“Paul,” said Brian. “Paul, you must get up! We’re leaving in an hour.”
“So give me a fuckin’ half an hour to sleep,” Paul mumbled, turning into the couch and pulling the quilted duvet around his shoulders. Brian sighed behind him and went off to nag someone else. Paul was glad and tried to forced himself back into sleep. Unfortunately it was ruined again when someone started touching his hair. He turned his head, wondering who the fuck was playing with his hair at seven in the morning and saw George’s date standing there in the plastic mini-dress with the cut-a-way holes she’d worn last night. Her purple stockings were in a ball in her hand.
“Hello,” she said softly.
Paul scowled. “I’m sleeping,” he said, brushing her hand off.
“I know,” she sighed. “You were so pretty…”
He gave her an incredulous look. “Fuck off, you silly bird,” he said at last.
George laughed. Paul looked in the kitchen and saw him drinking a large cup of tea and smoking a cigarette. The blonde girl gave Paul a longing look and then blew George a kiss before leaving. George rolled his eyes
“Mental, that one,” he said.
Paul grunted and sat up. “Will you fix us a cuppa?” he asked, running a hand over his face.
George grumbled “Yes,” and went back into the kitchen.
Paul looked around for his shoes and jacket, thinking perhaps he would have time to run back to Jane’s and pick up something clean to wear. It didn’t look like it though. His shirt had a few lovely lipstick stains around the collar in various different shades from different girls. One pink line smudged straight down, and that had been the color Gabby had been wearing.
Paul shook his head. He stood up to go see if Ringo had any clean shirts.
“Ritch,” he mumbled, pushing the door open and knocking quietly. The room was dark, save for a sliver of light through the blinds. George came up behind him, cup of tea in hand and shoved it at him.
“Turn on a fucking light or something,” he said, reaching for the switch.
Gabby, Paul remembered, was in Ringo’s bed because that’s where he had put her. Ringo lay on top of the covers with an arm thrown over Gabby. Paul cocked his head to the side and tried to dull the spasm of jealousy that rang through him.
George seemed unfazed. He took a drag of his cigarette and snuffed it out in the ashtray on the bedside table before sitting on the bed and shaking both of their shoulders. “Gab, Ring, get up, we’re leaving.”
Gabby groaned and put her hands to her face, promptly smacking Ringo on the nose.
“Ow!”
“Oh bloody hell Ritchie, I’m sorry mate.” She kissed his cheek and he whined for a bit. George laughed and sipped his tea. Paul stood in the doorway, wondering if there had been something wrong with the Methedrine he’d taken last night.
The four of them went to Manchester for a few shows and Gabby hung around with Jeremy, buying loads of things for her new house and going to clubs and generally having fun.
A few weeks later she found herself packing for Paris. The hotel room she was living out of still, as she hadn’t actually moved into the flat in Primrose, was completely full of shit. Carrier bags were lining the walls and piled into the cupboards. Shoeboxes had been stacked up to the ceilings. Gabby just blew a few thousand quid on a new set of luggage, which was all sitting open on her bed. The shocking thing was it hadn’t made a dent in her account yet.
George lay on his back, smoking a cigarette and listening to her hold up outfits and then pack them or stuff them in a carrier bag.
“You’re bleeding mental,” he said after she’d filled three suitcases already. “I can tell you, Gab, you’re either going to wear one outfit the whole time, or you’re going to buy everything you see in the shops and not have enough room.”
Gabby paled. “I didn’t think about that,” she said, “Should I bring a few empty suitcases—no maybe I should just buy some more.”
“Mental,” George sighed and grabbed her jean-clad leg as she went by him. He gave her, what Gabby would take to be a seductive look and she giggled and sat next to him.
“What?” she asked.
“Nothing,” he shrugged. “This is going to be fun though.”