Slouching into the sofa as I sipped at my tea, I listened to Suzie while she talked about what had happened since I last saw her a few days ago. She was mostly telling me about her relationship with Ringo. I, on the other hand, was barely speaking. I was just giving her the occasional mmhmm or yeah to let her know that I was still alive and listening. I hadn't told her anything about me and Brad or . . . what had happened two days ago between me and Paul. How could I? I knew she would be irate and scream at me for being unfaithful.
"So I was hangin' round with the boys yestahday," Suzie said casually.
I couldn't help but notice the slight caution in her voice.
"Oh?" I replied, trying to sound innocent. "How are they?"
"Alright, they mostly were just practising some songs fer their next gig," she said, but obviously thinking about something else. "But uh Paul was actin' kinda funny."
My stomach dropped about a thousand feet into a bottomless pit. If only that bottomless pit could have swallowed me up at that exact moment. I looked at Suzie trying to see if she suspected me of anything.
"What do you mean?" I asked sounding curious, but still trying to act like I knew nothing at all.
"Well, when I mentioned somethin' about ya, 'e broke a string on his bass and then latah 'e tried to change the subject when I brought ya up again," she answered, glaring at me.
"What? Why is that my fault?" I said trying to sound shocked, but instead came off as defensive.
"Oh, I dunno! Maybe cause you two 'ave been obsessed with each othah since ya furst met!" she exclaimed sarcastically.
My jaw fell open as I gaped at her. "That is not true!"
Suzie narrowed her dark eyes at me. "Michelle, whut 'appened?"
My lips began to quiver as I realized how awful the truth was – I had let another man kiss me while I was dating someone who I didn't even love. And not only had I let him kiss me, I enjoyed the kiss.
"N-Nothing happened!" I lied, my voice shaking uncontrollably. "Why do you think something happened?!"
Suzie stared back at me with a bored expression upon her face. She knew I was lying through my teeth and could see right through me. Instead of pointing it out, though, she simply waited until I caved in and told her the truth.
As the first tear trickled down my cheek, I cried out the terrible truth: "He-He kissed me." I buried my face into my hands and wept as my friend gasped in horror.
"What?! He kissed ya?! When?!"
"Two days ago," I answered lifting my head up and wiping my tear stained face.
"Fer Christ's sake, Michelle! 'Ow could ya let this 'appen?!" she yelled angrily.
"I-It's not my fault! He kissed me! He practically attacked me!" I shouted back, attempting to make myself the victim in the situation.
"Did you try to push him away?!" Suzie asked urgently.
I hesitated, "Umm, a-at first I did-"
"You kissed him BACK?!" she asked in horror.
"Well, yes, but no, ya see," I stammered trying to explain my horrible, horrible self.
"Michelle! I can't believe ya! Yer with Brad! That name ring any bells?!" she asked waving her hands all over the place as she talked.
"Yeah, I know Suzie! You don't need to remind me!" I covered my face with my hands and started crying once again.
"Aw, Michelle," Suzie sighed as she sat up and moved to sit next to me. She wrapped her arm around me in an attempt to console me, but it only made me feel worse. I didn't deserve to be treated nicely; I was basically a whore.
For the next hour, I explained to Suzie everything that had happened between me and Paul – he apologizing, the argument and the fateful kiss. Of course she was fuming that I had given up in fighting him off, but she didn't condemn me for it. In the end, Suzie gave me two choices: either I break up with Brad or stay away from Paul and keep going out with Brad. Both choices seemed so scary and didn't give me a solid guarantee about the future.
Fortunately, Suzie didn't pressure me for a decision right then and there. Instead, she suggested we should get some fresh air. We took a walk to the busy part of town and decided to get some lunch at a local pub. We found a comfortable booth and began looking over the menu. As the waiter came over and took our orders, I heard a loud commotion by the door. Let's just say when I saw who had walked in, crawling under the table and hiding didn't seem like such a bad idea.
"'Ey Suzie!" Ringo called from across the pub.
Suzie turned to look in the direction of her boyfriend. Unfortunately, he wasn't alone. Following behind him were John, George and to my dismay, Paul. As they got closer to our booth, I kept my eyes on the window next to us. However, I was watching Paul out of the corner of my eye and noticed how nervous he seemed.
"'Ello Richie," Suzie said standing up and giving Ringo a kiss on the cheek. "I see yer mates are with ya." She narrowed her eyes at Paul as she spoke.
"Uh, yeah!" he said cheerily, but slightly confused. "So can we join ya, luv?"
"Sure! You and Paulie can sit with me and Georgie and John can sit with Michelle!" she exclaimed excitedly.
