December 2014

When Molly said to Justin that she always looks forward to seeing Hunter, that he always makes her laugh and has always been interesting, she never told her brother that she has had a tiny crush on him for the last few years.

 

Just a small one, nothing that ever kept her from dating anyone else. But Hunter’s funny, blunt, quick witted, and seems to get cuter each year. She had seen him when she was a teen in passing, but never spoke to him until she lived with Justin one summer before her second year of college and Hunter had been a DP for his friend’s indie film. She had gotten to know him then, thought about making a move. They had flirted, sent each other curious glances. But she had been young, 19. He was four years older. He had also only been there for about six weeks, while she had been there for about four months. So, while she had dated and hooked up with a few guys during that stay with her brother, Hunter had never been one of them. Nor had he been when they saw each other the time after that, or after that, and so on. Funny enough, she had dated one of the actors on that indie movie and Hunter never said a word.

 

So now? Now that she’s practically ripping off Hunter’s shirt? Now he’s lifting her up and she’s swinging her legs around his waist so that they can collapse into his bed at 6 o’clock in the morning, before any of their family members are up?

 

She can honestly say she never expected anything to happen between the two of them.

 

But, even if it could be for the sole fact she ends up having one of the greatest orgasms of her life, she doesn’t find herself regretting it.

------------------------------------------------------------

Hunter gently pulls out of her after round three, carefully pulling off the condom to tie it off and throw into the wastebasket next to the hotel bed, before rolling over to look down at her. His expression is hungry for more but, even more so, tender and sweet. Hunter presses a soft kiss against her lips, one she returns without even an ounce of hesitance. The kiss grows in urgency, before Hunter breaks it off and kisses her face, her neck, makes her gasp as he moves down to her breasts to pay attention to them. Molly runs her fingers through his hair as he nips at them one last time before trailing down her ribs and abdomen, making it down to her pelvis, before tracing her folds with his tongue and sucking on her clit.

 

“Oh my god,” Molly moans out, thrusting up towards his mouth as she grips his hair with her fingers, “You’re going to kill me. You were...fuck!...supposed to make me feel better, and now you are going to kill me. Do you even have a recovery time? I thought the woman was the one who could keep going the longest!”

 

Hunter stops sucking and licking at her clit, breaking into laughter at the words.

 

“Who told you that you could stop?” Molly moans out, gently pushing his head back down.

 

“I thought I was going to kill you,” Hunter smirks, kissing her thighs before getting back on task.

 

“Yeah,” Molly moans out, “But there are worse ways to go.”

 

The conversation stops after that. Molly swivels her hips as Hunter continues to go down on her, gasping out and rubbing her breasts as he starts to finger her as well.

 

When she comes, crying out as she links one of her hands with Hunter’s, she doesn’t even compute that a cellphone is ringing until Hunter is lifting himself over her and picking it up.

 

“Yeah...No, I’m up...Just give me a little bit, I need to shower...Dude, you’re being needy as fuck again. Ben’s a saint for putting up with you...I’m kidding...Alright, see you soon...No, you can’t come to my room and wait...So what if I do have a girl in here? That’s for me to know and you to not...Okay, later.”

 

“Your conversations with Michael are so strange,” Molly mumbles, before smiling as he kisses her again.

 

“Want to take a shower with me?” Hunter asks against her lips.

 

They take longer than they probably should. They don’t fuck, but they can’t keep their hands off each other, as if they were magnets, one north and one south, not able to keep themselves from gravitating towards each other. But, despite the detours and distractions, they do end up cleaning each other off, even if their movements as they wash each other’s hair and bodies are sensual and tempting. They dry each other off and get dressed. It’s only then that Molly realizes that she only has her mom’s pajamas to wear and, if her mom and Tucker have been up for a while, then that might bring up some questions.

 

“You still have your swimsuit here?” Hunter asks, “I saw you swimming in the pool the other day.”

 

“Yeah,” Molly answers, “I left it in an overnight bag up in my mom’s room after it dried. Of course I didn’t bring clothes because I thought I would be sleeping at Justin’s every night...but whatever.”

 

“Here,” Hunter tells her, putting a robe around her, as if he’s reading her mind “You decided to take an early morning swim, took a shower down in the locker room, and wore a robe back up to your mom’s room. I have a plastic bag you can put these clothes in. Just have them assume your suit is in there too. Don’t take the robe off till you get in the bathroom. Awkward conversation avoided.”

 

Molly smiles a little at Hunter’s plan and lets him put the robe on her, watching him slowly tie the ties around her waist to keep it secure. He gives her one more glance, then laces his fingers with her to lead her out of the bathroom.

 

“...Are you okay?” Hunter asks as they get closer to the door, “We talked about what happened with your dad, we came up here-”

 

“Then we simultaneously decided fucking three times was better than a heart to heart about parental issues,” Molly finishes, shrugging at the man’s eye roll.

 

“That was not what I was about to say,” Hunter informs her quietly, “I am just hoping that I didn’t...fuck, I don’t know…take advantage.”

 

“You didn’t,” Molly assures him, “Believe me, I needed that. I don’t...I don’t talk things out. It’s actually still a shock that I told you as much as I did. Not that you aren’t easy to talk to. You’re...you’re actually really easy to talk to. But this? This was better. So thanks.”

 

Hunter squints at her, before nodding, “You’re welcome?”

 

She starts to give him a pat on the shoulder, a friendly gesture, but he catches her hand and pulls her in close. Biting her lip and breathing heavily, she looks up at him, finding him staring right back at her. Not even being able to stop herself, she cups his neck to crash her lips into his. The kiss grows more urgent, dirtier, and she knows that if she keeps this going, they’ll be falling right back into that bed. As nice as that sounds, she knows they are running out of time.

 

“Your dads are right across the hall,” Molly breathes out, “And want to spend time with you. My mom will start looking for me soon, I’m sure.”

 

Hunter lets out an impatient breath through his nose, before he finally nods in agreement.

 

“See you later then,” Hunter sighs, slowly pulling away.

 

Molly smiles a little and nods, before looking away to open the door.

 

Only to find herself colliding with Michael Novotny.

 

“Shit, sorry,” Molly mutters, taking a couple steps back into Hunter, who puts a hand on her hip to steady her.

 

“Molly?” Michael greets, obviously a bit shocked as he puts his fist down, “Uh, sorry. I was just about to knock. Hunter was taking a while...Now I can see why.”

 

“Uh...yeah,” Molly laughs nervously, tossing her wet hair back from her face, “Sorry for his delay. I’m just...I’m going to go upstairs now. Hope you guys have fun.”

 

Molly quickly walks away, but still catches a snippet of the conversation.

 

“Justin’s sister?” Michael hisses out.

 

“She’s smart and funny and drop dead gorgeous! I couldn’t help myself, alright?” Hunter answers in his projecting voice.

 

Molly has to keep herself from laughing until she gets to the elevator.

----------------------------------------------------

She and Hunter text over the next couple days. Usually late, after Justin’s asleep or when he stays at Nathan’s, since it would be kind of awkward for Justin to invite Nathan to his loft to have sex, all while Molly waits around on the couch, waiting for them to finish.

 

On those nights, when Justin’s in Brooklyn, she’s sort of tempted to invite Hunter over. It’s inappropriate and there’s always the chance Justin could come in late and see them in his bed. That’s the reason why she doesn’t do it. But it doesn’t mean she doesn’t want to.

 

One of those evenings he calls. Justin and Nathan left late that afternoon and told her they would be back tonight, that they would all go out together. As she’s talking to Hunter, she thinks about breaking the rule she had set on her brother’s behalf, knowing she probably had a few more hours. The words are even on the tip of her tongue, but then he says,

 

“Want to go see a movie and get dinner? My treat.”

 

Molly looks down at herself, judging if her jeans and sweater are appropriate, decides that they’re not, even though it shouldn’t matter. Last time she saw Hunter, she had been in her mother’s pajamas and they had fucked for hours.

 

“Let me get ready,” she tells him, “I need to change, put makeup on, curl my hair-”

 

“No, you don’t,” Hunter scoffs, “You could come dressed in a paper bag with your hair looking like a bird’s nest and you’d still be beautiful.”

 

Apparently Molly is a thirteen year old girl tonight because she feels herself blush at that. But she makes sure to clear her throat and say, “It’s way too cold for that.”

 

“Listen, you can get as dolled up as you want or slum it down. I really don’t mind. I am just happy you are saying yes,” Hunter tells her, “I’ll come to you. 7 sound good?”

 

“...Yeah,” Molly decides, getting up to dig through her suitcase, “Sounds perfect. Text me before you leave, okay? If you don’t, then you’ll be waiting forever.”

 

Molly decides on something somewhat dressy, but still casual. Black tights, her black boots that go up past her calves, a gold sweater dress that peeked through the black lace sewn over it, a bronze belt, a cream colored scarf, vintage cameo earrings, and her olive green jacket.

 

This works. She thinks. Maybe she should dress up a little more. Come off like she wants to dress to impress.

 

Looking at the clock, she realizes it is almost 6:30 and that she still needs to do her hair and makeup. Yeah, this outfit would have to do.

 

She goes to Justin’s mirror, gets her large curler, and creates loose, swept back curls, then pins up the top half of her hair with a barrette. She pulls out all of her matte products after to do her makeup and, just as she applies one last stroke of mascara, the doorbell buzzes.

 

Turning around, she takes a deep breath, before turning back to the mirror.

 

“Why are you so nervous?” she asks herself, “Why? Stop being stupid...seriously.”

 

Buzz.

 

Molly jogs over to grab her purse and her green jacket, sends a quick text to Justin to tell him she’s meeting up with a friend, then runs down the steps to meet Hunter at the front door.

 

“Hey,” she answers, a little breathless.

 

“Hey,” Hunter returns, smiling at her before looking down, “Dude, you need to put your jacket on. You’ll freeze to death if you don’t.”

 

“Okay, dude,” Molly rolls her eyes, sticking her arms through the sleeves, “Where to?”

 

“Well,” Hunter starts, pulling out his phone, “Wild is playing at IFC, which has Reese Witherspoon hiking one thousand miles on the Pacific Crest Trail. There’s also this tiny hidden theater in Williamsburg called Spectacle playing a movie called The Excluded, a bloody 1982 film about Austrian rebels.”

 

“Wow, they’re just so similar,” Molly replies, before shrugging, “Let’s go with the bloody Austrian one. I’ve heard of Wild, it’s playing back home and I plan on seeing it before the Oscars, but I haven’t heard of...what was it called?”

 

“The Excluded,” Hunter tells her slowly, “I can’t believe you haven’t seen it. It’s exciting, it’s breathtaking, it’s-”

 

“You haven’t seen it either,” Molly guesses, laughing.

 

“No, I haven’t,” Hunter admits, smiling a little.

 

“Okay. So let’s go,” Molly nods, “Lead the way.”

 

Hunter goes two steps down, then holds out his hand for her. She waits for a moment, then takes his outstretched hand into her own.

 

She holds onto it all the way to the train.

------------------------------------------

“This place looks like a crack den,” Molly observes, as she looks at the black doors, covered in peeling posters.

 

“It’s part of its charm,” Hunter insists, dragging her in.

 

The lobby is tiny and in the basement. There’s no popcorn or drinks and it’s only five bucks each for them to get in, which is the cheapest price for a movie ticket you will ever find in New York City. They go down some more dimly lit steps, and sit in the smallest theater she’s ever been in, thirty seats max. They’re the only ones there and sit three rows from the front. The dim lights go black as the movie begins and they sit there alone in the dark room. As the movie progresses, Molly realizes the describing words ‘violent’ and ‘bloody’ aren’t really cutting it. She has to hide her face in Hunter’s arm at the bathtub scene, an action that embarrasses her but, when she sneaks a glance up, Hunter’s looking down at her, biting back a grin.

 

Fucker.

 

She holds onto his hand for the rest of the movie anyway.

 

“That was disgusting,” Molly concurs, once the movie ends, “But I liked it.”

 

“I’m surprised you caught enough to understand, considering how many times you hid your face into my arm every time there was blood,” Hunter teases.

 

“Yeah, well, the parts I did catch, I enjoyed,” Molly shrugs, “And besides, it wasn’t the blood that bothered me. It was the violent actions that caused the blood.”

 

“Fair enough,” Hunter answers, before glancing at the time on his phone, “Come on.”

 

“Where are we going?” Molly asks him, laughing as he pulls her out of the theater, “You better be feeding me. Something warm and weather appropriate and delicious.”

 

“What kind of date would I be if I didn’t give you a feast?” Hunter gasps, almost offended, “Besides, I’m hungry myself. That movie worked up my appetite. But don’t worry, I have the perfect place to take you. We’re taking an uber though. We’re on a schedule.”

 

“What kind of schedule-” Molly starts to ask, but is interrupted by an uber pulling up right in front of them.

 

“Fantastic service already,” Hunter compliments the driver as he holds the back door open for Molly.

 

They end up in Hell’s Kitchen and are let out in front of a restaurant called Puff Cha Ramen. It isn’t the best area of Hell’s Kitchen. Hunter tightens his arm around her waist when a few men start catcalling her, something she has honestly learned to ignore ever since she grew boobs. There are also a couple of homeless women near the restaurant who ask for change, and Hunter gives it to them without question.

 

“You have a good Christmas?” the older woman asks him, “That’s a pretty girl you got there, I bet you had a good one.”

 

“It was pretty good,” Hunter agrees, “Have a nice night, okay? Stay warm.”

 

However, the place itself is adorable, small, and quaint, with only one other couple there. They sit down near the window, which Molly can’t help but be hypnotized by when snow starts to fall. She sees Hunter out of the corner of her eye, smiling at her again. When she turns her head to face him head on, he quickly looks at his menu and clears his throat.

 

“Decide on what you want yet?” he asks her.

 

“I want too much, that’s my issue,” Molly answers, “I forgot to eat lunch.”

 

“All of the food is pretty cheap,” Hunter shrugs, “Order whatever you want. I’ll do the same. We’ll lay it all out and share it.”

 

“That’s gluttonous,” Molly points out.

 

“If some of it is barely touched, then we’ll give it to those women outside,” Hunter tells her.

 

“They’re not going to want our leftovers.”

 

Hunter shakes his head at her statement, “Take it from someone who has actually been homeless. A used meal from a container is better than from the trash.”

 

Molly feels a spike of guilt at that, “...You’re right. Sorry.”

 

Hunter’s gaze softens, “I wasn’t trying to make you feel guilty, I was just stating the facts.”

 

Molly nods at that, “Well, the fact is that it’s really cold outside. They could use a break.”

 

Before Hunter can answer, Molly gets up and walks out of the restaurant, pointedly ignores the men who had been catcalling her when they start to inch their way a little closer, then goes over towards the women sitting on the sidewalk.

 

“Oh hey, Ms. Thang!” One of them calls out to her, “This part’s a little rough for a sweet girl like you. Don’t be leaving your man behind. He’s a cutie, but I can see it in his eyes that he’s seen some things.”

 

“I’m not leaving him behind,” Molly tells her, sticking her hands in her jacket pockets, “I came out to see if you wanted to come in and eat with us.”

 

“Excuse me, what did you say?” the other woman asks, looking at Molly as if she’s dangerous.

 

“It’s cold, it’s the holidays. We don’t bite, I promise,” Molly answers.

 

The two women look at each other before getting up off of their newspaper.

 

“Well, hell! I won’t turn down a free meal and some warmth!” one of them says.

 

“Me neither,” the other confirms. Now that Molly has a better view of her, she can tell this one is young, maybe 18, if that.

 

The two women trail Molly into the restaurant and back to the window seats, where Hunter is watching her walk in with an incredulous expression.

 

“Boy, you have the best date ever,” the older woman directs to Hunter, winking, “You take her to one of the best hidden gems of the city and she adds two more sexy women the mix? She’s a keeper, I’ll tell you that.”

 

“Stop,” the younger woman tells her friend as she grabs a chair from another table before turning to Hunter, “Your girl’s a freak who invites strangers off the street for a bite to eat. She’s lucky this time, but it could get her in real trouble one day. Better keep an eye on her.”

 

“Mmmhmmm, I’ll agree on that last part. How many guys catcall you tonight, despite your boyfriend being right next to you the whole time? There are some real, violent creeps in this city, can’t stand them. Speaking of your boy toy, scoot closer to him! It’ll give us some room and you can get all nestled in. Now, what’s your all’s names?”

 

Sandra and Nevaeh actually end up being pretty interesting conversationalists, but she does have to wonder what Hunter thinks of her just inviting two strangers along on a date. Like, he could see it as a bit rude, like she’s not into their night at all, which isn’t the case. But if he does think that way, he isn’t giving off that vibe. All he's doing is engaging with them, sending Molly inquisitive glances, and putting his hand on her chair as they talk and eat.

 

And the food? Oh my god. She hadn't been expecting it at first but it's incredible. Hunter orders way too much, enough for the four of them to pick and choose what appeals to them. But when Molly gets a glance at the check, it only comes out to 50 dollars, which would have been a lot if it was just the two of them, but with four people and a bunch of leftovers, it's not bad at all.

 

“Here, let’s split it,” Molly insists, pulling out her wallet.

 

“Stop,” Hunter tells her, gently pushing her hand away.

 

Molly glares, “You really don't have to pay for everything.”

 

“Sure, I do. I asked you out, told you it was my treat. I’m a man of my word, you know.”

 

“Girl, don't be turning down a free meal,” Sandra whispers loudly, “We didn't.”

 

Molly rolls her eyes and lets the issue go.

 

Hunter lets Sandra and Nevaeh have the rest of the food after it is wrapped up and paid for, before they both wave them off as they walk towards Times Square.

 

It is when they are about a block away from Port Authority that Hunter turns her around, cradles her face in her hands, and presses a soft, sweet kiss against her lips.

 

“What was that for?” She asks him, biting back a smile, making no effort to step away after the kiss is finished.

 

Hunter shrugs and runs his fingers through her hair a couple times, “I just wanted to. You...you invited those women in to sit with us, gave them a hot meal-”

 

“Technically, you gave them a hot meal,” Molly interrupts.

 

“-And you treated them with respect. I don't think you realize how rare it is that they see that kind of decency.”

 

Molly feels herself flush at the words, words that are filled with unsuppressed wonder and honesty. It's a side she hasn't really seen from Hunter, a man who has matured since he faced a horrible childhood, but has always retained the guarded sarcasm and the ability to use humor in order to avoid more serious emotions.

 

But, for some reason, he hasn't been doing that with her. He's made her laugh plenty of times, but he's listening to her and has been open and genuine, he's looked at her the way he is now more times than she can count.

 

It's nice. She doesn't remember feeling this...appreciated? Liked? Respected? Any of those, really, by any of the guys she had an actual romantic relationship with. Hell, one boyfriend ended up stalking her for at least a year after she had broken up with him. He still managed to get a hold of her from time to time. Fucker.

 

And then there was the great first date she had with Will, only to be drugged by him on the second.

 

Nothing had happened, not really. He had felt her up underneath the table they had been sitting at back in a dark corner, put his hands up her dress and shoved his fingers underneath the lining of her underwear. She managed to push him away after a couple of minutes, once she sort of gathered what was happening, before locking herself in the bar restroom to call her roommate at the time. Her roommate came to pick her up and brought her back to their apartment. And then, maybe regrettably, Molly never told another soul about it. She had just dismissed it as a one off, tried to keep her resolve that the majority of people were good, convinced herself it could have been a lot worse. She had actually taken it in stride, strangely. But, despite that, she never felt quite as safe and at ease on a date after that.

 

But with Hunter? She feels safe and at ease with him.

 

And this is just one date, one single date that can't be repeated, because they live thousands of miles away from each other.

 

“Molly?”

 

Molly shakes herself out of her thoughts and gives him a playful grin, “You're supposed to wait until the end of the first date to kiss me.”

 

Hunter huffs out a laugh, “Well, considering how unchaste we were a few days ago, I figured a kiss mid-date wouldn't make me look like too much of a slut. But I apologize for my forwardness and indecency-”

 

She managed to shut him up by giving him a taste of his own medicine, throwing her arms around his neck, and kissing him right back.

----------------------

“Are you kidding me?” Hunter sighs as Molly ice skates around him.

 

“I was actually in a figure skating league from 6th grade all the way through high school,” Molly informs him, before doing an Axel Spin, “What were you expecting?”

 

“Not for you to literally skate circles around me and do tricks, Jesus Christ.”

 

Molly slows down and skates in front of Hunter, facing him with a smirk on her face, “I know what you were expecting. You were expecting for me to squeal and stumble around, all so you could be my savior by letting me hug your arm while you taught me your ways.”

 

Heat rises to Hunter’s face as he starts to sputter, “What? No! That was not my plan at all by bringing you here. Can't a guy just show a woman a damn tree?”

 

“Nope.”

 

Regardless of feeling a bit smug, Molly stops showing off and take a hold of Hunter’s hand anyway. Then? Then they just talk. About anything, really. She tells Hunter about working as a teacher, surprises herself when she tells him she doesn't really like it and answers him honestly when she reveals what her heart is really set on.

 

“Then why don't you do it? Go back to school, become a huge success and cure cancer or something.”

 

“Because it isn't that simple? I don't have the money for it and I feel like I will barely keep my head above water if I take on the loans to go to school full time but only work part time, if that. My dad...he probably could help me out, but he was one of the few who pushed the teaching career on me in the first place. And I don't want his money anyway.”

 

“What about Jus-” Hunter starts to ask, but Molly cuts him off.

 

“I don't want his money either. I'm not going to take that much from a friend or family member. So, tell me about you. Tell me about your job and your glamorous friends back in LA.”

 

And, even after the curious look he gives her, Hunter knows when to give up on a subject. He tells her about his friends, telling her at least half of them are gay, bi, or lesbian yet they are in shock when they find out about his whole adoptive family being gay. He tells her that he goes to some of the Hollywood parties and that they were fun and incredible at first, but now,

 

“They're still fun, but are starting to feel a little empty. It's the same thing, even the more extravagant ones. Plus, I don't smoke, I usually just drink here and there, and I don't do drugs, pretty much because all of those things can potentially fuck with my meds. So sometimes I find myself staying home with my cat when I'm not working.”

 

Molly coos, “You have a cat?”

 

Hunter chuckles at her, “Yeah, want to see her?

 

“Of course,” Molly answers, stopping for Hunter to show her a picture, “She's adorable! What's her name?”

 

“Katniss, duh,” Hunter answers, as if it's obvious, “She's badass. She was surviving on scraps a few blocks away from my building a few months ago, despite being a kitten. I saw her a few times then finally decided to catch her because she was way too thin. Scratched the shit out of my hand and growled at me from my closet for three days. But then she came out, let me pet her, and is as sweet as hell now.”

 

“She sounds lovely. And badass. I never had a pet, not with fur at least. I had a hermit crab and a couple of goldfish, but that’s it. Justin’s allergies were too bad when he was a kid.”

 

“I had one once. A dog. She was a stray too...It didn't work out,” Hunter answers, eyes a little sad. Before Molly can ask anything about the dog, Hunter shrugs and asks, “Wanna race?”

 

“Excuse me?”

 

“You heard me.”

 

Molly scoffs, “I did. But the fact that you actually think there's a chance you could win just threw me off.”

 

She beats him. As expected. But that’s okay. Going by the way he collides with her at the end of the rink, wrapping his arms around her waist to spin her around? He doesn’t seem too torn up about it.

--------------------------

Hunter walks her to the front steps leading to her brother’s building, Justin and Nathan nowhere to be seen. Because of that, Molly doesn’t hesitate spending several minutes making out with the guy. She probably should have been hesitant to start, but that’s mainly because she wants more now and is fucking horny and just wants to bring him up.

 

“It is almost 1:30 in the morning,” Molly sighs, tilting her head as Hunter began to kiss her neck.

 

“Mhmm.”

 

“My brother is probably worrying. I haven’t even checked my phone since before dinner.”

 

“You probably should go upstairs then,” Hunter hums against her neck, making no move to step away.

 

Rolling her eyes, she takes Hunter’s face in her hands and brings him in for a searing kiss, before pressing her forehead against his.

 

“Goodnight,” she tells him, “I had a really great time. It was the best first date I’ve ever had.”

 

“There could be a second,” Hunter mentions, pressing another kiss against her lips.

 

Molly bites her lip and gives him a sad smile, “Could there be though? We’re over 2,000 miles away from each other. Not exactly practical, is it?”

 

Hunter moves away just enough to gaze into Molly’s eyes, before pursing his lips and looking away, “No, it probably isn’t.”

 

She kisses him one last time before heading back up to her brother’s loft. She finds him sitting on the couch, sees Nathan lying there, asleep, with his head resting in Justin’s lap, before taking off her coat and quietly putting down her bag.

 

“Where were you?”

 

Molly rolls her her eyes and groans, “Okay, before you start giving me a lecture, I was out having fun and am completely unharmed. I didn’t think I would be gone for so long.”

 

“Did you even check your phone? Just so you know, I was minutes away from calling Mom,” Justin sighs, “For all I know-”

 

“I could have been stripped of my clothes before I bled out and froze to death in an alley on Staten Island,” Molly finishes, bending down behind the couch and putting her arms around her brother’s neck.

 

“Don’t mock me,” Justin mutters, but puts a hand over hers and pats it, “So what were you doing for so long?

 

Molly bit back a smile and shrugged, before pressing a kiss against her brother’s cheek, “Just meeting up with a friend who interned with me.”

 

“For close to seven hours? Must be a pretty good friend. I didn’t know you were still super close to the interns from your old Internship here,” Justin comments, looking behind his shoulder to give her a glance.

 

Molly just smiles at him, “Yeah, I’m full of surprises. Now get your boyfriend to bed and give me back my couch.”

 

For the next couple of days, she’s a bit bummed that she has to force herself from fantasizing about future dates with Hunter, knowing that it was pointless and, in the long run, harmful to lead herself on. The knowledge that they can’t test this out, see if it can be become more, doesn’t stop them from texting. It doesn’t stop them from not being able to stop staring at each other when she’s with Justin, Nathan, her mother, and Tucker and they happen to run into Michael, Ben, JR, and Hunter at the same restaurant. Despite the fact there are probably 25,000 places to get a bite to eat in all of New York city, they happen to run into each other at the same one, where they sit just one table apart, in very clear view of each other.

 

And it doesn’t stop her from sneaking Hunter to the private bathroom at the gallery on New Year’s Eve and letting him fuck her against the wall.

 

What it should stop is the kiss they share at midnight, alone on the third floor, with the muffled sounds of celebration below them. Because the kiss? It’s filled with promises and dedication and something somewhat scarily akin to love. Feeling all of those emotions, sensing Hunter is feeling the same way - it should scare her.

 

But in that moment?

 

It doesn’t.

January 2015

 

“You’re still talking to that girl?”

 

Hunter looks away from his phone and tries to force himself to put it down, but only manages to turn it over on the outdoor chaise, his hand still clasped to the back.

 

“And what if I am?”

 

Quinn lets out a groan and lifts himself up to sit on the edge of the pool, “If you are then, I hate to say it, but you are letting other opportunities pass by, like you have been ever since you came back.”

 

Hunter feels a surge of anger at the words and grits his teeth, before sending his friend a forced smile, “And what kind of opportunities am I missing, Mr...what was your last role? A club boy corpse on CSI: LA?”

 

“Ha. Ha. Ha,” Quinn answers bitterly, “Dick. But I will forgive you, since you’re heartsick and whatnot. Besides, I wasn’t even talking about career opportunities. We all know you are doing really well in your field, especially at your age, blahdy blah blah. What I am talking about are women. Women who are actually in Los Angeles, where there’s the potential that you can actually touch them on a regular basis.”

 

Hunter rolls his eyes, “Like you know shit about women. You are literally the gayest man I have ever met.”

 

Quinn throws a hand to his chest and lets out a gasp, “Oh honey, how you compliment me so! You know, if you are ever curious, I always did think you were awfully cute-”

 

“Been there, done that. Countless times actually. Not my thing,” Hunter interrupts, looking back at his phone.

 

“But I feel like, in a setting without the dark, upsetting, frightening, and confusing sources that led to your previously gay life, we could really be happy together,” Quinn singsongs, coming over to trace a finger over Hunter’s bicep.

 

“Dude, stop,” Hunter tells him, annoyed, not even taking his eyes off his phone.

 

Quinn gives him a sympathetic look, “I'm sorry. I took that too far. But it came from a good place, I promise. I do worry about you, you know. I know that it is a big enough thing to you to share your status. But, much more so, to...share that part of your life with the women you've been involved with. Hannah took it well enough. I liked her a lot. But Karissa? Tessa? Ugh. I just don't want to see you hurt more than you have to, especially with the long distance thing thrown into the mix.”

 

Yeah. Hannah is still the only girlfriend he has ever had who took both his positive status and past pretty ideally, asked questions to get a better idea of what happened but accepted him for it regardless. They had lasted for about a little over year, even lived together for a while. But both of them had been so busy, their relationship ended up being more roommates with benefits, rather than passionate or romantic. They still meet up once in awhile to get lunch and catch up. But things had tied up smoothly and, ultimately, she has been a friend since.

 

Karissa had taken it horribly but, going by the vibe he had been starting to get when it came to what kind of person she was, he had been expecting a bad response, especially after he revealed to her he was positive before they started having sex. Ultimately, she had accepted it, but behaved a little differently after that. But when he had told her about what led to him being positive? That had caused her to break up with him. He had accepted it though, learning long before that, for him, dating and relationships would be difficult and hit or miss.

 

He hadn't expected Tessa to react the way she did to the prostitution though, especially after explaining the circumstances of his time on the streets and what he had gone through before that point. That break-up had been a lot harder and had hurt.

 

“Molly already knows,” Hunter blurts out, “She doesn't know every single detail, I doubt anyone does. But she has known that I am positive. She knows why I am positive. And she hasn't looked at me differently once.”

 

Quinn blinks at that, “Shit. That just might make the long distance part of all this suck even more.”

 

Hunter’s phone pings and he picks it up to see a picture from Molly, a selfie of herself bundled up winter jacket, scarf, and toboggan, glaring and pouting at what Hunter supposes is his pool picture, with the caption, ‘Fuck you.’

 

“Yeah,” Hunter sighs sadly, sending just a winking emoji in return before putting down his phone.

----------------

Hunter’s schedule is full the next few days, with 16 hour shoots along with more responsibilities. The DP had been crazy about him at first, loved his vision and interesting and unconventional framing and filming ideas. Now he's getting the vibe that Daniel, said DP, is starting to hate him because, within just a few weeks of being the lead camera operator, Jeff, the creator of the show, had been coming to him for ideas and implementing them in the show and slowly, but surely, moving more and more of Daniel’s ideas out. It’s flattering but it’s awkward working with Daniel when he has been making passive aggressive comments like,

 

“Pretty soon, they will be replacing me all together with you, won't they? Out with the old and in with the new!”

 

And, although that particular promotion hasn't been brought up, Jeff had been eager to help him with his reel, build it up and give him more creative liberties to make it the best it could be, even told him on the down low that he'd be giving him co-cinematographer credits on some of the episodes. And wouldn't that go well with Daniel?

 

He’s kept mostly quiet about it. When he's asked about it from the cast and crew, he stays vague and respectful.

 

When he's talking to Molly? He's more blunt about it.

 

“It's fucking uncomfortable, is what it is,” Hunter tells her, setting his coat on his couch before scratching Katniss behind the ears, “The rumors are bad enough, but the fact that Daniel gave me the job and now hates me because his boss is starting to like my ideas more than his is sort of a guilt trip.”

 

“At least it is a flattering guilt trip,” Molly assures him, “At least you don't have the principal breathing down your neck because you are actively challenging him and the school board on the small budget percentage spent on hands on materials and the lack of extracurriculars.”

 

“They should appreciate that they hired someone who actually gives a shit,” Hunter mutters, going to the kitchen to look in his freezer.

 

“And Daniel should be grateful he hired a highly competent person for the job,” Molly returns, “Now, what are you wearing?”

 

Hunter barks out a laugh, “Just going to jump right to it then?”

 

But the words do make Hunter close the freezer door. With Molly on the line, murmuring a seductive, albeit cliché line, he'd rather have his dick in his hand than on a Hot Pocket.

 

When they finish off, both breathing heavily from the dirty words, hopeful and wistful promises, and the mere sound of the other’s voice, he finds himself in the dimly lit living room, as she softly rambles on about nothing of real importance, yet it has become one of the most comforting sounds in his day to day life anyway.

 

It’s only been a couple of weeks since New Year’s. It feels like it has been so much longer. Wouldn't it have to be in order for his feelings to become this intense? For him to genuinely miss her the way he does? This, this spell of some sort he has been under, it couldn't be normal.

 

“You should come visit sometime.”

 

The words come out of his mouth before he has a chance to stop them, before he has the chance to wonder if there's a possibility that Molly doesn't feel as strongly. That she might see their conversations and texts and Skype and FaceTime sessions as an inconvenient convenience, to get off, for a feeling of pseudo companionship, for someone to just talk to, but doesn't feel the strong affection he feels for her.

 

“I want to,” Molly whispers, “I can't really afford it and don't really have any breaks coming up until spring break in March, but I want to.”

 

“I could pay for it,” Hunter says, already fine with that financial commitment before he can even think about the fact they have just been talking for a few weeks.

 

“It would be a waste,” Molly snorts, “Leave Friday evening, maybe Friday afternoon if I am lucky, get there late that night or early Saturday morning, before heading back out Sunday morning. You would have me for a day.”

 

Hunter lets out a breath before feeling a sad smile form on his lips, “It would be a pretty awesome day.”

 

Molly hums at that, “Yeah. It really would be.”

------------------

Tyler throws a random house party on Saturday night and invites what seems like everyone the guy has ever met. He goes, mainly at the urging of a couple members of the crew and Tyler himself. He sends a quick text to Molly beforehand, letting her know he will be out. He knows he isn't obligated. That it could even make her think he's clingy or needy. So he keeps himself from sneaking away to talk to her, to enjoy the company of his coworkers and a few friends.

 

He’s also trying to not hurt the feelings of the woman who has been hitting on him all night too much.

 

He recognizes her. One of the actresses on the newest episode they have been filming. She’s playing a young teacher, just a couple of scenes so far. Not a big role at all, that he could tell so far at least but, since she is hitting on him, he doubts it is to gain status or further her career.

 

“I live not too far from here. You could come back with me,” she tells him, her face inches away from his face as he feels her warm breath hit his jaw, smelling of vodka.

 

“I could show you a good time,” she continues to tempt him.

 

She probably could show him a good time, especially if she doesn't get put off by the positive thing and realizes condoms are effective. She is pretty, dark chestnut hair, light gray eyes, nice smile.

 

But she's drunk. Maybe not wasted, but buzzed enough to pursue him boldly and have that slightly dazed look in her eyes. The way she presses her lips against his doesn’t completely distract him from that fact.

 

But the phone in his pocket is even more distracting, weighing him down as if it were a brick.

 

“I’m...I’m sort of seeing someone,” Hunter tells her as he breaks away from her. It’s sort of a lie, maybe, but it doesn’t feel like one.

 

“...Oh,” she ends up answering, disappointed but still dazed, “Sorry. Is she here?”

 

“No. But she’s...she’s important.”

 

Molly is more than that. Smart, funny, kind, beautiful, complex, flawed. Important doesn’t really cut it. But it would do until he could sort out what she has been doing to him.

 

When he goes home that night, after he gets ready for bed, he gives her a call. She sounds tired, guarded, off. It makes his stomach drop but he tries to keep his cool about it, tries to keep things light until it gets to be too much for him.

 

“Are you okay?” he asks her, sitting down on his bed before nudging Katniss off of his pillow, “You seem down.”

 

“...I don’t know,” Molly sighs, “I just...I don’t know.”

 

“What’s wrong? C’mon, talk to me.”

 

Hunter already knows they both usually sucked when it came to talking things out. He has probably two decades worth of experience of bottling things up, acting out because of sadness or anger or his PTSD, something he had refused to even admit he has until a few years ago.

 

It sucks to know that Molly is sort of like him with her inability to confide in people when she’s sad, conflicted, or depressed. She has shared a lot with him up until this point. He has shared a lot with her these last few weeks, has let his guard down more with her than he had with almost anyone, except for Ben and Michael.

 

“Justin called our dad. Justin is letting him come up to New York in a few weeks to meet up and visit him.”

 

Hunter pauses, “That’s a good thing, right? They’ve been on bad terms since your brother came out?”

 

“Yeah,” Molly confirms, “It isn’t Justin hearing him out, not really. I mean, the man probably cheated on our mom, disowned his son, and tried on and off with me at best after all of it went down, so yeah, I’m still bitter towards him. But the way Justin said he sounded? It...fuck, I don’t know.”

 

Molly goes silent and Hunter listens to her breathe for a moment.

 

“Lie down,” he tells her softly, lying back on his bed himself, “You need to rest and get your mind off this for a minute. Sleep on it, okay?”

 

Molly sniffles once and it sets off an alarm in Hunter’s brain.

 

“Molly? You alright?”

 

“Yeah,” Molly breathes out, “It’s just allergies.”

 

“Li-”

 

“I also really wish you were here with me.”

 

Hunter’s breath hitches at the statement, “Yeah. I really wish I was there with you too.”

 

He talks to her until she falls asleep, everything from what he ate for breakfast to some of the things he wants to do in his career, in his life. How he wants to help kids get off the streets and has been trying to think of the most effective ways how to. She brainstorms with him on that.

 

When Molly becomes exhausted and close to sleep, her words become one or two syllable mumbles, he tells her that she might be the most beautiful person he’s ever met.

 

He doesn’t think she’ll remember it. That’s probably for the best. He just needed to say it.

 

And when her breathing evens out, he stays on the line with her, keeping his phone on charge right next to his ear as he lets himself fall asleep as well.

February 2015

Molly can’t help it when she finds herself glancing around different stores for a birthday present for Hunter. They’ve talked and talked almost every single day for over two months, she knows things about him he hasn’t told anyone. He knows things about her. So why, WHY has she has she been so stumped on this?

 

What do 28 year old guys like anyway? Is it something she can google?

 

She pulls out her phone to do just that, and only comes up with wallets and chocolate.

 

She could give him an experience of some type. Shop around online to give him a certificate to a spa so he can relax and get a massage or pay for an activity of some type. Like hang gliding or ziplining or skydiving. He likes doing that kind of stuff. She followed him on Instagram and went way too far back to look at his pictures. He likes doing adventurous stuff, going on trips to mountainous or scenic places to hike and snowboard. He likes live music, coffee, and experimenting with cameras and editing.

 

She should get creative with this. Hunter is a creative type. She’s not, not really, but can appreciate people who are.

 

Like her brother. Maybe she could ask him for advice.

 

The thought of his potential reaction whenever she fesses up and tells him she’s been talking to Hunter and fucked him when she was in last makes her laugh out loud.

 

“Sorry,” Molly mutters when the cashier gives her a bewildered glance.

 

When she gets back to her apartment, she gets on her computer to look up some ideas. She knows Hunter likes Skydiving. God, by the looks of his social media, he’s done it at least a dozen times over the past year, if not more. Fucking nut. It’s a little expensive. But it’s doable and there’s even a groupon for it. It’s something he would probably like.

 

So she pays for it, makes note of the confirmation number. She can send the certificate in the mail tomorrow.

 

She doesn’t know what makes her look at flights leaving from Pittsburgh to Los Angeles his birthday weekend. Maybe because it is a long weekend, with having Thursday and Friday off and not going back till Wednesday, something they’re now calling “Midwinter Recess.” Molly doesn’t remember having that in school at all, but she’s not complaining about having it now when she is finding herself going through and checking off her luggage options and picking out her seat.

 

When the ticket prints out from her wifi printer, she knows she should have asked Hunter. That he might be put off by the fact she just invited herself over to his condo.

 

Whatever. What’s done is done. He seems like the type of guy who likes surprises, has brought up multiple times that she should visit. If he doesn’t seem into it, she can get a hotel for the night, fly back, and cry about it when she gets home.

 

And if he is into her coming in? Then she can’t wait to see the smile on his face.

------------------------------------

Molly lets out the breath she didn’t know she was holding when the final bell rings. She gathers her own things, walks her class to the gymnasium so that they can wait for their buses, and waves goodbye to them before starting to walk out the front door. It takes an hour and twenty minutes to drive to the airport without traffic. Her flight leaves at 6:30 pm and she has a one hour layover in Chicago. As long as there are no delays, she should get to Hunter’s a few minutes before midnight, just in time for his birthday to officially start. All of her things are packed and in the back of her car. Every paper she needs is right in her glove compartment. She should be okay-

 

“Miss Taylor?”

 

Molly closes her eyes and lets out a breath, before turning around.

 

“Hi, Principal Skinner!” she tries to greet cheerfully, despite the fact she hates the man.

 

The way the man smirks as his eyes flick down and then up at her body, all superior, predatory, sexual...she just really hates him.

 

“I just wanted to tell you that your request for new equipment finally got approved for the school board. The new technology should be implemented in the classrooms in about a month,” he mentions, taking a breath, “Also some of your extracurriculars too. The Robotics Club, Exploration Club, and Space Club? The budgets, potential field trips, and tools needed? All approved.”

 

For the first time, Molly actually feels excitement and happiness spawn from words coming out of Principal Skinner’s mouth.

 

“That’s great!” Molly exclaims, secretly feeling joy at the sight of Skinner’s forced smile and hard expression, “The kids are going to love it, I promise you. There are several kids in my class, Mrs. Howard’s, Mr. McGinnis’s, and Ms. Prescott’s who are all really into science and I think this will get them really passionate about it. As soon as school starts back up on Wednesday, I will do everything I can to get the first meetings started the week after.”

 

That’s when Principal Skinner does that smirk again, that smirk that makes her skin crawl and her stomach just slightly sick, especially when she’s alone with him.

 

“I was actually thinking you could come in tomorrow and Friday. I would meet you here and we spend those days planning everything in my office, just you and me.”

 

Okay, her stomach feels more than slightly sick now.

 

“...You know, I would,” Molly tells him, instinctively taking one step back, “But I am actually taking advantage of the long weekend and going on a trip. I won’t be back until Tuesday. But, I could meet you on our lunch breaks or after school. And I’m sure the other intermediate grade teachers would want to be there as well. This is going to be a big and revolutionary change for the science program here.”

 

“But it was your idea,” Principal Skinner tells her, stepping forward, “I really don’t need the input from the other teachers when I can just have yours.”

 

Molly stares him in the eye and forces a smile, “If they’re going to be working with the programs and tools in the classroom as well as helping me run the clubs, then I want them there. Thank you for your enthusiasm. But I need to be going. My flight leaves in a few hours.”

 

Molly begins to turn and goes to her car, but freezes when Principal Skinner puts a hand on her shoulder and gently rubs her collarbone with the pads of his fingers.

 

“You know, I’m sure the school board would love to hear I gave you an immediate opening to work on these programs, only for you to put it off.”

