All In Good Time - A Time Travel Beatles Fanfiction

Track 14 - I Should Have Known Better

They slept close together in the big bed with the feather coverlet, the window open and the sound of the sea mingled with their breathing.

Lainey awoke to Paul's arm across her face and a heavy leg covering both of hers. He was stretched out like a starfish, taking up the entire bed. She lifted his arm and placed it close to his body. He didn't stir. She lay there listening to his even breathing while a gentle rain splashed against the window panes. A perfect morning to sleep in. Lainey lifted her arms over her head and sighed. As much as she wanted to linger beneath the sheets with Paul the bed-hog, she needed to stretch and she needed the bathroom.

She slowly maneuvered out from underneath his sweaty leg. Without waking, he rolled toward her, almost pushing her out of the bed.

She slipped out of bed before she fell out of it and padded across the dark green carpet, picking up her panties and bra and last night's dress along the way. An old-fashioned chain hung from the center of the bathroom ceiling. Lainey pulled it and the light from one bare bulb bathed the tiny room in a golden glow. The room was dwarfed by an old-fashioned claw-footed tub, deep enough to sink in completely and certainly big enough for two. There was a toilet and small sink and a mirror attached to the wall.

She faced the mirror, examining her reflection. Her hair was wild and tangled from rolling around in bed most of the night. Her cheeks and neck were irritated where Paul's stubble had rubbed her skin. Her lips were kissed raw. A red mark stood out on her pale shoulder where Paul had taken a little nibble, if she recalled correctly. She sat on the edge of the tub and dropped her face into her hands, her long hair swinging forward, allowing the memories of last night to wash over her. The sound of his lilting voice soft in her ear, telling her exactly what she did to him. She could close her eyes and still taste his kisses. His scent still surrounded her.

Was last night a mistake? Most certainly. Did she regret it? Hell no. With any luck they could continue today where they left off last night. There would be plenty of time for regrets after she left him here in 1963 to fulfill his destiny while she went back to 2012 to figure out hers.

First, she wanted a bath, in her own room, where she wouldn't wake Paul. He needed his energy for what she planned to continue doing to him today, she decided with a smile.

Back in the bedroom, Paul was still stretched diagonally across the bed, looking scruffy and adorable and more at peace than she'd seen him since she'd arrived in 1963. She considered slipping beneath the sheets and curling up against his warm, salty skin, but the promise of a hot bubble bath was too enticing. She kissed him softly on the cheek and tiptoed away. With her sandals in one hand, she stepped into the hallway, softly closing the door behind her. And she nearly squeaked with surprise.

A horn-rimmed John Lennon was sitting on the floor a few doors away with his back against the wall, barefoot in jeans and a white T-shirt, contemplating the fretboard of his guitar.

Lainey's first urge was to leap back inside Paul's room and avoid the sarcastic barbs that were sure to come, but John noticed her immediately and his lips were already twisted in a smirk.

"Jesus," Lainey said, placing a hand over her heart. "You almost gave me a heart attack."

"Aye-up. Time for the walk of shame, Miss Spencer?"

"What are you, the hall monitor?" She paused in front of him. "What are you doing out here in the hallway?"

"Writing a song. That's what I do. I'm a songwriter."

"Ah." Lainey dropped to the carpet beside him. "Can I listen?"

He shrugged his indifference. "If you like. It's likely already on that dodgy little device of yours, come to that." The horn-rimmed glasses vanished.