Until You Met Me

Carefully smoothing a wayward hair off of Molly’s face, Gerard quirked a sleepy smile, the tips of his finger ghosting over her face almost in disbelief at the fact that she was laying in the same bed as him. He knew that it wasn’t a first, that they had fallen asleep next to each other before, but that fact didn’t stop the smile from forming, nor did it stop him from staying there, marvelling at her. It felt more significant. He had offered Molly the spare bedroom that she often stayed in, and she had turned it down in favour of sleeping next to him, something which had made him laugh, still a little awed by the idea that they were something more than the friends they’d been forever. It felt strange, but Gerard was sure that it was the best kind of strange.

Dropping his hand back onto the duvet, he toyed with the idea of waking her for a moment before he opted against it. Pulling the duvet off of himself, he swung his feet to the floor before he felt a soft tug at the back of his t-shirt, something which caused him to huff out a laugh. Glancing over his shoulder, he watched Molly pull at his t-shirt again before he leant backwards, settling his head on her stomach. “I was trying to leave you to sleep” he said softly.

“Do you have to?” Molly mumbled, playing with his hair.

Gerard closed his eyes at her touch. “Do I have to what?” he asked.

“Be anywhere” Molly clarified “Can’t we just stay here for a little while?” she asked.

Gerard’s lips quirked upwards into a soft smile. “I’ve not got anywhere to be” he said “I just thought that you might appreciate the chance to sleep in. I can stay if you want me to” he added.

Molly nodded her head, causing Gerard to shuffle back towards his pillow. When he had laid down again, he offered her a teasing grin, something that caused Molly to scoff before she gently kicked his leg beneath the duvet. “You know, you don’t get to tease me about liking a guy when that guy is you” she quipped.

“I’m not teasing” Gerard retorted impishly “I just don’t think I pictured you as the lazy Sunday mornings in bed type” he added.

“Is it disappointing?” Molly asked.

Gerard didn’t hesitate to shake his head. “No” he said “I actually kind of like that there are things I don’t know about you. Don’t get me wrong, I love that I know as much about you as I do, but I also like the idea that you can still surprise me” he added.

Molly lifted her head off of her pillow so that she could lean over and press a soft kiss to the corner of his lips. “I look forwards to learning more about you, too” she murmured.

Gerard’s arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close to him for a while, before they both flinched, surprised by the sound of Molly’s phone ringing from its spot on the end table. Letting out a soft sigh, she untangled herself from their embrace before she moved to answer it, pressing it to her ear as she moved to cuddle into his side again. “Ava” she mumbled sleepily “You know that it’s barely nine in the morning, don’t you?” she added.

Gerard gently twirled a piece of Molly’s hair around his finger, something which caused her to smile softly. She wasn’t surprised by how comfortable they were around one another, but it was still enough to make her smile.

“I am sorry for calling so early” Ava replied “It’s just that Jack and I are supposed to be having breakfast with Sam, and I was wondering if you wanted to come along. I know you spent some time talking with him the other night, and he asked about you, so I thought it was a good idea. What do you say?” she asked.

Molly let out a quiet sigh, something which caused Gerard to frown. “What’s up?” he asked.

Molly mumbled an excuse to Ava before she muted the call. “Ava wants me to get breakfast” she mumbled.

“Do you want to go?” Gerard asked “You can. We can do this some other time” he added, gesturing between the two of them.

“She’s having breakfast with Sam” Molly admitted.

The faint teasing smile on Gerard’s smile faded slightly, something which caused Molly to shake her head quickly. “I am just trying to think of what to tell her” she said “I need to tell her that I am not interested in Sam. I just don’t know how” she added.

“I’ll tell her for you” Gerard quipped, flashing her a smirk.

Molly offered him a flat look before she shook her head, taking the call off of mute. “Ava, I need to tell you something” she murmured “I...I can’t go out with Sam, or anyone else you might have in mind. I’m seeing someone” she admitted.

Gerard’s forehead creased, but before he could ask Molly what she was doing, she waved a hand, telling him to give her a moment.

“You are?” Ava squeaked “Who is he?” she asked.

“I met him recently” Molly replied “Feels like I have known him forever, though. It’s really new, so I want to keep it to myself whilst we figure stuff out, but I really like him, Ava” she added, her eyes meeting Gerard’s.

Gerard’s entire face lit up, something which made Molly smile too.

“I...I didn’t know” Ava spluttered.

“It’s OK” Molly said “You were only trying to help, and I appreciate it, but I want to see where this goes, so that means...”

“No more setups” Ava interrupted “Of course not. I am so sorry for bringing Sam to your party” she added.

“I should have told you sooner” Molly said “It’s just...It was sort of a surprise, and I am still trying to get my head around it” she added.

“I hope it works out for you” Ava cooed gently “You deserve to be happy” she added before she mumbled a quick goodbye and ended the call.

Molly leant out of bed to place the phone down onto the end table before she turned back to Gerard, finding him watching her with a wide smile stretched across his face. “What?” she asked.

“How much time do you think we have before she starts trying to get my name out of you?” Gerard prodded.

“She’ll try the next time I see her” Molly answered as she moved to rest her head against Gerard’s chest “I think I can keep it to myself for a little while, though. I want this to be just me and you for a while” she added.

Gerard gently laced their hands together before he brought them to his lips, allowing him to softly kiss the tips of Molly’s fingers. “Sounds good to me” he murmured softly.