Page 31 of Molly: Part One
“Shut up Molls, I’m not. I just wondered.”
“Yeah whatever. In answer to you question no, I haven’t. I’ve never been with anyone I would have trusted enough to do anything like that. What about you?” I ask but guessing from his embarrassment he hasn’t.
“You really think Hannah would have done that sort of stuff?” he asks with a laugh. “Don’t get me wrong sex with her was amazing but she was so straight laced that she classed doing it out of a bed as wild!”
I laugh to myself remembering all the conversations I had with Hannah about sex, bless her, she was so naïve.
“Yeah that’s true but what about the girls you slept with before?”
“I was a teenager, the fact that I was getting laid was more than enough, I didn’t need bells and whistles on it!” I just know he’s got his boyish smirk on his face right now, I wish I could see him.
“You’re such a bloke!” I laugh.
“Yes and…?” This makes me laugh harder. I’m so glad we have gone back to being almost normal with each other again. I don’t know what I would do if I lost this.
“Right, we’re here. Stay there and I’ll help you out.”
“Can’t I take it off now were here?” I sulk.
“Nope. Hang on.”
A couple of minutes later Ryan is standing behind me with his hands on my waist steering me in the right direction.
“Right, we are going up stairs. Lift now…okay up we go.”
I knew we had come into a building but going upstairs has confused the fuck out of me.
“Is it much further?”
“No, we are almost there. Right stand here…” I feel him bring me to a stop and turn me slightly, “are you ready?”
“No!”
And with that he unties me.
“What?” I ask as I look around.
I’m in some sort of office. It takes me a few seconds to register that the work hanging on the walls is stuff that Hannah and I designed since we started the company. I turn round to look at Ryan and see that he is not standing alone. Next to him are Susan, Pete and Emma and all of them have big smiles on their faces. It is in that moment that it hits me.
“We’re in the flat,” I state as they all come towards me saying Happy Birthday and all give me a hug.
“Wait, what? You’re going to have to explain this to me.” They all laugh at my confused state.
“When Ryan moved into his new house we got some builders in, as you well know, to revamp the place. We were going to rent it out to students again but it soon became clear that none of us wanted anyone living in the place Hannah, Emma, Ryan and you had spent so much time in. So we decided to apply to change its use from a flat to an office. It was accepted so Lilly designed the interior and we asked your brothers to do the work, then it was going to sit here waiting until you were ready,” Susan explains like it makes all the sense in the world.
“Until I was ready?” I ask still totally confused.
“Yes. When Ryan rang us last week to say that you were talking about how busy you’d gotten and how you were talking about the need to hire someone else we had to get our arses into gear and get it finished for you.” I can feel the tears beginning to sting my eyes as what she is saying sinks in.
“You’re telling me that all of this is for the business?” Susan starts laughing; apparently the look on my face is priceless.
“Yes, it’s for the business. The business that you and our daughter started. We want you to still be able to live out your dream and we realised that this flat is the perfect way for you to do that. So this is for you. We have fitted it out with the basic office furniture but we have left it for you to get everything else you need. We had to get Ryan to get copies of yours and Hannah’s artwork off your laptop so we could use it to decorate the walls. Do you like it?”
“I can’t believe you have done this, you have already done so much for me, this is just too much.”
“Angel, we love you like one of our own, we want to do everything we can to help you. Plus it’s for Hannah as well, she would be so happy to see the business you both dreamed of since you were kids coming to life.”
With that I throw myself at her and hold her tight while I cry on her shoulder. I turn around and give Pete a hug and then Emma before I turn and jump into Ryan’s arms and sob harder.
