𝗕𝗮𝗯𝘆 𝗜𝘁'𝘀 𝗬𝗼𝘂 ❦ (𝗣𝗮𝘂𝗹 𝗠𝗰𝗖𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗻𝗲𝘆)

꧁𝗧𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗠𝗲 𝗪𝗵𝘆꧂

On the way back to the hotel, the two night strollers were met with a familiar face walking towards them in the cold breeze.

"Ringo?" Paul puzzled. "What you doing out ere?"

In front of them, hardly in a disguise like Paul and out in just a coat was Ringo. He looked sullen, a rare sight from the usually upbeat Beatle.

Ringo opened his mouth to respond. "I- w well," Stuttered the drummer, desperately trying to find his voice.

Linda examined the man's posture, mentally noting down his unusual tremor and the fact that he couldn't keep his hands or legs still. The air was chilly, but to the extent that he was acting?

"Did she tell you?" Linda asked, already certain of the answer she was about to get. Ringo looked at her, recognition following his delayed reaction.

"So you know then." He shook his head, in disbelief. "Great."

"Hold on." Paul raised his eyebrows. "What's going on?"

"Paul do me favour." Linda pointed at a telephone box across the road. "Go stand in there."

Paul was the one looking in disbelief now and laughed, shaking his head. "Piss off. I'm not standing in a box while you two chat over here."

"Please." She said. "I'll promise, it'll only take a minute." Paul shook his head again, crossing his arms.

"You're cheating? Is that it?" Linda rolled her eyes.

For fuck sake Paul.

"Yes, I am now go!" She ordered, attempting to push him off the path.

"Alright fine." He boomed and brushed himself down. "One minute." Linda nodded and waved him goodbye as he crossed the road.

"Love you." She teased with a smile. Paul scoffed to himself, accepting the role of top mug.

Once he was in the telephone box, Linda turned back to Ringo but she could still feel Paul's doe eyes staring at them from the window.

"So you knew?" Ringo started. Linda sighed.

"It's complicated."

"No, it isn't." He spat back. "She lied to me."

"Ok..." Linda gave Ringo a go on then look. The best thing to do in the situation was to let him blow off some of the steam he had bottled up. That way they could concentrate on fixing the situation, i.e his and Susan's relationship.

Ringo glanced over at Paul who was staring at them with his face pressed against the box window. The bassist smiled and waved, forcing Linda to try her best not to laugh.

"She's not a photographer. She's a journalist." He finally said.

Linda took a breath. She knew the truth was to come out sooner or later. It had to. She even vouched for it. But she never expected to be the one in the middle trying to sort it out.

"Feelings?" She asked softly, providing a reassuring, open smile.

Ringo shrugged, unable to come up with a response. "Just..." He exhaled heavily. "Why didn't she just tell me in the first place? Y'know. I wouldn't have given one."

"But do you understand why she might have kept it a secret?" She countered, knowing full well in her head that Barbara was the cause of all of this.

That woman.

Still, she couldn't let Susan get away with it. The girl was naive but dumb? Far from it. Susan should have made her own mind up all those weeks ago.