⇾ 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐈

Chapter Seventy-Two: A Real Romantic Softie, Lennon is

May 28, 1964

"Now, look me in the eyes and tell me that these aren't the best cupcakes you've ever tasted."

I rolled my eyes at Paul's comment. All eight of us were in the living room now. We'd just finished dinner and were tasting Paul's 'congratulations cupcakes' in the living room. John, Jane, and I were on the couch. Paul was on the floor at Jane's feet, Brian sat in front of him balancing his elbows on the coffee table. Ringo and Maureen were on the love seat and Pattie was in a chair, George sat on the arm of it to her left.

"Yes, they're just fabulous," John responded. "Thank you for them, Paul."

"Welcome!" he quipped, taking another bite of the cake in his hand.

"Have you guys thought about when you want to have the wedding?" asked Ringo curiously.

John looked down at the cupcake in his hand, shrugging. "Sometime after the tour. You know, when we can have a proper wedding and honeymoon."

"A real romantic softie, Lennon is, even if he doesn't show it," said Paul from the floor, laying his head back in Jane's lap to smile maniacally at the two of us. "Really made a bargain there, Epstein."

I smiled back sarcastically. "I'm sure I did," I replied.

"When do you think we'll be able to do that, Brian?" John asked.

Brian looked up from the cupcake he was eating and held up a finger. We waited patiently as he swallowed the bite he'd taken and spoke up. "No idea," he admitted. "The tour's going to be on and off until November."

As much as I avoided it, I was a bit crestfallen. I had known it wasn't going to happen anytime soon, but the news still filled me with a gut-wrenching sort of disappointment.

Before I could look down to hide it, I saw George shoot me a sympathetic look from the other side of the room.

"That's alright," I said, eyeing the cupcake in my hand, studying the blue frosting that was swirled on top. "I'm willing to wait." When the uncomfortable feeling in my stomach finally settled, I looked back up with a reassuring smile.

I felt John's arm move from around the top of the couch to around my shoulders, pulling me close. "Sorry, love," he said with a slight sorrow in his voice that was so discreet that only I would manage to pick up on it.

"'S alright," I insisted.

"Hey, John?" asked Paul timidly to decrease the tension in the room.

"Yeah?" John replied.

I bit into my cupcake again for the last time, allowing the sugary goodness to fill me up. It was sweet, but not too sweet like a lot of cake icing seemed to be. The cupcakes were chocolate and that just seemed to make it all ten times better.

"Donna, c'mon." I was jerked out of my little trance by John's gentle voice. No one else was in the living room anymore; it was only John and I. John was standing by the doorway, holding out his hand for me. "I'm gonna play them my song."

"Oh, I—," I began and he looked at me skeptically. "I think I'll stay up here and clean up a little bit," I told him, smiling.

"Everything alright?" he asked, just to be sure.

I nodded. "Of course everything's alright. Just don't want it to get too crowded down there." I stood up, folding the cupcake wrapper in my hand and going towards him.

"Well, alright," He responded, coming towards me and placing a kiss on my forehead. "Don't get into any trouble," he joked. "Looove you."

"Looove you too."