Until You Met Me
One
Slumping into the sofa cushions, Molly turned the television on, setting the volume on low so that it filled the otherwise quiet living room with a soft hum of noise. She had no intention of watching it. After she had finished texting Ava, telling her that the date that she had set her up on had been another bust, she fully intended to curl up and fall asleep, but she found the noise comforting and it was what she needed. For a little while, she just wanted to sit and reflect on another night she had wasted. He had been perfect on paper. Molly and Ava, along with their other friends, had gone through all of the things that Ava knew about him, and a lot of his traits aligned with Molly’s, but when she had been sat in front of him, there had been no chemistry, and a night that she had been looking forwards to had quickly transformed into one she couldn’t wait to be over.
Kicking her feet up onto the sofa, she reclined into a pillow as she typed out a reply to Ava’s text before she let the phone drop into the space next to her, huffing out a tired sigh. She had expected that a lot would happen quickly. After taking some time to get over her last boyfriend, and the slightly messy end of their relationship, she had asked Ava and their other friends to try and set her up with someone new, and she had thought that that would be it. She had thought that she would meet someone, someone she could click with, someone she liked being around, but she knew now that she had been naive to expect that it would happen easily. She had let her hopes get too high and kept finding herself disappointed.
Squeezing her eyes closed, she ignored the buzz of her phone, choosing to focus instead on the soft murmur of the television.
“You don’t live here”
Molly’s lips quirked upwards into a slight smile before she blinked her eyes open, focusing on Gerard who stood over the sofa. “Gerard” she greeted.
Gerard, who was trying, and failing, to stop himself from smirking back at her, shook his head. “I am seriously considering taking my spare key back” he quipped.
Molly scoffed as she sat up, making space for him next to her. “It’s an empty threat” she quipped “You’ve been making it for years, and I still have my key. You need to come up with something new” she added.
Gerard let out a laugh before he filled the space she had made for him. Propping his arm on the back of the sofa, he allowed Molly to cuddle into his side before he moved it around her shoulders, his hand softly rubbing the top of her arm. “Date night?” he asked.
“Date night” Molly confirmed quietly.
Gerard nodded his head slowly before he turned, pressing a kiss to Molly’s hair. It wasn’t the first time. In the handful of months that Molly had been asking her friends to set her up, she had appeared in his living room like she had that night a few times, and each time Gerard had done the same thing. He had sat with her, asked the questions she wanted to answer, and tried to reassure her that, eventually, it would work out. It was what she wanted to hear, and he was happy to say it if only to see her roll her eyes at him and smile.
“What was wrong with him?” Gerard asked.
“There wasn’t anything wrong with him” Molly answered “He was nice” she added.
“So nice that you’re here, moping in my living room?” Gerard’s voice was playful, but his smile was softer around the edges.
Molly let out a soft huff of a laugh before she shrugged. “I don’t know what else to say” she said “We just didn’t hit it off like I thought we would. We had a lot in common, or at least, Ava thought we did, but dinner felt stilted” she added.
“First dates can be like that” Gerard commented “You were both probably nervous. It might be different second time around” he added.
“He didn’t ask for a second date” Molly mused “And honestly? I was a little relieved he didn’t” she added, looking up at Gerard.
Gerard huffed out a playful sigh, something which caused Molly’s lips to quirk upwards before she shook her head, laughing quietly to herself. Tucking herself into his side, she felt her smile fade a little before she let out a quiet sigh. “Say the thing” she murmured.
“What thing?” Gerard asked.
“The thing you always say” Molly answered “I know I always scoff at you when you say it, but I just...Can you say it for me?” she asked.
For a moment, Gerard thought about rolling his eyes and saying something to tease her, but something in her voice stopped him. Instead, he tightened his arm around her shoulders and leant over, kissing the top of her head again. “You’re going to meet someone amazing someday” he murmured into her hair “Maybe it’ll be the next guy, maybe it won’t be, but I don’t doubt that someone amazing is going to be lucky enough to find you eventually. I mean, Ava’s probably got more friends, right?” he added.
Molly’s laugh, despite being slightly shaky, was warm and happy. “I don’t know about that” she quipped “I probably haven’t told you about all of my awful first dates in the last eight months” she added.
Gerard scoffed, watching as Molly plucked a loose thread off of her dress. “You mean to tell me that you mope on other people’s sofas too?” he said indignantly “You’ve been cheating on me!” he protested.
Molly couldn’t stop herself from giggling as she shook her head. “I’m sorry it had to come out this way” she played along “I sometimes mope on Ava’s sofa, too, and even Sofia’s sometimes too. I am so sorry” she added.
Gerard laughed quietly into her hair, allowing a moment of quiet to pass between the two of them, before Molly gently patted his thigh, tugging herself out of their embrace. “Can I stay in the spare room?” she asked, turning back to collect her phone from its spot on the sofa.
“Of course” Gerard answered “You know where everything is” he added.
Molly flashed him a tired smile. “Thanks” she said “Night” she added with a lazy wave before she disappeared up the stairs.
