Be my Starr (Ringo Starr)

Chapter 11 part 1: On with the future

The car ride was very silent and very tense. Ringo kept his promise and kept his mouth sealed. A part of Susan wanted him to shout out that he was sorry and that he loved her but the rest of her wanted to sink into the Earth and never come back.

She looked out the window, her face stained in the mascara that she couldn't wipe away. She could see her faint reflection in the mirror staring back at her. She couldn't bear to look at herself.

This man had a girlfriend. Hell, he probably had ten! What was she thinking? Her mother had warned her countless times and she never listened. This was all her fault. If she had just listened to her god damn mother than none of this would've happened.

And what about this girlfriend. Did she know what he was doing? She probably doesn't even know where he is now. He'll come home all 'hi honey!' and they'll have a lovely dinner and sleep together and she won't even know that his lips were touched by a literal stranger.

It made Susan feel guilty. If they were to break up it would be all her fault. She never meant for this to happen though. She didn't know.

Susan glanced slightly at the man she thought she was starting to know. He was just a stranger. Ringo kept his eyes on the road. Susan thought she could almost see a tear in his eye. Maybe just a flick of the light.

She wanted to apologise. Let him explain a voice was telling her. Maybe he was innocent after all. No, it's probably her stupid heart wanting to be with him. Wanting to love him. She had only met him the night before what was she thinking?

She needed Barbara. Barbara would tell her to get over her sad self and fuck all men who put her down. She needed Linda. Linda would ask her the real questions. Why are you even sad? Do you even know who he is? For god's sake, she needed her brother. He would sort her out. He'd tell her to grow the fuck up and go get high as fuck on all the drugs she could find and party till the end of the world. She needed her mum.

"I'm sorry." She heard Ringo whisper.

"...You promised." Susan turned away. Her brain was still in a mood but her heart wanted nothing more than to hug him and say it's alright.

"I'd break any promise if it meant being able to say sorry." He expressed.

"Enough of the soppiness." Susan cringed. "You have a girlfriend for god's sake." She looked at Ringo. He didn't dare look at her. "Wait till you're with her."

"We're not on good terms right now," Ringo admitted.

"And that makes it ok?" Susan laughed. "Ok honey."

"Of course it doesn't..." Ringo monotoned.

Susan gave him credit for his honesty at least but it still wasn't ok. "What's her name?" She asked.

"Maureen," Ringo answered.

"That's a nice name."

"She's a nice woman," Ringo added.

"Then what's wrong then? If she's so nice."

"Things change don't they. At first, things are cracking an everything's great and next minute it's not." Ringo seemed like he was letting things out for the first time.

"What happened?" Susan asked. Although she was angry, she wanted to be there to support him. After all, he was human and she knew what it was like to bottle things up. All she ever wanted was for someone to listen. Now she could be there for someone who needed someone.

"It just got hard that's all. We went through all the arguments and the fights. We're on a break right now to give each other some space but if I'm being honest..." Ringo sighed.

"You don't love her anymore?"Ringo swallowed. "Being honest... I don't think I ever did." He glanced at her. At first, he thought she'd frown but instead, she nodded. Like she properly understood him.

"That's what loves like though int it? You never know." Susan gave him a small smile. God did he realise how much he missed that smile.

"Have you ever been in love?" Ringo asked. Susan shook her head. "How was your last one?"

Susan pondered. "Eventful..."

"Eventful. That's a strong one."

"Yeah. Eventfully-Bad. We only kissed like twice and he never cared about me like I cared for him."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"No, you're not." Ringo looked at her and grinned. "It's ok. It's in the past anyway."

"On with the future I say," Ringo said.

"Yeah..." Susan lit up. "Me too."

"Sorry I didn't hear you."

Susan sat up. "On with the future!" She shouted.

"On with the future!" Ringo shouted with her.

Susan opened her window and stuck her head out. "On with the future!" She shouted down the street.

The rest of the journey was filled with laughter and smiles. It was like the last hour just didn't exist and everything was good again. Right?