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It was a beautiful wedding.
A spectacular celebration, of love a second time over, for both the bride and groom.
Many famous faces appeared at this showcase of commitment, but also extravagance. Paul McCartney, and George Harrison were in attendance of course, as they watched with their current wives, the drummer of their old band, Ringo Starr wed the lovely actress and model, Barbara Bach.
The ceremony was beautiful and touching, and the party afterwards was just wild.
Food was abundant, the décor extravagant, and the entertainment could be no finer.
That is because Paul McCartney was soon on the piano, playing everything to his heart's content. George Harrison added his own touch, by playing for the bride and groom a private song he wrote just for them.
Everything was free spirited, and joyous, but despite the smiling faces, there were three empty seats, shadowed by a tragedy less than a year old.
John Lennon, the leader of the old band, had been murdered just five months prier.
No one said anything, but the lack of John’s presence, along with his wife Yoko and John’s youngest son Sean, who were alive, but still in mourning over the recent loss, was felt deeply by the three remaining Beatles.
At the end of the night, when the guest departed, and the surviving members of the former Fab Four, gather for the first time in years, the lingering trio found themselves awkwardly silent.
A reunion was indeed anticipated, but sadly, could never truly be.
John’s loss was too strong to ignore.
Now with the festivities at their completion, the old friends took refuge at the bar, as they began to settle down from the entire ordeal.
Ringo Starr was already intoxicated before the party ended, and wasn’t slowing down, stayed with the lads briefly, but made his way to his marital bed, before he couldn’t walk any more.
Lovingly, he conveyed his affections to the other two, then made his way to the honeymoon suite of the grand hotel, which housed the bar George and Paul were drinking at.
Now alone, the two sat quietly together, until George aroused from his stool, and walked over to the jukebox.
Paul could hear the coin falling in the machine, before John Lennon’s “Imagine,” began to play.
Instantly Paul turned around, only to find Harrison right in front of him now.
“Let’s not pretend you don’t miss him.” The youngest Beatle, who was now thirty-eight years old, observed his friend.
Paul’s instinct was to leap from his seat and run, but George was in front of the suddenly anxious man, as he naturally sought to escape.
Tears were creeping around McCartney’s eyes, causing the brown color to wash away to a lime green.
The lead guitarist could tell this upon his old friend's face.
“Come on.” George then spoke, taking a physical hold of McCartney’s hand. “Rich provided us a room for ourselves.” He further explained, as he directed the bedazzled bassist to the lift.
“But Linda,” Paul managed to utter, as the doors of the mobile room opened. The bassist was talking about his wife of the past twelve years, Linda McCartney, who was expecting her husband back tonight, since there was no John to reconnect with.
“Olivia is having her stay at our room, to watch movies on the VHS.” Harrison assured, as they traveled to their floor. “Linda is being told that we will be hanging out for the night, to reminisce.” Then the doors swung open, and the two men stepped out, with George guiding his friend to the room.
Behind closed doors, the pair were greeted by a couch, and a television set. A standard parlor, with a door leading to a single bedroom. Paul made a silent note of that, but didn’t bring it up.
Instead, he paced across the room they entered, shaking his head.
“I hate lying to Linda.” He finally blurted out.
“What lie?” George asked, as he approached his friend, cornering the stressed man, forcing the pacing to stop.
“We are hanging out,” Harrison pointed out. “And we’re also reminiscing,” he said as he reached in for a kiss.
However, Paul pulled away. He had been expecting this. In fact, the bassist was positive there was only one bed behind the door of the bedroom.
“No!” he stated sharply. “I’m never doing that again!” the anxious man declared.
“Don’t be ridiculous.” George argued. “You are bisexual like the rest of us. You love being with the entire group.”
“I loved being with John!” Paul blurted out, with tears coming down his face.
Then suddenly, McCartney found himself in his companion’s arms, being kissed tenderly upon the cheek.
“There it is.” Harrison said, using the same line the departed Lennon would say to Paul, when he finally opened up about what was truly bothering him. This only intensified the waterworks, streaming down the once baby face, now becoming longer and thinner each day.
Soon the bassist heard a door open and saw the large king size bed awaiting them.
“No!” the struggling one protested, determined not to be seduced.
‘Easy.” George soothed gently. “I’m just going to hold you.” Then looking into the weeping eyes, Harrison further added. “The same way you held me, when I was struggling.”
The lead guitarist was referring to an incident which happened decades gone by. When there were still four of them, and they were together as the Beatles.
After John and Paul came out as a couple to the rest of the band, the now departed Lennon had aggressively introduced the youngest band member to queer sex, causing a confused Harrison to have what is now known as a mental breakdown.