 

Molly grits her teeth at that, before turning around, “I’m sorry to disappoint you, Principal Skinner, but I made these plans in advance and you are just telling me about the school board’s decision now. I want to help these kids. I wouldn’t have fought so hard for this if I didn’t. But I have plane tickets bought and only a few days to spend some time with a man who means a lot to me. Again, I apologize. I will have no issues exchanging emails with you until Wednesday, we can start a G Chat with other staff members. I’ll send you the updated lesson plans, experiments, everything I have. But I really do have to go.”

 

Skinner is glaring at her when she finishes, before gritting out, “Have a nice weekend, Molly.”

 

The way he says her name though, it sounds like if it is almost an insult. Whatever.

 

“He’s been a creep for years,” she hears from behind her after Skinner leaves, only to see Ms. Prescott, “He fired one new teacher several years back for um...rejecting his advances. She fought the issue with the school board, but the school board-”

 

“Took his side because his brother is the superintendent?” Molly guesses, glancing over at her, “I’m honestly surprised they approved my proposals.”

 

“Especially with you being so new,” Ms. Prescott adds, “If it means anything, I like you and think you’re doing a great job. Duke probably likes your performance too, even though you showed him up with this battle. But, with you being so pretty and smart, he’s thinking with his dick.”

 

“Gross. He’s like my dad’s age,” Molly shudders, before turning around, “I was telling the truth when I told him I really have to go though. But you do know that I think you’re great too, Ms. Prescott.”

 

Ms. Prescott, bless her heart, eagerly asks, “Oh, are you finally visiting that boy? The way you talk about him...your relationship is a little unconventional but you sounded so taken with him.”

 

Molly huffs out an amused laugh, “Yes, I’m seeing that boy. It’s his birthday. Enjoy your break, alright?”

 

“Will do, sweetheart!”

 

Molly finally manages to get in her car at that point and goes just a little over the speed limit to make up with the initial delays in the parking lot. She’s ridiculously lucky that she doesn’t hit traffic and makes it to the airport with time to spare. Everything is straight forward. She checks in her luggage, goes through security, finds her seat without issue, and the plane takes off as scheduled. There are no hiccups, they don’t crash on the way to Chicago or from Chicago to Los Angeles. She even arrives at LAX ten minutes sooner than the estimated time.

 

She had expected something, something telling her that this thing with Hunter isn’t meant to be, that it would just be bad for her, something telling her to go back. But everything fell into place.

 

She gets an Uber to his apartment, knows his address because she told him she wanted to send him a card, something Hunter seems to think is adorable for her to do. Fucker.

 

She gets her suitcase and carry-on from the back, waves at the driver with a smile, before taking a breath and walking up to the gate.

 

She really had wanted this to be more of a surprise. Arrive at his door with a knock while she’s on the phone with him, have him open it and drop his phone to the ground-

 

“Hey, are you one of the new tenants?”

 

Molly turns around to find a young blonde woman, probably an actress, coming up to her with a friendly smile on her face, pulling out her key card.

 

“Actually, yeah,” she lies, smiling brightly back, “Haven’t been around much, just came back from visiting family and I can’t find my key card for the life of me. Probably tucked into a suitcase pocket-”

 

“No worries!” the woman exclaims, touching her card against the scanner so that the gate unlocks, “I’m Scarlett, 15C.”

 

“Uh, Molly,” she answers, shaking Scarlett’s hand, “10A.”

 

“You’ll really like it here, Molly. The pools and hottubs are really well kept the people are friendly. Even though we are in different complexes, maybe I will see you around!”

 

“Of course,” Molly grins, before stepping through, “I’ll see you around!”

 

“Bye!” Scarlett calls out, before heading in the other direction.

 

Molly glances around, relieved to find a sign directing her to the “A” Complex, then looks at the signs on the building to figure out where 10A is. She lets out a breath when she finds Hunter’s door, sees that his light is on, and gets out her iPhone.

 

“Hey,” he answers after two rings, “How was your day? And, damn, why are you up?”

 

“It was good,” Molly answers, biting back a grin before shifting to the side when she sees a shadow pass by Hunter’s curtains, “I couldn’t sleep and besides, I wanted to call you a few minutes before your birthday officially started. Why aren’t you out doing anything?”

 

“I went out and had a couple of drinks after we wrapped up filming at 8,” Hunters yawns, “I’ll probably do something tomorrow or this weekend. We just had a really early start today and it isn’t like 28 is an important birthday anyway.”

 

“Sure it is,” Molly tells him, before taking the phone away from her ear quickly to check the time - 11:58 pm.

 

“Whatever,” Hunter snorts, “So seriously, what did you do today? Or yesterday. ”

 

“Well, one of my students made a really cool project for himself and showed me because he wanted to see what I thought,” Molly says, foregoing her suitcase to make less noise as she walks closer to the door, “Also, Principal Skinner informed me that the school board approved the new clubs and updated curriculums I proposed.”

 

“That’s great!” Hunter exclaims, genuinely happy for her, “I knew you would be able to do it.”

 

“Skinner wasn’t happy,” she informs him.

 

“Fuck Skinner.”

 

“That’s probably exactly what the fucking creep wants,” Molly mutters bitterly.

 

As Hunter starts to press her on what she’s talking about, Molly pulls her phone away from her face again, just as 11:59 pm becomes 12:00 am. Molly takes a breath, quickly puts her phone on mute then keeps it to her ear as she knocks before taking it off mute.

 

“Hold on, there’s someone at my door,” Hunter tells her, “Probably Quinn forgetting his key. Or kidnapping me for some random celebration. Maybe I shouldn’t answer.”

 

“Aw, go see what he wants,” she murmurs.

 

Hunter lets out a groan and Molly braces herself as she hears Hunter’s footsteps approach the other side of the door before swinging it open.

 

“Qui…” Hunter starts to say but the name dies on his lips as his eyes grow big and his jaw drops.

 

“Happy birthday!” she greets, before peeking in to look at the other side of his door, “Dude, do you even know how to use a peephole? I could have been an axe murderer for all you kn-”

 

Before she knows it, Hunter has yanked her inside and slammed the door closed behind her, before pushing her against it to bring her into a searing, bruising kiss. They don’t even say a word for a few minutes, just make out like horny teenagers. Molly is honestly surprised that they don’t fuck then and there, although she doubts Hunter has a condom within arm’s reach.

 

“You…” Hunter gets out in a heaving breath, “You flew across the country...just for my birthday.”

 

“Yeah. I guess I did,” Molly shrugs, before nuzzling her face in his neck as he pulls her close.

 

“My suitcase is still outside,” she tells him, her voice muffled, “I didn’t want the wheels rolling against the cement to clue you in.”

 

Hunter’s eyes go soft at that. He leans forward so his forehead is touching hers, then kisses her there, twice, before going outside to grab her suitcase.

 

Unlike their kiss against the door, the sex isn’t frantic and rough. It’s slow, gentle, sweet, all consuming. Hunter takes his time with her and makes her feel special and beautiful, basically like she’s the only person in the world worth paying attention to.

 

She’s never felt like that. She has had one or two boys dote on her hand and foot, as if she were incapable of doing anything herself, a few obsess over her unwantedly.

 

This? This is so much different. Fuck it, she feels loved and adored, respected. If she has to give what they are doing a name, it would fit “making love” to a T. She has always hated that term, it’s cheesy and sappy and that’s not really her. But she doesn’t mind using it in this case.

 

They are both exhausted afterwards. He’s been up for god knows how long and she’s been up since 4:30, eastern standard time, thus roughly 24 hours straight. So, once they both come, she melts into his side and lets him hold her. They both want to stay up, to talk and make the most of every minute. But her eyes keep drooping shut and she begins to drift off. Distantly, she feels Hunter get up to tuck her in before lying back down with her to hold her once more.

 

She can’t remember the last time she slept so well.

-----------------------------------------------

Besides Hunter waking her up a few hours after they fall asleep to kiss her and tell her he has to go to work for a while, but would try to be back in the afternoon, to get some sleep, and to text him when she wakes up, Molly sleeps soundly until 9:30. Stretching and yawning, she wraps the sheet around her to go to the foyer and get her suitcase.

 

Which has an orange and white cat lying on top of it.

 

“Hey, Katniss,” she says softly, clutching the sheet to her chest as she bends down to stick a hand out.

 

Katniss lets out a sound, not a hiss or a growl but maybe a scoff, if cats can do that, before hopping off her suitcase and running into another room.

 

“Nice to meet you too,” Molly mutters, before grabbing the handle of the bag.

 

She takes it back to Hunter’s room, before taking her toiletry bag to the bathroom to take a shower. The water pressure is perfect, and how much she enjoys the shower is almost obscene. When she gets out, she knows she wants to look nice and takes advantage of the spring clothes she brought. After she’s dressed and her hair is dry and her makeup is done, she looks in the mirror and decides she looks pretty hot.

 

“Up and just got out of the shower.” She texts him as she flops down on his couch.

 

It takes a few minutes, but her phone pings.

 

Why would you partake in such a naked
activity without me while you’re here?

 

Molly snorts at that, before typing out an answer.

 

Payback. I heard you showering before work.

 

Payback? You were exhausted!
I take that as a compliment, btw.

 

Molly rolls her eyes, then types out:

 

Gonna go explore. Hop on a random bus
or something. See what I can find. I’ll let
you know if I get lost.

 

The reply she gets to that comes within a few seconds is a bit extreme.

 

DON’T GO TO COMPTON.
There’s a bus near my place that goes
to Compton, so be careful.

 

If I end up going there, I will let you
know.

 

She knows sending him that is a little cruel but, seriously, she doesn’t expect him to call her over it.

 

“Molly, I’m being serious, be careful when it comes to what bus you get on,” Hunter tells her, way too responsible for her liking.

 

“Yeah, but now you made me want to go to Compton, see what all the fuss is about,” she sighs, glancing at her nails and wondering if she should paint them a new color to compliment her outfit.

 

“Shut up,” Hunter scoffs, “Look, I worked on a movie there last year. Some of it is fine but it is notoriously dangerous. Like, two-thirds of violent offenses go unsolved, a lot of guys carry guns in their waistbands. The murder rates are high. The uh...rape statistics, they’re relatively high. Just make sure you don’t end up in a bad area, okay?”

 

“Do people really commit crimes this early?”

 

“Molly,” Hunter warns, “Just be careful. I’ll be done here around 3. I have someone covering for the rest of the evening.”

 

“I came here unannounced. You don’t have to do that for me,” she sighs.

 

“Yes, I do. I want to.”

 

“Is Daniel happy about this?”

 

“Don’t know, don’t care,” Hunter tosses out, “Jeff was completely fine with it when I texted him this morning, so that’s good enough for me. He said I could leave at noon tomorrow and I have Saturday and Sunday off. Guess it’s a reward for never taking off early ever.”

 

“Well, that’s good.”

 

“I will see you later. Have a good time.”

 

“Will do,” Molly answers, “And you have a good day. Let me know when you are on your way back.”

 

Molly hangs up after, then goes and picks up her purse. She’s about to leave, but then sees an envelope with her name on it.

 

Molly,

 

In case you don't want to be stuck in the condo or locked out until I get back. Put them on your keychain.

 

Taped on the note is a key and a key card. Shrugging off the butterflies she feels by she feels by the trust Hunter apparently has in her, she adds them to her house and car keys then steps out the door.

 

The sun is already shining pretty bright, even underneath the cover of the second floor. She takes her sunglasses off her head and puts them on her face, turns around, and runs straight on into someone.

 

“Oh my god, I'm so sorry,” she tells the man, taking a step back.

 

The man studies her for a moment, Molly barely keeps herself from flinching when he literally pulls her sunglasses down the bridge of her nose, but then can't hold the flinch back when he begins to squeal with excitement.

 

“Oh my god, oh my god, oh my god!” he squeaks, jumping up and down and taking her hands, “You’re her.”

 

“...That is my pronoun!” Molly ends up returning confusedly.

 

But the man shakes his head, “No, no, no. You’re HER. The one Hunter is absolutely head over heels for. Phone girl. FaceTime and Skype girl. What is your name? Marla, Maryanne, Margaret-”

 

“Molly,” Molly corrects him, before holding out a hand, “And I assume you're Quinn.”

 

Quinn gawks at her as if she just performed witchcraft before looking a little down but shaking her hand regardless, “Well, now I just feel terrible for spacing on your name.”

 

Molly has to chuckle at that, “It’s okay.”

 

“But let me tell you,” Quinn starts as he circles around her, “You are as every bit as gorgeous as Hunter told me you were. Well dressed too, if I might add.”

 

“...Thanks.”

 

Quinn comes back to her front, “When did you get in? I mean, I’m more of a blabber mouth than Hunter is, but I feel like he would let it slip at least once if he had known you were coming.”

 

Molly shrugs, “He didn’t. I knocked on his door at midnight last night.”

 

Quinn’s excitement grows once more, “Oh my god. For his birthday?! That is SO romantic. I can imagine how adored that made him feel. Our boy deserves that kind of love and to really feel it for someone in return, you know?”

 

Molly starts to feel a little shy at the L word Quinn’s casually throwing around out loud like it’s nothing but, before she can address that or, much more likely, change the subject, Quinn links his arm with hers.

 

“But I can’t believe he went to work and just left you here, surprise or not!” Quinn huffs, “So don’t you worry any of the perfect hairs on your head. We can go wherever you want to go. I have a car so you don’t even have to worry about Uber or Lyft.”

 

“I was going to take the bus.”

 

Quinn gives her a once over, as if she’s mildly disgusting, before brightening up.

 

“Although I’d rather not be caught dead on the bus, a nice brunch place called The Front Yard is along one of our lines. I get bottomless mimosas for free there. Actually, I get everything free there and if I bring a friend along, they get free stuff too. My ex’s mom owns the place and she hates that her son dumped me, I mean, obviously you can see why. Plus, he’s a total loser now and I think it comforts her that her could-have-been son-in-law is still fabulous. But we can get so buzzed, since we won’t be driving, and the food is to die for.”

 

Molly sorts out what Quinn just said in her head, then nods, “I am pretty hungry.”

 

“Well then let’s go, sweetie!” Quinn tells her, more or less dragging her off to the bus stop.

 

Despite Quinn’s habit for talking up a storm, he does let the conversation go both ways as he more or less cheerfully interrogates her on her life, hobbies, political views, and family the whole ride there.

 

“Bonjour, Madame!” Quinn greets dramatically as soon as they walk through the entrance.

 

“Quinn,” the older woman laughs in a husky voice, “You’re too precious. Who’s this?”

 

Quinn puts a hand in between her shoulder blades and gestures towards Molly, “This right here is Molly. Molly, this is Yara. Molly is the woman who has finally captured Hunter’s heart.”

 

“Oh, that’s wonderful! He has the mouth of a sailor and is a little too quick-witted for his own good, but he’s such a good guy. You haven’t brought him around for a while. How is he?”

 

“Obviously, he is fabulous, with this girl hopping on a plane to surprise him for his birthday. He’s also working almost non-stop. So I took it upon myself to show Miss Molly here one of the best brunch spots in North Hollywood.”

 

“Well, the least I can do it give you the best table in the joint,” Yara offers, before ushering them outside to a table partially shaded by trees. Quinn insists that she sits on the shaded side, claiming that she is much fairer than he is and that she needs to protect her skin so she won’t age prematurely. The food ends up being fantastic. And the Mimosas? They really are bottomless.

------------------------------

Molly and Quinn are way too buzzed for 2 pm.

 

Okay, they’re past buzzed. That’s what they get for drinking bottomless mimosas for close to three hours. By the time they leave, they are at that stage where they giggle at whatever the other one says. They’re both a bit touchy and act way too chipper as they practically skip to the bus stop. They behave on the bus, act almost sober, before getting back to the condo complex, where Quinn thinks it is a fantastic idea if they swim until Hunter gets back.

 

“The water is glorious!” Quinn tells her after he pops up to the surface, “Don’t you worry about it being too cold. This is LA!”

 

“It’s a little chilly though,” Molly answers, wrapping the towel around herself tighter.

 

“Uh, hello? Heated pool. So jump in!”

 

Molly sighs and does what she’s told. Quinn was right. The water feels amazing, she feels pretty good too and, now that it’s happening, she knows that she needed this. To get away from her job, to meet a new person or two, to see Hunter, and to just have fun. She and Quinn swim for a bit, talk to the people who put their feet in the water, have a fucking contest on who can hold their breath the longest like they’re four. Or like they’re high. One of the people who hung out for a bit lit up a joint and gave them both a couple of hits.

 

“It’s medicinal,” the man had said, laughing, his bloodshot eyes barely open, “I have chronic stress.”

 

So, when Molly comes to the surface seconds after Quinn does and says, “Ha, I won!” before turning around to find Hunter standing there, looking at her with an amused look on his face, she may react a little too enthusiastically.

 

“Hunter, you’re back!” she calls out, before lifting herself up onto the ledge of the pool to rush over to him, arms outstretched.

 

“Oh god, Molly. You’re soaked,” Hunter groans, but puts his arms around her anyway.

 

“I don’t mind,” is all she says, staring up at him, eyes bright.

 

Hunter studies her face for a moment, before lifting his hands to her face to pull down on her cheeks with his thumbs.

 

“What did you give her?” he calls out to Quinn, who has now decided to jump up and down on the diving board.

 

“Bottomless Mimosassss,” Quinn sings, before doing a somersault in midair and landing into the pool.

 

“I’ll be fine in less than an hour, I promise,” Molly assures him.

 

“Yeah, Hunter,” Quinn adds, swimming over to the ledge to rest his chin on his crossed arms, “The only reason she’s still acting a bit silly is because Sonny gave us a couple of hits off his joint. But don’t worry. It’s medicinal. It’s good for her.”

 

Molly nods at that, because it really makes sense, “It’s true. Every word. Now come on, jump in. Swim with me.”

 

“I’m not even in my trunks,” Hunter laughs at her, “And the water is probably cold as hell. It hasn’t been that warm the last few days.”

 

“No no no, the water feels great. Trust me,” Molly insists, guiding him over to Hunter’s sliding door, “Go put them on. Then in a little bit, we can shower together, fuck together-”

 

“I would hope so,” Hunter teases, but his breath still hitches.

 

“And we can go out. Go wherever you want to go,” Molly murmurs, kissing at his jaw, “I also have to give you your present.”

 

“You already gave me a present last night,” Hunter tells her softly, before letting her kiss him. Which, since Molly is still on a high, turns into a makeout session that’s eventually disrupted when Quinn says,

 

“Hey! Lovebirds! Take it inside if you’re going to fuck.”

 

And, when Molly pulls away laughing, she can tell Hunter is really tempted by that suggestion. But she needs to keep him on track.

 

“Inside,” she insists, pushing him, “Get your trunks on. It’ll be fun.”

 

She doesn’t follow Hunter inside. Molly knows that if he’s changing and she’s right there, one thing will lead to another and they probably won’t leave his place for hours. So she accepts the raft Quinn hands to her and she lounges in the pool. She’s a little tired, so it’s possible that’s the reason she doesn’t notice when Hunter gets in the pool and approaches her until he’s tipping her out of the raft.

 

“Hunter!” she sputters, flipping her hair back from her face, “I could have drowned!”

 

“Don’t be dramatic,” Hunter rolls his eyes, but shivers as he crosses his arms, “Besides, you deserved it. You completely lied about the water feeling warm.”

 

“It DOES feel warm.”

 

“Only to you, since the alcohol is making you feel a false sense of warmness. That’s how people freeze to death.”

 

“I’ll leave it to you to break the news to my mother,” Molly shoots back, before splashing him.

 

This just leads to a full fledged war, where Hunter grabs her and picks her up, before swinging her around and taking her underwater with him. And you know what? Kissing underwater isn’t as romantic as the movies make them out to be. As spontaneous and awesome as it was to have the opportunity, a few seconds after her lips connect with Hunter’s, their mouths start to slowly fill with water and it just really isn’t that comfortable anymore.

 

“You two are literally too precious for this world,” Quinn drawls once they come up for air, slowly paddling himself over on Molly’s raft, “Seriously, it’s a little gross. Go inside, fuck each other’s brains out, and get the sexual tension out of your systems. It’s making me uncomfortable.”

 

“You’re so full of shit, Quinn,” Hunter scoffs, amused, before flipping his friend out of the raft as well.

 

Hunter and Molly approximately last for fifteen more minutes. The feel of their wet skin sliding against each other beneath the water and the fact they can’t stop making out against the wall of the pool has them taking Quinn’s advice.

--------------------------------------

“Where do you want to go?”

 

Hunter turns to glance at her right after he pulls his boxer briefs on, “It doesn’t matter to me. Where do you want to go?”

 

“I don’t know where I want to go. I don't live here. And even if I was from here and was dead set on a place, it wouldn’t matter because it’s your birthday thus you get to choose where you want to go.”

 

“You are so stubborn,” Hunter shakes his head, “But okay. First though, you have to give me my present.”

 

Molly takes a moment to ponder whether she should give it to him before they go out or after. Hunter seems to take her hesitation the wrong way and asks, “What, do you want me to guess?”

 

Molly shrugs at that, “Sure, but I don’t think you’ll get it.”

 

“Skydiving.”

 

Molly’s jaw drops before she glares at him, “Did you go through my bag?!”

 

“No, Molly, I swear I didn’t,” he laughs as she charges over to him, “The place you booked with called me, said that someone gifted me a skydiving session and wondered if they should refund the money back to you because they let me do it for dirt cheap. I do it with them all the time to the point where I'm certified there. Sometimes on hiatuses I take their customers on jumps for fun.”

 

“Don't tell me you told them to refund it,” Molly sighs sadly, before sitting down on the bed, “I’m so sad now. I was looking forward to giving that to you.”

 

“Oh, stop,” Hunter rolls his eyes, before sitting down next to her, “Like I said before, you gave me the best present I have ever gotten. Appearing at my door like that? It was the greatest feeling in the world. And that cost more than enough money than I deserve for you to spend on me.”

 

“Yeah, but I benefited by getting away. So it isn't good enough,” Molly shakes her head, “I have to come up with something else now.”

 

“I have something in mind.”

 

“Does it include seeing you jump out of a plane?”

 

“Mmhmm,” Hunter hums, “You’ll get to see that Saturday.”

 

“Valentine’s Day. Oh, Hunter. It will be so romantic to see you risk your life just for an adrenaline rush,” Molly sighs, throwing a hand to her heart, “I need to get dressed. I'm still in my underwear.”

 

“Nothing wrong with that. I'm in mine too. Besides. they’re nice underwear,” Hunter offers, kissing her shoulder.

 

Molly rolls her eyes, “But would it be acceptable for me to go out in them to wherever we are going?”

 

Hunter stands up and judges her, as if he is taking her question into serious consideration.

 

“Loose curls,” Hunter starts, picking up her wet, newly washed hair, “A dress that's sort of retro, like seventies, a thick headband, and comfortable but complimentary shoes.”

 

“Okay, I will just pull those out of my magic bag.”

 

Hunter shakes his head, amused, “Just wear what you want. You’ll look beautiful like always and every single friend I have will be jealous as hell that you’re here for me. Or they’ll be jealous that they can’t even compete.”

 

“Will they?” Molly asks, raising her eyebrows, then huffs out a laugh, “You’re friends with pretty actresses. Somehow I doubt they’ll be threatened.”

 

Hunter stares at her, bewildered, “You’re so much hotter than them. You’re genius smart, funny, interesting, and compassionate. You also have plump lips, gorgeous eyes, legs for days, and have great tits-”

 

“Oh good lord, let me get dressed,” Molly groans as she walks away from the man.

 

“And it’s all natural,” Hunter continues, following her to the bathroom, “I can’t tell you how many people I know who have had work done. Quinn has had work done. His nose and his ass.”

 

“I know, he showed me both,” Molly smirks.

 

“That doesn’t surprise me at all whatsoever,” Hunter huffs, “But seriously, they’re going to be jealous of you. The shallow ones who are friends of friends will probably ask you about your skincare routine or some shit. They’ll be so focused on how pretty you are, that they won't notice the most important thing.”

 

Molly raises an eyebrow, “And what's that?”

 

“You're real.”

 

They have a couple of hours to kill before going out to dinner. Molly insists on Hunter taking a nap. His movements aren’t tired, but his eyes are, and it’s no wonder. He’s been up since 4 and her sudden appearance kept him up and active until 1:30 before they had finally fallen asleep.

 

“I’m fine,” he tells her, grabbing onto her hands as she stands over him to try to push his sitting form onto the bed.

 

“Your eyes look red and you don’t even have the excuse of getting high off of Sonny’s weed. So, unless you were crying while I wasn’t looking-”

 

“Or in a pool with chlorine in it,” Hunter adds slowly, as if she’s dumb.

 

Molly pauses, then shakes her head, “You know, that could be the issue, but still. You slept 2 and a half hours. You have to get up early again tomorrow and will be out till later tonight. Sleep. I’ll lie there right next to you.”

 

Hunter studies her for a moment, “You swear?”

 

“Scouts’ Honor, cross my heart and hope to die, nothing but the truth so help me God,” she confirms.

 

When she wakes up a couple of hours later, she can hear him talking quietly into his phone, shoulders partially propped on the headboard. Her temple is resting against the bottom of his ribs and, with her eyes still closed, she listens to his side of the conversation.

 

“I would like you to come out soon,” Hunter insists, absentmindedly running his fingers through her hair before stroking her back, “This weekend just isn't the best time…Yeah, I know you bought the tickets already. I can pay you back...yes, it is necessary…”

 

“Who are you talking to?” Molly whispers, picking her head up.

 

Hunter covers the mouthpiece, “My dads. Both of them. They’re calling to wish me a happy birthday.”

 

“Were they supposed to come in?” Molly asks him, feeling a small knot form in her stomach.

 

“It's fine,” Hunter brushes off, rolling his eyes, before uncovering the phone, “Uh...nah. I didn't say anything...Jesus Christ, I don't have a girl over…”

 

“Hunter, they want to come see you for your birthday weekend,” she mutters, “I can get a hotel room.”

 

“No,” Hunter glares, then says, “No, Ben. That's wasn't at you.”

 

Hunter turns to stare at her for a few moments as Molly taps him in the arm.

 

“They paid for tickets and you didn't tell me,” she reminds him.

 

Hunter lets out a defeated sigh, “Yeah, okay. You can come visit. You have a hotel room?...Good...I just...Jesus, hold on.”

 

Hunter places his thumb and forefinger on the bridge of his nose, before putting the phone down.

 

“They keep asking who’s here,” he tells her, “They say I'm acting weird.”

 

“You are acting weird,” Molly confirms.

 

“I just...fuck, I don't want to scare you off by having them around. Like, insisting you already need to meet my parents or something.”

 

Molly rolls her eyes, “One, I already have met them. And two? Michael and Ben really aren't scary. Sorry if that offends you. Don't make things even weirder by making them wait to find out I'm here.”

 

Hunter pauses and nods, then picks up the phone, “Yeah, I'm here. I was just talking to Molly...Yeah, Molly Taylor...She’s visiting. So, yeah, she’ll be here too...No, she's not camping out on my couch...No, I'm not camping out on the couch either...Wow, that took you long enough...Glad you’re okay with it. See you tomorrow...Yeah, love you too.”

 

Molly watches Hunter as he hangs up the phone, then bites out a laugh before he lets out a groan.

 

“It's not a big deal,” she gives him, “Sure, it might be awkward, and they might ask a few questions, especially when Michael saw me leave your room in New York. But I've met them so, while it is a bit soon, it's fine.”

 

“I’d rather not deal with family gatherings,” Hunter mutters.

 

Molly looks up at him with big eyes and a serious face, “Why? Because I’m a very kinky girl, the kind you don't take home to pap-”

 

“Don't finish that sentence,” Hunter snorts, “You’re such a freak, Taylor.”

 

“Ah, but am I a super fr-”

 

Hunter cuts off her attempt to lead into a song by crushing his lips against hers.

------------------------------------------------

Hunter...Hunter’s a bit eccentric.

 

And Molly finds herself liking that.

 

After he texts several of his friends and they get ready, Hunter fetches Quinn and the three of them drive to a place called Good Times at Davey Wayne’s. And it looks like a fucking house.

 

“Here we are,” Hunter tells her, putting the car in park, before getting out.

 

Molly squints at the house, “Is this your friend’s place?”

 

Hunter snorts before coming around to open the door for her, “No, it’s a bar. Come on, you’ll see.”

 

They head over to the open garage, of all places, while Quinn chatters away as if going into a random garage is completely normal.

 

“I’ll pay the cover charge,” Quinn insists, getting out his wallet, “I still owe you a present and it is the least I can do.”

 

Quinn pays the burly man standing at a fold out table and Molly watches with intrigue as he puts it into an old, shitty cash register before subtly pointing behind his shoulder. Molly finds herself tilting her head as she stares at garage sale price tags and Hunter shakes his head.

 

“If you are planning to buy a kayak, at least get one has a more indestructible design than that one,” Hunter points out, nodding at the overpriced second or thirdhand kayak, before taking her hand, “Come on.”

 

Molly glances around, confused to where else they can even go. Until Hunter opens the retro refrigerator, revealing a hallway, with a set of stairs at the end.

 

When they reach the bottom? It’s quite a sight.

 

“It’s as if Boogie Nights and Almost Famous had a baby and that baby projectile vomited all over this room.”

 

“Oh my god, those are two of Hunter’s favorites,” Quinn gushes.

 

“She’s a girl after my heart,” Hunter grins, throwing an arm around her, “Seriously though, this place is awesome. They have live rock bands and people dress up and the staff try to sound like they are from the 70s-”

 

“And sometimes fail miserably,” Quinn adds, “But they don’t fail at making a strong drink.”

 

And, after Quinn buys them a round and more of Hunter’s beautiful friends trickle in, Molly realizes that Quinn’s right.

-----------------------------------------------------

“He has barely taken his eyes off of you all night,”

 

Molly turns her head to Autumn to glance at her, “Excuse me?”

 

Autumn gives her a look, “The birthday boy. Your boy. He’s smitten. I’ve known him for a few years now and I don’t think I have ever seen him look so taken with a girl before. How long have you been seeing each other?”

 

Molly feels an unwanted blush rise to her cheeks as she huffs out a laugh, “It’s...It’s complicated. It’s kind of long distance right now. I came out here on a whim.”

 

Autumn smiles at that, “Well, it was the right choice. He has had a stupid grin on his face all night and Mariah is jealous as hell.”

 

“Mariah?”

 

Autumn nods her head to the side, “Nine o’ clock.”

 

Molly sneaks a glance at the woman to her left and finds someone who is...fuck, gorgeous. Olive skin, thick silky black hair, hourglass figure. Molly never once has had reason to feel self-conscious about her looks. At the risk of sounding conceited, she knows she’s attractive. But this woman...she’s inferior to her.

 

“Is she his ex?” Molly has to ask.

 

Autumn shakes his head, “One of his neighbors. They hooked up a few times. She was feeling it, he wasn’t. She’s not used to getting turned down and has been secretly bitter ever since. So, if you hear her talking shit on you, don’t take it personally.

 

“...Great,” Molly answers, letting out a disbelieving laugh and shaking her head, “Thanks for the warning.”

 

Autumn smiles, “I wouldn’t worry about it. He said hi to her once and barely paid her any attention even then. He was too preoccupied looking at you. He really, really likes you.”

 

Molly bites back a smile, “Yeah. I really like him too.”

 

It’s then that Molly catches him staring at her from several feet away, but she can’t make fun of him for it. She has been doing the same exact thing.

--------------------------------------------------------

Neither she or Hunter drink much and leave by 10:30 to get home, waving goodbye to Quinn who insisted that he would get a ride elsewhere. The ride is quiet for the first half, until Molly clears her throat.

 

“So...how do you know Mariah?”

 

Hunter looks a little amused but bites his cheek at the question, “Why do you ask?”

 

“She seemed a bit...cold towards me,” Molly answers, searching for the least offensive term to describe Mariah’s personality.

 

“Oh yeah? What did she say now?”

 

“It’s not about what she said, it’s about what she didn’t say. And what do you mean, ‘now?’” Molly answers, studying his expression.

 

“You wouldn’t be the first girlfriend...or...you know what I mean, that she was rude to.” Hunter stumbles over his words, much to Molly’s amusement.

 

“What has she done before? Pushed them in front of a moving car? Boiled their pet rabbits?”

 

Hunter bursts out laughing at that, “No. Shit, she’s not a fucking psycho. I don’t think. She’s just jealous and has a bit of a mean streak. I wish I would have realized it before I hooked up with her almost two years ago but I thought she was hot and my dick thought she was hotter. We hooked up three times and I realized how controlling and needy she was. I wanted to let her down easy. I actually did. She didn’t take the hint and then she came over when Hannah, my ex, was over to tell me about her mom having cancer. I was close with Hannah’s family and Hannah thought I should know. Mariah drew her own conclusions and got pissed. I told her off and she understood, but it doesn’t mean she liked what I said.”

 

“So why was she at your party?”

 

“She’s Lena’s cousin. And roommate. Lena’s a friend,” Hunter nods, pursing his lips.

 

Molly shakes her head, then tilts her head against the seat, “Moral of the story is don’t fuck your friend’s cousin.”

 

“Never again,” Hunter agrees.

 

“You know, it could be worse,” Molly yawns, “I was seeing a guy for a few months in college. The last couple of weeks in our so-called relationship, he got really controlling. Called him out and he yanked me back by my wrist before backhanding me. I took a couple of psych classes and knew where things were going. Dumped his ass. He stalked me for like a year. I had to get a restraining order. Still get calls from him every once in awhile though.”

 

Hunter presses on the brake a bit too hard at the stoplight, “What?”

 

Molly shrugs, “Like I said, it could be a lot worse. I can deal with Maria-”

 

“Mariah-”

 

“-any day of the week,” Molly finishes, “I’m SO hungry all of the sudden. Can we stop and get Chinese or something to take back? My treat.”

 

Hunter shakes himself out of his thoughts, “...Yeah. There’s a place close to me that’s open late. We can order from there.”

 

The orders come quickly and Molly carries the hot bag of food in her lap as Hunter drives the three remaining blocks home. They sit on the floor at the round coffee table in Hunter’s living room and Hunter looks at her with something akin to wonder as she eats her food with chopsticks.

 

“My roommate through my junior and senior years was from Suzhou, China. She taught me before I went to stay with her family winter break,” she explains, before taking a bite of her curry vegetables.

 

“You’ve been to China?” Hunter asks.

 

“Yeah, I never told you?”

 

“I feel like I would remember if you had,” Hunter answers.

 

Molly shrugs, “Yeah, I went. Liu and I are really close and it was a good opportunity. It’s beautiful there.”

 

Hunter nods and picks at his food with his fork, “I’m learning a lot of things about you tonight.”

 

Molly sighs, “If this is about what I told you in the car-”

 

“Yeah, it’s about what you told me in the car,” Hunter interrupts, studying her.

 

A moment of silence passes and Molly feels a nervous tension make its way through her body.

 

“Did he hurt you?”

 

The question, the way Hunter asks her, quiet and hesitant, hurts her heart. Because she knows, even without anyone telling her much about it, that Hunter had to have gone through some horrific shit.

 

“No,” she answers him, covering his hand with his own, “No, never like that. I promise you.”

 

Hunter nods and looks away, “Good.”

 

“I was...fuck, I was embarrassed for putting up with it for the couple of weeks that I did. For being afraid of him in the first place. It was just controlling shit. Texting me non-stop, demanding to know everywhere I went, telling me I couldn’t hang out with my guy friends, throwing out some of my favorite clothes because he didn’t like them or ones he felt I received too much attention in. It was fucked up and escalated out of nowhere. We weren’t serious, didn’t move in together and never introduced each other to our families. I never even mentioned him to my mom or Justin while I was with him. And even after? I downplayed it. Said I had just went out on a few dates with him and he was following me around. I didn’t want them knowing I had been with someone like that, even though it was only for a couple of months. I didn’t even tell them anything until after I got a restraining order. They had lost their shit enough over hearing only the partial truth. The only people who really knew were close friends I went to college with and my roommates. I’m not even sure why I am telling you all of this.”

 

Hunter looks at her, “I’m glad you are. Especially if he’s still calling.”

 

“Not often. But I get dropped calls. Some with heavy breathing. So I think it’s him. A few times he’s drunk dialed me. He did that...He did that last week. But it’s nothing, at least in comparison to what some people go through.

 

Hunter’s expression becomes stern, “It’s still something. It’s still fucked up. You need to tell the police that he’s violating the order.”

 

“I tried that before,” she tells him, “It ended up getting dismissed because they said I can just not answer his calls, even though he calls from random numbers. I’ve changed my number twice. But he’s smart. I guess that’s what I liked about him at first. The initial order only lasted a year and I got a year extension when I kept seeing him around. I was told a few months ago that his 'current actions couldn't be proven and the evidence wouldn't hold up for a renewal' so technically he isn't even under a restraining order anymore. Look, it’s...it’s not a big deal, okay? He doesn’t scare me or anything. Not anymore. I shouldn’t have told you.”

 

Hunter just sits there at that, looking pissed, worried, and dubious, which makes Molly kind of hate herself. It is the man’s birthday and she probably just ruined it with her own shit, shit that she likes to keep to herself. Yet, for some reason, she told him.

 

“I’m full,” she ends up saying, putting down your chopsticks, “Are you done with yours?”

 

Hunter nods and lets her take his leftovers to the fridge.

 

When they go to bed, he lets her take control and she rides him, pushes his back against the mattress as she grinds against him and meets him for a filthy kiss. After, he holds her tightly against his chest and plays with her hair while she falls asleep with her cheek pressed against his collarbone.

“So, what did you two have planned this weekend?”

 

It’s an innocent question from his dad, a thoughtful one even, but going by the nervous tapping on the diner table from Michael and the way Ben is trying a little too hard to smile, Hunter can’t help but feel a little annoyed by it.

 

“I didn’t give him much of a chance to plan anything,” Molly admits, looking down at her food almost with relief as it is placed in front of her, “He had no idea I was coming. I didn’t even think about the possibility of you guys coming down to see him. Sorry.”

 

Before Hunter can open his mouth and tell her to quit it with the unnecessary apologies, Ben does it for him.

 

“Don’t apologize. We’re happy that Hunter has people who are willing to go out of their way to give him a surprise like that just to make him happy,” Ben says, his smile a lot more relaxed - which relaxes Hunter in return.

 

“You did good,” Michael agrees, “He deserves someone like you in his life.”

 

Okay, Michael saying that makes things a little awkward - he always has been the dorkier dad of the two. But it isn’t even the words he’s saying. The words themselves are thoughtful and kind and Hunter really does know that they’re genuine. But it’s Michael’s eyes. The way they are soft, but concerned. Questioning, but hopeful. Happy, but confused. It’s as if he’s trying to figure out Molly, whether it be her intentions to protect whatever little honor Hunter has left or what his and Molly’s relationship exactly is, Hunter doesn’t know.

 

Which makes sense. Hunter doesn’t know what he and Molly are either. He just knows that what he’s feeling, even now with his dads right across from him, is something he’s never felt before. He’s never smiled so wide he felt like his face was going to crack over a simple text. He’s never had someone who could make him feel so nervous yet so peaceful all at once. He’s never felt comfortable falling asleep holding someone until he shared a bed with her.

 

And the sex? It’s amazing. The best he’s ever had. Even the phone sex beats out most of his actual real life encounters with anyone else. The number of times they have actually slept together is low still. Three times the morning after Christmas, once just fifteen minutes before midnight on New Years’ Eve, and five times since she arrived Wednesday night.

 

No, make that six. Or at least five and a half. She blew him right before they had to leave to pick up his parents at the airport. It had been unexpected, fucking awesome, but a complete surprise. Maybe Molly has a kink for surprises or something.

 

Whatever it is, the sex is perfect. They fit together. Fitting in anywhere has always been a struggle for him. It probably always will be. But with her? He hasn’t felt that way at all.

 

His relationship with sex and emotional intimacy is weird. His introduction to sex hadn’t been tender or loving or hot or even just some fumbling around with the lights off. It had been rape, set up by his own mother for extra cash, before he even hit puberty. He’s able to admit what happened now, at least without shaking or acting out over the resulting flashbacks that kind of admission brought. He wouldn’t necessarily consider the johns he had slept with as rapists, at least the ones he had met while he was on his own. But they knew he was a kid. They knew he was on the streets. They might have not known that he knew nothing else. That he barely even thought about who he was attracted to before using his body as a cash source for himself. He had been attracted to a warm bed and to the promise of a hot meal that only money could buy. He hadn’t been attracted to the men themselves. But men paid for sex. Women rarely did.

 

He eventually figured out that he likes women, and probably only women. He can admit some guys are attractive. He still cringes when he remembers trying to seduce Brian. But Brian would have been a breath of fresh air compared to all of the johns he got with: Brian had been younger, successful, charismatic, and good looking. He’s pretty sure Brian could have turned some straight guys gay - or at least bi - just by looking at them. Going by some of the stories Hunter has heard, he’s pretty sure Brian actually has done that. Probably still could if he hadn’t decided to settle down. But ultimately, once he felt safe and secure and had parents who loved him and accepted him, he had allowed himself to be somewhat normal. He allowed himself to figure out what he wanted and who he liked. He realized that he couldn’t get it up for Han Solo or Luke Skywalker pretty quickly. He thought it might have just been that he wasn’t attracted to those particular men. But the more he tried to figure it out, the more he realized that the thought of sleeping with another man ever again made him feel sick to his stomach and that there were multiple reasons as to why he rarely came when he let a guy pay him for sex. At first, he thought the abuse and the tricking might have ruined him. That he would never be able to have a sexual experience again, let alone a normal one. But as soon as he started thinking about Princess Leia, he had his hand on his dick as soon as he could get a moment alone. It was then he realized that he not only liked women, but that he was straight. It had been a weird time for him. Coming out as straight doesn’t happen and yet it had happened to him.

 

It made things harder in a lot of ways though. It’s harder to explain why he’s positive to a girl than it is to a guy. He doesn’t get the pity or sadness that he has gotten from the best girl friends in his life. He doesn’t have to worry about a romantic relationship coming to a halt with the admission of his backstory. He doesn’t have to worry about the disgust or horror or discomfort when it comes to telling his close guy friends about what he had gone through.

 

But Molly? She never responded in any of those ways. Maybe it’s because she had known the basics years before they were ever a thing. Maybe it is because she knows her science and diseases. She might know more about HIV and AIDS than he does. The day after Christmas, out of habit, he started to explain his status to her. Tried to get into his numbers (which have been ideal since he was first diagnosed) and told her he has been properly medicated since he was a teenager and has had no health scares. She had looked down at him as he explained all of this with his head between her legs, told him she is genuinely happy to hear he is healthy, but that if he didn’t go down on her in the next five seconds she would scream - and not in ecstasy. If he hadn’t been so turned on, he might have gotten emotional over her acceptance.

 

“You know, he usually isn’t this quiet,” he tunes in to hear Ben say, sounding both amused and concerned, “Are you really okay that down we’re here this weekend, bud?”

 

Hunter rolls his eyes and stabs at the last of his salad, “No. I’m glad you’re all here. Even though it’s fucking weird.”

 

“But not a bad weird,” Molly adds, lightly kicking Hunter’s foot. Hunter just twists his foot behind hers and links it with his, giving her a mischievous smirk. She playfully pushes his shoulder and he reaches around her to lightly pinch her side, all while Michael and Ben watch them like they are both cute and strange. And that’s pretty hypocritical, if you ask Hunter.

