One month later, the final exams of the Imperial College had started. Brian and Ruby were still forming a couple, but they had not seen each other for a week, for the simple reason that Brian was too busy studying. Ruby was still hesitating between leaving college or keeping studying Medicine. Her first exam had passed, and she knew she had failed.

Dennis had woken up from his coma and his mother and sister came to the hospital almost everyday to visit him. His eyes went back to their normal state, so did his skin. His father still had not come back from abroad, though he was supposed to get home a week after Ruby and Brian's date.

Brian and Roger still had not met Freddie, Tim's friend from Ealing Art College. But Roger talked to him through the telephone and they planned a meeting after the exams.

One Friday, Brian came over to the Franklins' flat and spent the half of the afternoon listening to music with Ruby. He had also brought his guitar that he had named "Red Special". Prudence was out shopping with two of her friends, Rita and Mary. 

The couple was sitting on Ruby's bedroom floor. Brian was playing his guitar and was singing a Jimi Hendrix song. When he stopped, his beloved girlfriend applauded him and hugged him tenderly. He put his guitar aside and took her into his arms.

"Brian?" she whispered.

"Yes, treasure?"

"I love you." she smiled. He smiled back and tenderly kissed her. He played with a lock of her hair and stuck it between his nose and his lips, pouting. Then, he proceeded to imitate an Italian accent.

"Ma! Brrian love Rruby verry much! Brri want eat pizza with Rruby!"

"Oh no, Bri, that's so stereotypical" she said, bursting out laughing. He let her lock go and hugged her again. He buried his face in her hair and then slowly kissed her neck. She got thrills through her whole body. She grabbed his shoulders and let their lips meet. 

His fingers clenched on Ruby's blue blouse, pulling her even closer. The intensity of their kisses grew and grew. Their breath accelerated as though they had just run three miles. They stared into each other's eyes. 

Ruby sat on his lap and pulled on his purple t-shirt. Ruby panted in Brian's ear "Brian, I... I want you now."

The young man faced her; Ruby noticed that his pupils were dilated and his eyes were twinkling. He kissed her and gently nibbled at her bottom lip. Then, his lips wandered down her neck, giving it soft pecks and sometimes biting it. Ruby's hand ventured under his shirt and rested on the warm skin of his back. Slowly, Brian removed his shirt and pressed his body against hers. They stood up, walked up to the bed and let themselves fall on it. 

They kept making out whilst Brian gently took off Ruby's blouse, stroking her waist. She kissed his neck, her hand buried in his curls, went up to his ear and bit his ear lobe. He moaned and placed his mouth on her collar bones. His right hand slipped on her thigh and he blushed. 

"Can I?" he whispered.

"Of course you can!" she replied, kissing him again and again. Her hands slipped down his back and grabbed his jeans that she removed carefully. He unbuttoned hers and made them slip along her legs, freeing her from them. Then, both put off their socks. 

Ruby caressed Brian's chest and stopped moving, listening to their irregular breaths filling the room.

"Have... Have you done that before?" Ruby whispered, staring down at his stomach.

"Only once." she said. "Have you?"

"Only once too." she blushed. 

He kissed her neck and bit her earlobe. His hands gently cupped her breasts, and he admired them with a shy grin. He proceeded to remove her bra and kissed what was hidden behind it. Ruby's cheeks turned red, and she ran her hands through his hair. They both removed their underwears and saw each other in the most natural outfit. Brian's eyes were shining.

"You're beautiful, my love."

"You're perfect, Brian." she whispered before he slipped his hand downwards. "Perfect" she repeated.

Ruby paused and stood up from the bed, walked to the door and closed it before locking it. She returned to the bed where Brian was lying. She was totally admirative, never had she seen a gorgeous young man like him. 

She grabbed her sheets and buried herself under it, followed by Brian. They spent the rest of the afternoon there, offering themselves to each other. Once they had stopped, they sat up on the pillows. Brian was holding Ruby, his cheek resting on her head, sweating a bit and panting. He was feeling quite emotional all of a sudden, and felt physically unable to let go of her. He needed to touch her. 

Ruby place her left hand on his collarbones and let the other stroke his hair.

