Until You Met Me

“Are you sure that you’re not upset that I have to leave early?”

Molly pulled her eyes away from the mirror in her hand, diverting her stare towards Gerard who was stood next to her, watching her with a nervous smile on his face. He didn’t want to leave early. He wanted to spend the night celebrating her birthday like he had done for years, but an early flight for an away match the following morning meant that he had to duck out early, and he was dreading it, even if Molly had kept insisting that she understood. The prospect of not watching her face light up when someone brought out the birthday cake left him slightly upset. He loved seeing her surrounded by people who adored her, and he knew that it would feel even better that night, even if no one else knew what was happening between them. He knew that that smile that he adored would be just a little more about him than usual, and he kind of hated that he wouldn’t be able to enjoy it for longer.

“It’s not a first” Molly replied “And I would rather it was this way round. Do you remember what happened at my 21st birthday party?” she added, flashing him a slightly teasing grin.

Gerard chuckled as he reached out, smoothing out the wayward hair that Molly had been trying to adjust. “You mean, do I remember you vomiting in my car despite insisting that you weren’t drunk?” he asked.

“I do” Molly confirmed “At least this way around, you’re here before it gets out of hand. Besides, I’d rather have you here for a little while than not at all. I will take what I can get” she added.

Gerard searched her face for a second before he cracked a reluctant smile. “You’re very cute, do you know that?” he quipped.

Molly didn’t hesitate to nod her head. “I do” she confirmed “I am amazed that you’re just noticing it now” she added before she pushed the car door open and climbed out.

Gerard hung back for a second, smiling to himself, before he followed after her, stuffing his hands into his pockets in order to stop himself from reaching for hers. He wanted to. He wanted to do a lot of little things that showed off the change in their relationship, but he knew that it was something that had to wait.

It felt good. Their first date had gone better than he had expected, and the interactions that had followed had felt easy and comfortable, but there were other things that they still needed to work out, and he knew that involving anyone else before they knew what they were doing themselves would only make things complicated. They needed time. They needed to ease into things, and if it meant avoiding being caught holding Molly’s hand until she could kiss him without hesitating, then he would happily wait. He wanted what they had between to flourish.

~#~
Quirking a small smile, Gerard ducked his head, shrugging his jacket onto his shoulders as he tried to keep his stare off of Molly who was stood a little away from him, talking to Ava and Jack. He knew he’d done a terrible job. In the hour that they had been inside of her sister’s house, Molly had caught him watching her a handful of times, but he was hopeful that no one else had noticed. He hoped that everyone around them thought that everything between them was normal.

Taking a second, he wiped the giddy grin off of his face before he walked towards Molly, the tips of his fingers subtly brushing against the small of her back before he dropped his hand back to his side. “Hi” he said.

Molly looked up at him, playfully narrowing her eyes slightly. “Is it time for you to head out?” she asked.

Gerard’s lips quirked amusedly before he nodded his head, but before he could say anything, Ava let out a squeal. Depositing her drink in Jack’s hand, she padded away from the group for a moment before she reappeared, pulling a man along with her. “You remember Sam, don’t you, Molly?” she asked.

“I...Uh...Yes, I do” Molly stumbled out “Sam. Hi” she added.

Sam flashed her a slightly bashful grin. “Hi” he said “Happy birthday” he added.

“Thanks” Molly squeaked.

“Drink?” Jack said, patting his brother’s shoulder.

Sam nodded before followed Jack away, something Molly watched for a moment before she turned back to Ava, a frown on her face. “Ava?” she prodded.

Ava smiled impishly. “I know you think he’s cute” she said “And this way, there’s not the pressure on it. He’s just here. You can talk, flirt or whatever. It doesn’t have to be awkward” she added.

Molly opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, acutely aware that Gerard was stood at her side, before she let out a quiet sigh and flashed Ava a small placating smile. Ava grinned in response before she padded away, announcing that she would bring Sam back over when he had a drink.

For a moment after Ava had disappeared, neither Gerard or Molly spoke, but eventually, Molly slowly turned to look up at him. “Gerard...”

“Sam is cute” Gerard interrupted, a sharp grin on his face.

“Not as cute as you?” Molly asked rather than stated with a weak smile.

Gerard just stared at her, something which caused Molly to shake her head. “I didn’t ask her to invite him” she said “In fact, I was pretty clear that I wasn’t interested in another set up. I told her that I had some stuff that I needed to figure out, and that I was going to take a step back. I didn’t ask for this, Gerard” she insisted.

“So why not tell her that?” Gerard prodded.

“What?” Molly asked.

“Why not tell her off for sticking her nose in?” Gerard pressed “Why not tell her that she is over stepping?” he added.

“She’s only trying to help” Molly countered “She doesn’t know that she’s not” she added, her expression growing soft.

Gerard opened and closed his mouth a couple of times, trying to stop himself from saying something he regretted, before finally he fixed a pained smile on his face. He knew that she had a point. They had decided to keep things between them, and that was a decision that meant that Ava had no idea that bringing Sam was going to upset him, but the logic of the argument had done little to ease the frustration he felt. He was annoyed that Ava had bought Sam, and that Molly hadn’t said anything to her about it. He didn’t know what he wanted her to say, but he had wanted something.

“I’ve got to go” Gerard said, his voice clipped.

“Gerard” Molly protested.

Gerard leant over and kissed her cheek softly. “Happy birthday” he said “Have fun with Sam” he added before he walked away.

Molly wanted to follow him, but before she had the chance, someone tugged on her arm and pulled her into a hug, wishing her a happy birthday, allowing Gerard to disappear without another word.