Heels hurriedly hit the pavement of South Kensington, under a cool night of May. It was almost eight o'clock, and Freddie was late to the concert.

Being rather excited to see Lily again, Freddie had taken way too much time choosing his most beautiful clothes and taming his black mane. He had no particular reason to be excited that much, especially when he and Lily did not know each other very well yet. It was a bit confusing for him, but it did not matter: he was determined to spend an amazing moment at a concert. When he was finally done preparing himself, the clock announced him the concert would start in no less than twelve minutes.

Therefore, he started a race against time.

Freddie soon found himself out of breath, but he knew he could not stop. When he looked up, he caught a glimpse of the frontage of the Imperial College. The two imposing statues standing by the entrance were getting closer and closer, and when he finally passed by the first one, a tremendous sensation of relief ran through his body. He dashed up the front stairs and paid his ticket at the ridiculously tiny desk behind the doors. The students who sold those tickets showed him the way to the concert hall, and Freddie thanked them.

Loud cheerings were thundering in the huge hall, as a band was appearing on the stage and waving at the audience. One of the two guitar players of the band started to talk in the microphone, introducing the band members, and thanking everybody for coming. Freddie was rather impressed by the amount of people who came to see this local band he had never heard about, and assumed the band aids were great at gathering people.

Freddie took a deep breath, as he moved forward into the thick crowd, apologising whenever he jostled someone or stepped on someone's foot. Every so often, he would stand on tiptoes and try to catch sight of Lily, or even just her hair - but there were so many people he could not even see beyond the two heads before him.

Two minutes passed before he eventually reached the front row. He was on the far left of the stage, and obviously, Lily was not there. He leant forward and looked at the faces of the people at the front row. Then, he saw her.

Lily was leaning on her elbows on the stage, looking up at the musicians with the broadest smile Freddie had ever seen. She was cheering and nodding in approval at everything the band members did. Freddie sneaked between the first and second row until he reached her. When she saw him, she gasped with joy and threw her arms around him. "Here you are, Freddie!" she screamed excitedly. "I thought you wouldn't come!"

"I told you I would," Freddie replied, trying to speak loud enough so she would hear him, "I'm just late, I'm sorry!"

"You arrived at the right moment! They were about to start! Can you see this guy with the short hair, the greyish shirt and the white trousers? The one with the red guitar?"

"Yes, yes I can."

"It's my best friend, Brian. I told you about him! And the guitarist who spoke is Dave Dilloway, by the way. There's the singer, Tim Staffell, the bassist, Jag Garnham, and the drummer, Richard Thompson."

"Jag's an unusual name."

"His real name's John, but we all call him Jag. Oh, let me introduce to you Chelsea, she's one of the band aids. Chelsea, this is Freddie, he lives on the other side of my road."

Chelsea smiled, her long crimson hair falling down her back. She shook Freddie's hand without saying a word, being way too shy to speak. Actually, she felt a bit lonely, since Winny could not make it to the concert, being bedridden with fever. Moreover, Rhys was flirting with a girl he met when they welcomed the people who attended the concert. He was standing on the far right of the stage, holding the girl by the waist.

Sighing, Chelsea faced the band again, her soft cheeks turning a bright pink shade when her eyes met Tim's.

The band started to play, and Freddie listened to them attentively, simply staring at them. After two songs, his body was dancing along the catchy rhythm that escaped the instruments of 1984. Sometimes Lily would turn to him, and both would laugh innocently, as both felt like they had never enjoyed themselves this much.

A few guitar notes played by Brian ended the band's cover of the Beatles' I'm A Loser. The guitarist smiled at the crowd and wiped his sweaty forehead with his sleeve. His hazel eyes found Lily's, and his grin grew even wider, revealing his white teeth. He cleared his throat and spoke in the microphone. "Thank you everyone for cheering so loudly! I didn't think there would be so many people tonight, actually none of us did. That's incredible, really. Um... I would like to dedicate a song to a special someone. This special someone is a girl I've known for years, since we were only noisy little children, and even today, our friendship is the most precious thing that's ever happened to me. I would like to thank her for all the joy she brings to me, but also for standing with me through hard times. This song's called White Queen, and it's the first time we're playing it, ever."

