Until You Met Me

Twenty Three

“Do you want to try and say that again so we might believe you?”

Molly, who’d diverted her stare down to the floor, let out a quiet scoff, but made no attempt to glance over at her sister who was watching her, waiting for her to react. She knew just how unconvincing she had sounded. When her mother had asked her directly about Gerard, Molly’s first instinct had been to deny it, not entirely sure what Julia and Poppy had seen, but she knew that she hadn’t come close to sounding convincing, and she knew that that meant that there was no point in denying it again. Her mother and sister had seen through her, and she knew that lying wouldn’t make it better.

“Molly?” Julia’s voice was soft, coaxing Molly to glance over at her.

“Why were you looking at my messages?” Molly complained softly “It’s my phone, mama. You had no right to be looking at it” she added.

Julia looked at her apologetically. “It buzzed and I looked at it out of instinct. I am sorry” she said “I didn’t mean to read it, but when I saw all of the little emojis, I just...Is there something you want to tell us?” she asked.

Molly hesitated for a moment, her eyes flitting back and forth between her mother and sister, before she slowly nodded her head. “Gerard is...He’s my boyfriend. He has been for a few weeks” she confirmed.

Julia tried, but failed, to stop the grin from spreading across her face, something which made Molly shake her head, her cheeks flushing red. It was a big part of the reason that they had waited to tell people. Their families were close, their mothers had been friends for years, but both Molly and Gerard had been scared that if they let people in on what was happening between the two of them too soon, they would get overexcited and inadvertently put pressure on the two of them to move things forwards before they were ready to. They both knew that they would mean well. Their friends and families would only want to see the two of them happy, but they were worried that it would make things harder. They were scared that once it was no longer just the two of them that knew what was happening, then there was a greater risk of things going wrong.

“Please, don’t smile at me like that” Molly protested.

Julia let out a surprised laugh. “Like what?” she asked.

“Like this is the best news ever” Molly clarified.

Julia’s forehead furrowed slightly. “Isn’t it good news?” she asked “I mean, is it so bad that I am excited for you?” she added.

Molly shook her head, exhaling a slightly shaky breath. “No, of course it isn’t” she replied “I just...I am worried that people are going to start getting ahead of themselves. I have known Gerard for a very long time, but this...us as a couple is really new and I just...I don’t know. I think I am still getting my head around it, and I don’t want you to start talking about family dinners and things like that just because it’s Gerard. Does that make any kind of sense?” she added, offering her mother a slightly pained smile.

Julia was quiet for a moment, causing Poppy to push herself to her feet and pull her sister’s attention to her. “Who told who?” she asked.

Molly let out an embarrassed laugh, but spared Poppy a grateful look for her attempt to break the silence. “I told him” she admitted “We were having a disagreement, and before I knew it, I’d said it. I ran back here, and he followed. We talked, and then we had our first date. It was amazing” she added.

Poppy lifted her eyebrows. “Why was it amazing?” she asked.

“It was us” Molly answered “He’d come up with something that was unique and special to the both of us, and it was just...it was just really great” she added, trying, and failing, to stifle her slightly giddy smile.

Poppy smiled back at her, but before she could say anything else, Julia stood up and walked towards Molly, gently gathering her hands into hers. “Firstly, can I say how excited I am for you?” she asked.

“Mama...”

“Please?” Julia interrupted gently “Let me just talk for a minute, OK?” she asked.

Molly closed her mouth and nodded her head, offering her mother a slightly shy smile.

Julia smiled back at her gently. “He’s a lovely man” she said gently “And I am not entirely surprised that the two of you have ended up trying things out. You have always had a kind of chemistry, and it’s always been obvious that you adore each other, so I am glad that you’re exploring it, but if you think that I am going to push you both, just because he’s someone I have known since he was a child, then you’re wrong” she added.

“Mama” Molly protested gently. She didn’t want her mother to think that she thought she was going to poke her nose in, she just wanted her to know that she was being cautious. Things were going well and she didn’t want that to change.

“I just want you to be happy” Julia insisted “And I know that I have to let you do things in your way, and in your time. Do I want to call Gerard’s mother and talk about how cute the two of you are? Of course I do, but I will wait until you and Gerard are ready for that. I just want to know one thing. How are things going?” she asked.

Molly’s expression brightened with a soft smile before she ducked her head, hiding it shyly. “They’re going very well” she admitted “I mean, mostly things are the same. We’re just us, but there’s this new level of affection, and it just...it’s a strange, but really good feeling. A lot things I thought would be weird, aren’t, and the things that are a little new, I am starting to get used to. It’s still really early days, but...”

“But it’s good?” Julia finished for her.

Molly nodded. “Yeah” she confirmed “It is” she added.

Julia smiled at her warmly before she stepped forwards, wrapping her in a soft hug. “Then I am thrilled for you” she mused “Poppy, go and see if your sister has a bottle of wine in the fridge to celebrate” she added.

Poppy nodded and padded out of the room, returning moments later with a bottle of white wine and three glasses in her hand. Julia stepped forwards and helped Poppy to set out the glasses, something which afforded Molly the chance to swipe her phone off of the table and type out a quick text to Gerard, letting him know that her mother and sister knew, before she joined them, giggling at something Poppy had said. They would have to tell other people. Julia wouldn’t be able to keep it to herself, no matter what she said, and whilst her mother’s reassurances had eased it slightly, Molly couldn’t completely shake the knot in her stomach.
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Thanks to Twisted;;Symphony for the comment :)