If the Sun Has Faded Away (UNDER REWRITING)

Chapter 13: She's the girl

Hey everyone... After quite a long time with no update, I'm finally back.  I'm sorry I made you wait for the chapter that you're about to read today.

A particular incident happened to me at the beginning of last month. It kept my mind off writing. I couldn't think of anything I could write for the next chapter I was willing to give you. And yet, I was desperate to write.

Anyway, I'm feeling better now. And I have finally succeeded in writing this chapter, for you.

I hope you'll like it.

Thank you for your patience and for your lasting interest in this story.

I'd like to dedicate this chaper to my lovely May (NJ2001), who found the right words to comfort me when I confided in her about the incident I had to go through last October.

And, equallly, I'm also dedicating this chaper to my beautiful Macca40, my Firefly girl. Love, I hope you don't mind that, in this chapter, Ringo borrows the nickname that belongs to you, and calls Lucy his "Firefly".

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"I'm telling you, Rings... She's the Girl..."

"How can you be so sure about that?"

Ringo's blue eyes widened in surprise.

"Gut feeling," Paul simply replied.

"Can't be, Paul," Ringo said again. "D'ya think she's the one...?"

This was the moment I inadvertently chose to walk towards the sofa where Paul and Ringo were sitting. The topic of their conversation had completely eluded me up until then, but from a distance, I had noticed that Paul and Ringo seemed engaged in a lively discussion. Or rather, it was Paul who had been doing most of the talking, gesturing animatedly with his hands as he spoke. In his right hand, he held a half-eaten cookie, which was also waving around, scattering crumbs onto the carpet below. Paul didn't seem to notice or care about the mess he was making.

Ringo, on the other hand, had been the patient listener to Paul's rambling. Every now and then, he would shake his head from side to side in that particular Ringo-esque way I'd grown familiar with – the same way he always did when disapproving of something.
From afar, I couldn't help but notice the look of constant surprise on Ringo's face while Paul enthusiastically shared his opinions – whatever the topic was, it seemed to have Paul unusually excited.

Curiosity piqued, I casually made my way over to them, carrying the box of Laddoos in my hands. As I approached, I caught the tail end of Paul's sentence:
"... Sure 'bout it, Rings. It's about her." His voice was slightly muffled as he took another bite of his cookie.

As soon as I reached the sofa, their conversation abruptly stopped. Paul had finished speaking, and Ringo didn't offer any reply.
"I hope I didn't interrupt anything?" I said, feeling a bit uneasy.

Paul and Ringo stared at me for a few moments, seemingly at a loss for words. Paul was still holding his cookie halfway to his mouth, as if frozen mid-action. I had the unpleasant feeling that I had stepped into their private world, interrupting something they didn't want me to know about.
"Well... No... Of course not. You didn't interrupt anything, love," Ringo stammered, his beautiful blue eyes widening even further. He looked genuinely puzzled, almost lost for words.

"Your nose is growing, Pinocchio," I teased Ringo with a soft smile. I was trying to sound cheerful, but at the same time, I wanted him to know that I was fully aware they weren't being entirely honest with me. It wasn't like them to be so secretive. I couldn't recall a single time when they had tried so obviously to hide something from me.