"Hey Louise, have a nice time?" John sat on Lou's neatly made bed as she hung up a couple of shirts, tucked a box away and placed some clothes in drawers. Lou smiled at him happily as she went into the bathroom across the hall. She turned when she realised John was behind her, her eyes following his every move, she was still worried he was mad from the other night. John touched her hair it was a tad shorter and looked freshly washed "Haircut yeah? looks good"

Lou was up against the vanity turned about to face John, his body blocking her one way out, she shuffled either way but John seemed to come in closer til she knew he wanted her or something of her. His foot softly pushed the door to close as she watched his hand lift to stroke her hair with a butterfly soft caress.

"I'm sorry Lou, darling" His lips drifted slightly open, barely brushing her cheek as he fell to her neck, kissing her so very softly, so very easily to distraction. Lou naturally lifted her head, opening her neck for more of his touch. John was a master of this she knew, a seasoned professional at seduction but it also was just his sheer magnetism that intoxicated her as he feathered his way along her skin, whispering "I apologies for all my wrongdoings, Louise"

John wandered his lips over her neck and earlobe enticingly then he noticed.... No vanilla no coconut where had they gone? Like a good friend he missed the feelings they invoked of his senses, her skin was bare of the extra special scent he had come to love, that would meet his senses as she passed him by or stronger still as she readied to go out. John's eyes opened slowly, lips pressed to her skin, he lifted his gaze to look over her shoulder at her shelf of the cabinet, the bottle gone. Louise sighed a moan and he forgot..

Louise caught her bottom lip, angry at her body for giving her away to the barest of kisses, the teeniest of sexy tugs to her earlobe... Her body, like a daydream shifted slightly, locking her skin to his, her moans filled her ears as his lips fluttered closer to her lips "I'm sorry too John. I liked making you smile, so......." Lou shifted once more, the movement causing John to smile and lift her onto the vanity, wanting to take her properly.

Touching her, whispering her name over and over.

Their minds both rolled as one, eagerly over into the want and always both seemed to forgot the anger so quickl-

George knocked to use the bathroom and the moment fled.
Looking sick George watched as Lou blushed cherry red and John walked a tad bow legged back into the kitchen.

After lunch everyone sat and watched Evie, hours could be spent watching the child exploring toys or banging George like her very own tamborine.

"Lou get the camera, take a picture of Evie and me playing" George smiled at Evie as she banged his face softly, though the odd smack hit him fair and square with force, well as much as a tiny bub could hit that was.

Lou stared blankly at her brother and little girl, all the previous elation she had felt while on her shopping trip for a few pieces of clothing and new rompers for Evie, fled.

"I can't sorry" The words sat in the now quiet room. All the boys knew she took piccys constantly, only last week photos of Evie had been developed and trawled over; ohs and ah's abounding over the cute shots of the baby.

Her face was a mask of feigned indifference as she strolled off through the kitchen and out the back door to the little bleak garden. She had wanted to plant a few vegetables and flowers but her size before Evie  and tiredness after, had not helped with her plans at all.

The lads started to bicker over who should go, Richard just left and joined Lou in the tired looking yard.

"Nice day" Ringo commented.
Such a lie it was; Rather, it was gloomy, ominous looking and the presence of it all always made Richy feel rather gloomy himself, "I much prefer to be living in a sunnier clim' actually, a bit of a pipe dream at the mo, maybe Tahiti or Tonga, terrific sun and sand there you know" He stood fiddling with his lighter, watching Lou as she leant against the wall, he waited for her to open up.

"I sold it" She glanced up at Richy then quickly dragged her guilt-ridden eyes away. It was part of her and she just flogged it off to some nasty bloke in a hock shop down the street. "No bother, was old anyway"

"Oldies are always the goodies luv" Richard sat on the step, patting the space beside him. Lou slowly dropped down to sit with him and he offered her a smoke. A shake in the negative and he continued puffing away unperturbed.

"I needed things.... Clothes, you know... things for Evie" she whispered. It was no good, Richard should know all this, he deserved the truth. All his response to her admission was to give a casual sideways glance and keep puffing away. oh well then, he knows already.

"John should be offering you some dosh for that, housekeeping etcetera" The fag was waved around in front of them and Lou grimaced. Richy continued, bumping her shoulder with his own "He's your husband pretend or not....."

"I'd not like to put him on the spot asking for things that I should certainly supply for myself" Lou decided the fag looked really good and finished it off, making Rich grin at her with shining 'blue as the sky' eyes.

"So that's why there's no more vanilla an' coconut either" John was leaning on the door frame behind them, hearing every word, getting more and more upset, til he had to speak. Pushing off he tapped Ringo in the bum with the toe of his boot  "Leg it Rings, I need to have a word"

"What are you talking about anyway -vanilla and coconut are you making a cake?" Richie used Lou's shoulder to stand, pushing off and away but not before giving her a reassuring squeeze. Rich raised a questioning eyebrow to John as he went to pass by but John just shoo-ed him away through the back door, John then made himself comfy beside Louise.

"Why didn't you just ask Louie. Christ Louise, I feel like a right heel" John took her hand, fingers so cold, he rubbed them to warm her up. "I liked it you know, the coconut"

"It's pricey, I'll use up the rose perfume Ma gave me" Louise smiled and slipped her now warn fingers from his, then gave them back after quickly changing her mind. John frowned, he hated rose perfume, made his nose itch.

"Shit Lou, we're married, I'm supposed to provide for you" John moved to crouch, turning to face her, looking up into her downcast shadowed face, she tried to hide behind her hair as it fell forward.

"I should be contributing, and are we married ..... really?"

"Not really but still, you're to tell me and take my wallet if I'm not about. Have you used up all the savings from your old job then?" John lifted her hair away as she nodded forlornly. He knew she liked independence and this had got to be smarting for her to admit. A cheeky Lennon grin emerged as he tucked her hair away carefully behind her ear "Just think Lou, finally you get back all the bevvie dosh"

Lou grinned a little "Finally" Her eyes rolled skyward over the thought of the many bevvies that had been purchased then she returned them to look at John as he crouched, worrying in front of her.

"Now, what hock shop? And where do I buy the coconut stuff?" John was up and walking away before Lou could think, she sat with her elbow on her knee, chewing her nail and turned to watch him by the door.

"It will be gone by now, it wasn't in the window last I checked and they had it marked so cheap"

"Oh, well that's a bit of a problem"

They looked defeatedly at each other moments longer then she stood to go back inside, no more said.

For the rest of the afternoon, while George was there, Lou played nice. Kissing John, hugging him to her, sitting on his lap, they were the picture-perfect couple.

Then as the company left so did Louise, well so John thought... back into a shell she went, eyes shut to anything John did or said, all an act she performed well. The coin flipped, a pesky alarm sounded silently and she dealt the deal up again.

She hadn't really, even though it seemed that way to John.... but both extreme tiredness and the added bitterness from the camera episode had drained her complete.

As night fell Lou found herself back on the step aching inside at not having the means to support herself and to not be a burden to John.

Whatever would she do, she tossed about in her head. How do I work with Evie so small, there isn't creche til they're much older and then only if you have a well-paying job, no relative to badger to babysit, alone, there seemed no way to put a foot forward.

This wasn't something she had bargained on. It was all well and good talking til your ears turned blue about the ins and outs of the deal... but when it becomes real  and she had to survive day to day, she soon realised that all her savings quickly amounted to a big fat zero. The stupid deal didn't have anything in it about support, nothing at all. 

Maybe Liverpool, her Ma could babysit a few days here and there... No, no, no Lou shook her head to clear the mess, then swore at herself. I need to survive here not run.