Do you want to know a secret ?

Chapter 12: ticket to ride.

London.

They were going to London. And I was coming with them. To say I was excited would be a huge understatement, to say I was afraid would be another. I kept in mind that it wasn't just London I'd be visiting, I'd be visiting London in the sixties, and I didn't know in the slightest how that would be.

The last two days I'd been mostly by myself, because the band been rehearsing like mad. 'There's no time to waste in this industry.' Brian had said. They got up at seven and would continue until all hours into the night. Stopping to go to bed only when the neighbours came round to complain.

And I? I was enjoying every single second of every day. I had met the Beatles, and that was enough.

The doctors had given me pills for the short supply of iron in my blood, and I slowly started to improve. The headaches however, didn't go away, they had even gotten a little bit worse. I told Paul it was nothing when he asked about it, but to tell the truth I was worried. Worried my trip through time had somehow caused some weird disturbance in my cells. But who was I say any of that was true, for all I knew it was just a random coincidence. So I took more painkillers and focused on other things.

Today we were going to leave. All the stuff Paul had bought me I packed into an old suitcase of John's he'd said I could borrow, together with my old belongings like my phone, wallet with my ID in it and my Cavernclub-buisnesscard collection of two.

When George and I had asked John and Paul what they thought about me coming along with them, Paul's reaction was as just as positive as I had hoped. John's on the other hand, well I could see it coming from a mile away, he just rolled his eyes and didn't say much. At least he didn't try to protest or come up with reasons why it'd be a bad idea. 'Be grateful you even get to tag along' I told myself.

The trip was fine although tiring, just before leaving I had met Cynthia, who was wonderful, polite and sweet to me, and when John was around her he seemed to act similar. He put his best foot forward whenever she was near, and it was clear they were in love. I was just as glad as him to have her around, so I could have another girl to talk to, I felt less alien that way.

During the car ride down to London I accidentally fell asleep a couple times, due to working late at the cavern the night before. My head kept falling on to George's shoulder, and I apologised every time my face growing hot in shame each time.

"You snore, yer know that?" He whispered in my ear and then smiled cheekily. The two of us were seated in the back while John was driving with Cynthia in the passenger seat. (Paul and Pete had carpooled with Brian)

My face grew even hotter while I quietly responded with a 'sorry', avoiding George's eyes in the proces.

"Don't worry about it sweetheart, remember last week... when we took the bus back home?" His voice was low and I finally dared to look him in the eyes again, at which he wiggled his eyebrows playfully. He leaned in closer to my ear once more "Well I do, so feel free to use my shoulder as yer pillow for as long as ye need." His warm breath tickled my neck and it -together with him calling me sweetheart- made me shiver slightly. I thought I saw him quickly eyeing my lips when he sat up again but I wasn't sure and didn't want to risk being wrong, so I didn't react. Still my eyelids felt heavy and even though I tried to restrain myself I still wound up asleep on the guitarists shoulder only to wake up when we finally arrived.

———

EMI studios London - Parlophone records, was where we ended up.

Brian took the four boys apart and told them all about how they ought to act when meeting all the people who'd helpt them with their record, specifically the long anticipated George Martin.