George woke up that following morning by the sound of paper being turned besides him. He groaned and rolled onto his stomach to hug his pillow as he rubbed his face into it and slowly started to open his eyes. He stretched out his body with another groan, before slumping back into the warm and comfortable bed.

"Oh look. Sleeping beauty is finally awake, too." George scoffed and blindly kicked his foot into the direction of his voice. He chuckled as he heard an "ouch" come from besides him, followed by a playful hit on the back of his head. He groaned and rolled over onto his side, facing the other man besides him. Paul was sitting propped up on the bed, his back leaning against the headboard, watching him with a worried, yet amused expression. He smiled at him as their eyes locked.

"Slept well?" He asked him and George shrugged.

"Eventually." Paul nodded and closed the book that had been lying on his lap. He put it onto his bedside table and moved to lie back down, facing George, who followed his movements with his eyes.

"Are you alright?" Paul asked him softly, looking worried again. George knew he should have expected that question, but he still didn't have an answer ready and if he were honest with himself, he didn't know exactly. He felt a lot better than yesterday evening and he wasn't feeling exactly sad or angry, but not happy either. He just felt sort of numb. Perhaps a little disappointed. He didn't know what he was supposed to do next now he had broken up with Ringo. He wasn't sure how to act or what to feel. He didn't know what he wanted. His silence must have answer enough for Paul, for he sighed and asked something else instead.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"I don't want to talk about it." George replied, his voice suddenly tight and his body tense. He was confused by his own reactions, but he had to admit that he was right. He didn't want to talk about it. Honestly, he wished he could just... just... he didn't know. What did he even do before Ringo had been around? He felt something prick behind his eyes, but he wouldn't let himself cry again. He had done that more than enough yesterday.

"George? Please tell me. Maybe I can help?" Paul gently pressed on and George opened his mouth to say something, but he didn't know what. It was all a bit much and confusing. Paul was still looking at him, smiling encouragingly and nodding to let him know it was alright.

George swallowed thickly and slowly started to explain to Paul what had happened, leaving nothing out and telling him how he had felt when he had realised Ringo had been lying to him and tried to control him because he thought he couldn't trust him. How many times he had asked if Ringo was okay with what he did and the many times Ringo had assured him it was fine. Paul stayed quiet all the while George told his story, occasionally nodding or humming to let George know he was still listening and reaching out for himself when George was on the verge of tears again.

"I loved him, you know. I really did. But he betrayed me. He lied to me and he doesn't trust me and he obviously doesn't want his friend or co-workers to know I'm a stripper! You know I can't deal with that, Paul. Not again. I promised myself back then that I wouldn't give into that anymore and that I'd make my own choices. I don't want that anymore. Not again." George finished, his body shaking slightly. Paul gently lay a hand on his shoulder and squeezed, making George look up at him. The soft look on his friend's face made him feel calmer almost right away.

"George, I know and I don't want you to go for any less than that, but look at it from Ringo's perspective. I doubt he ever had a boyfriend who had such a job and it's not easy having to watch your boyfriend strip in front of other men, for all those other men." Paul told him gently.

"Jane doesn't seem to have much trouble with it, does she?" George remarked and frowned when Paul started laughing.

"Jane?!"

"Yes! I mean, if anything, she seems to think it's hot." George said and Paul blushed a light pink at that.

"Well..." He said, stammering slightly, "She does, but that doesn't mean she doesn't mind it at all. She likes watching me and all, but I still tell her everything that happened at work. She likes to know and she likes to know that I'll always come home to her, no matter how many guys are drooling on my shoes. It's erm... a possessive thing." Paul explained, blushing redder and redder with every word. George couldn't help but let the corners of his lips curl up in a knowing grin. Still, he was surprised.

"And you don't mind?"

"No... it's erm... kind of hot, you know. Kinky."

"Does she-"

"Yes."

"Shit..." George gasped, now fully grinning at the knowledge Jane was more dominant than she let on. His mind was running wild with all the things they could be doing behind closed doors... Then he realised he was thinking about his best friend Paul, and he stopped thinking about it immediately.

"Anyway," Paul continued as he cleared his throat, blush still apparent on his cheeks," what I mean is that you need a way to deal with it and you'll figure it out. And maybe you were a bit quick with judging Ringo. I know I don't know what went on between you two, but seeing your loved one with someone else is never easy. Even if you know it's only a job or that he's not into guys." George nodded and sighed, realising now that Paul might be right. Perhaps he had been to quick to judge Ringo. Maybe he should have let him explain and pressed on more to figure out if he was really okay with it and what he did and did not like about their relationship. But... feeling jealous didn't mean he had to lie to him. About anything.

"He shouldn't have lied to me. He should have told me or trusted me." George said and Paul nodded.

"He shouldn't have, no. Do you know why he lied?" He asked and George opened his mouth to say something, but closed it again when nothing came out. He didn't.