"I love you" she whispered. "I love you so much."

"I love you too. Can I tell you the truth about something?"

"Sure."

"Actually... it was my first time."

"And actually, it was mine too."

Brian moved his head to face her. He smiled a bit before kissing her forehead and resting his own forehead on hers. They stayed like that for long minutes that seemed to last an eternity. Brian buried his face in the hollow of her neck, kissing it gently.

"Bri? What will happen once your band becomes famous?" Ruby whispered.

"What do you mean?"

"What will happen to us?"

Brian kissed her cheek and shrugged.

"I don't know. I guess nothing will change," he said, "or we can take you with us on tour. I'm sure that Rog would appreciate to have you around."

Ruby stared at the ceiling and scratched her arm. Hesitantly, she turned to Brian.

"He told me."

"What?"

"He told me about... you know what."

"Oh. His feelings, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"He told me too, during our date, remember? When he brought me my guitar back."

"Oh, I see. But I hope it won't separate us, you know, the band, the tours, the groupies..."

"Ruby, Ruby, Ruby," he whispered, "why would I touch a groupie when I have you? I won't leave you, my love. I won't. I don't want to."

"I don't want either. But I don't know."

"Don't worry, dear. As long as you still want me, I won't see anyone else."

Ruby smiled and hugged him. They heard the front door being slammed, which startled both of them. They stood up in a hurry and got dressed again, kissing from time to time. They unlocked the door and stepped in the corridor where Prudence was holding four bags of clothes and could barely see where she was walking. 

The two came up to her to help her and greeted her.

"Hello, Brian!" she smiled, "How are you today?"

"I'm really good, thank you. What about you?"

"I feel great!"

"So, did you find cool things?" Ruby asked with the tone of a loving mother asking her child what they learnt at school.

"Yes! My wardrobe will be full!" her mother laughed. "By the way, Rita and Mary are coming over for dinner, tonight. Do you want to join us, Brian?"

"Oh, I don't want to bother you and your friends."

"Brian, for God's sake, will you stop with that answer one day?" Prudence protested with a grin, her fists on her hips. "Sit down on the couch."

Brian shrugged and obeyed, looking up at her worriedly. She sat down next to him and cupped his face with her hands.

"Listen, Bri – can I call you Bri?"

"Sure."

"Repeat after me: you will never bother us."

"I will never bother you."

"Exactly. To me, you're already part of the family, even if you haven't known and dated Ruby for long. I really like you, you're a nice young man and you're really polite. Even if I disagreed with the fact that you're a musician. Now, it's okay. So please, never think that you bother us, okay? You can come whenever you want. It's always a pleasure to have you around."

Brian grinned, like Ruby behind her mother. Prudence kissed him on the forehead and asked again "So, do you want to join us tonight?"

"Can I just call my mother to ask her? My dad isn't at home either this week."

"Sure, the telephone's in the kitchen."

Brian thanked her and went to the kitchen to find the phone. He grabbed the handset and put it against his ear. He dialled the phone number of his house and waited. After three rings, he heard a small crack.

"Ruth May here."

"Mum, it's Brian."

"Oh, Bri! How's your day?"

"It's good, good. Uh... Ruby's mother invited me for dinner tonight, can I stay?"

"BRIAN!" Prudence shouted behind him. "You can also invite your mother, I'd be pleased to meet her!"

"O... Okay!" he smiled. "Mum?"

"Yes? Who was it?"

"It was Ruby's mother. She wants to invite you too. Will you come?"

"Oh, I don't want to bother anyone."

"Watch out, Prudence hates this answer, she wants to kill me whenever I say this!" he laughed. "Two of her friends will be here as well, with Ruby and her, obviously."

"Well... Okay. I guess we'll have fun."

"They're in a very good mood today."

"Where is it?"

"Oh, it's in Edith Grove, in Chelsea."

"Okay. Well, fine, I'll come."

"Okay. Call before you leave the house, Ruby and I will wait for you."

"No problem. See you later, love."

"See you later, mum."

He hung up and walked back to the living room. Prudence and Ruby were sitting on the couch, talking about Prudence's day. They looked up to him.

