"Maybe I should just drop you off at the flat so you can stay there and get some rest while we record, 'cause otherwise you'd just have to sit for a few hours watching us record." Paul suggests as his one hand is resting on my back and then it lifts to make lazy movements on my shaky back.
"I'd rather be with you where you are." I confess into his shoulder as I have this horrible taste in my mouth.
"We just have three more takes to do and then we'll be done, okay?" he draws away to make eye contact with me as his hands haven't left me and I nod. "I'm sorry you aren't feeling well, darling, but I'll get you a 7UP to help with your stomach and hopefully you won't get sick again."
I don't feel like talking so I nod my head again and he draws me into him for another hug and I close my eyes when my skin meets his soft shirt that smells of his cologne and thickly of smoked cigarettes; his familiar smell. I feel his fingers comb my hair softly and he kisses my hair as his hands is making miles on my back, "I'm not all that sorry for what happened back at the diner. I am sorry for scaring you, sweetheart, but I wasn't going to let the bastard run his mouth or lay a finger on you again. He's a filthy one, he is." Paul quietly comments into my ear as I feel the tip of his shoe against my own.
"He said that he wanted to be friends with me again, and that he also wanted more than that." I reveal into his soft shirt after thinking about how much good it would telling him. I hear him groan.
"Man, he's sick. It's hard to believe he would think that he had a shot at being mates with you again after what happened, and even more that he actually thought about asking you on a date. Ah, I wanted to say so much more, Court." he remarks as my breathing is now regular and my head doesn't feel so heavy.
"I saw him bunch up his fist, Paul. I was afraid he was going to hit you or hurt you."
He pulls out of the hug and he shoots me a warm smile that rekindles my scared heart and he caresses my cheek for a small second, "I'm fine, darling, and if something would've happened I would've made sure you were okay before anything else. Okay, I am angry about what happened with that idiot and now it stinks that you're sick, but things are okay. Yeah?"
"Yeah, they're okay." I agree and his hand slips down to take mine and he pulls me along to start walking down the hall.
"Lets get you a different job, yeah?"
"Yes, please. I'm really sick of doing dishes and having to listen to old geezers rambling on about weird things." I comment and he snickers and smiles before looking down the hall.
"I don't blame ya. Although I was starting to think that it was becoming our own little spot, but we can always find somewhere else. There's plenty of places around and ones that don't have burgers that cover my fingers in grease when I eat them." he remarks and I laugh and he gives my no longer clammy hand a squeeze and we take a turn to find a door labeled 'Studio 2'.
Paul opens the door and pulls me into the empty control room where the table area around the music controls to play with on tracks of music sit open packs of cigarettes carelessly taking up space there, white tea cups that still have some of the brown liquid in them or just a ring of it at the bottom, and then I spot a yellow pencil next to a composition notebook. He pulls me along towards the door and down the steep flight of stairs where we find the other three members of the Beatles waiting with their instruments.
"We were almost going to start without ya, mate! Where have you been?" John inquires as he turns a guitar pick in his fingers while his black Rickenbacker is under his arm.
"Uh, we hit a few bumps in the road on the way over." Paul explains with his words faltering at first.
"Is that all, son?" John asks with a wink and I don't bother to roll my eyes or shake my head because I'm so just tired and exhausted.
"Yeah, John, that was all." he retorts and I let go of Paul's hand to take a chair over on the side as he grabs his instrument to tune up before they started into a loud set of songs that just bothered my ears. I've found that sound has always bothered me when I'm not feeling well.
I rest my head on the back of the metal chair that sends a much appreciated cool rush into my body and I look to Paul who flashes me a small smile that I do my best to return before I let my eyes flutter shut as the murmur of their voices lull me into a sleep. I don't know how I slept in that slumped position with their loud voices and them playing that echoed music in the purposely acoustic room, but I did and it gave me some relief.
"Darling, hello? Courtney?" Paul's soft voice wakes me up and I lift my head and open my eyes to see him crouching down in front of me as I feel his fingers on my cheek.
"Oh. Did I fall asleep?" I ask since I didn't try to drift off. He nods with a small grin.
"Yeah, somehow you did with our loud playing. You know, I'd usually take it as an insult that a bird fell asleep when I was singing and playing guitar, but I know that you aren't feeling well so I'll let you off this one time." he remarks as his hazel eyes are boring into mine I smile sleepily and he brushes the hair off of my forehead before I sit up.
"Woah." I mumble as I suddenly feel very light headed and I see Paul grow concerned as my hand is to my forehead.
"I-I'm fine." I assure him and I see him nod now with a less worried look and then he holds out his hand that I take.