He and John had patched things up between them shortly after the incident, and the lead guitarists harbored no ill will towards the tragic figure. However, it was Paul who helped a shattered and frightened George get off the first time since the incident. McCartney also cuddled and comforted the once broken lad, as George painfully accepted his attraction towards his band mates.
Paul immediately understood the reference. A memory he had avoided thinking about for years. Yet McCartney could vividly recall the entire holiday he and George shared, when they were in their early twenties.
A time which seemed fleeting, because it was.
“Come on Paulie,” George added softly, “you needn’t be strong.” Then lifting the chin up with his long fingers, much like John used to do, he continued.
“There are no cameras,” he warmly assured, “no one is here, and I made sure the shades were down, before you entered the room.” The strummer noted of his due diligence.
“No one can see us, and besides Ringo, no one knows we’re here.” Harrison promised with the entirety of his soul.
Regardless of the dispute the pair have harbored for two decades, George knew there were plenty of reasons to seek validation for his pride.
However, John’s death made the younger man passive to the band member he had the most difficulty with.
In the end, he still loved this man, despite his arrogance!
Soon the odd couple reached the bed, and both removed their shoes, while each were taking their side of the mattress.
Yet, when both men had comfortably laid down, George reached over and held his companion in his arms.
“No sex!” Paul immediately insisted.
“No sex.” George agreed, stroking his trembling mate's head. “I’m just here for you.” He insisted. “Ease up mate.” Harrison added with a peck upon the trembling brow before him.
“Come on,” the younger of the two pressed. “You can talk to me. I won’t use John against you. I promise I will never do that, no matter how much you might piss me off.” He said with a smile, trying to lighten the mood.
Paul gazed up as he listened, and then shyly ducked down when it was over. He snuggled into the inviting chest, having not been close to a man, since before John died.
“I miss him.” McCartney finally blurted out, but that was obvious, and he knew it as he uttered those words.
Then George’s arms squeezed the anxious one close and tight.
“Go on.” The stronger one instructed.
“There’s a black hole in me soul now.” The living McLennon finally confessed.
“I managed to avoid thinking about him.” Paul went on. “I drank meself to a stumper for the holidays, but then suddenly losing him hit me on Valentine’s Day.
“I wasn’t drinking too that day, because I had to drive. When we arrived at our destination, I returned to the car and broke down.” The bassist was saying when George interjected.
“You couldn’t do that even in front of Linda?” the lead guitarists inquired, shocked by this revelation.
“I haven’t told her about our affairs.” McCartney admitted somberly. “She knows every single thing I did, with every bird I could remember, but I didn’t tell her about us!”
“Why?” Harrison pressed.
“You act like it’s an easy thing to do!” Paul shot back.
“I told Olivia the night before I married her.” George told his companion. “Because I knew if she truly was the one, this would not matter and she would not interfere.”
“She knows it was possible I might make love to you tonight.” The strummer offered again.
“It might be healing.” He further noted his suggestion.
“No!” the man with his head buried in another man’s chest confessed.
“John was the first and last man I slept with.” The bassist lamented. “I want it to remain that way.”
“That’s ridiculous!” Harrison dismissed. “John wouldn’t want you to hold yourself back.”
Then George lifted Paul’s face, cupping the once round cheeks in his hands.
“You’re being stubborn.” The younger musician observed. “You still have me and Richey,” he added, then kissed McCartney’s forehead again.
“John wouldn’t want you to give us up.” George continued. “We were never monogamous with each other.”
“I can’t without John.” Paul insisted. “I needed him to sort this madness out.”
“You should tell Linda.” Harrison pressed back. “You can’t keep on carrying this alone.” He said, as he cuddled his friend's head back to his chest.
“I can’t bring meself to tell her what I did.” The bassist insisted
“You don’t need to tell her every little thing.” George responded back. “Just let her know you had a fling with us, and we still meet up once in a while for that.” He further elaborated in his own connection with his current wife
“Olivia has been nothing but understanding.” The man married not even three years yet informed the man married twelve.
“Linda is different.” Paul insisted. “Telling her what we did would break her heart.”
“You need to stop being afraid.” Harrison noted. “John would tell you that.” The lead guitarists further emphasized.
“I need to put this behind me.” McCartney declared.
“You still like being in a man’s chest.” George noted of his mate cowering over his heart.
That’s when the tears suddenly flowed from those ocean-colored eyes, nestled in his friends embrace.
Instantly George squeezed Paul tight, as the weeping man hid in the lover’s breast he rejected.
“I miss him!” the bassist just whispered.
“I know.” Harrison soothed, as he kissed the top of his friend's head.