 

“Well,” Michael starts, clearing his throat, “We want to see you - both of you, of course - but if you need alone time and just want a few hours here and there where it is just the two of you-”

 

“We’ll understand,” Ben finishes his husband’s sentence, “Just say the word and we’ll be out of your hair.”

 

“Are we making you uncomfortable yet?” Michael adds.

 

Hunter sits back in his chair and shakes his head, “I’m just honored that you are so courteous when it comes to my sex life. Thank you so much for letting me focus on fucking-”

 

“You win,” Michael interrupts him quickly, giving up on the challenge, “You always win.”

 

“It’s a gift,” Hunter shrugs, taking the check before the other three can even look at it and ignoring their protests in the process, “Who wants to take a cliché hike up to the Hollywood sign? Molly hasn’t seen it yet.”

------------------------------

Once Ben and Michael part ways with Hunter and Molly for the night, they go up to their hotel room for a much needed shower (which they share, of course, because water conservation is important) before settling into bed. Michael watches his husband go through different texts he’s assigned for his classes. He has been with Ben for thirteen years now, but he still isn’t immune to the hotness of the man when he’s wearing a pair of glasses.

 

“So what do you think about Hunter and Molly?” Ben asks, still looking at the laptop screen.

 

And okay, his son’s happiness isn’t a bad thing to talk about by any means. But it does put a damper on things, at least for right now.

 

“...Molly’s great,” Michael finally replies, “She’s smart, friendly, witty, kind. Honestly, she was easier to have a conversation with than Hunter today. Although he seemed a lot more like himself during the hike. He was just quiet during lunch. He only seemed grounded when he was looking at her.”

 

“He was looking at her like she might be the greatest thing to ever happen to him,” Ben answers, “And she was looking at him the exact same way.”

 

“Yeah...,” Michael says, “That’s what scares me. Almost every time he’s been with someone, he’s gotten hurt in one way or another. Hannah was great, but even we thought they came off more as friends. He’s always been so cautious-”

 

“He has to be,” Ben interrupts, “You know he has to be.”

 

“I didn’t mean with his HIV,” Michael says, “I meant with his heart.”

 

Ben nods his head, clearing his throat before meeting Michael’s eyes, “I worry about that. So much. He’s come such a long way and I’m proud of him but he’s been hurt so many damn times in his life that I couldn’t stand it if this ends badly. Especially when he’s so far away and we can’t always be here for him to make sure he knows that he’s always going to be loved.”

 

Michael shifts over to kiss Ben’s bare shoulder, “He knows. It took awhile but he knows that he’s loved.”

 

“And now he’s in love. He’s in love with a wonderful girl who doesn’t care that he’s positive.”

 

“And on the other side of the country,” Michael sighs sadly, “You know, they say that distance makes the heart grow fonder but I don’t think I have personally known anyone who has somehow had a long-term, long distance relationship and made it work. Brian and Justin, for instance-”

 

“They weren’t in sync at the time,” Ben says softly, “And Brian is happy now. He’s engaged and has another kid. Justin and Nathan seem like a good couple too. Different from Brian and Eric, but good.”

 

“At least they are speaking again,” Michael scoffs, “Took them long enough.”

 

Ben closes the laptop before putting it on the end table, “Long distance was harder back when they were together. We didn’t have all the technology to keep in touch that we have now. The majority of new couples are meeting online in today’s world. Hunter and Molly might be fine. We don’t even know how serious they are yet. This could just end up being a casual fling for all we know.”

 

Michael shakes his head, “She flew across the country to surprise him for his birthday. You saw how he looked at her.”

 

Ben lets out a sigh, “Yeah. I did.”

------------------------------------------------

The smell of a well cooked meal is what wakes Hunter up. The rumbling of his stomach is what gets him out of bed faster than he normally does. Walking over to the adjacent bathroom connected to his bedroom, he brushes his teeth before going into the kitchen, finding Molly standing over the stove.

 

“What’re you making?” Hunter asks, coming up behind her to put his arms around her waist and kiss where her neck meets her shoulder.

 

“The most hipster, LA breakfast I’ve ever made in my life,” Molly informs him, “I would say it is your birthday breakfast, but since your birthday is officially over and today is Valentine’s Day, I guess it could be for that instead.”

 

“An LA breakfast?” Hunter asks, “You know, I wouldn’t have complained if you made pierogies. I fucking miss pierogies.”

 

Molly smirks, “When’s the last time you were in Pittsburgh? Haven’t you heard? They’re as hipster as Portland, Oregon now.”

 

Hunter fakes a gasp, “No.”

 

“Yes. Well, at least Lawrenceville and Shadyside, a few other neighborhoods too. They’re still obsessed with football and hockey. The Pirates kind of get thrown under the bus,” Molly shrugs.

 

“They still have the Pierogi mascot?” Hunter asks, “I haven’t kept up with sports in years.”

 

“From what I’ve heard,” Molly answers, “Are you really wanting pierogis that badly? I’m sure we can find some somewhere for lunch.”

 

Hunter shakes his head, “Not like the ones in Pittsburgh. I guess I will make due. Besides, your breakfast smells good. It’s what woke me up.”

 

“I was wondering why you were getting up at 6 am on your day off,” Molly says, “I was going to wait to make something but I’ve been up since 3 am and I’m starving. I planned on giving you breakfast in bed so that you could go right back to sleep if you wanted to.”

 

“I’d rather be up with you,” Hunter tells her honestly, “Even though you’re a nut for waking up at 3 o’clock in the morning. Are you sure you don’t want to go back to bed? We don’t need to leave until 9:30.”

 

Molly waves the suggestion off, “I’m on Eastern Time. Besides, if I go back to bed now, I will wake up feeling dead and be miserable for at least half of the day.”

 

“So I guess that means you don’t want to go back to bed for other reasons,” Hunter says, only half joking.

 

He can see Molly shake her head in amusement as she turns off the stove, puts their breakfast on two plates set to the side, then turns around with one plate in her hand.

 

“Eat your breakfast. And then we can shower. Together.”

 

Hunter takes the plate of food without hesitation.

---------------------------------------

“No. No no no no no. Absolutely not.”

 

The words come from Molly, but Michael is shaking his head right along with her because Hunter and Ben are insane. Molly isn’t. It’s probably why he approves of Molly and likes her. He may go back to Pittsburgh to see if they can change Hunter Novotny-Bruckner to Molly Taylor on the adoption certificate so that he can be her dad instead. If that makes him Justin’s dad too, then so be it. It would make more sense than this because he doesn’t think a child of his, blood related or not, would go for something like this and drag their significant other right along with them.

 

Although Ben probably wouldn’t go for a child swap this late in the game. Especially when he’s in cahoots with Hunter. But Michael thinks that he and Molly might be able to take them. Yeah, Ben and Hunter are health focused, work out and have more muscle mass, and are physically stronger than he and Molly are, but Michael is extremely stubborn and dramatic due to his Italian and drag queen heritage so that should count for something. And if Molly is anything like Justin, then she’s probably more stubborn than Michael is.

 

They can hold their ground and say no to jumping out of a plane.

 

“Please?” Hunter says, going over to Molly’s seat to get down on his knees in front of her to beg like he’s a puppy who feels terrible for making his owner mad but still wants them to play with him. Honestly, Michael is wishing more and more that Hunter would have met Molly sooner. If Molly hadn’t been 12 when Hunter was 16, he would have loved for her to be around then. She may have gotten him to stay in line at least a little better.

 

Molly glares at Hunter, “I came here to watch you jump out of a plane. I was excited to see how ridiculous you could be. I didn’t come to partake in the ridiculous behavior myself.”

 

“And I didn’t even know you planned on partaking,” Michael says, turning to Ben, “I thought we were going to come here and watch our son be a risk taking asshole together.”

 

Ben lets out a laugh at that, “You know I got certified by him last year. It’s been our thing so I wanted to go again this year in order to keep my certification valid. Besides, he called me after you fell asleep last night, asking me if I would do it with him and agree to surprise you and Molly.”

 

“Is that what you call ambushes?” Molly asks, crossing her legs and arms defiantly, “Surprises?”

 

“Well, technically, ambushes have always been surprises,” Hunter tells, still kneeling in front of her, his chin now resting on her knee, “The word ambush just doesn’t have positive connotations like the word surprise does.”

 

Molly doesn’t look all that impressed by Hunter’s smartassery, another reason as to why Michael officially likes her better than Hunter and Ben combined.

 

“Just watch the instructional videos and do the class,” Hunter asks her, pleading, “And if you still don’t want to do it, you don’t have to. But I think you would like it. It’s really fun. Think of it as a gravity experiment.”

 

“Don’t think you can use my love of science to get me to say yes,” Molly mumbles, but stands up and starts walking over towards the instructional room regardless. And it hurts for Michael to watch. For Molly to be brainwashed all while Hunter gives Ben an excited grin before practically skipping after his girlfriend. It leaves Michael alone.

 

“Babe…” Ben starts before Michael holds up a hand.

 

“I don’t like science so the experiment bullshit isn’t going to work on me. That was always Brian’s subject. He helped me cheat on tests. So Hunter may have been able to possibly persuade her. But you can’t persuade me.”

 

Ben looks down at him fondly, almost amused, before leaning down to speak gently into his ear, “It will be the closest we’ll ever be to Zephyr and the Professor, flying down from the sky like superheroes, just like out of one of your comic books.”

 

Michael stares up at Ben, who has this hopeful, excited, but also all-knowing look on his face. Because Ben knows just where to press in order to get Michael to change his attitude about something. And within seconds, he finds himself walking towards the instructional room as well.

----------------------------------------

I’m not supposed to be on a plane until Tuesday.

 

That’s the first thing Molly thinks to herself when she finds herself getting into one before going up into the air to fly over some open field. She doesn’t know why she agreed to this. She had three damn hours to back out. Maybe it had been Hunter’s puppy eyes as he begged her to just take the course. Maybe it had been the fact that Hunter taught the course with enthusiasm and confidence. Maybe it had been the fact that she would be strapped to his chest and she subconsciously craves a specific kind of intimacy that can only be achieved while diving towards a possible (albeit unlikely) demise.

 

“Ready to go first?” Hunter calls out to her over the sounds of the rotor blades.

 

“No!” Molly yells out but lets Hunter finish strapping her to his chest, like she’s his four month old infant. Being strapped to his chest means that she is the one walking to the edge first and, fuck, it makes her lose her breath for a minute.

 

“Last chance to back out,” Hunter tells her as they dangle from the edge, “I won’t judge you too much if you tell me not to jump.

 

Molly can’t even describe the sounds of nervousness and panic coming through her mouth. She probably sounds insane. In fact, she probably is insane because the first words to come out of her mouth that are understandable are:

 

“Just do it!”

 

Molly doesn’t even have time to regain her sanity before they are flying through the air. She can’t describe what she is feeling right now. Debilitating fear? Yes, that is the one emotion she is sure of. But beneath that fear, there is a myriad of emotions: wonder as she looks down at the rural southern California countryside, amazement at herself and the fact that she is currently freefalling from 14,000 feet in the air. But there is also a prominent surge of affection as Hunter yells out his pure delight in the adrenaline gained from falling, pride as he calls out, “You did it! You fucking did it, Molly!”

 

She has never wanted to do this, has never even been curious about it. And now she’s never been happier to take a risk.

 

After a little over a minute of freefalling, Hunter pulls the shoot and they begin to float towards the ground, something that should still be scary but after free falling it almost feels relaxing. As their speed slows down and Molly is able to calm down just enough to appreciate the good view: clear, sunny skies, green grass beneath them, and houses off in the distance. And even though she can’t see Hunter right now - finally silent and Molly imagines he’s taking in the view himself - he’s part of the good too. He had pushed her to do this, made her leave her comfort zone, and she’s never going to regret doing this with him, even if this whole thing with him doesn’t last.

 

She pushes the last thought away quickly. The mere thought of this relationship possibly being short-term threatens to take away the euphoria she’s feeling right now. If she weren’t so euphoric, it would probably feel like a punch to the gut. She doesn’t want to look too closely into that reaction, especially when her experience of floating through the sky is coming to an end soon.

 

So she embraces the good. She embraces the fact that she flew here on a whim to see a boy she’s only been involved with for two months. She embraces how he makes her feel. She embraces that he can get her to do things she hasn’t thought of doing for anyone before. And she embraces the last few seconds she’s airborne before the ground touches her feet.

 

Hunter takes most of the impact, probably used to it as he steps forward with her several feet before slowing down. His certification and experience shows through the fact that they never once fall over in a heap. As soon as they stop, Molly takes a few deep breaths while the adrenaline catches. She barely registers Hunter reaching over her shoulders and waist to undo all of her belts and straps until she looks down.

 

“What would you have done,” Molly starts, watching Hunter’s hands unbuckle everything, “If we had jumped out and all of the straps holding me to you broke, causing me to plummet to my death?”

 

Hunter snorts as he pulls the harnesses off the both of them, “‘What would you do?’ That game? You’re such a girl, Molly.”

 

“‘What would you do’ is a great psychological game-’”

 

“I suppose I would just have to leave my parachute cord alone and fall towards my own demise,” Hunter says in a heavy voice as she turns around, “The guilt and grief would be too much for me to bear. Then my fathers would land and find our destroyed bodies lying in this field. Great times.”

 

“You’re so dramatic,” Molly tells him as she turns around to put her arms around his neck, “And amazing. That was awesome. I’m glad I didn’t die.”

 

Hunter bites back a smile, “I’m glad you didn’t die too. It really would have put a damper on the day. Broken hearts all around.”

 

“It would have been terrible,” Molly agrees, “You would have had to tell my mother. Probably Justin too.”

 

“No,” Hunter tells her slowly, “I thought we established that if you’re dead in a field, I’m dead in a field.”

 

“If you jump, I jump, remember?” Molly quotes sarcastically before her eyes become soft, “Thank you. For pushing me out of a plane. There’s something about you that makes me go out of my comfort zone and I never regret it.”

 

Hunter gives into his grin and presses his forehead against hers, “Really?”

 

“Really,” Molly answers before smiling too as she puts her hands on Hunter’s cheeks and brings him in for a kiss.

 

And that’s how they stay. Kissing in the middle of some field on the outskirts of Los Angeles, with a fallen parachute at their feet and the sun shining down on them. Michael’s shrieks from the sky don’t even get them to break apart.

-----------------------------------------------------------

The rest of Saturday goes smoothly and any initial awkwardness with Michael and Ben being there for the weekend disappears after they all bond over being daredevils. While Hunter is probably right in regards to it being too soon to do the whole ‘Meet the Parents’ spiel, it’s nice to get to know them. She hears stories about Hunter that have him going red. She hears stories about Justin during a time where she really didn’t know her brother that well at all. The time spent with them is actually valuable and she makes sure Hunter knows that every time he awkwardly tries to give her an out when it comes to his dads.

 

Besides, it isn’t like they are staying at Hunter’s. Molly appreciates that they have remained truthful when it comes to giving them time alone, which is good because they are extremely productive when it comes to their time alone. Incredible sex, a long early morning hike, and exploring the city’s night life on Sunday all prove to be more fun than Molly’s had in a long time. After they finally settle down enough to go to bed, she falls asleep practically as soon as her head hits the pillow and Hunter’s arms are around her. She has never felt more happy, sated, and at peace.

 

So when her phone begins to ring at 2 am on Monday morning, she isn’t expecting it.

 

The first thing she thinks as she opens her eyes is it being her normal school alarm but her phone is smart enough to take note of the time change on its own. When she’s more coherent, it stops ringing, only for it to immediately ring again. This time she is awake enough to realize someone is calling her. Even if it is someone on the East Coast, 5 am is too early to get a casual call from one of her friends, her mother, or Justin. The only thing she can think is that it has to be something bad. Maybe there is something wrong with her grandfather or something wrong with Justin - who has been silent despite the fact that this is the weekend their dad is supposed to come in and see him. It could be bad news regarding Nathan or her mother or Tucker. And maybe it is because this weekend has been fucking perfect, but she doesn’t pick up her phone to look at it until the third ring.

 

(412) 555-3196

 

Pittsburgh number. Something about her dad? Despite her feelings regarding the man, the thought of him hurt or worse makes her stomach feel like it has sunken to the floor.

 

“Molly?” Hunter mumbles, lifting up his head, “What’s that noise?”

 

“Don’t worry about it,” she tells him quickly, leaving the room, “Go back to sleep. You have to be up in two hours. I’ll take it out here.”

 

Before Hunter can say anything else, Molly leaves the bedroom, answering the phone before it can go to voicemail as she walks to the living room.

 

“Hello?”

 

There’s nothing on the line at first, possibly the sound of breathing but Molly isn’t sure. But the longer the waits, the more uneasy she gets as she greets the person on the other line again.

 

“Hello? Who is this?”

 

Another pause, but this time the breathing is unmistakable before the person speaks.

 

“I miss you, Molly,” the voice on the other line says, “Wanted to hear you before you went off to work. But you don’t have work today, do you?”

 

Molly clenches her teeth. It has been months since Seth last called her - months - and of all weekends, he’s calling her on this one. And how does he know she’s not working today? Is he keeping track of Monongalia County School District’s break schedule? Logically, she knows it would be an easy find. All he would need to do is to go on the district’s website and pull up the calendar. But even that easy enough of a task from him creeps her out.

 

“What’s it to you?” Molly bites out, “According to my caller ID, you’re in Pittsburgh now. Completely different state. Unless this number is fake as well.”

 

Seth laughs softly on the other end of the line, “So smart. I miss that. I want to see you again.”

 

Molly holds back hysterical laughter, “Feeling isn’t mutual. Don’t call me again.”

 

“Don’t you dare hang up! You are such a fucking whore-”

 

Molly ends the call before he can start with the threats or the little tidbits he’s found out about her life god knows how. The phone immediately starts vibrating and ringing in her hands again and she declines the call. She declines it again and again and again and she tries to turn off her phone but he’s redialing her number so fast that the command to turn off won’t even go through-

 

“Who’s calling you?”

 

The lamp next to her turns on as soon as she turns her head at Hunter’s words. She can immediately tell that he knows exactly who is calling her, even if he doesn’t know Seth’s name. The way his eyes are glaring at her phone, he isn’t exactly subtle.

 

“How much of that did you hear?” Molly has to ask, turning the ringer off before tossing the still constantly vibrating phone on the coffee table, despite wanting to toss it out the window.

 

“Enough,” Hunter says, before walking over towards the couch to sit next to her, “How long does he keep this up?”

 

“It depends,” Molly answers hesitantly, “Sometimes a few minutes. Sometimes hours. Six months ago, I managed to get my phone turned off, turned it back on again later in the day, and his calls were immediately coming back through, as if he never stopped. I ended up smashing it against the kitchen floor and had to get a new one. This piece of shit isn't any better. It went downhill fast."

 

“What’s his name?” Hunter bites out, his fingers interlaced and pressed against his mouth as he keeps staring at the phone with a frightening intensity, “I want his fucking name.”

 

“Hunter, stop,” Molly groans as she throws herself back against the couch.

 

“No, Molly!” Hunter yells, suddenly standing up, “Fuck that! He doesn’t get to terrorize you like this! That’s bullshit!”

 

Molly looks up at him, pointedly ignoring the constant ringing and buzzing, “Seth is not as bad as he used to be. I haven’t seen him face to face in a year. That was brief and he was gone as soon as I spotted him. He pulls this shit maybe once every couple of months.”

 

Hunter is breathing heavily through his nose, as if it is taking every bit of control he has not to go apeshit over some asshole he’s never even seen. But before Molly can stand up to diffuse him or talk him down, Hunter leans over to grab the phone off the coffee table.

 

“Don’t answer it!” Molly shouts, jumping to her feet to make a grab for the phone, “Hunter, please.”

 

“Someone needs to fucking scare him off!”

 

Molly shakes her head, both of their hands on the ringing phone, “It won’t work. You could probably describe how you are going to murder him in great detail and he wouldn’t stop this shit. You’ll just make it worse.”

 

Hunter looks offended by that and Molly doesn’t want him to feel that way so she elaborates, “Okay, say you answer the phone. You tell him to fuck off, maybe you even throw out some macho bullshit about not messing with ‘your girl’ or whatever. Most reasonable guys who hit on girls at a bar would take a hint and back off once a guy gets involved even though they should have listened to the girl in the first place, taken or not. Seth isn’t like that, at least when he’s like this. If he gets a rise out of me or a boyfriend or even just a guy friend, he becomes more obsessive, doesn’t stop with the calls and could potentially start harassing you too. Whenever he gets like this, he sees it as some type of game. If I respond - or if someone else does - then he it’s like he perceives that as me wanting to play along. If I keep the responses to a minimum, he eventually stops. Please. Just ignore him. Don’t let him ruin our last full day together.”

 

Hunter’s eyes never leave her pleading ones, his gaze hard but wavering under her words. Finally, he lets out a scoff, followed by a frustrated growl and sits back down on the couch as he puts her phone back on the coffee table to stare at it. Molly lets out a sigh and sits down next to him.

 

“Go back to bed,” Molly says as she reaches up to run her fingers through his hair, “You have a 6 am call.”

 

“I’ll fucking call off.”

 

Molly flicks his ear, “Don’t you dare.”

 

“I will.”

 

Molly lets out a groan, “I shouldn’t have told you anything.”

 

She stands up to walk away but stops in her tracks when Hunter picks the ringing phone up from the coffee table.

 

“Hunter-” Molly starts but Hunter holds his hand up to shush her.

 

Molly watches him as he studies the phone, all while it rings non-stop, call after call after call.

 

“They’re all different numbers,” Hunter says, frustrated.

 

“Rarely the same number twice,” Molly says, “Unless he wants it to look like he is calling from a specific place. My job, for instance, sometimes Justin’s gallery or the numbers of some of my close friends from college. I think he programmed some sort of number generator so that I never know where he is actually calling from and I can never block the right number. He probably doesn’t even call me from his phone. He most likely calls me through a computer with a VPN or something and has it do most of the work. Back when I had to get the police involved the first time around, they couldn’t even trace his calls and prove it was him. He’s fucking insane, but he’s unfortunately a genius. He was considered some sort of prodigy in computer programming and this is what he decides to waste his talents on. Guess I can’t judge.”

 

Hunter’s eyes leave the phone at that and settle on her as he frowns, “You chose to use your talents to teach children. He’s using his to be a fucking lunatic.”

 

“I’m sorry, what sane person do you know chooses to be in a room full of 10 year olds voluntarily?”

 

“You” Hunter retorts, sounding a little lighter but keeps looking at her phone, “I don’t like this, Molly.”

 

Molly lets out a sigh as she walks back over, “You and me both.”

 

Hunter glances up at her for a moment, the phone buzzing ever so presently in the background. Before Molly can try to awkwardly change the subject, he pulls her down into his lap. She puts her arms around his shoulders to steady herself as he holds her around her waist. She leans down to rest her cheek against his head before pressing a kiss against his hair, then puts her hand on his cheek to get him to look at her.

 

“Get some rest,” she says softly, “Don’t get me wrong, it matters a lot that you care and are worried, but I don’t want you to be. He isn’t worth it.”

 

Hunter shakes his head, reaching up to hold the hand that’s touching his cheek, “But you are. You’re worth it.”

 

“That’s sweet,” Molly murmurs, “I told you I’m not afraid of him though. It’ll be okay. Eventually there will be at least a few seconds in between calls where I can turn off the phone completely.”

 

Hunter looks frustrated again, “You shouldn’t have to do that. The fact that he’s trying to control you when you haven’t been with him in what? 4 years? It’s disgusting. It’s fucking criminal.”

 

“Yeah,” Molly sighs, “I try not to dwell on it though. Not giving him the time of day or the satisfaction of me showing any fear towards him seems to discourage him the most.”

 

Hunter is silent for a moment, his knee slightly bouncing underneath her, “You didn’t leave anything out the other night, did you? When you told me what he did to you?”

 

Molly lets out a breath and tries to think of a way to approach the topic without getting Hunter more upset. She had been truthful for the most part. She had only been with Seth for maybe three months. When they had first gotten together, she thought he was almost too good to be true. He had somehow been blessed with being traditionally handsome, genius smart, charismatic, and coming from a wealthy family. The only reason he didn’t go to somewhere like Harvard or Yale was because he slacked off in the subjects he hadn’t cared about in high school. They had about two good months together. She never figured out what had happened in that last month. She doesn’t know if it had been seeing one too many guys flirt with her or if some sort of mental illness had manifested or what. He had just started to become more and more controlling. He made her tell him everywhere she went if he wasn’t with her and would demand she not hang out with certain guys that had always just been friends to her. She still remembers the day she demanded to talk to him about it, unsure if their relationship would go any further.

 

And he had gotten physical in response. He yanked her back by the wrist, only to turn her around and backhand her. She had told Hunter that. She left out the tidbit of her punching him in the nose in return, only to get a hand around her throat and slammed into his townhouse wall. He had let go before any real damage could be done. It had scared her and, to give Seth barely any credit, it seemed to scare him. He had just stood there when Molly gasped out that they were over before walking out the door. He didn’t even try anything the first couple of months. She thought he had learned his lesson. Then he had started following her. Her place got broken into. She found a hidden camera in her bedroom. She had gotten beaten up and her dress ripped almost completely off outside of her apartment building at the time by a masked man around his size who never said a word.

 

No DNA evidence had been left behind for any of it. The reports were all considered circumstantial. Both of his parents were and still are high power attorneys and all of her suspicions and accusations got swept under the rug. The restraining order had been granted to ‘give her some peace of mind’. The year extension had only been granted since she documented every time she saw him in person and had managed to take pictures of him following her. After that, she is guessing that his parents managed to convince the courts not to accept anything other than hardcore evidence regarding the matter. She wouldn’t be surprised if his record had been expunged of the order all together.

 

Her mother, Justin, and Tucker knew about some of it, even though she has always downplayed her initial relationship with Seth. After she got attacked outside of her apartment, Justin and Tucker had come down and stayed with her for a week. Although both of them had refused to confirm it, she suspects they took shifts on staying awake during the nights they had stayed with her. She knows they had searched every damn inch of her apartment for cameras and microphones. It probably still remains one of the only times those two had truly bonded.

 

“Considering you are just sitting there quietly, I’m going to assume he did a lot more than what you told me,” Hunter ends up saying, his voice devoid of any audible emotion. The only tell that he’s getting more pissed is the tightness in his jaw and the way his free hand is moving, as if he wants to punch a wall or Seth himself.

 

“...It was a long time ago,” Molly tells him, “I don’t want to get you all upset, especially when you should go the fuck back to sleep-”

 

“I’m not going back to sleep,” Hunter tells her, “I already know I won’t be able to. If you want to go lie back down, then you should get some sleep. The phone and I will stay in here.”

 

Molly pushes down her frustration and, as soon as she does, she feels immense guilt. Guilt over Hunter being worried, guilt over telling him about some of the stuff Seth had done in the first place, guilt over ruining his day.

 

“Hey,” Hunter says suddenly, his voice soft as he touches her face, “What are you thinking about?”

 

Molly shrugs and tries to look away, “I don’t know.”

 

“You look like you’re about to start crying.”

 

Molly chokes out a laugh, although it doesn’t sound much like one, “It’s just stress. I think I’ll manage not to.”

 

Hunter shakes his head, “You don’t have to do that, you know. Hide how you feel when you’re upset about something. Even if it’s about him. Or if you’re upset that I’m being an overprotective, stubborn dick.”

 

Molly dismisses the matter, “I’m just upset that I’ve made you upset. I feel guilty that you feel like my drama is on your shoulders now, which it shouldn’t be. We’ve only been talking for a couple of months and I’m already burdening you with this shit.”

 

Hunter frowns, “No. Molly, no. Yeah, I’m worried about you and pissed off at this fucking guy. If I ever see him in person, I will probably try to beat the shit out of him. But I’m not mad that you told me a little bit about what he did. What he’s still doing. I want to know if your safety is compromised by him or anyone else.”

 

“Says the man who strapped me to his chest and jumped out of a plane,” Molly says, sliding out of Hunter’s lap to sit next to him.

 

Hunter scoffs, “You had the time of your life. The fun outweighed the danger.”

 

“True,” Molly admits before stifling a yawn.

 

Hunter puts his arm around her shoulder and leads her down towards his lap, “Come here.”

 

Molly lets out a put upon sigh, “A blowjob at this ungodly hour?”

 

Hunter glares at her, “No. I’m not a fucking head pusher. Just lie down.”

 

Molly hesitates but gives in as she rests her head on Hunter’s thighs. Hunter reaches over and turns off the lamp, making the living room dark once more, the only light coming from the constantly buzzing phone. She tries not to focus on it. She tries to focus on Hunter’s fingers gently massaging the side of her scalp.

 

"I want to break my phone," Molly admits, after trying and failing to ignore it, "Again."

 

"I want to break your phone too," Hunter tells her, "We could, you know. We'll do it right now and I will just add a line to my plan as soon as AT&T opens this morning. He probably wouldn’t find your number if you had a California area code.”

 

“Ha ha ha,” Molly drawls.

 

“I’m being serious,” Hunter says, frowning slightly as the gears in his brain begin to turn, “I can add you to my plan.”

 

“I know you are being serious about that,” Molly answers - which is true, because she had already clued in on Hunter’s tendencies on romantic, impulsive gestures when he offered to fly her out for a day last month, “I just think it’s funny that you think a change of an area code will make it so he can’t figure out my number.”

 

“You’ve never lived in California,” Hunter counters, “He wouldn’t expect it.”

 

“He’d figure it out. I didn’t call him a genius to compliment him,” Molly sighs, “But the gesture means a lot. Besides, you can't go to AT&T this morning. You have work.”

 

“I already told you I am calling off.”

 

“No,” Molly says, “You’re lucky enough you only have to work until noon today and they are letting you come in after you drop me off at the airport tomorrow. You’re not going to compromise your job because I decided to come in unannounced.”

 

Through the dark, she can see Hunter purse his lips as he mutters, “I don’t feel comfortable leaving you alone.”

 

Molly lets out a breath and takes Hunter’s free hand, interlacing her fingers with his, “I’ll be fine. This isn’t the first time he’s done this and it probably won’t be the last. And you were sort of right when pointed out the whole California thing. He knows I am not working but he might not know I am in LA right now."

 

"Might?"

 

"I am always at least a little paranoid about my emails and phone being hacked," Molly mumbles, leaning in to Hunter's touch before glancing up at him, "So the fact that I have still sent you nudes should tell you that I really, really like you."

 

"You really aren't convincing me to go to work at all," Hunter points out.

 

"Please, Hunter? Go. I will be okay. I promise. If I get too bothered by the constant ringing, then I'll go to the Santa Monica Pier or Descanso Gardens. Be a tourist. Or maybe I will go and jump out of a plane without you."

 

Hunter snorts a little at that and it makes Molly feel lighter. When he reaches over to grab her phone, she stills but calms when Hunter assures her that he's not going to answer it before taking the throw off the couch, wrapping the cell phone in it to muffle it, and stuffing it beneath the middle cushion.

 

"Until you get some sleep," He tells her quietly, "Just close your eyes."

 

She doesn't know if it is the fact that the buzzing can no longer be heard or the soft way Hunter asks her, but she shuts her eyes and actually drifts off.

------------------

Molly wakes up at 4:45 am as Hunter gently shifts out from under her. With bleary eyes, she watches him go towards his room and soon after, she hears the shower turn on from the adjacent bathroom. For a few moments, she states up at the living room ceiling, trying and failing to not think about the heated discussion she had with Hunter over Seth. If anything, she now feels even more terrible for Hunter finding out about the calls than she did when he got so upset about it. He hadn't gotten much sleep because of it. If he had gotten some rest after Molly fell asleep with her head in his lap, then he would have slept sitting up. He may not have a 12 or 16 hour shoot today like he usually does, but he still had to work and while his job requires him to be artistic and visionary, it also requires him to lift a bunch of heavy shit.

 

She hates Seth. With a passion. She may have told Hunter that he doesn't scare her anymore and that he isn't as bad as he used to be, but she fucking hates him for ruining this weekend and she hates herself for answering a 2 am phone call in the first place.

 

She reaches into the couch cushions and feels around for the throw until her hand hits her phone. It's still vibrating non-stop. She keeps her hand on it for a full minute in case its ringing might be a coincidence. When she figures out it isn't, it almost makes her feel nauseated enough to run to the main bathroom. Almost.

 

She hasn't had that reaction to Seth in a long time, a reaction of such strong nervousness and dread that it physically impacted her. Maybe it's because it has been a few months since he's done this or maybe it's because she has gotten so used to ignoring it and not even telling anyone when this does occur. Anyone close in her life finding out that Seth is still pulling this shit becomes concerned at best. Then there are people like Jerome, who pick up her phone to threaten Seth, only to get his social media hacked. Hazel had done the same thing, only for her nudes to get leaked. Both instances couldn't be proven, of course, but she had fought harder for them than she had for herself in years. Justin hasn't witnessed a call marathon from Seth for close to a year but he had gone apeshit the last time he had. If Nathan hadn't been there to help her talk him down, she wouldn't have been surprised if Justin went out to track Seth down himself. She couldn't stand the idea of Seth pulling something in retaliation that would negatively affect Justin and Nathan. So when Justin occasionally asks if Seth has harassed her lately, she lies and tells him she hasn't gotten any calls from him in a long time.

 

And just like with Justin and Nathan, she can't have Seth begin to target Hunter. At least with Justin and Nathan, they are more obligated to associate with her and like her. Hunter isn't obligated to have a relationship - or whatever this is - with her. He shouldn't feel compelled to have one either, especially with all of this being so new and being introduced to this shit so early. It doesn't matter that they've talked every single day since New York and she feels more rested when she falls asleep to the sound of his voice on speakerphone. It doesn't matter that she feels more open with him than she has with any other guy.

 

Regardless of it not mattering, if Seth fucked with his bank account, privacy, employment, or reputation, she might agree to meet Seth to fucking slaughter him. And it is a legitimate concern. Back when Seth was more actively stalking her, he had specifically targeted any boyfriends she had. Her last real boyfriend had his tires slashed, his car spray painted on, his bank account emptied, and anonymous false accusations made against him to his boss. None of which, of course, could be linked to Seth.

 

It's why she barely has a social media presence. She has Snapchat but she hardly shares her username with anyone and doesn’t accept requests. She has Facebook to keep in touch with some relatives and some friends from college but never updates it and often untags herself in other peoples' photos as soon as they're posted. It's a sort of a shame, because she would be perfect for Instagram or YouTube. Beauty and Science hacks all in one profile. But it's for the best. Keeping her social life a mystery makes it so Seth doesn't feel like he needs to target anyone except for her.

 

Getting particularly depressed by her thought process, Molly gets up and goes into Hunter's room to sit in the center of his bed. She doesn't go into the bathroom - she wants to give him some space - but her thoughts are making her feel lonely and sad and being closer to him, even if there is a wall between them, makes her feel a little better. Safer, somehow. She doesn't want to think about it too much.

 

The shower turns off and Molly watches the door for a few moments before Hunter comes out, unfortunately fully dressed. His eyes go from preoccupied to tender when he sees her and, while that makes her feel a lot better, she probably doesn't deserve it after her situation stressed him out so much.

 

"Hey," he says, coming over to kiss her head, "You going back to bed officially?"

 

Molly shrugs, "I don't know. Did you get any sleep after I turned your legs into a pillow?"

 

"I closed my eyes," Hunter answers vaguely, "I'll be fine."

 

Molly looks away, "I'm sorry you got like two hours of sleep because of me."

 

"It was not because of you," Hunter says, not leaving much room for argument, "It was because of that dick. That conversation isn't finished, by the way. I know you're downplaying it, even though what you have told me is fucking horrifying."

 

Molly groans, "We talked about him for a solid 30 minutes. I'm done talking about that dick."

 

"We won't talk about it until later, even if it is on the phone after you're back home," Hunter sighs, "I need to get to work. My parents should be here in about an hour. You can sleep until noon and ignore them for all I care but I called them and asked them to stay here until I come back."

 

"Oh my god, Hunter," Molly groans, "Why? What did you tell them? Michael is my brother's collaborator and if you freaked him out enough he might tell Justin and Justin really doesn't need the stress this weekend-"

 

"I didn't tell them everything," Hunter interrupts, "I just said that an old ex of yours had been harassing you in the middle of the night and kept trying to call, even when you told him not to call you. That it made me more nervous than it made you. And for the record, I told them not to talk about it with anyone but us."

 

Molly stares at Hunter, still annoyed. Hunter lets out a breath, "I'm sorry. I didn't do it to betray your trust. But that phone was ringing non-stop while you slept. I unwrapped it a couple of times to try to turn it off but your phone really is a piece of shit. It took everything I had not to go against you and answer it. But you have to know what he's doing isn't normal. It is erratic and he could be dangerous. I am going to work because you want me to but I really don't want you alone right now. I'm compromising."

 

"...Fine," Molly eventually answers, "You're overreacting but I guess it comes from a good place."

 

Hunter gives her a small smile before tilting her chin up for a kiss. Their lips meet twice before it deepens, but before they can get too into it, Molly gently pushes Hunter away.

 

"Go. You'll be late. I'll see you for lunch."

 

Hunter strands up straight and takes a few steps before turning around, "If you need to get a hold of me or anyone else, I left the login info for my laptop on the desk. Just message me on Facebook or something. Also, I’m taking your phone to AT&T as soon as I get off work so if you can’t find it, it’s because I’m going to go get it from inside the couch and put it in my pocket.”

 

“Hunter, no-”

 

“Molly, yes,” Hunter interrupts, “They should be able to connect it to something and reset it or forcibly turn it off since your phone doesn’t want to do either. Maybe they’ll figure out why you can’t turn it off when a call is coming in.”

 

“Phones die,” Molly points out, “I bet it will die before you even get to AT&T.”

 

“It might,” Hunter agrees, “But just in case it doesn’t.”

 

Molly rolls her eyes and flops down on the bed, “Whatever. Take the damn phone.”

 

“So gracious and sweet,” Hunter sighs, “Have a good day, sweetie!”

 

Molly gives him a sarcastic smile, “Wouldn’t have anything less, pumpkin!”

 

“You’re the ginger, not me,” Hunter calls out.

 

“You have red in your beard and you know it,” she counters.

 

“Touché. Later.”

 

After Hunter’s apartment door closes, Molly thinks about going back to sleep but even though Hunter told her she could sleep through his parents’ arrival, she doesn’t feel like she should, especially since they are coming here to protect her or offer solidarity or whatever Hunter asked them to do. So she gets up, takes a shower, blow dries her hair, and does her make up. By the time she’s finished and leaves Hunter’s bedroom, Michael and Ben are unlocking the door.

 

“Hey!” Ben calls out, a little too cheerful for 6:30 in the morning, “Look at you, up and ready. Michael and I thought about stopping to pick up some breakfast to bring over but we didn’t know what you would like. But if you are feeling up to it, maybe we can go out here in a little bit once more places open up.”

 

“Maybe explore a little too,” Michael adds, “Do whatever you want to do because you deserve to have a good day.”

 

“Jesus Christ, what did he tell you guys?” Molly asks, stepping back a little.

 

“Too much?” Michael winces, “Ben, I think we’re scaring her.”

 

“He didn’t tell us a lot,” Ben tells her softly, “But he did sound very worried and upset for you. He doesn’t want you to be alone and just wants you to feel safe.”

 

“And who better to call to fight someone off than me?” Michael says, smiling a little, “Ben provides some good backup too.”

 

Molly has to laugh at that, just a little, “Well, I doubt there will be any need for a physical altercation or even a shouting match. Hunter decided to take my shitty phone with him this morning. Overprotective dick.”

 

The insult comes out of her mouth before she can stop it, but before she can feel too guilty about it, both Ben and Michael give her wide smiles.

 

“That’s our boy!” Michael boasts proudly.

 

“We raised him well,” Ben adds.

 

Molly rolls her eyes good naturedly and the three of them go to the kitchen, where Michael puts on a pot of coffee. And then? They just talk. They talk about Rage and how Michael is glad that he’s becoming closer friends with Justin again. She and Ben talk about teaching. He talks about how much he’s come to love it now that he’s in a higher position at a University. While she talks about the programs she’s pushing with the school board that just got passed and that she loves the kids, she does end up admitting how she has been feeling for the past year.

 

“I’m bored of it a lot of the time,” Molly says to them, “The projects and assignments I have to give are too simple, although there are a couple of kids who are very advanced and eager to learn, so I really like teaching them. But I also like the kids who can’t sit still, talk back, and have behavioral problems. It’s rewarding when I can connect with them because some of the other staff just don’t have the patience for them and kids can sense that. It’s just the average kids. Most of them are sweet but they’re so boring.”

 

She can tell Michael and Ben are trying to hold back laughter as Michael clears his throat instead, “So your ideal child would be an overlooked genius who gets into trouble all of the time?”

 

“Basically,” Molly shrugs, “It’s not THAT funny.”

 

“No, no, it’s isn’t,” Ben agrees, yet still laughing, “It’s just that you described our son to a T. At least when he was a teenager.”

 

“Getting in trouble, running away,” Michael lists off, “Talking back to teachers who got even more mad at him than they would at other kids because of his witty comebacks.”

 

“His initial report cards were shaky,” Ben admits, "He had been out of school. There was obviously a lot of trauma he had experienced as well as various adjustments and transitions that he was going through when he officially moved in with us. Lower grades were to be expected. Then he took a statewide test his junior year and scored in the 98th percenttile”

 

“Then the school board thought he cheated, so they made him take it again,” Michael adds.

 

“And he did even better the second time,” Ben tells her proudly.

 

“They made him take it a third time too,” Michael says, “Ben and I were so pissed at the board members. Hunter was too. He ended up taking it but just bubbled in the options to spell out ‘Fuck You’ so it couldn’t even be graded.”

 

“That sounds like Hunter,” Molly answers, while nodding, “But they definitely deserved that ‘Fuck You’. I can tell you from personal experience that some school board members suck and don’t deserve to have their jobs.”

 

“So can we,” Michael and Ben say in unison, which is cute and almost gag-worthy all at once.

 

The conversation topics vary but eventually and inevitably, they do come back to Seth. It’s why they are here with her this morning.

 

“Have you talked to the police when he calls non-stop?” Michael asks, finishing off his second cup of coffee.

 

“Yeah, a couple of times,” she says, “To their credit, a couple of cops came over once to see what was happening for themselves and eventually answered the phone but Seth didn’t say a word. They tried to trace the calls with someone on site at the station but they get pinpointed to random areas throughout the country. They can’t prove anything, not even enough for a search warrant or to bring him in for questioning. I don’t even know if they know where he is. I haven’t seen him in person for about a year and that was on the other side of some bar.”

 

“There should be a registry for stalkers,” Ben says quietly, “Hunter’s right. His recurring obsessive behaviors and ability to hide where he is make him dangerous. Do Justin and your mother know that he’s still doing this?”

 

Molly lets out a sigh, “They know he has done stuff in the past. They were made aware when he was physically following me around. Justin and Tucker stayed with me for a week after one particularly bad incident. But I don’t want to bother them with it anymore, especially with my grandpa going downhill. I’d really appreciate it if you didn’t tell either of them that this happened.”

