Save Me (Roger Taylor FanFiction) [Wattys 2019]

28: Birthday Surprises

*9th January 1972*

TODAY WAS MY BIRTHDAY but I wanted absolutely no fuss made out of it. I wasn't sure if I'd ever even told Roger my birthday was today so I wanted to keep it that way.

When I woke up, it didn't seem like he knew so I was glad that he didn't make any fuss out of it.

"Morning, love," he'd said, leaning over in the bed to kiss my cheek.

"Morning, Rog," I replied, glad there was no mention of a birthday at all.

"Do you want me to run you to the cafe and then I can come and pick you up from the photography shop?" Roger offered but I declined politely.

"I don't mind driving,"

I hoped the day remained all quiet on the birthday front but I wasn't sure I was going to make it through the day without a visit from Freddie.

This was going to be a fun day.

-------------------------------------------------------

"Happy birthday to you,"

My face got really hot when I heard Freddie's operatic singing voice echoing through the small coffee shop. "Oh my god," I whispered to myself, trying to hide behind the counter but Freddie had already seen me.

"Happy birthday to you,"

Every single pair of eyes in the shop was on Freddie, just like he liked it. I covered my face in embarrassment.

"Happy birthday, dear Julie, happy birthday to you," He added some unnecessary flare only Freddie could come up with in the last lines. (A/N- Think the bit in BoRhap when he's singing Happy Birthday to himself in his parent's house.) The whole coffee shop erupted in cheers and lots of applause when he reached the end of the rendition. Some people even stood up to clap.

Freddie bowed down low and waved his arms in the air, very typically theatrical. He waved his hand at me to direct their attention and began to clap for me. I glared at Freddie and awkwardly smiled at the people in the coffee shop, praying that they would stop clapping and going back to drinking their coffees.

"Freddie!" I hissed when the group of people quietened down and Freddie came over to talk to me.

"Happy birthday, my darling," Freddie repeated, totally ignoring my irritated tone.

"Yeah, thanks, Fred. You know I hate attention,"

"And you know I love it. Come now, dear, if you don't want the birthday attention, I'll certainly take it!" He told me in his posh voice. Typical.

"Well, you can have it but kindly leave me out of it!" I joked, walking out from behind the counter to clear tables.

"Well that would be no fun, would it?"

"I suppose not," I giggled.

"Here's your present," he told me, handing me a little gift bag.

"Freddie, you didn't have to get me anything,"

"Don't be absurd! Mary and I saw it and thought of you, it's nothing big,"

I chuckled at him and took out the tissue paper to reveal a small black box and a bar of Cadbury's chocolate.

"Tradition," Freddie shrugged, referring to his habit of buying me my favourite chocolate every birthday.

I smiled and opened the box. Inside was a long gold chain with a large butterfly pendant at the bottom of it. The butterfly was adorned with little light pink beads and rose gold rhinestones. My eyes lit up and I tied the necklace around my neck immediately.