#inherownwrite

          “Okay, I’ll be back in a couple,” I stated, but then he grabbed my arm.

          “We can go down together today, I didn’t have work so I still have energy, let’s go,” he affirmed. He put his arm around me and we headed towards the food table.

          “So what did you do today?” he asked me, filling his plate.

          “I spent most of the day with George, how about you?” I asked him back.

          “Oh, I wrote a few lyrics and then took a nap,” he answered. The pause between meant something was up, and something was up, especially when he asked me, “So George?”

          “Yes”

          “Why?”

          “He’s friendly and nice and we get along just fine.”

           “So you two are a thing?”

          I looked at him like he had 5 heads and answered, “No! No, no, no!”

          “Oh, I’m sorry. Should’ve figured, he’s a strange one towards girls.”

          “I don’t think so. He’s normal; well we all have weird moments, especially you.”

          “Me? Hah, you’re cute.”

          “Thank you! You’re not that bad yourself, bunny cheeks!”

          Paul had a laugh attack because he thinks it’s hilarious how I find him in resemblance with a bunny. He carried both of our food trays to a table where we sat and talked. We stayed a little longer than expected; we stayed there till seven when dinner began being served.

          “See what you and your big mouth did?” Paul sarcastically exclaimed.

          “Me? I think you were too busy talking about what your music and what you want it to be about! I just sat and listened!” I defended in a joking matter.

          He began to laugh and put his arm around me again. We went up for our dinner plate and went to the larger table of people. Here I sat in between George and Paul. I think Paul noticed how well I got along with George because he kept intruding and trying to be funny in our conversations. It didn’t work well.

          After supper, everyone went off to their rooms. Yet George and I were left behind to put the dishes in the wash machine.

          “Love?” he asked me.

          “Yes?”

          “Earlier, were we about to do what I thought we were about to do?”

          “I believe so.”

          “Do you want to finish what we started after this?” he asked me.

          Sadness filled my eyes, “I already promised Paul my time tonight, to work on songs and lyrics. I’m sorry. Maybe tomorrow we can arrange something.”

          “Yeah, of course, I’ll meet you later on if you want in the hall to discuss what we’ll do.”

          “Sure, I’ll catch you later, I really have to head upstairs or Paul will get upset,” I explained.

          “Bye, love,” he said back. Before I left, I pecked him on the cheek and sprinted up the stairs. When I looked back, he was still standing there, a little in shock, staring at me leave. He winked and I smiled, still heading up.

          When I opened the door to my room, Paul was in the bean bag chair with his guitar, looking at sheet music.

          “I made it, what do you need help with?” I asked, putting down two cups of tea and heading towards him.

          He looked up and smiled at me, “Well, I need you to sit on the bed for a second; I want to try something.”

          I did as he said and then he ordered, “Close your eyes for me and don’t open them until I say to.” I closed my eyes. After sitting there for a good two minutes, I felt Paul nearing to me. His soft lips touched mine, kissing me. It was awkward just him kissing me so I kissed back. But then it got more intense. He was getting harder on me. That’s when I knew I had to stop him.

          I pushed him off, “Paul, I don’t think this is a good idea.”

          “Why not? You seemed to be just fine,” he asked me.

          “I’m your assistant manager, not your girlfriend or friend with benefits,” I reminded him.

          He gave me a look, a look I never saw before. It was sure intimidating, like he was memorizing me in and then he said, “I can be anything you want me to be, I can get you anything you want. I’ll always be true if you-”

          “It was a nice kiss, but that wasn’t for me. I like you but not that way,” I said in the nicest way I could.

          “Baby, it’s fine. I just wanted to see how that’d work out. I think I took it a bit too far. What if we took things slow?” he asked me.

          “Paul, I can’t be your manager and your girlfriend; that’s insane! I can’t be a day tripper either,” I confessed.

          “Day tripper?” he asked.

          “A prostitute, it’s a nicer name for one,” I explained.

          “You’re a genius! I got lyrics in my head! I got a song!” he exclaimed, quickly grabbing a sheet of paper and a pencil, jotting down whatever was in his head.

          I thought then and there what just happened… he told me to close my eyes and he kissed me… wait, it was coming together!

          “Paul! That’s it! Your missing lyrics song! Your actions fit the song melody! The way it sounds! Play the melody!” I screamed, trying to keep my lyrics in my head.

          As he began to play I sang, “Close your eyes and I’ll kiss you, tomorrow I’ll miss you, remember I’ll always be true. And then while I’m away, I’ll write home every day, and I’ll send all my loving to you! I’ll pretend that I’m kissing the lips I am missing, and hope that my dreams will come true. And then while I’m away, I’ll write home every day and I’ll send all my loving to you”

          “All my loving I will send to you. All my loving, darling, I’ll be true!” Paul completed. We had just developed a song in the matter of a couple actions and minutes.

          “Paul, this is it! This is our song! We did it!” I exclaimed, jumping up and throwing my arms around him until he couldn’t breathe anymore.

          “Yes, I am eating! Are you satisfied?” I asked him.