 

“Molly…” Michael starts, hesitating, “Look, I’m not going to say anything to Justin if that’s what you want but they should know. I know if this was happening to Hunter, we would want to know.”

 

“It sort of did,” Ben says, “Not with an ex and nowhere near this bad. It wasn’t really a stalking situation. But his mother routinely tries to get a hold of him and track him down, which often turns into harassment on her part. That started a couple of years ago when she saw that he won that Independent Spirit Award.”

 

“She’s after his money, which is kind of funny because he didn’t get paid that much for the movie he got that award for,” Michael tells her bitterly, “But he is doing really well for himself. The independent film community loves him and he has a significant following. He is one of the higher paid DPs under 30. It's not hard to figure out that he has money. He's never said, but we think he might have taken the camera operator job he started out with on this show to throw her off and even then, he couldn't keep himself from getting promoted to second-in-command after the first season. But he’s surprisingly good with money and the job he has now pays him really well. She figured that out. She wanted nothing to do with him once she learned about him being positive but now that Hunter is successful?”

 

“She wants a relationship again so that she can make a profit from him,” Molly fumes, and fuck, she feels pissed, protective as fuck, and she wants to punch Hunter’s mom in the face. Suddenly, she understands where Hunter was coming from this morning a little better.

 

“We try not to speak negatively about his mother around him, even though he would agree with everything,” Ben says, looking irritated, “But that’s all the woman has ever cared about. She wanted him back when he was a teenager so that she could get more money from the state. She...She...”

 

“Regularly sold him to pedophiles to get drug money when he was a kid?” Molly finishes, clenching her jaw, “He hasn’t told me a lot but he told me that much a few years ago, in his own way, back when he was in New York on a shoot while I was doing an internship and we were just hanging out. She deserves to rot.”

 

Michael nods in agreement, “Anyway, he didn’t tell us about it for a while and we were upset he felt the need to protect us from that. If you think Justin and your mom are going to see your situation as an annoyance or a burden, they’re not. They’ll care deeply and be upset, but not with you for letting them know.”

 

Molly sees where they are coming from and she knows they’re right, but she shakes her head, “It doesn’t need to be their business. Seth tends to fuck over friends and family who get involved. It’s why I told Hunter not to answer the phone. Look, it’s fine, okay? I’m used to it. My mom and Tucker are going through a lot with moving to Connecticut to help my grandmother with my grandfather and my brother has a lot going on right now as well. They don’t need to know. Besides, he should stop after a few days.”

 

Michael opens his mouth, most likely to give her a counter argument, but she sees Ben pat his hand and try to smile, “It’s your choice. We’re not going to say anything. We’re just worried. Hunter cares about you a lot and when he’s worried and upset, we tend to get worried and upset.”

 

“And we can’t blame him, because this Seth guy seems like a psychotic prick,” Michael says.

 

“Well, we can agree on that,” Molly says before grabbing their mugs to put them in the sink, “So are we going out for breakfast or not?”

 

Since Molly doesn’t have her phone, Michael and Ben look up places that might be of interest. She really doesn’t care very much when it comes to where they go, but she vetoes some cereal bar because she isn’t going to pay four dollars a bowl for cereal when she can pay less than that for a whole box. Since Ben and Michael rented a car, they end up going to a diner near Warner Brothers Studio, which leads to the three of them taking a tour. The tour ends up being three and a half hours, but Molly enjoys it, even though she would have preferred to watch Hunter geek out or correct the tour guide if he were with them. By the time they are out of the tour, it’s 12:35 pm.

 

“I missed a call from Hunter,” Ben says, after checking his phone.

 

“He’s probably wanting to meet up,” Michael says, “I missed a call from him too.”

 

“I’m giving him a call back,” Ben tells them before he puts the phone to his ear, “...Hey! Sorry we missed your calls. We just got out of a studio tour...Yeah, Molly’s with us, where else would she be?...Well, she didn’t sleep through us being there. We’ve spent the whole morning together...Warner Brothers, but we can meet you anywhere for lunch…Yeah, that’s fine...We’ll see you in a few.”

 

Ben ends the call and puts his phone back in his pocket, “He’s apparently 10 minutes away from us and asked us to meet at a Mexican restaurant nearby. You both ready?”

 

The place ends up only being an eight minute walk to Don Cuco Mexican Restaurant so they opt to do that rather than find parking again. Despite walking, they make it there before Hunter. Hunter doesn’t arrive until the complimentary chips do.

 

“Gracias,” Hunter tells the waiter, putting his backpack underneath the table before sitting next to her, “¿Puedo tomar agua con limón?”

 

“Si,” the waiter answers, “¿Qué quieres comer?”

 

“Lo decidiré en unos minutos,” Hunter says before the waiter walks away.

 

“When the fuck did you learn Spanish?” Michael asks, baffled. Going by Ben’s expression, he is just as confused.

 

Hunter shrugs, “I did take it in High School. And two semesters in college. Not that I retained much. I was bored last summer. Lily forced me, Gus, and JR to learn the alphabet and some random words when you stuck me with the kids during Mel’s birthday and I figured it would be useful here so I decided to keep working on it.”

 

“You should have talked to her in Spanish when we saw them at Christmas,” Michael says, smiling a little, “She would have loved the idea that she inspired you to learn more.”

 

“Maybe next time,” Hunter tells him before reaching under the table, “Molly, I got you something.”

 

“Why?” Molly asks.

 

Hunter snorts as he opens his bag, “I think a more appropriate response is, ‘Ooh, what is it, Hunter?’ or ‘Hurry up and give me my damn present’ but to answer your question: I wanted to.”

 

Hunter pulls a white AT&T bag out of the backpack and puts it on the table in front of her. Molly takes one glance inside the bag before pushing it back towards him, “Nope. Too much. Don’t want it.”

 

“Don’t be stubborn,” Hunter tells her, pulling the Samsung Galaxy S6 Edge Plus box out of the bag, “I asked the guy at the store to look at your phone - which was still fucking ringing non-stop at noon, by the way - and he said that while your battery is amazing, the controls and hardware on your phone are on the fritz. He had to connect it to a computer and force it to go into airplane mode so that the calls would stop coming through long enough for him to look at it. He said that you should be able to turn it off during a call but there’s something wrong with your home button and control button corresponding. It could potentially be fixed but would cost a few hundred dollars for a minor issue. He recommended this phone so that calls only appear at the top of the screen, You can swipe them away, keep doing what you are doing on the phone, and even call other people while he’s calling in.”

 

“Hunter-”

 

“I’m not even paying much for it,” he insists, “I added a line to my plan and it’s fifteen dollars a month total to do that. I know you’re not going to agree to take a new number under my plan, but the guy said the SIM cards could be switched. I have the stuff to do it right now.”

 

“God, you’re so manipulative,” Molly complains, “Really, Hunter, it’s sweet that you want to help with this but I can’t accept that. It might not be costing you much up front but that is a $700 phone.”

 

“Which I can easily afford to pay up front,” Hunter points out, “But I’m not because you’re prideful and stubborn.”

 

“Hunter,” Ben starts, seeming like he doesn’t want to get involved, “If she doesn’t want you to buy her a new phone, then that’s her-”

 

Hunter pulls her still vibrating phone out of his pocket and hands it to Ben, “Try to end the call and turn it off.”

 

Ben lets out an exasperated sigh and holds her phone out in front of him, looking more and more disturbed as the calls keep coming through. Holding down the home button and the control button, he realizes it does nothing.

 

Ben clears his throat and hands the phone over to Molly, “You should take the new phone. Maybe the new number too. He might not figure out a number with a California area code.”

 

“That’s what I said!” Hunter says, gesturing towards Ben.

 

“He’ll figure it out,” Molly says, “Whether it is through hacking my accounts or my employment records, I’d rather not give him a reason to do that - again - especially when no one can ever prove shit and he gets away with everything.”

 

Ben and Michael keep looking like they are getting more concerned by the second - she wishes they would stop that - but Hunter, while she has obviously touched a nerve with the information, looks like he is just more resolved in getting her to accept his gift.

 

“I’m going to show you what a difference there is between this phone and your phone,” he tells her.

 

Hunter takes the new phone out of the box and Molly can see that it is much more superior than the phone she has now, not that she’ll tell him that. From the box, Hunter takes out a SIM card key and takes both SIM cards out of the phone, causing her phone to finally stop buzzing. He quickly switches the SIM cards, powers up the new phone, sets it up with her info, and waits for it to connect to the network. As soon as it does, it begins to ring again.

 

“Look,” Hunter tells her, leaning over so she can have a better view, “Only at the top of the screen. You can browse on Chrome, look at your texts, call someone, play fucking Candy Crush, and turn the phone off.”

 

Molly lets out a breath and finally takes a hold of the phone that Hunter is holding out to her. It’s fucking tempting. Way too fucking tempting. It would make her life a whole lot easier when Seth gets like this.

 

“I guess if I can play fucking Candy Crush,” Molly mutters, rolling her eyes.

 

"All the Candy Crush you want," Hunter confirms, his eyes bright and happy, "So you're taking it?"

 

"If it means that much to you," Molly sighs, before easily and successfully turning the new phone off, "We should stop somewhere so I can buy a case and not break it the first day though."

 

"Already done," Hunter says, getting into his bag again to pull out a mint green OtterBox, "I thought this color would go well with your hair."

 

"You…" Molly starts then shakes her head, taking the case, "Whatever, you're weird. Thanks for the new phone."

 

They eat their food without one vibrating phone between them.

---------------------------------------

After the four of them explore Santa Monica Pier, they head back to Hunter's so that Ben can cook them a Tibetan inspired meal for dinner. Molly honestly thinks she's never eaten more in her entire life than she has today but the dinner he ends up making is light and extremely healthy so she doesn't feel too guilty eating it. She risks turning her phone back on after the dishwasher is loaded and the calls have thankfully stopped, although the notification of having 207 missed calls makes her feel sick. She doesn't have the time or the patience to see if anyone who isn't Seth might have called but she doesn't really have to when she sees a text from Justin.

 

Hey, tried to call a couple of times but it went straight to voicemail. Can you give me a call when you see this?

 

She feels a sense of nervousness when she reads it and she also feels like a piece of shit because she hasn't checked in with Justin once during this long weekend to ask about how seeing their dad after ten years is going.

 

"Hey," she says softly as she goes over to Hunter, "I'm going outside to sit by the pool for a few minutes. I need to call Justin back and see how he's doing."

 

"Yeah, of course," Hunter tells her, looking a little concerned but doesn't say or ask anything else about the matter.

 

Molly walks outside, takes her flip-flops off, and sits at the edge of the pool before selecting Justin's name from her contacts. It only rings twice before Justin picks up.

 

"Hey," Justin says as he picks up, "It's past 10 o' clock. What took you so long to call back? I was getting worried. Your phone was off."

 

Molly lets out a sigh and opts for, "I just needed to disconnect. I was busy today and didn't want to be distracted. How is everything going?"

 

"It…" Justin starts, his voice already sounding strained, "Good in some ways, bad in others. He's genuinely sorry and is a different person now. I can see that. Nathan and I have actually had him in the guest room the last couple of nights. But Jesus Christ, Molly. Why didn't you tell me he was this bad?"

 

Molly tries not to feel annoyed but that's all she can feel right now. She doesn't want her last night here to end like this.

 

"I didn't think you would care," Molly answers honestly, "Every time I have brought up Dad asking about you, you've brushed it off. The only time you ever talk about him is when you tell me you don't want me to stop having a relationship with him because of you."

 

"Of course I care," Justin chokes out, "Of course I do. Fuck, Molly. What the fuck is wrong with our dad?"

 

"I don't know," Molly answers, trying not to get emotional herself, "I really don't."

 

"He needs help," Justin stresses.

 

"You're probably right."

 

Molly listens to Justin's breathing on the other line for a few moments before he clears his throat.

 

"He's flying back to Pittsburgh tomorrow afternoon. I...I don't want him alone at the airport. He's not doing well with crowds. He had a panic attack in the subway station. His flight should be in by 2 pm. I need you to pick him up and get him back to his house."

 

Molly can't help it. She might be selfish but she's fucking sick of her weekend being ruined. She can't even say no, because she is supposed to get to the airport by 12 pm tomorrow. She's probably lucky that she's getting in before her father. If she wasn't, then she would have to explain to Justin why she couldn't get him. She would have to explain that she flew off to LA to fuck Justin's collaborator's son and jump out of a plane.

 

"Molly? You there?"

 

"Yeah," she says curtly, "I'll get him. Talk to you later."

 

"Wait wait wait," Justin says quickly, keeping her from hanging up, "Are you mad at me for asking you to do this?"

 

"It's fine!" Molly says a little too loudly, "I am the only one who put up with him before so why wouldn't it be me to go fucking pick him up now?"

 

"Molly-"

 

"I said it's fine, Justin," Molly sighs, suddenly feeling tired, "I'm just stressed."

 

And that's true. She's stressed about her dad, she's stressed about Justin's weekend with him, she's stressed about Seth's undying obsession with her, and she's not only stressed, but suddenly dreading leaving Hunter in the morning. And it's a fucking intense dread, Hunter makes her feel good, less stressed, safe, and if this thing between them were older, probably loved.

 

She feels none of those things in West Virginia. It took coming here to fully realize that.

 

"What are you stressed about?" Justin asks, concerned, "Besides Dad."

 

Molly thinks about it. She thinks about telling him everything about Hunter, the new phone, Seth, even Principal Skinner being a fucking creep. Because the truth is, her brother makes her feel safe too. It took years for them to form a close bond but once they finally did, it felt permanent. She knows she can talk to him. She knows that.

 

"Nothing," she ends up saying instead, "I'm okay. I'll call you after I get him home, okay? I love you."

 

"Yeah, I love you too," Justin says quietly, "Call me tomorrow."

 

"I will."

 

She goes back inside Hunter's condo and forces a smile on her face that Hunter seems to see right through. Michael and Ben leave around 8 pm and both of them hug her, telling her how good it's been to see her and to stay safe. She and Hunter make the most of the time they have after, pretty much all of it spent in the bedroom. And when they're both too tired to go one more round, she lays her head on Hunter's chest and desperately tries not to cry.

 

Hunter can see right through her then too, but doesn't push her to talk. One glance up at him and Molly realizes that he doesn't seem like he's taking it much better.

March 2015

"That is the fourth guy you have turned down tonight."

 

Molly is surprised she even hears Hazel over the club music as she sips on her third drink of the night. It's good that her mouth is preoccupied. She really doesn't know how to answer her friend, which is weird because she can always talk to Hazel. The only time she had been at a loss for words with her had been when Hazel called her up hysterical over her pictures being on a revenge porn site, but that had made sense since it had been indirectly Molly's fault, considering Seth had retaliated against Hazel just because Hazel told him off.

 

So yeah, that had been the one time her inability to communicate had made sense.

 

This time? She just doesn't know what to say. Hazel knows about Hunter, so maybe nothing needs to be said-

 

"Hey sweetheart, you want to dance?"

 

Molly gives the man a quick once over. He's decent looking. Tall, probably 6'4", chestnut hair, bedroom eyes. At one point, he would have been her type.

 

But she likes how Hunter is only two inches taller than her. She likes putting heels on to get him to roll his eyes over suddenly being a smidge shorter than her. This guy just doesn't compare.

 

"No, thanks," Molly chirps, then downs her drink before starting on her fourth, already slightly watered down due to sitting there, "Nice meeting you though."

 

The guy sputters for only a few seconds, seemingly shocked that she has the ability to turn him down, before leaving to scan the room for someone else.

 

"Make that the fifth," Hazel says suspiciously.

 

"No," Molly tells her slowly, meeting Hazel's eyes, "This is my fourth drink."

 

Hazel rolls her eyes, "I meant the fifth guy you've turned down. And I might not see what you see in men, but even I can tell at least two of them were good looking. Why don't you have some fun?"

 

Molly smiles sweetly at her and throws an arm around her, "I am having fun. Fun with you, my dearest, most gorgeous friend."

 

Hazel gives her a look, "You better watch out. People might think you're a lesbian."

 

"What's so bad about that? You're one, so lesbians must be great," Molly asks, squinting.

 

"But you're not," Hazel reminds her, "And you are getting hit on left and right and just turning every guy down. Does that mean things are official? With Hunter?"

 

Molly lets out a sigh, "I don't know. We talk everyday. I feel like my chest is swelling with joy whenever I hear his voice."

 

"Okay, now I know you're drunk," Hazel says, amused, "A sober Molly Taylor would not say that."

 

"Ughhh, I miss him!" Molly groans, throwing her arms and head on the table in dramatic despair. Hazel patting her back only helps a little.

 

"It sucks when Samira is overseas on active duty, so I get it," Hazel tells her, "Distance can be a bitch."

 

Molly turns her head to look at Hazel but doesn't lift her head off the table, "Where is Samira anyway?"

 

Hazel purses her lips, "Her parents' house. It's their anniversary weekend. My presence wouldn't help matters."

 

"Those fucking bitches," Molly scoffs, before lifting her head just enough to sip at her drink.

 

Before Hazel can come to the defense of her almost in-laws, Jerome and Rubina walk over draped over each other, as per usual. Usually, Molly thinks they are adorable. Rubina is the only girlfriend Jerome has had who hasn't gotten weird over Molly hanging out with Jerome so much. Now she just thinks Jerome is showing off.

 

"What's wrong with the two of you?" Jerome asks, glancing at both of them.

 

"Molly is lovesick," Hazel informs their friend, "And a bit drunk."

 

Jerome shrugs before sitting next to Molly to ruffle her hair, "Aw, Molls."

 

"And she's been turning every guy who approaches her down," Hazel continues, "The number of broken egos this woman is causing is adding up,"

 

Jerome nods, "Well, it is Molly. She's gorgeous. It would be weird if she weren't hit on wherever we go."

 

"Jerome, nuh uh, don't call me gorgeous in front of Rubina. I like her," Molly tells him, turning to stare at an amused Rubina, "I mainly attract creeps. I would never attract Jerome, don't worry."

 

"It's true, you do attract a lot of creeps. That's actually a nice word for a couple of them," Hazel mutters, and Molly feels a bizarre pang of guilt for even bringing the word creep up, "Hey, you're sure Hunter isn't a creep, right?"

 

Molly scoffs, "No. I wouldn't be this fucked in the head over him if he was."

 

She does cheer up slightly. She dances with Jerome and Rubina dances with Hazel, the couple probably taking pity on the both of them. After they decide enough's enough when it comes to clubbing, Molly goes back to Hazel's house to camp out on her couch. She's not drunk enough to have a hangover in the morning, but she isn't sober enough to make the hour and a half drive from Pittsburgh to Morgantown. She could hitch a ride with Jerome and Rubina but coming back to just get her car would be stupid. She’s sober enough to know that.

 

But she's drunk enough to try to call Hunter back when she sees there is a missed call.

 

"Don't do it," Hazel warns, trying to make a grab for her phone, "Friends don't let friends call SOs drunk."

 

"But Hunter got me this phone because my last phone was a piece of shit," Molly says, "It would be courteous to use it to call him."

 

"I approve already," Hazel answers, "Because your last phone was a piece of shit."

 

"He also got me this case," she tells her because Hazel needs to know, "Because he thought the color looked good with my hair."

 

Hazel nods seriously, "He has good tastes."

 

Molly nods as well before bursting into a fit of uncontrollable giggles.

 

"Go to bed!" Hazel laughs as Molly curls in on herself in drunken hysteria, "I'm so glad you are happy drunk but it is 1 am."

 

"H-hypocrite," Molly tells her, still laughing, "You're drunk too."

 

"Yes, but I hold my liquor better," Hazel answers, "You're a lightweight. That's what you get for spending the last few months working on the weekends, which makes no sense because having your weekends free is supposed to be the main perk of being a teacher."

 

"I was fighting the school board until February on the after school programs and available transportation," Molly informs her, wiping at her eyes as she tries to chill out.

 

"How very noble," Hazel says, "But you got it all approved, so that doesn't explain staying such a bore."

 

Molly clears her throat, "I stay at home on weekends and work on all of the plans and materials for the programs so that I don't have to work with Skinner one on one after school. He creeps me the fuck out and I avoid him at all cost."

 

Hazel's eyes narrow, "Yeah, you've said that."

 

Molly tries to nod solemnly, she really does. But Hazel just looks so serious and Molly just doesn't feel that way right now and before she knows it, she's bursting into laughter again.

 

"Molly," Hazel sighs, "Stop laughing about your boss being a fucking perv."

 

"I'm just laughing," Molly starts, trying to collect herself, "because I really do attract creeps. I don't know why. I don't get it."

 

Hazel gives her a look, "Because you're fucking hot. You attract the majority of people. The creeps just can't control themselves around you. The normal people can semi-function and they don't stand out as much."

 

"Hunter stands out," Molly says, leaning back against the couch, "Not like the creeps. He stands out in a good way. I miss him."

 

"So you've said," Hazel replies, but sounds softer than she did before.

 

"I went out with him when I was in LA," Molly says suddenly, "So I haven't been a dud for months. You should know that."

 

Hazel bites back a grin, "I stand corrected. Until tonight, you've only been a dud consecutively for 6 weeks. But yeah, I figured you had a lot of fun."

 

"I also jumped out of a plane."

 

"Wait, what?" Hazel asks, sitting up, "You, Molly Taylor, jumped out of a plane?"

 

"Strapped to Hunter's chest. I felt like I was out of my mind, both literally and with amazement," Molly reminisces.

 

"Alright, you weirdo," Hazel says, gesturing towards the phone in Molly's hand, "Call him back. But put him on speaker so that I can vouch for you or redirect you in case you start coming off as too much of a romantic, drunken idiot. Besides, I want to say hi to the guy who got you to jump out of a plane."

 

“Right,” Molly nods, completely all about this, “He needs to meet you now. You’re my best friend. He can meet Jerome later. He’s only my second best friend.”

 

Molly goes into her contacts and presses Hunter’s name. The phone rings three times and it makes her wonder if he has to be on set tomorrow and is in bed already because even though it is only a little after 10pm in LA, Hunter has been on set as early as 5 am before-

 

“Hello?”

 

Molly is pulled out from her thoughts at the greeting. She’s not quite in control right now so the first words out of her mouth are “Why are you up?”

 

Hunter chuckles at that, “Did you not want me to be? Why are you up?”

 

“Because I’m happy and having fun,” Molly answers honestly.

 

“It’s past 1 am there. What are you up to that’s so fun?”

 

Molly looks around, “Sitting on Hazel’s couch. It’s a really good couch.”

 

“It’s not,” Hazel objects, “You should have taken it when we stopped living together, if you love it so much.”

 

“But you deserve it,” Molly insists, bouncing on it a little, “Look, it’s still soft and cushiony.”

 

“It’s not. You’re just drunk and your body is too numb to feel the lumps.”

 

“Ah, so that’s what you’re up to,” Hunter says knowingly.

 

“Your girl is a lightweight. You should know that,” Hazel says, slightly leaning into the speakerphone, “It’s what she gets for not going out in six weeks. Any tolerance she had is destroyed.”

 

“I had four drinks,” Molly retorts, “That is respectable.”

 

“They were frilly, girly drinks.”

 

“Stop being so sexist towards my drinks!” Molly warns her, before redirecting her attention back towards the phone, “Hunter, this is Hazel, my best friend since we were seven and one of my roommates in college. She made me put you on speaker phone because she wanted to meet you and make sure I don’t say anything stupid.”

 

“She’s been saying sweet, stupid shit about you all night,” Hazel informs him, “I just wanted to make sure she didn’t embarrass herself.”

 

“You’re supposed to make me look cool, not sell me out-”

 

“Wait, Hazel,” Hunter interrupts, sounding both elated and urgent, “What kind of ‘sweet, stupid shit’ has she been saying? I need to know.”

 

Molly gives her a warning glare, before Hazel puts her hands up in surrender, mouths, “Sorry, just fucking with you”, and directs her attention towards Hunter, “All good things. She turned down five guys because of you.”

 

“The restaurant or five men?”

 

“I would never turn down a good burger,” Molly tells him seriously, “Hunter, you know this. You have to know this.”

 

“Five men,” Hazel clarifies, “A couple of them were really good looking too and she just brushed them off like they were dust. Broke their hearts like it was nothing.”

 

Hunter lets out a sigh, “I guess I can’t blame them. She is hard to resist.”

 

“I don’t care about them,” Molly says, curling up on her side of the couch, “I don’t care about them because none of them are you. One of them wasn’t short enough to be you and the others weren’t cute enough.”

 

“Hey, I’m not that short,” Hunter laughs, sounding extremely happy despite the comment being interpreted as a jab, “I’m 5’11”. That’s respectable.”

 

“Perfect height, I agree. I too hope that one day I can be 5’11"," Molly says, "Justin would hate it."

 

“Molly, you haven’t grown since you were 15,” Hazel points out annoyingly.

 

“I don’t know, I was stuck at 5’9” until I was 20 and randomly shot up two inches,” Hunter says, “Random growth spurts in your early twenties can happen.”

 

“Yeah,” Molly sighs sadly as Hazel starts to look at her funny, “But I’m going to be 25 in September. That’s mid-twenties. That’s so old. I need to get my shit together. Accept my height. Accept my life.”

 

“Molly…” Hunter starts, “As a 28 year old, I am going to tell you now that 25 isn’t old. Neither is 24, which is what you are right now.”

 

“And a half,” Molly points out, “I’m 24 and a half.”

 

“My apologies,” Hunter murmurs, “I thought people stopped counting half years by the time they were 10.”

 

"Well, apparently not me," Molly tells him as she curls up on her side of the couch, "It's past 10 o'clock there. I didn't wake you up, did I?"

 

"Nah," Hunter tells her, before stifling a yawn, "I was waiting for you to call. Figured I would give you until at least 11."

 

"You shouldn't sacrifice your sleep for me," Molly sighs, "Don't you have a shoot tomorrow?"

 

"Unfortunately," Hunter says, "First Saturday shoot in months. It's a 6 am call though and we are ahead of schedule. I bet we will be done by 4 pm."

 

"And then you're off," Molly says, yawning herself, "Until when? August?"

 

"Yep, mid-August."

 

"Do you have anything lined up? Any movies?"

 

"I finished the storyboards and shot list for one last weekend," Hunter tells her, "Production starts April 20th. It's a three month shoot."

 

"Who's the director?" Molly asks, lifting her head to fluff up her pillow.

 

"Darren Aronofsky."

 

Hazel had been so quiet and on her own phone that Molly honestly forgot she was there. But right then, Molly feels a jump at her feet. Tilting her head down to look at her, Molly raises an eyebrow in confusion.

 

"What the hell, Molly?" Hazel hisses, leaning in, "Who the fuck are you dating?"

 

"Hunter," Molly says slowly, because she should honestly know.

 

"I thought you said he worked on some teen show!"

 

"I prefer for my IMDb page to be eclectic," Hunter chimes in, "It confuses people and makes me an enigma."

 

Molly watches as Hazel goes red before recovering, "Sorry. I didn't think you would be able to hear me."

 

"It's all good," Hunter tells her, sounding more amused than anything, "This is actually a really big step up. I was surprised that he even knew who I was, let alone that he wanted me to do his fucking movie."

 

And maybe it is her alcohol in her system or just the fact that Hunter deserves this, but Molly feels so immensely proud and happy for him getting an opportunity like this.

 

"You should see your girlfriend's face," Hazel suddenly says, glancing at Molly, "She looks so proud of you right now."

 

"Yeah?" Hunter says, sounding as though he's extremely pleased over that possibility, "How so?"

 

"Big goofy smile on her face, a dreamy look in her eyes."

 

Molly lightly kicks Hazel's thigh, "That last one is just the alcohol. And Hazel, I repeat, you agreed to let me call him so that you could make sure I look cool."

 

"I know," Hazel sighs, "But that task is even harder than usual tonight."

 

"You're such a bitch," Molly murmurs, closing her eyes and nuzzling into the pillow so that Hazel can't interpret her facial expressions anymore.

 

"Aw, don't say that to your friend," Hunter says softly, "I like her. I like that she's calling you out on your secret sappiness and letting me know about it. It's heartwarming and informing all at once."

 

"You're a bitch too," Molly says as Hunter chokes out laughter.

 

Hunter gets over his fit of giggles quickly enough and lets out a sigh, "I'm a bitch with another 6 am call tomorrow morning and should probably be getting to bed."

 

"Fuck, did I wake you up?"

 

"I already told you that you didn't," Hunter says, tenderness in his voice, "That I was hoping that you'd call."

 

"You probably weren't hoping for a drunken Molly."

 

"I like all of the versions of Molly," Hunter tells her seriously, "Every single one."

 

Molly feels heat rise to her cheeks and a warmth spread through her chest then nudges Hazel with her foot as she starts to hear her friend try to hold back squeals of delight. Molly clears her throat and successfully moves past it, "I bet you wouldn't like a demonically possessed Molly."

 

Hunter lets out a loud laugh, "I'd rather not find out about that one. Stay away from Ouija Boards and cursed ancient artifacts if at all possible."

 

"No promises," Molly shrugs, "...I'll let you get to bed. Have a good day at work tomorrow."

 

"Have a good day off tomorrow," he tells her softly, "If you're not busy, I want to call you and run something by you after I get off of work."

 

Molly feels a knot form in her stomach. She fucking hates anticipating shit, "What? Just run it by me now."

 

Hunter stays silent for a moment, then says, "Nah. I want to wait until you're sober. Drink some water and eat some food before you go to sleep. I don't want you feeling sick."

 

"It better not be something shitty," Molly warns him, sitting up again, "Because I tend to perseverate on stuff."

 

"It's something good, I promise," Hunter snorts, "Or at least I think it's a good idea. I wouldn't bring it up if I thought you definitely wouldn't be up for it."

 

"Fine. Keep me suspense," Molly sighs, putting her head back down, "Goodnight. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

 

"Night."

 

Molly reaches over and ends the call, lies back down, then stares up at Hazel's living room ceiling.

 

"You do have it bad," Hazel says softly, "Damn, Molly."

 

"I feel like fucking crying," Molly mutters, sniffling a little, "I don't know why, but I do."

 

Hazel stands up and comes over to her side of the couch before kneeling in front of her to stroke her hair.

 

"Because he's a really great guy," Hazel tells her seriously, "Even I can see that. He's a really great guy who sees how incredible you are and you wish he was here. Plus, you're still drunk.

 

Molly lets out a wet laugh, "Yeah. That probably sums it up."

 

Hazel gives Molly a small smile, then presses a kiss against her forehead, "I'm going to make you something to eat. I think Samira has ramen in the pantry. If Hunter would find out that I didn't make you eat something, he would probably like me a lot less."

 

Hazel leaves the room and Molly has no one else to focus on but herself. She just focuses on the ceiling instead.

------------------------------------

When Molly wakes up and successfully manages to avoid a hangover, she cooks breakfast for herself and Hazel before even thinking about her dad. She hasn't seen him since the airport. She's talked to him on the phone a few times but the last time had been a week ago. Things are still strained, but Justin had been right. He isn't doing well. Molly could have told anyone that for a year, but now that it is a more established fact, it makes her nervous. She called him the other day with no response and she called him when she got up this morning, but still got nothing.

 

"I think I should probably go check on my dad today," Molly says, putting eggs on Hazel's plate.

 

"How is he doing?" Hazel asks before digging in.

 

"I don't know."

 

Hazel gives her a look, "Do you want me to come with you?"

 

Molly thinks on it. On the one hand, it would be nice to have someone there to support her if her dad ends up not being well. On the other, any type of audience probably wouldn't be appreciated by the man.

 

"Nah."

 

She doesn't regret her answer. She doesn't regret it when she gets her things together and she doesn't regret it when she gives Hazel probably too long of a hug before driving towards Franklin Park. She can never rid herself of the feeling any time she pulls up the driveway, residual emotions that have persisted ever since she was 13 and her dad moved here. It was a step up from her childhood home - closer to the upper part of upper middle class - and, as beautiful as it was, had no personality whatsoever. Any personal touches had been made by her ex-stepmother. She hadn't spent much time here, just enough to have a room that always looked more like a guest room than a teenage girl's room, while her step-brother's had been decked out in sports memorabilia.

 

She should probably check in with Mason. He should be a junior in college now. She hasn't talked to him much since she moved to go to WVU. He may have been a pain in her ass growing up but until she had reconnected with Justin five years ago, he had been the closest brother figure in her life, even if that meant not that close at all.

 

But first, her dad.

 

She gets out of the car and walks up to the front door, then rings the doorbell. Nothing. She knows her dad has to be here. Both of his cars are and it isn’t like he goes out with friends much anymore. Even if he did, he probably would be the one driving. She knocks, rings the doorbell again, then grudgingly finds his key on her keychain to unlock the door.

 

“Dad?” Molly calls out, “It’s me. You here?”

 

At first, there’s nothing. No confirmations, no sounds of walking towards the foyer. But then she hears a loud clatter from the kitchen. Walking in that direction, she begins to hear muttering that she can’t really understand and a sense of dread begins to form in her gut, a dread that makes her want to turn around and just walk back to her car, drive away, and wait to check on her dad next weekend. She has to force herself not to do that.

 

When she arrives at her destination and stands in the archway, that sense of dread just grows stronger. Dirty dishes stacked high in the sink, and several beer bottles lining the counters that her father is desperately trying to throw into a trash bag, the kitchen isn’t exactly in the state for guests. She’s seen worse. She went to school at one of the top party schools in the nation. She had been to enough frat parties to not be phased by a kitchen like this in general. But her dad’s kitchen? Her father who had literally created a color coded chore chart for both his first family and his second family had never been the type to let things stack up. Ever. When she had been a teenager, she actually would occasionally yet bitterly think that the only reason someone young and pretty like Madison would be interested in an asshole like her father was due to the fact that they were both fucking neat freaks.

 

That probably hadn’t been the reason. The reason Madison got with him and stayed with him for thirteen years had probably been for the money. Security for herself and the son that she had popped out in high school and raised herself until shacking up with her father.

 

But it wouldn’t surprise Molly if this was the reason she left.

 

“...Dad?” Molly calls out again, softer this time, “I rang the doorbell. Did you hear me?”

 

Her dad acknowledges her, but barely. Not with a cordial greeting or an awkward hug. Not even with a wave. All he does is barely look at her before obsessively fretting over his mess again, talking under his breath to himself the whole time. It takes everything within Molly not to curse in frustration before she forces herself to walk over him, “Dad. Dad! Stop for a second.”

 

She puts a hand on his shoulder and he immediately recoils, curling in on himself and gripping his hair. That’s when the panic attack hits him. Fuck.

 

Fuck.

 

As she tries to be soothing and lead him over to the kitchen table, she really wish someone was there to soothe her and tell her this is all going to blow over. Justin is surprisingly the second person on that list while Hazel is the third.

--------------------------------

She gives her dad an hour before calling Dr. Tessler’s emergency number.

 

In that hour, there are only about five minutes where her father seems somewhat alright as he tries to assure her that he’s fine and not to worry about him. The rest of his hour is spent pacing, muttering under his breath, and breathing erratically. When tears begin to fill the man’s eyes, she gives in and calls the number, the one that she has only because Justin managed to get their father to agree to see this woman in the first place. She had been hinting towards her dad that he should see a therapist the last eight months, at least on the few visits she had made.

 

But he’s seeing someone now and that’s what matters, especially during whatever this is. The woman thankfully answers and Molly is able to describe what is going on. The relief she feels when Dr. Tessler says she makes house calls and will be over soon is almost comical.

 

She gets her dad to wait in the living room, as he mutters on and on about being “just fine” and not to worry about him and stays with him until Dr. Tessler arrives. When Molly introduces herself and is able to study her, she realizes Dr. Tessler is maybe in her early 40s at most and that honestly surprises Molly. It makes her wonder if this woman has enough experience to deal with her dad. If that experience is enough to make him better. But it’s more experience than what she has so she lets Tessler take the reigns.

 

“I’d like to speak to your father alone,” Dr. Tessler tells her, “At least at first. Gauge where he is mentally without anyone else in the room. That way, he won’t have extra stressors around. Or put up a front.”

 

She can’t find it within herself to feel even slightly offended over being seen as a possible stressor. She’s just relieved that she has a reason not to be in the same room for a little while.

 

“I’ll uh…” Molly starts, trying to think of something productive to do, “I’m going to go clean the kitchen. If you need me, I’ll be in there.”

 

The house is mostly quiet and it’s unnerving for Molly. When she’s at her own house and is cleaning, she usually has music on or is talking to Hunter - or sometimes Hazel, Jerome, Rubina, or Justin if she gets an earlier start. Something to preoccupy her. But she doesn’t feel like talking to anyone right now and it would be pretty fucking insensitive to blast music on her phone. She can’t even put her headphones in because there is a chance Tessler might call her in or need to ask her something.

 

So she cleans, alone and in silence. She focuses on soaking and scrubbing off the plates and pans that have dried, crusted food on them since the dishwasher probably won’t be able to get it off and she cleans the counters before working on the floors with the WetJet. She’s sitting on the ground going through the fridge when Tessler comes back in.

 

“I gave your father a mild sedative,” Tessler tells her quietly, standing above her, “He’s calmer now and has been communicating. I also called the pharmacy to adjust his medication. Unfortunately these things are trial and error until we all gain a better understanding of the extent of your father’s symptoms, psychiatric needs, and responses to his treatment plan. I have spoken to him about a previous incident that occurred back in October and we both agree that it is important that you’re fully aware of the matter, since you are his closest immediate family member. Would you mind coming in to talk with us?”

 

Honestly? She does fucking mind. She doesn’t want to deal with this at all, only this time it isn’t out of anger or bitterness, it comes from straight up fear.

 

But what else can she say?

 

So she follows Dr. Tessler into the living room and sees her dad sitting on the couch, staring off into space but a lot calmer than he had been. She goes over to sit on the loveseat, while Dr. Tessler opts for the armchair. Past that, Molly doesn’t know what else she is supposed to do or say. Everyone seems to be waiting for the other person to talk first.

 

“Alright,” Dr. Tessler says, giving in first, “I spoke to your father about what caused him to get so upset over the last several days. On Monday, during his appointment, we discussed an incident he had back in October. This was quite distressing for him and unfortunately brought his anxiety levels back up. Craig, do you want to tell your daughter yourself or are you wanting me to talk to her?”

 

Her dad, now with a haunted look in his eyes, just shakes his head and whispers, “I can’t. I can’t.”

 

Dr. Tessler nods her head, “Do you want me to discuss it with her? I need your permission. If you no longer want her to know, that is up to you.”

 

“You can…” her dad starts, before gesturing towards Dr. Tessler, “You can talk to her about it. I can’t fucking say it.”

 

Dr. Tessler takes a moment and it honestly feels like the longest few seconds of Molly’s life. She has never wished she could go back and clean a fridge more than she does right now.

 

“As you are probably already aware, your father has severe depression, along with a few other mental health diagnoses, and has only recently begun talk and medicinal therapy in the last few weeks,” Dr. Tessler says to her, “This past Monday, he opened up about the suicidal ideation he has had on and off for the last two years. This ideation resulted in an attempt back in October, where he took several pain pills and attempted to drink himself to death. He woke up the next morning and did not seek out medical or psychiatric attention but has not had an incident like that since. Upon discussing it, both briefly with your brother back in February and more extensively with me, it has been an issue he has been fearful of and has been perseverating on.”

 

Ice. That’s all Molly feels right now. Ice isn’t a fucking emotion, but that’s the only way she can describe the feeling that’s going through her veins, heart, and every other organ in her body. What the fuck is she supposed to say? Is she supposed to say anything? Is she expected to?

 

“Okay,” Molly chokes out, barely above a whisper. She can’t really think of anything else.

 

Dr. Tessler must take pity on her because she continues, “I understand that this is upsetting to hear about. But you should be aware of what your dad is going through right now, especially since you were the one to see him, both the day after his attempt since he called you, as well as today.”

 

“The day after…” Molly starts, then shakes her head and finally looks at her dad, “What do you mean you called me the day after your attempt?”

 

The man’s hands are shaking as he tries to compose himself and explain, “I...I had woken up and was very sick that morning. I thought about trying again or uh...or using a knife. But I...I just wanted to see you again. See if you would come see me.I love you so much, Molly. I just wanted to see you. I know you have pushed me away for good reasons. I hurt you, your mom, J-Justin. I know that’s why you don’t come to see me much and I understand. But you...you came that day. I...I don’t know what would have happened if you hadn’t. I don’t know if I would have seen you again. If I would have seen Justin again. Anyone. But you stayed and visited for a while and I guess I changed my mind.”

 

Molly feels herself trembling as she tries to stay calm, “So are you saying that if I wouldn’t have come over that day, you would have killed yourself?”

 

“I don’t know,” her dad chokes out, “I honestly don’t. Th-Thinking about it...it scares me. Gets me too upset. That’s what happened this week, I think. If I had gone through with it, it wouldn’t have been your fault. This is...This is all on me. The reason I am like this is because of me.”

 

Molly feels like she is only half present after that. She barely says a word as Dr. Tessler discusses coping skills and the importance of communicating concerns and changes in behavior. She stays silent as Dr. Tessler schedules multiple appointments for the upcoming week. She stays silent as her father excuses himself to go lie down and as she walks Dr. Tessler to the front door before the woman turns around.

 

“I’m hoping that you will stay with your father?” Dr. Tessler inquires, putting her jacket back on, “At least for the week? The meds take time to adjust but I am hoping they will have an impact on his mood and that getting out of the house on a regular basis to come to my office may help him focus on a routine.”

 

“I…” Molly starts, suddenly unsure of what to say, “I work an hour and a half away. I’m only in my second year of teaching. I can’t really take off of work.”

 

Dr. Tessler purses her lips, “Staying with him all day probably isn’t necessary. I don’t think he needs constant supervision. But I do believe he needs daily company to keep him on track for a little while. I don’t believe he’s been taking his meds everyday so he should have someone to remind him of that. He desperately needs socialization as well. That is extremely important. I understand that an hour and a half is a long drive, but is it possible to do it just for the week? I don’t want to have to recommend an in-patient stay for him while this gets sorted out if it isn’t needed.”

 

Molly lets out a breath and nods, “...Okay. Fine. I’ll make it work.”

 

Dr. Tessler nods, “It was nice meeting you, Ms. Taylor. Due to his emotional state and the sedative I gave him, I suspect he will mostly be relaxed until tomorrow. He might even sleep until then since he hasn’t been sleeping much. I recommend you take that time to relax as well.”

 

How the fuck is she supposed to relax? But before she can ask, Dr. Tessler is already walking to her car.

 

She just goes back and works on the fridge. And then she works on deep cleaning the other rooms before starting on her dad’s laundry.

 

It’s when she’s doing her dad’s whites that her phone rings. Maybe she desperately needs the socialization too because she answers it without even looking at the number.

 

“Hello?”

 

“...I haven’t called in awhile. I want to see you again. I miss you so much. We were so good together. We should give it another try. Please, Molly. Please.”

 

Instead of the dread or the fear or the annoyance that she usually feels when Seth calls, she feels white hot rage. And fuck, it just takes over.

