I Wouldn't Change a Thing

7: Love Games

As you can probably imagine, things were awkward the next morning between me and Paul. I clocked in at the studio, just as I usually did, but I didn't anticipate locking eyes with him so quickly as I entered the room. 

All four of them were there. As soon as Paul noticed me, his eyes widened. 

"Uh, good morning, Gail!" he blurted. 

"Good morning, Paul!" I smiled warmly in response, asserting myself. 

John, who immediately noticed the abrupt change in his friend when I arrived at the scene, narrowed his eyes in suspicion. He exchanged a glance with his other two band mates who appeared to have made the same observation, looking similarly mystified.

Paul cleared his throat a couple times and fiddled with Ringo's drumsticks, "Alright, lads! Let's start the song, shall we? Take 1! I've Just Seen a F-Face..." he stumbled a bit on his last word.  

John raised his eyebrows skeptically but still obliged, "Sure, Paul..."

***

A bit later that day, I decided to make myself my own cuppa. A lot had been going on the past few days and I needed to mull it over. I was in the small kitchen, preparing the tea, when all of a sudden I spotted John from the corner of my eye. 

"Hey, Abbie," he stated, his eyes keenly fixated on me. 

I broke out into a mild sweat, in spite of myself. I tried to cover up my nerves by reacting over-eagerly.

"John, hey! Did you want me to make you a cuppa?"

John shook his head, "I actually came over here to ask you something..."

I gulped, "Oh?"

"Yeah, would you like to come over to my place this evening to play some Monopoly?" he asked as his eyes shifted towards the counter. 

My whole face flushed with surprise. I was so sure he was going to ask about Paul. 

"Monopoly?" I repeated in disbelief. 

John smirked slyly, "Yeah, it'll be fun! Just you and me, away from all this..." he gestured wildly at our surroundings. 

I raised my eyebrow uncertainly, "What about Cynthia..?"

"She's at her mum's with Julian for the weekend," he explained. 

Still confused, I narrowed my eyes, "...Weren't you mad at me?"

"S'all water under the bridge now..." he said with a dismissive wave of the hand. 

I paused for a moment to ponder what he was requesting. All this could just be John's bizarre way of making amends with me. I decided to take him up on it.

I smiled, "Sure, John, that does sound fun!"

John beamed, "Great! We can leave at around 7..."

"What happens at 7?" Ringo interjected, stealing an English muffin from the counter. 

"Game night at John's!" I said with a chuckle. I quickly noticed John's demeanor change as I answered, as if he had wanted to keep this between us. 

"Game night? Well, gosh, that sounds terrific! But can we move it to my place? I was just about to invite you for dinner and drinks with Maureen and me tonight, to make up for when we didn't invite you before." Ringo explained.