“Ssssshhhh!” George said as he put the keys in the door to the flat he shared with Ringo at Green Street. It was past midnight by the time they reached London, after getting lost outside of Birmingham and then stopping for dinner. George put the light on and dropped his keys on the table by the door. May looked around her, wide-eyed in wonder.

“This is where the Beatles live, then!” she whispered to George.

He nodded. “Well, two of us. Ringo and me. Paul lived here for a bit but he’s gone now and John’s with his wife and kid, obviously.”

“Ringo’s here?” May asked excitedly.

George rolled his eyes. “Oh, right. I’m old hat now am I? Moving on to the next Beatle already?” he teased, then added, “No, I don’t think he’s home. I think he’s got some bird somewhere, he’s not been in the last couple of nights.”

“He’s got a girlfriend?”

“I wouldn’t go that far!” George said with a wink.

He quickly showed her round the flat. It was untidy and scarcely furnished, a real bachelors pad. May followed George from room to room drinking in every detail, where the Beatles live!

“Right,” George said, standing in the living room, stretching, “I’m knackered. I’ve got to go to sleep. Do you want to come to the filming tomorrow?”

“Yes!” May replied eagerly.

George grinned. “Stupid question, eh?” He showed her to a room next to the kitchen. It was empty but the bed was made up. “This was John’s for a bit, he still sleeps here now and then, but not now so you can.” May put her bag down on the bed and nodded, feeling a little overcome at the notion she was about to sleep in John Lennon’s bed!

As she had only brought what she could carry May didn’t have anything to sleep in. George lent her a large t-shirt and tactfully disappeared into the kitchen. May got changed in the bathroom then slipped into the bedroom. Outside the door she heard the flat’s front door open and click to again. A pair of booted feet stomped past the door.

Ringo! She thought, Beatle induced excitement crashing over her like a wave.

George was sitting at the table in the kitchen, smoking. Ringo came in and clapped his hands when he saw him.

“The prodigal Beatle!” he said loudly, “Oh, you are in trouble, George!”

George grimaced and shrugged. “Brian? Is he angry?”

“Nah, he’s not angry,” Ringo teased, sitting down at the table with George, “He’s livid!” Ringo laughed. “Don’t worry, no harm done…oh, spoke too soon…” He noticed George’s eye, “Seen him already, have you?” he said pointing to it and grinning.

George put his hand to his black eye. It had gone down since yesterday and it had faded a little, but there was still a very pronounced purple-grey mark. “Some, er, madman...” he explained, half-heartedly.

“Make-up should cover it.” Ringo said, “That’s why you didn’t come to the photo shoot then?”

“Yeah,” he said shortly.

“So, where have you been, whack?”

“Er, Wales.”

“Wales?”

“Yeah.”

“Just bannered off to Wales then, did yer?” Ringo pressed.

“Yeah.”

“As you do.”

May shut the bedroom door properly and clicked the light off from in the room. Ringo looked round and cracked a wide grin. “You got a bird in there?” George didn’t reply. “Who is it? She Welsh by any chance?” He laughed.

“Manc, I think.” George mumbled. Ringo laughed again. “It’s not like that, and she’s sleeping in John’s room,” George told him, shaking his head.

“Oh aye?”

“Yeah,” he paused, “She’s married.”

“Married?”

George nodded and stubbed his cigarette out.

“George, you don’t want to get mixed up with married women, mate.”

“I’m not.”

“Its bad news, George.”

“Yeah, well.” George stood up. “Filming tomorrow, so…Night, Ring.” He walked to the door.

“George?”

George turned back.

“Just… don’t make too much noise, eh?”

George laughed and nodded, leaving Ringo in the kitchen.

When he pushed the door to her room open it was in darkness. May was a silhouette under the bed covers, facing away from him and presumably asleep.

“May?” he whispered. She didn’t reply. George quietly closed the door again.

Lying in the bed May was wide-awake, hoping George would think otherwise. She was beginning to have doubts. She was a married woman after all. It was wrong that she was with another man, even if she wasn’t really ‘with’ him, and even if he was George Harrison.