★彡ᴅᴏɴ'ᴛ ʟᴇᴛ ᴍᴇ ᴅᴏᴡɴ | ᴘᴀᴜʟ ᴍᴄᴄᴀʀᴛɴᴇʏ彡★ ✅

★彡[ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 6]彡★

★彡[ᴛᴡᴏ ᴡᴇᴇᴋꜱ ʟᴀᴛᴇʀ]彡★

Sweat poured down Abby's forehead as she worked at scrubbing the floor on her hands and knees. Arthur had told her to do it before he had left for the day. It was a Sunday, and so they had very few customers. Daphne could handle the cafe mostly by herself, and Abby had said she would help if it got busy.

But it wasn't.

At lunchtime, Daphne came up to her new friend and tapped her on the shoulder, "mind if I go on lunch?"

Abby did mind. She was sure that she couldn't cope with the cafe by herself like Daph could, but she didn't voice this to the other girl. Instead, she shrugged. "Sure," she replied, "go ahead. See you in a bit."

Daph thanked her and then disappeared out the door. Abby got up and dusted herself down, going to the back and dumping the bucket of dirty, soapy water. She came back out to the front and was surprised to see that one of the tables was occupied.

Four young men were sitting at the table, and they were all sharing the same menu which had been placed open in the middle of the table. They weren't particularly loud, but the lack of business in the cafe meant that Abby could hear almost everything they were saying.

And they were talking in an odd accent, but she vaguely recognised it.

"Nah I don't want a butty." One of them said.

"Cuppa would do me." The one who had said this turned and held up a hand to Abby, who blushed when she realised that he had caught her staring at them. She went over to them, getting her notepad and pen out on the way across the cafe. She clicked the pen and poised it over the paper.

"What can I get you?"

"Alright, luv?" She could hear the smirk in his voice, and the look on his face was confirmed to her when she looked down and brown eyes met her blue ones. "Abby, isn't it?"

Paul McCartney knew that her name was Abby. She had been all he could think about for the last two weeks. The other three boys had noticed that he was distracted, and they teased him about it because they knew it was over a girl... but Paul had not revealed which girl until now.

It was obvious to John, George and Ringo.

Abby flushed a deep red again. "Um, yeah hi. Paul, right?"

Paul nodded once, "is indeed. You work here?"

She replied, "well the bills have to be paid somehow, don't they?"

"Ain't that the truth." John grumbled as he picked the menu up and pored over it more closely.

"Did the flowers keep well, luv?" Paul asked, he and Abby in a world of their own.

Abby thought back to Arthur taking the flowers from her almost as soon as she had walked into the cafe that morning.

"Yeah." She replied quickly, not wanting to arouse suspicion from Paul. "Again, they were lovely. Thank you -"

"Abby!" She almost jumped out of her skin, turning towards the door of the cafe she saw Arthur standing there - and he looked like he had been drinking again.

"Is he talking to you?" One of the men in front of her asked.

She turned back to them, "that's my name, isn't it?" She felt like she could have a little banter with them because she knew Paul - no matter how briefly they had met.

Abby turned back to Arthur, "yes?"

"Get. Here. Now." He pointed to the floor in front of him.

Abby sighed and did as she had been told. She didn't have the guts to tell him no because she needed the job.

"Serve. Them." Arthur pointed towards the table of Paul and his friends.

Abby wanted to tell him that she had already been doing that, but again she didn't dare.

Instead, she went back to their table. "What can I get you?" She asked in a dejected tone.

John, Paul, George and Ringo all felt terribly for her. All of them wanted to say something to her boss about the way he had spoken to her, and none more so than Paul.

But he held his tongue because he could sense that she didn't want anybody to say anything. He thought that she would speak up for herself if she could.

The four of them ordered and Abby went to tag the order in with Arthur, who had gone behind the counter to prepare the food.

He didn't let her talk to the four customers again until they were about to leave, when Paul asked her if he could leave a tip.

"I'd rather you didn't..." Paul looked confused, "I don't want to take money off you, Paul."

And I don't get to keep it.

She didn't want Paul's money to go into Arthur's pocket - and that of his pub keeper's.

"Oh, okay..." he trailed off, "what time do you finish work?"

"Three. I have to get my sister from school." Abby replied somewhat reluctantly, not wanting to have to explain to the man in front of her why she had to pick her sister up everyday.

"Oh..."

"Yeah..." Abby smiled despite how tired and weary she was. "So I'll see you soon?"

Paul smiled back and nodded. He liked the thought of seeing Abby again; and now that he knew where she worked, he would be able to pop in to see her more often - though she did not have to know that that was what he was doing.

It wasn't creepy if he wanted to ask her out, was it?

He didn't let himself answer that, because he was too afraid that the answer was yes.

"See you soon, Abby." And ten he followed the other three Beatles out of the door, wishing that he could bring Abby with him so she wouldn't have to put up with her boss anymore.