Every Little Thing (A Beatles Fanfic)

Chapter 2: Too Coincidental For Comfort

One year later…

    “Hello?” I picked up the telephone, holding it close to my ear. I didn’t even need to wonder who it was on the other end because only one person really called this house: Caitlin.

    “Alyssa! Alyssa! Oh my god! Turn on your T.V!” Caity mostly screamed into the phone. I drew the phone away from ear as she continued to throw a fit about me turning the T.V on. The last thing a needed was a blown-out eardrum.

    “What? Why?” I asked after I was sure she was done. I yawned involuntarily. Last night I was up past midnight thinking about the vacation I took with Caitlin to Liverpool last year. Luckily the memories from The Cavern Club trip started to slip away just recently. I could barely remember what Paul had said to me that day.

    “The Beatles! They are on the Ed Sullivan Show!” Caitlin squealed.

    Shock kept me from saying anything for a moment. The Beatles. My Beatles. The group that I thought would never make it beyond the discotheques of England were now in New York on the country’s most watched T.V. show. “What?” I finally asked in a meek voice.

    “You heard me! Turn on your T.V!” she said. I did what she advised. I walked over to my television and switched the knobs to the CBS channel. And she was absolutely right. There they were on the Ed Sullivan Show, looking sharp in their black suits and skinny ties and signature “Beatle boots.” To be honest, they looked nice. Very nice. In fact, I found myself staring at Paul. This was turning very bad very quickly.

    “Alyssa? Alyssa? ALYSSA?!” Caitlin screamed, snapping me out of my Beatle-induced trance.

    “Well shit.” I mumbled.

    “Alyssa, umm…remind me again, because I have a terrible memory…when exactly did we first go and see the Beatles in Liverpool?” Caity asked.

    “It was February 9th, I think. I can’t remember what day of the week it was, so hopefully that’s not as important. Why do you ask?” I answered her inquiringly. She gasped.

    “It’s been exactly a year!” Caity exclaimed. The blood rushed from my face. My whole body went numb and I felt the phone slip from my hand and fall to the floor. This was more than a coincidence. This was just plain weird.

    One year. Exactly one year. It’d been exactly one year since I’d had my little run-in with Paul McCartney. That wasn’t the scariest part, though. No, the scariest part was that I wouldn’t discuss my meeting with Paul until exactly one year had passed. And exactly one year had passed today.

    I picked up the phone after was seemed like hours of denial and alarm. “Hey, can I call you later?” I said to my friend unsteadily.

    “I really think we should talk now—” she began.

    “Caitlin. Please. I just…I need some time to think. I’ll call you back later.” I cut her off

    There was a pause. She let out an exasperated sigh then began talking again. “Okay. Take care of yourself. And please, please call me back. You and I both know that you need to get this off your chest.”

    “Fine. I’ll talk you later. Bye.” I hung up the phone and sat down on the floor in a daze. I at first felt numb but then a searing pain began to fill my head. I took a deep breath. There was only one thing left to do.

    I watched more of the show. It was hypnotizing. I wonder, did he remember me? Why would he? He was probably too busy to remember some silly girl with her acoustic guitar. Anyone else would think it was a simple crush. But everything was a twist of fate; like a puzzle slowly being put together. First the song, and now the fact that it’s been exactly one year after I saw him? The realness of this started to finally sink in. This wasn’t a coincidence. Not in the least.