Until You Met Me

Eighty Eight

“Are you sure that you want me to come in with you?”

Molly glanced up from her hands which had been fidgeting in her lap, looking over at Poppy as she pulled the car to a stop. She knew why she was asking. Whilst Molly was the one who’d gotten hurt, they both knew that if one of them was likely to cause a scene, then it was going to be Poppy, but still Molly wanted her to be there. She knew what would happen if she wasn’t.

“I asked you to come, didn’t I?” Molly replied.

“I know” Poppy said “But I just thought I would check. Once I go in there, there’ll be no getting me out of there” she added.

Molly sighed, looking back down at her lap. “It’s kind of the point” she murmured “She’s been my best friend for over fifteen years, and I worry that if I go in there by myself, I’ll let that history get the better of me and I won’t say the stuff I want to say” she added, twisting her fingers in the sleeve of her sweater.

It was the last thing in the world that she wanted to do. From the moment that Gerard had told her what had happened, she had been adamant that the last person in the world she wanted to see was Ava, but the more she thought about it, the more she knew that she had to talk to her. She wanted to fix things with Gerard. She wanted to pack up the things that were scattered around Poppy’s spare bedroom and go home, but it wasn’t something she could do without a little reassurance, and she knew that she was only going to feel reassured that Gerard’s feelings for Ava didn’t exist if she heard Ava say it herself. She needed to be certain that Gerard was telling the truth, and the only person who know for sure if he was, was the only other person who’d been in the room when the kiss had happened.

Poppy gently squeezed Molly’s hand. “If you need me, then I am going nowhere” she said.

Molly offered her a tired smile, causing Poppy to squeeze her hand again before they climbed out of the car. Quietly, they walked through the park until they reached the cafe where Molly had arranged to meet Ava. It was a familiar place. Molly could recount more than one hungover breakfast and countless gossipy lunches that she, Ava and Sofia had spent sat in that cafe, but she knew that it was highly unlikely that, after that day, she’d come back. Whatever friendship she and Ava had had had ended the moment Ava’s lips had touched Gerard’s and Molly was certain that there was no repairing it.

“She’s sat in the corner”

Molly blinked, caught off guard by the sound of Poppy’s voice, before she followed the nod her sister had given, spotting Ava sat in the corner, fiddling with a napkin. For a second, all Molly could do was stare, but eventually, Poppy nudged her gently, urging her towards the table with a soft, reassuring smile. Molly hesitated before her feet started to drag her towards the table.

Ava heard the footsteps and looked up, the hesitant smile that had been brightening her features dying as soon as her eyes met Molly’s.

“Hi” Molly squeaked.

“Hi” Ava replied “I...I got you a coffee. I didn’t know that Pop was going to be here. I would have gotten you something too” she added.

Poppy shook her head. “I’m fine” she mused “I’m just here for moral support” she added.

Ava nodded her head, watching as Poppy and Molly sat down, before she fixed her stare on Molly. “I...I meant to...”

“No” Molly interrupted, her voice soft.

“She isn’t here for excuses, Ava” Poppy said, squeezing Molly’s hand gently beneath the table.

“Molly...”

“I just want to ask you a couple of things” Molly interrupted again, her voice a little sharper “And then that’s it. I am not interested in trying to fix this again. How could I ever trust you again? You have sat and undermined my relationship with Gerard from the moment it started. When we broke up, you basically told me to just get over it. When we got engaged, you kept trying to convince me that it wasn’t going to last, but worse than all of that? You let me think that you did all of that stuff because you were looking out for me. You painted yourself as this...this amazing friend, like a protective sister, and it was all bullshit. You didn’t give a damn about looking out for me. This was all about Gerard” she added.

“That isn’t true” Ava protested.

“Isn’t it?” Molly pressed.

“Molly...”

“Why didn’t you tell me that you had feelings for him?” Molly cut in.

Ava deflated a little in her seat, pushing a hand back through her hair, before she shrugged her shoulders. “I didn’t know how you’d feel about it” she said “I mean, you were with Tiago, but the dynamic between you and Gerard was...it was a little hard to understand, and I worried that you’d feel strange about it. I never did anything about it...”

“Except kiss your best friend’s fiance” Poppy contributed.

Ava flinched, but reluctantly nodded her head. “It was stupid” she said gently “But it was my stupid mistake” she added.

Molly, who had been studiously avoiding looking over at Ava, finally looked up. “He didn’t kiss you back?” she asked.

Ava huffed out a sad laugh. “He couldn’t have pulled away any faster if he tried” she answered.

Molly blinked, something which caused Ava to meet her eyes sadly. “He loves you” she quipped “He has always loved you. He didn’t kiss me, he didn’t even entertain the thought of lying to you. He did everything he could to make sure that the stupid mistake that I made hurt you as little as it could. If you’re asking me if you can trust him, then my answer is an unequivocal yes. He’s always trying to do the best by you. He came to talk to me because he wanted you to be happy. All he wants is you, and he wants you to be as happy as you can be” she added.

Molly opened and closed her mouth a couple of times, not quite sure what to say.

Ava offered her another sad look. “I’m sorry” she said “For everything. I know it’s not enough, but I...I am so sorry, Molly” she added.

Molly still didn’t say anything, something which caused Ava to nod before she shuffled out of her seat. Hesitating for a second, she looked like she wanted to say something more, but the words never came. Instead, she collected her bag and coat and shuffled away, leaving Poppy and Molly alone. Neither of them spoke for a little while. Molly was too busy staring at the table, and Poppy was gently rubbing her sister’s back, offering her silent reassurance, but eventually, she broke the silence. “What are you going to do now?” she asked softly.

Molly looked over her shoulder, a wobbly smile on her face. “I think I am going to go home” she answered.