⇾ 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐈

Chapter Twenty: You Crazy Lovers, This is the One!

April 1, 1964

"Why'd you have to leave early last time you were here?"

Thomas and I were cleaning up before closing. I'd very nearly gotten away. I turned away from where I was hanging my lanyard up to face him.

"I told you," I said simply. "I got sick."

"All of a sudden? Over lunch?" he asked. "You're a terrible liar."

"Really, Thomas, it's not a big deal, you know. I just didn't feel well."

He didn't look convinced. "Your life is like some movie," he said. "That's too boring for it."

"I just had to go to the doctor." I shrugged and turned to pick up my bag.

"Why?" he asked curiously.

"Full of questions today, are we?"

He frowned. "You're just handing me a box of them," he retorted

I nodded. "Of course. It wasn't a big deal," I began. "Just a little scare, a false alarm. All said and done."

Thomas gasped sarcastically. "You almost had John Lennon's baby?"

I laughed dryly. "Oh, look, you guessed it! Why am I surprised? Yes, it sure looked like I'd gotten myself into that irreversible dilemma."

"Ooh, scandalous!"

"No...no, not scandalous. Imagine what Brian would have said."

"You're grown, what could he have done?" Thomas laughed.

"Oh, believe me," I said with a chuckle. "He would have found something to do and something to say about it."

The bell above the door jingled and I heard a shout outside as it was snapped closed quickly. Thomas and I both jerked out heads up to see John standing in the doorway, taking a hat off his head.

"My love," he greeted, looking at me with an affectionate smile. "Thomas." He nodded towards Thomas.

"Are you ready to go look at some houses?" John asked me enthusiastically as he leaned down to steal a kiss off me.

"Houses?" asked Thomas with a curious smirk.

I nodded. "It's happening." I made a joking gesture with my hands.

"Exciting, that is?" replied Thomas.

John nodded. "Very."

"We should get going," said Donna. "See you around, Thomas!" I picked my backpack up off the ground and John led me out of the shop after slipping his sunglasses and hat back on. We made a wild dash for the car, not wanting to attract any attention.

"Where to first?" I asked John as I jammed the key into the ignition.

John pulled a piece of paper and a little map out of his pocket and pulled his seatbelt across him. "Thataway!" He pointed ahead. "Allow me to be your guide." I smiled at him as I began to pull away. "Ooh, guess what?" he added like a little gossiping schoolgirl.

"What's that?" I responded.

"Georgie finally did it. He's officially going out with a model."

"Oh? You jealous?" I cocked an eyebrow.

"Of course I'm not," he said dopily. "I've got myself an author. That's much more sensual." He winked.

"Mhm," I said. "Right, so you're saying that you'd never, ever want a model?"

He looked at me expectantly. "Turn up here," he said. "Is that a challenge, dear?"

I shook my head while clicking my tongue. "Never."

~~~

"Look at this," John said. "Donna and John house shopping! We finally will have some privacy!" John spin around in a circle jokingly in the foyer of the house we'd been looking at yesterday. "It's perfect," he said.

We'd already been around to about four houses today. There had been something about each of them that didn't sit with us.

"Oh, c'mon, let's look around," I said to him.

"Okay," he said eagerly, taking hold of my hand and pulling me towards the living room. The room was borderline-massive with a back wall of glass that overlooked a widespread backyard.

"It's beautiful," I said, smiling fondly at the countryside overlook.

"We could put a nice patio out there," said John, pointing to outside the window. "And perhaps a pool. What do you think?" He put his hands on my shoulders.

"I think that's a brilliant idea," I replied.

"Ooh, and look here. It's the kitchen." He guided me to the left into a room separated from the living room by a counter. He gasped. "And over there! The glorious toilet!" he said dramatically. "My shrine!"

I laughed, looking over everything and how beautiful it was. It was a new home. We would be the first owners. Off to the left of the kitchen was a laundry room.

"Aaand," added John, interrupting my thoughts. "There's a basement. We could use that for rehearsals and you and all the other ladies can sit up here and not be bothered! Yeah?"

I nodded, laughing. "That's a seller."

"Look, let's head upstairs." He smiled happily, like a child on Christmas morning, as he took my hand and began leading me towards the staircase in the foyer.

"You're excited, aren't you?"

He bobbed his head up and down excitedly. "Of course I am. I'm buying a house with the love of my life. I'm the best I've ever been. Well, now look at this!"

Upstairs, there were four rooms on either side of a foyer-like space at the top of the stairs. The biggest bedroom was on the right, straight off the staircase we'd come up.

"Oh, look at this." John laughed. "Oh, the times we could have in here." He winked.

"John—." I giggled. "Calm down."

He cocked an eyebrow. "What's that mean? Over here, we've got a music room. We could even put a door between these rooms, that one being the office for you." He smiled. "Right there can be the guest bedroom, should anyone ever need somewhere to stay, yeah?" I nodded, smiling irresistibly.

Each of the rooms were huge, much bigger than those of any house I'd ever lived in. The feeling was positively thrilling.

"We can make this space our own," John said with a smile. "It's gonna be just for us." He smiled happily, putting his arms around me and spinning me around teasingly.

"Hey, John," I said as he pulled back to look around again.

"Yes, dear?"

"I think it's speaking to us," I said, cracking a grin. "What's it saying?"

"You crazy lovers," John said in a high-pitched, comical voice "This is the one!"