(Final Chapter)
*Emma's POV*
I stayed at Heidi's until the tour was over, caring for James and the dog. I still hadn't named her anything. I probably should have, but I wanted Paul to name her still. For the moment, Heidi and I simply referred to her as 'Girl' when we called to her or practiced commands with her.
Richard had called me every Saturday at exactly seven at night, always my timezone. The conversations were pleasant, and rather similar. He would ask how I was and I would ask how he was, and how the tour was going. The answers would always be the same. "Alright," "Fine," "Good." Neither of us would want to hang up despite the bland conversation, and a silence would fill the air. Not an awkward or tense silence, but a comfortable one. Eventually, one of the other band members would start bugging him for the phone or Heidi would need me to help take care of James, and one of us would have to leave. It hurt every time, though, like my heart was being pulled at.
We never spoke of the past, never brought up anything that could cause arguments or confusion, not except for that first phone call. I remembered that phone call very well...
I was nervous all day, not sure when or if he was going to call. I had told George to ensure that he did, but I of course hadn't heard from any of them since the day I got James and the dog from the flat. Nicole and Mary had spoken to me, small things about the boys slipping out in the conversation, but nothing major, and nothing about Richard or Paul unless they were crucial characters in a story the girls were telling me about John or George.
I sat by the phone in my bedroom all day that Saturday, only breaking away from it to shower or get food. I played with James and fed him, and when the phone rang, he was fast asleep. So I picked up the phone to stop it from ringing, placed it on the nightstand, and took James into the next room, giving him to Heidi. I then hurried back to the phone and picked it up. Miraculously, Richard hadn't hung up yet.
"Sorry about that, I didn't want the ringing to wake James." I said into the phone, chewing on the soft inside of my lower lip anxiously as I waited for his reply.
"That's alright." Richard's voice was so nice, I couldn't believe anyone wouldn't want to listen to it for hours on end.
"So, how have you been, Ringo?" I tried using the nickname the band had given him, but found it quite unappealing and unnatural to designate that name to him, and decided to stick with Richard from then on.
I could hear his faint chuckle at the use of his nickname. "I've been fine, what about you?"
"I'm alright." I tried not to let the conversation stop. "How's the tour so far?" I looked down at the floor, pushing my toes into the carpet before taking a seat on the edge of my bed.
"It's good, fun. I missed playing live. Although I think I might be losing my hearing from all the screaming." I knew he was grinning by the sound of his voice, and I let out a small laugh.
"Yes, I can imagine." I replied, and then the silence began. There wasn't much for us to talk about without bringing up the past, which was a sure subject we were both trying to avoid. But there was a question clawing at my mind, something I had to ask, and something I blurted out a few seconds later. "Did you really cheat on me with Maureen?" A few seconds of dead silence passed before I quickly tried to correct myself. "I mean, when we were together. I just remember her saying you did. And it's not that I believe you would, I just don't remember as much as I'd like and I don't want it to be true and..." I stopped myself and sighed.
"...No. I would never have cheated on you. With anyone. You're the only person I've ever loved. I'm so sorry about bringing Maureen to that premier. It was a huge mistake." He admitted, his voice low, sincere.
"Okay. Thank you for telling me. I'm sorry, I had to ask."
"I understand." Richard replied, and another silence began.
This time, it continued for several minutes before I heard James crying from the other room. "I'd better go. Are you going to be able to call me next week?"
"Yes, of course I'll call." He responded.
"Alright. Have fun with touring in the meantime. Buh-bye."
"Goodbye, and goodnight."
I placed the phone into its place again, hearing the receiver click before I went into the next room to help calm James down, wiping away the single tear running down my cheek.
*Ringo's POV*
Every phone call hurt. It hurt to hear her voice and not know whether or not she would ever be mine again. It hurt to hang up the phone and stop the beautiful sound of her voice. But none of it hurt as much as waiting another week for the next call. None of it hurt as much as waiting for her to pick up the phone, waiting to hear her voice and feel my lungs inflate and deflate with relief, like coming up for a breath of fresh air. These phone calls were what kept me going. She was the purest air, the most divine.
Every other night of the week, I spent crying. Silent, so the boys wouldn't hear me in our shared room, but my body still shook with sobs. I don't know how I survived without her while she was with Paul, but at least now I had hope.
I was just waiting for her to say she wanted to be mine again, waiting for her perfect voice to utter those words. But until then, I had hope. Hope that she would come back to me.
----------------
|| A/N: This is the last chapter of this book. The third and final book of this series will be called All My Loving, so definitely check it out if you'd like. Once again, all three books in this series will be in a reading list called If I Fell (Series) if you're having trouble finding it. Thank you for reading!
