"Do you think you could live without the alcohol for a bit? See how you fare?" Lou was sunbaking, stomach down close to the water's edge. The cool water lapping her toes whenever she dropped a foot in. Evie not far, happily making sandcastles with Richy and George mere metres away. "Look at Evie so grown up she is. Be at school before I blink, she will"
After the up-close encounter at the Gorilla exhibit Lou let John hold her hand and dote on her like she was the only girl in the world. Well she was, at the zoo anyway, at least. Paul and Richy settled back into their own 'normal' dispositions after Louise reattached the t-shirt to her breasts. Which John thought was gear.
The zoo and its accompanying parklands had been huge and loads of fun. They all got to pat the kangaroos and cuddle koalas, taking loads of pictures and making cracking jokes about boxing kangaroos and waiting for one of the koalas to pee on someone. Paul was brave and got a large carpet snake hung around his neck! A cassowary snapped at George as he went by with yet another bag of crisps and John managed to pick up a tame wombat, Lou snapping a picture as he beamed from ear to ear.
Heaps of laughs, heaps of time to relax.
Now the beach.
Serenity.
In a small bay in quiet seclusion they mucked about and swam for hours on end.
"Not be at school for bloody years Louise! And then you'll be grand I'd think .... have the flat all to yourself" Paul stood in the shallows watching his friends kiss soft easy kisses with one another.
It was great they could forgive over and over, though Lou wasn't much on forgetting of all Johnny's sins. Paul called out, interrupting Johns fingers descending further than they should on a public, family friendly beach "If you stop drinking, I will Lennon .. What do ya say? I'm getting a bit pudgy anyway, do me good" Paul poked his flat stomach, he had nothing to worry about. But it was very nice of him to try and make John feel less alone.
John sat up from kissing Lou's shoulder blade. She had discarded the shirt, dropped the shorts and looked a picture of equally beautiful bliss and 'send him to damnation' endless skin as she lay face down on the warm sand. Her bum was covered in bikini bottoms but all he saw was an almost indecent, but very malleable behind which he caressed repeatedly. Dragging his gaze away from the small dimple he had been mesmerised by he stared off over the harbour, the water so blue and clear, boats travelling this way and that. It was relaxing, time out.
A smile curved his lips as he felt the day's goodness wash over him. Not a bad life this when there was enough hours in the day for time out and kissing Louise.
John looked at McPudgo then grinned "Ok. But I need to talk to Brian"
"Brian's not going to whinge if you stop drinking John" Louise peered back over her shoulder at John hugging his knees. "In fact, he will probably throw his very own private celebration party to celebrate" Lou giggled then "Ouch!! What'd you smack me for?!"
"You giggled and jiggled Louise. Moving target!" John laughed as she scowled at him then she lay back down flat, eyes shut tight and listened to all the boys talking around her. Evie's squeals making her eyes fly open every once in a while to check her daughter's activities.
She zoned out.
The sand was much too lovely to escape, its soft grains she let slip through her fingers over and over again as she kept her eyes closed, feeling the warm rays shine on her skin, Evie's happy gurgles and squeals all wrapping her in contentment, then John's voice broke back into her thoughts, bringing her senses quickly back to earth "I want Lou with us 100%, every time"
Paul scoffed then levelled his eyes on John, waiting patiently for the sentence to filter into Lou's ears as he knew it would.
He'd been good today, not looking too much. Jane had been contactable this morn so had a bit of a yarn to her before she hung up on him, citing rehearsals.
Jane was so far away though.... All the Aussie birds were nice an' all but they weren't 'home'..... somewhere safe to hide, someone easy to converse with about fears, triumphs, test other positions with.... John was so lucky Lou was here, whether he actually realised it or not was another thing entirely.
Lou's arse had jiggled and Paul had to forcibly tear his eyes away.
What!? Don't knock me! She's female, I'm male. She's Lou and I'm a mate. Nothing happening but I can look and give compliments in me 'ead. She made it hard, no not it hard. She made it hard by being infectiously fun and engaging, easy to sit with and fight over the last bicky or chat about a line in a song that was being birthed. She made it hard not to like her too much, to want to see her smile just that little bit more ..... He paused his thoughts ..... One day I'll get a bird that will hang off my arm, be mine every day. Be my other half in every sense of the word, one day.
Louise clucked as Paul blinked out of the blank stare he had himself in.
