Carnival of Light || Paul McCartney/Beatles

27. She Came To Stay

Carnival of Light

27.

It felt incriminating to leave Fraser's so soon after sneaking off, but I hadn't had much of a choice. Paul returned to the party while I went to the loo to clean myself up, but no amount of cleaning up would solve the fact that my stockings were very tellingly torn. I also had a sort of dazed look in my eyes like I'd just been fucked up against the wall of a coat room, which I was still struggling to believe had happened. So I snuck away in haste without saying goodbye to anyone.

Paul rang me around midday. I knew it was him the moment Mrs Fitz came in looking displeased.

"Mr McCartney is on the telephone for you, milady," she informed me. "Shall I tell him you're unavailable?"

"No." My lips twitched as I tried to fight a smile. "I'll take it in here. Thank you, Mrs Fitz."

I picked up the telephone, and I felt that nervous, excited flutter.

"Hullo, love," Paul said, warm honey voice and all. "Fancy coming round for a cuppa?"

"Yes please," I smiled, and I heard him laugh softly on the other end of the line.

"I'll see you soon," he said, sounding pleased.

I had a bath, soaking myself in peonies for him, then quickly got dressed and caught a cab up to St John's Wood.

There were three girls at the gate. They stared as I rang the bell three times and I eyed them right back as I took a drag off my cigarette. I tried to imagine waiting around someone's house for hours, just wanting to catch a glimpse of them. Anyone I could think of was already dead. But even then, I'd want to speak to them. How often did Paul come out and speak to these girls?

Did Jane speak to them?

I heard the front door open and nervous energy began blossoming inside me. Paul unlocked the gate and pulled it open for me, ruffling his black hair and smiling faintly at me. He glanced over my shoulder at the girls but didn't speak to them, then ushered me across the drive and up into his house, and once the door was shut he turned to look at me, seeming uncertain about how to proceed.

I stepped forward and put my arms around his neck, kissing him. Paul pulled me closer, one of his hands holding the back of my neck. I smiled against his lips because it just felt right, and he drew back to look at me.

"Fucking hell, it's nice to see you," he sighed, his hand sliding down my back.

"You too," I agreed.

He searched my face. "D'you want to come through and talk?"

I shook my head, smiling.

"Not yet," I kissed him again.

Paul laughed and walked me back a few steps down the hallway, then gave up on that and pressed me into the wall instead. We started getting carried away, and we were allowed to get carried away, which got us even more carried away until Paul finally pulled back to look at me.

His eyes dropped to my mouth, and he ran his finger over my bottom lip. It made me all hot and shivery.

"Want to come upstairs?" He asked softly.