⇾ 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐇𝐀𝐍𝐃𝐒 𝐎𝐅𝐅 𝐌𝐘 𝐁𝐀𝐁𝐘 | 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐈

Chapter Forty-Three: Painfully Adorable

December 19, 1961

"John, put that down." I laughed, snatching a spiral notebook out of his hands.

He frowned. "What's it for?" he asked, curious.

"Nothing in particular. A little bit of everything." I shrugged, stowing it away in my desk drawer, sitting down in the chair.

John laid back on my bed and stared at the ceiling.

"You said you wanted to have a chat?" I said. "What about?"

He shrugged. "Anything." I leaned back in the chair, spinning it from side to side thoughtfully. "C'mere," he said, sitting up and holding his arms out. I scowled a moment, but softened and went over it him. "You're dreadfully gorgeous," he said and I blushed. He smiled.

"Brian wants to have a Christmas dinner with us all," said John. "Did he tell ye?"

I shook my head, sitting next to him. "He didn't."

John nodded. "Wants to have us and our parents over." He wrinkled his nose. "I suspect Mimi will be skeptical."

I laughed. "She wasn't too happy when we stayed out past nine. What's she gonna think when she stays out past nine?"

He chuckled, putting his arm around me. "Je t'aime," he said and I looked down, blushing. "Look out your window, love," he leaned down and whispered straight into my ear.

I looked back to see it had just started snowing again. "It's pretty," I said, turning to smile at him.

He gave a dopey grin. "Yes, it is. Y'know what else is pretty?"

"If you say me, I'll slap you."

He frowned. "Your heart," he responded cheekily.

I rolled my eyes and leaned back onto him, watching the snow fall outside. "Is she sleepy?" he asked teasingly, toying with strands of my hair.

I shook my head warily, looking up at him with a smile. "Are you sure?" he asked with a cheeky smile. "Because I'd be happy to help."

"Stop that," I whined, turning on my side. "What time is it?"

He looked down at his watch. "6:30," he responded quietly.

I looked back towards the window. "Whatcha wanna do?" I asked.

He shrugged. "Sitting here just like this is doing it for me," he said, brushing my hair back as if he knew what he was doing. Then, leaned down and kissed me unexpectedly. It took me a moment to react. He pulled away, smirking. "Yer almost too easy to surprise."

I frowned. "Whatever. You're just too good at sneaking up on me." I laughed.

December 20, 1961

"Trixie!" I expressed as I slid into my seat next to her. "Why the hell did you not tell me about you and George?" I demanded.

She widened her eyes and turned to face me. "Feisty today, aren't we?"

I rolled my eyes. "Answer my question."

She sighed. "Look, Donna, I hope—."

I crossed my arms. "That's not an answer."

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, look, it wasn't supposed to be anything serious." She let the word ring out. "Him and Mary had just broken up and he was desperate to get over her, so he came to me."