I Learnt To Love In Liverpool | George Harrison ✅

♥ 𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐲-𝐎𝐧𝐞 ♥

The hours which it took George to get from London to Liverpool were the longest I had ever endured. It seemed like every minute, no - every second - went by slower than the last, and it felt like the only thing to do was to watch the clock.

"How long has it been, Paul?" I mumbled after barely half an hour had passed from Paul hanging up the phone.

"Why don't we go for a walk?" Paul asked instead, ignoring my question.

"Why don't I just kill myself?"

Paul's head whipped round so he was looking at me, and he had a fuming look on his face. "Don't you EVER say anything like that again, Emeraude, do you understand?!"

He'd never spoken to me in that tone of voice before. Not even when we'd had our worst arguments.

"Paul, I -"

His face softened, "Em," he said, his voice much more calm and soothing than they had been previously, "Em, if you died, then I'd want to die, too.Em, I love you. You're my little sister, and my best friend. You're my reason for living. Please. I need you to promise me that you'll never... you'll never do anything that would endanger your life -"

"But Paul," I replied in a quiet tone of voice as fresh tears clouded my eyes, "I don't understand why."

And then I burst into tears, and Paul crossed the room to hold me... and that was how George and Ringo found us.

Hours must have passed in Paul's arms, but it felt like minutes. I never felt as comforted as I did when I was in his embrace, and I knew that would never change. He was my protector. My guard.

"Em?" George's lilting accent shocked me from my sanctuary, and I began to cry all over again.

Ringo, standing behind George, peered over the younger man's shoulder. "You a'right, luv?" He asked, "we thought yer'd all but run out on us -"

Paul disentangled himself from me and stood up, then offering me a hand and pulling me to my feet, wrapping his arm tightly around me to give me the strength which I needed to cross the room.

"Wha's going on, Em?" George asked as he stepped out of the doorway into the living room, taking me from Paul. I turned to my brother, desperately trying to cling on to him, but Paul handed me off. "Have I done something?"

Paul looked at me, biting one of his signature McCartney lips and then spoke directly to George, "I think you two should go out for a walk. You need to talk." George looked very worried, furrowing his thick eyebrows. I could almost see the cogs in his brain going round, trying to work out just what he had done wrong.

Nothing, George. It's all me.

* * * * *

For the first time since I had met him, there was an awkward silence between George and I as we strolled down the road, him stopping to talk every so often to a fan who recognised him from the band's days at the Cavern.

"What's wrong with us, Em?" George huffed out, stopping in the middle of the pavement and gently taking my arm, turning me to face him.

My face was tear streaked and I wondered if it was possible to cry anymore... but as soon as I saw the sorrow, the pain, in his eyes, I cried some more and my question was answered.

"George, I -" I cut myself off as I reached for his face with one hand, stopping in the air. How could I touch him after all that John and I had done last night? I was dirty. I was a monster. I had cheated on him. I looked down at the pavement, exhaling as I continued to cry. "George..."

"Emeraude." George put his hand on my face and brought my head up so that we could look into each other's eyes. "Emeraude, I love you. Anything that's happened, we can work through. We're in this together -"

"Except we're not, George." I replied in a voice barely more audible than a whisper, catching him off guard.

"Em, I -"

"George," I took a few short, deep breaths as I prepared myself for what was going to come next.

But I didn't have to say the words.

He knew.

"W-would it make you h-happy?" He asked me quietly, tears flooding his gorgeous brown eyes.

I didn't hesitate. I was sure in my decision, but I waited several seconds before I nodded, feeling numb.

"George, i-it's John..." As much as I knew it would hurt him to know, I knew that I couldn't keep the secret from him. I loved George, undeniably, and I always would... but he wasn't my great love.

George was silent for what felt like minutes, but was only really a few seconds. I looked into his eyes again, and I saw that a stray tear was streaking its way down his face. My heart broke. I had never wanted to hurt him, but my relationship with John had come out of nowhere. I had thought that I was doing the best thing by breaking up with him. I knew that I was doing the right thing.

But I was sure that it would take George a while to realise that.

In that moment, I imagined that he was feeling betrayed and hurt, perhaps even angry, and almost definitely confused.

"Em," he said, meeting my gaze, "I'm always going to love you. You w-were my first everything."

"I know, George," I answered as quietly as he could, "same for you." That was enough. He wrapped me in his arms and we cried together in the middle of the street, not caring about anybody who stared as they passed by.