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

★彡[ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ 9]彡★

A group of girls saw Paul pull up outside the flats. He groaned as he heard them screaming out his name and running for the car. He slowed down even more than he had done already, imaging what Brian Epstein would have to say if he ran over a fan.

Paul pulled into the garage and waited until the door was closed behind him to get out of the car. He was not in the mood for the fans today - not that he ever was, anymore. It had once been a novelty to have young girls waiting outside of almost everywhere he went... but now it was just annoying. Very annoying.

Paul went up the back staircase to the flat which he shared with George and Ringo; John lived in Weybridge, Surrey, with his wife and son, Cynthia and Julian.

When he opened the door, the three other Beatles were sitting in the living room. Paul wasn't at all surprised to see that John was there as he practically lived with them. John's almost constant absence from Kenwood, their house in Surrey, was a moot point with Cynthia, Paul knew, but he loved his friend and whenever they weren't together he missed him a lot. It suited him that John spent a lot of time at the flat with them.

"Where have you been then, son?" John asked, smoking a cigarette. "Geo says you went out for coffee -"

"And came back without any." George raised one thick eyebrow, "I don't think that's a coincidence, do you, Rings?"

Ringo shrugged, continuing to stir his tea with the end of a drumstick.

"Now now, boys," John interrupted with a wicked smirk on his face. Paul knew that a lot of teasing was about to follow, "he could have gone for coffee... at a lady friend's house, perhaps?"

"I didn't -"

John cut Paul off, "it was that waitress, wasn't it, Paul? You went to the cafe again?" John snorted. "You like that waitress, don't you, Paulie?"

Paulie. It made him sound like a child, and he hated being made to feel like a child anyway - but especially in front of John. In the beginning when they had first met, Paul had had to work so hard to be seen as an equal in the older boy's eyes.

George scoffed, "a waitress."

George was dating a model, and seemed to think that anybody who didn't appear in glossy magazines was below him - them. The Beatles.

But Paul didn't think like that. He just wanted a nice life with a girl that he really loved and who really loved him in return.

It seemed that George and John had forgotten the humble beginnings which they had all come from.

Ringo nudged George, who let out a loud groan as his friend's elbow sunk into his scrawny side.

"I didn't see her." Paul lied, choosing his words very carefully. "She wasn't at the cafe." That part wasn't a lie, at least.

"Surprised you're not already shagging her - what bird can resist you, Paul McCharmly?"

"Shuddup, John." Paul muttered.

"Y'do just shag and move on, Paul." George added unhelpfully. "Why not this girl? Either she's one of those lezzers or she's blind."

Paul cringed at the word. It was horrible. Lezzers. He wanted to chide George, but couldn't be bothered with the argument which it would inevitably start.

Ringo looked between Paul and George and sensed that Paul was unhappy. "Shall we go out for some food, Geo?"

George, who always had time for food - looked at Ringo. He nodded. "Fancy a chip butty -"

"Sure we could make that happen." Ringo stood up and gestured for George to do the same.

Paul was incredibly grateful to the drummer for trying to defuse the tension.

When George and Ringo left the flat, Paul looked at John. "S'pose we should get on with the last song for the album?" John said.

Paul nodded, "yeah I think so. I was thinking of starting with an F major chord." He went into his bedroom to grab his acoustic guitar.

From the other room, Paul heard John groan. "That'll sound shit with the words!" He called out to his friend.

"We haven't got any words!" Paul called back, rearranging his hair in the mirror using one hand whilst he held his guitar by its neck in the other.

"And I already know that an F will make them sound shit." John went to retrieve his guitar from the hallway where he had left it when he had arrived.

When Paul returned, John wasn't in the room but a few seconds later he reappeared.

They both sat down beside each other on the settee where George and Ringo had been sitting. Paul had put his slippers on and taken his jacket off, and John had lit another cigarette.

Paul played a chord and asked, "wha'd you think of that?"

John snorted. "Shit."

"Fuck off, John. I want an honest answer - we have to get this song done by the end of the week."

John snorted again, flicking his cigarette so the ash on the other end landed on the carpet. "They'll wait for us to come up with songs, Paul, don't worry."

"Yes but we're already two weeks behind. We need to get this done."

John sighed and played a chord, different to Paul's and definitely not an F major. "Wha'd you think of that?" He asked, mimicking his friend.

"Shit." Paul mocked.

The two of them looked at each other and couldn't contain their laughter.

It was quite often like that with John and Paul; if they were together then they were having a good time, and they'd usually distract each other by giggling... and if one started, then it was a sure bet that the other would join in.

When they had managed to pull themselves together, Paul coughed to clear his throat. He began to play a little ditty which he had been working on the night before in his bedroom. He then sang along, using some words which he had written a few days after he had first met Abby.

If I gave my love to you
Would you promise to be true
And help me
Be a man
'Cause I've fell in love before
And I found that love was more
Than just
Holding hands

John waited until Paul had finished singing and then said, "what if we change it to if I fell?" he paused, "so 'if I fell in love with you'?"

Paul nodded. "That could work." He sang the first line, playing along on the guitar. It sounded much better.

"Sing the whole thing again for me?" John asked, though it was definitely not a request. When Paul had finished again, John said: "and help me understand. Not 'be a man'. And 'cause I've been in love before, not 'cause I've fell in love before.'"

Paul made the changes in his head and nodded in approval. "Much better." He paused, "anything else?"

"Sing it again."

If I fell in love with you
Would you promise to be true
And help me
Understand
'Cause I've been in love before
And I found that love was more
Than just
Holding hands

John nodded approvingly. "Nah, I think we've got it for that verse."

"We?" Paul echoed teasingly.

The older Beatle nodded. "Fuck off, Paul."

They giggled again, totally at ease with each other.