Lily's jaw dropped as she rested a hand on her chest, feeling her heart racing. Brian played the first notes on his guitar, which he had changed for an acoustic one. The hall had turned quiet, and all the ears were focused on the music, eager to hear each note that would follow another. The rest of the band stood in the back of the stage, while the two weak spotlights were aimed at him, plunging the rest of the stage in darkness.

Brian closed his eyes and took a deep breath, singing the first lyrics softly, sending shivers down everyone's spines. Lily's eyes were twinkling, as she held on to Freddie's arm. After he sang the four first lines, Brian opened his eyes and glanced at his best friend, the source of her inspiration.

"On such a breathless night as this, upon my brow the lightest kiss, I walked alone..."

The young woman gulped, mesmerised by Brian.

"And all around the air did say, my lady soon will stir this way, in sorrow known... The white queen walks and the night grows pale, stars of lovingness in her hair..."

Everyone in the crowd held their breaths, waiting for the next line, as Brian paused, staring at Lily. He blinked twice, then his pick hit the strings of his guitar, his voice echoing in the hall again like a complaint.

"Needing, unheard. Pleading, one word. So sad, my eyes, she cannot see..."

Tears formed in Lily's eyes, while Freddie was staring at Brian, agape. The young black-haired man could feel the power of the lyrics in his guts, and it was obvious to him that the version of White Queen Brian was singing would never be the final version. Why was it obvious to him? He had no hint.

Brian started to play a long solo, while Dave silently watched the scene from the back of the stage. All he could see was the other guitarist's back, but he had to sit down, for the song actually sounded much better than when they rehearsed it. It was different. During the rehearsals, it sounded just like another ballad Brian had written, but there, even if it still was a calm ballad, it sounded like a masterpiece. "This masterpiece can be improved" Dave thought, screwing up his eyes, "it MUST be improved..."

When Brian ended the solo, the crowd quietly cheered, knowing it was not the end of the song. The guitarist stared at Lily, whose face was covered with tears, and leant closer to the microphone.

"My goddess hear my darkest fear, I speak too late, it's for evermore that I wait..."

He paused for a few seconds, which seemed to last an eternity. When his voice came out of the speakers again, some people sighed in relief, after so much anticipation.

"Dear friends, goodbye. No tears in my eye, so sad, it ends as it began..."

The last notes escaped from the guitar, then the hall was reduced to silence. A silence which did not last, since a sudden wave of cheerings thundered. Lily's hands were painful, for she was applauding too hard. Freddie, next to her, clapped his hands as well, barely noticing the other band members coming back to their original spots. While Brian changed his acoustic guitar for his red electric guitar, Tim let out a giggle and turned to the audience. "Well, well, it'll be hard now to impress you after such a performance! Brian May, everybody!"

Chelsea poked Lily's shoulder and smiled. "Did you know they would play this? I never heard it!"

"I didn't! Brian just told me they'd rehearsed a new song, but he refused to tell me. Now, I understand!"

"That was mind-blowing!" Freddie interrupted. "But I'm sure that if you add drums, bass, and electric guitar, it would be absolutely perfect!"

"I like it the way it is," Lily shrugged, "but yeah, perhaps it would, I'm probably saying that because this is the only version I know!"

Freddie chuckled and Lily unconsciously wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a warm embrace. The young man, a bit surprised, blushed and rubbed her back with a grin, under Chelsea's judgmental gaze.

Richard counted up to three, and the familiar intro riff of My Generation filled the room. The crowd went crazy, and some people in the crowd shouted in excitement. Tim brought the microphone to his mouth after he made a few moves, Roger Daltrey-style.

"People try to put us down..."

And then, everybody sang along with Dave and Brian.

"Talking 'bout my generation!"

Tim sang the next line with an amused look on his face, letting the crowd sing the harmonies, along with the two guitarists. Everybody was dancing, clapping, singing. It seemed like everything was going crazy, in a good way.