"John, you can't be serious" Lou never moved a muscle, she wasn't laughing now. Her words hanging in the air. Was he listening to himself- at all!?
"Totally serious" John lay back down beside her as Louise turned her face, laying her head on her crossed arms to look at him "This touring business won't last much longer anyway. Six months tops, then it's over I imagine. While we're travelling you get to see the world, you get to control me, you and Evie aren't left home alone. Win, win situation"
"I never wanted to control you" Lou put her face into her towel and mumbled "You're uncontrollable anyway"
John jerked up off the sand into a sitting position beside her, eyes trawling over her skin as her own squeezed shut to his silly ideas. That's all it was- silliness, how on earth could she follow them about with a babe in tow.
"No. I'll make a new deal"
"Oh for fuc-"Lou huffed out.
"No Louise shush listen. Evie's not at school, you can take photos and we can be together" John smiled sweetly down at her "It's perfect"
"John... "Paul warned, before he could go on, Lou cut in.
"John you're mad. You'll go bonkers with me around all the time. And you'll not have the same time with the others and you'll not be so in sync with Paul writing like you two do"
"We can still do all that. If I need some reprieve .... well I'll go to the lad's room, we'll have our own next door. I'll sort a nanny to help and everything" John leaned over Louise, shading her, watching her eyes open and her face contort, smile, scowl, worry. Everything tearing her up, everything looking rosy then terrible. "Think about it, I want to fix this, us. I think this would be good"
"Paulie tell him he's mad .... please" Louise closed her eyes again after watching John and his manic grin stare down at her. John nodded his chin for Paul to speak up in favour of the Lou getting on the 'band wagon'
"Don't look at me Lennon, this is all you. This is one time you're totally alone ..... the pair of you" Paul turned and dived back in under the water, popping up metres away close to Neil and Mal who were happily duck diving for shells.
"Lou"
"Hmmmm"
"Penny for your thoughts"
"You better make it a pound I have lots of them"
"Ok Pound for your thoughts then" John laid down on his back then shimmied closer to Lou, dragging Louise onto his chest so he could watch her weigh up the heavy request. "Come on Louise, be grand you and me, take on the world together, think of the knickknacks you could get for yourself, clothes from local markets. You'd be the best dressed Louise this side of Buck Palace"
"You're actually serious, aren't you?" Louise laid down and listened to Johns heartbeat, letting his pulse give her guidance "We would fight. You would be bored with me. How would I manage with Evie"
"Managed ok so far here, haven't we? And we fight now while I'm out and your home. What would be the difference, couples fight you know ...." John nudged her "Makes the makeup sex heaps better"
"So, we need to fight so the bedroom stays non-boring" Lou drew on his chest round and round and down her fingers ran, tickling to make him squirm.
"Don't put words in me mouth, May-bel" John grabbed her hand pulling her close, kissing the inside of her wrist, one little kiss exploding her heart "Even for just a while, trial it out. You could go home anytime right?"
"I suppose so but what about the parties. I know you lot entertain, don't I. Where do you propose I go when you want to do all that?" Lou nearly spat the last of the sentence out, she hated that he needed sex to function, well she liked it when she was the one making him function but when she wasn't about, she hated it desperately.
Maybe he was right, maybe some logic was in his request, maybe she could divert his attention when the need arose and back off when he was working- the shows, the media, space with Paul and the boys for innocent larking about, his creative processes with Paul..... Maybe a trial run would work, no time frames, no having to stay if it was a huge firestorm of hellish moments.
"Just say yes to a trial, we're doing it now aren't we luv" John kissed the top of her head "This now is pleasant, isn't it"
"Yes of course it is. It's wonderful" Lou pulled herself up and gazed down at John, a smile adorning his face "God you're a handsome bugger"
"Oh, I know"
"Conceited too"
"Yep all the way luv. So......?"
"A trial" Lou closed her eyes then looked back down at her husband his fingers wandering through her hair and down her back "A trial. Ok ..... Be prepared for cramped style and one-woman shenanigans"
"Got it- no group sex in small spaces"
"John" Lou whined with a smile, she knew his teasing, he loved riling her up "Behave Lennon"
"Yes mam"
A/N: Oh dear Lou 24/7... hmmmm What is John signing up for.
Found this the other day: John calling himself out as 'uncontrollable'