Taylor closed the door behind John, and removed her shoes. They were coming back from the beach, their hair all wet, and a bit tired. They put down the beach bag and hung the wet towels to the windows. John walked up to the kitchen and grabbed an apple. He took a knife and a napkin, and cut it in four halves.

“Would you like some apple, Taylor?”

“No, thanks, I'll wait for dinner, otherwise I won't be hungry, and we already skipped lunch.”

“Alright! I finish this apple and I'm going to the bathroom first. I hope you don't mind?”

“Not at all! I'll read some more pages of the book about Saint Malo while you take your shower.”

She sat in front of him, her book in hand, and opened it, reading the first paragraph of the right page. John threw the last bit of his apple into his mouth and stood up. He threw the napkin in the bin and put the knife in the sink. He kissed Taylor's cheek on his way to the bedroom. He picked a clean pair of dark blue jeans and a white long-sleeved shirt. He grabbed his briefs, a pair of white socks, and headed for the bathroom.

He locked the door behind him and removed his clothes, which he left on the floor. He stepped over the edge of the bathtub and pulled the curtain, turning on the tap. He rubbed his lavender soap against his skin as the waterdrops were pouring over it. He rinsed his chest, arms, armpits, legs and crotch, before grapping his shampoo. He tried to apply some on his wild hair without tangling it, and it seemed to be a success. He rinsed his hair and got out of the bathtub, wrapped his towel around his waist and stared at his face in the mirror. “No wonder why she doesn't want you. Look at yourself, you're pitiful.” he told himself. He ran a hand across his face and dried his body, putting on the clothes he had picked. He tucked his white shirt in his jeans, rolled the sleeves up to his elbows, and tried to dry his hair.

When John went back to the kitchen, Taylor was still focused on her book. There was a glass of water next to her, which was half full. John sat in front of her, and she raised her eyes.

“Ooh, John Deacon is now all stunning!”

She sniffed a few times and giggled.

“He even wears a delicious perfume! What is it?”

“I won't tell you, I've always been said that if I want to seduce a girl, I have to keep a mysterious side. Here it is!”

They laughed and Taylor closed her book. She stood up and kissed John's forehead, before walking up to the bedroom, with a smirk. She was melting: John looked so sexy like that. She shook her head and had an idea. She would surprise him too.

While Taylor was taking her shower, John washed her glass. Then, he took a look at the clock and opened one of the two cabinets. There was a packet of spaghettis, which he took and opened. He filled a pan with water and put it down on the gas stove. He struck a match and lit it up, before shaking it and throwing it in the bin. He opened the fridge and found minced meat. He cooked it with a tomato sauce, which he prepared all by himself. He still had some time to prepare the table in the living room. He took two forks, two knives, two wine glasses and brought them to the living room. He arranged them on the tablecloth, and noticed a candlestick in a corner. He took it and placed it between the two seats, and ran back to the kitchen to keep an eye on the food.

Taylor looked at herself one last time in the mirror. Her blonde hair was now all dry, and well-combed into a romantic bun. In order to surprise John like he did, she was wearing a long, dark blue evening dress, with a Queen Anne collar. It had long skin-tight sleeves, which were perfect for her thin arms. She applied some red lipstick, mascara and light eye shadow. She spread some perfume in her hair, on her neck and behing her ears, before putting on her sliver necklace, which she got from John, and silver earrings.

She did not know what kind of game they were playing, but she was determined to win it.

She unlocked the bathroom door and stepped in the corridor. She frowned and wrinkled her nose. It smelled like tomato and meat. She walked up to the kitchen, but the lights were off, and John was not there. She spun round and went to the living room.

The lights were off as well there, but she caught a glimpse of a gleam shining at the table. She got closer and Saw John standing behind a candlestick. Astonished by what she saw, she giggled and covered her mouth with a hand. John had arranged the spaghettis in the two plates, and drew a heart with the meat and the tomato sauce.

“John Deacon, this is so adorable!”

“Really? Come here and get a seat, then.”

He walked up to her, took her hand and pulled her the chair which stood behind the special plate. She sat on it and thanked him. Then, John took a bottle of white wine and opened it.

“I hope you like white wine, Taylor.”

“I do.”

With a grin, he filled her glass, and then poured the beverage in his. He put the bottle on the table and sat on his chair. They raised their glass before them, smiling widely at each other.

“To our wonderful trip” John said.

“To our wonderful trip!”

They carefully hit their glass together and brought it to their lips, drinking a gulp. They put it down and started to eat.

“I'm sorry that it's not the best dinner ever, but I tried my best” John chuckled.

“I'm very, very touched by what you did, John Deacon. This is purely adorable. Honestly.”

“And I wanted to tell you that you are absolutely gorgeous in this dress.”

“Thank you” she blushed “I thought that, because you wore those beautiful clothes and looked really good, I had to give it a try, too.”

