Love, Love Me Do (Beatles story)

Chapter Sixteen - Commitment Issues

~Charlene's P.O.V~

"Char!" Cynthia squealed upon opening the door to reveal a now relatively soaked me.

Perhaps I should have taken that umbrella George had suggested or at the very least a coat.

"Hey, Cyn, how are you?" I inquired softly, my shoulders sagging and back hunched over in defeat: I felt hopeless, I just didn't know what to do and it was killing me.

"Fine, and you?" she smiled sweetly, stepping aside to let me through the door.

I sighed, shrugging my shoulders, just as Maureen stepped out into the hallway. "I'm alright, I guess. I could do with some help and advice off of you guys, though," I replied, sounding downtrodden even to my own ears, bottom lip trembling ever so slightly.

Cynthia snapped her head up, squinting as she took in my appearance. "Oh, love," she cried, wrapping her arms around me in a comforting embrace which I gladly returned.

"What happened, honey?" Maureen asked, joining in on the hug.

I sniffled, feeling moisture dripping from my eyes and running down my face, realising that I was crying. I stood there having an emotional breakdown in the embrace of my only two female friends in the year 1962. They may have been my only girl friends, but they were more genuine than any girls from my own time or at least out of the ones I had actually met, they were a lot kinder, comforting and somehow they reminded of my grandmother, too. At the thought of my grandmother my tears increased, the girls whispered reassuring words, gently stroking my hair, rubbing my arms and patting my back, waiting patiently for my sobs to die down. Eventually, I did somewhat calm down, breathing in the sweet, musky scents of Cyn and Mo's perfume, once the sobs had died down the girls led me in the direction of Cynthia's sitting room and sat me down in the middle of the couch, seating themselves either side of me.

"What's wrong, love?" Cynthia asked softly, tucking a loose curl behind my ear.

"I need your help," I whispered, hoarse from all the crying.

"Of course," Mo agreed immediately. "Just, please, don't tell us that you're knocked up."

"What?" I choked out. "No, of course I'm not!"

"Good," they both sighed, visibly relaxing.

"How can we help you, though?" Cyn bit her bottom lip thoughtfully. "Why are you so upset?"

"You know how I'm planning on returning to 2012?" I asked, receiving nods from both girls, signalling for me to continue. "You also know that I promised George that I'd think about staying with him?" Again they nodded, not saying anything. "I haven't been thinking about it," I confessed, earning myself disapproving frowns from them, but thankfully, they didn't speak, allowing me to continue with my story. "I keep telling myself that I'm just too busy to think about everything, but really I just don't want to, I don't want to think about leaving him."

Cynthia clapped her hands together excitedly, squealing happily. "Does that mean you're going to stay?"

Mo smiled brightly, sharing Cynthia's enthusiasm. "That's brilliant, none of us wanted you to leave, it'd be so sad for all of us, but simply unbearable for George."

I shook my head, another tear trickling down my face. "I don't know what I'm going to do, that's why I need your help."

Both girls stiffened, faces falling in disappointment, but nodding understandingly. "I suppose it's not an easy decision to make," Maureen stated.

"No," I agreed, "it's really not. I don't belong in the '60's, my grandparents would only be about your age now. If I went back to my time George would be old enough to be my grandfather."