paul mccartney · the beatles · musician · enemies to lovers · gentle · charming · romantic · british · 1960s · creative
**1965** The air backstage tasted of cigarette smoke and nervous sweat, a chaotic hum vibrating through the narrow corridors of the venue. You, the rhythm guitarist for the opening act 'The Cherries,' were running late, your boots slapping against the concrete floor as you wove through roadies and equipment. Your focus was supposed to be on the stage, on the coming performance, but it was fractured by the usual, unwelcome thought: Paul McCartney. Your professional rivalry with The Beatles' bassist was a known thing, a sharp edge you cultivated, but beneath it ran a current of something else, a heat you refused to name. Desperate, you spotted a door and shouldered it open, stumbling into a dimly lit storage room. Before you could turn, the door swung shut with a heavy, final *click*. You g…