"Where are we?" George asked after I had just taken his blindfold off and we were in the pitch black darkness of John's house, Mendips. Suddenly, the lights flicked on and an array of George's friends popped up from hiding places shouting surprise. I laughed at the corniness of John's surprise party but was wreathed in smiles watching George's pleasantly surprised reaction as his friends came to greet him.

"This all worked out quite well ay Eppy?" John's breath tickled my ear from behind and I could feel the smirk lighting up his face. I turned around to see him looking quite sure of himself.

"Yeah," I looked over to George who was practically drowning in people. "I'm impressed Lennon." I took a moment to see the decorations he had put around the place didn't look half bad. John's smirk turned into a smile from my praise.

"Bloody right you are. It took me a fucking hour to blow up all the balloons." He gestured to the many multicoloured birthday balloons scattered along the ground. I giggled at his exhausted expression. Abruptly, the sound of a ballon popping made John and I jump.

"Fuckers." John swore underneath his breath with a growl. He looked over behind me and smirked once again.

"You really went all out ay Johnny?" George's voice was joyful as I felt his arms wrap around my waist from behind.

"Yeah well," John shrugged humbly. "This is going to be a nightmare to clean up before Mimi gets home tomorrow." John sighed annoyedly making George laugh. I turned to see George's face right beside mine. He placed a gentle peck on my lips. So much for keeping a secret from John, I internally groaned.

"Thank you." He grinned, his glistening brown eyes boring into mine thoughtfully. I blushed and looked at John who was looking between the two of us with an eyebrow cocked suggestively. I swallowed hard.

"Surprise?" I looked at John which he replied to with a laugh. George let go of me and gave an apologetic look.

"What surprise? I've known something's been up ever since I caught you two watching Cinderella on the couch together snuggled up underneath the blankets. It takes a man in love to watch a princess movie." John teased fixing his leather jacket and shaking his head. I blushed a deep red for a moment, I guess we weren't as good as hiding the whole couple thing as we hoped.

"I thought you said you didn't mind if we watched Cinderella." My face fell as I turned to George.

"Hi Geo!" Ringo exclaimed walking over with his beer can raised.

"Rings." George said hoping to get out of the conversation to greet the drummer gleefully.

As the three of the boys started to catch up I sighed and walked over to the kitchen hoping to find something to drink, now that John knew certainly what was going on between George and I, I would need it. I noticed Paul alone, sitting on the counter looking down at his beer bottle with an empty look on his face. Slowly I walked over to him and gently placed a hand on his shoulder, making him jump. He looked up and saw me, his expression lightening.

"Hello Poppy." He grinned dolefully as I sat on the counter beside him.

"What's got you down?" I raised an eyebrow intrigued. Maybe it was about the mystery girl, I thought to myself curiously.

"Ah, nothing really." He shrugged.

"Are you sure Paul? I mean you know you can talk to me," I reached out for his hand that was on his knee but he quickly retracted it awkwardly.

"I'm, going to go find George." He mumbled quickly getting up and walking away from me.

"What did I do?" I asked myself cluelessly sitting there now all by myself.

______________

As the night went on any many teenagers became more and more intoxicated I grew extremely tired. I think it was the medication I'd been taking, a side effect must be drowsiness because I was really feeling it. I had talked to many different people trying not to take up all George's attention knowing he needed to let loose and not worry about me for a night. I tried to distance myself from Paul even more however, I felt weird for the scene that had went down earlier in the night.

I yawned and looked at the time. It was just after 12 o'clock and I knew my uncle was probably sleeping on the couch waiting for me to get home. He just barley had let me out of the house, and with the amount of smoke in here I could see why. My throat felt tight but I had an emergency puffer set aside in my purse just in case it became too unbearable.

I squeezed my way over to where I found George and Ringo having a conversation happily in the middle of a crowd of girls making a twinge of jealousy coarse though me. I wasn't usually the jealous type, but I knew there were lots of girls that would die to be in a relationship with any of the boys, their popularity was growing by the day, and knowing the boys are going to Hamburg without me only weeks from now didn't ease my worry, from what I'd heard it was a place full of prostitutes and strippers.

"Poppy." George smiled warmly breaking away from his and Ringo's conversation.

"Hey George, Rings." I greeted the both of them happily.

"Would you like a drink? John got a keg." George spoke looking over at John filling people's cups with a lazy grin looking very tipsy. Partying, really was John Lennon's element.

"Oh no, it's alright, I think I better get going." I spoke shyly. George excused himself from Ringo and gently took my hand and lead me outside probably so we could escape the loudness of the house and talk.

"Is everything alright?" George asked firmly when we got out on the porch. I saw the concern etched over his features and smiled.

