Until You Met Me

Tossing her phone backwards onto her bed, Molly let out a quiet sigh, resting her head against the mattress behind her. She had been staring at the phone for a while. After a couple of days of not hearing from Gerard, she had made the decision that she was going to reach out to him, not liking how they had left things, but coming up with something to say to him, either in a text or over the phone, had proved harder than she had expected it would. She wanted to tell him that he had nothing to be concerned about, that whatever she had felt towards Tiago, and whatever she had thought about their future, was long over and not something she had any interest in revisiting, but she didn’t know if saying it would be enough.

He knew it already. In the year that had passed since she and Tiago had broken up, Gerard had been there every step of the way, and he knew how she felt about Tiago, and Molly didn’t know what good repeating it would do. She couldn’t physically prove it. She couldn’t show Gerard that Tiago was her past, and that her feelings for Gerard were strong and real, and it meant that every time she had picked up her phone, she had ended up putting it back down again, not sure what to do next.

Staring up at the ceiling for a moment, she blew out another soft sigh before she heard a knock, causing her to turn and look up at her mother who was stood in the doorway. Scrambling up to her feet, she made a move towards her wardrobe, snatching up the first pair of shoes she could lay her hands on before she held them up, offering her mother the best smile she could muster. “Found them” she announced.

Julia’s answering smile was small and sympathetic as she stepped into the room, pushing the door to after herself.

“What are you doing?” Molly asked “I promised to take you and papa out to dinner” she added.

“And we will go” Julia quipped “I just...I thought I would give you a chance to tell me what’s bothering you before we do. Your father’s gone to get the car, and we parked a ten minute walked from here, so we have a little time. What’s the matter, baby?” she asked, her voice soft.

Molly opened her mouth, preparing to insist that it was nothing, but the pointed look that Julia offered her stopped the words from coming out. Instead, she sunk down onto the bed, fiddling with the ends of her hair. “Gerard and I had our first fight as a couple” she admitted.

“I thought so” Julia said as she sat down next to her daughter.

“Is it that obvious?” Molly pressed.

“You’ve been distracted since we got here” Julia answered “And honestly, we were pretty surprised that he wasn’t here. You two are kind of a package these days” she added, letting out a soft laugh.

Molly spared a pained smile, something that caused Julia to lean over, gently squeezing her hand. “What happened?” she asked.

“Tiago” Molly answered “Out of the blue, the other night, he send me a couple of texts. I deleted the first one, but Gerard saw the second one, and it just...it became a fight. Gerard’s insecure about Tiago. We were together for a long time, and what we had was really serious, and I can’t deny that, because Gerard saw it himself, but it’s over, and it’s been over for a year. I didn’t care that Tiago had texted, that’s why I deleted it, but Gerard...well, I am not exactly sure what he thought. I don’t know if he was pissed that I didn’t tell him about the first text, or if it’s something more, but the worst part is that the person I usually take these things to, Gerard, is the one person I can’t even seem to write a text to” she explained, turning to look up at her mother like she had all of the answers.

It wasn’t a first. In all of the years that they had known one another, there had been a lot of occasions where Molly and Gerard had found themselves in arguments, but usually they were petty, and the one that they were currently in didn’t feel the same. It felt complicated, and for the first time that Molly could remember, it felt like there was a real chance that, if they couldn’t figure it out, their friendship could be lost.

Julia was quiet for a moment before she carefully brushed the hair off of Molly’s face. “What do you think upset him?” she asked.

Molly leant into her mother’s touch slightly. “Honestly?” she murmured “I think he worries that his feelings for me are deeper than mine for him” she added.

“Why would he think that?” Julia asked.

“Because I told him that I didn’t really start thinking of him….romantically until Tiago and I broke up” Molly replied “But that’s just when I realised it, mama. Tiago said that our friendship was...was more than that, and he was right. For as long as I can remember, I have been able to turn to Gerard whenever I need someone. I love spending time with him. If I had the choice of spending time with anyone, I’d choose him, and that was when I was with Tiago. I am crazy about him, mama, and I don’t know how to make him believe it. I want to make him believe it” she added.

Julia gently smoothed out Molly’s hair before she pushed herself to her feet. “Wait here” she said.

“Mama...”

“I’ll be right back” Julia insisted before she disappeared out of the door, returning moments later with her phone in her hand.

Molly frowned. “What are you doing?” she asked “You’re not going to text Montserrat, are you?” she added.

Julia shook her head. “We agreed we wouldn’t interfere” she mused “I just want to show you something. This phone is ridiculously old. I had to start using it again recently when my other one broke, but it’s got something that I want to show you. Do you remember when Gerard got back from the world cup they won?” she asked.

Molly’s forehead stayed furrowed as she nodded. “Of course I do” she mused.

“Do you remember the party Gerard’s parents threw for him when he got home?” Julia asked.

“Where is this going, mama?” Molly countered.

Julia quirked a soft smile before she placed the phone into Molly’s hand, pressing play on the video that she had cued up. The footage was shaky, and most of it was of Gerard as he walked through his parents’ home, accepting hugs and handshakes from everyone he passed, but towards the end, Molly appeared. She was grinning, and bouncing in place as she waited for him to get to her, and when he did, there was no hesitation. She jumped into his arms, and without missing a beat, he caught her, holding her close as she repeatedly kissed the top of his head, mumbling something that the video didn’t catch.

“What did you say to him?”

Molly blinked a couple of times before she looked up at her mother, a slightly lopsided smile on her face. “I told him that I was proud of him” she quipped “And I told him that I was pissed at him for not flying me out to watch the match” she added.

Julia laughed.

“Why did you show me this?” Molly asked.

“To show you that you’ve always loved him” Julia quipped “And maybe you’ve only just fallen in love him, but you’ve always had love for him. It has been obvious to everyone else for years. You should show it to him, and say everything you’ve said to me since I came in here, because that’s what he needs from you, but let him know what you need from him too. Fights happen. Your papa and I still fight, and we have been together for a really, really long time, but you just need to talk it out and I am sure it will be OK. You two always are” she added.

Molly’s lips quirked slightly before she nodded her head. “Thank you” she murmured “Can you send that to me?” she asked.

Julia nodded. “Of course I can” she mused before she tapped a few buttons, sending it over to Molly “I’ll meet you in the living room?” she asked.

“I’ll be right there” Molly quipped, retrieving her phone from its spot on the mattress.

Julia smiled and ducked out of the room, leaving Molly alone to send a text to Gerard, attaching the video her mother had sent to her and telling him that, if he was interested in talking, she was going to be free later in the evening.