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Paul McCartney’s hands shook while he waited in line, his knees about to give out. He pulled out his phone and saw a text from his friend, George Harrison.
“Haha imagine losing- have fun riding that thing, let me know if you die. I’ll make sure to play Free Fallin’ at your funeral.”
Paul just rolled his eyes. He should never have made a bet with George in the first place. And now, he was paying the price. He was currently in line for the most daring roller coaster ride at the park. It had a 370-foot drop and went as fast as 100 mph. He clutched the bar and wanted to throw up when he thought about the giant drop.
thanks buddy. if i live, i’ll make sure you never see the light of day again, he responded. He smiled at the lowercase, knowing that it would irritate George. He stowed his phone in his pocket and concentrated on not fainting. Soon, he was at the beginning of the line and was mere minutes away from boarding.
“How many people?” The worker asked when he reached her.
“Just me,” he sighed. “Single rider.”
More like single his whole life. But that wasn’t his biggest problem right now. He was in line for the biggest, fastest, and scariest ride in the whole park. He couldn’t ride this! Only today he had worked up enough courage to go on his first roller coaster with a loop, and now, he was going on one with over 7 of them! This wasn’t going to end well. What if he threw up? What if he fell out? Really, the possibilities were limitless- but all Paul knew was that he was going to hate the ride, no matter what.
“Is anyone else a single rider?” The worker asked, calling out to the line behind him. Great. Now he was going to be paired with a random stranger.
“I am!” A voice called out, probably about 5 people behind Paul. She called them up. Paul snapped his head around to see someone pushing his way through the crowd, apologizing immensely.
“Sorry, sorry about that… coming through!” The stranger said, finally making his way into Paul’s eyesight.
Paul couldn’t help but notice that the man was really handsome. He looked to be around his age or a bit older. His auburn hair sparkled under the sun, and his chocolate brown eyes lit up. He wore a tank top with shorts, showing off his muscles. Paul thought that this man was the most beautiful person ever. He tried to contain his blushing.
“Hey!” The stranger greeted him. Paul could only stare awkwardly. He wanted to move or say something, but what? A “hello” would be perfect right about now, he scolded himself. But his thoughts and possible greetings all got stuck on his tongue.
“I’m John,” the man continued. He stuck out his hand, waiting for Paul to shake it. When he did, Paul could only focus on how his hands were so rough and gentle simultaneously.
“John Lennon.” He continued. “And you are…?”
“Um, Paul. McCartney. Nice meeting you, John,” he smiled. John returned the smile. God, how were his teeth so perfect?
“Paul,” John repeated. “That’s a nice name, I like it.”
“Oh, uh, thanks! Paul isn’t even my real name. It’s James. I just go by Paul since I don’t feel like a James, y’know?” He rambled. Hopefully, he wasn’t annoying him.
But John didn’t look annoyed in the slightest. “Really? James, huh? Well, that won’t do. You’re Macca now. Well, at least to me. If anyone ever tries to take that nickname, tell them I copyrighted it,” He laughed. Paul joined in too, not noticing that John smiled again at the sight of making him laugh. John had to admit, he admired Paul. He was a little skittish, but cute.
Now the presence of an adorable stranger petrified Paul even more. He gripped onto the railing again, taking deep breaths. The roller coaster in front of him was massive, and the seats looked so cheap and breakable. It was confirmed. He was going to die.
“Erm, Macca, you don’t look so good. Are you okay?”
“What? Oh, uh, yeah I’m fine. Well, if downright petrified is okay, then I’m great,” he grimaced. “Sorry. I’m just- really scared…” He admitted.
“You’re scared? Well, why are you in line for the biggest roller coaster in the park then?”
Paul grimaced at the words “biggest roller coaster in the park.” He didn’t want to be reminded of that.
“I lost a bet,” he sighed. “And this was on the line, so here I am.”
“Oh!” John laughed. “That’s-“ he immediately was shut up by Paul’s glare, so his face fell in an instant. “That’s so… not funny…” he replied seriously.
“Sorry, it’s fine. You can laugh, I suppose it is sort of funny now that I think about it,” he smiled.
“Thank you Macca, I’m sympathetic to your situation but it is quite hilarious. What was this bet even about, anyway?”
