~"Watching and waiting for someone to understand me.
I hope it won't be very long."~ 

Celeste's son didn't resemble her at all, except for maybe the hair colour, but beside that Brian couldn't spot any similarity. He probably came more after his father whoever that was, even if Brian started to have a strong suspicion. He doubted the slightly more curly hair was a coincidence, not after he had seen the pictures of her with Bob.

"David, I told you to go to your room and put your things away!" Brian heard Celeste yell and he nearly sighed relieved that she hadn't heard the boy yet, even if that didn't help his current situation. Brian needed to come up with something and fast.

The Boy was still looking at him with big eyes and he surely would soon call out for Celeste again. Brian really hadn't thought this trough, he could have told Celeste, that he was waiting for her sister or something different that might explain his appearance, but her son? Should Brian introduce himself or tell him to go and get his mother? He could hardly ignore the boy forever.

"Are you a riff-raff?" Celeste's son, David asked, interrupting Brian's thoughts.

"What?" he exclaimed confused, not seeing why the boy had asked him that off all questions. Brian had more than once lived through this argument, because their hair was too long or their behaviour too obscene or whatever, but the child could hardly know about that, could he? Had he perhaps recognised Brian after all? Celeste owned their records, so it wasn't an impossibility, but it seemed highly unlikely. Brian shook his head to chase these thoughts away. There surely had to be a different reason for the boy's question. "Why do you think I'm a riff-raff?"

"My teacher says people with long hair are all scruffy and riff-raff and if I don't want to end up as one as well I need to cut my hair..." David explained sounding as if Brian had just asked the most stupid question ever. Brian in return wasn't exactly sure why, but he burst out laughing, at which the boy pulled a face. "You're not nice."

Brian nearly had to laugh even more at hos sour expression, but decided against it and took a deep breath. "Sorry and no I'm not a riffraff. Your teacher is wrong, so don't listen to her, keep your hair like you want it."

David nodded approvingly. "Mummy says that too, are you a friend of Mummy?"

"Yes can you-"

"Are you here for dinner?" David interrupted him, sounding suddnly very enthusiastic. "She makes the best food, even auntie Rion says so. She doesn't eat much, but she likes mummy's food."

Brian wasn't quite sure how he was supposed to react to that. He surely didn't have anything against a home cooked meal nor having dinner with Celeste, but with her and her son? No. He should have left after he had his tea and he wouldn't now be confronted with this.

"David, I'm not repeating myself, what are you-" Celeste started off when she entered the kitchen, but stopped when her eyes fell on Brian. Astonishment and confusion visibly on her face and Brian couldn't blame her. "What are you doing here?" She asked, but it sounded more like a demand than a question.

"For dinner!" David exclaimed smiling at which Celeste sighed.

"Alright, but first you'll need to put your things away."

"Okay!" the boy exclaimed and run off faster than Brian could blink. He was either very energetic or Celeste's food was indeed that good. Brian hoped it was the latter, if he really was staying here for dinner. He still was a bit unsure about it, but maybe that was what he needed to go through to finally forget about her. He surely wouldn't be interested in her anymore if he had to spend the evening with her son. That indeed sounded like a decent plan and maybe he got some answers this way as well.

"What do you want?" She asked him anew, pulling him out of his thoughts and he just looked at her a bit dumbfounded. Celeste looked exhausted, she probably had just returned from her job as waitress and was in no mood to deal with him as well than looking after her son. She hadn't even changed her clothes yet, at least Brian hoped it was rather her uniform than one of her own dresses. It had such an ugly sickly green colour that it should have been against the law to wear it. Whoever had chosen this dress must have been blind, Brian thought. "If you're waiting for Marion, she's not coming around today."

"I wanted to speak with you."

She frowned. "About what? I'm very thankful that you invited me to play harpsichord, but I don't see what we need to talk about."

Brian sighed. She was of course right; there was nothing for them to talk about, beside the 3 million questions he had and the fact that he perhaps or perhaps not enjoyed her company. "I don't know... I just like to talk to you."

Brian wasn't sure if she was astonished or amused, but her face had lost a bit of the exhaustion look it held earlier. "So you just broke into my flat to sit here, smoke a joint and drink my tea?"

"How do you know-"

She smiled. "I can smell it and you didn't deny it, but it would be nice of you if you could maybe restrain from that as long as you are here. I don't want my son to inhale it."

