"Paul, you look fine.  Eleanor's a fool if she doesn't love it." I told him, as he examined his suit in the mirror.  He was getting ready for a double date with Eleanor and John and a girl he met and I could tell he was anxious.  Though, I didn't understand why.  

As I adjusted his tie, I asked, "You shouldn't be nervous.  She loves you."

"Sometimes I think..." He stopped.  I looked up at him.  

"What?"

"Nothing."

"What is it?  You were about to say something."

Say anything.

Paul sighed and fixed his hair.  "I don't think she's with her family when she says she's busy.  I think she's seeing another man."

I was sad to admit that I thought he was right.  Though, I wanted to tell him that she didn't deserve someone as amazing and talented as he was.  He needed a girl who would appreciate him, and not want anyone else.  A girl who would be faithful.  

But was that me? 

Though, all I could manage to say was, "I'm sure everything is going to work out just fine between you two."

He smiled.  "Thank you, Elle.  I hope I'll always have you here."

I hope so too.

Paul came home that night without saying a word, his jaw set in anger and frustration.  Surprisingly Eleanor wasn't with him, nor John.  Before I could even say anything to him, he had thrown his coat onto the chair, ran upstairs and slammed the bedroom door shut.  

It was actually quite early in the evening, and I figured they didn't eat and that he might be hungry.  He wouldn't open the door when I knocked, so I left a cup of steaming tea and a plate with honey toast on it outside the room.  When I came up to check on him a few minutes later, the tea cup saucer had a note on it.  

Thank you.  I'm sorry, but I'm in a foul mood and I think it's best if you left me alone for awhile.  Get some sleep.  I will too.

I wanted so badly to ask him what happened, but I didn't dare.  So I did as his note said.  I went to sleep.

The next morning Paul drove me to the studio wordlessly, and then immediately left to talk to George alone before they recorded some more music.  Ringo chatted with John for awhile, but then left to find the youngest Beatles.  

While I was reading, John took my arm and lead me out into the hall. 

"John, what are you-" I said, before he "Shh"ed me and lead me into the girls' bathroom.  

"If someone finds you in here, you're in deep trouble." I warned him.  He shrugged, and lit a cigarette.  

"If you want me to leave, that's fine.  I just figured you would want to know why Paul is so upset."

"Spill."

He took a long drag on his cigarette, and blew out the smoke as he spoke.  "When we went to the restaurant, Paul was obviously excited to see his girl, though he might have forgotten which girl he was going to see." 

I was about to speak, but he hushed me again.

"While my date and I were using the loo, Paul and Eleanor were talking at the table.  I had just come back, and was talking to the bartender when I noticed them.  Of course one thing lead to another and then they were snogging."

"Do we really have to talk about snog-" I began.

"Elle, do you want to get to the oh-so exciting conclusion?" There was practically a shrowd of smoke covering him.  I opened the door quickly to wave some of it out before slamming it shut again.  "You were saying?"

John twirled the cigarette in his fingers.  "Well, I was close enough to hear the sweet nothings Paul was murmuring into Eleanor's lips and-" He smashed the cigarette in the sink.  "Are you going to keep wincing whenever I mention them kissing?  It's distracting."

"Get on with it!"

"Fine.  While he snogged Eleanor, Paul said this, and I quote, 'Oh, Elle.  I've missed your kisses.'"

My jaw dropped.  "You're bluffing!"

He shook his head.  "Then things got quite interesting.  Eleanor pushed Paul away from her, and he was despertately trying to explain himself.  Only to make it worse.  He apologized to you again, instead of Eleanor.  She then stormed out, before shouting at Paul, accusing him of being unfaithful." John laughed like it was the funniest thing ever.  "'Oh,' I shouted, 'You're not one to talk!'"

He stubbed out another cigarette, and I was speechless.  "But he ran after her, with no avail.  Stuck me with the check.  Asshole."

For some reason, I felt like smiling.  "So how was your date, John?"