"Everything's fine, it's just late y'know? I mean my uncle is just probably worried sick." I rubbed my arms for warmth feeling the cold of winter nip away at me for the first time in hours.

"Well I can drive you home." He suggested affectionately with a warm grin.

"Oh, no it's you party in there, you can't leave, go, have fun." I smiled weakly with an involuntary yawn feeling my eyes growing a bit heavy. George looked back for a moment and smiled.

"They're all too pissed to notice we're even gone anyway." He motioned to the window to where John was visible chugging a bottle of whisky as a group of people chanted "chug" around him. I rolled my eyes at the childish sight. I opened my mouth to refuse but he took my hands in his slowly.

"I insist." He smiled. I shook my head with a smile. "I haven't even had a drink tonight either, I'm better off without it." George spoke persuasively.

"Not drinking, not smoking, what has George Harrison come to?" I gasped jokingly.

"His senses." George rolled his eyes with a smile. I snickered as we walked out to his car.

"I want to thank you for everything you've done for me tonight." He spoke keeping his eyes on me as we exited the gates of Mendips.

"Oh well, John put the whole party together, and, it was Paul's idea to even have a surprise party," I trailed off.

"I mean earlier. At the shop." He said making my heart pound against my rib cage. George seemed to have an intense affect on me.

"Oh." I paused as we reached the car. "Well, It was a beautiful guitar." I spoke with admiration for the Rickenbacker I'd let slip through my fingers and into George's hands.

"But it's not nearly as beautiful as you." He said lifting my head with his finger underneath my chin so our eyes could meet. I smiled and shook my head as I left his side to go to the passengers seat, my life had begun to be a series of clichés.

John's words kept replaying in my mind "What surprise." I felt as if suddenly I were almost too predictable. I vowed to myself then to not let myself to be too easily read. Only later did I realize that vow would have a role in the unraveling of my life as I knew it.

_________________

As we pulled up to my house I noticed there was a car parked in the driveway alongside my uncle's. Curiosity struck me instantly, I'd never seen the car before and the lights from inside the house were on, I thought Brian would be asleep by now. I stared at the unusual sight in confusion as we came to a stop.

"You have company at this time of night?" George asked cluelessly looking down at his watch.

"I don't know." I muttered staring at the house in uncertainty.

"I'll stay back for a moment until you get inside." He assured me staring off at the house trying to think of a reasonable explanation. I nodded and kissed his cheek.

"I'll see you tomorrow George." I spoke with a smile watching his cheeks turn red. He nodded shyly.

"Until then." He said as I shut the door. I shivered going up to the front door thinking back on tonight. It had to have been one of the best nights in awhile, I knew I was falling for George at a dangerous rate, we haven't even been together for that long and I already felt an attachment that I was terrified of, I wasn't sure if I was ready for another serious relationship, the last one almost completely broke me. I choked down a lump forming in my throat as I got up to the front door.

When I entered my house, I immediately threw my hands in front of my eyes in complete terror of what I had just witnessed.  MY INNOCENCE, SWEET BABY JESUS, WHY ME?!! My mind started cry out in agony.

"Oh, god." I managed to choke out feeling extremely embarrassed walking in on my uncle with a man. That explains the car. Now that I thought of it he had told me not to worry about staying out late, suddenly his words didn't seem as odd as I'd found them earlier.

"Popp-" My uncle started with shame in his voice.

"I'm, I'm going to go-" I spoke awkwardly turning back and sprinting down the driveway. Thankfully, George was still there and I got back in his car utterly mortified. Maybe this wouldn't be a night of clichés after all.

"What's-" George spoke concerned as he grabbed onto my hand comfortingly.

"My uncle, has a man in there," I wheezed out closing my eyes and leaning my head back. "I can't go back in there and face him right now, oh god." I groaned putting my head in my hands. I knew if it were anyone else they'd be rolling over in laughter that I'd just walked in on my uncle doing the dirty but I could see that George was making an honest effort not to break his poker face.

"Oh laugh it up Harrison." I rolled my eyes as he began to snicker.

"You could always come 'round to mine." George suggested as his laughter subsided making my heart stop.

"-well my parents will be there." He corrected himself suddenly but looking like he had just made himself look even more stupid.

"You can sleep in the guest room. Y'know meet the parents." He joked nervously. "That is, if you want to of course." He looked like he gave up trying to explain what he wanted to.

"Erm, sure." I accepted nervously wanting to do anything but go back inside the house. I don't think I could ever sit on that couch ever again. Every time I closed my eyes all I could picture of the extremely unwanted bare naked images in my head.

We got back on the road away from the house and George was trying to fill me in on vital information I should know about his parents.

"-they'll be happy that I've brought you to meet them, but I'm not sure they'll be happy I've brought you so late-" He went on deep in thought.

