To love a flower ~ Roger Taylor

Chapter 6

Now I've got you in my sights with these hungry eyes...

Renée stepped outside into the now slightly shivery night air. With her arms crossed, she began walking around the parking lot, until she finally found Roger's van.

She could see his silhouette next to the van and already wanted to call out his name when she noticed that he wasn't alone.

Trying to walk as silently as possible over the pebbles on the ground, Renée moved closer.

Roger stood there, pushing someone up against the brick wall which enclosed the parking lot.

Her heart dropped to her feet as she realized what was going on.

She couldn't stop her feet from carrying her closer, and the moment she recognized that it was Joanne who he was kissing, she felt tears well up in her eyes.

How could she have been so stupid? And why Joanne, out of all people? Renée actually had no right to be jealous, after all, Roger and her weren't together. And still, she felt like she was being punched into the gut.

She was soon only a few steps away from the scenario when she could hear Roger yelling at Joanne. "Why can't you understand that I don't want you? I've told you so many times, but you just don't get it."

Renée's head was spinning. Maybe it was the alcohol, or maybe just the confusion of not knowing what was going on. Roger wasn't making out with Joanne at all, he was telling her off.

An enormous weight was lifted off of her chest as she quickly wiped a few tears away. Roger turned around and his eyes widened when he saw Renée.

He walked towards her and took her hand. "Is everything alright?" he asked quietly, as her eyes were still red. Renée looked over at Joanne, who was clenching her fists before saying "Whatever" and walked away.

They both didn't say a word until the distinct clicking of Joanne's high heels faded away completely.
Renée didn't know how to break the silence, and to be quite honest she was ashamed to tell him why she had been crying.

Roger softly took her chin between his index finger and his thumb, forcing her to look up at him. "What's wrong, flower?" he almost whispered, sending a shiver down Renée's spine. She sighed.

He deserved to know the truth. Also, she just felt the need to talk with someone about her past with Joanne.

"Can we sit down?" she asked, again feeling tears in her eyes. She took a deep breath. She didn't want to cry in front of him. Not now, not about this stupid thing from the past.

Roger nodded before opening the back of his van. They sat down and Renée cleared her throat. "So this girl you were uhm...talking to", she began, her voice slowly going back to normal. "I know her."

"You do?", Roger asked, leaning back a bit. She nodded. "I wish I didn't though. She...I know her from high school. She was my friend until she wasn't any more. I still don't know what I did, but she started bullying me. It was...pretty intense." She looked into Roger's eyes.

Although she tried, she couldn't sort his gaze into a specific category. "And when I saw you here with her... I mean, it looked like you were...", she rambled, trying to find a way to say it without feeling embarrassed.

Renée looked down at her hands, feeling the heat in her face. Roger didn't say a word. In the corner of her eye, she saw him running a hand through his hair while letting out a sigh.

"I don't want to lie to you. I was tempted to kiss her for a second. But...I didn't. Because I had to think of you, and felt like I would be a real douche if I did that."

Renée looked up at him, as she felt her cheeks burn even more. He gave her a small smile. She smiled back, the tears on her face slowly beginning to dry.

Roger grabbed her hand and whispered "Sorry." There it was again. The slightly tingling feeling in her stomach when he touched her.

Renée leaned back, looking at the sky. It was very clear tonight so that she could see many stars.
She admired them and wondered how it would be like to be one of them. Always shining, far, far away, without having anything to worry about.

For some time, they sat there in silence, and without even noticing it, Renée began humming a melody she's been playing on her guitar for the past few weeks now.

"What's that?" asked Roger all of a sudden, tearing Renée out of her trance. "What?" she asked back. A smirk appeared on his face. "That melody you were humming."

Renée began pulling little threads out of the mat in Roger's van. "Oh...nothing. Just something I made up," she said. Shyness overcame her. She never sang her songs to anyone, let alone tell them she wrote them herself.

Roger moved closer to her, saying: "It's beautiful." Renée's heartbeat grew faster when she felt how close they were.

She turned her face to Roger's and tried to memorize every single one of his beautiful features. His soft skin, the slightly crooked nose, perfectly formed lips, and those mesmerising big blue eyes she could drown in if she wanted to.
He leaned in even closer, and Renée's gaze fell back on his lips. She could feel his warm breath on her face and decided to follow her instincts rather than her brain from now on.

She fluttered her eyes shut and felt Roger's lips meet hers. It truly felt as if time had stopped. Renée's heart was pounding as his arms pulled her even closer to him and her hands found their way to his hair.

She felt as if she could explode any second, but at the same time, the feeling of his soft lips against hers made her feel calm.
Every single sign of insecurity was gone, and for once she felt absolutely confident in her actions.

Both of them pulled back to get some air, and Renée looked at Roger as she tried to control her breathing. "Wow," he said, not removing his gaze from her.

She smiled, the feeling of the kiss still lingering on her lips. She got that well-known feeling in her stomach, only this time it was much stronger. All she could think of was doing it again.

Without thinking about it, Renée grabbed Roger by the collar of his leather jacket and pressed her lips to his once again.

She could feel that he was surprised by her impulsive action, but he didn't hesitate to kiss her back. The kiss became more intense by the second, and Renée found herself longing for more...