she loves you • john lennon

•two

《 Three months later 》

It's been a hard day's night,
And I been working like a dog,
It's been a hard day's night,
I should be sleeping like a log...

"Turn that rubbish off, I'm trying to study!" I almost never use words like rubbish, but now seems like a good time to.
"Aw, Jeanie, come off it." My roommate, Mae, says, flopping onto her bed. She turns the radio down just a tad, but looks at me disappointedly. "Don't be such a spoil-sport."
"I'm just trying to study," I tell her. What I don't say is that the song reminds me of my sister. I swallow hard. I don't want to think about poor Martha.
"Well, dear, you should take a break," Mae's boyfriend, Harry, says. He turns to Mae. "Look at 'er. The poor lass is suffering through those schoolbooks. Poor bird needs a night out."
"Well," I start, slamming my pencil against my desk, "I don't drink and I don't like going to clubs. And I'm sure that's what you Liverpool students mean by 'a night out'."
Mae rolls her eyes and Harry smirks. "Feisty one aren't you? And I'm sure back there in America all you do is party, aye, lassie?"
My face flushes and the chorus of the song rolls around again.
It's been a hard day's night,
And I've been working like a dog...
"See, they're right you know," Mae says. "You're working too hard. Come along, go out with us!"
Harry nods. "She's right you know. Come on, The Beatles are playing at the Cavern tonight, we'll all go together."
Mae squeals. "Oh, Harry that's marvelous!" She stands up and pulls me out of my chair. "Come on, Jeanie, get dressed! We have a party to attend!"
•••
In about thirty minutes, Mae has me dressed up, my makeup thick and bold, my hair about three times larger than it is in reality.
"Oh, you look darling!" Mae squeals.
"I look ridiculous," I say, raising a heavily-penciled eyebrow.
"Hush," says Harry, who's back in our room after going out to his own dorm to get dressed. "You look like a lamb."
Mae nods her enthusiastic agreement and grabs her sparklingly bright handbag off of her nightstand. She takes takes Harry's hand and he slings his arm around my shoulders.
We walk out to his car and Mae won't shut up about The Beatles. "Oh, Paul...how gorgeous..."
Harry mysteriously has nothing to say about his girlfriend swooning over these men. He just grins.
On the drive there, I stare out the window, checking my watch continuously. Harry sees me in the rear view mirror and says, "Loosen up, mate. It's okay to take a break."
I nod. "You know, I don't try to be a spoil-sport. I just don't want to get in trouble. School comes first for me."
Mae, sitting in the passenger seat (which, by the way, is backwards, something I've had to get used to), turns around to face me. "Oh, you'll have loads of fun!" She turns around as we pull into the lot. Harry stops the car and we all hop out.
"We're a bit early," Mae says, as we make our way to the entrance, "So- PAUL!" She screams and I jump. Even Harry looks taken aback. Mae is jumping up and down and squealing.
That's when I see him. This Paul is tall and handsome. He's in a perfectly fitted suit and he's holding a cigarette in his slender fingers. He grins when he sees us and motions to three other guys who are dressed as he is, all smoking. Some other girls in the lot notice them as well and they run towards the band. The girls are held back and directed to the main entrance by some other men in security uniforms. As the men in security start to push us along with the crowd, the one called Paul says, "Wait up there, sirs. Let the birdies and the handsome young man there come with us."
Mae stares at him like he's God giving her a one-way ticket to heaven.
"You sure, Mr. McCartney? Don't want no little lassies distractin' yeh."
Paul smirks. "Positive." He comes up to us, followed by the three others. Paul grabs Mae's hand and kisses it gently. "How are you, little miss?"
His accent is thick and sort of funny. I stifle a laugh. Paul turns to Harry.
"This beauty yours?" Harry nods and puts his arm around Mae's waist. "Sure is, mate."
Paul nods. "Lucky man." He flicks his cigarette ashes onto the asphalt. "Wanna ciggie?"
This is too much. I burst into peels of laughter. Everyone turns to stare at me. "I'm-I'm sorry!" I giggle. "Is that even a word?"
"Sorry, or..." Harry looks at me quizzically.
"N-no," I say, wiping tears from my eyes. "The thing he said...the cigarette thing..."
Paul raises his eyebrows. "Uh...ciggie?"
I nearly fall over laughing. "I'm so sorry... I'm not from here..."
I collect myself and take a deep breath. "Okay, sorry. I'm from America."
Paul nods. "Yeah, lassie, I can tell. You got that real smooth accent there, don't she, boys?"
"Yeah," one of them says. "Real nice." He winks. "I'm George, by the way, George Harrison. Yer a lovely little bird, ain't ya?"
I blush. "Thanks...uh...George."
Another one comes in front to meet me. "What's yer name, beautiful?"
"Um, Jeanie?"
He takes a long drag of his cigarette/ciggie. "I'm Ringo, the drummer. Hope to see ya in there soon." Ringo winks as the final guy takes center stage.
"I'm John."
Woah.
All I can do is stare. His eyes are gorgeous and his voice is, well it's...beautiful. He's talking but all I can do is stare...his lips...his eyes...everything about him is-
"Jeanie?" Mae's voice breaks into my thoughts.
"W-what?" I tear my eyes away from John and turn to Mae.
"Well, mates, nice meetin' yeh," Paul says, and with a wink, he and the others turn and walk into the back of the building.
"Oh that was splendid!" Mae squeals and she rushes into the Cavern. Harry follows and I shuffle in last, still in a daze.
"I'm John."
I feel a small smile appear on my face.
"I'm John."
"I'm John."
"I'm-
"Oh look Jeanie, they're getting on stage!" Mae shakes me and points to the stage, where Paul, John, and George are getting up to the microphones with their guitars hanging around their necks. Ringo is in the back, sitting behind a massive drum set and twirling his drumsticks.
John tried to say something into the microphone but I can't hear him over the screams of the girls in the crowd. Paul gets up to his microphone, clears his throat, and yells, "SHUT UP WHILE HE'S TALKING!"
Everyone laughs but then shuts up. John gets up to the microphone, chuckles, and begins speaking again. "For our first number-"
Ringo bangs his cymbals and plays a small piece, finishing with another cymbal crash. "Ladies and gentlemen, we're doing She Loves You!" Ringo yells.
John turns around. "Ringo, I'm going to kill you."
Ringo just grins.
"Well folks, he said it. Who's ready to hear She Loves You?" Paul says.
Everyone screams, and even I squeal a bit.
What can I say? The Beatles are infectious! Their energy gets me dancing with Mae and Harry. I barely know the lyrics but I'm singing along.

