Love Of My Life

48

Aria

So Ben think's we're leaving today. But I lied. Why did I lie? Because I'm an amazing girlfriend. 

I bet he thought I forgot about his birthday, which is today January 2. But I didn't. What I did do however was plan this big surprise party for him. I got everyone in on it too, even Roger and Brian who should be here by now. 

It started as an idea a couple weeks ago when Joe mentioned to me nonchalantly that Ben's birthday was January 2. Of course I was a little shocked because Ben never mentioned it to me - not that I remember anyways - so I knew I needed to do something special for him. Especially since we didn't really do anything for Christmas. 

It took a little bit to plan, especially since Ben insisted on buying us our plane tickets. I talked him into buying just the tickets to New York and then I would take care of the return tickets. I told him I needed to see the information online for myself to make sure it's exactly what I want... That was a lie. I'm not fussy when it comes to that, but he doesn't need to know that. I just couldn't let him see the real return date. 

Brian and Roger took my plane to get here, so we'll all be on that on the way home tomorrow morning. It's big enough to accompany us, so I thought why not? Plus it'll be fun with everyone. 

Now the real issue lies with getting Ben to the place where I booked his surprise party. I opted to go with the Hard Rock Cafe. It's a favorite of mine. Plus they have a little Queen memoir set up.

"Are you all packed love?" Ben asks. I see him shoving his things into his bag, which is perched on the dresser. 

I smile and nod. "Yes," I lie. Although technically I am pretty much packed, so maybe it's not that big of a lie. 

My phone vibrates and I look down at it, subtly reading. 

Joe: Everyone's here. The dude at the front of the restaurant is named Chad. Ask him to see the Queen setup and he'll take you to us. Just text me updates.

I start to get a little nervous. I just want it to go well. Plus I feel bad because I've completely avoided saying Happy Birthday to Ben today. Not that I want to be mean, but it'll be a bigger surprise then. 

"Hey Ben?" I ask. He looks over at me. He looks cute, his hair slightly longer than it normally is. He wears this grey sweater and jeans. "Can we go see something before we leave?"

He glances at the clock in the room. I told him our flight is at 10. It's 6 now so we would have enough time in his mind. 

"What do you want to see?" he asks. He looks tired..and slightly upset I think? My heart breaks, but I'm in too deep. 

"I just remembered there's a Queen memoir in Hard Rock. Some of Dad's things are there and I was wondering if we could stop by quickly?" I ask, hoping my acting skills pay off. It's not a huge lie, I do want to see it, but I feel guilty now from his expression. 

"Do we have time?" 

I nod. "We will. If we leave now anyways,"

He smiles softly. "Okay," he says. 

I stand up from the bed and walk over to him. I wrap my arms around his waist, pulling him closer to me. I don't know, but I'm in a cuddly mood right now. I got soft really quick.

Ben hugs me back and then we both pull away to get ready to leave. 

We don't really say anything as we put our coats and shoes on. Ben is unusually quiet and I don't know if it's because I 'forgot his birthday' or if there's something else. But I don't say anything, and the two of us wordlessly walk through Times Square. 

I texted Joe before we left and as soon as we step foot in Hard Rock I send him another. 

I look for the host, and then I spot him at his podium. He has a gold tag that says 'Chad' on it and I know he's my guy.

"Hi! I was wondering if we could see the Queen setup?" I ask him.

Chad gives me a knowing look, a sparkle chasing across his brown eyes. 

"Ms. Mercury what a surprise," he says. "Yes, of course, I'll show you where it is,"

I squeeze Ben's hand as Chad leads us through the restaurant. Or is it more of a pub? I don't know, but I almost get distracted looking at all the decorations. I love how music oriented it is here. I came here once when I was younger and I used to want my house to look like this. 

Chad brings us to this room in the back kind of. It's secluded from the main area, but not in a sketchy way. 

"It's right in here," Chad says with a smile. He gives me a wink and I mouth a 'thank you' to him. 

Ben and I walk in, and as soon as we do a whole lot of people jump out from various spaces in the room.

"Surprise!" they all yell. I grin and turn to look at Ben who looks visibly shaken, although a smile is plastered on his face. 

He turns to look at me. I feel his hand sweating a little from nerves and I giggle. 

"Happy birthday," I tell him.

"Did you plan this?" He asks.

I nod. "With a little help of course," I gesture towards Joe who comes walking over. 

Ben gives Joe one of those 'bro hugs'. He then looks at me and kisses my forehead. 

"I thought you forgot," Ben says to me, then turns to the room. "I thought you all forgot,"

"We couldn't forget your birthday, mate," Gwilym says from the back. 

"We just needed to catch you off guard," Lucy adds. 

Ben beams and walks further into the group of people, giving then all hugs or handshakes. I grin as I watch him intermingle with everyone. He looks happy and I know that this was a good decision. 

"This was a good idea," Joe says from my side. He holds a fist out to which I bump with my own. 

"We did well," I agree with him. 

Music turns up and the room breaks out in to chatter. Drinks are passed out, and we all celebrate my loves birthday. The best part is, this room is actually where the Queen memoir is. I find Brian and Roger looking at it in awe, probably remembering the good times they had and reflecting in nostalgia. I smile, looking at one of the outfits Dad wore on stage. Seeing that here is kind of like having him here. I get the chills, feeling his presence. 

Ben comes over to me, giving me a hug and picking me up. He swings me around.

"I love you," I tell him. 

"I love you more," He says. 

I get the feeling Dad would have loved him too.