 

“Listen to me,” Molly says quietly, “You called me on the wrong day, you obsessive motherfucking son of a bitch. I’m not putting up with your shit. I hate you. I never want to hear or see from you again. Fuck you.”

 

Seth begins to laugh, but the laugh holds no humor. Yet he keeps laughing and laughing and laughing and-

 

Molly hangs up. As soon as the calls start up, she turns off her phone and puts it on top of the dryer. She wants to scream, scream as loud as she can, but the last thing her dad needs right now is to be disturbed or woken up. So she settles for kicking the washer so hard that she leaves a dent in it.

 

Four hours later, she runs out of stuff to do. She tries to turn on the TV, but the sound begins to annoy her so she turns it off. The silence bugs her, so she goes onto Google Music and puts The Accidental Natives’ album on. Hearing Nathan’s voice makes her miss the guy and it obviously makes her miss Justin. She could call him. Even if Seth is still calling, she can still call Justin and just ignore the beeping notifications of another call coming through.

 

So she turns her phone on. It powers up quickly and she puts in the code before the main screen pops up. At first, there are no calls. But within a minute, one begins to come through.

 

Bedford Gallery

 

Maybe it’s a psychic connection between siblings. Maybe Justin somehow knows she needs to talk to him. Maybe he needs to talk to her too. Regardless, she answers.

 

“Hey, Jester.”

 

It sounds more forced than usual - sad, probably - but using Justin’s childhood nickname gives her a sense of normalcy.

 

“Justin? You there? Hello-”

 

“If you ever hang up on me again, I will slit your throat and fuck you as you bleed out.”

 

Before Molly can say anything to that - not that she can get a word out - the call ends. No more come through.

 

It isn’t the first time that Seth has disguised his number as the gallery’s. It isn’t even the first time that he’s threatened her. It is the first time he’s threatened to kill her though, as well as the first time he’s directly threatened sexual violence. He’s insinuated things before. Even though the police say there is no proof, Molly knows he is the one who attacked her and ripped her dress almost completely off before being chased off by a homeless man (whom she now knows as Jerry) running at him with a half empty glass bottle of liquor. She could make excuses as to why he tore at her dress to other people, but not to herself. That being said, he's never admitted to it or straight up said he would sexually assault her.

 

He has tried to blackmail her, he has fucked with her property and privacy. But most threats to ruin her in some way or another remained just that: threats. Molly would like to think it’s because he’s more sane than he lets on, but it’s really because he’s too smart to threaten something, risk it being documented, and then being the first suspect in line if the threat that he made is actually carried out. So it is doubtful that Seth is actually planning on slitting her throat and raping her.

 

It still makes her feel sick. She feels bile in her throat and she forces herself to swallow it down. She refuses to have that kind of physical reaction to Seth. It may be stupid, but it would make it feel like Seth won this round.

 

She still calls the Bedford Gallery, even though Seth most likely isn’t actually there, and talks to Lola briefly. She asks if anyone weird has come in and Lola is confused the entire conversation. When Lola offers to get a hold of Justin, Molly politely declines.

 

“I just got this weird call,” Molly says in explanation, “Maybe my phone is glitching or something. It just said the gallery’s name on the caller ID so I wanted to make sure everything is okay.”

 

“We’re good here,” Lola tells her, “I mean, Max and I can check to make sure no one called you from our end but the main number is the lobby phone and I haven’t left the desk.”

 

“It’s probably just some glitch then,” Molly says, forcing her voice to become lighter, “Weird.”

 

“Yeah,” Lola says, “That is weird. I mean, Justin isn’t here right now, but I can call him just to be sure-”

 

“Nah, don’t bother him with it,” Molly says quickly, “I’m sure it’s on my end. I better let you get back to work.”

 

“Okay,” Lola says, “Nice talking to you, Molly.”

 

“You too.”

 

Molly ends the call. She isn’t hungry and she can’t think of anything to do to take her mind off of anything, so she goes upstairs, checks on her dad who is still asleep, then goes to her old room and sits on the bed and that’s where she stays. She doesn’t read, she doesn’t listen to music, she doesn’t play fucking Candy Crush, and she doesn’t move for an hour until her phone rings again.

 

Hunter Novotny-Bruckner

 

She gives a little more thought to answering this time, but ultimately the prospect of hearing Hunter’s voice wins out over it possibly not being Hunter at all.

 

“Hello?” she gets out, bracing herself for the worst.

 

“Hey,” Hunter says, sounding tired but happy, “I just got back home. Traffic was a bitch but the season is finally over. How was your day?”

 

Before Molly can even stop herself, she’s wailing. The sobs and tears hit her full force and she can barely catch her breath and she can’t fucking deal.

 

“Molly?!” Hunter calls out, extremely alarmed, “Hey, what’s the matter?! Are you okay?”

 

As Hunter pleads with her to talk to him and tell him what’s going on, Molly is just trying to get a fucking grip, at least to the point where she’s not so embarrassingly hysterical. She takes the phone away from her ear for a few seconds, wipes at her face, and at least tries to talk.

 

“M-My dad is-isn’t doing well,” Molly cries out, “I-I’m sorry.”

 

“It’s okay,” Hunter tells her, his voice strained, “Don’t apologize. What’s going on?”

 

“I can’t talk right now,” Molly gets out through her sobs, “I’m sorry. I’m just having a really bad day.”

 

“Fuck, I wish I was there,” she hears Hunter mutter desperately.

 

“I wish you were here too,” Molly admits, her face crumpling as she whimpers, “I’m at my dad’s. I need to go check on him. I gotta go.”

 

“Molly, wait-”

 

Molly ends the call before she can embarrass herself further. A little while later, Hunter calls again but she just turns her phone off as soon as his number comes up on the screen and goes to bed.

------------------------------------------

The next day, Molly wakes up with the only kind of headache you can get from crying yourself to sleep. Slowly sitting up, she swings her legs over the side of the bed and puts her clothes back on from yesterday just so she can go down the hall and get into the shower. She had only had one spare outfit in the trunk of her car and this outfit was more appropriate to visit her dad in than a club dress. She’d have to leave extra early tomorrow morning in order to get dressed for work and pack enough clothes for the week. Fuck.

 

She tries not to focus on it. She just goes out to the pharmacy and picks up her dad’s new prescriptions, then makes sure he takes all of his morning meds with breakfast. She spends the rest of the morning watching TV with him and occasionally trying to get him to engage in some form of conversation. She doesn’t even turn on her phone until 2 pm.

 

She has two missed calls from Hunter, as well as a missed text. She feels like shit for worrying him like that. She doesn’t know if she’s ready to call him yet, to face the embarrassment that her breakdown is starting to bring on, but she does open his text.

 

Hey, I’m here if you want to talk, okay?
My phone is literally right next to my head
on its loudest setting and everything. I don’t
give a shit if you call at 3am. I’m really worried about
you and I hope you know that I care about you so
fucking much. Let me know how you’re doing

 

Molly lets out a breath, thinks about what to say, then begins to type.

 

Hey. Sorry for freaking you out last night.
I just had some stuff happen and none of it
was any good. I guess I let it build up.
I know you’re going to get on me about
apologizing but I really am sorry that you
had to hear that. I’m okay. Don’t worry.

 

Molly presses send before she can overthink it. Two hours later, she still receives no response from him. Although it isn’t like Hunter is obligated, she wonders why he wouldn’t send her some sort of acknowledgement, especially after emphasizing on how worried he was.

 

She only gets to perseverate on it for another half hour before her phone begins to ring with Hunter’s name on the screen. Although she isn’t really ready to voice everything that went down, she has been waiting to hear from him for two and a half hours and that’s enough to get her to answer.

 

“Hello?”

 

“Hey,” Hunter says, the sound of commotion in the background, “I thought it would be weird to ask for your dad’s address so that I can send him a get well card or a birthday card or whatever.”

 

“Yeah, that would be weird,” Molly confirms slowly.

 

“Right,” Hunter agrees, “It’s only cute when you make up shit like that to get an address out of someone.”

 

“Huh?” Molly replies eloquently.

 

“Can you give me his address so that I know what to tell the Uber driver?” Hunter asks, “I just got off the plane. I meant it when I said I wished I was here with you.”

 

Jesus Christ. Molly doesn’t know if she is hormonal or what, but she is so fucking close to bursting into tears again. She is so close to telling him she’s never loved a man more than she loves him and that scares her because they've never exchanged "I love yous" at all.

 

“Who’s watching Katniss?” she chokes out instead.

 

“Quinn,” Hunter says softly, “Katniss is safe, don’t worry. Now, your dad’s addre-”

 

“I’ll come get you,” Molly answers, her voice stronger.

 

“Aw, Molly, you don’t have to-”

 

“I want to,” Molly tells him, “Just text me your terminal info and I’ll be there soon, okay?”

 

“Alright,” Hunter tells her, “I’ll see you soon.”

 

Molly tells her dad that her boyfriend - for lack of a better word - is in town and asks if he minds if he comes over, tells him that Hunter can get a hotel if it's an issue. If her dad was okay and not sick, she would probably bring him over. Actually, no. She probably wouldn't be here to begin with. But he's going through something pretty huge and she does have to make sure he's alright with someone he's never met staying at his house. Hunter might be here to support her, but Molly is obligated to support her dad right now.

 

While her dad seems confused about Molly even having a boyfriend, he says that it's fine. Whether that's because he's genuinely okay with Hunter staying here or because he doesn't want to risk Molly being upset with him, she's not going to question it.

 

She just accepts the answer and heads for the airport.

After Hunter gets off the phone with Molly, he takes his suitcase and rolls it over to a row of seats before sitting down to wait. Even though she’s on her way, it’s as if he’s going through withdrawal when it comes to seeing Molly face to face and that feeling is more potent than it’s ever been before. Before it had been a yearning, a jumbled and tangled feeling in his chest that stayed day to day and only grew after she had visited him back in February. It had been a feeling that could only be soothed by the sound of her voice or her appearance through a screen, but only in some ways. In other ways, hearing her or seeing her through Skype made how he felt even worse.

 

Now though? After he had fucking panicked at the thought of her in distress? It went from a yearning to see her to a requirement. Even if she would have called him before he bought last minute tickets and assured him she was alright, he still would have bought them. It’s never fun for him to hear people cry, whatever the reason may be. But when she had, almost hysterical nonetheless? It felt like he was being repeatedly punched in the gut and the blows just got worse after she had hung up. He couldn’t get the sounds of her stress, despair, and something Hunter is sure had been fear out of his head, even now that he’s just talked to her and knows she is doing better than she was last night. The only thing that had kept him from ripping his hair out had been buying a one-way plane ticket for a flight that left at 7 am and packing his bags (which took longer than necessary since he had to dig out winter clothes that he mainly only uses during his visits to Toronto), only to remember Katniss and knock on Quinn’s door. Hunter immediately went into begging mode. He’s not sure why. Quinn usually watches Katniss without one complaint because Hunter pays him to do it and Quinn enjoys impressing his hook-ups with Hunter’s larger condo. So Quinn mainly had just looked at him, baffled, before taking pity on him and saying, “Honey, you have it bad, don’t you?”

 

Hunter hadn’t known how to answer Quinn’s question at the time, not really able to focus on it, but yeah. Hunter knows that his heart is completely fucked when it comes to Molly. It scares him, but not enough to keep him from being here right this second.

 

He had told his dads where he was going, gave them a heads up that he would be in Pittsburgh and not in LA for a while. That had led to a major case of word vomit as he essentially told them fucking everything. He told them that he didn't know how a hook up could lead to him feeling so completely gone for a girl. He told them that Molly is the best part of his day. He talked about how much he's hurting over the fact that she's hurting and that if he wasn't with her within a day, he'd fucking die and that he's never felt this way about anyone and possibly never wanted to again because it was the best and the worst thing that he's ever felt in his life.

 

He knows now that he might have been a bit dramatic. Okay, he had definitely been dramatic. Luckily, Ben is patient so he let him get it out before trying to calm him down and Michael is dramatic himself, so he understood on a spiritual level. Ultimately, they both supported the trip and told him to text them when he got in. He got fucking lucky with them.

 

Sometimes he thinks about where his life would be if he had never met his dads. He definitely wouldn't have made over 100k last year. He wouldn't be set to make even more this year. He still doesn't know how he's fucking swinging that when he's only officially been in the business for 6 years and people older than him were lucky to make half that amount. He supposes it's because he works practically non-stop and got lucky with projects that caught enough attention from relative people in the business. That he has some sort of talent. But if Michael and Ben hadn't adopted him, he wouldn't know anything about that talent. He wouldn't have been able to go to school at Carnegie-Mellon or USC because he probably wouldn't have gone back to high school to begin with, let alone college. He wouldn't have had Brian giving him a boost through big budget commercial work or Ted giving him guidance in regards to investing his excess money to make the most of it. He wouldn’t have a younger sister to spoil. He wouldn’t have Debbie and Carl - the closest thing to grandparents he’s ever had. He wouldn’t have Lindsey or Mel, who were like his domestic lesbian aunts or something. He wouldn’t have Emmett calling him every couple of weeks to check in and go on and on about Duncan. He wouldn't have met any of the family he has today. He probably wouldn't have found out about his "ideal" case of HIV. It would have turned into full-blown AIDS and he would have been dead by the time he was 25, probably in some back alley in the very city he is in right now.

 

He also wouldn't have met Molly. Out of every thought he's just had, that one should be the most trivial. It isn’t for him.

 

He tries to keep himself from getting too antsy by actively forcing himself not to think about the last 20 hours or so. After he had texted Molly the terminal information, she texted him and said that her ETA is about 25 minutes. He hadn’t meant for her to feel obligated to pick him up. He doesn’t know exactly what’s going on with Craig, but knows that something must have happened for Molly to be staying there. He hadn’t wanted to pull her away from that. But Hunter also has the feeling that she might have needed a breather and that’s why she is being so insistent about coming to get him. If it gives her some sort of peace of mind to come and get him herself, then fine.

 

Besides, it’s worth it for the cliche airport reunion.

 

He spots her first when she’s a few yards away. She’s dressed down for once in her goddamn life in just a pair of jeans, white t-shirt, and utility jacket. No jewelry, not a trace of makeup, the only thing that looks even slightly put together are her crimped waves. She looks fucking beautiful.

 

He gets up to start walking over to her but before he can take more than a few steps, she sees him. He can’t explain the emotions he’s feeling, because he’s way too focused on what she might be feeling. The expression in her eyes is powerful, some strange mixture of overwhelmed and relieved, ecstatic but terrified. He might be projecting onto her though, because now that he’s thinking about it, that’s exactly how he feels.

 

And it’s probably love he’s feeling when she rushes over to him and throws herself into his arms.

 

“Hey,” he manages to get out, gripping her tight around her middle as he briefly lifts her off her feet to spin her around in order to distract himself from getting emotional, “Fuck, I missed you.”

 

Molly doesn’t respond, her face buried in the crook of his neck. Hunter rests his chin on her shoulder and breathes in her scent. She smells different than her normal body wash. He has to wonder if she had to use her dad’s this morning. It’s a weird question to ask, so he doesn’t. There are more important things to ask and talk about.

 

Everything can wait though. All of it can. He’s not going to make Molly inch back to look at him for any type of conversation. Not when he hasn’t held her in six weeks and especially not when he feels tears against his neck. Hunter knows if he makes her look now, she’s going to try to pull it together, put up her walls, and try to pretend that she’s fine. She bottles too much shit up. That’s one of Molly’s flaws that he caught onto early. Whether it be due to being stressed about her father’s mental health or Justin or her job or fucking Seth, she might talk about the situation but rarely goes into details or talk about how it makes her feel.

 

Especially when it comes to fucking Seth. There isn’t a derogatory name bad enough to describe the guy. There isn’t a word in the dictionary to describe how much Hunter loathes him. He has to wonder if Seth is part of the reason Molly puts her guards up so quickly in the first place. Fuck Seth. Hunter would cheer if he found out the guy died, just because he hit Molly at least once. After witnessing his ongoing harassment, Hunter might feel disappointment over the thought of not getting to kill Seth himself.

 

And THOSE are the thoughts and feelings that should scare the shit out of him - how angry he feels over the possibility of Molly getting hurt, that she had been in the past, how worried he gets. The way he gets so fucking protective over her that he’s probably at risk of becoming rabid should really freak him out. He has to keep this unexpected white knight complex that he didn’t even know he had in check or she is going to end up getting pissed at him.

 

But right now, he lets himself be the one to make her feel protected and safe. He keeps holding her as she continues to cry against his neck.

 

“Sorry,” she chokes out, the tears still coming all while she hasn’t moved a muscle, “I’m sorry.”

 

“Quit it with that shit,” Hunter murmurs, rubbing her back before holding her even tighter, “I have nothing else better to do today than this.”

 

Molly lets out an emotional laugh, her cheek still pressed against Hunter’s shoulder, “Not to be a bitch, but that’s both sappy and sad as fuck.”

 

Hunter just shrugs and presses a kiss against her cheek, before Molly eventually lifts her head. He takes her face into his hands and finally kisses her fully. She returns it with just as much tenderness and they stay like that until they both need air. As they part, Hunter swipes away her tear tracks with his thumbs before she takes a step back.

 

“Fuck, I’m a mess. Sor-” Molly stops herself and holds up a hand as Hunter opens his mouth, “I’m just embarrassed that I am dressed like this and got my bodily fluids all over you. I could have at least looked cute while I did it. I probably look like shit now.”

 

“You look beautiful,” Hunter tells her honestly, “It’s the first thing I thought when you walked in.”

 

Molly snorts, “I’m a hot mess and you know it.”

 

“Lies. Your hair looks amazing.”

 

“I french braided it yesterday,” Molly tells him, rolling her eyes, “I was deep cleaning my dad’s house so I wanted it out of my face. I took the braids out in the car. I smell like men’s body wash and bleach because I have nothing with me. I’m wearing the same clothes from yesterday-”

 

“Be still, my beating heart!” Hunter says dramatically.

 

“And while I do have some makeup, I just jumped in the car and came here,” Molly finishes with a sigh.

 

“Good,” Hunter tells her, “Because you can take forever to get ready. I would have been waiting here for hours.”

 

Molly glares playfully as they begin to walk, one arm still around the other, “I’m not THAT bad-”

 

“And besides, I’ve seen your face naked,” Hunter points out, before smirking, “I’ve seen you naked period. As I said the other night: I like all of the versions of Molly. Every single one. I might even like demonically possessed Molly if I got to know her. Projectile pea soup vomiting never was a turn on for me, but if anyone can make it look hot, you can.”

 

“I haven’t found any Ouija Boards or cursed ancient artifacts while cleaning my dad’s house,” Molly informs him, “But if I do come across either, I will keep that in mind.”

 

They make their way out to the car and Hunter forces himself to keep his hands out of his pockets as Molly glares at him with a warning right before she pays the ridiculous parking fee. After they make their way out of one of the most confusing airport parking lots ever to be built, they are on I-376 East and are finally comfortable enough to talk without having to look at Google Maps.

 

“So how long do I have you for?” Molly asks, both hands on the wheel as she glances over at him.

 

Hunter shrugs, “I don’t know. I bought a one-way ticket. You can have all the way up until April 17th, if you want.”

 

Molly looks hopeful, pleased even, which makes Hunter’s chest feel like it’s swelling. He may be able to see what Molly is feeling to some extent, but she can’t see what she’s doing to him since her eyes are on the road. He doesn’t know if he wants her to or not, if he wants to guard that part of himself for a little longer or just bare every fucking feeling he has for her and pray for the best.

 

“So I have you for close to three weeks. Not bad.”

 

“You could...” Hunter starts, feeling nervous, “You could have me until the 19th, if you are down for a weekend trip to New York for Brian’s and Eric’s wedding. You could be my date.”

 

Molly looks both conflicted and amused, “Go to my brother’s ex-fiance’s wedding with you while my brother is in attendance, who has no idea that we’re seeing each other. Sounds like a great time.”

 

Hunter tries to think of another tactic, “My dads know, so it isn't like it will weird out every person there. I’m honestly shocked Michael hasn’t said anything to him yet.”

 

Molly laughs, “Yeah, me too.”

 

“I was expecting a call from a bitchy, overprotective Justin by now,” Hunter sighs, “Or at least a text grilling me about my intentions. I’m almost disappointed.”

 

Molly shakes her head, “You don’t want to see Justin in big brother mode. He’s a late bloomer when it comes to that, so he occasionally feels like he has a shit ton to make up for and overcompensates.”

 

“Sounds hilarious.”

 

“But for real,” Molly continues, “I really don’t know how your dads haven’t uttered a word to anyone about it. At least from what I’ve heard.”

 

“I don’t know,” Hunter tells her, “I don’t really care who knows. I’m not ashamed of you.”

 

Molly steals another glance at him, “Obviously, I’m not ashamed of you either. Hazel, Samira, Jerome, and Rubina know. A couple of my coworkers know. Just not my immediate family. Other than my dad, I haven’t seen any of them since New Year’s so it’s weird to just announce it over the phone and not being able to gauge their reactions.”

 

“I get it,” Hunter tells her, “This thing between us isn’t exactly cookie cutter traditional.”

 

"Yeah," Molly sighs, then gets a strange look in her eyes, "I told my dad my boyfriend was coming into town though. So I guess you have a pretty traditional title right now. He said it's fine if you stay over. So I guess he knows? I told his psychiatrist I would stay with him until next weekend. He had...I don't know. An episode or a setback or something. I had to get her to make an emergency house call."

 

"Shit," Hunter says quietly, "I'm sorry you had to deal with that. No wonder you were so upset last night."

 

"It was a few different things," Molly dismisses, clearing her throat, "I'm fine. Anyway, things are weird right now. He's not well. It's going to take time for his med adjustments to kick in and he has several appointments this week. You probably don't want to be there for that. There are hotels in Ross Township and Ross Township isn't far-"

 

"You're not doing this alone," Hunter interrupts harshly, feeling incredibly stubborn, "I came in to fucking be with you, not for a damn continental breakfast. If your dad said yes to me staying until you go back to Morgantown, then that's what we are doing."

 

"Hunter, I don't want you to feel-"

 

"Besides, you have work this week, right?" Hunter presses, "Someone should keep him company and make sure he's getting to his appointments while you're gone. I'm staying."

 

Molly bites her lip, then finally nods, taking her right hand off the wheel to grab for his, "Okay...Okay."

 

Their hands stay intertwined until she gets off the exit. Pittsburgh roads are a fucking bitch. Hunter forgot how horrible the turns are. If they were in LA, they would have probably been able to hold hands until they got to their destination.

------------------------

They take a detour before arriving at Craig's. When Molly tells him she'd have to leave by 4:30 am tomorrow, drive an hour and a half, and get ready at her apartment, Hunter manages to convince her to stop at Target to avoid having that long of a day. They go in so that she can pick out an outfit along with soap, shampoo, and conditioner as well as sleepwear, which had been the most conflicting thing to pick for Molly.

 

"I want this one," she decides, holding up a nightgown that should probably be at Victoria's Secret, "I would look hot."

 

"Hell yeah, you would," Hunter agrees but then brings himself back down to reality, "But do you really want to run into your dad on the way to the bathroom dressed in that?"

 

Molly lets out a groan and chooses a more appropriate pajama set. Hunter throws the nightgown in the cart anyway. Even if it is for Molly, she's right. She would look fucking hot. It will be a gift for the both of them. It's the only thing she lets him pay for.

 

When they arrive at Craig's house, an upper-middle class family home that is too big for one guy, Molly leads the way. He can see that she’s nervous as she gets out the keys and enters the house. For some reason, he doesn’t think it’s only because he’s here either. It might not even be due to Craig’s state of mind either. This seems like it might be her default when it comes to entering her dad’s home - like she’s out of place and an intruder.

 

But Craig doesn’t seem unwelcoming, per say, although he’s withdrawn and very obviously not well at all. He’s pale, a bit too thin, looks worn down, self-conscious, and what might be paranoid. Molly pauses in front of him, as if she’s trying to figure out a way to approach him before Hunter can only assume she just bites the bullet and goes for it.

 

“Dad, this is Hunter. Hunter, this is my dad,” Molly says after a breath, glancing at her dad sitting in the armchair.

 

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Taylor,” Hunter says after a beat. He thinks Craig may say, “You too” but it is so quiet and choked that he can’t be sure.

 

“I’m going to go make dinner,” Molly says, excusing herself so quickly that Hunter doesn’t know if she even wants him to follow her or not. He can stay for a few minutes. Probably.

 

He tries to make small talk with Craig, but Molly had been right when she said the man isn’t well. He is obviously going through something major and Hunter doesn’t know what to make of it. He’s used to dads subtly threatening him or being so buddy-buddy that it makes Hunter uncomfortable. He’s not really sure what to make of all of this, except that he hates that Molly had to deal with this yesterday alone.

 

He gives him fifteen minutes, fifteen minutes to decide whether or not he wants to talk about anything at all, before getting up and telling him that he’s going to go see if Molly needs help and asks if he needs anything. Craig just shakes his head no.

 

He finds the kitchen by following the sounds of Molly’s banging, then stands in the archway to watch her dig around the pantry.

 

“Do you need help?” Hunter asks, making her jump.

 

Molly purses her lips and shakes her head, “Unless you can make food appear out of nowhere or can make canned vegetables sound like a great main dish, probably not.”

 

Hunter walks over to her, gently pulls on her waist until she’s out of the pantry, and makes her sit at the kitchen table.

 

“He has nothing,” Molly complains resting her head on her palm, “Nothing but canned food and spices. I threw out most of what was in the fridge because it was going bad. I used the last of everything decent to make him breakfast.

 

“I’ll order pizza,” Hunter tells her, wrapping his arms around her shoulders, “Make a list of stuff you want from the grocery store. After his appointment in the morning, I’ll drop him off here and run to the store so that he’s set for a while.”

 

“You don’t have to do that,” Molly sighs, “You’ve done a lot already. More than I deserve.”

 

Hunter scoffs, lifts his head over hers, and tilts her head so that she’s looking up at him, “Never say that again. I mean it, Molly.”

 

Molly leans her head back against Hunter ribs briefly before getting out her phone to look at different pizza places that deliver to them before calling in an order for two pizzas to Pomodoro. Which she pays for. Again. He doesn’t know why she has such a problem with him paying for dinner. He can appreciate her independence, even her stubbornness to some degree. He’d like to think he’s not old-fashioned or anything. If the girl and guy switch on who pays, then that’s great. Maybe it’s the fact that she makes around one-fourth of what he’s making. He’d have no issue if she took Craig’s card to do it, but the fact that she is in some kind of mindset to take care of everything - and not just financially - is probably going to make her crash and burn.

 

But he forces himself not to say a word about it. They can hash it out some other day. And he knows that's the right call when she barely eats one slice of pizza once they are sitting in the dining room, yet scrutinizes her father for his lack of appetite before subtly leaving his meds on the table. Hunter is suddenly glad he takes his meds in the morning before breakfast. He’s gotten to the point where he’s okay with friends knowing about his status, but his girlfriends’ family members? After what happened with Callie’s parents, it kind of traumatized him. The last thing he needed to do was stress out Craig Taylor by having to tell him that his daughter is sleeping with someone who is HIV+. So Hunter just gets to eat two slices of pizza and leaves it at that.

 

There are no big breakthroughs or turnarounds in Craig’s mood after he takes the meds. He’s still quiet and distant and Molly is busying herself with cleaning up a mess from dinner that barely exists. Hunter glances at Craig and suddenly wishes it was warmer. If they were in LA, Hunter could ask Craig if he wanted to go for a walk. If Craig’s drinking wasn’t becoming a problem and if Hunter drank on a regular basis to begin with, he might ask him if he wanted to get a drink at a bar. He doesn’t know if there is anything else to do except watch TV and that seems so mindless. Hunter’s allowed to say that because he works in film and TV so-

 

Hunter spots a game cabinet in the corner. As nice of a cabinet as it is, Hunter would put money on it not being opened for probably years. If his dad weren't such a geek and his sister weren't 11, Hunter probably would be rusty on board games. But that’s his family so board games do hold some sentimental place in Hunter’s heart. After Ben and Michael officially adopted him, the evening after had been surprisingly quiet. It had just been an evening filled with playing Trivial Pursuit, Life, Battleship, and Arkham Horror. They hadn’t had a big celebration until the following weekend. But for some reason, when he looks back on that time, the quiet board game night always sticks out in his memories more.

 

“Let’s play a game,” Hunter suddenly says, standing up to walk over towards the cabinet. When he glances over his shoulder, Molly looks frozen, as if she’s glitching, and Craig looks like he’s confused, but pulled out of his trance so Hunter is going to count that as a win.

 

“Hunter-” Molly starts but Hunter waves her off and glances through the boxes.

 

“There are like four Harry Potter games in here,” Hunter says, glancing back at Molly, “Is that because of you or your step-brother?”

 

Molly opens her mouth but Craig is the one who surprisingly answers.

 

“Molly loved Harry Potter as a kid,” Craig says, wringing his fingers, “That’s all she wanted for Christmas and her birthday for a couple of years. She was obsessed and read the books over and over.”

 

“Thanks, Dad,” Molly says, glaring at Craig like she’s not very thankful at all.

 

“I bet you’ve assigned yourself a house and everything,” Hunter says teasingly, “What is it?”

 

Molly shakes her head, seeming to be a strange combination of amused, mortified, and pissy, “Ravenclaw. If you absolutely have to know. Which you don’t.”

 

“I could never decide when I read them as a kid,” Hunter says, deciding on some Harry Potter version of Clue, “I’m probably a Muggle or a Squid or whatever they were called.”

 

“Squib,” Molly corrects, sitting down across from him, “They’re Squibs. And no, you’re a Gryffindor. I could have told you that months ago.”

 

Hunter clutches at his chest, “You sorted me into a house? Me? Molly, that might be the most romantic thing you’ve ever done.”

 

And obviously he’s joking. Mostly. But the fact that Molly had already given some thought makes him feel a lot better than it has any right to.

 

The game might take top spot on his non-existent list of favorite board games of all time. It gets Craig talking, which is fucking something. It gets Craig and Molly talking like a father and daughter would, rather than acquaintances. It gets Molly smiling and he finally gets to see the super competitive side he’s only heard about. It gives Molly a win, fair and square.

 

“It was Dolores Umbridge with a sleeping potion in the Room of Requirement,” she says proudly before annihilating both of them in Harry Potter Trivial Pursuit because she’s apparently a fucking nerd, which is completely okay with Hunter because in his experience, nerds are the best in bed. And that’s proven after they go to her room - after Craig is asleep and they aren’t at risk of being easily heard. She gives the best fucking blowjob and rides him until she has to block out his moans with a kiss until they both come.

 

She’s tired, he can tell, even as she stays awake and laughs at Hunter’s attempts to sort his extended family into Hogwarts houses.

 

“Ben is definitely a Ravenclaw,” Hunter tells her, “There’s no question about it. Same goes for JR. Michael is a Hufflepuff, loyal to a fault and emotional. Lindsey might be a Slytherin, while Mel is probably a Gryffindor-”

 

“Why is Lindsey a Slytherin?” Molly interrupts.

 

Hunter shrugs, “I don’t know. I just get that vibe from her. She’s sweet but definitely has ulterior motives sometimes.”

 

“Fair enough,” Molly says, “Go on.”

 

“Emmett could be mistaken as a Hufflepuff but I think he might be a Gryffindor,” Hunter continues, “Duncan is probably a Hufflepuff, just from what I’ve heard. Drew might be a Hufflepuff too, but an undercover one."

 

“An undercover Hufflepuff, got it,” Molly snorts, amused.

 

“Blake is also a Hufflepuff and Ted comes off as a Hufflepuff but is actually a Slytherin. Brian is 100% a Slytherin and Eric is a Gryffindor. Gus is too,” Hunter rambles on, yawning, “Lily might look like Eric, but she takes after Brian. Total Slytherin. Can talk you into doing anything. Has to be the best at everything she does.”

 

“Yeah, she seemed intense,” Molly answers, smiling.

 

“You can sort Justin and Nathan, I won’t mind,” Hunter tells her graciously.

 

“This is the weirdest post-coital conversation ever.”

 

“Nah,” Hunter says, smirking, “Remember the night before we went skydiving? I went down on you for like half an hour and you started talking about Punnett Squares after you were able to think straight.”

 

“Punnett Squares get me going, what can I say?” Molly says, “I was ready for round 2 in no time, wasn’t I?”

 

“You were fucking hot,” Hunter confirms, rolling on top of her to kiss her neck and make his way down her chest.

 

Then Molly decides to almost ruin it, “Justin is a Slytherin. Or a Gryffindor. He’s basically Harry Potter and could go either way.”

 

“Mmhmm, the boy who lived, got it,” Hunter murmurs, nipping at her hip bone.

 

“Nathan is a Gryffindor,” Molly says, letting out a gasp when Hunter’s head is finally in between her legs, “I don’t know a lot but he went through some horrific shit. His mother...fuck, Hunter! His mom killed herself on Christmas. I know that much. His dad was apparently an abusive asshole who is dead now too. He’s fucking strong and pulled through.”

 

Nathan’s upsetting life story isn’t exactly a turn on so Hunter lifts his head up and waits for her to finish.

 

“Why’d you stop?” Molly pouts.

 

“It seems insensitive to Nathan to make you come while you’re talking about his childhood,” Hunter shrugs, “I figured I would wait.”

 

Molly glares playfully and gently pulls at his hair, “You’re the one who wanted to go on and on about Hogwarts Houses and passed on sorting the rest of them to me.”

 

“Fine. Finish.”

 

“You finish,” Molly retorts, before quickly getting the rest of the people out, “Mom and Tucker are both Hufflepuffs. My dad at least was a Slytherin. Madison too. Last I checked, Mason was a Gryffindor but I haven’t seen the fucker in like six months. Okay, done.”

 

“Now, I’ll finish,” Hunter confirms. Soon, he has her at the point where she has to muffle herself with a pillow. He’s proud of that.

 

She does need to get to bed though. Even though she doesn’t have to leave as early as she would have before their trip to Target, she still has an hour and a half commute and is set on being out the door by 5:45 am. So Hunter shows her mercy after she finishes and holds her while she lies there, exhausted. It’s a little harder for him to get to sleep. It may be 11pm here, but it’s only 8pm in LA. He’s probably more tired than he’d usually be since he barely fucking slept last night, but his internal clock is still not adjusted to Eastern Time. So he finds himself holding her and watching her sleep for hours. He can see that she fucking needs the rest. It makes him wonder if she slept well after the day she had yesterday and what else had happened to get her so worked up. He knows her dad had some sort of episode. That would be upsetting in and of itself. But she said it had been a few different things, yet never clarified what those different things had been. Maybe they had been a bunch of little things that just added up. But somehow Hunter doubts it. She’s not the type to get worked up over trivial stuff.

 

Around 1 am - although he can’t be 100% sure until she confirms it - his question on what might have happened is answered when her phone begins to ring. Molly must be fucking out because she doesn’t even stir at the noise. Hunter reaches over her to check and it’s some random Pittsburgh number. It rings again and is followed by a random New York Number, followed by a West Virginia number, and so on.

 

Hunter might have bought her this phone but he really wants to break it just as much as he did the last one.

 

More so, he wants to answer it. Threaten Seth until he fucking pisses himself. Instead, he just takes Molly’s thumb to unlock the phone, swipes away Seth’s call, and puts it on Do Not Disturb. Because yeah, Hunter’s fucking disturbed. Almost disturbed enough to wake Molly up and demand that she tell him everything Seth has done up until this point. He forces himself not to. He lets her sleep until her alarm rings at 5 am. He lies there as she goes to take a shower and thinks about pretending to be asleep when she comes back in and quietly gets her things together but sits up instead.

 

“Sorry,” Molly says apologetically as she looks through her purse, “I didn’t mean to wake you.”

 

“You didn’t wake me,” Hunter tells her as he stares at her, “I’ve been awake.”

 

Molly glances at him, “Jet lag? That sucks.”

 

“It’s not just jet lag.”

 

Molly takes the time to meet his eyes, “What, was I snoring or something?”

 

“No,” Hunter says, “You didn't snore. You were getting calls in the middle of the night.”

 

Molly’s hands freeze and Hunter knows he’s hit a nerve, “You didn’t answer them, did you?”

 

“I didn’t,” Hunter says stiffly, “I fucking wanted to, but I didn’t. I took your thumb so I could open your phone and set it to Do Not Disturb. Has he been calling again recently?”

 

Molly stands up and puts her bag over her shoulder, “Yes.”

 

“Is that what got you so upset the other night?”

 

“That and Dad, yeah,” Molly admits reluctantly, not meeting his eyes, “Listen, I have to go. Can we talk about this later?”

 

“What did he say to you?” Hunter says, standing up to gently take Molly’s arm, “You wouldn’t get worked up like that if it was his typical bullshit or he was just calling. What the fuck did he say?”

 

Molly pulls her arm out of Hunter’s grasp, “I said later, Hunter.”

 

“Why can’t you just tell me now when you know I’m going to be fucking thinking about it all day?” he grits out.

 

Molly lets out a sigh and finally meets his eyes again, “Because I want you to get some sleep and not think about what he said. Knowing is probably going to be worse in this case. Go to bed. Please. Make sure you take my dad to his appointment at 1. He should be okay with you driving the SUV in the garage. I have to stop at my apartment to pack my bag for the week so I’ll be back around 5:30.”

 

“We’re talking about it later,” Hunter mutters as he turns back towards the bed.

 

“...After my dad goes to bed,” Molly finally agrees before walking back over to him turning him around briefly, and giving him a quick kiss, “I’ll see you later.”

---------------------------------------------

Hunter does end up sleeping a few hours, waking up when his alarm demands that he does at 10 am. He takes his meds before he even leaves the bedroom, then meets Craig downstairs for breakfast. He seems okay this morning and Hunter can tell from one glance at his pill organizer that Craig has taken his morning meds already. It’s still kind of weird to be here without Molly but he pulls through and gets the man to Dr. Tessler’s office. Craig is called back after an awkward bout of silence between the two of them, which gives Hunter a chance to go through his emails from Darren and turn on his iPad to work on detailing a few of the shots on the shot list. By the time he finishes emailing the location scout to inquire about the permit statuses, Craig comes back into the waiting room.

 

“Ready?” Hunter asks, folding the cover back over the iPad as he stands up and pulls the keys out of his pocket. Craig just gives him a nod and heads to the car. Despite having a pleasant enough conversation during their game night, Craig is still kind of weird around him. Hunter doesn’t know if it is because he’s embarrassed or what. He doesn’t want to try too hard and put the guy off or make him uncomfortable, but he doesn’t want to avoid him all day or sit in silence with him either. Molly may feel like he’d be doing too much if he goes grocery shopping, but Hunter welcomes the task since it gives him something to do outside of the house.

 

And it’s a huge fucking coincidence that he runs into Ted Schmidt.

 

“Hunter?” he hears Ted call out before he even sees him, “Is that you?”

 

Hunter turns around and sees Ted standing there, looking slightly pleased but very surprised.

 

“Oh,” Hunter says, awkwardly holding a bundle of asparagus in his hand before tossing it in the cart, “Hey, Ted.”

 

“What are you doing here?” Ted asks, wheeling his cart over to him.

 

“I’m grocery shopping,” Hunter says slowly, “As most do while they’re in Giant Eagle.”

 

Ted gives him a look, “I meant in Pittsburgh. Are you shooting something on location?”

 

Hunter shakes his head, “Nope.”

 

“Jesus, it’s like pulling teeth,” Ted mutters, “So what are you doing in Pittsburgh? Unless you missed Giant Eagle that much, I doubt it was just to shop here.”

 

“Nah,” Hunter says, looking through the mushrooms, “If I was desperate to shop at a Pittsburgh based grocery store, I’d go to the Macaroni Company in the Strip District. Giant Eagle is overpriced and overrated.”

 

“Oh, I don’t know,” Ted says, “The Market District over in Robinson is awfully nice. They renovated it pretty recently. There’s a bar, a sushi corner, a Starbucks, a pizza place, all in the same building-”

 

“They’re trying too hard.”

 

“And you’re trying too hard to change the subject,” Ted snorts, but then looks at him expectantly.

 

Hunter lets out a sigh and stares at him, “Whatever, fine. My girlfriend lives in Morgantown. Her dad lives here. I’m in town for a few weeks and we’re staying at his place until we head to West Virginia this weekend.”

 

“Oh!” Ted exclaims, surprised, “I didn’t even know you were seeing anyone at the moment. Have Michael and Ben met her? They’ve never mentioned her.”

 

“Yes,” Hunter says cryptically, “They’ve met her a few times.”

 

“Well, you should come by for dinner!” Ted exclaims, “Blake is a great cook and we’d love to have you and...what’s your girlfriend’s name?”

 

Hunter purses his lips and tries to think of a way to get out of telling him.

 

He can’t.

 

“Molly,” Hunter says grudgingly.

 

“Right, you and…”

 

The moment of recognition in Ted’s eyes is visible as the older man begins to connect the dots.

 

“That uh…” Ted starts, clearing his throat, “You wouldn’t be happening to be dating-”

 

“Justin’s sister, yeah,” Hunter confirms, waiting for more of a reaction.

 

“...You wouldn’t be doing it to piss Justin off, would you?” Ted asks slowly, “You did always mention that was one of your favorite pastimes.”

 

Hunter can’t help it as he narrows his eyes, “No. I wouldn’t fucking do that. Justin doesn’t even know.”

 

“Yeah, you’re not the type to do that. Forget I said it,” Ted says, “But Justin doesn’t know?”

 

“Not yet.”

 

“That you’re dating his sister?”

 

“How many times do I have to say it?” Hunter says, his eyebrow raised, “While I look forward to the day that Justin blows a gasket over the info, whether he knows or not changes nothing between me and Molly, nor does it change my feelings for her.”

 

“Right, of course,” Ted says quietly, before sputtering, “You’re staying with Craig Taylor???”

 

Hunter doesn’t give Ted any information on why they’re staying with Craig this week, although it is ridiculously hard to explain. He just makes up some bullshit that Molly is trying to reconnect with her dad and include him more in her life since he is making up with Justin (which Ted also seems to not know). Finally, the relationship reveal seems to settle in Ted’s brain as he shakes his head.

 

“I’m just surprised Michael hasn’t said anything,” Ted admits, “He talks about you and JR non-stop. He never hid any of your relationships before. Usually, we know about any girlfriends you might have almost as soon as he does.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Hunter says, gesturing, “Long distance and all. It’s complicated. We asked them to keep it quiet for a while. They like her a lot. We all went skydiving together.”

 

Ted’s eyes widen, “Michael went skydiving? Michael Novotny went skydiving?”

 

“It was even harder to get him to do it than Molly,” Hunter smirks, “I’m surprised he hasn’t bragged about that accomplishment though.”

 

“Probably because no one would believe him,” Ted laughs, “Well, I’ll try not to open my mouth to anyone who doesn’t know about it. If Michael can keep quiet, so can I. And Blake is the best keeper of secrets I know. It’s the counselor in him. We’d love to have you both for dinner this week if you’re up for it.”

