A Very Special Chapter Dedication to MaccaMay, a fabulous fan of Brian!!

The time was 11:37. Chrissie was on her sixth glass of champagne. Roger had hit the vodka hard and was now chasing it with southern comfort. Brian was on his fifth Guinness. John was having southern comfort with Roger and Veronica was into the white wine. And then, there was myself and Freddie. We had a cigarette in one hand and a Jager bomb in the other. I was starin’ him down across the table and he was starin’ me down. No head to head Jager bomb drinking event was complete without a little trash talk.

 “You’ll be screamin’’ oh Freddie stop it’, darling.” Freddie winked at me.

  “Oh, you only wish I’d scream for you.” I answered him. We both downed a Jager bomb.

  “I’ll make you wish you weren’t screamin’ for Roger.” Freddie picked up another Jager bomb and it disappeared.

  “I’ll make you wish you were screamin’ for a good fuck.” Veronica, John, Roger and Brian wailed at that comment. I picked up the next bomb.

  “You wouldn’t know a good fuck.” Freddie picked up the next Jager bomb.

  “You wouldn’t know a fuck.” I chased him.

  “I am the best fuck!” Freddie winked at me again. There were only four Jager bombs left and I didn’t know if I could finish them. If I did, I wouldn’t be drinkin’ anythin’ else the rest of the night.

  “I’m slow, hard and messy.” I downed another. I seriously don’t know who in this room was laughing the hardest at this point. Even Freddie and I were having trouble keeping straight faces.

  “Only a whore would know.” He said, taking a drag on his cigarette.

  “Takes one to know one.” Two bombs left. 

 “Well, don’t you keep raunchy company!? God! You’re fuckin’ a dirty blonde for god’s sake.” Freddie took the last one and smiled all over.

  “Blondes have more fun.” I took the last one and Freddie absolutely burst into laughter. At this point, Roger was laid over in the floor laughing, Brian was leaned over against Chrissie and she had her arm around him. Veronica was sayin’ something no one could understand and John was hardly breathing.

  “My god! That’s the most vile thing I’ve ever heard!” John finally said. Roger grabbed the bottle of southern comfort and sat up from the floor. He shook his head.

  “No…no John. She can get a lot worse. That’s mild.”

  “Oh! Oh! Hold on! We need to take some pictures!” Veronica said popping up from John’s lap and hurrying off.

  “Oh shit. We will sooooo regret that. Come here, darling. You know I love you.” Freddie reached his arms out to me. I hugged him tightly.

  “I love you too.” I assured him. He kissed my cheek.

 “Hey! You’re kissing me for real at midnight right?” Freddie pointed a finger at me and puffed his cigarette.

  “Damn right I am!” I high-fived Freddie. He laughed, just delighted. Okay, maybe I was a little drunk. Veronica quickly returned with her camera.

  “Brian, Chrissie…look at me.” Veronica said. I watched this unfold from the floor. Brian had an arm around her. He pulled Chrissie’s face in against his. I thought Veronica would encourage Brian to be a little more involved than that, but she didn’t. The Polaroid camera spit out the photograph and Veronica laid it on the table.

  “Now you two.” Veronica looked at myself and Roger in the floor. Roger held his cigarette out and pulled my lips into his.

  “Oh! Oh! Me an’ Roger!” Freddie insisted as Veronica laid the next photo on the table.

  “Okay.” She said as Freddie wrapped his arms around Roger. She took the next picture.

  “Here, let me take you and John. Make this good!” I told her, standing up and taking the camera from her. She threw her arms around John. “Oh that’s a good one.” I said.

  “Hey! Hey, it’s 11:50! We gotta get outside!” Freddie said getting up from the floor quickly. He was right. Even though the temperature outside was borderlinin’ on freezing, we were all going to cram onto John and Veronica’s small balcony to watch the fireworks over London that would be set off at midnight.

 “Yes! Yes! Come on! Let’s get out there.” Veronica said letting go of John. Roger put his jean jacket on. There was no way in hell he was going outside for ten minutes in a t-shirt. He and I both put our cigarette out and stood up from the floor…well, I was havin’ some trouble standing after all those damn Jager bombs. Veronica came over and slung her arms around both me and Roger.

 “You know that everybody kisses everybody at midnight, right?” she asked us softly.

  “Why wouldn’t we do that?” I asked her.

  “Listen…I’ve been thinkin’ about this…at midnight, you grab Chrissie and you kiss her like you’re about to fuck ‘er. You…you grab Brian and you kiss him the same way.” She instructed us softly.

  “Why the hell aren’t you and John doin’ this? And besides, I’m supposed to kiss Freddie at midnight!” I reminded her just as quietly.

  “Kiss Brian after that. Trust me. That will give those two over there a perfect warm-up. Roger, you gotta’ do this well. I know you kiss like some kinda’ god so…don’t let those two down.” Veronica shot her eyes over to the couch where Chrissie and Brian had stood up. I could hear Freddie replenishing Chrissie’s champagne glass. Roger shook his head and seemed to be in deep thought.

  “I’m not kissin’ her the way I kiss Lyd…but I’ll make it close.” Roger said.

  “Good! By the time those two have kissed all of us they will be ready for each other. I know it…they’ve both had the perfect amount to drink. It’s so set up!” Veronica said excitedly. “Okay, come on! Come on!” Freddie, Brian, Chrissie and John were the first ones outside. Myself, Veronica and Roger followed behind. The cold London night air could be felt out here and the lights and sounds of the city were alive. Clearly, the entire city was a party tonight.