“But you look gorgeous in all the clothes you wear!”

She smiled shyly and shook her head, eating her spaghettis. When she tasted the meat, her eyes widened.

“Wow, this sauce is divine!”

“Thank you, I did it myself. My mother taught me a very special way to prepare it.”

“Congratulations! I guess this is a family recipe.”

“Mmh, more or less.”

They smiled at each other and emptied their plates, drinking wine at the same time. Taylor helped John cleaning the table, though he protested. But nothing could make her change her mind: he prepared all this, and it was her turn to help.

They put the dirty dishes in the sink, and John turned to Taylor.

“I'll wash everything later, we have a walk to take!”

“Let me get my handbag.”

“Why? You won't need it, if we only go to the ramparts! If we stop somewhere and you need anything, I'll come back here.”

“Alright. I don't have enough energy to stop at a bar or at a club. I highly doubt there's a club around here, actually.”

John laughed and took their beach towels, which were still hanging to the windows. He leant oustide and closed the windows.

“The temperature is quite pleasant outside. I don't think we'll need any kind of coat.”

Taylor nodded and put on a pair of stilettos. She knew that she was going to walk on cobblestone, but she did not care. She could not wear trainers with an evening dress, could she?!

John put on his black flat shoes, put his wallet in his backpocket and grabbed the keys. They both went out and John locked the door. They silently went down the stairs, and found themselves in the street. John was right, the temperature was really pleasant. It was not too warm, and not too cold either. Just perfect.

They headed for the gates of the city, where they saw stairs leading to the top of the ramparts. The restaurants of the main square were full of people. They were laughing, singing, talking... There was a very joyful and peaceful atmosphere in the city, which made Taylor fall in love with it.

John and Taylor climbed the stone stairway and found themselves walking on the ramparts, overlooking the harbour and the Breton landscape. Taylor was grinning widely, getting closer to the edge. She let her eyes wander on the square, out of the inner city, with its circular fountain and all its colourful flowers. The harbour was shining, and some boats were coming back from their trip to the sea.

They kept walking, their eyes focusing on the landscape. John was amazed as well, enchanted by all the lights and shapes he could see. After five minutes of walking, John stopped, making Taylor stop as well. She turned to him with a worried expression on her face.

“John Deacon? What's wrong?”

“Look over there!”

He was pointing at the other side of the tall stone wall. There was a building with many windows, and it was easy to guess that there were flats.

“What's special about this building?”

“Right here, it's our flat.”

“Oh! You're right! HELLO, FLAT!”

Taylor started to wave happily at the flat, laughing out loud. The few people passing by looked hard at her, rolling their eyes. Taylor did not even pay attention to them. John imitated her, and both were bursting out laughing.

“We're laughing for nothing, don't you think?” John panted.

“I don't give a shit. This is my life, and I love it!”

Both laughed again, and then, they kept walking. They stopped as soon as they reached a spot overlooking the sea. They leant on their elbows on the cold stone, watching the horizon, lulled by the sound of the sall waves crashing on the wet sand. A wide smile was pinned to Taylor's cheek, and she could not get rid of it. For the first time in her life, she felt happy. Not only joyful, but she felt like she was finally accomplishing something. She could already imagine John and herself filling the first frame in her empty room. She had been dying to do it, and now, she could. What a time to be alive.

John was smiling lightly, as he focused on the landscape.

“Saint Malo is a beautiful place, mmh?” Taylor whispered in the night.

“Indeed. I'm pleasantly surprised, I must say.”

“What do you think life is like here?”

John turned to her, his eyes widening lightly. He shrugged and looked back at the sea.

“I don't know. I guess this must be quiet.”

“Do you miss it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Your quiet life, do you miss it?”

“Oh, you know, I'm the one whose life is the quietest. Freddie, Bri and Rog do have an exciting life. Usually, people don't care about me, and I still can walk in the street without being harassed by fans. Roger can't.”

“I know, he wore sunglasses when I met him in the street yesterday. He had to take me to a narrow street to make sure that he wouldn't get any trouble.”

“Well, it's not the case for me. Sometimes, people recognise me, but I'm the member people don't care about. I'm only the bass player. Who cares?”

“I do.”

John smiled and looked down.

“Yes, but you're different.”

“To what extent am I different? I'm just like all those people. I don't have anything that is different with their lifestyle. I don't have a different personality, and...”

“That's where you're wrong.”

Taylor looked at John with widened eyes, almost full of shock. John was staring at her calmly. There was absolutely no gleam of anger in his eyes. Not even a bit.