Paul blushed. “Well, he bet that I couldn’t get this worker’s number, and I bet that I could. But the guy was straight and kicked me out of line for “harassment” so uhh… yeah,” he trailed off. John’s expression was unreadable, and Paul regretted telling him. Oh god, what if he uncomfortable sharing his row with him? What if he was a major homophobe who-
“No way!” John laughed again. “That’s- wow. You have a lot of balls, Macca. Well, spill! Was he hot?”
Paul was taken aback. “Yeah, he was pretty hot,” he admitted.
“Like, Tom Holland-level hot?”
Paul laughed. “No, not that hot.”
“And what made you think that he was into boys?”
“Well, he had a Queen shirt, so I just kinda-”
“Assumed? That’s cute. You’re so cute.”
Paul blushed. At least he knew now that he wasn’t homophobic.
“Next!” The worker called, sending them through. Their seats were right in the front, which were the scariest spot in Paul’s opinion. “No…” he groaned, overlapping his voice with John’s excited “Yes!”
His hands gripped the bar so hard that his fingers were turning purple. A fall from that height would kill him, and he didn’t feel like dying today. Yet here he was, on the way to his doom…
“Macca, you gotta stop worrying. There’s only a one in 170 million chance that this roller coaster will kill you, and while you’re a special guy, you’re not a one in 170 million special. This ride has seatbelts, lap bars, and there just so happens to be a strong, handsome guy here for you as well,” he joked, pointing to himself. Paul rolled his eyes. But maybe John was right, maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. But maybe he was a liar, and you could never be too careful.
“But what if-”
“We’re not going to get stuck.”
“Okay, then what if-”
“We’re not going to fly off the rails.”
“Fine, but what if-”
“A lightning bolt will not strike us while we’re on top of the hill.”
Paul stuck out his lip. “I wasn’t going to say that, but now I have something else to worry about.”
John laughed. “There is no way that you think that could happen today. It’s, and forgive my language, a goddamn gorgeous day.”
“We don’t fucking say bad words here,” Paul smirked.
“Is that so?” He teased, running his fingers through his hair. Paul felt another blush coat his cheeks, and he let go of the rail slightly. He nodded, trying to keep his cool. “I never knew you were such a boy scout,” he continued. “Did you earn all your little badges yet?”
“Almost. Still need my bravery patch,” he fake-sighed. “Just have to ride a roller coaster with a cute guy- sadly I won’t be accomplishing that today.”
“Because you’re going to chicken out of riding this, running out of line like a baby?”
“No, because there aren’t any cute guys around.”
John playfully punched him, rolling his eyes. Paul laughed, looking up into the sky. John looked at Paul with pure adoration while the younger boy was distracted. When Paul wasn’t a nervous wreck, he was really funny- and charming. He was also really adorable, with his long-ish raven hair, long eyelashes, and hazel eyes.
Paul sighed, unaware that his ridemate was looking straight at him. “You really think the weather won’t miraculously change up at the last second, striking us with lightning?”
“Erm, no. The sun is up, the sky is blue- it’s beautiful! And so are you,” he winked.
Paul’s insides filled with butterflies. He managed to smile and let go of the rail completely, with sweaty hands. John was so enchanting and somehow made him forget about the death ride that awaited him. “Am I on the roller coaster yet? Why is my stomach doing flips already?”
John opened his mouth to tell him but was cut off by the high-pitched squeal of the incoming coaster.
“How was everyone’s ride?” The worker called.
Everyone cheered happily, pulling up to the station where he and John would get on.
“See? They liked it,” John smiled.
“I- I suppose they did,” Paul said. Odd. They liked the feeling that they were about to die? He barely noticed that everyone was getting in now, including John. He just stood there, knees shaking, palms sweaty, and scared.
“Hey Macca, it’s now or never. You got this- time to show that roller coaster who’s boss,” John said sweetly. His voice relaxed Paul, who now started to climb in after him. But his knees gave out, and he tripped over the side. He yelped and closed his eyes. Was he really going to die before he even got on the ride?!
“Woah there, it’s alright,” a voice said, steadying him. He looked up to see that John had caught him in his strong arms and held him tight. Paul blushed madly, part embarrassed, part captivated by John. His cheeks also looked pretty red, but Paul figured it was the heat.