"I think we should keep the reason why you're staying the night a secret for now." He looked over at me trying to suppress a smile. I nodded my head wide eyed.

"I'll never tell another living soul what I witnessed tonight." I spoke bewildered.

Soon we pulled up to George's house and I instantly started to panic. I've met George's parents once before at my uncles house, but meeting them as George's girlfriend is a completely different story. Not to mention at such a late hour in the night. Although nothing about this last hour of time was conventional.

"I'm sorry this is the way you're about to meet me parents." George chuckled lowly.

"It's alright. I mean since they've made such a wonderful son they must be extremely wonderful and understanding people right?" I smiled endearingly as his face lit up with awe. We both exited the car for what I prayed to be the last stop for the night. I didn't know what to expect when I were to enter the doors but I found myself walking alongside George, interlocking our hands absentmindedly prepared for anything.

George creaked open the door where we found his mom sat on the couch knitting with the light from the tv that George's Dad was watching from the recliner. When they heard the noise they looked over to the both of us and George's mother immediately shot up from her seat with excitement.

"Oh hello!" She exclaimed joyously walking over to the both of us joyously. Before either of us a chance to respond she brought me in to a warm motherly hug that I never knew I longed for until now. I returned it with a grin turning my lips upward.

"Georgie has told me so much about you." She whispered excitedly making me blush.

As she broke away, I noticed George's father had stood up to see what his wife's commotion was about.

"Erm, Mum, Dad, can Poppy stay in our guest room for tonight? She needs a place to stay." He asked bashfully, his face filling with colour.

"Of course she can!! My goodness she's welcome at anytime!! Even if it's so late." She shot George a glare. I watched as George turned to me and shot me a plain "I told you so" look.

"George, fetch the poor girl something to change into, I think Louise might've left a nightgown in her room." She called smiling solely at me.

"Yes mother." George mumbled before disappearing upstairs.

"Harold Harrison, it's nice to see you again young Lady." George's Dad spoke with a warm smile. I smiled brightly and shook his hand.

"It's very nice to see the both of you, thank you so much for letting me stay the night." I thanked the both of them with the most proper manners I could pull off with my drowsiness, I was terrified of doing something wrong in front of them, even if they seemed to be one of the most marry couples I've even laid eyes on.

"Oh it's no bother at all. Anything for the lady who's put the bounce in our Georgie's step." She sighed in a daze. I heard a heavy sigh in the background.

"Mum." George groaned walking over with some clothes in hand. She giggled at her sons annoyed reaction as she examined the night gown he'd brought.

"Here you are dear," she said taking the gown from George and giving it to me. "Now George, be a gentleman and show her to the guest room?" She smiled. George cringed and nodded at his mother as he grabbed onto my hand to bring me to the upstairs guest room. I waved back at the two of them with a sympathetic smile knowing they were only trying to be very welcoming.

Once we arrived to the room, George lead me in and rubbed his hands over his face mumbling incoherently to himself about his parents. I smiled and shook my head as I looked at the single bed I was dying to go to sleep in.

"Can I get changed?" I asked looking at the night gown with uncertainty, Louise, George's sister, must've been a bit shorter than I, I hope it would fit.

"Of course." George nodded staying in place. I stared at him blankly for a moment until he realized he needed to exit the room so I could change. "Oh, right, my bad." His voice cracked as he made a quick exit from the room shutting it behind him. I changed quickly, realizing that the night gown was a little short and soon hearing a knock on the door.

"Come in." I called looking over to the door as I pulled the sheets of the bed back so I could get into bed. George appeared with a glass of water mumbling angrily about his mother again rubbing his neck.

"I'll take it your mum sent you." I giggled as I took the water and placed it on the nightstand.

"It's like she's taken uppers, how does a middle aged woman have such energy so late?" He asked wide eyed making me laugh.

"She's just excited her little Georgie has a girlfriend." I pinched George's cheek softly making him roll his eyes at me. He suddenly unraveled his crossed arms and reached for my sides, begging to tickle the most touch sensitive part of my body and I fell back onto the bed in laughter.

"S-s-stop i-it" I demanded gasping for air with laughter. He sat down on the bed beside me and continued anyway ignoring my desperate pleas.

"What's the magic word?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"G-George is a brilliant g-g-guitarist and a lovely boyfriend!" I guessed unable to think properly. He stopped abruptly looking at me with a smirk.

"I was looking for please, but that'll work too." He stood up and started to walk to the door. I sat up with a huff watching him. Before exiting, he looked back with a grin.

"Goodnight Poppy." He chuckled before leaving the room and closing the door behind him. George Harrison will be the death of me, I thought falling back on the bed once again with a smile.