Yesterday

Chapter 25

PAUL'S POV

"Charlotte, there's a call for you. In my room, please?"

She looked awfully nervous as she looked around the room at us as if to say, Anyone have any idea what this is about? But we all must have seemed just as confused as she was, because she just shrugged and turned away, following Brian out of the room. A silence hung in the air once they had left.

"Anyone have a clue what might be goin' on?" George finally said, nearly in a whisper, his curiosity getting the best of him.

"I haven't the slightest idea," I said, though I had to admit I was worried. Could it possibly have been something family related? I knew she couldn't take the pain of another family tragedy. Hell, I don't think she could even take the pain from this one.

"Maybe its her secret boyfriend that she's hidin' back at home, eh?" John said, elbowing me in the side. John was always joking, but he was my best friend and I could see right through him. I could tell he was just as concerned as the rest of us.

That was when Brian came back into the room. My feet quickly jumped off the couch, and I stood up before my brain could tell me not to.

"Is she okay, Brian? Where is she?" I asked.

He gave a weak smile, but I could see the worry in his eyes. "She's fine, just tired is all. She told me to tell you boys that she went off to bed. And Paul-" he added, looking me in the eyes, "she said it would be best if you slept with the boys in here tonight." His eyes looked as if they were saying, don't ask. This immediately worried me. I wanted nothing more than to go back into our room and sleep with her, and make sure that she was okay. But that clearly wasn't an option. 

"Okay," I muttered at last. With that, Brian left. 

"What the hell do ye think that was all about?" Ringo asked quietly, in case Brian was still in earshot. "I don't know," I answered, "but I have a bad feeling its nothing good."

"C'mon, let's try not and think 'bout it. I'm sure she's fine," John coaxed, pouring everyone another drink in an attempt to take our minds off things. We drank a bit more, talking and laughing, but something was definitely different.

After about another hour, George let out a yawn. "It's gettin' late lads, and we got places to be tomorrow. We ought to get some sleep."

We all trudged off into our bedrooms. Laying underneath my covers, I found it impossible to fall asleep. My mind was running at a mile a minute. I glanced over at the clock. 

1:00 A.M. 

I had to check on her. What if something bad had happened? I was supposed to be there for her. I had promised myself that I would be. I slowly swung my feet over the bed and crept out into the living room. I froze when I noticed John sitting on the couch, drinking a cup of tea in silence. Before I knew what to do, he spotted me across the room. He sighed, amused.

"I couldn't sleep," he said casually. "I figured you'd be out here sooner or later." He nodded his head in the direction of the door. "Go on and check on her. I won't tell Brian." I gave him a grateful smile.

"Thank you, John."

He winked at me. "Anythin' for you, Macca."

Slowly, I crept out of the door and made my way down the hallway towards me and Charlotte's room. Hesitantly, I gave the door a quiet knock. 

No answer.

I knocked a little bit louder.

Nothing. 

Feeling bold, I slowly turned the knob of the door. It was unlocked. I opened it a crack, a slit of light illuminating the pitch-black room, revealing Charlotte lying on the ground. She was curled up into a ball, her chin nearly resting on her knees. I saw the slow rise and fall of her chest as she breathed the slow breaths of someone that was asleep. I could nearly feel my heart break as I saw her lying there. 

She looked absolutely helpless. 

Opening the door enough for me to enter, I made my way over to the beautiful girl on the floor. I knelt down and leaned in close to her.

"Charlotte..." I whispered gently. "It's me, Paul. I'm here." She mumbled incoherently and rolled over. Slipping one of my arms underneath her neck and the other under her waist, I gingerly lifted her up and brought her over to the bed. Now lying completely face-up, I noticed that her face was a bit red and puffy. She had been crying.

Something bad must have happened.

Okay, you checked on her. You got her into bed. She's fine now. Go back to your room and go to sleep.

But as I looked down at her face, innocent and broken, I knew I couldn't leave. Trying to make as little movement as possible, I crawled up into the other side of the bed. I felt slightly embarrassed as I positioned Charlotte in a way so that she was curled up against me. The movement woke her up, but only a little. Her eyes half opened, and she looked right at me. 

"P-Paul-"

I put my finger over her lips. "Go back to sleep, my love." She promptly closed her eyes and went back to sleep without an arguement. Getting myself more comfortable, I put my arms around her, and she snuggled into my embrace. I smiled to myself.

But through her thin clothes, I could feel the raw, raised skin on her arms and back. Not exactly leaving much to the imagination, I could feel tears fill my eyes. Sensitive to my touch, she quickly recoiled and instead put her arms around me, so that the skin didn't touch as much. As I finally allowed myself to drift to sleep I sighed in comfort inside her embrace. Just before I fell asleep, she mumbled more nonsense. Maybe I had already fallen asleep and I was dreaming, but I'm pretty sure that I had heard her say, "I'm sorry, Paul."

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A/N:

Hi guys! Sorry that it took me longer than usual to update, I've just been so busy lately and it was hard to find a good chance to work on the story.

Thanks so much to everyone who has recently read the story or followed me, it means so much!