I stand up on my own as he has a firm grasp on my hand and I look around to see the place empty and a light dimmed as he leads me over to the stairs. He catches the light to send the area into darkness and I look back to see the dark jacket walking in front of me as his hand is sticking out from his back as I hold it. Paul waves to a man in the control room who is dressed sharply as we travel through the it to the dark hall we were just in what seemed awhile ago.
"So, how long was I asleep for?" I question as I walk by his side down the lit hall where things are calm and quiet.
"Two hours. I looked to you after awhile when I saw the lads giving you odd looks, but they were polite and all. I called your name once or twice and when you didn't react I almost thought you had gone on me." he mumbles and I hear the slight sarcasm in his voice at the end as I try to rub the sleep from my eyes that kept them shut those last two hours.
"You know, you're kind of cute when you worry." I joke with it hinting in my voice and I see him smirk as his reddening cheeks plump up due to the smile as we round a corner and walk out a door he holds open to meet the cold darkness.
Paul stays silent as we walk across the empty stretch of sidewalk to his idle car sitting in the parking spot with the wheels turned to the left, and I let go of his hand to get into the car.
"I'm sorry that I dozed off." I apologize once he had gotten in the car and I see a grin appear on his lips.
"You don't need to apologize, darling. I hope the sleep has helped and that you're feeling better, even a little bit is better than nothing." he responds as he gets out his keys to stick into the ignition and he turns to look at me with a pleasant look playing on his blessed features.
"I kind of ruined the fun night we were supposed to have together, haven't I?" I suspect aloud as he looks in the rearview mirror to back out.
"No you haven't. Why are you so worried that you have?"
"Because it feels like I have." I respond and I turn to stare out the window as things start to pass by faster and faster as Paul speeds up.
We soon arrive at their apartment and I follow Paul up the dark steps and he opens the door to the bright flat where I hear a few voices and the strumming of a guitar. The other guys must of left before Paul and I, well obviously. Now I kind of wish I hadn't had fallen asleep, because now I'm confused, I admit.
"Hey, look who's up!" John exclaims from the doorway of the kitchen as I shut the door behind myself and I see Paul shoot him a glare that John does notice.
"Yeah. Hi, John." I respond as I slip off my shoes to clatter onto the wood floor next to the pile of shoes that sit against the wall on a dirty mat.
"Love, do you uh want anything to eat? I was gonna make a sandwich for meself.." Paul trails off and then stops himself mid sentence. "I reckon you probably aren't up for food, right?"
I nod my head as Paul enters the kitchen and my eyes follow John who is throwing on a coat over by the door, "I'm going out, lads. No need to wait up for me like you're my bloody parents, alright?" John calls to Paul and George who minds himself over on the couch with his acoustic in his arms.
"No getting into any fist fights at the pub, yeah?" Paul replies in a booming voice as I don't know where to go, or where to stand as my feet are planted here with my hands folded over my waist.
"I'll try me hardest not to, but I'm not going to make promises! You know what happened that last time I did!" John remarks loud enough for us all in different rooms to hear him before the door flies open and his figure melts into the darkness.
"Paul?" I call to him.
"You can just go lay in me bed if you want, love. I'm almost done making this and then I'll meet you up there with a 7UP for you." he bellows in return and I start for the stairs and my eyes meet with George's dark pair who smiles at me and I return it before placing a foot on the stairs.
I sigh as I remove my sweater to toss on the top of the open box of clothes and I slip off my socks before falling onto Paul's spongy bed as I'm beginning to feel the effects of sleeping in that chair with my back aching in places and my neck giving me a tough time. I take in a breath as I move to find the perfect spot and I close my eyes before I feel something hard beneath the pillow. I lift my head and open my closed eyes to bring out a little notebook and I flip on the lamp to learn that it's blue with a pencil stuck on a page.
I open to the page marked by the pencil the length of my finger to find what looks to be a journal entry labeled Sep 20 1963 and my eyes flit to the curving writing below a silly drawing:
Courtney. That's her name. I met her today and I just had to write this down, afraid that I'll forget it. She's quite the sight she is, and a mystery too. One that I have this wanting to solve and figure out. She's not like other girls and...
"What's that?" Paul's own voice interrupts my reading and I look up at him in shock as I hold the item in my hands, not to mention that it's also open. He had to have seen me reading it and I notice him look from the notebook to my eyes as he holds a plate with his sandwich on it and a glass bottle of 7UP, for me.
"Paul, I didn't mean to, I swear. I was going to lay down and I-." I begin with an apologetic look before he cuts me off. Did I just stumble onto unwanted territory?
AN: Thoughts? I hope you're liking it!