You Take My Breath Away - Brian May

11. Lost Opportunity

"I noticed this earlier when we went swimming after your thesis," Lettie explained.

"Don't remind me."

She chuckled but understood - although it was a bit funny after the fact, she knew the unexpected event had caused him a lot of unneeded stress.

"So where are you taking me?"

"You'll see."

"Sound carries across water, yeah? Hopefully, if Tina and Tim are at it, we won't hear it all."

"Hopefully not," she agreed.  "But I'll definitely tease them about that later."

"Me too."

 She  led him around the other side of the bank to where a lone rowboat sat. "I thought we'd have a good view from out on the lake. What do you think?"

"I think it would be the perfect view."

The rowboat was heavy but they managed to push it into the water. Brian took the oars and rowed them out to the centre of the clear, calm lake. 

"Yes, this is rather perfect," he said once they had reached their desired spot.  "Good thinking."

"Thank you. I've got the astrophysicist's approval."

"Yes, you have. And aspiring astrophysicist, I'm not technically one yet."

"Close enough for me."

He chuckled and leaned back, looking up at the clear night sky speckled with stars. He then gave what she took to be a content sigh.  "The others are really missing out is all I can say."

"They certainly are." But she also kind of liked that it was just the two of them.  She loved everyone's company, of course, but there was something special about being in just Brian's company. She wasn't exactly sure what it was, but she did know that, whatever it was, she liked it. 

Sometime later, years even, she would think back to that moment out on the lake and think that it would have been the perfect time and place to kiss him. 

-----------------------------

"Where did you two sneak off to last night," Roger asked during their lunch on Sunday before they packed up for the drive home.

"They were down by the lake," Brian answered for them.

"No, not Tina and Tim, you two." Roger nodded to Brian and Lettie.

"Us?"

"Yeah, you left and were gone a long time."

"Lettie, you said you didn't want us shagging all weekend," said Tina.

Lettie felt her cheeks flare up with heat and one side-glance at Brian told her that he was in a very similar state. 

"If you'd been listening, we went stargazing," Brian told them, avoiding eye-contact with anyone.

"Okay, if that's what you want to call it," Roger grinned. "Getting naughty by the lake now were we?"

"Piss off, Rog. We invited you along, but no one wanted to come. You all missed out."

"Stargazing? How romantic!" put in Freddie.

"If anyone was getting 'naughty by the lake' it was those two." Brian pointed his fork at Tina and Tim.

Thankfully, after some giggling, the subject dropped there. Everyone finished eating and then went to pack up and load the van. 

"Lettie." She turned to see Brian standing there, looking sheepish. His intense flush had faded some but there was still evidence of it on his cheeks. "I hope you weren't too embarrassed or upset about what Roger said."