“You are different, Taylor. In a good way. I don't know any other girl who enjoys life as much as you do. I don't know any other girl who's that determined to travel. I don't know any other girl who gives warm smiles to everybody all the time. I don't know any other girl who's that kind. I don't know any other girl who helps the others get self-confidence. I don't know any other girl who's this funny. I don't know any other girl who's biggest inspiration is an octopus. I don't know any other girl who keeps an empty room with empty frames which she can't wait to fill to remember the best points in her life. And finally, I don't know any other girl who's gorgeous like you, and who made me fall in love almost immediately.”

Taylor was staring at John, speechless. Every time she tried to speak, her voice got stuck in her throat. She felt tears coming to her eyes, as she struggled to say a word. Noticing it, John wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a warm embrace. He stroked her hair, kissing her temple.

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry.”

Taylor sniffed and sighed, watching her hand stroking gently John's chest. It moved slower and slower, until it stopped. She lightly pulled away and stared at him, her lips slightly parted. She cupped his face with her hands and gave him a passionate kiss. Nothing to do with a friendship kiss or a deepened one. This one was even more electric. Even better than this she gave him when they got back from the restaurant.

She wrapped her arms around his neck, moaning as she kissed him with more intensity. He stroked her back and her waist, feeling a thrill through his fingertips. The kiss grew with intensity, and the more they kissed, the more John felt uncomfortable... lower. He wiggled his legs, trying to hide it, but Taylor guessed it. She broke the kiss, removed her shoes, which she held in one hand, grabbed his, and ran away from their spot.

They ran back to the stone stairway, which they went down. Some people sitting in the restaurant turned their heads and laughed, bellowing things in French. They did not pay attention to them, and ran straight to the entrance of the building they stayed at. John tried to find the right key with his trembling hands; once he found it, he clumsily slipped it in the keyhole and opened the door. In the hall, Taylor pinned him to a wall, kissing him passionately again, still moaning as his lips met hers. His mouth lowered on her neck, kissing it and biting it softly, making her shiver. She grabbed his hand once again and ran up to the third floor.

They crossed the short corridor and got inside the flat, after John unlocked the door. They slammed it, and this time, it was John who pinned Taylor to the wall. Keeping her eyes closed, she unbuttoned his shirt, pulling on it to free it from his jeans. He removed it and threw it randomly behind him, stroking her waist. She took his hands and placed them on her breasts, moaning at the same time. He pressed his warm torso against her, carefully unzipping her dress. She helped him getting rid of it by moving her shoulders. The dress slipped at her ankles, revealing her blue bra and knickers. John stayed a few seconds speechless at the sight of her body, though he saw it at the beach. But there, it was different.

Taylor bit John's neck, making him moan and bite his lip. She undid his belt and unbuttoned his jeans, without going any further. She took his hand and led him to the bedroom.

John gently pushed her on the bed, laying on top of her. His hands wandered on her body, while she removed his jeans. Her left hand got lost in his hair, while the other made its way behind his back, under his underpants. She stroked the skin of his backside, removing his socks with her toes.

John stopped, panting and blushing like he never did before. He stroked her cheek and stared at her.

“Are you sure?”

“I am sure, John Deacon.”

“We don't have any protection...”

“I take the pill. Look, it's on the bedside table.”

John looked at the bedside table Taylor was pointing at and saw the small blister-pack. He felt reassured, and kissed her neck again.

“Don't worry” she said “we'll take more precautions next time.”

Next time. John's heart leapt in his chest, as he began to kiss her passionately like they did before. His hands skillfully made their way in her back, and unclipped her bra. His eyes closed, he made its straps slip along her arms, finally removing it. She threw it on the floor and sat up on one elbow.

“Let's get under the sheets.”

John nodded and freed her. She pulled the white sheets and sneaked under them, soon joined by John who lay on top of her again. The coldness of the sheets against his bare skin made a considerable difference compared to Taylor's warm hands. Those two same hands carefully removed his underpants, and he helped them. He threw them on the floor and giggled between two kisses.

“Well, it looks like I don't wear my underpants for long those time!”

She laughed and removed her own knickers, throwing it on the same spot. They were now both in their most natural outfit, and Taylor stopped a second to admire what she saw.

“You are gorgeous, John Deacon.”

“And so are you, Taylor Taylor.”

Taylor closed her eyes and stretched out an arm to switch off the light. John was taking care of her as if she was his queen, and Taylor was taking care of him as if he was her king. They made love to each other with all the passion that grew in their hearts, with all the tenderness, and even though John chose to forget it for the night, with love. 

Once they were done, Taylor lifted her chin, panting, her forehead covered with sweat. Some locks of her hair were stuck to her bare skin. As for John, all his body and soul was trembling, with the emotion. Taylor smiled at him and leant in to kiss him tenderly. Without a word, she rested her head on his chest, her arm bent close to her. She quickly fell asleep, a satisfied and happy grin pinned to her rosy cheeks. As for John, he knew he was not going to sleep much that night. It was by far the most beautiful one.