.

"It wob't happen," Brian promised his friends, "I think I can get carried away and not break a string."

"You're lucky I saved you some strings as a precaution" Roger said at last.

"I wish I had seen today's rehearsal," I said.

"You're use to go to the rehearsals, Mrs. May?" Freddie asked, emphasizing the last word.

I got shocked as I understood what he said, and Brian choked on the spot.

"Sorry for causing that reaction," the band's vocalist spoke again, and I could tell he was trying to control his laughter.

"Why ..." I was still trying to recover from the shock. "Why did you call me that ... Freddie?"

"Oh, you're practically Brian's wife, and you look after us almost like a mother would," he explained to me. "Mrs. May is the perfect nickname for you."

"Maybe someday she'll be Mrs. May" Rog murmured, but I heard.

"That's ... A compliment then," I breathed, but I decided not to let him win this, he was almost killing me and Brian in embarrassment "but you know what? You three are big enough to take care of yourself, but you insist in behave like children."

"I've already apologized and if I need to, I'll apologize again." Freddie sounded genuinely regretful.

I looked at Brian for help, and the poor man could not even look me in the eye. Freddie had raised a subject that Bri and I hadn't stopped to think about much before. I didn't think I was ready to marry yet, nor did he.

" I forgive you" I ended up surrendering, but I had a special trick under my sleeve !but let's change the subject, are you going to do shows again or not?"

Brian smiled relieved that I had changed the subject.

"Oh yeah, the rehearsals have been going well and now we just need to decide where we're going to make a show," he explained cheerfully.

"I know where we're going," Freddie announced, "Ealing Art College!"

"As if we could choose ..." John shrugged.

"We really have to check their schedule first," Brian recalled.

"Not for that." Freddie pointed at him and then picked up the phone, dialing what I assumed to be his college secretary.

The boys made faces with what the singer did, but in the end we were watching with expectation.

"Hello, I'm Freddie Bulsara, representing the band Smile, we wanted a night in the auditorium for a show" Freddie said at once in his best boss tone "yes, I know, uhum, no, no, ok, ok, thanks."

He hung up and was silent on purpose. Appreciating our expectation with some pleasure.

!What's up?" Roger let slip.

"I hope you're ready to debut this weekend!" Freddie announced with open arms.

The boys cheered. After the euphoria passed, I remembered something else.

"This is the perfect opportunity to introduce Veronica to us, John" after all this time we hadn't been properly presented to her yet.

"I don't know, Chrissie, from what I'm saying about these guys, she's not too excited to meet them," he chuckled.

"You can't just tell our bad stuff to Veronica, Deaky," Freddie complained.

"I know your bad stuff and I still love you guys anyway," I tried to remedy with a smile.

We left the girlfriends subject so they start thinking about the presentation that was to come.

During the rest of the week, I noticed Brian a little apprehensive, with the show and something else.

"Chrissie," he called out to me as we had dinner, "what Freddie said ... He kind of hinted at a ... Marriage ... It's not that I don1t love you, or think of the future, it's just ... Marriage is a big responsibility, and I want to be able to give you a decent life, with everything you deserve ... We're just not financially well now ..."

"Bri, it's okay" I reassured him since he was scared to death -"I also have reservations about this, but I also think that it's not yet the right time, I also want to make a commitment to you, I also love you and I understand you."

"Really?" he asked, still uncertain.

"Really," I rose and hugged him, "and don't mind if Freddie calls me Mrs. May."

"I won't mind if you don't mind," Brian said.

"Now it doesn't bother me any more, it's a sign that we make a perfect couple," I smiled.

I just kissed him, so we agreed on the subject of marriage.

Then, after waiting so long, I would finally see a Smile show, Brian and Roger excited to be back, Freddie and John eager to contribute to their music and the four happy to play together. I was the only girl in Roger's van, which made me miss Jo, but so much had changed since I had been in that van for the first time ...

I got out of the van, letting the boys take the instruments. Before I went to the auditorium, someone called me.

"Chrissie!" I turned to John "I told Veronica I was going to meet her there, she's probably already arrived."

"Oh yeah, I got it" I understood and kept walking.

I knew Veronica by sight, and I recognized her again as soon as I saw her. She looked at everything with an apprehensive look, I think it was the first time she was going to a show.

"Hi," she said half-timidly, "are you Veronica, John Deacon's girlfriend, the band's bass player?"

"It's me," she nodded, confirming, "you can only be Chrissie, right, the guitarist's girlfriend, Brian, right?"

"Yeah, John passed on the correct information," I chuckled. "It's me, he warned me to come find you."

"Yeah, it was good Johnny did it because I don't know anyone here," Veronica explained.

"Oh, neither do I" I said, "just Freddie and Tim, some of my friends who study here."

"I don't know why, but I'm kind of nervous about them, does that happen to you, too?" Veronica asked me.

"Oh yes, believe me, they give their all in rehearsals, and this is the first time they perform together, but I know they're incredible, you'll see," I guaranteed.

"Yeah, I know they're very experienced in this band thing, so it's going to work out okay." Veronica used optimism to ward off anxiety.

I looked at the stage and everything was ready, they were about to begin, but Brian called me from where I was. I excused Veronica and I went there.

"I couldn't start the show without a good luck kiss," he told me, smiling. "It's already our tradition."

"But everyone's watching," I laughed nervously.

"That was no problem at Imperial College," he mused.

"That's because it was your college," I said, but he didn't understand.

"It could be very fast then," he suggested.