“T-thanks,” he stuttered, standing up. “That was embarrassing,” he nervously said, taking a seat. John probably thought he was such a baby. He would too, so it was valid.
But John didn’t look bothered at all. “That’s alright,” he assured him. “I just didn’t know you were one to take ‘falling for you’ literally,” he smiled.
Paul’s cheeks grew hot and he tried not to let John see- so he quickly buckled his seat belt, pulling it so tight that he almost lost his blood circulation. Dang, he was so hot. And kind, funny, and charming.
“Oh, there’s my friend Ringo!” John pointed. Paul followed his finger but was confused when he saw George with another man.
“What are you talking about? That’s my friend George.”
“THE George?! Wow, I gotta thank him for getting you on this thing.”
“Great, you can do that while I kill him,” Paul chuckled. “So, that’s Ringo? The man with George?”
“Yeah! He’s my friend. He’s not a fan of this ride, he prefers the carnival games. That’s kind of funny, first us, and now our friends! I think they’re hitting it off!”
“Yeah! George looks so happy with him.”
“So does Ringo.”
They watched as the boys laughed and took a seat on a bench, talking away. Paul noticed that George was blushing profoundly, toying with his fingers. A tic of his when he was flirting.
“Looks like my guy has a crush on your guy,” Paul smiled. “But I’m guessing he’s straight?”
“Wow, your gaydar is terrible,” John teased. “Let me guess, you think I’m also straight?”
“Erm, you’re not?”
“I’m bi. So is Ringo. And by the looks of it, he likes your guy too.”
Paul watched as Ringo put his arm around George, gazing into his eyes. They exchanged numbers and talked some more.
“Aww,” they sighed in unison. “So cute.”
Paul couldn’t help but wonder if it was fate. What were the chances?
A worker went around to check all their seats, pulling the lap bar down on Paul’s thighs. “There’s no possible way I can fall out, right?” He nervously asked.
“You’re all good, sir. Are you a little nervous?” She asked, examining John’s seat.
“Well, j-just a little,” he stammered.
“You’ll have fun. I promise. Plus, you’re sitting next to John Lennon. He’s ridden this ride so many times, he’s practically an expert. Take care of him, will ya?” She asked John. He nodded and gave her a thumbs-up.
“Can do, Linda!” She left and went to the control center.
“Exactly how many times have you ridden this? You’re on a first-name basis with the workers!”
“Because I love this ride! As for how many times exactly, I’m not sure… maybe around 50-some times?”
Paul’s eyes widened. “And you still find it fun?! Doesn’t it get boring?”
“So far, not yet. But hey, if I’ve ridden it that many times and I’m not dead yet, I think it’s fine. You’re lucky. The first time is always the best.”
“Maybe…” Paul trailed off. He tried to shake out the sweat from his hands and control his bouncing leg. He barely noticed that the workers were talking, telling them about the ride and how much they’d like it.
He looked over at John, who was quoting the speech word for word. He looked like a bored worker who had given the spiel a million times, adding eye rolls and extensive hand motions. Paul laughed.
It would be okay. John is here, he’s got me, Paul thought over and over. John’s here. Even though he was a stranger, Paul had never trusted someone more.
“And now, who’s ready to ride Beatlemania?!”
The riders cheered. “I can’t hear you!” Linda yelled, getting an even louder cheer. “Alright, alright, I’ll send you all on your way… have fun!” She pressed a button and they were now moving.
Paul squeaked in fear, grabbing the bar tight. They curved around the track and found themselves up a huge hill.
His heart was racing so hard, it was probably about to leap out of his chest. “J-John…” he called out.
“Macca, you’re doing great. If you ever want to, you can grab my hand for comfort- just, erm, a suggestion,” he ranted. “But don’t worry. This is the fun part!”
“Mhm…” he muttered. John is here. He was going to be fine.
The car slowly made its way up the hill, ticking as it did so. Seconds seemed like minutes, and it felt like he’d been climbing forever. But he had to admit, it was a stunning view. The people below them looked like ants, and the rides looked like mere toys. The sun was shining down, and there wasn’t a cloud in sight.
“Gorgeous, isn’t it?” John said.
“Yeah,” he breathed. It surely was a sight for sore eyes. Maybe heights weren’t so bad.