"My mother will come."

"Oh, that's great!" Prudence smiled.

"Bri? Can I talk to you for a minute?" Ruby shyly asked.

"Sure."

"Excuse me, mum."

Prudence nodded and watched the two lovebirds heading towards Ruby's bedroom. Ruby sat down on her bed, looking down.

"Ruby? What's the matter?" Brian whispered, closing the door behind him.

"Well, I don't know how to talk about that."

"Tell me."

He sat next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders. She sighed and looked at Brian's other hand that was on his thigh. She grabbed it and stroked it with her thumb.

"I'm quite nervous because your mother will be there."

"Oh? Why?"

"I've never met her and... I'm afraid she won't like me."

"I'm sure she will. You know, I'm always talking about you and I think she has a good opinion about you. It'll be fine, don't worry."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah! My mum's a really nice woman. You shouldn't worry at all." He smiled at her and took her into his arms. He kissed her hair and her lips. "Let's go, your mother's waiting for us."

Ruby nodded and stood up. Brian held her hand and led her to the living room. Prudence smiled at them.

"Are you okay, you two?"

"Yeah, yeah. So, what did you buy today?"

"So many things! I found something for you, too!"

She happily clapped her hands and ran up to the bags that were on the table. She opened them and showed the two young adults the dresses, hats, and blouses she had bought. It had been a long time since Ruby last saw her smile like that. "Since she saw my acceptance letter to the Imperial" she thought. "At least, she forgets a bit about Dennis and the hospital."

Prudence bent over a bag she had not opened yet and picked it up. She faced her daughter and Brian.

"And here are your suprises!"

"Surprises?" they repeated.

"Yes! Here's for you, Ruby dear..." 

She handed her a small packet that her daughter grabbed and put down on her knees. 

"And here's for you, Bri dear!"

Brian raised his eyebrows. "For me?"

"Yes, for you!"

Prudence handed him a packet too. He thanked her and shyly took it, sharing a confused look with Ruby.

"Well, open them, now!"

They both opened the gifts they had on their knees and both of their jaws dropped. Ruby stood up, holding what her mother had bought for her. It was a cute blue coat, looking like one of the marine, with a white belt, white buttons and collar. Just under the dress, there were a pair of small white boots.

"You can wear them with the dress I gave you for your date with Brian."

"Oh, thank you so much, mum!" she shouted, throwing herself at her mother's neck, kissing her cheek. "What did you get, Bri?"

Astonished, he slowly grabbed what the packet contained. He stood up, revealing a black velvet jacket. His hands were shaking. Never had he seen such a beautiful jacket. He had always wanted to wear a velvet one, but he never gathered enough money to actually buy one. His money would almost always be used to buy lunch, or fund advertisement for his band. Then, he took another thing that was in the packet: a white and thin t-shirt with long sleeves and a scoop neckline. 

Brian could not even speak. He was so surprised and happy that his words were stuck in his throat. He cleared it and simply said "I could never thank you enough for that." Prudence laughed and hugged him. He kissed her on the cheek and thanked her five times.

"You should try them on, just in case." Prudence said to them. They nodded and both took their gifts and walked in the corridor; Ruby went to her room, and Brian went to the bathroom. Ruby put on the dress she wore for her date with Brian, her new jacket and new shoes. Brian removed his purple t-shirt and put on the clothes Prudence bought. They went back to the living room. Prudence's eyes widened.

"Oh, look at those lovely birds! You both are so gorgeous!" she cheered. "Can I take a picture of you two? We could put it in a frame and nail it to this wall right there!"

"Sure! Well I mean... I personally don't mind." Brian stuttered.

"I'd love to" Ruby grinned before kissing Brian's cheek.

Prudence hurried to her bedroom and grabbed her camera. She came back and asked the two young adults to get closer. They held each other's hand and shyly looked at the lense. Prudence clicked on the button and the photograph was taken.

"We could take another one, what do you think?"

They nodded and instinctively, Ruby rested her head on Brian's shoulder. Brian rested his head on top of hers and his lips curled up in a broad smile. Prudence took three photographs.

