Until You Met Me

“Gerard, wait”

Gerard’s footsteps slowed a little at the sound of name, but they didn’t stop, drawing him closer and closer to his car. He knew that he would have to stop eventually. Even if it was just so that he could turn around to ask Molly to give him some space, he knew that he would have to stop moving, but he wanted a few more seconds to try and get his head around what he had seen before he even made an attempt to talk to Molly. He didn’t want to overreact, or to say something to her that he couldn’t take back, but he couldn’t quite get his head around the image of Tiago gently tucking Molly’s hair off of her face, or his touch lingering over her ear.

He hadn’t heard what was being said, and he knew that that meant that he had missed the context of what had happened between Molly and Tiago, but the actions he had seen had said a lot, all of which had caused him to turn and walk away. It had looked intimate, too familiar for two people who hadn’t seen one another for over a year, and it had taken Gerard back to every moment that he had been sat across the table from the two of them, watching their easy interaction and feeling the squirming knot in his stomach twist painfully, reminding him that he had probably missed his chance to say something to Molly.

“Gerard, can you please slow down?” Molly called.

Gerard slowed a little more before he finally stopped, turning to look at Molly who followed him, a few paces behind. Exhaling a quiet sigh, he watched her step closer before he shook his head. “Tiago?” he asked “Did you just...just forget that he was on the guest list, or what?” he pressed, the tone of his voice hard to place.

Molly shook her head. “He wasn’t at the party” she replied “It was just...it was a coincidence” she added.

Gerard offered her a slightly disbelieving look. “So you were just at the bar together by accident?” he asked “He was just tucking your hair off of your face by accident? He was just in your space by chance?” he added.

Molly opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, but she couldn’t quite find the words to reply, something which caused Gerard to scoff out a slightly bitter laugh, his head shaking. “You’re not going to tell me it was nothing?” he asked.

“It was nothing” Molly replied “He came up to me, I didn’t approach him. He started talking, and I was polite. He overstepped, and I pulled back. It was nothing, Gerard. Why on earth would I want to risk us and everything we’ve got for Tiago?” she pressed, her voice caught between incredulous and pleading.

Gerard’s answer was a slight shrug, something that caused Molly to shake her head. “Maybe I let him get a little too close” she said “But it was nothing, Gerard, it hasn’t been anything since he and I broke up” she added.

Gerard’s eyes, which had been pointedly avoiding Molly’s, glanced up at her, showing worry instead of the anger that she had been expecting. Studying his expression, she felt her own soften before she stepped towards him, gently twisting their fingers together. Tugging on his hand, she started to lead him back towards the restaurant. She knew that he worried about Tiago. He knew how much she had loved him, and how badly the breakup had hurt her, and he knew that, for a while at least, Molly had wanted Tiago to change his mind, but she was determined to prove to him that it was in the past. She wanted to show him that the only person she was interested in being in a relationship with was him.

“Where are we going?” Gerard asked.

Molly didn’t answer him, instead tugging him into the restaurant.

“Molly” Gerard protested gently, seeing where she was taking him.

Molly didn’t stop walking until they were stood in front of the bar. Still holding Gerard’s hand, she tentatively stepped forwards and tapped Tiago’s shoulder, causing him to turn and look at her, his pleasantly surprised smile fading as his stare dropped to her hand, seeing that it was still wrapped around Gerard’s. “Molly” he murmured softly.

“We can’t get a drink and talk about us, Tiago” Molly said tentatively “Because there’s not an us any more. We wanted very different things, and I can’t believe that you’ve changed your mind about them. We’re over, and I don’t think any amount of talking is going to be enough to change things” she added.

Tiago just blinked up at her for a moment before he glanced down at her hand again. “You two…?” he asked.

Molly nodded wordlessly.

Tiago huffed out a slightly dazed laugh, his stare flitting between Molly and Gerard a couple of times, before he slowly nodded his head. “I was right” he murmured “It was never just platonic, was it? I saw the way he always looked at you” he added.

“She never did anything to hurt you, Tiago” Gerard’s voice was warning and protective, something which caused Tiago to hold his hands up. He knew how protective Gerard could be of Molly.

“I never said she did” Tiago said “I hope you’re very happy together” he added, his voice slightly bitter, before he slipped out of his seat, pushing past the two of them.

For a moment after he had disappeared, neither Molly or Gerard said anything, but eventually, Gerard turned to look at her, his expression caught between apologetic and concerned. “You...You didn’t have to do that” he said gently “But, thank you” he added.

Molly shook her head, gently pulling her hand out of his. “I wanted to show you that I am only interested in being with you” she said “Maybe now, when I tell you that something is nothing, you could just believe me instead of acting like a child. Maybe you could just trust me, eh?” she pressed, her voice sharp.

Gerard blinked in surprise, something which made Molly scoff, shaking her head. “I am going to take a taxi home” she muttered.

“Molly...”

“Goodnight, Gerard” Molly interrupted before she turned and walked towards the exit, leaving Gerard staring after her.