You think you've lost your love,
Well I saw her yesterday.
It's you she's thinking of,
And she told me what to say!

"SHE SAID SHE LOVES YOU, AND YOU KNOW THAT CAN'T BE BAD!" Mae and I giggle and scream the lyrics.

She loves you,
Yeah, yeah, yeah!
She loves you,
Yeah, yeah, yeah!

"WITH A LOVE LIKE THAT, YOU KNOW YOU SHOULD BE GLAD!"

•••

"That's was amazing!" It's about three in the morning as Harry is driving us back to our dorm.
"You were wonderful!" Mae squeals. She's sitting in the backseat with me, clutching my arm and shaking me. "You danced so well! I've never seen you so happy!"
Harry nods. "You were splendid, Jeanie. Much better than that sad lassie who wants to stay back and study."
I blush. "It was fun, really."
Harry walks us up to our room, gives Mae a kiss on the cheek, tells us goodnight, and leaves. I kick of my heels and fall backwards onto my bed. Sprawled out on my mattress, I begin to laugh. "I'm so glad I went out."
Mae grins. "I told you."
"That John, he really is something..."
Mae just grins. "Are you in love, Jeanie?"
I blush. "Oh, no! He's much too old."
"Right," Mae says. She winks, lays on her bed, and falls asleep right away.
I'm not in love, am I?

"I'm John."

I sigh.

I'm in love.