⇾ 𝐈𝐓'𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄 | 𝐉𝐨𝐡𝐧 𝐋𝐞𝐧𝐧𝐨𝐧 𝐈𝐈

Chapter Sixty-Two: Just Another Minute

May 5, 1964

I spent the rest of the day not moving from my perch at the railing, not even when I finally stopped throwing up. By the time dinner came around and we'd made it to the next island, I had lost my appetite a long time ago. John kept insisting that I had something, but I refused profusely, scared that it might start everything up again.

We decided to sleep on the boat for that night, so I started my loop all over again. I stared at the ceiling until I heard George begin to snore lightly from across the room. No one else said anything, which I took as them all being asleep too.

I listened to the waves hitting the side of the boat for a few minutes, feeling my stomach rock with them. Nonetheless, I was hungry. When my stomach growled and contracted painfully, I rolled over on my side and whined audibly, curling my arms around my midsection. A moment later, I felt a hand nudging my shoulder and I turned my head to see John smiling at me dopily.

"Hungry?" he asked, extending his hand out to reveal a few pieces of bread in his palm. I hadn't even noticed him sneak it away from dinner.

I rolled back over and sat up, pulling my knees to my chest, taking the bread out of his hand, and nibbling on it cautiously.

"That better?" he asked me.

I smiled and nodded gratefully. "Yes, it is," I told him. "I think this is our real test," I mused. "If you can put up with three weeks of me being seasick, then I think you can put up with pretty much anything!"

He laughed, quietly since the others were sleeping only a few feet away from us. "I think you're right," he teased. "You think if we slept on a couch together, we could make this work?" he asked then, smiling at me imploringly as I nibbled away on my bread like a little hamster.

"I think I'd like that a lot more than staring at the ceiling without sleeping at all!" I responded.

He chuckled and I scooted in closer to him, resting my head against his shoulder as I continued to eat in silence. He wrapped his arm around me, keeping the other in his lap. We just huddled there in the darkness together until the last of my food was gone and I felt full enough.

"Bedtime?" he asked me. I nodded and he cracked a grin, gesturing for me to lay down, which I did. A moment later, I felt him settle behind me. It wasn't roomy, but it was actually better than the couch!

He wrapped his arms around me, slipping one under me in the process. He began to run his hands along my stomach soothingly, sliding his hands under my shirt.

"That feel alright?" he whispered.

"Yes," I responded, already feeling loads groggier than before.

"Anything else I can do to help?" he added, just as my eyes were slipping closed.

I shook my head. "You just being here makes it so much better," I assured him, my words slurring together.

"Goodnight, Donna," he said. I heard the smile in his voice. "I looove you."

"I looove you too," I responded just as I fell into a peaceful sleep.

May 6, 1964

John and I were awoken by Pattie and George laughing at us the next morning. My eyes fluttered open and John's strong arms were still embracing me. I craned my neck to get a good look at the two of them.

"Morning, Epstein!" said George enthusiastically.

I groaned and buried myself back in the covers, John stirring awake next to me. His arms tightened around me instinctively.

"Lucky of you to join us, Johnny," George remarked. "You can let Donna loose. No one is going to take her, I can assure you."

He rolled over and frowned up at George. "What time is it?" he asked, not letting go of me, which I wasn't opposed to. I kept my head buried in the pillows and blankets around me, among those being one that I'd brought from home, the one that I had wrapped around me the most.

Home, I thought. I can't wait to be there.

"It's nine," he said. "A little birdie told me that we've got a few hours to look around the island some more before we start moving again! Only if you get up, though." My stomach lurched when he said we'd be moving again. I don't know what I'd expected, to be fair. As much as I wanted to sleep, George's words were sounding more promising as the seconds went by. "Breakfast is ready too!" he added and I perked up.

"Really?" I chirped, John's grip on me loosening when I sat up. My little bit of stolen bread hadn't done me much justice the night before. It had held me over long enough to go to sleep, but now my stomach was tight again because of how hungry I was. Maybe I finally was getting more used to this boat.

The other three laughed at my response.

"Yes!" responded George teasingly.

"Then get the hell out of here and we'll get ready," John said, shooing our spectators away with a wave of his hand.

"Don't get up yet," he whined when they had left. "Just another minute."

I frowned at him but laid back down again, facing him this time. He ran a hand through my hair, combing through its tangles with his fingers carefully.

"Did you sleep alright?" he asked me.

I nodded. "Much better than before," I commented.

"Good, good," he responded. "So beautiful," he purred next and I giggled.

"Maybe we should get up," I said to him. "Before you lose control." I patted him on the chest jokingly.

He dropped his head against the pillow with a little whimper. "Okay," he whined. "Up we go." He sat up and climbed out of the bed, standing up and taking my hand to make me stand up too.

"It's cold," I complained when he went to dig through his bag for something to wear.

He looked up to grin at me for a moment before taking his clothes out of his bag and come over to put his arms around me.

"That better?" he cooed.

"Yes," I said with a giggle, my stomach bursting to life with butterflies. After a moment, I squirmed out of his grip to reach for my clothes.

When we had both dressed and I finally got John to stop trying to seduce me, we went to find breakfast. We followed the scent of it around the boat before we found Pattie and George sat at a table in a room on the deck.

The sky was cloudy, the sun a mere little hazy dot. John and I joined Pattie and George at the table and began to take some of the food in the middle of the table.

"Have a nice night?" asked John, casting a casual grin.