𝚜𝚘𝚖𝚎𝚋𝚘𝚍𝚢 𝚝𝚘 𝚕𝚘𝚟𝚎// john deacon

chapter thirty two - music history

VALERIE HADN'T AWOKEN before John. She checked the bedside clock. It read 8:30 AM. It was the 21st of November; a nice Saturday morning. The day of the album's release.

"Good morning." John said with a grin when Valerie came downstairs and into the kitchen. She rolled her eyes at John, who was currently flipping a pancake.

      "You made breakfast. It actually smells great."  Valerie said as she wrapped her arms around John, leaning her head on his back.

      "See? I told you I was good at cooking." John said as he put the finished pancake on a plate that had a growing stack. He turned around and kissed Valerie, smiling.

"Better today?" He asked her, rubbing her shoulders.

"Yes, much better. I'm not crying as much as the first few months, y'know."

"I know, but it's okay to cry. Not to mention, the grieving process takes a long time. At least you're eating again." John added, daring to say it even though it might spark an argument between them.

     Valerie had gotten really thin from not eating, scared to eat anything because she didn't want to end up like her father. Eventually, Miami got her to see a therapist, and she'd finally come around to eating, much to everyone's relief.

"Yeah. I've actually gained ten pounds in the last month. My clothes are actually starting to fit me. Which is good, because I didn't want to have to buy new ones." Valerie said easily, making John exhale with relief that she was seeing it as a good thing too.

       "Ah, we wouldn't want to have to go shopping again, would we?" John teased, and Valerie laughed a bit,  thinking back to the time she'd gone shopping with Freddie.

      "Not unless I want to waste four hours of my day."  Valerie giggled as she leaned against the counter next to the stove, facing John.

      A comfortable silence settled between them as Valerie watched John slide a finished pancake onto the growing stack.

      "You excited for the album release?" Valerie asked John quietly as he poured more batter onto the skillet. She was a bit surprised he hadn't brought up the release yet.

"Very. And nervous, too." John said as he watched the batter on the skillet, his hands wringing the spatula.

Valerie took his hands in between hers, working the spatula out of his grip.

"I'm going to burn my pancakes," John protested half heartedly while Valerie rolled her eyes at him.

"That sounds like a you problem. Now, don't worry about the album. I told you already, it's absolutely beautiful. I think it's going to do just fine. Every song on there is a hit. Well, The Prophet's Song might be a bit of a hard pill to swallow, but the rest is great." Valerie reassured him.

John kissed her cheek gratefully and took the spatula back from her. "Thank you. I sure hope the critics agree with you."

"Oh, the critics mean nothing. It's the people you made the music for, remember?" Valerie said as she pushed back one of his brown locks of hair from his face. John let out a low laugh.

"That's right. 'Right at the back of the room.'" John said, mimicking Freddie very poorly. Valerie couldn't help but laugh.

"A very poor imitation of him, but that's the idea. He's right. The critics don't get to decide who likes your music. The people decide for themselves." Valerie said with finality. John managed a smile.