I could tell what she was doing though. Suzie was trying to keep Paul as far away from me as possible. However, because John wanted to sit next to the window and Ringo wanted to sit on the outside, I ended up sitting on the end next to George and Paul was stuck in between Suzie and Ringo. Things were cozy.
Soon the waiter came back over and took the boys' orders. We seemed to have everything on the menu present at our table! Man, could those boys eat! I couldn't help but giggle at Paul as he stuffed his face; he looked just like a chipmunk! Unfortunately, he noticed my giggles and looked over. I immediately blushed and looked away. I began eating again once I knew Paul's gaze had shifted away from me.
"Sumthin' the mattah?" George asked from beside me.
I looked up at the taller boy; this was the closest we had ever been next to each other. I mean, we didn't really see much of each other and we weren't close friends! However, I remember the night Paul introduced us; he shocked me with his wittiness! I learned that George was usually quiet unless he was spoken to or had something important to say.
"Oh, no," I said giving him a small smile. "Everything's fine."
"Good tah 'ear that!" he said returning the smile and returning to his food.
He began dipping four fries, or "chips", at a time in his ketchup and eating them all at once. It seemed like he hadn't eaten in ages! Soon his cheeks were puffing out with food.
"Are you enjoying your food George?" I asked giggling.
He looked over at me and grinned with a mouth full of food. "Ew!" I laughed and pushed him away.
As I turned back to my plate, I caught Paul narrowing his eyes at me. What was his problem? Why was he glaring at me? I hadn't said one word to him since he got here. It was probably best to ignore him.
I continued to talk to mostly George throughout lunch. Surprisingly, I discovered he wasn't as boring as I had originally thought. He had this offbeat sense of humor that I found hilarious. I also found out that we had the same taste in music and siblings that we couldn't stand. While I was laughing at something George had said, I heard someone say my name.
"Uh, Michelle?"
I looked over and saw Paul trying to get my attention. "Yes?" I said looking him dead in the eye.
"Uh, I was wonderin' if-"
"Oh Michelle!" Suzie called across the table, interrupting Paul. "I meant tah ask ya, 'ow's Brad?"
I couldn't help but notice Paul giving her the same dirty look he had given me earlier. Suzie, however, did not notice as she leaned across the table, eyes wide awaiting my answer. I could see right through her though; she wasn't interested in Brad, she was simply trying to keep Paul away from me. Fortunately for her, it was working. Sighing, Paul leaned back into the booth and played with the remains of his food.
"Um, he's good. Mostly busy at work," I answered calmly.
"Where does he work again?" Ringo asked taking a sip of his drink.
"At his uncle's restaurant," I said. "He's the assistant manager."
"Could 'e get us free food?" John asked with wide eyes as he leaned over George.
I laughed at his child-like enthusiasm. "Ummmm I don't know!"
"Yer so cheap John!" George complained of his friend.
"Well, what do ya suppose I do 'Arrison?" John asked gruffly. "Money from gigs doesn't pay fer shite!"
"Alright, alright, you two!" Suzie said motherly, calming the two down as if they were bickering children.
After about ten more minutes, our waiter returned and gave us the check. Everyone pulled out their wallets and paid for their meals, except for Suzie of course. Ringo insisted on paying for her. He had asked Paul to switch seats with him so he could be closer to Suzie. My friend, though, wasn't too sure about this, but her protests were silenced once Ringo wrapped his arm around her and began kissing her. This caused groans from John and George, but Paul was too focused on me to notice the loving couple beside him.
"Uh, Michelle?" he said looking uncomfortable.
"Yes?"
"Can I uh talk to you privately?" he asked quietly.
"Um okay. . ." I said half heartedly.
Truthfully, I did not want to talk to him privately after what had happened a few days ago. It would be awkward no matter what! However, I followed him to the back of the restaurant while John and George went outside to smoke and to get away from the couple making out at our booth.
Once Paul and I were in the rear of the restaurant, near the payphones, he stopped. We waited as a woman walked by, exiting the nearby bathroom. As I watched her walk past us, I turned around to find Paul much closer to me.
"Paul? Wha-"
Before I could get my words out, Paul had once again pressed his lips against mine. I could feel his hands on my hips pulling me closer to him as he kissed me harder. My eyes went wide with shock as Paul pushed me against the wall next to a payphone. However, I stopped myself from making the same mistake twice. I also stopped Paul before he went too far.
Forcing him off of me, I exclaimed, "What do you think you're doing?!"
"Just continuing what ya interrupted last time!" he answered with a devilish grin.