"Only slightly better than Paul's.  The bird looked like she wanted to run away in the end too."  He explained.  Blowing out another stream of smoke, he said, "Well, you can do with that what you will, Elle.  I've got to get back to work." He gave me a nod and then left, leaving me in the smoke-filled bathroom.  I propped open the window before I left, hoping to clear some of it out.

Later that evening, Eleanor decided to show up at the studio.  Paul went out to talk to her, looking mad, but then came back looking guilty.  I almost growled at her when she smiled at me.  How dare she make Paul apologize to her after she humiliated him?

While the lads were performing, she whispered to me, "We need to talk."

"I don't have anything nice to say, Eleanor, and it's best if I refrain from speaking to you." I told her, making sure Brain and George weren't watching me.  She smiled at Paul, who was the only person who was watching us, and then took my arm and lead me into the bathroom.  Her red fingernails dug into the skin.  

When she shut the bathroom door, I snapped, "Remind me to de-claw you later."

"I should have known you would have tried to take Paul from me.  You can't stand the thought of us together."  She said, brushing off her hands like touching me was the most disgusting thing on Earth.  

"I never tried to take him from you.  I can barely speak to him because you've got him on such a tight leash.  He's a man, Eleanor, not a pet."  It still smelled faintly of smoke in the room, and the air felt thick.  

Eleanor reapplied some of her blood red lipstick, which anyone could have told her that she had enough of on already.  "Elle, unlike you, I please him.  I keep him happy.  He can't stop smiling when I'm around.  You wouldn't know that, because you're too busy flirting with the...others."  She looked at me, narrowing her eyes.  Like I was the one to be shameful. 

"I may know what you're actually like, but he doesn't.  Don't you have some decency?  He thinks he is the bad partner in your relationship.  You're making him feel guilty, like he isn't doing the best he can to treat you right.  You're seeing other men, and he thinks he's the unfaithful one."

I've had someone look at me like they wanted to to kill me before, so the look Eleanor gave me didn't faze me at all.  "He said your name when he was snogging me.  You've obviously kissed him before.  How do I know you haven't been tempting him when I'm not there?"

Because I'm never there.

"Are you really going to hold one little slip of the tongue over his head?" I snapped.  

Eleanor rolled her eyes.  "I can't believe you.  You said it yourself you didn't love Paul, and I can tell you fancy that bumbling guitar player-"

"His name is George." I snarled, making her flinch.  Though she kept speaking.  

"Whatever.  If I break up with Paul, and he goes crawling back to you, I won't be the one hurting him.  He'll beg you to stay with him, kiss him, hold him, whatever else he wants from you, but will those feelings be sincere?  Unless you're lying to that poor, sensitive George." She smirked, knowing she had struck a nerve.  

"I'll be there to pick up the pieces once he finds out the truth about you." I retorted, hoping to sound more confident than I felt.  

"Go ahead, Elle.  Tell him.  Tell the entire studio what I am.  Be my guest, " Eleanor chided, "but when he turns to you looking for love, what will you say?  In case you haven't noticed, I'm the one who truly cares about Paul."

My heart was on fire with complete rage.  "You wouldn't know anything about real love if it hit you in the-"

"Let's not resort to insults here, Elle.  We can talk.  We're civilized, aren't we?"  Her fake smile turned into a sneer.  "Paul is naive.  He believes that even though we fight, we can always make it better.  Because love is just the strongest bond, isn't it?"  Eleanor laughed, and after she examined her nails.  "If there's one thing that I've come to know about Paul is that he doesn't know how to be alone.  You wouldn't want him to have to learn that lesson the hard way, now, would you?"

I felt speechless, and stupid.  Completely outsmarted.  "You're evil."

Eleanor just laughed.  "This is good for all of us, Elle.  You get to be with George, and Paul stays happily in blind love." She turned to leave, but then added, "And why would he want someone like you when he could have me?"

Because I have a heart, which is something you lack.

"Is there something you want to say, Elle?" She smirked.

I opened my mouth, but then thought better of it.  

"I thought not."