Gerard’s eyes followed her out of the room before he allowed his head to fall back against the sofa and the sigh that had been building up since Molly had cuddled into his side to escape. He kept waiting for it to stop, for the strange knot that appeared in his stomach whenever she was nearby to stop occurring, but it had been years, and it hadn’t yet. He was starting to think it would always happen.
Kicking her feet up onto the sofa, she reclined into a pillow as she typed out a reply to Ava’s text before she let the phone drop into the space next to her, huffing out a tired sigh. She had expected that a lot would happen quickly. After taking some time to get over her last boyfriend, and the slightly messy end of their relationship, she had asked Ava and their other friends to try and set her up with someone new, and she had thought that that would be it. She had thought that she would meet someone, someone she could click with, someone she liked being around, but she knew now that she had been naive to expect that it would happen easily. She had let her hopes get too high and kept finding herself disappointed.
Squeezing her eyes closed, she ignored the buzz of her phone, choosing to focus instead on the soft murmur of the television.
“You don’t live here”
Molly’s lips quirked upwards into a slight smile before she blinked her eyes open, focusing on Gerard who stood over the sofa. “Gerard” she greeted.
Gerard, who was trying, and failing, to stop himself from smirking back at her, shook his head. “I am seriously considering taking my spare key back” he quipped.
Molly scoffed as she sat up, making space for him next to her. “It’s an empty threat” she quipped “You’ve been making it for years, and I still have my key. You need to come up with something new” she added.
Gerard let out a laugh before he filled the space she had made for him. Propping his arm on the back of the sofa, he allowed Molly to cuddle into his side before he moved it around her shoulders, his hand softly rubbing the top of her arm. “Date night?” he asked.
“Date night” Molly confirmed quietly.
Gerard nodded his head slowly before he turned, pressing a kiss to Molly’s hair. It wasn’t the first time. In the handful of months that Molly had been asking her friends to set her up, she had appeared in his living room like she had that night a few times, and each time Gerard had done the same thing. He had sat with her, asked the questions she wanted to answer, and tried to reassure her that, eventually, it would work out. It was what she wanted to hear, and he was happy to say it if only to see her roll her eyes at him and smile.
“What was wrong with him?” Gerard asked.
“There wasn’t anything wrong with him” Molly answered “He was nice” she added.
“So nice that you’re here, moping in my living room?” Gerard’s voice was playful, but his smile was softer around the edges.
Molly let out a soft huff of a laugh before she shrugged. “I don’t know what else to say” she said “We just didn’t hit it off like I thought we would. We had a lot in common, or at least, Ava thought we did, but dinner felt stilted” she added.
“First dates can be like that” Gerard commented “You were both probably nervous. It might be different second time around” he added.
“He didn’t ask for a second date” Molly mused “And honestly? I was a little relieved he didn’t” she added, looking up at Gerard.
Gerard huffed out a playful sigh, something which caused Molly’s lips to quirk upwards before she shook her head, laughing quietly to herself. Tucking herself into his side, she felt her smile fade a little before she let out a quiet sigh. “Say the thing” she murmured.
“What thing?” Gerard asked.
“The thing you always say” Molly answered “I know I always scoff at you when you say it, but I just...Can you say it for me?” she asked.
For a moment, Gerard thought about rolling his eyes and saying something to tease her, but something in her voice stopped him. Instead, he tightened his arm around her shoulders and leant over, kissing the top of her head again. “You’re going to meet someone amazing someday” he murmured into her hair “Maybe it’ll be the next guy, maybe it won’t be, but I don’t doubt that someone amazing is going to be lucky enough to find you eventually. I mean, Ava’s probably got more friends, right?” he added.
Molly’s laugh, despite being slightly shaky, was warm and happy. “I don’t know about that” she quipped “I probably haven’t told you about all of my awful first dates in the last eight months” she added.
Gerard scoffed, watching as Molly plucked a loose thread off of her dress. “You mean to tell me that you mope on other people’s sofas too?” he said indignantly “You’ve been cheating on me!” he protested.
Molly couldn’t stop herself from giggling as she shook her head. “I’m sorry it had to come out this way” she played along “I sometimes mope on Ava’s sofa, too, and even Sofia’s sometimes too. I am so sorry” she added.
Gerard laughed quietly into her hair, allowing a moment of quiet to pass between the two of them, before Molly gently patted his thigh, tugging herself out of their embrace. “Can I stay in the spare room?” she asked, turning back to collect her phone from its spot on the sofa.
“Of course” Gerard answered “You know where everything is” he added.
Molly flashed him a tired smile. “Thanks” she said “Night” she added with a lazy wave before she disappeared up the stairs.
Gerard’s eyes followed her out of the room before he allowed his head to fall back against the sofa and the sigh that had been building up since Molly had cuddled into his side to escape. He kept waiting for it to stop, for the strange knot that appeared in his stomach whenever she was nearby to stop occurring, but it had been years, and it hadn’t yet. He was starting to think it would always happen.