"All I'm saying is that maybe you should look at things from his perspective a bit more and you'll figure it out. Or you could call him." Paul concluded and George bit his lip as he thought about it. Maybe Paul was right. And he should know, seeing as he was in the same situation. But Jane was a girls. She knew Paul wasn't into men and she knew she had something thing that they could never give Paul. Ringo didn't. Ringo had been one of those men. George wasn't sure if that was better or worse.

"You know what we should do?" Paul asked after a few seconds of silence. George looked up and waited for him to continue. "We should go out together. Do something fun and enjoy ourselves. Take out minds of everything and have some rest before we make any more decisions. What do you say?"

"What do you want to do?" George asked, unsure if he really wanted to get out of bed in the first place, never mind the apartment. Paul rolled over to glance at his alarm clock. George looked over Paul's shoulder to see as well. It was half past ten.

"Let's go have lunch together. We'll get dressed and go out and have something to eat, yeah?" Paul said, turned around again with a happy smile on his face. George couldn't say no to that and the promise of food, so he nodded, hoping he was making a good choice.

               It was a clear day at the end of Autumn. It was getting chilly and both men were wrapped up in a warm coat and a scarf, as they walked along the streets with their hand in their pockets, their arms linked together to share some body warmth.

"I hate winter." Paul declared as he pulled his scarf higher up so it was covering his nose. George laughed at the adorable sight and pulled Paul a bit more against him, as Paul continued grumbling: "It's too damn cold."

"Oh stop moaning. You wanted us to go out! Or else I'm going home. Now, where do you want to eat?" George told his friend chuckling lightly, feeling better about himself with every passing second. Paul mumbled something inaudible into his scarf as he raised his hand and pointed at a nice little place a but further down the busy street. George recognised the place almost right away and felt his heart skip a beat as his stomach dropped. When he started walking a lot slower, Paul frowned at him.

"C-can't we eat somewhere else?" He asked, still staring as he watched people go in and out.

"What? Why? Their food is really good." Paul asked, not understanding.

"It's just... me and Ringo ate there once." George admitted, trying to keep himself from blushing as he realised how stupid that sounded. His friend, rather than being supportive like George had thought, tightened his hold on his harm and started walking at a quicker pace, dragging George with him.

"All the more reason to go inside. Come on."

"But what if he's there?" George brought in, chewing his lip.

"He won't be. Now, get your skinny arse inside." Paul said as they suddenly found themselves in front of the door. Paul pulled the door open and pushed George inside, leaving him no choice. George grumbled a curse under his breath, of which he was certain Paul would hear, but the older man didn't say anything and instead directed George to an empty table at the back where they'd be more private. Still grumbling in anger at his friend, George took off his coat and was about to sit down when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. Frowning, he took it out and he felt his blood run cold when he saw it was Ringo.

"It's Ringo." George mumbled to Paul, who was watching him curiously as he took his seat. He raised an eyebrow at that and watched with all his attention for what George would do. The younger man stared at the screen of his phone for a while, not believing Ringo was calling him and deciding if he should pick up or not. Eventually, he took a deep breath and pressed Ringo away before tucking is phone back in his pocket and sitting down opposite Paul.

"Now, let's order." Paul announced and George nodded, thankful Paul wasn't going to ask any questions.

               The food was heavenly. He had forgotten how good the food here was and he was eagerly shoving it all inside, sometimes catching himself as he moaned obscenely, making Paul drop his food for a while to drink some of his tea instead. It was nice doing this with Paul. He hadn't even thought about Ringo at all since they had sat down and he wasn't feeling down anymore. He couldn't say he was exactly cheery, but at least he was feeling some kind of happiness, however slight. It was good.

"You know," He said, swallowing a large bite of his sandwich, "we should do this more often." Paul made a disgusted face as he watched George force another large bite into his mouth.

"Yeah, maybe not lunch, though." He replied as he moved some of his crisps onto George's plate, his appetite going down with every bite George took. The latter didn't mind, of course. If it meant that he'd end up with more food, he didn't care how much Paul ate.

"Ah, come on! There's this really good pizza place only a few streets away. Some girl told me during a lecture ones. She had a piece with her. It was really good!" George tried, his mouth watering at the memory of that wonderful taste.

"Only if you can manage to eat a little less disgusting from now on. You know you have all the time you need to finish your food right? You won't take if away from you if you don't finish in fifteen minutes."

"Fuck off." George shot back, his mouth still full of food. Paul couldn't help but chuckle at that and ate a couple of his own fries as George tried to be a bit more well-mannered as he continued eating his sandwich at a slower pace, occasionally eating a crisp.

"You know what we should do?" George asked after a few seconds. Paul looked up expectantly.

"Go see a movie together. We haven't done that in ages! Or go to a museum?"

"A museum would be nice. I heard there's this new exhibition on modern art. I'd like to see that. I would go with Jane at first, but seeing as she's still on holiday..."

"Her loss right?" George asked and Paul nodded with another chuckle, "How about this Saturday?" George proposed, but almost right away, Paul's smile disappeared.