          “I’m half satisfied, love, I need you to do one more thing for me,” he answered, grinning.

          “What do you need my friend?” I asked.

          “I need your opinion, follow me, bring your fruit,” he urged, putting his arm around me and leading me up to his room.

          His room was no stranger to me anymore, along with George. We hung out with each other often now and were pretty close. All my time with Paul has cut out our time together but not completely.

          As I took a seat on his bed, he went over and grabbed his guitar, the electric one. He set it up and tuned it well. I knew he was going to play one of his songs for me. Yes, George writes songs. He writes many of them, but they don’t get picked for the albums… yet. He’s never played them for me, but I’ve read the notes and got an idea of what they sound like. They’re good and he’s good. John and Paul just need to accept they aren’t the only songwriters.

          “Are you ready?” George asked me, taking a seat across from me in the bean chair.

          “Yes. Are you finally going to play me a song?” I asked curiously.

          “Yes, I am, but only if you wa-“

          “Yeah I want to hear one! I’ve been dying to hear one!” I exclaimed, cutting him off a bit.

          He smiled fully and began playing the guitar. It was smooth, kind of relaxing. Then he began singing, “Something in the way she moves, attracts me like no other lover. Something in the way she woos me. I don’t wanna leave her now, you know I believe in how. Somewhere in her smiles she knows, that I don’t need no other lover. Something in her style that shows me, I don’t wanna leave her now, you know I believe in how. You’re asking me will my love grow, I don’t know I don’t know! You stick around now it may show! I don’t know! I don’t know!”  Then he played a guitar solo along with, “Something in the way she knows, and all I have to do is think of her. Something in the way she shows me, I don’t wanna leave her now, you know I believe in how.” He finished off nicely, the way a love song should end. Then he looked at me softly, like he did when he was singing to me.

          “That was beautiful,” I expressed in honesty. The song was perfect.

          “Really?” he asked me, quite in real shock.

          “Yes! It was really good and nicely formatted! I really enjoyed it! Thank you for sharing,” I ended. I smiled the entire time, maybe in awe and love for the song. I was happy to be one of the first people to hear it.

          “No, thank you, love, for listening,” he reassured, putting the guitar back.

          “Anytime, it was seriously one of the best songs I’ve heard. You need to give it to Paul or John,” I addressed.

          He turned to me, looking at me like I had 5 heads and asked me, “Are you insane?”

          “No, I work for Paul, I can swing it by-“

          “No, not yet. If you haven’t noticed all of my band’s songs are about love, fast love, no slow love. One day I’ll be able to give this to Paul, but not today. Trust me, love,” he assured me.

          I nodded as he took a seat next to me on the bed. I rested my head on his shoulder, thinking about the song I heard. That when I asked, “George, can you play more music for me?” he laughed until I said, “I’m serious. You’re talented, and I like it when you play.”

          “Okay, love, what song?” he asked me, picking up the acoustic.

          “Can you do ‘Do You Want to Know a Secret?’?” I asked him. He quickly came to my request. He quickly began to strum the melody, but didn’t sing.

          “Will you sing to me?” I asked him.

          “No, I want you to sing to me. Paul mentioned you have a good voice. I want to hear,” he mentioned.

          When I found the right timing, I began softly, “You’ll never know how much I really love you…”

          “You’ll never know how much I really care…”

          I started the real thing, “Listen, do you want to know a secret? Do you promise not to tell? Woah woahhh, closer, let me whisper in your ear, say the words you long to hear, I’m in love with you”

          “I’ve known a secret for a week or two, nobody knows, just we two,” George closed off, ending the strumming. He looked me in the eyes with a grin on his face. My face showed the same I believe. Then he started strumming the guitar to a different tune and began singing a different song. This was the one Paul normally sings, but George made it sound special, especially when he sang, “Till There Was You”. This made me smile, because he was singing to me and only me. In the booth he looked at me when he sang his parts during love songs. Had I missed messages? I don’t know if he felt anything, but I felt something. He was pulling me in, both physically and mentally.

          As he finished the song, we sat there, staring in each other’s eyes. Then, he scooted closer to me and I grabbed his face, touching the narrow defined chin-line. He grabbed my hand and moved it to his shoulder as he put his around my waist, forcing me to scoot close, practically on his lap. We were new to this kind of behavior. Going from just friends to maybe more was a risk, but a risk I was willing to take. We both leaned in, getting closer and closer…

          Knock knock knock! “George! __! Are you in there?” Knock knock knock! It sounded like John. More knocks came. George and I stopped and looked at each other. I begged him to stay by me and finish what we started, but he took responsibility and answered the door.

          “What?” George asked John.

          “Was I interrupting anything?” John asked with a sly look on his face.

          George looked back to me. “John, I was just about to leave anyways, I’m sure Paul is looking for me. It’s about lunch, right?” I asked, looking for a clock.

          “Yeah, it’s about lunch, dear, and that’s why I’m here. Paul was looking for you and I needed a word with George. I’ll see you later, __,” John lectured.