Martha My Dear

Chapter 5

"Are you Charlie?" She grinned as soon as she looked up and saw me.

"That's me." I nodded shyly.

"Paul should be out any minute now if you'd like to sit in a chair, he already told me he'd be expecting you." She smiled with a wink.

"Oh, ta." I smiled kindly before going to sit.

I rubbed my sweaty palms against my crossed legs waiting patiently for him to be done for his break.

Soon footsteps were audible coming closer, causing me to raise my head, expecting to see Paul but locked eyes with none other than Ringo Starr.

My heart rose to my throat as I attempted to contain my excitement.

I looked away blushing in embarrassment that I had locked in his gaze for a lingering moment.

"Hello." Ringo greeted me as he halted in front of me.

I looked back up to him and smiled.

"Hello." I responded starstruck.

"What's your name love?" He asked with his kind blue eyes fixated on me.

"Charlie. Yours?" I responded meekly already knowing the answer.

"Me? Oh, well, I-I'm Ringo." He held a hand out to shake nervously stumbling over his words as he stared at me with a large grin.

I shook it with a bright grin.

"Ringo can you leave the poor girl alone?" George Harrison smacked Ringo's arm walking up to us with Paul by his side.

As Paul came into sight he realized I was the girl Ringo was speaking to.

"Charlie." He straightened himself up.

"Hi Paul." I grinned shyly.

"This is the bird you're taking out?" George's eyebrows lifted up seemingly impressed as he turned to Paul.

Paul rolled his eyes and extended a hand to help me up, holding onto it and beginning to walk away from George and Ringo.

I turned and waved to them, seeing them both waving back to us playfully as we walked out of the doors onto the sidewalk.

"They seemed nice." I grinned up at Paul seeing the slight bitterness on his features.

"Don't be fooled, wait till you get to know them, they're the worst of the lot." Paul joked chuckling.

I smiled to myself after hearing "wait till you get to know them" making me feel like he wanted me to stick around for awhile.

"There's a little café just up the street that I think you'll like." Paul nodded with a smile.

I smiled at him in a daze unable to think clearly. My eyes soon wandered down to our hands realizing they were still intertwined by our sides.

"Oh, sorry." Paul retracted his hand from mine with reddened cheeks.

"It's alright." I shook my head smiling.

I looked ahead to the people we were passing on the street, seeing some of them recognizing Paul and staring.

"How's Martha?" I attempted to make conversation as I swallowed down the uneasy feeling I was getting from the stares.

"She's great, I have no idea why she ran away like that in the first place, she's never done that before." Paul shook his head deep in thought biting his bottom lip.

"How'd she get away anyway?" I inquired intrigued.

"We were about to go for a walk early in the morning like we usually did, and before I put her leash onto her collar I locked the gate behind us and when I turned back around, she'd just, vanished." He spoke in slight bafflement.

"I looked for her for hours, and my manager Brian had at least ten dog catchers looking out for her to bring her back home to me, I had just about given up by the time you came 'round." He smiled lightheartedly.

I smiled and looked to the ground feeling butterflies in my stomach.

"Here we are." Paul smiled at the sign of the restaurant which showed "Abbey Road Diner" in big white text on the brick wall.

Paul walked to the door and opened it for me to go through first.

We sat down at a booth near the back of the diner for privacy considering Paul was a well known musician that seemed to be recognized by every single man, woman and child in the room.

"Is it always like this?" I looked around at all the people staring.

"You get used to it after awhile." He sighed resting his head on his hand as his elbow rested on the table.

"Everyone loves the cute Beatle." I smiled at him playfully making him roll his eyes trying to suppress a grin.

"Am I?" He smirked.

"What?" I smiled amused.

"The cute Beatle." His smirk grew.

"Yes, but I think you're much more than just that." I grinned making him perk up.

And I was right, there was much more to Paul McCartney, that day was only the beginning.