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Chapter 14

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Part fourteen

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"That was a nice set tonight lads, now how about some drinks, yeah?" John asked, setting his guitar up on the stage and clapping Stuart's back, all in good spirit.

Paul snorted quietly, rolling his eyes. Sure, they had played well tonight if you didn't count Stu who had his bleedin' back turned to the audience, barely making it sound like he knew what he was doing.

"Yeah, could go for a pint or two, maybe a girl as well, y'know." Stuart agreed, looking around the old, sort of ran-down club.

It was full of piss drunk sailors and college students, but hey, an audience is an audience, isn't it? Better than playing in Liverpool where they'd barely get paid for their efforts.

John turned his head back to glance at Paul and George, who were just getting off of the stage, and Pete who just naturally didn't stay as close to each other as the rest.

"You comin', Harrison? McCartney?" He asked, sort of in an impatient way, like he was more than ready to get some alcohol in his system. Might could use a few uppers as well, if he wanted to stay awake to get a quick shag before he hit the sack, ready to do it all over again tomorrow, this little routine they'd gotten into.

He didn't bother asking Pete, he knew by now that he usually just disappeared, probably to find some hooker or god knows what, John didn't care enough to ask.

"Yeah, might as well. Sure as hell beats going back to the Kino." George agreed with a small shrug. "What about you, Paul? Ye coming?" The younger boy asked, his hands in the pockets of his jacket, his dark quiff starting to get messed up from when he was playing on stage.

Paul shook his head slowly, glancing towards the ground. His pouty bottom lip was caught in between his teeth as he chewed on it out of habit, avoiding the curious gazes of his mates.

"Nah...I'll just head on back, not feelin' too well..see you round?" He said, trying to play it off like he was ill.

He sure felt sick, a lump in his throat and a awful feeling pooling in his stomach, twisting and turning. It wasn't a virus he had caught though, it was something much less reasonable, something Paul wished didn't exist, bleedin' jealously spreading through his veins, taking over his senses.

"What do you mean you're not feeling well?" John asked in an irritated voice, his bushy eyebrows drawn together in confusion and annoyance.

"We've got a bloody show tomorrow night! We've been in Hamburg for two weeks and you're already acting like a fucking wuss, Paul." He complained, not so much in anger but in a sense that made Paul feel like a nuisance, someone John couldn't stand lately.

He'd been acting like this for days to the hazel eyed boy, treating him badly and making him think less of himself.

Paul wasn't sure how much of it he could take, he wasn't sure anymore if he wanted to hit Lennon right in the gob or snog the daylights out of him. It was a frustrating feeling.

"Calm down Lennon, he'll be better by then, jus' leave 'em alone." George said, taken a little aback by the lack of concern John was showing for Paul.

"Yeah..um, see you lot later then..bye, Geo." Paul mumbled, turning to leave through the crowd of people, his cheeks slightly pink in embarrassment, having to ditch his mates because he didn't want to be around Stuart, it was stupid.

No matter how hard he tried, the feelings were there. And they grew stronger every day. The more John pushed Paul away, the deeper in love he would fall.