May 27, 1964
Donna's POV
When I woke up the first time, it was nearly one in the afternoon. John was still asleep beside me, and I was mad that I'd woken up at all.
I didn't move from where I was laying. Instead, I pulled the blankets around me closer and nuzzled closer to John, careful not to wake him.
I counted to myself in my head, practically begging to fall back asleep.
1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10...
~~~
The second time I woke up, John was no longer next to me. I sat up and looked at the clock that read 2:30PM. Knowing that if I didn't get up now, I'd never sleep through the night, I climbed out of the bed, wrapping a fleece blanket around my shoulders before retreating downstairs to find John.
He was rummaging around in the kitchen when I made it down there. He heard me enter the room and looked up.
"All this food is going bad," he said.
"Yeah? Maybe I'll have to go to the store," I answered, sitting down on a stool in front of the counter.
"Not today," he said immediately.
"Why not?"
He shrugged. "I just thought we could lay around all day."
I nodded. "That sounds like a nice plan. But what are we going to eat?"
"We'll go get something," he said.
"Well, I've got no objections."
"I figured ye wouldn't," he answered with a smile, coming to lean against the counter. "Did ye sleep well?"
"Like a baby," I replied teasingly.
"Very good," he said. "Happy to be home?"
"Of course I am. It feels like it's been ages."
"Doesn't it?" He laughed. "How about we get dressed and go get some..." He looked at his watch. "Lunch?"
I smiled. "That sounds like a wonderful idea."
He ran around the counter and took me off the chair and carried me towards the stairs. "Let's go!" he chanted as I roped my arms around his neck and laughed.
He carried me upstairs and then dropped me onto the bed and turned to find something to wear, resurfacing with a t-shirt and some jeans.
"How's this?" he asked. "You think that if I'm not in a suit then the fans won't recognize me?"
"Well," I responded, sitting on my knees and looking at him. "It's never stopped them before, has it?"
He pondered on my words for a moment. "No, it hasn't. You're right." Then, he shrugged. "It's okay. I'll never escape it. Time to come to terms with the fact that they just love me!"
I laughed. "Right."
"C'mon, Donna! Get all dressed up so we can go get our food!" He pranced off towards our bathroom without another word.
I pulled myself up off the bed, dropping the blanket I'd had behind me, immediately shivering against the cold. I scrambled over to the dresser and slipped out of my nightgown and into the first thing that I could find, which turned out to be a yellow sundress.
When I turned to go towards the bathroom, I caught John, already changed, staring at me, turning me into a blushing mess.
"So pretty, she is!" he quipped as I slipped by him to brush my hair. In the mirror, I saw him turn around so that he was facing me this way. "I think I can sense what you're about to say," he said when I opened my mouth to talk.
"And what's that?" I asked.
"I think you're gonna say, 'take a picture...'"
"It'll last longer," I finished for him before he could continue.
"See!" he said loudly. "I can read you like an open book, love."
"Shove it," I snapped. "I'm just too predictable."
"And that's why I can read you!" He came up behind me and shoved his fingers into my side, tickling me.
"John!" I screeched, breaking off into a fit of giggling.
"Yes?" he asked evenly.
"S-stop," I stuttered, unable to talk normally because of my laughing.
"Alright," he quipped, dropping his hands. "And for once," he continued. "I'm going to take your advice."
"Yeah? What advice?"
He disappeared back into our bedroom and I continued to brush through my hair. A few moments later, John reappeared with a camera in hand.
"Oh, God," I said, rolling my eyes, but unable to avoid a smile.
"Say cheese," he said, putting the camera up to his face.
I lowered the hairbrush I had in my hand. "Cheeese," I said jokingly.
"Beautiful," he said when he'd snapped the picture. "Now, lets go get food!"
"Oh, yeah, right," I said, turning and walking out of the bathroom with John. We both sat down to put our shoes on before retreating downstairs and going out to the car.
"What was your favorite part about the trip?" John asked as he buckled his seatbelt and I adjusted my mirrors slightly and turned the car on.
"Hmm," I began. "Definitely the first day we spent on the boat!" I answered sarcastically.
"Oh, yes, that was one to remember," John said with a little chuckle.
"Kidding, of course. It was really the day you proposed." I blushed, turning away from him to check where I was pulling out into the road to hide it.
"It was?" he asked.
I looked at him with a teasing smile. "Of course it was," I told him.
He nodded. "Hey, Donna, guess what?"
"What's that?" I reached to turn the volume of the radio down.
"I love you!"
I smiled at him. "I love you too."
~~~
Hours later, we were curled up on the couch watching a trivia game show that we'd found on TV. John was getting increasingly infuriated by the contestants on the show. He became so invested in it that he would start shouting answers at the screen, cursing when the people wouldn't take the advice they clearly couldn't hear.
"I said it, Donna, did you hear?" he asked me at some point.
"Yes, John, I heard you the past ten times."
He gave an unimpressed look. "I like this show," he whined. "We should go on it."
"John, no."
"Oh, c'mon, why not?"
"Because—." I stopped talking and sighed when I heard the knock on the door.
"Who the hell is coming to our house unannounced at eight o'clock at night?" John asked, his voice hinting at annoyance.
"I dunno," I answered. "How about we go see?"
He nodded and then stood up, holding out his hand for me to take, which I did.
"To Kill a Mockingbird!" I shouted at the screen and John turned around curiously. When the contestant got the answer right, I smirked at John. "Can't win 'em all," I said, turning to go back towards the door.
We ventured through the house and to the door. Just before we opened it, whoever was there knocked again. We were surprised to see George on the other side of the door.
In the little light provided by the setting sun, we could see a few fans gathered at our gates, craning their neck to get a good look at the two Beatles in the doorway.
"George?" asked John. "Whatcha doin' here?"
"Oh, well, I was developing some of the pictures from Tahiti, and I found these." He held up an envelope in his hand and John took them, flipping it open and taking one out. They were the pictures he'd taken just as John was proposing. "I thought you might want them."
John and I both smiled before looking back up. "Thanks, Geo," I said to him and he nodded with a dopey grin.
"Would you like to come in?" asked John. "We've got food!"
George shook his head lightly. "I was just on my way to Pattie's. Maybe tomorrow we can all do something since Paul and Ringo'll be back too."
John nodded. "Sounds right like a plan, doesn't it Donna?"
I nodded, hoping that going out didn't mean bars and lots of drinks.