Until You Met Me

Fifty Six

“Can you throw my perfume into the bag on my bed, please?”

Gerard, who was checking his tie in the mirror, quirked a slightly amused smirk, his stare darting towards Molly who was stood in the bathroom, rushing to finish curling her hair. She was flustered. She had spent the whole day with Sofia, trying to iron out a few last minute wrinkles in her wedding plans, and by the time she had finished handling them, she had had to rush back to her apartment, needing to get ready for the rehearsal dinner and for the night that she was going to be spending in a hotel suite, trying to calm Sofia’s obvious nerves. She was looking forwards to it. Despite the stress that had been building steadily for months, and the handful of fights that Molly and Sofia had gotten into, Gerard knew how excited she was for her friend, and he was happy that he got to be there. He liked seeing her happy.

“You’re going to have to be more specific” Gerard called back, adjusting the knot of his tie “There’s three different bottles. Do you want me to throw them all in there?” he asked.

Molly huffed out an aggravated sigh, poking her head around the bathroom door frame. “Are you telling me that you don’t know which perfume I wear?” she asked.

Gerard offered her a playful shrug. “Is it something I should know?” he asked.

Molly’s eyes narrowed, causing Gerard’s grin to widen a little before he stepped towards her dresser, picking up a bottle of perfume. “I was just trying to lighten the mood” he chirped.

Molly sighed softly. “I appreciate the effort” she said “But I really need to finish getting ready. I still need to pack some things, and I promised Sofia I would get to the restaurant before her to make sure that everything is set up, so I need to keep rushing if I am going to be able to do that” she added.

“Or you could let me help” Gerard quipped “I mean, what else do you need to pack?” he asked.

“Pyjamas” Molly replied “And clean underwear that I can wear under my dress tomorrow as well as another set. I need an outfit for the morning, too. Some shorts and a t-shirt or something. Socks, a pair of trainers” she added.

“I can probably handle that” Gerard said “And even if I can’t, and we forget something, I can come back here and pick it up either tonight or in the morning. It’s my job to make things a little easier for you, Molly. Let me” he added, flashing her a gentle smile.

Molly looked up at him for a moment before she nodded her head, smiling shyly. “Thank you” she said.

“No problem” Gerard said “Just...when it is our turn, we’re just going to let our mothers handle it all, right?” he prodded impishly.

Molly rolled her eyes playfully before she ducked back into the bathroom, smiling to herself.

~#~
Loosening his tie slightly, Gerard leant back in his seat, his lips quirking upwards as he watched Molly twirl Ellie around, causing the little girl to squeak with giggles. He was out of place. In a room full of people, Gerard was pretty sure that he knew only a handful of them, and with Molly busy socializing with her friends, and the members of both Sofia and Sebastian’s families that she knew, and him not feeling entirely at ease around her friends, it mean that he had spent a lot of time just sat by himself, marvelling at how at ease Molly looked.

It didn’t surprise him. Molly had always been likeable, and despite an initial bout of shyness, she had always made friends easily, and he liked watching her. It made him nostalgic. He could remember the first time that they had met, how the shy little girl his mother had introduced him to had quickly faded away and been replaced by a girl who had almost immediately had a knack for making him smile, and he could remember thinking about how much he had liked her. He was pretty sure that her hadn’t stopped thinking about how much he liked her since.

“Are you not going to ask her to dance?”

Gerard’s eyes moved away from Molly reluctantly, looking up at Ava who had stopped next to his chair. “I don’t think Ellie would appreciate me cutting in” he answered.

Ava’s lips lifted into a warm smile. “You’re a smart man” she quipped.

Gerard just smiled at her in reply.

Ava sipped on her drink before she placed it down onto the table again. “I spoke to Poppy recently” she announced.

“Molly’s sister?” Gerard asked.

Ava offered him a look, causing Gerard to sigh, the tops of his cheeks turning pink. “She told you?” he asked.

“Kind of blurted it out” Ava confirmed “Is it true?” she asked.

Gerard nodded once.

“Soon?” Ava prodded.

Gerard shook his head. “Still figuring it out” he replied “I want it to be good enough for her” he added.

Ava’s face lit up with a soft smile before she squeezed his shoulder. “I am sure that, whatever it is, it will be” she enthused warmly.

Gerard flashed her an appreciative smile before he spotted Molly approaching the two of them, causing him to slip his shoulder out of Ava’s hand. Molly frowned a little at the move, but didn’t comment on it, instead offering her hand out to Gerard. “Come on” she quipped “You owe me a dance before you sneak out of here” she added.

“I wasn’t planning on sneaking anywhere” Gerard replied “I was going to say a very polite goodbye to the bride and groom-to-be and maybe you, too” he added.

Molly made a show of rolling her eyes, making Gerard smile, before he took a hold of her hand, allowing her to lead him towards the dance floor. Settling his other arm around her waist, he led her in a slow dance before Molly lifted her head, offering him a soft smile. “You’ve improved” she quipped.

“Improved?” Gerard asked, his voice slightly indignant “I don’t you and I have ever done this before. How can you judge if I have improved or not?” he asked.

Molly laughed. “You don’t remember my mother forcing us to dance together when we were kids?” she asked “It was some wedding we’d both been dragged to, and I wanted to dance, but I was absolutely set against dancing with my father, so she made you come and dance with me. She’s got it on video and everything” she added happily.

Gerard blinked, the starts of an idea forming in his mind. “Video?” he asked.

“My mother and her video camera were attached at the hip” Molly replied “You don’t remember?” she asked.

“Of course I do” Gerard answered, trying to sound nonchalant “You think she still has it?” he asked.

Molly’s forehead furrowed a little, a little confused by the question, but she nodded her head anyway. “Probably” she confirmed.

Gerard felt a faint smile brighten his features, the idea he had had growing slightly, but he was quick to speak again and change the subject, not wanting Molly to catch onto anything.
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Thanks to Twisted;;Symphony for the comment :)