"Paul, we can't! This is wrong!" I explained, still against the wall.
"Mmhmm," Paul hummed leaning closer to me.
I found him harder to resist as his mouth neared mine; I could feel his warm breath on my skin. He gave me a soft kiss that made me melt away from the world and only focus on the feeling of his lips against mine.
"Ah, see yer words tell me no, but yer lips tell me yes," he whispered charmingly.
Opening my eyes and looking up at him, I knew he was right. No matter how much I tried to deny it, I wanted to kiss Paul McCartney. I adored how our mouths moved together in unison, how my body felt against his, how it felt new and exciting each time our lips met. And with that realization, I broke down and threw away everything I stood for.
"Shut up."
I sighed and wrapped my arms around Paul's neck. He closed the distance between us as I tilted my head and deeply inhaled. My mind seemed unable to register fully what was going on; it was like I was a different person, watching this girl make out with a guy she wasn't even dating. But I didn't care. I lived in the moment and enjoyed the exhilaration as Paul pressed his whole body against mine so I was sandwiched in between him and the wall. Soon, I felt like I couldn't breathe, but in a good way. Our kisses became shorter as we took small breaths in between until Paul started kissing my neck. I ran my fingers through his hair as I caught my breath, and soon Paul made his way back to my mouth.
A sudden fear filled me when I realized how long Paul and I had been back here. I could just imagine Suzie wondering where we were and walking in on this scene. She definitely would not forgive me for this!
With all the strength I could muster, I opened my eyes and gently pushed Paul away from me. He seemed confused, but smiled at me nonetheless. I giggled as he gently pecked my lips one last time before I noticed someone off to the side, with a shocked expression on their face. Turning my head to see who was standing there, I saw George, his dark eyes wide with surprise and his mouth agape in disbelief. I could feel my face burning up from embarrassment. Paul looked in the direction of my gaze and his face seemed to copy George's expression once he realized that we had been caught.
"George! What're ya standin' there fo'?" Paul demanded, stepping away from me.
"Uh, I was on me way tah the loo. . ." George answered still confused by what he had seen. "Were you two just. . .?"
"Depends," Paul said, sounding worried. "What did ya see?"
"Umm, pretty much you two snoggin' each othah's faces off," he said as he awkwardly approached us.
I groaned at this, knowing he had seen enough to know what was going on between Paul and me. Wait . . . no! Nothing was going on between us! We weren't dating or anything, we just . . . were friends! Friends who were attracted to each other and occasionally made out. . .
Paul wrapped his arm around my waist, surprising me a little by this extended display of affection. "George, ya can't tell anybody whut ya just saw!" Paul said urgently. "Alright?"
"Why not?" George asked puzzled, looking between Paul and me.
"Ya just can't!" Paul exclaimed. "Alright?"
"Yeah, I guess. . ." George agreed, a perplexed expression remaining on his face. "So can I go tah the loo, now?"
Paul laughed nervously at his friend. "Of course ya can, mate!"
After George had disappeared into the men's room, Paul turned to me with a serious expression. "I 'ope yer not angry. . ." he said taking my hands in his.
"No, no. I'm just a little bit embarrassed," I said biting my lip. "I mean . . . we were kinda crazy . . ."
Paul chuckled at my description of our passionate kissing. "Yeah, I dunno whut it is, Michelle," he said quietly as he ran his fingers through my hair. "Ya just drive me mad." He began leaning down to kiss me again, but I turned my head just before his lips could touch mine.
"Paul," I giggled. "We have to get back to the others. They're probably wondering where we went!"
"Alright," he whined, like a small child not getting what he wanted. "You go furst."
Before walking away, I gave him a peck on the cheek. As I was about to round the corner, I felt a hand grab mine and pull me back. I found myself once again in Paul's arms, staring into his amorous eyes.
"Maybe we can spare a few more minutes?" he asked flirtatiously.
"Hmmm," I hummed, pretending to ponder his question. "I suppose I have a few moments to spare, but only if it's an emergency!" I told him giggling like a schoolgirl.
Paul's eyes widened with amusement while he tilted his mouth closer to mine. He stopped right before our lips touched, leaving me anxiously waiting. I couldn't stand how he was torturing me; I felt as though my heart was pounding loud enough for him, and the whole pub to hear.
"Trust me," he whispered. "It's an emergency."
Before I could react to his words, he kissed me long and hard, leaving me breathless and in a daze. I couldn't imagine anything like the feeling I experienced when Paul McCartney kissed me. It created shivers that ran down my spine and sent my mind reeling with ecstasy. I just hoped, he felt the same way about me.