"Sure I-"

"Can I have a cookie?" interrupted a voice from behind Celeste and Brian wondered how he would be able to talk to her when whenever he had a minute with her, her son appeared and interrupted them... At least it had offered him with something else...

Celeste had turned to the boy and bend down, giving Brian a lovely view of her backside. Maybe the awful dress wasn't so bad after all...? It was short at least and Celeste was fit. Brian suspected that the bit of weight she had too much was probably a left over off the pregnancy and nothing more. If she perhaps put a little bit of effort into it, she would have a perfect body in no time.

"I hope it's soon I'm hungry..." Brian thought he heard the boy mumble and run off again, but he wasn't sure. His attention was still on Celeste and he hadn't exactly followed their conversation until she turned back to him.

"Is he Bob Dylan's son?"

She sighed and purred herself a glass of water, but seemed in no way offended at his question, but rather tired. "You went through my stuff, didn't you?" She asked and sat down next to him.

"I'm sorry I was curious."

"Why? I'm nobody special and I'm sure there are better girls for you to chase after then I am."

"But they don't make the best food," Brian replied smiling.

She returned his smile. "David is exaggerating, but I suppose I can't throw you out when my son invited you to stay."

"How old is he?" Brian found himself asking and surprised himself. He wasn't exactly fond of children, at least he didn't care much about them, but maybe showing some interest in Celeste's son would help him to get her to open up to him or it finally scared him off, either way it was worth a try.

"4 and no I don't want to speak about his father..."

"Is it difficult to raise him on your own?"

"I suppose it can be, but David is a sweetheart and I wouldn't trade him for anything. I love being a mother," Celeste answered nearly sentimentally and Brian could see the gentleness on her face again, he had spotted when she had looked after him after he had been punched. She was nearly radiating love and all Brian could get out was a disbelieving: "Really?"

Again he suspected her to be offended, but she was smiling instead. "Yes, is that so astonishing?"

"Maybe I don't know..." he mumbled. To be honest it wasn't, not after he had seen how much she spoiled her son with toys and how she put his well-being before her own. The woman he had seen in the photographs clearly loved to go out and to have fun and the Celeste who sat now before him was responsible and a dedicated mother.

"Well if you really eat with us, I need to go buy a bit more. I wasn't expecting any visitors. Could you keep an eye on David, while I'm gone? He shouldn't bother you, but I don't want to leave him alone."

Brian tensed up at her question. "I could go grocery shopping for you!"

"Eh... sure?"

*

Brian usually didn't go grocery shopping, if he didn't absolutely have to, but staying alone with David sounded even worse. He certainly wasn't used to children and he didn't want to fuck it up with Celeste. Not when he finally seemed to score some points with her and who knew what still might happen. David wouldn't be around all the time and then Brian could make his move to finally settle his curiosity or whatever it was that drove him to Celeste.

Even if he was starting to doubt his decision and hoped that she would appreciate his sacrifice. Brian had nothing against fans as long as they didn't bother him too much, but without them he probably would have finished in half the time he had needed now and he wondered if the little boy could have been more exhausting than a crowd of fans. Probably not, but at least this way he had been able to buy a bottle of red wine. Celeste had no alcohol at her house, which had surprised Brian a bit, when he had thought it was Marion's flat, but now it made sense. He doubted Celeste drank on her own and Marion was apparently only there for certain occasions. He would have wondered where she usually was staying if he cared about her, but he didn't. She was no longer his problem and even if he would never sleep with Celeste, Brian still preferred to have her around than Marion, which scared him a bit.

He didn't want to grow attached to somebody and Celeste was thanks to her home, her tea and her musical interest on the best way there. Something in Brian screamed at him to run away and never come back, but since when did he listen to his conscious?

"Don't be led in the wrong direction. To start this thing off right, a man needs a little love and affection...*" he heard as soon as he entered her living room and couldn't have agreed more with her record player. 

Chapter lyrics by the Moody Blues and * lyrics by Steve Cropper, Eddie Floyd and Wilson Pickett. 

Wow thanks for 100 votes on this and don't forget to nominate your favorite stories in the classic rock awards, Led Zep still needs more love. Oh! I started writing an new Brian Jones story, because yeah I have nothing else to do in my life, the first chapter should be up some time this week and some feedback would mean a lot. It's called The Lantern. Thanks!

As usual thank you for reading, voting and feedback!  ❤❤❤