My Love, My Drug, My Release

Chapter 68: Grown-Ups

"Why did he call?"

"Linda phoned him and said she and Paul are spending the foreseeable future in a hotel, and you and Jack can have free reign of the house. Apparently she thought you'd be with him." John sat down beside me, folding his arms. "Why would she think that?"

I shrugged, folding my arms, mimicking him. "Anita and I are pretty good friends."

He pursed his lips. "Okay."

"Are you sure you want to go home, Rainy?" Yoko asked.

"If Paul and Linda aren't there, then I guess I don't mind."

She put her hand on top of mine, patting it twice. "If you change your mind, you can always come here, at least for next month."

"Just take a cab next time; don't traipse around London barefoot."

They clearly wanted to make me laugh, but my ears latched onto one specific phrase. "Why only the next month?"

"We're going to America," John said.

My mouth went dry. "To tour?"

"To do whatever." He popped his knuckles nervously. "But we'll write to you, and you can always come to our house if you want to be alone."

Yoko hopped up, jogging away only to return a few seconds later. "Here, take the spare key."

Swallowing the tears building up behind my eyes, I accepted the key, tucking it into the pocket of my robe, making sure it was secure in there, even though I couldn't imagine coming here without them. I can't believe I'd just barely reconnected with John and Yoko and now they were heading off to America. If Jackson decided to take off for Australia again, then it would be just Paul and Linda and me in that house. I'd have no one.

The doorbell rang and I remembered there were two other people I could rely on, at least for now.

John hopped up, letting a frazzled looking Keith Richards into his house. He had his sunglasses perched on his brow, a patterned scarf around his neck, his leather jacket splattered with rain.

"Hey, good, okay, she's here."

"I told you that, you nutter."

But Keith ignored him, approaching the couch, kneeling in front of me. "You gave your parents quite a fright- and me as well."

Rolling my eyes, I twisted away from him. "I'm sure I did."

"Well, let's get you back there okay?" He finally managed to catch my eye, flashing me a wink. "If you want, I'll stick around to keep you company."

"Her brother will be there," John reminded him, his voice cautioning. "That should be plenty of company."

"I'll let her decide, if you don't mind, Lennon."

I interrupted their ridiculous stand-off before it got started, wrapping my arms around John's waist, giving him a massive hug. "Tell me before you leave, okay."

"Of course, Rainy."

"Promise?"

"Promise."

I sat in the back of the limo next to Keith, our thighs touching, neither of us talking for the first few minutes of the drive. Considering I made it this far by foot, it shouldn't take too long to get back to Paul's house, but the guitarist must've told his driver to take the scenic route before he picked me up. Either that, or he had a covert signal for when he wanted a bit of extra time alone with a bird.