"I er... can't. I have to work Saturday. It's the day of the party and Brian want's us all to come early to help sat things up and go over a couple of things. You... you don't mind, do you? I could call in sick if you'd rather I'd stay home." Paul said and George thought about that for a while. He had forgotten the party would be this Saturday. Being reminded of it now so suddenly, made his stomach drop. He looked down at his plate, taking one of Paul's crisps and dipping it repeatedly into his ketchup.

"No. It's fine," He said after a while, "It's our job, right? Just go. I don't mind."

"Are you sure?" Paul asked, reaching for George's hand to make him stop. George looked up at him with a painful smile.

"Yeah. It- it wouldn't be fair. We could go Sunday instead?" George asked quickly, not feeling like talking about Ringo's bachelor's party for too long. It was still a sore spot. Thankfully, Paul nodded, leaving the subject for what it was.

As if on cue, George's phone started buzzing again, making the young lad jump in his seat. He took his hand back from Paul, quickly at the crisp and reached for his phone. He swallowed thickly as he saw who it was.

"Ringo?" Paul asked. George nodded, his finger moving between the two options given as the phone continued to ring. Maybe Paul was right and he should try to talk to Ringo about what happened. Ringo certainly seemed eager to. But was he ready for that yet? Or was a just being a chicken? Thankfully, he didn't have to answer any of the questions he was asking himself, for Paul removed his phone from his hand and pressed Ringo away.

"Now is not the time, George. You need to calm down first and figure out what it is you want. Ringo should do the same." He told him as he handed George his phone back with a soft smile. George nodded, smiling back and feeling grateful that Paul was helping him through this.

"Thanks." He said, pocketing his phone away.

"You know," Paul started as he leaned forward a bit, taking George's hand again. He gently started playing with his fingers, feeling the roughness of his fingertips from the guitar strings pressing into his skin. "That does not sound like someone who has given up yet. And maybe, talking over the phone isn't the best idea to handle this."

"What do you suggest?" George asked, watching how Paul's fingers played with his own. When Paul kept quiet for a few seconds, he looked up, not understanding what Paul was hinting at. If he was thinking he was going over to Ringo or invite Ringo to come over to their apartment, he would be wrong. He needed some distance to keep his thoughts clear, and he knew that if he and Ringo were alone, things would heat up quickly.

"I think you should come too, Saturday." Paul finally said with a little smirk. George frowned, however.

"Paul, he didn't want me there. I'm not allowed to work."

"So? You don't have to be working to talk to him. Show him he can't control you! Show how you really feel about him."

               That evening, George lay wide awake in his own bed again. Paul had offered his own bed, but George had decided he would have to sleep in it someday again, so why not now. Besides, it would give them both some privacy- he had seen the way Paul had been wiggling in his seat, obviously eager to have some time alone. He didn't mind, though. Now he had some time to think.

Ringo had tried to call him and text him a couple of times more that afternoon, until about four when he had given up. Or so George thought. It had been tough and he had almost picked up once, just to yell at him to stop calling him and give him some time to think. Thankfully, Paul had been there to save him at the last moment. But it had meant that he hadn't been able to stop thinking about him anymore all day. Even when he had been cooking for him and Paul, he had almost burned it all because he had been staring at nothing and thinking about what he wanted.

In truth, George knew what he wanted. He wanted Ringo. He did. But, he also wanted to be respected for who he was and not feel like he wasn't being trusted or that Ringo would try to change him or control him. And that was what he was afraid off. Perhaps it had been a mistake to start a relationship with him. Perhaps he should have kept to the occasional one night stand until he got out college and had a proper job in which he could grow and make enough money to eventually buy a nice house in a suburb with a large garden where he could do some gardening. Perhaps he should have started dating then and not now. But he doubted he would know Ringo then if he hadn't started this and the idea of living in that house with that lovely garden without Ringo made him feel sad.

But life wasn't perfect and maybe this was one way of showing him that. He couldn't get it all and he couldn't get Ringo and that life at the same time. But what if he and Ringo could work it out. Somehow. What if Paul was right and Ringo just needed some time to get used to the whole thing. That they needed some time to work it out together and get a system going, like Paul and Jane. Why could they be together through this and not he and Ringo? Maybe Paul was right. Maybe he had been a bit harsh and with more time they could work it out. He should go talk to Ringo at least, hear him out and decide together how to continue.

Should he go to the party, though? Or was that too much? Ringo had asked him not to come and although that had heard, he had told him he wouldn't come if he wasn't wanted. Not in those words exactly, but it had been understood. Paul seemed to think it was a good idea, though. And Paul should know. Maybe it wouldn't be that bad. Paul was right. It would give them the chance to speak and because there were other people around they wouldn't be tempted to shout or strangle each other. It was a save plan that could work.

Yes. He would go. He would go to that party and talk to Ringo and they would work it out together. Whatever they would decide that evening, would be the right decision. George nodded decisively at himself and rolled onto his side, pulling the blankets up to his chin as he closed his eyes and tried to imagine how the conversation between might go. And how it might end. What if they would actually make up? What if they would find a way to go on together? What if Ringo loved him, too?

With that last thought, George slowly drifted off to sleep, a smile lingering on his face.