If I Fell│John Lennon/Beatles FanFiction

Chapter 31 - 31.Dec.1961

Chapter 31

December 31, 1961

Snow whirled all around us, making it almost impossible to see. It piled on the roads, falling too quickly to manage. I gripped John's hand as I pushed my warm head against the chilled window. The local bus slid through another stop, and I tightened my hold on John as my throat constricted.

"Jeezus, Liv. I need this hand for tomorrow, y'know," John said, his head turning to face me.

"The bus is gonna ruddy kill us," I mumbled, unable to lift my head from the window.

"You're gonna ruddy kill me," he grumbled, his free hand gripping his bag.

The back of the bus nearly spun out. "Not in the mood, John."

"If you don't like what I'm saying, ye'would hate what I'm thinkin'."

I pinched my lips together as I scowled.

"We'll be fine," he said a moment later, his tone a bit more gentle. "Almost there, anyway."

"Yeah, then just a measly 320-kilometre drive to London in a bleeding blizzard." I pinched my eyes closed, fighting off a growing headache. "What could go wrong?"

He pressed his hand into my knee. "Thought ye'were excited to come with."

"I was." I shivered despite being in a heavy jacket. "I am."

"Don't seem it," he said.

"Well, I'm thrilled to bits, so sod off."

He leaned closer to me. "You all right, Livvy?"

"Fine." To prove it, I lifted my head and smiled at him.

A wrinkle formed in his brow. "Ye look a bit...off."

"Love when you tell me how beautiful I am. Makes me day, truly."

"Hell Liv, what's with you today?"

"We're here," I said, ignoring him. The bus slipped to a halt several metres beyond the bus stop. I let go of John's hand and forced myself to stand despite my body fighting my every attempt to move. John eyed me as he grabbed our bags and then my hand again, leading me off the bus and onto the unplowed sidewalks.

We trudged through the accumulating snow toward the Jolly Miller, a massive pub in West Derby. We were the last to arrive, the other lads all standing in the blizzard, cigarette smoke lingering around them as they each puffed away at a cig. They huddled in a tight circle in an attempt to keep warm. A larger van replaced the old Commer van just for this occasion. Eppy paid for the larger vehicle to take the boys south. Neil Aspinall was at the rear of the van, loading the equipment.

Brian was also there, standing a bit away from the huddle. He had plans to travel south by train, not by van. The goal was to rendezvous in London at the hotel that Brian had booked for us. Flakes of snow rested on everyone's dark hair as John and I stopped next to them.

"Glorious weather we're 'aving," George said in between drags of his cig. His free hand dusted a layer of snow from his overcoat.

Paul wrapped his arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. "Did'ya bring food for us, Liv? We're all bloody starvin'."

"Brought food for everyone but you, ya'wanker." I rubbed at my aching head as I shivered.

Paul flicked my forehead and cracked a smile, but I couldn't seem to smile back. Instead, I pushed my hands into my pockets and bent my head down to shield my cheeks from the wind.