 

Hunter thinks of Craig’s situation and Molly’s currently fucked up commute. He thinks of the fact that their relationship is still kind of new and not quite defined - but so fucking intense and loving and Hunter’s never fucking felt like this before so what do you even call that? To enter her into the fold - more than she already is as Justin’s younger sister - is going to have to be her call.

 

“I’ll have to talk to her about it,” Hunter says, “Her commute this week is pretty shitty and she leads the after school program on Tuesdays and Thursdays so she won’t even be back until after 6 on those days. If she says yes, maybe Friday evening?”

 

Ted nods, smiling, “I’ll let Blake know we might have company. Uh...Craig. He’s invited too, I guess.”

 

“Dude, this is already awkward enough,” Hunter complains, “I doubt her dad coming will make it any better.”

 

“Well...if they’re working on their relationship, it might help him feel more involved-”

 

“Whatever,” Hunter dismisses, knowing that, despite Craig needing socialization, having dinner with a bunch of strangers isn’t the way to start, “Like I said, I’ll talk to her about it.”

 

Ted gives him an awkward hug before they part ways and once he’s alone, he racks up about eighty-five dollars worth of groceries. It’s a combination of higher end and healthy frozen meals, fruits and vegetables, juice and bottled water, chicken and fish, and some ingredients Molly put on the list to make god knows what. He pays for all of it, ignoring Molly’s credit card that she put in his wallet. He’d deal with her trying to give him money later.

 

Craig seems to be in better spirits by the time Hunter gets back. Hunter doesn’t know if it’s the meds or the therapy or maybe he just needed an hour on his own too, but they do put away the groceries together and actually have a conversation without a problem. Maybe Molly does get some traits from Craig since Craig asks for the receipt and demands to reimburse him.

 

“This had to cost you,” Craig says, coming back into the kitchen, “You’re young and need the money more than I do. I’ll write you a check-”

 

“I make six figures,” Hunter interrupts, meeting Craig’s eyes, “Barely, but I do. I think I’ll be okay.”

 

He doesn’t know why he says it. He rarely ever talks about what he’s been making the last couple of years out loud. He’ll think about it, usually with a ‘what the fuck’ attached to each and every thought. That’s to be expected. He grew up in apartment buildings that should have been condemned with a neglectful, abusive, drug addicted mother as his main caretaker until he ran away at 14 and became homeless. After moving in with Ben and Michael, he might have been considered middle class. He doesn’t know if he’s wanting to prove something to Craig, the successful businessman. Maybe a little. But it probably comes more down to wanting to prove something to Craig, Molly’s father. Some weird, fucking primal part of him is probably wanting the father of his girlfriend to know that she’s never going to have to struggle, although he’s pretty sure Molly would live on the streets before accepting help from Hunter or anyone else.

 

“And?” Craig asks, eyebrow raised.

 

“What, do you make six figures too?"

 

“Barely, but I do,” Craig answers, throwing his words back at him before writing a check for three hundred dollars, “I think I’ll be okay.”

 

Hunter squints at the check, “I can’t tell if this is a pissing contest or if this is your way of trying to be nice.”

 

“Eh,” Craig shrugs, pocketing his checkbook looking tired but better than Hunter’s ever seen, “Maybe both. Give the check to Molly if you’re not going to cash it for yourself. Or better yet, cash it in and hide the money in her apartment. She won’t take a damn cent from anyone.”

 

And somehow, although Hunter doesn’t quite know how, that leads them to cooking dinner together. Nothing too complicated. Just coated baked chicken with baked potatoes and steamed broccoli, but it gets Craig busy and talking and that’s what Molly comes home to at 5:30 pm, suitcase in hand and all.

 

“Hi, honey!” Hunter calls out with an exaggerated cheerfulness, “How was work?”

 

Molly scrutinizes the scene as Craig cuts up the broccoli, “...Fine.”

 

“My day was fine too,” Hunter answers, because she obviously forgot to ask, “Dinner will be ready in about twenty. You should relax. Put your feet up.”

 

“Shut the fuck up,” Molly snorts, snapping out of her confusion before walking across the kitchen to reach over Hunter’s shoulder and grab a grape from the fruit bowl.

 

“Language,” Hunter scoffs, “Your dad is right there.”

 

"You have a fouler mouth than I do," Molly points out.

 

“I stopped trying getting Molly to stop cursing a long time ago anyway,” Craig says, glancing over his shoulder, “She started up when Justin did and never stopped. I thought Jennifer was going to have a stroke. She tried swear jars and grounding her. She tried positive reinforcement by making sticker charts in an attempt to get Molly to go a month without swearing.”

 

“Never did get to go to the Carnegie Science Center that year,” Molly reminisces, hopping up to sit on the counter, “Longest I lasted was four days. Justin felt both pride and guilt over his influence.”

 

“Well-,” Craig sighs, turning off the burner and turning off fully before his expression changes, “Molly, there are seats right over there. Get off the counter.”

 

“But I want to sit next to Hunter,” Molly tells her dad, slightly swinging her legs.

 

“Off. And go put your suitcase in your room.”

 

Dinner comes and goes without a hitch and Craig is the one to take the initiative to load the dishwasher. Hunter thinks it’s a good sign, but every so often he catches Molly glancing at her dad with concern and trepidation, as if she thinks what would otherwise be a somewhat normal evening is too good to be true. Craig excuses himself after that and goes to catch up on contracts and documents for the store over in Green Tree and Hunter wants to try to bring up Seth as soon as that happens. He might not have perseverated on it as much as he might have if he just sat here doing nothing all day, but he still fucking thought about what the asshole might have said. However, Molly seems to sense that Hunter’s going to bring up Seth soon because she suddenly insists on making Jambalaya.

 

“We literally just ate dinner,” Hunter points out as Molly gets out a large pot, “Even I’m not hungry.”

 

“It’s better on the second day,” Molly insists, lining the ingredients up on the counter, “This way, you and Dad don’t have to worry about cooking tomorrow. It will be easy for me to heat up too. I’m going to be fucking beat by the time I get back.”

 

So he gives her that time to cook. He’s able to tell that she needs to do something to keep busy for a little bit and to burn off some energy. So he lets her do her thing until the Jambalaya cools enough to be put in the fridge and gives her space while she showers, gets dressed in pajamas, and combs her hair. He doesn’t say a word until after they’ve watched a movie before going back up to the bedroom for the night.

 

“So,” Hunter starts, glancing at Molly as she fluffs up her pillow, hoping she’ll get the point.

 

“So?” Molly asks, although one look at her face and Hunter can tell she knows exactly what he’s inquiring about.

 

“What did Seth say to you?” Hunter asks quietly, “That made you so upset.”

 

Molly lets out a breath, before beginning to pace away from the bed, “I honestly don’t know if I want to tell you. You probably won’t take it well.”

 

“Can you blame me?” Hunter asks incredulously, “He’s insane, Molly. The fact that he’s done this for years and has barely faced any consequences scares the shit out of me. It makes me want to go out and find him myself.”

 

Molly stays silent, looking anywhere but at Hunter, so Hunter gets up to gently cup her face and have her meet his eyes.

 

“I care about you,” Hunter says, then swallows a nervous lump in his throat, “I don’t want to freak you out, but I’ve never felt the way I feel about you for anyone. It terrifies me but you should probably know.”

 

“I care about you too,” Molly rasps out, reaching up to cover his hands, “I’ve never felt this way about anyone either.”

 

Hunter nods, his heart hammering in his chest as he closes his eyes and presses his forehead against Molly’s.

 

“I need to know,” Hunter says, before his voice gets a little stronger, “Fuck, I should know. Everything. It isn’t like this is all in the past, Molly. He’s trying to insert himself in your life still. He’s trying to ruin it. Don’t...Don’t worry about upsetting me, okay? Whatever you have to tell me, I can sit down, listen, and not get too worked up. Well...try not to get too worked up.”

 

Molly bites her lip, nods, then gently takes his hands off her face to lead him over to the bed. He wants to hold her as close as possible as she pours her heart out to him, but he can already tell Molly isn’t in the mood for close physical contact. Going by her expression, it’s like she’s trying to drain herself of any emotions she might have over the situation and is going to go about this as clinically as possible. It’s kind of weird, but whatever. She’s more left-brained so she’s going to be the more analytical and objective one while Hunter is always going to be a right-brained mess. If it works for her to be this way while she tells him, then that’s all that matters.

 

“He...called,” Molly starts, staring ahead at the wall, “Sometime in the afternoon on Saturday after Dr. Tessler left. I had just finished cleaning the downstairs and started on my dad’s laundry. My phone rang. Usually I check who’s calling but I don’t know. I just answered it. I think I needed to talk to someone and I didn’t care who. It was Seth. He started with this bullshit, about how much he misses me and that he wants us to give it another try, insane psycho babble. I prefer it when he calls me a fucking whore.”

 

Hunter’s already feeling rage bubbling beneath the surface and it takes everything within him to reign it in and listen.

 

“Anyway, I told him he called on the wrong day,” Molly humorlessly scoffs, “That I hated him and never wanted to see or hear from him again. And then he started laughing and wouldn’t stop so I just hung up and turned off my phone for a while.”

 

“He’s such a fucking-”

 

“I’m not done,” Molly interrupts.

 

“What else happened?” Hunter asks, both needing and not wanting to know.

 

Molly lets out a breath as she pauses, “...I turned my phone back on around 6 or so. I wanted to call Justin. I don't know if I was going to tell him about Dad or not, but I just wanted to hear my brother’s voice, I guess. No calls came through for like a minute and then it rings and Bedford Gallery comes up on my Caller ID. I should have known better. Justin rarely calls from the gallery phone and Seth has disguised his number as it before. But since I was so desperate to talk to Justin, I didn’t even fucking think. I answered it, relieved that my brother was calling. I said, ‘Hey, Jester’ and got nothing at first. Said hello and asked if he was there. Then Seth starts talking and...fuck, I don’t even want to repeat what he said-”

 

“Molly, please,” Hunter pleads quietly, “I need to know.”

 

Molly blinks and for the first time since she started her story, slowly meets Hunter’s eyes.

 

“He said, ‘If you ever hang up on me again, I will slit your throat and fuck you as you bleed out.’”

 

Hunter’s suddenly extremely glad that he only promised Molly that he’d try not to get too worked up.

-----------------------------------

“It’s not going to work. And you are going way too fast.”

 

Hunter growls as he speeds through a stop sign. It doesn’t matter. There’s no one at the intersection anyway.

 

“Hunter, this is why I didn’t want to tell you-”

 

“That he fucking threatened to rape and murder you?!” Hunter finishes too loudly before charging down the ramp, “That’s more than just a fucking call! He threatened your damn life! The police have to do something about that!”

 

“They didn’t do anything when he tried to hurt me in person!” Molly explodes.

 

“When he backhanded you?”

 

“I didn’t report that!” Molly says, frustrated, “I didn’t report him backhanding and choking me-”

 

“He CHOKED you?!”

 

“He backhanded me when I confronted him right before I broke up with him, so I punched him in the face and he threw me into a wall and choked me” Molly says, dismissing the fact that what she’s saying is totally FUCKED, “But I reported the phone calls and I reported him following me around,” Molly continues, “I reported the hidden camera in my room and the slashed tires and the spray painted car and the nudes he posted online of Hazel when she told him off and the masked man who fucking beat me up and ripped my dress off outside of my apartment-”

 

“What the fuck, Molly?!” Hunter yells, feeling like he’s seconds away from throwing up, “I asked you, I fucking ASKED you if he ever hurt you like that and you told me that he hadn’t. Why the fuck didn’t you tell me?!”

 

“He didn’t get that far!” Molly yells back at him, then takes a deep breath and forces herself to calm, “Jerry - he’s this guy in Morgantown who’s an alcoholic and homeless - chased him away with a bottle of whiskey. He can’t hold onto a job or an apartment. Justin paid the deposit and the first few months of rent for an apartment in Westover after he saved me, but he couldn’t keep up with the bills and got kicked out. I still feel the need to thank him though. Since that happened, I let him shower at my place a few times a week and sometimes he sleeps on my couch in the winter when the beds are filled at the shelter.”

 

Hunter sputters before shaking his head, they could revisit the Jerry situation later, “How the fuck could the police not do anything when he attacked you?”

 

“There was no DNA evidence,” Molly sighs, leaning back in her seat and closing her eyes, “He had on a ski mask and gloves. It was dark. The guy was the same size as Seth and there were no reports of some masked serial rapist going around so it isn’t like it was a random attempt. But apparently the evidence I had was circumstantial and not enough to actually bring him in for questioning.”

 

“That’s bullshit,” Hunter seethes, “He had a fucking history of stalking you. That’s enough to make him a top suspect.”

 

“Yeah, if his parents weren’t the top defense lawyers in the tri-state area, you’d probably be right,” Molly sighs, “Seth is impossible to find, but they’re easy enough to. I called them a couple of years ago and begged them to get Seth psychiatric help if they wanted to help their son so badly. Their way of helping is to make sure their son’s record is spotless despite what he’s done. I told them that if they admitted him somewhere and he was able to become stable and change, I wouldn’t mind if he never faced legal repercussions. A couple of days after that call, they sent me a cease and desist letter, saying that I was harassing them. Fucking assholes.”

 

Hunter pulls off the exit and heads down the street before entering the Pittsburgh Police Department’s parking lot. He takes a few breaths in an attempt to calm himself down before glancing at Molly and feeling awful. She looks drained, physically and emotionally, and he knows freaking out about what she told him hadn’t helped. But it’s like she doesn’t get how fucking dangerous Seth is, the way she minimizes it and tries to keep it to herself. It’s either that or she does fucking get it, all too well, but she’s just accepted it as part of her life due to being let down by anyone who can actually help and has given up on trying to find peace or justice.

 

Molly’s a literal genius. Hunter knows she gets it and that it’s the latter. It breaks his fucking heart.

 

“This isn’t going to work,” she says again tiredly, “I’ve tried this several times. Any charges I press get swept under the rug. It doesn’t matter if it is minutes after or days after. They just take the report and ask me to call if he tries to contact me again. And when I call, they say they’ve made a note of it and tell me to change my number. I was lucky to have an active restraining order for two years.”

 

Hunter doesn’t respond as he gets out of Molly’s car and goes around to open the door for her. She glares up at him before tossing her bag to the side, unbuckling her belt, and getting out of the car. She walks ahead and doesn't bother to hold the police department’s doors open for him. Fair enough.

 

“I’m here to report a criminal threat made against me the other night by my stalker, Seth Warner,” Molly says to the officer working the front desk, as if the line is rehearsed, “He has stalked me in West Virginia and Pennsylvania in person but now mainly makes harassment calls or attempts to stalk me online. If you need files on previous reports, they may be with the Morgantown Police Department if they haven't been disposed of. I think I also have some copies saved."

 

“Have you tried changing your number and email add-”

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?” Hunter explodes, coming over to stand next to Molly, “You don’t think she’s fucking tried that? And even if she hasn’t, it doesn’t make what he’s doing okay!”

 

“Sir, don’t raise your voice at me,” the officer warns.

 

“Hunter, calm down,” Molly hisses, then clears her throat, “I’m sorry about that. My boyfriend is just really upset by what Seth said.”

 

“What did he say?”

 

“Word for word, it was ‘If you hang up on me again, I’ll slit your throat and fuck you as you bleed out’.”

 

The officer blinks before letting out a cough, “I’ll uh, I’ll request an APB with my higher ups. Bring him in for questioning when we find him.”

 

“I’m sure you will,” Molly says, her voice sounding dead, “What papers do I need to fill out and sign?”

 

When they get back to the car, Molly sits there as Hunter calls Carl. It’s not until Carl picks up the phone in sleepy confusion does he remember that he’s going to have to explain why he’s in Pittsburgh and that he’s been seeing Molly. Carl takes all that well enough, even though Hunter knows he’s going to blab his mouth to Debbie as soon as he gets off the phone. But Carl’s a good man and Hunter knows he might have some sound advice. As much as Hunter would like to believe that police have changed since Stockwell, he knows they haven’t. Carl had been the only one to listen about Jason Kemp and if he was still on the force, he would probably listen to Molly about Seth too. But Carl retired and moved to Toronto six years ago.

 

“I don’t have many connections down there anymore, kid,” Carl admits, “She filled out the report and all of the paperwork? She said she would like to press charges when he’s brought in?”

 

“Yes,” Hunter says, pinching the bridge of his nose, “She’s done all of that several times, both before and after the restraining order.”

 

“Then why aren’t they charging him if he’s a repeat offender?” Carl asks angrily.

 

“Apparently he has some powerful, enabling lawyer parents,” Hunter mutters.

 

Carl grumbles something or other, then speaks up, “Who are his parents?”

 

Hunter looks over at Molly, who looks like she’s about to fall asleep, “What are his parents’ names?”

 

“Alfred and Lisa Warner,” she mumbles, leaning her head against the car window.

 

“Alfred and Lisa Warner,” Hunter repeats, before getting nothing, “Hello? Carl, are you there?”

 

“...Yeah,” Carl sighs, “I’m here. That...You’re right. They’re powerful. From what I remember, they never lose a case and seem like they can bend and mold the law to their will as if it’s fuckin’ clay. That explains a lot.”

 

Hunter doesn’t feel any better once he gets off the phone with Carl, although he begrudgingly gets Carl to promise to keep things quiet for now at Molly’s insistence.

 

“FUCK!” Hunter yells out, pressing his forehead against the steering wheel before sitting up and starting the car. Molly just pats his shoulder and continues to rest.

 

By the time they get back to Craig’s, Hunter makes sure he is good enough to go into the house without flipping his shit before getting out of the car to follow Molly. When he gets up to the bedroom, he dresses down to his boxer briefs while Molly already has the light off, her back facing him. It’s only then that he feels real guilt over the last hour. He should have been calmer, more mature, and told her why it is important that she report everything while he comforted her or something. But he had lost it. The only thing that had kept him from screaming had been the fact that Craig had been and still is in bed. Hunter had just demanded she get her coat on and stormed out of the house, not one hug or kiss - nothing.

 

Hunter bites back a groan, then goes over to the other side and gets under the covers. He doesn’t know if she’ll want it, but he feels the need to offer, even if it’s for selfish reasons.

 

“Can I hold you?” he whispers, preparing himself to get a ‘no’ or no answer at all. At first, he thinks that it might be the second one - whether it’s because she’s asleep or pretending to be - but slowly, Molly turns around and faces him.

 

“Are you done freaking out and being overly dramatic?” she asks quietly.

 

Hunter can’t help but glare, “I wasn’t being overly dramatic. I know when I’m being overly dramatic. Like the other night when I told my dads I would literally die if I didn’t see you within a day-”

 

“That is dramatic,” Molly confirms, “Damn, queen.”

 

“Yeah, well,” Hunter says, trying to not let his slip up get to him, “You’re right about that. You’re wrong about me being dramatic tonight. I didn’t handle it well. I should have handled it better. But my anger and debilitating fear were and still are both warranted.”

 

Molly lets out a sigh and pats Hunter’s cheek, “I’m fine. I won’t deny that I keep thinking about what he said, but I’m here in one piece.”

 

“If he even gives you a bruise, I’ll probably end up in jail,” Hunter says, before a lump forms in his throat, “If he tries to do what he said he was going to do? Either or both? Fuck, Molly. I would want to kill him and anyone else who never tried to stop him. That scares me almost as much as the thought of him hurting you.”

 

“Hunter,” Molly says more compassionately, finally scooting in closer to drape herself over him, “I’m okay. He’s made threats before. Not like that, but he doesn’t even follow through on most of them. He’s not going to risk a threat coming from him being documented, only for it to come true. Unfortunately, he’s smarter than that. If he did come through on some of the more minor threats, maybe his parents wouldn’t be able to keep him out of prison.”

 

“He’s insane,” Hunter says, shaking his head, “You can’t underestimate him and assume he’s never going to fully snap and come after you.”

 

Molly stares at him, as if she’s realized she’s not going to get much further with him tonight. She’s probably right. Hunter’s thought process is stuck at a standstill.

 

“What were you going to talk to me about the other night?”

 

It takes a moment for Hunter to even process her question, “Huh?”

 

“Before I got off the phone with you on Friday night, you said you wanted to run something by me but wanted to wait until I was sober before discussing it. What was it?”

 

Oh. That. It feels trivial now. So fucking trivial with Craig’s mental health, despite having an almost abnormally good day, along with what Hunter found out tonight. He knows what the answer is going to be. Part of him wishes he would have asked her on Friday night. She would have had less going on, less reason to say no. And as soon as Molly would find out about Craig, Hunter could have demanded that Justin come down or something. If Hunter could go back in time a few days, he would call Justin himself and tell him that he wants to give Molly the time of her life, even if it’s only for a week. Hunter would tell Justin that Molly needs a fucking break and that as her older brother, he owes it to Molly to give her one. He’d tell him the reason why he wants to take her, that he’s fucking in love with her.

 

Shit. Fuck.

 

He’s felt it, but he’s never thought it. Not concretely. Actually thinking it shakes him to his core. He needs to move past it or she’s going to think he’s having a stroke.

 

“I was going to ask and see if you wanted to go to Europe next week,” Hunter eventually says, recovering, “I was thinking Spain or France, but was down for anything really. Maybe Ireland or the UK. Italy. Somewhere in western or central Europe so that we wouldn’t get stuck on the plane for half the trip. I was going to let you choose where we went. I was planning on flying here a few days before so that we could leave together.”

 

Molly is quiet for a few moments and Hunter feels tension in the silence before she nestles her head under his chin.

 

“That sounds amazing. And expensive.”

 

“I would pay for all of it,” Hunter tells her as she looks up at him in warning, “Look, I know you hate it when anyone spends money on you. You are literally independent to a fault. But I didn’t have shit growing up. You...You know what I did to make ends meet. Obviously, compared to that teenage boy, you’re fucking wealthy. I would have been happy making 35,000 dollars a year. I never dreamed I would do this well for myself though. Ever. I’m not saying that to brag, I’m honestly fucking baffled. When I look at my life, I don’t understand how I got here. I thought I was going to be dead by the time I was 16, and that was before I learned about the whole HIV thing.”

 

“Hunter,” Molly chokes out, but Hunter just rubs her back and continues.

 

“After I figured out how to invest and manage it and make sure I never find myself struggling or even wanting again, I just want to spend my money on the people who matter to me the most. You’re...You’re on that list. Pretty much at the top, along with my parents and my sister.”

 

Molly sniffles and lets out a laugh, “Well, after that speech, I wish I could say yes. Enthusiastically. If things were calm, I would. My dad might have had a good day today but-”

 

“I know. And it’s okay, Molly. Really. I understand.”

 

There is a beat of silence before Molly speaks again, “You should take your dads. I bet they would love it.”

 

Hunter scoffs, “They’re almost as bad as you are. They won’t even take money for shit that matters. They want a baby. Adopting a baby has never gone through. I don’t know if it’s because they’re gay or because Ben’s HIV+ and that’s public knowledge but they rarely get a call, let alone make it past round 1. I offered them money for a surrogate, but they refused to take it, even as a loan. Said they were saving up for it themselves and that if it works out, it works out.”

 

“I hope it works out,” Molly tells him, “They’re good dads.”

 

“Yeah. They are.”

 

“What about your sister? I didn’t really talk to her much at Christmas, but I could see that she’s crazy about you and misses you. You should take her on a trip.”

 

“I’d like to. JR’s a good kid. I fucking adore her,” Hunter admits, “She actually stayed with me in LA last summer for a couple of weeks while I was off. We had a good time. She’s not any trouble at all. It’s Lindsey and Melanie who end up being a pain in the ass. They called non-stop and never remembered the time difference. I can’t imagine what they’d do if I took her out of the country. Besides, despite how much I love my sister, I want to spend these few weeks with you.”

 

Molly scoffs, “In West Vir-fucking-ginia?”

 

“The wild and wonderful,” Hunter confirms before getting excited, “It has its faults, but the scenery there is like nothing else and you know it. Forget the Eiffel Tower. Forget Big Ben. Forget the Venice Canal. Let’s camp under the New River Gorge.”

 

That gets a loud laugh out of Molly before she pats his chest, “Yes, Hunter. Let’s camp under a busy ass bridge in a huge river. I hope our tent floats.”

 

“Okay, fine,” Hunter sighs, “Near the New River Gorge. At a campsite. Or at Cooper’s Rock. It’s a lot closer.”

 

“If we’re going to Cooper’s Rock, then we might as well just go sleep at my apartment where it’s warm,” Molly yawns.

 

“But I want to sleep in a tent with you in the cold,” Hunter says.

 

Molly shakes her head before gently taking Hunter’s hand and intertwining his fingers with hers, “We can maybe go on a trip for a couple of days next week, if my dad continues to get better and we go somewhere that has cell service so that I can get a hold of him. Not far, but somewhere. And not in a fucking tent. I’m making you spring for a hotel.”

 

“A resort?”

 

“Don’t push it,” Molly tells him as she lifts her head up to meet his eyes.

 

Hunter shrugs but looks down at her tenderly, brushing her hair back from her face, “Fine. I’ll save the grand gestures for Europe. Because you already said yes. Maybe not for next week, but maybe in late July or early August if filming doesn’t get delayed or maybe for your Winter break or even next Spring if that ends up not working out. But it’s happening. The country we go to is up to you.”

 

“Albania.”

 

Hunter wrinkles his nose in confusion and tilts his head down to stare at Molly, “Out of all the fucking European countries you could have chosen, you choose Albania? Why?”

 

Molly smiles, “When I was in the 5th grade, they did everything in alphabetical order. You had to stand in line in alphabetical order for lunch, you got dismissed by the letter of your last name, etcetera. For some reason, there were no Vs or Ws or anything past Taylor. I was always dead last, which sucked because our class was bigger than our cafeteria table. One seat short. So unless someone was sick, I always had to sit at the detention table even when I didn’t do anything to get there. The teachers would try to be sweet and say that I was allowed to talk, but no one else at the table was. So if I tried to talk to a kid in detention and a teacher caught them talking to me, they’d get a day added to their sentence.”

 

“That is completely fucked,” Hunter says, “It sounds like some kind of regime and absolutely unjust.”

 

“Right? Anyway, I started a riot and got lunch detention for the rest of the school year,” Molly shrugs, “I stood up on the table and gave an impassioned speech condemning the policy. I spoke of my innocence before standing up for the detention kids, claiming that the teachers were depriving them of a much needed social outlet before starting a food fight. I figured that if I was going to sit there, I might as well go all out and do something to deserve it.”

 

“That’s my girl,” Hunter says proudly, not remembering exactly how they got on this topic but extremely glad that they did because 5th grade Molly sounds like a badass.

 

“But before that,” Molly continues, getting back on topic, “We had to do an individual Social Studies project on a European Country. In alphabetical order, each kid was asked which country they were going to do and no kid could do the same country. So the As, Bs, and Cs chose the popular, well-known countries like Italy, England, Ireland, France. As the teacher went down the list, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Greece, Ukraine, Hungary, Poland, European Russia - all taken. We had 31 kids in our class total - which wouldn't fly in a lot of school districts today. I remember the number because the lunch tables only sat 30. Anyway, I’m getting to the point where I can’t even think of a country because the ones that are memorable to a 5th grader have all been snatched up. So the teacher gets to my name and asks me which country I’d like to do as if I’ve been given as fair of a shot as everyone else. I’m desperately looking at the list, which is covered in crossed off countries and the first one on there that was available was Albania.”

 

“So you researched it and found out it had a rich and beautiful culture?”

 

“No,” Molly admits, “It was super hard to research at the time, especially when we had to use a bunch of book sources. My mom was mad that I chose it because she couldn’t find much on it either and asked why I couldn’t choose England or Italy. At the time, I thought she was being super fucking insensitive-”

 

Molly breaks off in laughter, the kind of laughter that only hits you when you’re exhausted. When Hunter glances at the clock, he sees that it’s after midnight and realizes Molly only has about five hours until she has to get up. He feels a stab of guilt again, guilt over blowing up, making her go to the police station (even though it was fucking warranted), and keeping her awake now when she won’t even be back until at least 6:30 tomorrow. He should probably get her to chill out and pass out.

 

“Albania it is,” Hunter tells her as she begins to settle, and he surprises himself when he realizes he’s telling the absolute truth, “You better call your mom and have her dig up all of the research you acquired back then because we’re going to need it.”

 

“I remember that there’s fishing,” Molly mumbles, “And beaches. It’s really pretty. A lot of places to hike. And up until the early 90s, its chief export was chromite.”

 

“Thank god we know that,” Hunter sighs, finally letting himself feel tired as Molly’s soft breaths to even out against his collarbone, “We would have been so screwed if we traveled there and never found out what chromite used to mean to them.”

 

“Yeah, it’s why it’s at the top o’ my list,” Molly slurs out, “That and Eureka Springs, Arkansas.”

 

Hunter forces himself not to laugh and just kisses the top of her head instead. Within minutes, Molly is asleep. Soon enough, despite bouncing back and forth on some sort of screwed up emotional spectrum, Hunter falls asleep too.

Thursday morning, Hunter wakes up to the sun pouring into the bedroom and an empty space next to him. It only makes him feel a little disappointment. Up until now, he's either been awake or has woken up for Molly's departure. Usually, he's a light sleeper. Growing up, he had to be - hyper vigilance never did his sleep schedule any wonders, although it kept him alive. He never got close to a good night's rest until he felt comfortable with Michael and Ben. That mostly lasted from 16 to 20, right until he moved across the country and was completely and utterly alone. He had been proud and terrified and had nightmares for weeks. And although the success and newfound friends and the presence of one or two of his previous girlfriends had helped, he never slept through someone entering or leaving the bed he was sleeping in. It has happened twice with Molly now. Today and once when she was in LA and had woken up to make him breakfast.

 

It's interesting. Disappointing, since he loves kissing Molly goodbye, but interesting. It could be the mind blowing sex they had last night that knocked him out cold. But honestly? He feels like it isn't. Mind blowing sex with Molly has been extremely consistent every time they get the chance to partake.

 

Hunter looks at his phone and sees that it is 9:32. He's not used to sleeping in that late, even on his days off. That feels weird to him as well, even though his internal clock may still be at least partially on LA time, so it would be 6:32 there. He could sleep in later - make it so when he does eventually have to go back to LA, his sleeping patterns won't be completely fucked. But then again, his job makes him get up early anyway. It’s probably for the best that he gets on with his day.

 

The thought of going back to LA fills him with fucking dread. He loves LA. He loves the warm weather, the palm trees, his friends, his condo, and his cat. Things aren't perfect there since his parents and JR aren't in LA. But if Molly was there? It would be pretty fucking close. He's starting to want to be wherever Molly is and that's making him start to wonder how clingy that makes him. Last night, after she fell asleep in his arms (something he already knows he will never get tired of), his mind had started to wander before he started dreaming of her moving to LA. Then his imagination started to expand and he started dreaming of packing up himself and moving to West Virginia with her, maybe Pittsburgh if she could get her license to teach Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh had a little bit more going on. His career wouldn't completely die like it would in West Virginia. He could get some work - probably. He could deal with living in a city where he has to avoid a couple of streets in order to avoid flashbacks and nightmares. He would do that for her.

 

Molly Taylor is making Hunter so fucking stupid for her. He would feel more aggravated by it but he's too dumb to care that much.

 

Hunter gets up, takes his meds, then heads for the bathroom down the hall for a shower. He's not in there long but there's definitely a difference between the time he’s in there and the time he closes the bathroom door to go back into the hall. Craig may have been up then, but he hadn’t been talking to anyone. Now he is. It wouldn’t be weird if it was on the phone. Craig is a businessman and he has solely been working from home this past week, despite doing better than this past weekend. He had a phone conference yesterday in his office before Hunter took him to therapy. It had probably been for the best that it happened before. Craig had been quiet after therapy, then a little erratic. Hunter gave him a couple of hours and then got him to take a walk to burn off whatever nervous energy had been building up. By the time Molly got back at 5:30, Craig had been a lot calmer by that point, had quietly asked Hunter not to worry her, and seemed relatively normal after Molly got through the door. He had been able to have a decent - albeit short - conversation with the both of them.

 

Other than a couple of business calls and some conversations with Hunter, Molly, and Dr. Tessler, as far as Hunter knows, Craig has talked to no one else. But as Hunter comes down the steps, he not only hears Craig’s voice from the kitchen, but another man’s voice as well. He briefly thinks about making himself scarce, giving Craig privacy if it’s about business or something personal. However, his curiosity wins the best of him and he finds himself following the voices to the back of the house.

 

Both parties are sitting at the kitchen table. Craig is dressed casually in a pair of khakis and a navy blue sweater, the younger man is wearing a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. He’s young, late teens or early twenties at most, and as soon as he’s aware that there is someone else in the room, he’s looking at Hunter as if he has six heads.

 

“Who the fuck are you?” the guy asks, immediately scrutinizing his presence before glancing at Craig in confusion.

 

“Who the fuck are you?” Hunter returns lightly, walking over towards the fridge to grab an orange.

 

The guy doesn’t answer him, but Hunter hears him quietly ask, “Dad, why is there some random guy in our house?”

 

Ah. Mason. Molly’s stepbrother. Hunter hadn’t been expecting to meet him...well, possibly ever. Molly’s tidbits regarding Mason have been vague and limited. It left Hunter sort of filling in the blanks with his own conclusions regarding the kid. He knows Molly had distanced herself from her dad’s side of the family when she went to college. She became resentful against her dad for what he did to Justin and Mason just sort of got grouped in when she stayed away. He also knows that although she rarely came to see her dad’s family from 18 until now, Mason visited her occasionally at WVU. He knows that a 16 year old Mason stayed with her for a few days in New York, and that while Mason had made it his duty to drive her up the wall since childhood, he had actually been a comfort that one trip due to her having such a batshit roommate, one so batshit that she moved in with Justin for the rest of the summer. He only knows about that because Hunter had also stayed with Justin that summer and although he had thought Molly was beautiful, he also had been acutely aware that Justin would kill him if he even attempted to make a move on her while they were all under the same roof. Molly ended up briefly dating one of the gaffers on his shoot and Hunter had only been slightly put off by it at the time.

 

Whatever.

 

Hunter also knows that while Molly had distanced herself from her dad’s family once she started college, Mason had distanced himself from just about everyone. From the sound of it, it doesn’t seem like it came from a place of bitterness or disdain for his family. For Mason, it seems like it came more from a place of being a newfound adult and wanting to take full advantage of his freedom. And Hunter knows that - despite Molly sort of doing the same thing to him - she has been hurt by the distance Mason put between them. She’s never said as much, but Hunter knew. He could hear the sadness and regret in her voice the few times Mason’s name had been brought up. Because while it might not be the case now, she had been closer to Mason than she had been to Justin at one point.

 

However, Hunter hadn’t known if Mason had been interested in resuming a relationship with Craig or Molly after Craig’s and Madison’s divorce went through. It would make Molly’s regret make sense if she thought that Mason was done. But he’s here. Hunter doesn’t know this kid, but that gives him some hope for Molly’s sake.

 

“Mason, this is Hunter. Molly’s boyfriend. He’s in town and he and Molly are staying here this week.”

 

Mason gives him a once over, his expression immediately becoming more guarded, “What, can’t afford a hotel?”

 

Hunter just stares at Mason because wow. But Craig shakes his head in exasperation and gives Mason a look of warning.

 

“Stop it. And yes, he can. Hunter makes six figures,” Craig says, looking almost amused by bringing that shit up, before meeting Hunter’s eyes, “I apologize for my son’s attitude. He’s not a morning person and he’s wary of anyone Molly dates.”

 

“She has shitty taste in men,” Mason shrugs, taking a sip from his coffee mug, before staring at Hunter almost in accusation, “Like, really shitty.”

 

“She dated one shitty guy,” Craig mutters, “One.”

 

And that piques Hunter’s interest, because while he knows that Justin, Jennifer, and Tucker all know about what had happened with Seth in the past, he has never heard anything about Craig knowing. But apparently both Craig and Mason know something. He’s almost tempted to question them, but he bites back any kind of interrogation as Craig continues talking.

 

“Hunter’s one of the good ones,” Craig says surprisingly, “He’s done a lot of work around the house and has helped me out this week. So stand down and be polite.”

 

Mason just keeps staring at him, as if the kid has never been taught how to be social once in his goddamn life. But if it has anything to do with possible protectiveness due to Molly’s past, Hunter can empathize with that. In fact, if that’s the reason Mason is continuing to stay guarded, then Hunter might actually like him.

 

“I came in from LA to stay with Molly,” Hunter says, offering an olive branch, “I have a few weeks off so I wanted to spend them with her.”

 

“If you’re from LA, then how did you even meet my sister?” Mason asks.

 

“I’m living in LA,” Hunter corrects, finally taking the time to peel and separate his orange, “I’m from Pittsburgh. I’ve known Molly for...I don’t even know, a while, I guess. I got to know her back when she had an internship in New York after her freshman year of college. I was working there for the summer and we both stayed with her brother...your brother?”

 

The question in Hunter’s words does change Mason’s demeanor, Craig’s as well, since the man stiffens before he quietly excuses himself to go unload the dishwasher.

 

“That uh…” Mason starts as he scratches the back of his neck, “I don’t really know Justin. I’ve met him a couple of times through Molly and he’s probably nice enough but...I don’t know, we don’t call each other that. But I know you haven’t been dating her since she was a freshman. She dated other guys in college and she’s not the type to do the whole open relationship thing.”

 

“We’ve only been dating for a few months,” Hunter clarifies, “We kind of kept in touch occasionally but only really started talking again around Christmas when we both went to a mutual friend’s dinner.”

 

“So now she’s in a long distance relationship?” Mason asks, eyebrows raising, “So how are you guys going to keep that up-”

 

“Mason, would you quit grilling him?” Craig says, turning around to look at Mason pointedly, “And call your mom. Let her know that you’re here. From my understanding, you were planning to go to Miami for Spring Break-”

 

“Well, plans change,” Mason interrupts quickly, tapping his fingers on the table, “And I don’t plan on calling Mom.”

 

“Stop,” Craig warns, “Just quit it.”

 

“I’m not staying with her and that asshole,” Mason says stubbornly, but he looks uneasy, “I want to stay here...If I’m still allowed to stay here.”

 

Hunter watches the exchange closely as Craig’s expression turns concerned and possibly guilty as he watches Mason closely.

 

“Of course you can stay here,” Craig says, sounding slightly stressed that the younger man might think otherwise, “Mason...Mason, you know that.”

 

Mason nods in return, staring straight ahead at the wall, and Hunter can see that the worry of not being welcome was most likely genuine. But as soon as Hunter thinks about excusing himself so that Craig and Mason can have an emotional father/son moment, Mason only says, “Okay, good to hear.” The subject is then dropped.

 

Despite the initially tense moments, they all settle into their own routine. Craig opts to bring his laptop to the kitchen table to work on Excel. It’s odd at first, but Hunter can see the curious glances Craig is sending Mason, all while Mason just watches Lacrosse videos intently on his phone. Hunter takes the time to communicate with the crew for the Aronofsky film and makes a call to the man himself. Not much is said between them, but that’s okay. It lets him get some work done. He steps into the dining room for a conference call with a couple of the producers for a half hour, but otherwise, he just sits with Craig and Mason quietly.

 

It’s just as Mason starts bringing up the possibility of going out with Craig for lunch (Hunter is invited as an afterthought, so that’s something) that the doorbell rings. Hunter doesn’t miss the flinch from Craig, nor does he miss the way Mason stares at Craig with concern and bewilderment as Hunter stands up and offers to go get the door.

 

When he arrives at the front door and opens it, there is a young woman there around Molly’s age. She’s tall, possibly an inch taller than Molly and an inch shorter than him. She’s well put-together and has a brunette bob of loose curls and large hazel eyes. Reaching out to put her hands on his shoulders, she looks him up and down before meeting his eyes with a blinding smile.

 

“You must be Hunter,” Hazel says sweetly, leaning in to give him a greeting kiss on the cheek before stepping back, "The man who got Molly Taylor to jump out of a plane."

 

"I'm guessing you're Hazel?" Hunter says, stepping aside so that Hazel can come in, "Molly's at work. She probably isn't going to be back until 7 or so."

 

"I know, that's why I'm here now," Hazel shrugs as she hangs up her coat, "To grill you of your intentions, be intimidating, then decide whether or not you are worthy of my bestie by the time she gets home."

 

Hunter's expression must be amusing because Hazel takes one look at him and bursts into laughter.

 

"I'm kidding," she says, lightly socking Hunter's shoulder, "Well, sort of. I am here to see you. Thought you might want to get out of the house and go to lunch."

 

"That's nice of you," Hunter says, then glances in the direction of the kitchen, "I'm not sure if I should or not though-"

 

"Craig doing okay?" Hazel asks, her peppiness deflating a little.

 

"Yeah...Yeah, he seems okay today. Mostly," Hunter answers, "Things are just a little weird. Mason came in this morning so I think he's trying to be intimidating too-"

 

"Mason's in?!" Hazel exclaims, then walks away from Hunter and towards the kitchen, "Masie-boo! Light of my life, best little brother in the galaxy, where art thou?"

 

Hunter lets out a breath and looks around the foyer. It only takes a few seconds to realize that he has nothing else to do but follow. When he walks into the kitchen, Hazel is coming up behind Mason, throwing her arms around him, ruffling his hair until it's a mess, before tickling his sides, all while laughing maniacally.

 

"You...are...the worst!" Mason grunts out, squirming in his seat before standing up to pick Hazel up to throw over his shoulder, "Molly never gave me half of the shit you did!"

 

"You were the one giving us shit!" Hazel turns her head to call out, still on Mason's shoulder, "Someone had to make it their job to retaliate! Molly was too nice to do it. Who else better to do it but me, your honorary-"

 

"Pain in the ass?"

 

"You both take that title," Craig says, rolling his eyes in exasperation as he types away and Mason spins Hazel around in circles, "Mason, watch it! Her foot almost hit the table!"

 

"Sorry, Mr. Taylor!" Hazel says as Mason puts her down, "I just wanted to stop by to meet Hunter face to face. I didn't realize Mason was going to be here. Seeing his face and this house and wham! 13 again. You know how it is."

 

Craig lets out an audible sigh but then looks almost fond, "It's nice to see you. It's been a while. How's your mom?"

 

"She's good," Hazel says, "She's obsessing over making my wedding dress. I'm pretty sure she wants to make Kate Middleton's dress look drab in comparison. She's making Samira's dress too. I'm not allowed to see it, but it's more understated knowing Samira-"

 

"Samira's wearing a dress?" Mason asks, "I thought she was butch."

 

Hazel gives Mason a look, "Dude, learn the scale. She's soft butch, there's wiggle room. I, however, am a lipstick lesbian." ”

 

Hazel meets Craig’s eyes again and says more softly, “You know, Molly’s going to be my Maid of Honor. The wedding’s at the end of July. I can send you an invite if you want to come. I would love to have you there.”

 

The answer interests Hunter, considering Craig’s history and only relatively recent acceptance of all things gay. But surprisingly, the person who looks the most interested in what Craig’s response will be is Mason, who looks downright nervous.

 

“That would be nice,” Craig answers, clearing his throat, “I’ll come.”

 

“Excellent!” Hazel says, smiling fully, “Let my mom know if you need to be fitted for a suit. She’ll give you a discount.”