The car continued to tick up the giant hill until they finally reached the top. Paul exhaled a sigh of relief. That part was over. He was still scared as fuck, but it was pretty calm up here.
“See? No lightning,” John told him.
“Yeah! I don’t know what I was so worried ab- AHH!” He screamed. They suddenly were racing down the hill, picking up speed and going at 100 mph. He grabbed John’s hand as tight as he could, closing his eyes. His stomach did a million flips. Oh, why did he do this to himself?!
“YEAHHHH!” John screamed, throwing his hands in the air. There was only one slight problem with that- he was holding Paul’s hand, so now his arms were in the air too, and NOT on the safe bar.
“JOHN!” Paul yelled. They turned a corner tight and now were heading for a loop.
“Eyes open!” John responded. “Come on, Macca! This is fun!”
Paul decided to trust John and opened his eyes. They went upside down twice in a row, which was not nearly as bad as he thought it’d be. His heart was pounding, but he was thrilled. He’d never felt so much on the edge, it was exhilarating. His mouth was wide open, and surprisingly, he was smiling!
The coaster raced around turns, went upside down four more times, and climbed up another hill, though not as tall as the first one.
He joined John and threw his hands in the air, never letting go of John’s hand. He was so excited for the second drop, and the feeling that awaited him.
“Enjoying yourself?” John asked, shocked.
“YES!” Paul exclaimed. “Thank you! I love you! For, umm, making me stay on the ride!” He quickly recovered himself. He definitely wasn’t in love with John, they had only met that day. Yet Paul had never fallen so quickly and so deeply…
“I love you too! Thanks for staying with me! You’re the best stranger I’ve ever been paired with!”
“Aww, you really mean it?”
“Of course I mean-”
The car suddenly raced down the hill, heading towards a tunnel. The boys screamed together and held their still-intertwined fingers in the air. Paul looked at John, who was staring at him… why were his lips so kissable? And how could his heart race even faster than it already was?!
They were suddenly plunged into darkness, earning a cheer from the group. “Yeah!” Paul joined in, almost hoping that the light wouldn’t come back. But they were going so fast, and the ride was probably going to end soon. He squeezed John’s hand, though he wasn’t scared in the slightest.
John responded with a squeeze of his own. And maybe Paul was imagining it, but John moved his thigh closer to his so that they were touching…
Suddenly, they were awoken to the bright sun once again, and were getting ready to do a barrel roll. They both screamed in delight, zooming through the tracks.
“Smile!” John yelled, pointing to a camera. They threw their hands back into the air, trying not the blink at the flashing light.
“Already am!” Paul responded. “My sweet lord, this is amazing!”
“Told you!” John smirked.
There was only one loop left, and then they were done. As expected, the ride sped up and finished in mere seconds. He saw George, taking pictures and winking, with Ringo close next to him. He waved as they turned upside down.
His emotions had changed so fast- first, he was afraid, then apprehensive, then enjoying it. Maybe he would’ve figured it all out on his own, but he was thankful to be a single rider that day.
They pulled into the station, braking gently. “How was everyone’s ride on Beatlemania?” The worker called. Everyone cheered loudly, John and Paul having a shouting match. John probably won; he had a strong voice. As the operators tried to get everything ready again so they could depart, John noticed that he was still holding Paul’s hand. He really loved the way that it fit in his palm perfectly.
Paul was still panting from the thrill, his eyes wide from the excitement. “Macca, your hair-” John laughed. “Looks like you just got out of bed.”
Paul smoothed his hair down. “Thanks. Yours looks just as hectic, the wind really had no mercy on you.”
“It never does,” John fake-sighed. “I will say, that was probably- no, DEFINITELY my favorite time riding it. Other than the first time.”
“Oh… why is that?” Paul asked.
“Because I got to ride an adorable, awkward stranger.”
“God, you always make me blush so damn much,” Paul said.
“AND I got to change your mind. So I was right! You liked it! I told you,” he sang.
Paul didn’t really have a response. He just examined John’s face, from his dark eyes to his lips. He was so handsome and really helped him out today, any other stranger would have not have cared nearly as much as John did.
He quickly hugged him tight, laying his head on his shoulder. “Thank you so, so much,” he whispered. “There’s no one else I’d rather ride this with.”
John was shocked but settled into his embrace with ease. “Of course, Macca. I really like you,” he smiled, glad that Paul couldn’t see his tomato-red face.
