If I Could

4 months later

It was the morning of a surprisingly chill July day, and everything had been going well for everyone during the past four months. Freddie Mercury had begun a new relationship with his bartender boyfriend Jim Hutton, and it was serious enough for Freddie to consider taking Jim to his daughter's wedding. Brian May had found a better job as an astrophyicist, John Deacon was busy recording a new album with his band and the Mazzello's had moved to a new, bigger house.

There was only one week left until July 12, the day of Roger Taylor and Belle Bulsara's wedding. One would say their wedding was planned very quickly, and that was almost a fact seeing that it took them less than four months. For Roger Taylor though, it was all too long. If it had been up to him, he would have married Belle the morning after he proposed to her, easy and simple, sign the papers and be done. Maybe have the religious wedding a few months later, but he just couldn't wait to call Belle Bulsara his wife. However, Belle had different plans, she had wishes for her wedding that she had dreamed of, all the little details that she didn't have on the day she married Rami, and it was impossible for Roger to say no. So he let her take her time, and Belle Bulsara had the time of her life planning her wedding to Roger Taylor.

Belle was having breakfast with Ben Hardy in the psychiatric hospital's kitchen facility, enjoying the smell of freshly brewed coffee. During their free time, Ben and Belle tried to avoid talking about topics related to their work, focusing more on their personal matters and lighthearted subjects. They had become good friends. That was another good thing.

"So, is everything ready for the big day?", Ben asked Belle, referring to her wedding, excitedly looking at the plate in front of him. Chicken noodle soup and orange juice. Belle had asked for some biscuits and milk. All of their food was served in plastic cutlery, obviously.

"It is!", Belle giggled, her cheeks turning cherry red at the realisation of her wedding day being closer than ever. "I'm very nervous, but I'm happy. I'm the happiest I've ever been. I never thought my dream of marrying Roger would come true."

Ben nodded, taking a sip from his drink, trying not to move too much, trying to avoid any eye contact because he forgot how painful it was to hear Belle talk about marrying his cousin. He regretted asking her such question, but now he had to keep the conversation going. "I hope you don't mind me asking but, why did you guys insist on getting married in such a small amount of time? Are you pregnant?".

Belle laughed. The only question people seem to ask her nowadays is whether she's pregnant or not and the answer is:

"No, I'm not pregnant", Belle denied as she bit a biscuit. "It's just that we didn't want to wait too long. We didn't want to add any other year to the seven long years we've spent hoping to marry each other."

It was time for Ben to recognise something he had failed to recognise in the past: he's in love with Belle Bulsara. Before, he was blinded by his own negation: how could he love someone who wasn't his wife, the beautiful Michelle Astryr Hardy? It was a common scenario —and with no doubt, the most logical one— in which a married man falls in love with a woman that isn't his wife simply because he's not happy with her. But that wasn't the case at all. Michelle was so pure: so kind, beautiful and noble, always taking good care of him and making sure he was doing alright. Ben wasn't uncomfortable with Michelle, which is why he didn't understand why he was so in love with Belle when he had a goddess of a woman as his wife. Ben tried to find the answer in couples therapy books.

But there was no answer. He's in love with Belle Bulsara, Ben Hardy understands.

But he doesn't want to understand.

"Yeah, I'm glad that you didn't stay with Rami because well, he wasn't the love of your life. Roger is," Ben said as he faked a smile. His voice sounded forced, like a student telling a teacher what they wanted to hear instead of telling them what they actually think.