 

“So what?” Mason asks, shaking himself out of whatever nerves he had been feeling, “Am I not invited?”

 

“I’m sorry,” Hazel says, turning to Mason to put a hand on her hip, “You have barely stepped foot into the state of Pennsylvania for the last two years. I forgot you existed. But if you aren’t going to run off to Cabo or Cancun or the Bahamas for your summer break, then yes, Mason. You can come.”

 

Mason nods, looking a little satisfied, “Count me in.”

 

Hazel stares at Mason for a moment, “Wait, why are you here, anyway? Why aren’t you in Miami? Don’t you and your friends go to Miami for Spring break?”

 

Mason shrugs and looks away, “I don’t know. I decided to come here instead. I go back to New Hampshire next Sunday.”

 

“Weird,” Hazel says, but then pats his shoulder, “But that means you’ll be here for your 21st birthday! April 10th, don’t think that I forgot. We’ll all have to do something wild. But right now? I’m stealing Hunter for lunch. Just Hunter. Not you.”

 

“So I’m good enough to invite to your wedding but not out to lunch?”

 

“That’s exactly it,” Hazel says, “But seriously. Go eat lunch with your dad. You haven’t been here since forever.”

 

With that, Hazel turns back to Hunter and smiles.

 

“Ready?” she asks, already walking out of the kitchen.

 

“It really doesn’t seem like I have a choice, so I guess,” Hunter says, watching her go.

 

“Oh, you don’t,” Mason says, “She’s stubborn as hell. Like Molly, but louder about it.”

 

Great.

-------------------------------------

“So tell me about Mason.”

 

The words come out of his mouth as they get on 376. He hadn’t planned on asking it, but Hazel doesn’t look surprised by the question at all.

 

“Economics Major at Dartmouth, on the Lacrosse team,” she begins to list, merging into the left lane to speed past traffic, “Smart, but not as smart as Molly. But maybe in some ways a little smarter than Molly because she refused to go to an Ivy League school. She didn’t want to take her family’s money and knew she couldn’t afford any of the Ivy League schools she got into herself, even with her Yale and Dartmouth connections. Her grandpa used to be a professor at Yale but that was like 15 years ago-”

 

“We’re back on Molly,” Hunter points out but Hazel waves him off.

 

“Anyway, Mason isn’t quite as proud,” Hazel says, “Mason sort of followed in Craig’s footsteps. Probably parties a lot more, but whatever. He’s kind of been self-centered since he went off to school, but he isn’t a bad guy. Don’t get me wrong, he was an annoying little shit when he was younger, but I always liked him.”

 

Hunter nods, “I noticed he calls Craig ‘Dad’. Are they close?”

 

Hazel shrugs, “I suppose. Craig loves Mason. He’s paying for his college. He adopted him when Mason was 10. Mason took his last name.”

 

“...I didn’t realize Craig adopted him,” Hunter says, confused, because a step-brother and an adopted brother are completely different, “The few times Molly has talked about him to me, she always called him her step-brother.”

 

Hazel snorts, “Molly’s weird about it. I think she does it because when she says, “my brother” some people think she is talking about Justin and some think she is talking about Mason. She tried older brother and younger brother, but then a few people started thinking that Tucker and Jennifer had some secret love child. Justin and Mason...they’re very separate. I don’t think they’ve met each other more than maybe three or four times. Molly essentially had two very separate families growing up. So I think, for her, it became a habit to keep calling him her step-brother when talking about him with people who don’t personally know both Justin and Mason, even though he’s more than just her step-brother."

 

Hunter nods, "What happened to his bio dad?"

 

"...He sort of sucks. I don't know a lot, but he was never involved with Mason. He did a lot of drugs and jail time, from the sound of it. Mason tried to connect with him once when he was 15. I probably shouldn't talk about it," Hazel says hesitantly, but then perks up, "But I'll tell you a little because it's a badass Molly story."

 

"My favorite kind. I'm all ears," Hunter says.

 

"Well," Hazel starts, "Mason's dad came out of nowhere and wanted to be a part of his son's life. Both Craig and Madison were sort of livid but let Mason have the option available to him. He's a fifteen-year-old kid, so he's curious about who his biological father is. They actually got along at first, Mason's bio dad came and took him to dinner, to a hockey game, stuff like that. It wasn't often. Craig was still his dad, even legally at that point. But it kind of made things tense with everyone. When Molly and I moved for college, she didn't go over there at all. She had planned to pull back because she was so pissed at her dad about Justin, but she didn't want Craig and Madison to help us move down to Morgantown or anything. It ended up being fine, we had my mom, Jennifer, and Tucker. But yeah, that year, when you went over to Craig's and Madison's house, things were just tense."

 

Hazel pulls off the exit and starts driving towards Shadyside before continuing, "Anyway, Mason never spent the night until bio dad asks if he wants to spend Thanksgiving with him and stay for the weekend. Mason says yes, which was probably a dick move because Madison takes Thanksgiving very seriously. My mom and I went to Jen's and Tucker's that Thanksgiving, my mom went back home and Molly and I stayed in her room that night, while Justin stayed in the guest room. Around midnight, Molly gets a call on her cell and it's Mason, sounding really quiet and freaked out, asking her to come get him. Molly's asking what's wrong and he just says he needs her to come get him and he's afraid to leave the bathroom without a ride. So, Molly's kind of freaking out and asking Mason if she should call the police or their dad and Mason is begging her not to. So our stupid 18 year old selves don't tell Craig or Madison about Mason possibly being in some sort of trouble. We don't even tell Jen, Tucker, or Justin about it and they were all sleeping in the house. We just get in Molly's car and drive over to bio dad's house. We walk up to his house, Molly knocks on the door, and it swings open. Bio dad is standing there looking strung out and he's pointing a shotgun at us."

 

"He had a gun on you guys?" Hunter asks, "Jesus Christ."

 

"Pointed it at our faces and everything," Hazel confirms, "Anyway, bio dad is talking nonsense, then says to get off his property. Molly says she will as soon as she gets her brother. Bio dad says that the only way she's getting in is if she has a search warrant or if we bend over for him and the friend of his that was there. Otherwise, we're getting shot. Molly literally scoffed and said, "Yeah, right" then took the gun by the barrel and moved it out of the way. She walked to the bathroom and I followed her because ride or die, you know? We found Mason there, sitting on the closed toilet seat. Molly just told him that it was time to leave. Bio dad didn't even have time to think about pulling a trigger before we were on our way. I don't think Mason has seen the guy since. He didn't do anything to Mason. They were just doing drugs and getting guns out, which would understandably freak out a fifteen-year-old. But since Mason was fine, no one told any parents anything. We just went back to Jen and Tucker's house and Mason slept on Molly's floor while we slept in the bed. Then we got up the next morning and Mason and Justin were super awkward around each other while Jennifer was trying to go above and beyond to be nice and welcoming to Mason. All in all, a weird twenty-four hours."

 

"Molly's so ridiculous," Hunter moans, putting his face into his hands, because if she took a gun by the barrel and just casually moved it out of the way, that's what she is, "So fucking ridiculous."

 

"Yet so very brave. She would be more cautious nowadays," Hazel tries to reassure him, "But that's the second most badass story I have about Molly Taylor. The first is-"

 

"The 5th grade lunch detention riot?"

 

"Yep!" Hazel smiles, "I had to get in trouble on purpose in order to get to sit with my best friend for the rest of that year. We weren't allowed to talk, so we learned sign language. A couple of teachers tried to call us out but we would insist that we didn't know what they were talking about. We got surprisingly good though. Pittsburgh is a really deaf friendly city so it's come in handy. I'm still conversational, but Molly is fluent in ASL - as well as French and Mandarin - fucking show off. Is Noodlehead okay? Hipster as fuck, but their food is cheap and good."

 

They park two blocks away to avoid paid parking and walk over to the restaurant. Once they step inside, Hunter realizes that Hazel is right: the place is hipster as fuck. Literally everything about it. From the walls to the decor to the tables to even the water bottles brought to the table, it screams hipster. He could probably find a place like this in LA. However, there's only a ten minute wait before they're seated and five more until their orders are in.

 

"So…" Hazel begins, staring at Hunter with a gentle but inquisitive smile on her face.

 

"So…" Hunter returns, taking the bottle of water to pour them both a glass.

 

Hazel bites her lip and studies him for a moment before speaking, "Look, while I was mostly joking about interrogating you about your intentions or whatever, I am probably going to. Gently. Because Molly's crazy about you. More than she has ever been about anyone. I've known her since we were kids so I can tell you that with one hundred percent certainty."

 

Hunter feels his heart thump at the words, and it's kind of dumb because Molly told him herself that she hasn't felt this way about anyone right after he said those words to her. But for some reason, hearing it from her best friend makes Hunter believe the words more fully. It makes him more confident that Molly hadn't said it to be nice, or because she felt like she had to after Hunter bared his heart to her.

 

"...I feel the same way," Hunter says quietly, taking a sip of water before putting the glass down, "I've never felt the way I feel for Molly before."

 

"Good," Hazel smiles, clearing her throat, "That's good. Because Molly deserves the best, you know? It may not look like she had it rough a few years ago, but she did. And before that, the whole thing with Justin and dad, then her parents divorcing...that wasn't easy on her either. The last few years though...I don't know, I just want to make sure she's safe. Things have been fine for a while, but I want her to be out of her mind happy, like how Samira makes me. Not too on her guard to let herself feel that way. Her flying off to California and jumping out of a plane with you gave me a lot of hope."

 

"I had to beg her," Hunter laughs, "Literally get on my knees and beg her to jump with me."

 

"She probably loved that just as much as she loved the jump," Hazel says, smirking.

 

"Yeah, well, it ended up convincing her, so I would do it again. I don't have that much pride."

 

Hazel lets out a breath, "Molly does. You've probably noticed that."

 

Hunter nods, "I have."

 

"...She wants to take care of everything herself," Hazel says, "She's extremely independent. She doesn't like to rely on people emotionally. She's sort of always been that way but a few years ago...I don't know, there was this guy...I shouldn't talk about it without her here-"

 

"I know about Seth."

 

Hazel's eyes widen for a moment, but then become relieved, "Wow. Okay...Okay, that's good. I'm glad she told you. Fuck, that's a relief to hear. She hates it when anyone brings him up. I mean, he hasn't done anything in like a year, but the fact that she's talked about him with you is huge."

 

Hunter freezes in confusion for a moment, then shakes his head, "He...a year? Hazel, he's still calling her. It's why I got her the new phone, the old one wouldn't turn off when he started calling non-stop. I forced her to report a call on Monday because he threatened to rape and kill her Saturday night. When I called her, she was inconsolable. I couldn't hear her like that so I came here. I thought it was just about her dad having a setback but found out Monday night about what Seth said."

 

Hazel looks horrified and dumbfounded. Then hurt and enraged. For a second, Hunter's afraid she's going to storm off but before she can do anything, the waitress comes with their twin orders of Street Noodle #1 and it distracts her just enough to keep that from happening.

 

"She never fucking told me," Hazel mutters, stabbing at her meal, "I ask her on a regular basis if she's heard from him or felt like he was following her again and she always tells me no. Why the fuck-"

 

"I think she's trying to protect you," Hunter says gently, trying to meet her eyes, "Seth...he did something to you, right? Molly hasn't told me a lot of details, but she mentioned that he retaliated against you and Jerome? She seems to still feel guilty about it."

 

Hazel bites her cheek, "It's not Molly's fault. It's never been Molly's fault. She didn't keep him around for very long once he started becoming abusive and controlling. She warned me and Jerome not to tell him off if we saw him. She begged us and said he would retaliate. Neither of us listened. I told him off. Jerome chased him off. He hacked Jerome's accounts, ruined a few internship opportunities for him. And as for me, he took some pictures I sent to my ex-girlfriend, as well as pictures my ex sent me, and put them all on a revenge porn site. He also sent some to my professors. That board meeting was fun. No one could prove it was him, but we all know it was."

 

"Shit," Hunter says, looking down at his plate, "I'm sorry."

 

Hazel shrugs, "It's in the past. But apparently he isn't. What all do you know?"

 

Hunter lets out a breath, "I know he does that call marathon bullshit once every month or two. I know he tries to get Molly to get back with him then calls her derogatory names when she tells him to fuck off. I guess he sometimes hints that he knows where she is. I know he attacked her and that Tucker and Justin stayed with her. It sounds like he tried to beat her up pretty badly...that he was aiming to do more."

 

Hazel nods and swallows, "It was right after she moved out of our place. She felt awful about what happened and didn't want to risk me getting fucked over again, so she got a place for herself. About a month or two in, she got attacked. She was black and blue. He broke several of her ribs, dislocated her jaw. She didn't need headgear or wraps but maybe she should have worn something since she still has some TMJ from that injury, only when she eats something like a bagel, but still."

 

Hunter feels the rage and anger simmering in his gut, but forces himself not to say anything as Hazel continues.

 

"After that happened, her mom and Tucker were trying to get her to transfer to a school up in Connecticut. Justin tried to get her to move to New York, take a semester off so that she could relax, then transfer her credits to a school up there. She obviously didn't do any of those things, but Jerome got her to move into his apartment by the fall semester. She lived with him and Liu for a while. The restraining order was in place her junior and senior years so he didn't do quite as much. He just called and showed up a few places to watch her. Jerome saw him and chased him off right before our last semester. I'm close with Jerome, but Jerome and Molly are really close, he's like a brother to her. He hates Seth. He didn't like him when Seth was being an asshole to Molly and just saying really controlling and hateful things so he obviously hated him after he hit Molly. And Seth never liked him. He tried to keep Molly from hanging out with Jerome but she obviously didn't listen. That was probably the breaking point for Molly, not him throwing out some of her clothes, or acting like she wasn't smart, or calling her ugly-"

 

"How the FUCK can he think she's dumb and ugly?" Hunter grits out, "Who the FUCK says that to their girlfriend or to fucking anyone, but especially to her-"

 

"I'm sure he didn't actually think that," Hazel interjects, "But Molly has always been heavily complimented on how attractive she is and how smart she is. I am guessing Seth started thinking she would realize how much potential she really has, go on to bigger and better things, and leave him. And it's fucking ridiculous because she and Seth were never serious. Ever. If he wanted to hold onto her in such an abusive way, you'd think he would aim to make Molly more reliant on the relationship, maybe have her move in with him, make her more emotionally attached first. But apparently Seth isn't that smart himself. Don't get me wrong, he's a genius, but he let his emotions and what is most likely a severe mental illness get the best of him. He would call Molly fat after a waiter hit on her, because she isn't a size 0 - which would be super fucking unhealthy for someone built like her. But apparently a size 6 or whatever Molly is was huge to him. He would say that people just hit on her to be nice, or try to talk her out of taking an internship at Harvard by saying she wouldn't be able to keep up with it, it didn't get to Molly like he was probably aiming. I think I was more upset by the shit he was saying than she was. But I think that by the time I heard it, she was already so fucking done because she didn't break things off that much later. I'm proud of her for not feeling afraid to break things off with him and keep it that way. I know a couple of friends who keep going back into the same toxic relationships. I understand there is a psychology behind it, but it is infuriating to watch. But when Molly broke things off with Seth and moved on without even a blip, that gave him a reason to terrorize her. The attack happened just a few days before she was supposed to go to Harvard for the summer. He made it so she couldn't go, which is all the more reason he most likely did it. He never wanted her to go."

 

Hunter doesn't even know what to say. All he can feel is pure hatred for Seth, it's an ugly feeling that has permanently attached itself to his heart and lungs and every fucking organ of his body and it is beginning to eat its way into him like a cancer. He wants to commit murder. It's completely fucked but it isn't an exaggeration. If he ever saw Seth Warner, Hunter would probably end up in prison if he couldn't keep that feeling under control.

 

"I can see the look on your face," Hazel says gently, "It's the same look I've had when I think about it too hard as well. The same expression I've seen on Jerome and Liu's faces. If I knew for a fact that I could get away with it, I would probably kill Seth too. Will as well, but it is a little too late for that."

 

Hunter groans, "Who is Will?"

 

Hazel looks away, "Fuck, I thought she might have told you about that if she told you as much as she did about Seth."

 

"She didn't have much of a choice," Hunter says, "Like I said, he started calling in the middle of the night during her visit. She told me a little then and she told me more after the threat he made. Now, who is Will?"

 

"...I'm not sure I should say," Hazel says hesitantly, "Molly only went on two dates with him, so it isn't like he was her boyfriend like Seth was-"

 

"You know Molly won't tell me," Hunter points out, glaring, "She'll gloss over it until I get it out of her two months from now. You put it out there and into my head. If I know all of it, I won't bug her about it. I'll understand her more but not push her to talk about it and make her wonder why I know the name Will-"

 

"Alright, alright," Hazel says, waving her hands, "Christ, I am not usually this much of a gossip queen. I shouldn't be telling you this stuff about her at all. It's one thing to talk about Seth. You already know a lot about Seth, I just gave you some details. But with Will...ugh, fine. Whatever. But if you even hint to her that I told you, I will stab you in the eye with this chopstick, got it?"

 

"I accept," Hunter says, staring at Hazel intently.

 

Hazel sighs, "There's not a lot to say. While she was going through the restraining order process with Seth. It was right before she moved out of my place and like a month before her attack. She went out on a date with this guy named Will Loukanis. Like Seth, he was handsome and intelligent, seemed nice. Molly liked the first date she went on him with - dinner and a movie, something like that - so she agreed to a second date. She went to a bar with him on a Friday night, nothing out of the ordinary. She had just turned 20 and had a fake ID so she could have gotten wild, but didn't. She was still nervous if her friends weren't around so she told Will she had a two drink maximum. She drinks her first drink, something weak, then has her second, also weak. She's barely buzzed. But suddenly, she can't see straight, she's stumbling and Will is reaching up her dress and saying he will take her to his car. Apparently she shoved him and ran for the bathroom. She called me from in there, I could barely understand her but knew where she went so I went to the bar, found her in the bathroom, and got her out. Will was nowhere to be found. She didn't want me to, but I drove her to the hospital. She kept insisting nothing happened but she was so out of it so I was pushing her to get examined. She was right: she wasn't assaulted. She had rohypnol in her system and barely any alcohol, but was okay. The nurse asked if she wanted to file a report and Molly refused because the cops did fucking nothing about Seth, plus the restraining order was taking so long so she thought it would make them take her even less seriously if she started pointing fingers at another guy. It fucking killed me because who knows if Will would go on and do it to someone else?"

 

Hunter runs a hand down his face, "...I want to fucking kill him. Seth more, but I want to kill this guy too...Fuck, I promise I am usually not this murderous. One of my dads is a Buddhist. I've never felt violent like this but I don't even fucking care right now because guys like Seth and Will deserve to be fucking dead."

 

Hazel nods seriously then shrugs her shoulders, "Well, Seth is still out there but Will is dead. Turns out, Molly and I didn't have to worry about him drugging anyone else. He died in a drunk driving accident two days later. The school held a candlelight vigil for him. I may have stopped by and blown out some of the more annoying students’ candles. Couldn't help myself."

 

"...Good," Hunter finally says, feeling slightly calmer, "I shouldn't say that, and I feel a little bad for saying it, but good. I'm glad he's fucking dead."

 

"Yeah…" Hazel says, trailing off to put in Molly's favorite order with the waitress before turning her attention back to Hunter, "The thing with Will that bothered me the most wasn't even the fact that Molly got drugged. It was what it did to her when it came to her trusting people. She eventually dated again and even dated a decent guy before you, but Miguel became overwhelmed with what Seth started pulling with him and Molly told him that it was probably for the best that they break up. But at the time...fuck, that night I will never forget her words. She was drugged so she probably wouldn't have said it otherwise but after she was released from the ER and we were in the car, she broke down and asked me, 'What did I do to make stuff like this happen to me?' I will never forget how devastated she sounded."

 

Hunter stays silent as the check arrives. Shaking himself out of his unexpected resulting depression stemming from what Hazel told him, he reaches for the check but Hazel grabs it out of his hands and gets cash out of her purse.

 

"You may be some fancy Hollywood big shot-” Hazel starts but Hunter starts correcting her.

 

“Believe me, I’m not,” Hunter says, trying to take the check back, “I’m doing well for myself in my field but cinematographers don’t hold a lot of power in the industry itself. Whatever you’ve come up with is wrong.”

 

Be that as it may, I still asked you," Hazel reminds him, looking him straight in the eye, "To thank you for coming here to be with her and for making her happier than I have seen her in a long time. I like you. If I didn't, I wouldn't have told you as much about Molly as I did. That being said, if you ever intentionally cause her even a fraction of the pain Seth and Will caused her, I will make sure your body is never found. Is that fair?"

 

"More than," Hunter answers honestly, not hesitating to keep eye contact.

 

Hazel smiles, genuinely so, reaches over to squeeze his hand, and puts the cash on the table, "I'm glad we have an understanding.

------------------------------

Molly pulls up in the driveway, stifling a yawn as she puts her car in park. She lets her head fall back against the headrest as she closes her eyes for a moment before forcing herself to snap out of it and get her stuff from the passenger seat. It’s not until she is out of her car that she even registers not one, but two other cars in the driveway. It’s sort of dark, but she can see Hazel’s car right in front of hers, which already has her rolling her eyes because of course her friend couldn’t wait for Molly to properly introduce her to Hunter herself. But the one in front of Hazel’s takes her a second longer to register. It isn’t until she sees the New Hampshire license plate that she realizes who it is. And honestly? She doesn’t know how she feels about Mason being here. Now that she sees his car, she realizes that yeah, she really missed her younger brother. But at the same time, Mason can be a bit of a fuckwad when he wants to be and that means Hunter has potentially been dealing with Mason all day. Great.

 

Regardless of not knowing exactly what is going to be waiting for her on the other side of the door, she forces herself to unlock it and go inside. She can hear Hazel’s happy, loud, and chattering voices, Mason groaning about something or other, not a peep from Hunter, and her dad turning the page of a book in the living room.

 

“Have some sort of party going on?” Molly asks him, as she walks into the living room to put her messenger bag on the coffee table.

 

Her father lets out a breath, rubs at his eyes with his thumb and pointer finger, but then lets out a soft laugh, “I forgot how…lively Hazel can be. She’s getting Mason drunk on a few bottles of wine she had in the trunk of her car.”

 

Molly narrows her eyes, “And you’re okay with that? Look, Dad, she’s my best friend but if she’s making you feel uncomfortable or if you’re not up for company-”

 

But her dad waves her off, “No, no. She’s okay. Actually, more than. Mason was in a mood, about to go out by himself. I’m…I’m not stupid. I know the kid parties. But he can wait to go out drinking until his birthday next week. Him doing it tonight wouldn’t be any good. I don’t know what’s going on with him but there’s something wrong. He just showed up this morning, drove all night to get here and didn’t go on his trip to Miami, won’t call Madison, then barely wanted me out of his sight until Hazel and Hunter came back from lunch.”

 

Molly nods, glances in the direction of the noise, then looks at her dad again, “Maybe he just missed you or something. Or was homesick. Weird, since coming home on breaks hasn’t been his thing, but maybe he’s…I don’t know, reprioritizing.”

 

Her dad studies her for a moment, then clears his throat, “Did you uh…Did you tell him what was going on with me? He…I don’t know, he was clingy earlier. Or as clingy as Mason can be. Like I said, he wanted to be around me all day until he got it in his head that he needed to go out and get drunk. I couldn’t talk him out of that, but Hazel managed to get him to compromise.”

 

“No,” Molly says, “I didn’t tell him. I text Mason some and check in but we haven’t spoken much in a while and I haven’t seen him since November.”

 

“Well, that just worries me more,” her dad grumbles, “It’s probably something to do with him then. Maybe you and Hazel can get him to talk? Maybe Hunter, if it’s a guy thing but he doesn’t want to talk about it with me?”

 

“Maybe,” Molly shrugs, not really counting on it, “Do you need anything before I go face a couple of drunken assholes? Food, water-”

 

“Nah,” her dad says, before going back to his book, “Hunter keeps checking in but I’m doing okay today. Having you here…you all here, that makes things a lot better.”

 

Molly doesn’t really know what to say to that, so she doesn’t say anything. She just gives him an awkward smile and heads for the kitchen.

 

When she arrives, the three of them are sitting at the island. Hunter and Mason are sitting next to each other, their back towards the archway, while Hazel is facing her direction. Molly gives Hazel a silent gesture to let her know not to say a word before she quietly approaches Mason and Hunter from behind, then quickly swings her arms around their necks.

 

“Boo!”

 

Mason jumps at her arrival and is trying to get out of her embrace on reflex but Hunter just takes her arm and holds it there. She gives Mason a quick kiss on the cheek, then does the same to Hunter. The only difference with Hunter, is that it turns into more than that as soon as he turns his head and she can kiss his mouth instead.

 

“Can you let me go before you start a full on make out session with your boyfriend?” Mason asks, easily throwing her arm off him so that she can put both arms around Hunter instead.

 

“Oh, man,” Hazel says, “You two are gross. Adorable, but gross. If this is what you are both like sober, I would hate to see you both drunk. Regardless, Molly, I am pouring you a glass. Also, I got you a gift from Noodlehead. It's in the fridge if you want it for dinner."

 

Molly reluctantly breaks the kiss, whispering a ‘hello’ to Hunter before she turns to Hazel, “I was starving around Canonsburg and couldn't wait any longer so I got something from Wendy's drive-thru. But I will take your gift for lunch tomorrow, so thank you. Also, I'm surprised you saved me a glass, since you are illegally getting my little brother wasted.”

 

“Okay, one: that’s an exaggeration and I don’t know where you heard it,” Hazel says as she pours more wine into a glass than what is probably acceptable, “And two: I am an only child. Mason is the closest thing to a little brother I have. I have never had anyone to corrupt, so he is just going to have to do. I would try to corrupt your boyfriend, but for some reason he is a one and done kind of guy when it comes to alcohol. So annoying.”

 

“Like I said, I don't drink much and it's more about in case you need someone to drive you home later,” Hunter points out, “You said that Samira’s car is getting worked on, right? So you might need me and…well, I guess Craig, to get you and your car home.”

 

“I should be able to do it,” Molly says, pouring some of her wine into Mason’s glass, “It’s a school night. It’s one and done for me too. Although, who knows? According to Hazel, I’m the lightweight, yet here she is.”

 

“I drank three-fourths of a bottle myself. And besides, it’s Thursday,” Hazel pouts, “Friday workdays barely count.”

 

“Maybe for you when you are in your luxurious stay-at-home office, but not for me,” Molly says.

 

“Wait, what do you do?” Hunter asks, “This whole day, you’ve never brought it up.”

 

Hazel glances at Molly, “Hunter and I spent the day together. Gossiping about you.”

 

“I’m not shocked at all,” Molly deadpans.

 

“You’re fascinating," Hazel continues.

 

“Hazel is a freelance graphic designer,” Molly says, changing the subject, “She usually does ads and fonts for businesses and websites and does most of her work from the comfort of her own home.”

 

“It’s hard to meet people,” Hazel says, turning around on the barstool, “I mean, I’m doing better than I’ve ever done thus far, but I had to come ask my best friend’s boyfriend to lunch and I didn’t even officially meet him until today, all because I was bored. Not that I regret it. He’s a keeper, Molly, I’ve decided. Plus, my trip here let me see my Mason Bo Basin again. Here, Mason, have more wine. You look stressed. Let me corrupt you.”

 

“You know I’ve done keg stands and taken shots out of a woman’s cleavage,” Mason says, “You pouring more wine in my glass isn’t that scandalous.”

 

The words themselves are humorous but Mason himself looks anything but. When Molly finally takes a look at her younger brother, his eyebrows are furrowed and he’s staring down at the glass of wine, as if he’s blaming it for something. It’s strange, because he seemed okay enough when Molly first came in. Maybe he’s pissed at her for something. Or something else is wrong, like her dad said. Regardless, she suddenly feels like it’s her duty to find out, or at least let him know that she’s available to talk to if he needs it.

 

“You alright?” Molly asks quietly, running a hand through Mason’s hair.

 

Hunter and Hazel stay silent, as if they know something is off as well, and Mason doesn’t talk at first either. But then he barely looks at her as he says, “I don’t know.”

 

“What you mean, you don’t know?” Molly frowns, “Did something happen with your trip?”

 

“No,” Mason says, sighing, “As I have said to like six people already, I just decided not to go.”

 

“Uh huh,” Molly says slowly, “…Alright, well if you’re upset about something and need to talk, I’m here until…I don’t know, Hunter, when do you want to head to Morgantown?

 

“It’s up to you,” Hunter shrugs, “Easter is Sunday. I don’t give a shit about Easter and I don’t think you do either, but it might be good for your dad to have two of his kids here.”

 

“Fine, Sunday,” Molly decides, “I’ll be here until Sunday. Hunter and I might go somewhere for a couple of days next week but I’ll make sure that I’m here for your birthday. We could all go out to dinner, Dad will probably want to come too-”

 

“Ugh!” Mason groans out, putting his head down on the counter, before sitting up to down the wine in his glass like a shot, pour another one, only to repeat the action.

 

“I don’t think you are supposed to drink it like that,” Hunter says, watching Mason from the other side of Molly.

 

But apparently Mason doesn't care about which way is socially acceptable to drink wine because he doesn't say a word back to Hunter at all. And as Molly, Hunter, and Hazel talk amongst themselves and Mason keeps drinking, Mason suddenly seems to stop caring about being silent at all.

 

"I need to talk to you," Mason says to Molly suddenly, already standing up and taking her hand to lead her to the backdoor, "Just you. For right now, at least."

 

"Alright?" Molly says, more like a question as she glances back at Hunter and Hazel, who look about as confused about Mason's demand as she does. But once they get outside, despite Mason's demand being sudden, it takes a while for him to start talking.

 

"Okay, what's going on with you?" Molly asks, watching Mason slowly pace with his hands on his head, "Everyone can tell there is something going on and you skipping a trip to Miami just to come home isn't like you. At all. It's like you actively try to avoid coming here."

 

Mason glances at her at that point, looking slightly exasperated and amused, "And you don't?"

 

Molly shrugs, "You know my reasons. They never had anything to do with you. I've told you that before, but I hope you know that."

 

"Hmmm," Mason hums before letting out a scoff, "So why are you here now? After years of trying and failing to avoid this house once you moved to West Vir-fucking-ginia?"

 

"...We came out here to talk about you," Molly reminds him, "I'm not saying I'm not a hot mess, but you were literally bothered enough to pull me out of the kitchen for a private conversation."

 

Mason meets her eyes at that point, looking extremely uneasy, then says, "...Okay, I know you're not going to judge me, not for this, but I don't even know how to say it."

 

Molly waits for Mason to elaborate, but he literally says nothing else at all. So finally, Molly says, "Does it have something to do with your canceled trip?"

 

Mason lets out a groan, "No...Yes. I mean, not the trip itself."

 

"...Uh huh," Molly says slowly, "Mason, you're going to have to give me something here. I love you, I really do, but I am kind of out of sync at this point when it comes to you."

 

Mason runs his hands through his hair, walks over to sit on the patio chair, before quickly standing up again to pace. Molly doesn't say another word until Mason is standing in front of her again.

 

"Someone I have feelings for is going on the trip. We uh...We've been uh...hooking up some. But I really care about this person. I've never felt this way before. It's freaking me out."

 

Molly nods and tries not to get exasperated. Because while she figures Mason hasn't gone out of his way to get into a serious relationship - from what she's gathered, he had one serious girlfriend in high school and two short-term girlfriends in college so far - developing serious feelings over someone isn't something to have a crisis over, especially if they are in close proximity and live in the same area, especially if there are no huge barriers keeping him from being with this girl the majority of the time. But Molly will try to stay sympathetic while subtly getting Mason to stop being so dramatic. She owes him that much.

 

"Okay," Molly says, "Is this person toxic or something? On drugs? Abusive or a spoiled trust fund baby-"

 

"No," Mason scoffs, "Fuck, I wish. Then I could just get over this shit. But everything about this person is amazing. When I'm around them, I don't know...I feel happy. Free. All around, a lot better."

 

Molly tries not to roll her eyes as she stares at her fidgeting and pacing brother, "Then what's the problem? She sounds great."

 

Mason screws his eyes shut, lets out a breath, then looks at Molly head on.

 

"Not a she. It's a guy."

 

"...Oh. Oh."

 

Well, shit. She never would have expected this. Mason has never been hateful or even an asshole about gay people, but he never once - even once - expressed interest or curiosities about getting with a guy. Until right now, Molly would have assumed that she was more likely to be gay over Mason, but apparently her gaydar isn't as good as she thinks it is, despite having Justin Taylor as a brother and Hazel Levitt as a best friend. Oh, well.

 

"Oh? Oh? That's all you're going to say to that? Do you realize how hard that was for me for fucking say-"

 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Molly says, snapping herself out of it. And fuck it, she quickly pulls Mason in for a hug before she can think much about it. She has to pull his head down more than she's used to in order for his chin to touch her shoulder. He used to be shorter than her for so long. Now he has to be 6'0". His growth makes her realize that she hasn't properly hugged him in years.

 

"My teammates found out. Tri-Kappa did too," Mason says, his voice slightly muffled against her, "They're in Miami. Ezra is too. He's braver than I am and is pissed that I bailed. He doesn't even like most of those guys. He can't stand most frat guys and jocks and he still went. He called me out and said that I was being cowardly. That I shouldn't care what people think. But my friends from lacrosse aren't looking at me the same. They'll probably want me off the team."

 

"Fuck them," Molly says, not letting go as she slowly massages Mason's neck with her left hand, "I don't think they can kick you off anyway. It would be discrimination. Things are getting better, a lot better than they used to be. I'm sorry if you felt like you had to hide this."

 

Mason lets go of her and steps back, "That's the thing though. I didn't. I didn't know I swung this way until Ezra. I was so confused about it that I actively tried to see if I am interested in other guys. I went to a gay club by myself. I was terrified and I couldn't find anyone. I don't think I'm fully gay. Women are still attractive, I guess...I just...I don't know. None of them are him."

 

Molly shrugs, "Well, maybe you are bi. Or pan. Or maybe he's your one exception. I don't know. But if you really like him and he's willing to call you out on your shit, then I like him already."

 

Mason stays quiet at that for a minute and if Molly wasn't hanging onto his every word at this point, she wouldn't hear what he says next.

 

"I'm glad you're fine with it. I appreciate it. It doesn't mean my mom will be. It doesn't mean Dad will be either. Dad...fuck, Molly. Dad will never talk to me again if he finds out."

 

Molly feels a pain in her chest at the words and watches in surprise Mason's face crumples and he quickly turns away so that Molly can't see him get emotional. It's probably due to the alcohol. Mason isn't exactly sober and, on top of that, he's revealing some things that have obviously been weighing very heavily on him. But it hurts to see him so scared and upset about it, especially if he has been keeping all of his concerns to himself.

 

"Mason…" Molly says, "Mason, no. I don't think Dad will cut things off with you if he finds out or you tell him."

 

"Yes, he will," Mason chokes out, his back still facing her as he sniffles, "He cut off Justin so he would do it to me too. Justin is his flesh and blood. I'm...fuck, I'm nothing in comparison.

 

Molly lets out a sigh, "You know that's not true. You know that. Dad loves you. Just as much as he loves me, if not more. He adopted you, so you're still as much as his son as you were before the divorce. You're just as much his child as Justin and I are. Now, what Dad did to Justin was wrong. You know how I feel about it. But to be slightly fair, Justin was sort of being an asshole. He had every right to be out and proud but I remember him being bratty about having sex and throwing the fact that he had slept with an older man in Dad's face, my mom's face too. He was rebelling a lot. What Dad did was terrible and what he did later with getting Justin arrested was almost unforgivable. But when Justin first came out...I don't know, I think if the circumstances had been different, Dad would have eventually come around. Like if Justin had gotten with a guy his own age, or came out before he got with anyone, I think Dad would have taken it better. It would have taken time, but I don't think it would have gone quite as badly. It had been Brian who really triggered Dad initially. It's not really Brian's fault. I guess he and Justin were in love for years after so you can't blame either of them. But I do know that when they broke up the first time, Justin came to Dad to ask for help with his tuition-"

 

"I know," Mason says, "I was here by that point. I remember him coming into our old house."

 

"Well, I guess when Justin told Dad he and Brian weren't together anymore and that he was seeing someone else, Dad was relieved more than anything," Molly says, "The only reason he didn't help was because Justin wanted to study Art and not Business. Another asshole move, but not to the same degree. Luckily, you study Economics at his alma mater. You've met more of his expectations than Justin and I ever did. And Dad's changed a lot of his stances on the LGBTQ community anyway. He's donating to the Human Rights Campaign and is reconnecting with Justin again. In that regard, he's a lot better."

 

Mason stills before finally turning around to look at her again, "Huh? What do you mean, he's reconnecting with Justin again?"

 

Shit. She doesn't know how much Mason knows about everything but it probably isn't much. She doesn't want to be the one to tell him that his father has been having some sort of nervous breakdown stemming from mental illness, guilt, and regret - and she definitely doesn't want to be the one to say that he tried to kill himself in October - but she meant what she said about Mason being just as much of Craig Taylor's child as she and Justin are. To leave him out would be cruel and contradict that statement.

 

"Dad…" Molly starts, trying to find the words that won't get Mason more worked up than he already is, "Dad hasn't been doing well, mentally, for a while. I tried to ignore the signs. I didn't want to deal with it at first. I guess your mom left because she was overwhelmed-"

 

"Mom said she left because she said he couldn't get his shit together, then wouldn't tell me anything else," Mason interrupts harshly, "I thought she was just being a bitch."

 

"Well…" Molly says, holding her tongue regarding her sometimes cunty ex-stepmother, "He's been going through a lot. It seems like at least some of it came from feeling so guilty about Justin. He has been really regretting how things went down for a while and missing him and I think it was weighing down on him. He called Justin all upset. I guess he was drunk. He went and stayed with Justin back in February. They're uh...They're doing better. They're working on things. So that's good. He's just going through a lot mentally right now."

 

Despite Molly trying to downplay it a little, Mason still looks stressed and worried. He's not dumb. He's excelling at fucking Dartmouth. He can see right through shit if he really wants to.

 

"What do you mean?" Mason asks desperately, "What's going on with him?"

 

Molly lets out a breath because she now realizes that she's not getting out of talking about this with him, "Just...I don't know. He has been really depressed. He's having panic attacks. He doesn't like to leave the house much. He has a psychiatrist now, so that's good. She is one of the only psychiatrists in Pittsburgh who offers therapy, so he has sessions with her and is on meds now, which seem to be helping some."

 

"Did something happen?" Mason presses, taking a step closer to Molly, "Is that why you're here?"

 

"He had a setback," Molly says softly, "He wasn't doing well when I stopped by on Saturday. His psychiatrist came by to talk to him, put in prescriptions with the pharmacy to adjust his meds, and asked if I could stay here for the week."

 

Mason lets out a growl before glaring at her, "I should have fucking been informed. You should have told me something was going on with him. It's not fucking fair that I didn't know about our dad being in some sort of mental health crisis. I should have been here to help while you were at work. Instead, what? You get your boyfriend to come who Dad's never met until now?"

 

Molly tries not to take the bait but can't help but glare back, "I didn't invite Hunter out here. He called me and I broke down crying on the phone. He didn't know much but knew I was hurting so he jumped on the first plane to Pittsburgh without telling me. He came out here to help me. He's helping Dad to help me. I didn't plan on it but I'm not going to be sorry that he's here when I'm fucking not. Besides, your spring break doesn't even officially start until Saturday and you planned on going to Miami for it anyway. Why would I try to fuck up your trip or your academics? Are you skipping class to be here?"

 

Mason scoffs, still scowling, "No, Ms. Taylor. I scheduled my classes to be on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday mornings. Long weekends every single week."

 

"Smart."

 

"Don't change the topic."

 

Molly sighs, "I'm not trying to. If it makes you feel better, I haven't talked to Justin about this week either. I figured if I didn't have to worry either of you, I wouldn't. But he's doing a lot better than he was on Saturday and Sunday. Having people keeping him company has helped a lot. That includes you coming today. If he had been hospitalized or admitted himself to a psych ward, I obviously would have called both of you, so that you could awkwardly stand around each other and not say more than three sentences to each other until you're forced back together five years from now for some unavoidable family function or tragedy."

 

Mason lets out a humorless laugh and looks away, "...Look, you know I have nothing against Justin-"

 

"I'm aware."

 

"-but I literally don't know him," Mason finishes softly, "I never got the chance to know him. And it's weird and it's fucking sad because even though I don't call him my brother, that's what he is. It's probably been awkward for you to have two separate families but there's nothing I can do about it."

 

"...I understand," Molly says, "Justin's not any less at fault. He could have made an effort after you went to college, but it's weird for him too, especially with not having a relationship with Dad the whole time you've been in the picture. I don't know. I don't really talk about you to him. Or about him to you. If I was expected to, the whole two separate families thing would drive me more nuts than it already does."

 

"Sorry," Mason shrugs, not looking as sorry as Molly would like, but maybe a little apologetic.

 

"You know..." Molly begins, watching him closely, "With what's going on with you right now, it might be a good time to talk to Justin and maybe try to build a relationship with him. He went through the whole coming out thing and is really involved with the LGBTQ community. I know you guys don't know each other, but I do think he would care if you were struggling-"

 

"I doubt it, but thanks," Mason says.

 

"He would," Molly counters, "Remember that I know him a lot better than you do."

 

"I'm not desperate enough to reach out to someone I don't even know to talk about this," Mason scoffs, "I'd rather talk to you. Hazel would be a good option, considering she's a lesbian, but I'm not going to talk about it in front of your boyfriend. From what I've seen, guys tend to be more judgmental about it than girls overall."

 

Molly holds back a laugh at that, "You don't want to talk about it in there because you're afraid Hunter might be homophobic?"

 

"...I don't know," Mason murmurs, glancing back towards the house.

 

"Okay, one: I'm slightly offended," Molly says, "That you would even think I would date a homophobe. My dating history isn't great but I do have some standards. And two? Hunter was adopted by a gay couple when he was a teenager, after going through some pretty awful shit. He identifies as straight himself but his history is complicated. Out of everyone, he's probably going to judge you the least. He might even have some sound advice for you."

 

"...So, if I try talking to Hazel about it, he's not going to get weird?"

 

"I promise you. He's not going to get weird."

---------------------

Hazel is the one who ends up getting weird, but it's in the best way possible.

 

The four of them have sequestered themselves away in Molly's room, as if they are gossiping teenagers having a sleepover. It takes Mason a few more glasses of wine to tell Hazel what's going on, all while moaning and groaning about missing Ezra. But once the secret is out, Hazel claps and squeals into her hands as if she's been told the best secret in the world.

 

"Honestly, props, my sweet, little, sexually fluid pseudo-brother," Hazel says, coming over to bounce on the bed next to him, "I thought my gaydar was impeccable. Like, I knew Justin was gay before I even knew what gay was-"

 

"That really isn't hard," Molly points out but Hazel ignores her.

 

"But you? You? I thought you were straighter than Molly. I never would have assumed at all."