Everyone was getting off, so they reluctantly let go and walked out of the exit. Paul took out his phone to see that he had a text from George. It read:
“Dude. First of all, you’re fine, I saw you blushing with that guy. Secondly, his friend is here with me right now and he is smoking hot.” He smiled as he read it, then showed it to John.
“I knew it!” John laughed.
They were deep in conversation about their friends when they saw their picture on the screen. John was smiling big, looking at Paul with elation, his hands way above his head. Paul held his hand, laughing. They took out their phones to take a picture of the picture so they didn’t have to pay, but were caught.
“Hey!” A small Japanese woman called. “You can’t do that!” The boys whipped around to see a young woman with the name tag “Yoko” and John groaned.
“Ugh, her. Run, Macca!”
He took Paul’s hand and they sprinted out of the station, heading towards Ringo and George. The two men were sitting close together on a bench, laughing at something on George’s phone. They finally looked up when they saw John and Paul panting heavily in front of them.
“There they are!” Ringo exclaimed. “How was it?”
“Amazing like always,” John responded.
“Not bad,” Paul added.
“Not bad? Cmon, you loved it a lot more than ‘not bad.’” John remarked.
“Fine, it was bloody amazing!”
“That’s what I thought.”
The four men laughed and got introduced properly. Ringo, actually named Richard, was a pretty cool guy. George and John got introduced, and it seemed that all four immediately hit it off.
“Where are you guys headed?” Ringo asked. His eyes never left George as he spoke, toying with the rings on his fingers.
“I want food,” George said. “Erm, would you guys like to join Paul and I?”
“Yes!” Ringo and John replied immediately. George and Paul exchanged glances and smiled- it looked like these boys wouldn’t be strangers for much longer.
George and Ringo took the lead, their fingers brushing every few seconds. Paul and John followed, getting to know each other better. Both secretly hoped that they wouldn’t say the wrong thing, because they were already deeply in love with each other.
“So… are you musically inclined?” Paul asked, mentally kicking himself. What kind of question was that? He should’ve asked for his favorite color, animal, food- just anything else!
“Oh! Indeed I am. I’m a singer-songwriter and play guitar. Ringo and I have jam sessions occasionally, he plays the drums. We really want to form a band, but no one is interested. Especially since we only really like British invasion rock.”
This was music to Paul’s ears. “You’re joking.”
“No…?”
“George and I play rock too! I’m a bassist, and Geroge is a boss at guitar. We’ve also been looking for members!”
“No way.”
“Yes way!”
“Macca, that’s great!” John exclaimed. “Let’s form a band! God, how did this happen? How did I get so lucky to meet you?”
“Mmm, you won’t think you’re so lucky once you get to know me. I’ve been told I’m very annoying,” Paul teased.
“Please. I’m very attracted to men who claim they’re annoying. They turn out to be the most interesting ones.”
“Does that mean you’re attracted to me?” Paul asked, blushing madly.
“Did I not make that clear?” John smiled genuinely. “I find you fascinating, adorable, and quite clever. You’re all I- hang on, are you blushing??”
“Well, that’s your fault! You gotta stop smiling at me like that, I can’t stop it when you look at me in that way!”
“You adorable mess. Whatever will I do with you?”
Oh, Paul had LOTS of ideas of what John could do to him. “Maybe-”
“If you lovebirds could stop flirting back there, you would notice that we’re here,” George cut in. Paul and John finally looked away from each other and saw that they were in front of a small restaurant selling fish and chips.
“You’re calling US lovebirds? Look who’s holding hands,” John remarked. George and Ringo turned bright red but did not let go.
Ringo held the door open for them and they entered, taking a seat. They immediately started working on plans for their rock band, The Quarrymen (Which would later be named the Beatles, after the ride that Paul and John rode). None of them could have predicted that they would make it big and later become the biggest band in history, reviving British Invasion Rock. Nor could they imagine that George and Ringo as well as Paul and John would actually get married, coming back to the amusement park every year for their anniversaries.
Paul especially would never fathom that at the end of that very day, he would be in John’s sweater, kissing him on the top of the Ferris Wheel underneath the bright stars.
For now, they would eat their fish and chips and ride some more roller coasters, spending the first day of the rest of their lives together.