"Now, Prudence, we'd like to take one with you!" Brian said, happily.

"Oh, with me? Well, I'm not... Uh..."

"Come on, mum, it would make a great souvenir!"

Prudence shrugged and prepared the camera. She clicked on the button and ran up to them. They stepped aside and let her wrap her arms around ther waist. They all smiled and the flash caught the moment. 

Prudence kissed Ruby's and Brian's cheek before taking the camera and place it on a shelf. "I'll make them develop tomorrow."

She walked up to the kitchen. Ruby hugged Brian, kissing his neck.

"Your mother is really nice. I can't believe she gave me presents."

"She's in a really good mood today. You know, that's the first time she behaves like that with my boyfriend. She was incredibly hostile with the previous one."

"Wow, really?"

"Yeah. But I understand why she behaves like that with you. The best student of the department of Physics deserves a good treatment, doesn't he?" she grinned, her arms wrapped around his neck.

Ruby's mother came back from the kitchen with a tray between her hands. She had placed glasses and lemonade on it, with small plates and a beautiful chocolate cake.

"Are you hungry, lovelies?"

"Just a bit" Brian admitted.

"Here, take a slice of chocolate cake! I baked the same one as last time."

"Yummy!" he smiled.

"Have a glass of homemade lemonade too!"

They collapsed on the couch and Ruby poured lemonade into the three glasses. Prudence took a knife and cut the cake in eight parts. She served the parts for them three and sat next to them. They ate the cake and drank the lemonade in front of the TV, watching a funny series. 

Around 6 pm, the telephone rang. Prudence unconsciously grabbed the arm of the couch, digging her nails into the leather. Ruby noticed it and saw the fear in her eyes.

"Oh, it must be my mother, I told her to call here before she leaves. I left the phone number at home just in case."

He stood up and ran to the kitchen. He picked up the phone and pressed it against his ear.

"Hello?"

"Brian?"

"Oh, mum, it's you."

"Yes. I'm leaving right now. What's the number of the house?"

"Just park at Edith Grove, Ruby and I will be outside to show you the way."

"Oh, fine. Well, I'll be there in thirty minutes more or less. Otherwise, I'll toot."

"Okay. Well see you later, mum."

"See you later, Bri."

She hung up and so did he. He walked back to the living room. Prudence was stiff, a napkin in her hand. She looked terrified. 

Ruby looked up to his beloved boyfriend.

"Who was it?"

"It was my mother, indeed. She'll be there in half an hour."

"It was for Dennis... It was for Dennis..."

"No, mum it wasn't for Dennis" Ruby whispered, tenderly rubbing her back and holding her by the arm at the same time. "It was Brian's mother."

"No, no, no, it was the hospital. It was for Dennis. It was for Dennis." Prudence began to shiver. She heaved a long, high-pitched sob. "Dennis. It was for Dennis. I know it. It was for Dennis."

"Brian, can you please give me a glass of lemonade?"

"Sure, love."

He bent over the table, opened the bottle of lemonade and poured it in a glass. He handed it to Ruby who took it and gave it to her mother.

"Drink a bit, mum. Drink a bit."

"No, no, it was for Dennis."

"Mum, listen to me. It was not the hospital. It was not for Dennis. Dennis is alright. Calm down, take a deep breath. It was not for Dennis. It was Brian's mother. It was..?"

"Ruth" Brian answered.

"It was Ruth May. It was Brian's mother. She's coming. She'll be there in half an hour. Lie down for a while, okay? Try to relax. We're going to wait for her outside. Do you want me to play a record?"

"Y... Yes."

"Which one do you want me to play?"

"Love Me Tender."

"Elvis it is. Right. Lie down, mum. It will be alright."

She lay Prudence on the couch. Brian was watching, terribly worried. He felt stupid for asking his mother to call back before she came. He should have known that Prudence would react this way. He could still distinguish this look of terror in her eyes. "Poor Prudence..." he said to himself.

Ruby stood up and took a look at the records collection on a shelf. She found the EP that Prudence wanted to listen to. She put it on the turntable and played it. She turned it up, kissed her mother's forehead and left the flat, followed by Brian.