Page 51 of October
“Thanks,” Finley replied.
???
She arrived at the office only a few minutes later than normal, but Molly wasn’t at her desk. Her stuff was there, but her laptop was gone. She was probably in her first meeting of the day. Finley went to the server room to meet up with Levi and Rusty and talk about the day’s plans. Then, she went into the floor’s kitchen and got herself a cup of coffee. When she returned to her desk, Molly was leaning over the new hire’s shoulder, pointing out something on her computer and explaining it to her. Molly glanced up at her a few seconds later, meeting her eye, but Finley couldn’t read her expression, and the new hire recalled Molly’s attention, so Molly dropped her gaze back to the screen. The talk wouldn’t be happening right now since Molly was busy, so Finley sat down and turned to her own computer. When Molly returned to her desk and got back to work, Finley turned toward her in her chair, but Molly wasn’t turning to face her. Finley decided to give up for now and got back to work.
“Hey,” Molly said to her after about twenty minutes. “Coffee?”
“Um…” Finley pointed at the cup on her desk.
“Oh, right. Well, coffee for me?”
Finley nodded and said, “Sure. Kitchen?”
“Not here,” Molly replied.
Finley wasn’t sure if this was going to be good news or bad, but Molly wanted to get out of the office, so she followed her until they were on the sidewalk.
“So, I owe you an apology,” Molly said once they were a safe distance away from the office.
“You do?” Finley asked, pretending like she had no idea what Molly was talking about.
“Yes, I do. I was awkward last night at dinner and then after.”
“You were,” she said. “But I understood.”
“Yes, you did because you’re amazing, and you planned such a great night for us.” Molly sighed as they stopped at the light. “It really was perfect, Finley.”
“I thought so, too.”
“I’ve liked you for a while,” Molly confessed. “Like, a long time; an embarrassingly long time, actually.”
“Embarrassingly?”
“Yeah, since we met. I’ve sat there and watched you and India get back together over and over again, wishing I could just muster up the courage to ask you out every time you were single, but I knew you’d get back together with her eventually, so I hadn’t. This time, you told me it was over for good and repeatedly, but I think, in the back of my mind, I’ve still been trying to deal with the possible heartbreak if that happens.”
“Molls, it’s not–”
“I’m not saying that it will for sure. I’m just saying that that’s how it feels. I was sitting at the table, and for some reason, it hit me that this is what I wanted, but I’m also terrified that I won’t get it because you’ll go back to her, or I’m just your rebound girl.”
“You’re not my rebound girl, Molly.”
“Sometimes, it’s hard to know that, though. That’s what I was thinking when I ordered the wine. I didn’t even want it, but Ithought that India probably ordered wine on your dates and had salads and dressing on the side, which was dumb of me. I know what you said before. I know you like those things about me; that Idon’tdo those things, I mean, but I still did it because I didn’t know what else to do.”
The light for them to go across the street changed, but Molly made no move to walk.
“So, I acted weird because I wasn’t acting like myself at all, and then I lied about the period thing because I didn’t know what else to say.”
“Thank you for telling me,” Finley said before she took Molly’s hand and held it in her own. “I don’t want or need you to be anything you’re not, Molls.”
“I know.”
“And I know I’ve said this before, but I don’t want India. If I did, I’d probably be moving into her place this weekend, but I’m not doing that. I’m here with you.”
“I know,” Molly said, not meeting her eye.
“Molly?”
“Yeah?”
