Page 118 of Cream & Sugar

I’ll drink in the morning sun,

On a table for one.

If I have to wait in line,

To tell you that you are mine,

I’ll be here at closing time,

Can’t take me away, I’m here to stay.

The last note of the chorus dissipates in a gentle vibrato. I haven’t blinked in a minute. He’s not just good, he’s unbelievable. Proving my point, a few members of the crowd turn to their neighbours to mouth the word “wow.”

Freddie strums the guitar as Rory joins in with a steady, subtle rhythm on the bongos, tapping the tambourine with his foot on every other beat.

Blood running cold with nowhere to turn,

You opened your door and that’s when I learned,

There is no price I won't pay for your time,

And there’s nothing you need to give me for mine.

My heart swells as I absorb the lyrics, each line a glimpse into Freddie’s soul, and, I suppose, a reflection of us.

He repeats the chorus, adding new ornaments to the melody like sprinkles on a cupcake, before launching into an intricate guitar solo, over which he hums a delicate harmony.

Something in my periphery makes me tear my eyes away from Freddie for a second. The only person in the audience not watching him is my mum. She’s looking at me, her eyes brimming with tears, mouth spread in a radiant smile. Her and Dad met Freddie briefly before he went to warm up. If there was any doubt left in me that she wouldn’t approve of him, it’s gone now. Her eyes say everything I need to know. Although what mother couldn’t approve of a man literally serenading her son right in front of her?

As the guitar solo comes to a close, Rory stops drumming. It’s as if the room goes dark and Freddie, spotlit, plays the final chorus to me and me alone.

I’ll take my coffee hot,

Baby don’t waste a drop,

I’ll drink in the morning sun,

On a table for one.

If I have to wait in line,

To tell you that you are mine,

I’ll be here at closing time,

Can’t take me away, I’m here to stay.

The corner of his mouth turns upwards as he repeats the final line.

Can’t take me away, I’m here to stay.

The final chord rings out and the crowd goes wild. I join in, shouting “bravo” and clapping as loud as I can. Freddie beams and holds out a hand to Rory who, despite looking like he’s having war flashbacks, gets his own surge of applause.

Over the din, I mouth “you’re amazing” to Freddie. He blows me a kiss across the crowd.

A few people clock on, heads turning to look in my direction. Some laughter and a few “awws” from the audience would normally horrify me. But here, in my little café, watching Freddie bring the house down with a song he wrote for me, there’s nothing I can’t handle.

I don’t care if the room knows it. I don’t care if the whole world knows it. I thought I knew what happiness was, and then he came along and proved me so, so wrong. So, I’ll shout it from the rooftops and sing it in the streets.

That’s my man up there!

And that, to coin a phrase, is pretty fucking rad.