  “I love how this is a four person balcony and there are seven of us out here.” John said crammed into the railing with Veronica close by. I jammed in to Brian’s left side and Roger was standing to Chrissie’s right. Freddie was up against my back behind me. We were squished out here like sardines. It was true that this balcony would make a pleasant place for two people to have tea in the morning…but it wasn’t made for seven. We all could hear and see the fellow partiers in the townhouses beside us. I looked over, noticing both Brian and Chrissie’s level of relaxation in the city streetlights.

  “Hey…why aren’t we playing somewhere tonight!?” Roger asked excitedly.

  “Because no one would book us, dumbass!” Freddie told him.

  “The bars only book the headliners on New Years’ Eve.” John added.

  “It’s cold as hell out here!” Brian said.

  “We are so tightly pressed against each other that we could pretty much have an orgy right now…in fact…are we?” Freddie asked.

  “Freddie, hush! What time is it?” I asked him.

 “To hell if I know Lydia. Helloooooo lovelies!” Freddie got sidetracked and started yelling at the people on the balcony at the next townhouse. There were only three at the next townhouse and they didn’t look nearly as crowded as we did. Roger tried his best to look at his watch in the glow of the streetlight below.

  “11:55! Can you believe this! This is…this has to be the best New Years ever doesn’t it?” Roger said to anyone that would answer him. The thing is, I could hear the sincerity in his voice.

  “Yes. Yes, Roger.” Brian answered him. He shook his head in approval.

 “I bet downtown is madhouse tonight.” Chrissie said.

  “I’d say you’re right. Ugh…I’m glad we aren’t there.” He told her, grabbing her hand. He squeezed her cold hand briefly. As I stood there watching Brian, I could see it in his eyes…that…something.

  “Freddie! Stop yellin’ at the people beside us on the balcony! Don’t get John and Veronica kicked out of their house!” I scolded him. We could clearly hear music coming from somewhere, mainly the bass and the beat…which made me want to rub all over Roger right about now. And then…BOOM. We all spun to our left and looked over the city. High above the lights, the first firework exploded in a dazzling array of orange. It’s massive explosion reverberating through the buildings. I gasped and felt my mouth go dry. That only meant one thing…

 “HAAAAAAAAPPY NEW YEAAAAAAAAR!!!!!” We yelled so damn loudly, they could hear us both below us and beside us. The people on the balcony beside us immediately began to sing Auld Lang Syne very loudly. The next few fireworks began to explode in the black sky…an immersion of purple, green and silver. We were all mesmerized for a moment….just a moment.

  “Happy New Year Chrissie.” Roger told her, grabbing her and pushing her into the balcony railin’. It was so obvious she wasn’t ready for that kiss…not at all. She had her hands clenched to her sides.

  “Lydia!!” Freddie opened his arms to me and hugged me, kissing me sweetly his lips on mine.

  “Happy New Year, Freddie.” I smiled all over. “Brian…” I tugged on his arm. “Come here, you…” He was taller than me but I wasn’t afraid to pull him into the kiss that he needed right now. Freddie had already kissed Veronica. Roger had left Chrissie with that ‘I don’t know what the hell just happened but I need to feel that again’ look. 

  “Happy New Year.” I told Brian softly before letting him go. Hell, I had John to kiss now and I was saving the best for last. The sky kept lighting up behind us all. Freddie had already gone back inside after grabbing a kiss from Chrissie. I’m pretty sure she was still hung up on Roger’s kiss because she acted dazed when John kissed her. Veronica hurried back inside because she was freezing and so she kissed Roger very quickly.

  “Happy New Year, Roger. A New Year…another year that you’re pretty!” she said teasingly before heading through the sliding glass door. Chrissie turned to face Brian. I looked over at Roger.

  “Hey…” I called to him. I tilted my head toward the door. I reached out for his arm and pulled him inside behind the sliding glass door. Chrissie exhaled deeply and looked at the cement of the balcony.

  “Happy New Year.” Chrissie said, holding on to her shoulders from the cold and looking at Brian. The fireworks were exploding closer together, and higher behind Brian. He smiled and shook his head.

  “Are…are you cold?” He asked. It was such a stupid question. Chrissie shook her head. Brian reached out and put his hands on her shoulders. Chrissie sneaked her arms around him, pulling her body into him. The next bang startled them both a little. Brian looked at Chrissie…stared at her for what seemed like an eternity.

  “Brian…”Chrissie said a bit meekly. His face had inched closer to hers. He shook his head. He put a hand up to the back of her head and sunk soft, tender lips into hers. Chrissie half moaned and exhaled heavily as her lips grazed his.

  “Oh Rog…look…the finale.” I said a bit too dreamily as I pointed outside. The fireworks exploded in a flood of smoke and pinks, purples, blues, greens, reds….each level a little higher and the booms becoming louder and loud. Roger wrapped his arms around me.

 Outside, Chrissie hugged Brian tightly against her as he leaned her into the wall of the townhouse. The endless array of color behind them proved to be the perfect backdrop. She kissed him harder, her hands buried in sweet curls. It had been the most passionate and long overdo kiss. Brian’s tongue collided with Chrissie’s as he felt her hands slide through his hair. She dug her fingertips hard into his shoulders. She wasn’t cold anymore. In fact, she was on fire. They broke their kiss for a moment, both of their hearts racing. Chrissie swallowed hard in between breaths. Brian didn’t say anything, he only seduced her with those gentle eyes. He leaned in to her again and Chrissie put her cold hand gently on his cheek, her lips lightly touching his until it turned into another heated kiss.