No More Lonely Nights - A Fan Fiction

No More Lonely Nights - Chapter Twenty-Seven

27 April 1963.

Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Canary Islands.

PAUL: We needed a break, so together with Ringo and Vi, Allie and I are spending twelve days in the Canary Islands. George declined to come (I think he feels awkward coming by himself even though he was of course pretty much begged to join us), and John… I’m not sure if I should be angry with him or not. John didn’t come with us either. He went to Spain with Epstein, leaving Cynthia at home with little three-week-old Julian. I know Brian has a thing for John, it’s apparent. I just hope John doesn’t lose his head and end up letting anything happen between the two of them while they are on their little holiday. I’m more concerned for Cynthia than John, though, being alone with the baby. I offered for her to come with us and bring Julian (at Allie’s urging, she loves to baby-sit for Cyn whenever the opportunity comes up) but she said no. George will still be in Liverpool so Ringo and I told him to look in on Cynthia for us. I think we’re more worried about her than her own husband is.

This is the first time I will be spending time with Vi for longer than an evening and I’m curious to see how she is outside of the walls of the Cavern. She can be a bit overbearing and pushy at times even there, and I get the distinct impression that she pretty much leads Ringo around by the nose all the time (not to make a jab at Ringo’s nose or anything, it’s just an expression) and he does whatever she tells him to do. It must not bother him though, seeing as they’ve been together since last September and are still steadily spending time together. We’ll see how it goes.

Our hotel is right on the beach, and what a glorious sight it is to step out on our private balcony (we’ve gotten two suites and each has its own balcony) and watch the sun rise and set over the pristine blue ocean. I was standing out on the balcony staring absently at the sea when I heard footsteps behind me and felt a very familiar pair of arms wrap around my waist from behind. “What are you doing?” Allie asked quietly. “I was looking for you, I thought you were with Ringo.”

“I was just watching the ocean,” I replied. She moved to stand beside me, and I put my arms around her. “Someday I would love to live near the sea. It’s just so calming and serene.”

Allie nodded. “We’ll have to think about that,” she said, and I smiled. “We? So you’re acknowledging that you will marry me someday, hmm?”

“Well of course, Paul, what do you think?” She leaned her head against my shoulder, the gentle sea breeze blowing her long hair back. The sun was beginning to set, and its light mixed with her blonde hair, and I couldn’t help but notice that she was all but glowing. “Want to go for a walk on the beach?” I asked. “Just the two of us.”

“That sounds lovely,” she replied. We walked back into the suite (we were on the third floor, we had no choice but to go downstairs to get to the beach) and I changed into a long-sleeved shirt to ward off the slight chill from the sea breezes at dusk. I handed Allie my pale blue dress shirt, and she slipped it on as a light jacket, leaving it unbuttoned. We made our way onto the beach, fingers looped through each other’s, not saying a word for several long moments. We were both barefoot, and the cool sand beneath my feet was almost therapeutic. We walked along the edge of the beach in the foamy surf, and I didn’t particularly care that the hem of my jeans was getting damp. I was walking along a tranquil beach in the Canary Islands at sunset with my beloved girlfriend at my side, I didn’t care about anything but that.

“I’m glad we came here,” Allie mused, leaning down to collect several small seashells that had washed up with the surf. She turned them over in her hands absently and looked at me, a faint smile playing on her lips. “I feel like I can relax for awhile. I think that’s why my father agreed to let me spend twelve days here. I’m done at the Institute, and graduation is May 17th. Will you be coming?”