Do You Remember? (George Michael x Andrew Ridgeley)

2 / 'Young Guns'

*Above: Video - Wham! performing Young Guns (Go For It) on Top of the Pops, 1982*

Above: Picture - Andrew Ridgeley pictured (left), George Michael (right), 1982*

Andrew

My grasp on his hand tightened as soon as I felt the ground disappear beneath us. I squeezed my eyes shut, scared out of my shit.

"Where the hell are we?" I said with a neutral expression my face, refusing to open my eyes as the screams of hundreds of people nearly deafened me. 

"The beginning," His slightly feminine voice answered immediately. 

"Keren must have drugged my coffee, damnit," I grumbled, trying to wake myself up from what I assumed this hallucination was: one big nostalgic dream.

"You aren't going to get anywhere!" He whispered gently in my ear, his warm breath hitting my neck. A shiver went down my spine, chilling my entire body with anxiety. That's when I finally forced myself to open my eyes; and there it was, the mother of all nostalgia - Wham! at 19-years-old performing Young Guns (Go For It) on Top of The Pops in 1982. We looked young and radiant, Yog especially. His symmetrical eyebrows were furrowed, his lips pursed. The music began to play, and we began to lip sync. I watched in awe as the past unfolded right before my eyes.

19-year-old me did look fairly attractive, but damn was I a sucker for the unfortunate 80's fashion trends. 19-year-old Yog placed a hand on the shoulder of 19-year-old me, swaying his hips back and forth next to me. He started to dance in a circle around me, snapping his fingers to the catchy beat. I was so caught up watching it that I barely had time before everything suddenly went white. 

"Do you miss it?" 23-year-old Yog appeared out of thin air. 

"It was ... exhausting after we performed there because that's when we exploded internationally. I guess I miss Yog, but not Wham!. That was too much for all of us - Shirlie, Pepsi, Yog, and I. Although if I had the choice, I'd go back. At least Yog was alive at that point. Pretty hot too, if you ask me!" I chuckled, starting to enjoy this dream.

"Hot did you just say?" A mocking smile was on his face. I slapped his shoulder playfully.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, Yog. I can be straight and call boys hot, you know!" I defended, a huge smile on my face. I watched him carefully, never leaving my eyes off him.

"Are you sure you aren't in loveeeee with me?" He dragged out the word 'love' to put unnecessary emphasis on it. 

Rolling my eyes, I responded, "Hell no -"

"Ha, just kidding Andy. There's almost nothing more unlikely than me and you sleeping together!" He started laughing so hard he was on the ground with tears in his eyes. 

"Okay, okay. Now where are we going next? Goddamn Hawaii?" I shot at him, irritated that I was stuck with the 23-year-old Yog for the time being, the cocky young guy that I envied and despised back then. Wham! broke up just so he could pursue his solo career, leaving me to what? Car racing in America. That didn't end particularly well.... And anyway, we stopped hanging out at that point. Our relationship took a huge toll just because he wanted to be more famous, and look where that got him: dead!

"Slow down there. It wasn't my - I mean, Yog's fault I - he died today!" I guess he could read my fucking mind, too. Wonderful.

"Yeah, he was doing all those drugs for decades! He didn't ask me for help, didn't do anything! He just sat there sitting in a goddamn pool of his own self misery!" I exclaimed, my mouth set in a straight line.

"I guess so, yeah. I'm sure he regrets it. In Heaven of course. He's watching you from The Edge Of Heaven. You gotta' have Faith that he'll be your Father Figure and send a sign that he's watching." He grinned, a crooked smile on his beautiful, angelic face.

"I secretly love a good play-on-words, but this time it's bloody rubbish. Now get me back to Keren and real life, thank you!" My stress levels were rising with each second that he didn't open his mouth again. He closed his eyes, trying to figure something out. 

George

When I died I didn't want to have to go down to Andy and pretend to be some spirit in his dreams. But I had to -- to make Andy realise how much I loved him, how much he loved me, and how much I missed him since I died. 

It was simple really; disguise myself as the 23-year-old version of me and corner Andy when he happened to be isolated somewhere. It occurred faster than I ever thought possible; in a matter of minutes he was crying on his bed. Then I went into action, trying to get his full attention or else none of this would work.

I showed him the beginning - where him and I had performed Young Guns (Go For It) on TOTP in 1982. He seemed very nostalgic about it for some reason. It was the turning point for us, but it was embarrassing now that I look back on it. 

Andy's distressed yells interrupted my train of thoughts. "Hey, are you alive, Yog?: 

My eyes opened practically immediately. "No."

He gave me an alarmed, confused frown but I ignored it and snatched his hand again.

"This time we're going to the end."