⇾ 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐌𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 | 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐈

Chapter Thirty-Four: Together Until the Stars in the Sky Finally Make Sense

October 13, 1961

John and I spent the next few hours wandering the dingy streets of Hamburg like the dumb tourists we were.

As we walked around acting chaotic, we got a whole load of dirty looks, but that just led to more hysterical laughing which in turn just ended up making more people mad, which led the cycle back in a circle.

"Look, the Big Dipper!" John pointed to the sky excitedly.

We were lying on the ground of the park we'd brought George to a few days prior, but far from the bench he'd sat on. The stars were shining brightly over the streets of Hamburg as shops were locked up for the night and drunks stumbled away from the clubs that were surrounding the park. How John and I kept finding ourselves huddled up on the cold ground was unbeknownst to me. Nonetheless, I was always thrilled when it did happen all the same.

John was beside me, calling out the names of constellations and planets he could spot in the star-speckled sky above. I, being little, dumb me, couldn't see any of them.

He looked at me with a jaunty smile. "Can't ye see it?"

I squinted uselessly at the sky and frowned. "No, I most certainly can't."

He took my hand and motioned around the configuration of it.

I gazed at him lamely and shrugged in slight frustration.

He laughed lightly. "Don't worry, love, We'll be together long enough for me to get you to finally see them."

I smiled and blushed. "Maybe I'll get 'em someday?"

He rolled over to lay on his side, propping up on his elbow and grinning encouragingly. "We will. Someday."

I rolled over too. "Hopefully soon," I answered, frowning bitterly at my foolishness.

"There's the Little Dipper," he said, looking up at the sky.

I threw my arms to the side, vexed again. He giggled and put his arms around me, pulling me closer. I nuzzled myself in his chest, pulling my jacket closer as a breeze scuttled by and I quivered.

"Did ye have a nice week?" asked John, finally forgetting the stars in the sky.

"I couldn't have made it without you," I said. "So, yeah, great week—mainly because of you," I added sheepishly.

I could feel his smile burning into the back of my head and I blushed more, suddenly thankful he couldn't see my face because of the lightlessness of the moon.

"Two more months and I'll be back to boring 'ole Liddypool," he teased.

"Seems like a portion of an eternity," I whined sarcastically.

"More like a Millenium!" he responded woefully.

I rolled my eyes. "You could be an actor, you know?"

"Nah, I'm not into that kinda stuff." He chuckled. "How long are we gonna stay out here?"

I shrugged. "Until it's too cold to stay out anymore. Although, I think we've just about made it there." I laughed.

"How about we head back, then? We wouldn't want to be sending ye home ill. I gotta prove to Brian that I'll take good care of ye," he said.

"I think that's a good idea." I sighed.

"Why so down?"

"Tomorrow it's back to my boring life."

We stood up. "How about we keep that as far away as possible? Let's find a place to get a cuppa before heading back," he answered, extending a hand.

"Great idea." I grinned stupidly, butterflies fluttering in my stomach as he took my hand in his.

We wandered down the streets trying to find a place that would still be open at this time of night. It didn't really take too long. We found a dim-lit cafe at the end of a sketchy-looking road and inside we found probably the nicest place I'd seen all week.

There was a pleasant old lady peering in our direction with a lovely smile. She spoke mostly in German, saying things I didn't understand at all.

"Guten abend, meine Lieben," she had greeted. John responded in what I assume was a respectful manner and politely ordered the drinks for us.

"Give it up," he said to me when she'd disappeared.

"Where'd ye learn all that?" I asked with a laugh.

"I dunno, really. Here and there. I learned some in school, some around here, some even from my mum, I think," he returned thoughtfully.

I nodded, impressed, and the lady returned with two lidded styrofoam cups.

"Danke dir," John told the lady and she nodded happily, handing us the cups.

"Hoffe es gefällt euch," she responded.

I gave a smile and we were on our way.

"You think Dot will be with Paul tonight?" I asked John.

"Probably not, given everything that has happened...recently," he replied, his voice going low as if he was embarrassed to say anything about it.

I took a sip of my drink and smirked. "Forbidden topic?"

He shrugged. "Just an...uncommon one, I guess."

I shook my head. "Not uncommon at all," I said. "How do you think you got here?"

"Fair enough. It's just kind of a drag for Paul."

"And Dot too," I quipped. "Can you imagine how she feels?"

"No, I can't. I don't exactly have to worry about...that?"

"Well, not that exactly, but y'know, the like."

He cringed. "Well, sure...let's talk about something else." Now he just sounded frantic.

I smirked. "What have you got to worry about?" He gave me a knowing look. "Right," I said, suddenly feeling awkward.

"So," he said, laughing awkwardly and skirting an awkward silence. "You ready to go home?"

~~~

"Hey, Donna," I heard Dot's voice say as I stepped through the door, telling John goodnight.

"Hey," I said. "If you don't mind me asking, how did Paul handle it?"

"Oh," her voice dropped. "He wasn't happy. He ran off the first time, looked murderous."

I raised my eyebrows. "I knew about that part. He came to me."

She looked horrified. "Oh my God, Donna, I—." Her voice broke. "I'm so sorry, what did he do?"

"Only drove my anxiety out of the atmosphere."

I saw her eyes tear up. "He told me he just talked to you, Donna, I am so sorry."

I was surprised she didn't say anything about the anxiety thing. I shook my head, sitting next to her. "It's not your fault."

"I have to tell my parents tomorrow—." She said, scared. "They're gonna disown me."

"Aw, I'm sure they won't."

"What did you tell Paul earlier?" she asked.

"Well, I just told him that he should go to you and help you instead of lashing out at me." I shrugged. "I know that's what I'd want done if it were me."

She nodded. "He was really nice when he came back." She smiled. "He took me out for lunch." Then, she frowned. "But I could tell he'd been crying and I felt guilty all over again."

"You can't feel guilty," I said encouragingly, nudging her lightly. "I know Paul will help you the whole way, and should he ever slack—." I held up my fist and she got the hint. We laughed.

"Thanks, Donna." She smiled and tentatively gave me a hug.

"Anytime," I replied.