Faking It • Queen FanFiction

Cʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 6

Bed. Sleep. Food. Bernie practically crawled through the front door of her new home, if it even deserved such a humble title. Kicking off her boots once again, she barely made it to her room before she flopped down onto the sheets, the familiar smell being the only comfort that could be offered at such time. Thinking about it, she was surprised that Roger hadn't made a flirtatious remark about her being in uniform. Not that she was complaining about it, not at all. Even the mere thought of him and his slimy comments made her want to cry out in discomfort.

There was a knock at the door and Bernie, fearing the worst, groaned in defeat at the rattling sound as knuckle collided with wood. Laying face down on her double bed, she could barely muster the energy to get up and tend to the "guest", who she was 90% sure was her landlord. Thus, Holden was made to wait a few moments before Bernie finally opened the door to greet him.

"Don't you look gorgeous, Princess." He raised an eyebrow and let himself in, looking her up and down appraisingly as he did so.

"What do you want, Holden?" There was no such thing as civility when Bernie was this shattered, this starving and this unenthusiastic to see him of all people. The use of the nickname 'Princess' only aggravated her more: he'd used it to the death whilst they were dating and the mere memory of the word being uttered in his voice sent shivers down her spine, as if a ghost was drifting past. So now, hearing the words again, clear as day, made Bernie struggle to swallow the profanities that were brewing inside her mind.

"I came to make you an offer you can't decline," he grinned, revealing every one of his yellowing teeth. Something about his menacing smirk and dark glint in his eyes gave Bernie the feeling that this wasn't going to be good.

"Best make it quick, I'm hungry." She even went to the lengths of tapping her foot on the curling linoleum flooring, dramatising her impatience to make Holden hurry up. But she knew him well enough to know that a tapping foot wasn't going to deter him from taking his merry time. Unfortunately, Flo was staying overnight at the care home she worked at as a Respite nurse, meaning that it was just Bernie and Holden. Here. Alone. What could possibly go wrong?

"How about you and I go back to how things were?" Holden's voice took on a much deeper undertone, a tone which he intended to sound sexy, but really sounded extremely perverted and made Bernie want to move out, right then and there.

"How about no?" A cold laugh rumbled from her mouth, a laugh that told the both of them that she didn't find humour in any aspect of this whatsoever. "Now if that's all you came here for, then have a nice evening Holden..." She attempted to usher him out the door, but he was too quick and stepped out of the way of the incoming door. It slammed with a thud, both of them still on the same side of it. Damn.

"Well, if you still want a roof above your head, then I suggest you take up my offer, Miss Maxwell." This unjust bribe sparked an idea in Bernie as she figured out a way to get out of his blackmail.

"I would, but I have a boyfriend," think fast! she cried inside her own head: she knew questions would follow this statement now that it was out in the open. Of course it was the biggest lie she'd ever told, but it seemed to make him back off. Watching in glee, Holden's eyebrows knotted together and the glimmer in his eyes dimmed.

"Oh yeah? Do I know the lucky fella? Oh, don't tell me it's that curly little-" Bernie cut him off before he could finish disrespecting Brian, as she knew the consequences would have been dire if she'd allowed him to continue.

"No, no, it's not Brian. It's actually a friend of his...a bandmate, urrr....Roger. Yep, Roger." Self-loathing replaced any feeling of anger she had and suddenly she found a sense of desperation take over. Why the fuck did she have to say Roger?! Before questions could arise, she wanted Holden out.

"Roger, eh? How come I've never seen him before?" Oh great, the interrogation has begun.

"Well, he works a lot and...we just got together a couple of months ago, yeah. Real great guy." The words couldn't be less true and she found herself declaring the second biggest lie of her life in the same evening. "Now if you don't mind, I'm hungry." As if on cue, her stomach rumbled uncomfortably, aching for substantial carbohydrates.

Finally, finally, Holden seemed to get the hint and a couple of uncomfortable interactions later, he was gone. Not without one final threat, though. "If i find out you're lying, Princess, it's game over for you and your sister. Do you hear me?" Putting herself at risk was something she could easily handle, but to put Flo in jeopardy too was simply unthinkable.

When he was gone, Bernie leant against the locked door and slid her back down it until her bottom hit the floor. What had she just done? She'd warded off her toxic, slimy new landlord/ex-boyfriend by feeding him the lie that she was dating her number one arch-nemesis, whilst also under the threat that if said story was indeed not the truth, then both herself and her sister were in serious danger of homelessness.

Trying not to think about it, she did what she had been clamouring to do all day long, which was to get into her comfy clothes after a revitalising shower and watch some television with a large bowl of soup. She didn't care if it was summer, if she had to wear complete coveralls for work, she could have a bowl of soup. Hey, I don't make the rules, she told herself as she scooped a spoonful of hot vegetable soup into her mouth. The piping, flavourful sustenance ran pleasantly down her throat and brought a relieving warmth to her stomach. Doing the long, excruciating days that she endured, food was her all time bestie.

She'd hastily decided to make catching Roger up with the plan tomorrow's job: she had a funny feeling she had insulted him earlier and just wasn't prepared for how that phone call would go. Because Holden had more or less demanded evidence of their relationship, Bernie now had to have Roger round sometimes (only when Flo was around too, she swore to herself) and maybe even have a photo of the pair of them displayed somewhere, just for authenticity.

But for now, she would be falling asleep in front of the TV and embracing the half-day that awaited tomorrow.

2/10/22