Apple Corps.

Leading people on

As Paul glided his pen across his paper, pulling it up after he finished each sentence the paper would rise with it and he weigh his hand down back on it. He wasn't sure how John was being so numb with all of this. He hoped Johns laughter would become fuzzy if he focused hard enough but it wasn't working. He took an intoxicating long breath and the cold skin of his hand dragged down from his forehead to the tip of his nose. He took a peek up from his work to find John gesturing as if he was telling a story, the whole office was wrapped around his finger. Yoko was sitting at the edge of Johns desk and Paul could almost hear a friendly piano playing out some shitty theme song to the welcoming scene. He clicked his pen repeatedly and built up some angry conversation with John that he knew he would never actually say out loud. He blinked in an attempt to dull his headache. It didn't work, he didn't expect it to but he wished things would just go right for once. George came into work looking a little bothered and stopped at Pauls desk. He looked like he might ask him something but Paul saw him second guess himself and go over and pat John on the shoulder. He whispered something and John nodded, excusing himself to go have a smoke with George. His lighter grazing out of his shirt pocket. Paul watched him go with heavy lidded eyes and his stomach twisted again. He looked back over at his co-workers, who without John had all gone back to work. Though Yoko lingered on Johns desk and no one seemed to think anything of it.
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Johns knee bounced up and down as he lit his cigarette, George had lit his in mere seconds like it had been a race or something. John was aware that something must be bothering the lad and he wasn't sure he wanted to make himself some sort of safe spot for all of George's problems or he might form a habit of it. And even worse, George wasn't going to say it. He was just gonna sit here and smoke. He had just been wondering if John had the same craving as he did and asked him to come down. He wasn't going to ask for advice, he was just going to let it rot with a filthy tipped cigarette in his mouth. So John might have to actually ask him about it and than the habit would be formed with his consent. George, snarky bastard. John rolled his eyes.

"Something shaking ya?" John asked, George looked up from the corner of his eyes.

"You ever, get with someone who's got somebody else?" George asked shyly and maybe half ashamed. John looked at him with impressed shock. He puffed his cig and let it hang away from his face. George waited for an answer, growing more embarrassed by the minute.

"Been with somebody when I had someone else, that count?" Johns voice was distant but full. If George wasn't in the situation he was in, he would've been disgusted.

"Give me some perspective then John" George took his cigarette and put it between his lips as if making his words mumbled might make them less hard to say. "So I've gotten-I mean Richard and I have started something-"

"Georgie gets around, doesn't he?" John laughed but George elected to ignore that and keep going.

"He wanted to break it off with Maureen, his girlfriend but she's gone away for like a week to visit her mum. So he didn't want to tell her over the phone.-"

John flicked his cigarette from his face like he had something to say about it. "So what's the problem? Did ya want him to tell her over the phone? Cause if you did you should've-"

"I told him not too but I'm just not comfortable being with him while Maureen....." He trailed off and looked away. John shook his head.

"You ain't horny teenagers anymore. Keep yer hands to yourselves for the week. When she gets back, he tells her. No backing out of it. If he tries to back out, stop whatever you want to do with him cause it just ain't worth it. Yeah?" John ended that by showing George the dead cigarette he had left. George looked down at it and nodded. He stood up and stomped his out and waited for John to follow him. But John pulled out another cig and gestured for him to go off with out him. When George turned the corner, John pulled his phone from his shirt pocket and dialed it slowly.