The music kept playing, the hearts kept beating, and the voices kept singing.

At the end of the concert, the band saluted the audience, waving every so often. Then, Dave spoke. "Thank you everyone for coming! This was our best night so far, I think, and we couldn't have made it without you all. Thank you again! Richard Thompson on drums! John 'Jag' Garnham on bass guitar! Dave Dilloway on rhythm guitar! Brian May on lead guitar! And myself, Tim Staffell, I just sing and play the harmonica! And before we go, we'd like to thank our dear band aids, without whom there wouldn't be so many people tonight. Lily Howell, Chelsea Driscoll, Rhys Dwight, and our lovely band aid who couldn't come tonight because of a nasty fever, Winny Forney! Good night, and thank you!"

Whistles and clapping followed, while the five musicians left the stage. Back at the front row, Chelsea sighed and poked Lily's shoulder. "I'm going to try finding Rhys. I hope he hasn't left with that chick."

"Alright, I'm staying with Freddie."

The red-haired girl nodded then tried to make her way through the crowd of people, jostling one another to leave the hall. As she said, Lily stayed with Freddie. She jumped and sat on the edge of the stage, patting the space on her right to let Freddie sit too. He did, and Lily linked arms with him.

"What did you think of the concert?" she asked.

"They're incredibly good. Especially your friend."

"They're all my friends!" she laughed.

"I mean Brian, your... main friend? Best friend? Yeah, you got me!"

"Of course I got you! They were at their best, believe me. Never had they played like that. Brian blew my mind in particular, with this song."

"He's in love with you."

Lily widened her eyes, slowly turning to him. "What?"

"Don't tell me you don't know!" Freddie giggled. "He couldn't take his eyes off you the whole concert! And this song... It wasn't written for a best friend."

"No, no, there's nothing going on between me and Brian. Okay, we kissed twice a few days ago, but it was nothing."

"Denial, denial."

Lily playfully slapped Freddie's shoulder. She ran her hands through her own hair, trying to straighten them a little. After she danced like she did, her hair was a mess.

She turned to Freddie again and smiled. "Are you coming to our party?"

"A party? What party?"

"We're going to a bar to celebrate. Will you come with us?"

"Right now?"

"Yes, right now. Well, we're only waiting for the band to change themselves and all. They wanted to take a shower in the dorms. Some students suggested that they could use them after the concert. They're taking their showers."

"Oh, I wish I could, but I promised I would join my friends in town after the concert. I was supposed to go to a party, but I told them I would go to the concert first."

"You can tell them to come! We can have fun all together!"

"It's a friend's birthday... Really, I'd love to come, but I made a promise..."

Lily smiled and elbowed him in the ribs. "Hey, it's okay, don't feel guilty! We can hang out another day."

Freddie nodded and shyly placed a kiss on her cheek. She blushed and returned the kiss, wrapping an arm around his shoulders. "By the way" she whispered, "we're friends, aren't we?"

"Of course! I wish I'll get to know you better, to me you're an adorable young woman. I mean it."

"Thank you, Freddie. When are you coming back to my house to listen to cool records?"

A wide grin appeared on Freddie's face as he replied "As soon as I buy new ones. Which means the day after tomorrow."

"I can't wait."

"Me neither. I'm sorry, but I must leave now. Thank your friends for this great time, and congratulate them for me. I really liked the music. Tell me when they perform again!"

"Alright! Be safe, huh?"

"Don't worry about me, I'm a former boxing champion, remember?"

Lily chuckled and hugged her new friend, then walked him to the front gate, meeting Chelsea and Rhys on the way. They both walked down the front stairs, and Freddie kissed Lily's forehead. "See you soon, pretty darling."

Lily blushed, smiling broadly. "See you very soon, handsome dear. You can show up anytime."

"No problem. But I prefer to call before showing up. Last time, I disturbed your sleep."

The two shared a laugh, then hugged one last time. Then, Freddie walked away, turning around to wave at her every two metres. Lily waited for him to disappear from her sight, then went back inside. They had a celebration to make.