Until You Met Me

“How long are we just going to sit here?”

Molly, who’d been pulling the keys out of the ignition, turned to glare up at Gerard who was sat in the passenger seat, grinning at her impishly. They had had a few weeks. After Julia and Poppy had found out that they were seeing one another, Molly and Gerard had slowly started to share the news with their friends and families, and with everyone knowing, and having had time to digest the news, Gerard had been extended an invitation to join Molly’s family for dinner, something she was more nervous about than he was. She knew why he wasn’t nervous, and why she shouldn’t have been either. He had known Julia and Xavier, Molly’s parents, since he was a child, and he knew that there was very little they could say to surprise him, but no matter how true that was, Molly was still nervous. It was the first time they had let other people see them as a couple and, even despite Gerard’s constant reassurance that it’d be fine, she worried about what they would see.

“You can go ahead if you want to” Molly retorted.

Gerard chuckled. “Wouldn’t that look a little weird?” he asked.

Molly smiled despite herself, shaking her head slightly. “No” she replied “We both know that it wouldn’t” she added.

Gerard huffed out another laugh before he reached over and coaxed her hand into his, gently twisting his fingers through hers. “We don’t have to act any differently” he quipped “Once we get out of this car, I won’t even reach for your hand again if you don’t want me to. If that’s what you’re worried about, just tell me. Anything that means getting out of this car any quicker” he added, his voice caught between reassuring and playful.

Molly was quiet for a moment, thinking the offer over, before she shook her head. “We should just be us” she replied “I am just a little nervous. I know that there is no reason to be, but until we’re in the house, and everything’s OK, I am going to worry” she added.

“Then we should get inside” Gerard quipped “And not only because your car is too small for me” he added.

Molly scoffed, rolling her eyes playfully. “Nothing stopped you driving here yourself” she quipped.

Gerard leant over the centre console, stealing a quick kiss, before he pushed the car door open. “I am going inside” he quipped “You coming?” he prodded.

Molly nodded her head before she followed him out of the car. Pushing the car door closed, she locked it and padded around it to meet Gerard who happily took her hand back into his as they walked towards the front door.

~#~
“You know, there’s a little part of that’s disappointed” Julia mused as she padded back into the dining room, settling another pot of coffee in the centre of the table.

Molly, who had been nervously toying with Gerard’s sleeve, glanced over at her mother, a frown on her face. It had been everything Gerard had told her it would be. Other than a couple of slightly strange looks when they had walked in hand in hand, the evening had been like so many that they had had with her parents, and Poppy and Felipe who were sat on the opposite side of the table, and whilst Molly had relaxed into it slightly, she was still slightly anxious, still a little too aware that people were looking at her and Gerard in a new light. “What?” she spluttered.

Julia grinned, mildly amused by the indignation in Molly’s voice. “How can I tell embarrassing stories about you to him, eh?” she prodded, pointing a spoon in the direction of Gerard “If he wasn’t starring in them alongside you, he knows them all already” she added.

Gerard laughed, his arm tightening around Molly’s shoulders slightly. “You can always retell them” he quipped “I don’t think I will ever get tired of hearing some of them. My favourite one is probably how she got this scar” he added, gently tracing the faint scar just below Molly’s shoulder.

Julia’s face lit up as she launched into the story, something which made Molly shake her head amusedly, leaning a little closer to Gerard. “You did that on purpose” she murmured.

Gerard gently inclined his head towards hers. “She likes to talk about you” he answered “She’s proud of you, and of Pop, and she’s always liked telling cute stories about you. If she’s done that with your previous boyfriends, she can do it with me here, too. I don’t care if I have heard them before. If it makes your mama happy, then it’s worth it” he added.

Molly stared at him for a beat before she gently traced her fingertips along the line of his jaw, leaning closer to him until a sharp clear of her father’s throat reached her ears, causing her to duck back, her cheeks burning. “Sorry” she muttered, glancing at her father.

Xavier flashed her a teasing grin. “Just not at the table, eh?” he quipped warmly.

Molly nodded wordlessly, something which caused Gerard to gently squeeze the top of her arm, offering her a slightly impish grin. Rolling her eyes, Molly gently nudged his ribs with her elbow, causing Gerard to laugh gently.

Xavier watched the two of them for a moment, a faint smile pulling up the corner of his mouth. “I can’t believe that this has taken so long” he quipped.

“What?” Molly asked.

Xavier blinked a couple of times, almost surprised that he had voiced that thought out loud, before he shook his head, huffing out a slightly sheepish laugh. “I didn’t mean to say that out loud” he said “But, as I have, I am just...I am a little amazed by how long this has taken. I thought we’d have been a lot further into it by now” he added.

Julia sent her husband a slightly warning look when Molly ducked her head, letting out a nervous laugh. Xavier nodded his head, wordlessly accepting that he had said a little too much, before he cleared his throat gently, drawing Molly’s eyes towards him. “I should have just said that I am happy for you” he corrected “It goes without saying that I like him” he added warmly.

Gerard laughed. “I like your parents, too, if it helps” he quipped, playing along.

Molly rolled her eyes, but couldn’t stifle her smile.

“Have you had dinner with your parents yet, Gerard?” Julia prodded, determined to change the subject.

Gerard shook his head. “You asked first” he said “Though, I don’t think it will be long. Once my mother knows that we’ve had dinner with you, then she’ll want us over there immediately” he added.

Julia laughed, making a comment about how cute both she and Gerard’s mother thought the two of them were, before the conversation around the table began to flow again, allowing Molly to lean into Gerard a little more, feeling more relaxed.. Without stopping the conversation he was having, Gerard dipped down and kissed the crown of her head, something which made Molly smile gently, wondering just what she had been so nervous about.