 

"That seems to be the consensus," Mason mumbles, taking a pillow to put his face in it, "I wish I could ignore it. I should be down in Miami doing body shots off of girls in bikinis."

 

"But you can't," Hazel says, smiling widely, "Because Ezra is there. And what's some random girl in a bikini when the man of your dreams is right there, making everyone else pale in comparison?"

 

"Stop rubbing it in my face!" Mason says into the pillow as Hazel tries to wax poetic about Ezra, despite being Kinsey 6 Gay and not meeting him once.

 

"I'm ready to just give them my room," Molly whispers to Hunter who is sitting beneath her on her office chair, "Let them be drunk and gay together. Maybe Hazel's pep will cheer Mason up and Mason's morosity will bring Hazel down, making them meet in the middle and chill the fuck out."

 

"It's entertaining though," Hunter says, watching the whole scene with amusement, "What else do we have to do but watch this disaster?"

 

Molly raises her eyebrows, "You better be fucking joking."

 

Hunter's eyes briefly cloud over with lust before he smirks, "I honestly have no recollection of any other planned activities. Maybe you should remind me of them. In detail."

 

Molly glances over at Mason and Hazel to make sure they are still preoccupied with Mason's identity crisis and lovesickness before leaning in and speaking softly into Hunter's ear, "Well, I was going to put on the nightie you got me and wait for you in bed."

 

"Go on."

 

"And I was going to take off your clothes, give you the best blowjob of your life-"

 

"Every blowjob you give me is the best blowjob of my life," Hunter huffs, but she can feel Hunter getting hard beneath her and if she happens to situate herself on his lap at that point? Oh well.

 

"And then," Molly says, nibbling on his earlobe as she continues to ignore the gay by gay breakdown going down behind her, "I'll sit on your dick, ride you, and not even take the nightgown off, like the top that I am-"

 

Hunter's rolling towards the door and she lets out a yelp before laughing as they spin and glide across the room. Hunter makes a grab for the doorknob and in the back of her mind, Molly's annoyingly logical inner voice is pointing out that there is a good chance her father is still up and will see Hunter rolling her down the hallway like a man on a mission. But before they can be on their way, Hazel's voice gets her thinking with her upstairs brain again.

 

"Molly! Bros over hoes!" Hazel calls out, gesturing towards her now glaring younger brother.

 

"Did your friend just call me a hoe?" Hunter asks.

 

"Well, you can be one sometimes," Molly points out, "Like right now."

 

"Hm, fair," Hunter concedes before lowering his voice, "Don't get off my lap right away."

 

Molly snorts, "I'm pretty sure my ass pressing against your big problem is just going to make it worse."

 

"But it will also hide it."

 

"If you say so," Molly says, but makes no move to stand up, "Okay. Hazel, I apologize for our indecency. Mason, what's on your mind?"

 

Mason seems lost in his own thoughts - or is trying to dissociate so he can't think about what Molly may or may not have tried to ditch him for - so Hazel speaks up.

 

"Your brother and I were just discussing how he might need some space from Ezra after his man comes back after the trip in order to sort out his thoughts and figure out how he wants to approach their growing relationship. But after this week, space is out of the question because Ezra is his roommate and has been since September."

 

Hunter makes a noise of disbelief, "You've been living together since September, have had feelings for each other for a year, and you've only had sex a few times?"

 

Mason throws himself on the bed, lying there, dejected, "A few times, everyday for the past few months, what difference does it make?"

 

"There's a little bit of a difference from a few times and every single day," Hunter says, trying not to laugh, "But I guess that's good, right? You're sleeping together consistently. You're doing it for the right reasons. Considering how fucked up you are over him, it's probably your feelings for him that keep you coming back for more. Or maybe he just has a magic dick, I don't know-"

 

"Wait, how is the sex?" Hazel asks, suddenly intrigued.

 

"Fucking amazing," Mason says, still sounding dejected, all while Molly cringes.

 

"Yayyyy!" Hazel says clapping her hands, "How long have you guys been doing it?"

 

"Since July 26th, 2014," Mason says, almost sounding like he's reminiscing. Gross.

 

"Oh, he has it bad," Hunter says in Molly's ear, "He remembers the date."

 

"He totally downplayed his relationship to me," Molly says quietly, shaking her head with both amusement and just a twinge of confusion and hurt, "He fucking made it sound like he just started experimenting with this guy and caught feelings recently. He has a full blown live-in boyfriend and I am just finding out now-"

 

"He was probably just feeling you out because he was scared to tell you," Hunter mutters under his breath, "Don't take it personally."

 

"I would have been excited as hell to hear about a boyfriend, especially one who calls him out on his shit," Molly says, before turning to look at Mason, "Why did you tell me that you only hooked up with him a few times when it is obvious that-"

 

"I'm talking!" Mason says, sitting up to glare at Hunter and Molly all while Hazel looks at them in disappointment. Molly isn't surprised. Hazel is always down for a gay love story, but so is Molly, hence her disappointment in Mason for not reaching out and saying anything sooner.

 

Mason clears his throat and continues, "Anyway, it was awesome. But then Dad called me a couple of days later. He sounded off and I sort of had a crisis because of that and the fact that I was in bed with a guy while I was talking to my father. So I left the trip we were on a few hours early and came here to see him for a few days. It didn't help. I kept my distance from Ezra for a couple of weeks when I came back. It was really shitty of me because we were becoming a couple by that point. We've been close friends since March and I knew - I fucking knew - my feelings and how much I wanted to be around him weren't normal in comparison to what I feel for literally anyone else. But I kept telling myself that it was just because I haven't had a best friend before."

 

Molly squints, "Mason, you have had best friends before. You've been friends with Kai since you moved in with Dad."

 

"It wasn't the same!" Mason insists, "Ezra is different."

 

"No shit," Hunter and Molly say in unison which earns them another glare.

 

"Okay, fine," Molly says, holding up her hands placatingly, "How did you figure it out?"

 

Mason lies back down and lets out a breath, "Well, the first thing was the fact that I wanted to kiss him after he took me out for my birthday. Then when I had a one night stand a week later, I only could think about him."

 

"That is really gay," Hazel agrees, nodding.

 

Mason sighs, "Well, at the time, I didn't know that. I thought it was just because I hadn't had a friend like him before."

 

"How did you get into Dartmouth again?" Hunter has to ask so Molly slaps him lightly on the arm with the back of her hand and holds back a laugh.

 

"And then, he threw a party for me and we both got really drunk and high on a strain called Love Potion," Mason continues, "When I was drunk, my feelings for him weren't that confusing. We ended up in his bed and...I don't know, we were kissing but never on the lips. And did something else, but I just thought it was a drunken friend moment or something."

 

"What was this something else?" Hazel asks, "Did you 69?"

 

"Hazel, stop-" Molly starts, but Hazel holds up her hand.

 

"No," Mason says, sounding honest enough.

 

"Jerk each other off?" Hazel guesses again while Mason just shakes his head, "Jerk off in bed together while making out?"

 

Mason sighs, "I told you we didn't make out. We were just kissing each other everywhere else. That's why it was confusing. I thought it was just a friend thing and he didn't see me that way."

 

"You both did something like that and you thought that it was just some weird, drunken moment between friends?" Hazel asks disbelievingly, "I don't know if that's funny or if you really don't think you deserve someone caring about you in that way."

 

Molly frowns when Mason just shrugs. Before she can check into his mindset at all, Mason continues, "A couple of weeks after that, he left work to come lie in bed with me because I wasn't feeling well. He held me and I let him because I wanted him to," Mason groans dramatically, "I want him to now. I miss him so much. He's so amazing. At everything, but in bed oh my god-"

 

 

"Mason," Molly prompts all while Hazel practically bounces on the bed in anticipation for details, "Remember that you are drunk. If you get side tracked, you will probably reveal things to me that you wouldn't say to your sister while sober."

 

Mason is silent for a few moments, as if he's trying to gather his thoughts and get back on track. Molly's not sure if he can. She hasn't seen him this drunk in a while. A drunk Mason can sometimes turn into an emotional Mason, but usually wine makes him happy. Tequila is the main culprit that gets Mason more like this. 

 

"You didn't give him Tequila, did you?" Molly asks, looking at Hunter and Hazel. Hunter just looks confused while Hazel immediately starts shaking her head because she knows exactly what she's talking about.

 

"After we got him drunk at our apartment when he was a junior in high school and he couldn't stop crying?" Hazel asks, "No. It was entertaining, but I would never give him that while he's already clearly upset and messed up."

 

"You both sound like Ezra," Mason says sadly, "Stop it. It's weird. He discourages me from drinking margaritas, even. He only approves of me drinking tequila if I am in like, an abnormally good mood."

 

"I'm sorry we sound like your boyfriend," Hazel says consolingly.

 

Mason still looks dejected, "I want to be with him. Forever. I have NEVER been this happy with someone. I don't think I will ever be happy with anyone else other than him. If we break up, I think I might die-"

 

"Oh, you do have it bad," Hazel says, strangely sounding both thrilled and empathetic regarding Mason's plight.

 

Mason nods miserably, "I do. And it's just gotten better. Or worse. No, better. Me being with Ezra is good."

 

"Yes, it's very good," Hazel says agreeably, "You are completely fucked up over him. It's entertaining. You don't even need tequila."

 

"Yeah," Molly says, "I don't think I have seen you this messed up over anyone. You could have TOLD me. I don't like that you were struggling about this. At all. You could have called me and had me meet you when you came down to see Dad after you and Ezra hooked up and you were having trouble."

 

"Some of our friends know," Mason says, sounding a little calmer, "It's never been a complete secret. Zane has known since the day after Ezra and I became a thing. All of the friends that were on that trip know too. They're all accepting and except for Zane, they all identify as gay or bi or non-binary or whatever. Well, not Hallie. I think she's asexual. She loves Ezra like a brother and seems to like me okay, but is kind of aggravated by everyone else. But I love her. I love all of them, even Pedro who I kind of despised at first. But I thought I was going to lose ALL of them when I kept my distance those first couple of weeks after I got back to Dartmouth. I thought they would hate me for it, but they understood. I was just trying to figure out my shit. I just knew I didn't want to live at the frat house anymore. Zane was moving in with his girlfriend Yas, who also knew, so if I stayed at the frat house then that meant I would have no one there and telling people except for the circle of people Ezra and I hang out with was too intimidating. So Dad got me a place when I told him I couldn't focus at the frat house anymore and that I really needed to be on my own. He wanted to get me an apartment on campus but I talked him into a house ten minutes away that is less expensive. I said that I wasn't living up to my true potential and felt stifled on campus because of all of the parties. I basically lied so that he would get me this place in the middle of the woods and so that I didn't have to be around the frat all of the time."

 

"No, you didn't," Hazel says, "Your gayness or bi-ness or whatever this is was TOTALLY stifled. You needed a place where you could be yourself. Maybe you weren't conscious of it, but you do realize that moving away from people you felt might not accept you even back then was a sign that you wanted to be yourself and with your man, right?"

 

"...Maybe," Mason gives her, "I asked Ezra to move in with me literally days after, so yeah. Probably. He was looking for a place and he had gotten hurt in an accident. He got hit by a car. The car drove off and he was left unconscious in the middle of the street."

 

"Oh my god," Molly says, sitting back in Hunter's lap, "Was he okay?"

 

"I mean, eventually," Mason says, "Never caught who did it, but other than a concussion, a couple of broken ribs, and a broken arm, he was okay physically. But his ex-roommate called me and said he was freaking out at the hospital and she told me what happened so I rushed over there. He was a mess. I guess concussions can make you really emotional? I don't know. He couldn't calm down because he wanted to leave. He was refusing treatment because he couldn't afford the bills and he knew his parents couldn't either, even with the health insurance that he had. I told him not to worry about it and tried to get him to relax. He couldn't stop crying, which isn't like him. At all. I said the bills would be handled and when he woke up, it would be taken care of. He listened to that, I guess, because he eventually fell asleep. While he was sleeping, I called Dad and begged him to take care of Ezra's bills. I told him Ezra's family is very poor and he's on all scholarships. I said that he's the closest friend I have ever had and that I would pay him back. None of it was a lie."

 

Molly blinks and despite feeling sad hearing what Ezra went through, she can't help but feel truly humored, "Mason, you had Dad pay for your gay lover's hospital bills. Just say it. It's not hard."

 

Mason scoffs, "Ezra is actually pan and probably has slept with more people than all of us combined, but okay. Anyway, he was really stressed and overwhelmed and I wanted him with me. We ended up talking things out before he agreed and I told him what I had been processing the couple of weeks I was down here. I told him I wanted to be with him but I wasn't ready to come out to everyone. But it's gotten a lot more serious. So...yeah. I'm with him, I only want to be with him, but no one really knew that except for some friends who are accepting and wouldn't say anything without our permission. Kai knows too. I told him while I was down here before. And Ezra's parents. They know. They're really accepting and nice people. I like them a lot. But uh...But now a lot more people know and it happened all at once. Someone must have saw me kiss him goodbye or something and word spread, so now all of Tri-Kappa knows and the whole lacrosse team knows. Some of them are being really supportive and are defending me. Ronnie has really gone out of his way to call some of the other guys out. Jackson too. But a lot of them are being fucking assholes every time I see them. I was constantly harassed last Lacrosse practice and came home, only to be a dick to Ezra because I was upset and Ezra got pissed off at me for that and for telling him I was backing out of the trip I had begged him to go on in the first place. So now I'm here."

 

"Aw, sweetie," Hazel coos, running her fingers through Mason's hair, "It'll be alright. Ezra will understand. He just needs time to cool down. As for those frat boy motherfuckers, they'll move on and if they don't, then they have some serious issues and probably lead boring lives. But back on topic, who's topping and who's bottoming-"

 

"Oh my god, Hazel, really?" Molly asks, already cringing over possibly hearing more about Mason's sex life.

 

Hazel gives her a look, "We are all adults here. We've all done it. Hunter and I might not know the pleasure of having a man in our bed but-"

 

"Speak for yourself," Hunter interrupts and honestly? Molly's shocked, fucking shocked that he would say otherwise. Molly doesn't care if he says it. He can tell whoever he wants about his past and she will fully support him and possibly become a raging bitch if the person gets weird about it, but she's just surprised.

 

"Woah...Wait a second," Hazel says in wonder, seeming to suddenly look at Hunter in a whole new light, "Hunter, are you bi?"

 

"Uh...no," Hunter says, suddenly looking a bit more hesitant, before glancing at Molly. It's not her story to tell, but if he wants to reveal anything she's not going to stop him. If he wants to straight up lie, then she will lie right along with him. Until then, she will stay quiet and just run her fingers through his hair to calm any unexpected nerves.

 

"Pan?" Hazel guesses again, "Or did you just have a sexually adventurous youth before devoting your heart to my best friend?"

 

"...I guess the third category would fit the most," Hunter answers, "And none of my experiences with men were pleasurable. I had a really bad childhood. My mom sold me to men by the time I was ten so that she could buy drugs. I ran away at fourteen and did what I had to do to survive. I guess I was willing with customers I got on my own, but I wasn't attracted to any of them. The opposite, actually. It was because I needed money. Then when I got taken in by my dads and adopted, I knew pretty quickly that I didn't like men at all. Maybe it was my bad experiences that made it so I wasn't attracted to guys, but I honestly didn't get the opportunity to think about who I liked until I started living with my parents. Before that, I was attracted to the promise of a meal in my stomach and that was about it until I felt safe enough to figure out who I was attracted to. Turned out to be women. Now, it's Molly specifically. Anyway, Mason, it's good that you have strong feelings for this guy. You're obviously attracted to him. You don't have to tell me what your sex life is like because those are the things that truly make it good. Alright, I'm finished. Tragic life story over."

 

It brings down the room. Molly's known Hunter's story for years and she feels like bursting into tears, clinging onto Hunter, and never letting go. Hazel is crying, probably due to the wine, just like Mason had been outside, but Molly also knows when Hazel is truly upset about something and she can see that this is one of those moments. Mason doesn't even seem to know what to say at first, but then clears his throat.

 

"That fucking sucks, man."

 

Hunter actually laughs at that, "Right?"

 

"Oh my god!" Hazel chokes out, wiping at her face, "And it more than sucks, Mason. You sound like a frat boy."

 

"I technically am a frat boy," Mason says slowly.

 

"But not in spirit!" Hazel insists before turning her attention back to Hunter, "Hunter, I'm sorry. I am sorry for assuming your sexual history and I am sorry for making you feel like you had to bring that up."

 

"Eh," Hunter shrugs, "It's okay. I've come to terms with it. I don't tell everyone, but it isn't some huge secret."

 

"Regardless, I'm sorry. Molly never said anything."

 

"It's not my story to tell," Molly points out, "It's Hunter's story. I would only tell someone if he wanted me to do it for him."

 

"Aw," Hunter says, smiling a little, "Molls, that's sweet."

 

"You're too tight lipped," Hazel says to Molly.

 

"Okay," Molly says, clearing her throat, "If you ever enter a relationship with Hunter, I promise to give some more of his personal backstory."

 

"Are you trying to pawn me off to your best friend?" Hunter asks, pinching her side to make her jump.

 

"Your lesbian best friend?" Hazel adds, looking positively scandalized.

 

"...Nah," Molly decides, looking at Hunter again before leaning down to press her forehead against his.

 

"...Good," Hazel says, before letting out a laugh, "Well, I guess Molly and I are the boring ones, only ever sleeping with one gender."

 

"Oh," Molly says lifting her head back up, "I slept with a girl named June Rhodes while I was doing my internship with the CDC. We went down on each other and everything."

 

"God, Molly!" Mason grits out, horrified even though she has had to hear about his love life all night, "Stop it."

 

"Wait, what? WHAT?!" Hazel says way too loudly, "You slept with a girl and you didn't fucking tell me?"

 

"Meh," Molly shrugs, "I was too excited about discovering that biochemical marker-”

 

“The biochemical marker that a fucking cunt of a doctor claims he discovered so that he could take all the fame and money for himself, just because you were his intern and that means that you weren’t allowed to collect?” Hazel fumes, “Don’t piss me off more.”

 

“Well…there wasn’t that much fame and money. But yes, he’s a cunt,” Molly says, then gets back on topic, “Anyway, if I had enjoyed it more, I might have told you. It just wasn't my thing. The whole thing felt weird and awkward, even with the alcohol included. I don't think I could have gone through with it if I had been sober. But I did it just to say that I did it."

 

"You slept with a girl just to say that you did it, didn't fucking say it to me, and on top of all that, you didn't let me have first dibs on your lesbian virginity?"

 

"I'm sorry," Molly says, rolling her eyes, "I'd offer you second dibs but we are both involved with other people."

 

"Sucks for you, Hazel," Hunter says, "Molly is phenomenal in bed."

 

"Of course she is," Hazel says, "She's an overachiever. This is a well-known fact. I wouldn't be so torn up otherwise. But I guess it's official. I'm the boring one."

 

"What about Jerome?" Hunter asks.

 

Molly can't keep her excitement down about Jerome and apparently, neither can Hazel.

 

"Jerome is dating a gorgeous, and I mean GORGEOUS, woman," Molly informs him.

 

"So hot," Hazel confirms, "Her name is Rubina and she's from India. If she didn't only have eyes for Jerome and I wasn't engaged, I would fuck her."

 

"Rubina is trans. She's extremely open about it," Molly continues, "Her parents were very supportive and let her do hormone therapy and vocal lessons young and helped pay for surgeries."

 

"You wouldn't know by looking at her or hearing her that she's trans," Hazel says, "But even if you could suspect it, she would be just as hot. It's about the way she carries herself. The way she walks, her confidence, her demeanor, everything."

 

"Jerome never dated a trans woman before," Molly says, "Always CIS women. I don't know if he ever met a transperson before Rubina. But he saw her, and it was like love at first sight. She told him on the first official date. She wanted to get it out of the way in case he was an asshole, but Jerome is open-minded and a good guy. He didn't care. He saw her for who she was and now they are desperately in love."

 

"Which is why I am apparently the boring, unisexual one," Hazel concludes, "I mean, Jerome is still straight and you both are too, but you all have depth due to your experiences, especially Jerome because he's with an amazing goddess of a woman."

 

"Goddess," Molly confirms.

 

"Molly, are you sure you aren't a little gay?" Mason huffs, looking more amused than he has all night.

 

"For Rubina?" Molly says, unwrapping one arm from around Hunter to get her phone, "Maybe."

 

And soon enough, after she and Hazel pull up Rubina's modeling pictures to show the guys, she's made her point.

 

"Okay, I understand now," Hunter says, whistling as he goes through Rubina's pictures, "You're hotter, but barely."

 

"That is the nicest thing you've ever said to me," Molly smiles, then kisses him on the lips.

 

"...Yeah," Mason says eventually, looking at the pictures on Hazel's phone, "She's pretty hot."

 

"You can't stop thinking about Ezra long enough to appreciate anyone's beauty, can you?"

 

"Fuck my life," Mason groans, lying back down.

 

"Speaking of your life, let's get back on topic," Hazel says, "Your sex life. We can all tell you're really enjoying it but are you using enough lube-"

 

"Wow," Mason says, turning his head to stare at Hazel, "You've really been holding on to that question, even through Hunter's shitty life story and you two circlejerking over Rubina, haven't you?"

 

"I thought I might get her off track by bringing up my shitty life story. I'll admit I'm impressed," Hunter says, "Sorry, man. I tried."

 

Mason nods, "It means a lot that you tried. The fact that you did officially makes you the best boyfriend Molly has ever had. Not that the bar is set that high."

 

Molly glares at that and points at the door, "Get out of my room."

 

"Thanks, it means a lot anyway," Hunter says more nicely as he reaches up to pull down Molly's arm.

 

Before they have more time to bicker or interrogate anyone about anything else, there's a knock on the bedroom door and the four turn their heads to perk up and look.

 

"Your boner down?" Molly whispers, smirking as Hunter rolls his eyes at her.

 

"It's manageable."

 

With that confirmation, Molly gets up to answer the door, only needing to assure Mason quickly that their dad probably hadn't heard shit before answering the door.

 

"Hey, Dad," Molly says, greeting the man in the doorway, "Everything okay? We weren't being too loud, were we?"

 

"No, and everything's fine," her dad says, "I just wanted to see if Hazel wanted me to make the bed in the guest room or if she needs me to help get her car back home. I'm probably going to bed soon."

 

"Hunter and I can do it-"

 

"Molly, you have to be exhausted. You've driven three hours a day every day this week. You driving so far on barely any sleep is making me nervous. You need to get some rest. You too, Mason."

 

"I'll sleep when I'm dead," Mason says, lying back down on Molly's bed in contradiction.

 

"Which won't be long from now if you keep pulling all-nighters like you did last night to get here," their dad points out.

 

Hunter stands up and walks towards the bedroom door, "Your dad is right, Molly. Get some rest. We'll be back in a bit. Craig, we can start moving cars so that we can get Hazel's and Molly's out."

 

With that, Hunter presses a quick kiss to Molly's cheek and follows her dad down the hall.

 

"I'll meet you there in five!" Hazel calls out, before turning her attention back to Mason.

 

"Alright, quick rundown," Hazel says, "One: Stop being so freaked out. If it's a label thing, just don't take one. You can be Mason and that will be that. Two: Communicate productively with Ezra. You're in love with him and everyone can see that, plus he's your roommate. You need to get on the same page. And three: if you decide to come out as anything, we are all behind you. You heard how diverse our circle is. We've got you."

 

"He's worried about how Dad might react," Molly says softly, looking down at her brother, "Because of what happened with Justin."

 

Hazel nods in understanding, "You should talk to Justin then. Bond as brothers, even though you guys are basically total strangers. It would be heartwarming."

 

"Maybe it can be a New Year's resolution," Mason mutters, "Until then, no."

 

"Stubborn ass bitch," Hazel sighs fondly, ruffling Mason's hair, "You know, I called Justin when I decided to come out to people. He helped me some. Told me what not to do and what not to take to heart. I came up with my own approach though. It doesn't work on my fiance's parents, unfortunately, but it has worked on close to everyone else. When I started coming out to people, I acted like I had the best secret in the world to tell them. With some people, that was enough, my happiness was contagious enough to get them to accept it. With some others, if they started to bring me down, I just got more excited and said, 'Oh, stop!' as if they were just being ridiculous. Which they were. And eventually? I made them accept me by forcing them into submission with my enthusiasm."

 

"You're such a freak," Mason whispers, shaking his head.

 

"It worked with your dad," Hazel says, "I bumped into him at the movie theater freshman year, and I enthusiastically introduced him to my first girlfriend. He accepted it and he said today that he would come to my wedding."

 

"It probably worked with him only because you're not his kid."

 

"Maybe so," Hazel says, "But he seems to have changed. If things with Ezra get serious and you can't feasibly hide his existence from your parents, then just take my method into consideration. Now, I have to get my gay ass home to my gay ass fiance. Love you both!"

 

Kissing them both goodbye, Hazel walks out into the hall and leaves Molly and Mason alone.

------

“I understand why you are so protective when it comes to Molly now.”

 

The words come from Hazel and Hunter glances over towards the passenger seat to see the woman with her head pressed against the window, watching the highway pass by in a blur.

 

“Because I’m her boyfriend?”

 

Hazel huffs out a laugh, “Yeah, there’s that. And that you’re in love with her. You’re as obvious about that as Mason is about being in love with his roommate. But…with Seth and even me telling you about Will, how angry you got…some of it probably comes from your past, right? You being hurt the way Seth and Will tried to hurt Molly? Feel free to tell my drunk self to shut up at any time, by the way.”

 

Hunter’s not going to do that. He’s not going to tell Molly’s best friend to shut up over this, even though it is technically in his right to do so. He’s gotten to the point where he can talk a little bit about it now. Granted, being in the city where it all happened while talking about it might not be best for his psyche, but if it means getting Molly’s best friend in the world to trust that he’s not going to let anything happen to her – that he will never hurt her they way that two men tried to hurt her before, the way that he had been hurt himself - then fine.

 

“Yeah, some of it comes from my past,” Hunter says, and he can feel Hazel watching him now, “Probably more than I am even aware of. I…I know what that feels like. And how you become after. How angry you get and how hard it is to let people in. I don’t want to see that happen to her. The fact that it almost did twice makes me feel sick.”

 

Hazel is quiet for a moment, as if she’s pondering her words, before she answers him, “You fucking made it big, dude. You grew up homeless and abused and you got a family and made yourself a success. You’re an inspirational badass.”

 

“Okay, sure,” Hunter has to chuckle but Hazel stops him.

 

“No, I mean it. I really do. Listen, before today, if you put Molly with any guy in the world, I would have said that they were the lucky ones. But Molly might be the lucky one this time."

 

“No,” Hunter says seriously, “I’m the lucky one still, believe me. I’ve had girls get really put off by my past. There’s some stuff in there that I didn’t reveal tonight. I’ve never revealed more than I have to Molly and even she doesn’t know all of it. I had one girlfriend before her who was pretty great about it, don’t get me wrong, but I could tell it made her uncomfortable when I tried to talk about it in more detail. Molly doesn’t judge me for it at all. She doesn’t try to shut down the conversation if I’m dwelling on something from my past and it comes up, she encourages me to talk about it even. She’s…She’s not scared of any of it. And that’s probably an absolute first for me.”

 

“The fact that you recognize that and appreciate her so much still tells me how lucky she is.”

 

“Well,” Hunter says, pulling off at the exit, “It means a lot that you think that. I just wish she felt like she could talk to me about what she went through more.”

 

Hazel lets out a sigh, “Like I said, it’s impressive that you know as much as you do about Seth. Her telling you as much as she has without him actively coming after you means a lot. And whatever else she is keeping from you – from both of us – it is like you said. She wants to protect us. It’s fucking sad, but probably necessary in her eyes. Turn right here. My house is on the left.”

 

Hunter turns left on Jacksonia Street and passes Randyland before pulling up to Hazel’s house, “You live in the most colorful neighborhood in Pittsburgh. Lucky you.”

 

“Coolest name too,” Hazel says, “Mexican War Streets. When I go out of town and I’m asked where I’m from, I don’t even say Pittsburgh. It’s always Mexican War Streets. It makes me feel tougher than I am and I always gets a reaction. You should try it sometime.”

 

“I can't. I mainly grew up in Homewood,” Hunter reveals to her.

 

Hazel looks horrified, then pats his hand, “Oh my god, you poor baby. I just want to take care of you.”

 

Hunter scoffs, “And then I lived in East Liberty with my dads before we moved to Millvale. I promise, I got something close to a middle-class upbringing eventually.”

 

“And then moved to LA to become a powerful Hollywood bigshot.”

 

“You are confusing me for Martin Scorsese or something, I know it.”

 

“You’re an Oscar-winning, bushy eyebrowed, short, Italian, grey haired, Hollywood bigshot. Adorable in a grandpa way. Molly is so lucky to have you. You are such an inspiration.”

 

Before Hunter can even try to come up with a response to that, there’s a knock on Hazel’s passenger window. Hunter looks over and sees a petite, fit woman with a shaved head, smooth brown skin, and dark brown eyes peering in.

 

“My love!” Hazel sings, rolling down her window, “I missed you!”

 

Samira looks amused by Hazel, going by how she rolls her eyes before pressing a kiss to Hazel’s forehead, before looking past her fiancé to get a better look at Hunter.

 

“This him?” Samira asks, gesturing towards him.

 

“Yes, this is Hunter,” Hazel says, “The love of Molly’s life. I think he’s an Oscar Winner or something. I could have sworn he said that.”

 

“I didn’t,” Hunter snorts, “I won an Independent Spirit Award, but don’t bring it up to my family. They won’t shut up about it and it’s been two years. I gave them the damn award because I was sick of hearing about it, which made me sick of seeing it.”

 

“Hunter,” Hazel sighs, “I am trying to manifest your Oscar win into existence. You are interrupting my process.”

 

Hazel touches her temples and begins to hum, “Hunter will win an Oscar. Hunter will be Molly’s date to my wedding. Hunter will propose to Molly in the most over-the-top, romantic, and fantastic way but NOT AT MY WEDDING because that’s rude and he will let my mom tailor the tuxes and dress of his wedding party-”

 

“Oh, great. She’s at the portion of her drunkenness where she thinks she can will facts into existence.”

 

“Okay, Samira, it’s called self-fulfilling prophecy and it’s actually a thing,” Hazel says, seeming to believe this whole-heartedly, “And while I’m not doing it for myself, I’m doing it for Hunter, because he’s a keeper.”

 

“It’s probably a bit soon for a few of those things, but if Molly invites me as her date, I will be glad to come in,” Hunter says stepping out of the car to hand the keys over to Samira, “I’m shooting a movie in July but this shoot is giving us the weekends off.”

 

“I’ll text her and demand that she bring you,” Hazel says, then steps out of the car herself, before throwing her arms around Samira’s shoulders to kiss her on the nose. When Samira turns around, she meets Hunter’s eyes and waves, “It was nice meeting you, man. Maybe the four of us can meet up this weekend or down in Morgantown.”

 

“Five of us,” Hazel corrects, “Mason is in! And oh my god, that child is so interesting right now. Also, we should invite Jerome and Rubina. And Gabrielle and Gretchen! Hunter knows them, he knows them, just like we do. We could have known Hunter for two years and we didn’t.”

 

Samira just stares up at her fiancé, shakes her head, then says, “Come on. I made you a sandwich. Let’s sober you up and bring you down a notch. Thanks for bringing her home, Hunter! I mean it.”

 

“Not a problem,” Hunter says over his shoulder, before getting into the passenger seat of Craig’s car. As soon as he settles in and gets his seatbelt on, he sees Craig watch Samira and Hazel head into the house before turning the keys in the ignition.

 

“She get a little less peppy in the car?” Craig asks as he drives down Jacksonia.

 

Hunter shrugs, “Maybe a little bit. She was on a high again as soon as she saw Samira’s face though.”

 

“Yeah,” Craig says, nodding, “…That’s good. I’m glad she’s happy. She’s a good friend to Molly. Always has been.”

 

“Yeah,” Hunter agrees, smiling a little, “She’s a good friend.”

---------------------------------

Hunter briefly runs into Mason when going to the bathroom to brush his teeth and wash his face and the kid frankly looks exhausted. Hunter’s not surprised. From driving all night to openly having a drunken sexuality crisis for two hours, Hunter isn’t surprised. But Mason does mumble a “Thanks for talking to me” and a “Good night” and that’s…that’s actually sort of sweet.

 

But any tenderness in his heart turns into straight up uncontrollable lust when he goes to Molly’s room, closes the door, and sees her lying on the bed in a nightgown. No, let Hunter correct himself - the nightgown. And his imagination didn’t do that piece of clothing justice. Ivory in color, it barely covers the top of her thighs, and primarily made of lace so that he can see her breasts through the fabric and fuck, he’s hard already.

 

Best. Purchase. Ever.

 

Hunter tries not to run over to the bed, but he does throw himself on top of her as he gives her a passionate kiss before peppering kisses all over her face as she lets out a breathless laugh. He makes his way down her neck and focuses on her tits for a while, pulling down the fabric gently to suck and nip at her nipples as she starts to moan. She loves having her breasts played with. He learned that when they first hooked up. One day, he is going to make her orgasm just by massaging and sucking them. He doesn't care if it takes hours. It would be a fucking treat for him too.

 

“Hunter, please…”

 

“What do you want?” he murmurs, coming back up to kiss her jaw, before holding himself over her. Molly reaches up to pull his shirt off. He takes the hint quickly and helps her out by pulling it over his head and tossing it to the side of the room. She runs her hands down his bare back before reaching down to undo his jeans, pushing them down his legs along with his boxer briefs. Hunter kicks them completely off, removes his socks, then has less clothing than Molly has on. Before Hunter can make a sarcastic quip, something along the lines of, ‘What next, madame?’ Molly is reaching down and stroking dick, which soon has him breathing through his nose and putting his head down to rest it on her collarbone.

 

“Fuck, Molly,” he gasps out. He reaches down beneath the nightgown, he presses his thumb against her clit and thrusts two of his fingers inside of her to stroke her g-spot. She’s so fucking wet and she’s meeting his fingers thrust for thrust as she breathes out a whimper. He captures her lips in a kiss and as soon as their lips part, she brushes the tip of her tongue over his top lip as she whispers out her demand of “Fuck me.” He has had women say it to him before – hell, way back when, he had disgusting older men say it before – but it never sounded as hot as she makes it sound. The words coming from her mouth alone could possibly make him come if he wasn’t so set on making this last.

 

He reaches over with his free hand, digs into her nightstand, and gets one of the many Trojans they had bought on Sunday at Target, along with the nightgown and some more appropriate and professional attire that has no place in this room at the moment. Right now, there are only a few things that matter: the nightgown staying on throughout all of this because Molly had the audacity to turn him on so much with the idea a couple of hours ago, getting a condom on his dick, and getting his dick inside of Molly because it doesn’t want to be anywhere else.

 

The condom glides on without a hitch and Hunter positions himself between Molly’s thighs, reaching down to guide himself into her. As soon as he is surrounded by her tight, wet heat, he lets out a groan. Molly’s arms circle around his waist and pull him closer, as if she’s inviting him go as deeply as he can inside of her. When Molly’s hips start to move, it lets Hunter know she’s ready for him to do the same and he finds a good rhythm that has her wrapping herself around him tightly and crying out sounds that Hunter mercifully muffles with his hand until she get can a little bit of a grip and not wake up anyone in the house. When Molly is able to get fucked properly without getting too vocal, Hunter takes his hand off her mouth. But before he can put his hand back on the bed, Molly interlaces her fingers with his for a moment – staring at them as if she’s in a trance – then lets them go to lift her head up just enough to cover his mouth with her own. His fingers are now tangled in Molly’s hair as he reaches up to hold her face and return the kiss with every ounce of what he’s feeling. It’s a kiss unlike any other he’s had. It’s dirty and obscene but somehow sweet and loving. He doesn’t know how it is working like that, he just knows that it does and it’s all-consuming.

 

"I'm going to come," Molly pants heavily as soon as their kiss ends, only to stifle a groan against the back of her hand as Hunter reaches down to massage her clit, "Fuck, I told you I was going to ride you tonight. Be on top. Now I just want you to fuck me as hard as you can, oh my god oh my god-"

 

Hunter huffs out a laugh as Molly starts breathing heavily, then wraps his arms underneath hers, which allows him to thrust more forcefully. It turns out to be the right move because a litany of approval and appreciation fall off of Molly's tongue as Hunter begins to slam into her wet heat. He feels her walls constrict around him and she wraps her arms around his shoulders tightly as she gasps out her release. Her muscles tightening around his dick are what send him over the edge at the same time, and soon he finds himself coming so hard that he's seeing spots until he collapses on Molly. Even though there is nothing else he would rather do than stay inside of her, he pulls out, ties off the condom, and rests his forehead against the side of her neck.

 

"That was…" Molly starts, letting one of her fingers dance against his shoulder as she comes down, "Holy shit. I don't even have words to describe it. Your dick made me dumb."

 

Hunter lets out an almost hysterical laugh against her collarbone, "So eloquent. Sheer poetry."

 

"What, would you like it in French?" Molly asks.

 

"Yes," Hunter says seriously, lifting his head up because he honestly thinks there is nothing else he would rather hear.

 

Molly snorts but then gets a mocking lustful expression on her face, "Ta bite m'a rendu stupide."

 

"...That was the hottest thing I have ever heard in my life."

 

"Mmhmm, I'm sure," Molly says, smiling.

 

Seriously," Hunter continues, lifting his head up more to look down at her as his arms rest on each side of her head, "When I drove Hazel home, she started to try to will things into existence."

 

"Damn, she was doing that again? She was even drunker than I thought."

 

"Girl was wasted but didn't slur once. It was impressive," Hunter shrugs, beginning to twirl Molly's hair around his fingers, "Anyway, if it works as much as she claims it does, apparently I am going to win an Oscar, despite not really wanting one."

 

"Well, obviously," Molly says, "You are the best DP under thirty. Of course you are winning one. And bullshit, you would be excited."

 

"And then she told the universe that you would bring me as a date to her wedding."

 

"If you want to come and can come in that weekend, then I would love to bring you. She already texted me, demanding that you come as my date anyway."

 

"Then," Hunter goes on, "She said I was going to propose to you in an over-the-top, romantic, and fantastic way. I wonder how public I can make it-"

 

"I would literally die of embarrassment," Molly says, surprisingly blushing, as if the mere thought flusters her, "If we ever do get to that point and you end up doing that, you won't even get a yes or a no, because I will be dead."

 

"Well, damn, that will suck for me," Hunter says, before getting an ornery glint in his eye, "But if you do survive and you do say yes, then at the altar, when we say our handwritten vows-"

 

"Gross."

 

"-About how we came to be, the turning points in our relationship, and why we are dedicating the rest of our lives together, you only have to say, 'Your dick made me dumb.' But in French. Obviously."

 

"Obviously," Molly agrees, but then smiles warmly and sweetly and Hunter has to wonder if she feels his heart pounding as much as he feels it, if she can sense that he's seconds away from saying 'I love you'. Because he does. He really fucking does. And he wants to say it. If he has a moment like this on their trip next week, the kind where he is overwhelmed with everything he feels for her, then he's just going to. For now, he's going to hold back.

 

"Well, it won't come as a surprise to Justin if you do kill me, via embarrassing proposal," Molly says out of the blue, and his confusion must be apparent because she clarifies, "He called while you were gone. Apparently, Brian - of all people - told him that we are a thing a few days ago."

 

"Brian?" Hunter says, "Damn. I wasn't expecting that. Although I guess I should have been since he's best friends with my dad. I guess he did end up blabbing. Unless it was Ted. I ran into him on Monday at the store and asked why I was in Pittsburgh, so I told him I was in to see my girlfriend. He asked what my girlfriend's name is and I told him, then he put it together himself. We don't have to go though."

 

Molly shrugs, "Let's go. Why not? Everyone is going to know by now anyway. I don't think Justin is going to be quiet about it. He was grilling me."

 

"Hm," Hunter hums, putting his head back down, "In a good way or a bad way?"

 

"More a 'what the fuck, how did this happen' kind of way."

 

"Understandable," Hunter says, "I think that all the time when it comes to you. But it's more, 'What the fuck, how did I get so lucky?'"

 

Hunter glances at her then and Molly's eyes soften, their lips meet again - more chaste than any other kiss they've shared in the last hour, but just as good. When they part, Molly rubs her nose against his.

 

"I think the exact same thing."

Hunter stirs the lemon cream sauce before lifting the lid over the cast iron skillet to check the salmon. He’s had the house mostly to himself today and he’s taken advantage of the free time. He went on a long jog, set up a crew meeting through Skype, is cooking now. He didn’t even have to worry about seeing that Craig got to his appointment. After Molly left this morning for work, Hunter had gotten up around 9 to get ready to take him, but Mason insisted on taking his father himself. He could tell Mason was set on it, probably out of concern or guilt after learning some of what had been going on, and Hunter honestly felt like it would be good for both of them if they got out of the house together. But instead of coming back earlier in the afternoon, Craig had texted him to let him know he was going into work for a few hours and that Mason was meeting up with a couple of friends from high school. Craig going into work is honestly the best sign that they’ve had all week. If Mason made that happen, then Hunter is glad he stayed home.

 

“Why are you making dinner? I thought we were going to Ted’s and Blake’s tonight.”

 

Hunter turns his head at the sound of Molly’s voice and sees her turning to put her work bag on the table. Smiling at even the sight of her profile after going several hours without seeing her, he responds.

 

“We are, if you still want to. I’m making it for your dad and Mason for when they get back.”

 

“They’re not here?”

 

Hunter shakes his head, “They should be home soon. Mason took your dad to his appointment today and your dad asked him to drop him off at work right after. I figured that should be celebrated and appreciated, in a subtle way that we can completely deny is a celebration, of course.”

 

Hunter hears Molly’s footsteps come up behind him before he feels her arms come around his middle. It’s probably good she’s behind him. He’s grinning like a fucking idiot over any little thing she does and it would probably be embarrassing if she figured that out so soon.

 

“Thank you,” Molly murmurs, pressing a kiss against the back of his shoulder blade, “For being there for my dad this week and putting up with Mason’s sexuality crisis, sarcasm, and sports talk. You’re amazing.”

 

Hunter tries not to laugh as he turns over the fish before checking the status of the asparagus in the lemon cream sauce, “It really hasn’t been that bad. He’s doing pretty well, considering how he was last weekend. As for Mason, I can deal with his sexuality crisis and his sarcasm. Piece of cake. The sports are the only thing that came close to doing me in.”

 

“I went to a couple of his lacrosse games when he was in high school,” Molly responds, “The only thing that kept me interested was how violent it was. I don’t know what that says about me.”

 

“That you’re feisty?”

 

“Yeah,” Molly says, “That’s been established. What hasn’t been established in my eyes until this week is that you’re an awesome cook. I almost regret saying yes to Ted and Blake now. I want your food.”

 

“I made enough to have for lunch tomorrow,” Hunter says, but cuts a piece of asparagus for her and puts it in a spoon with some cream sauce to feed her before turning around, “But here. Have a taste-”

 

Hunter’s words die on his tongue and the spoon stays frozen in his hand as soon as he sees Molly’s face. Quickly, he puts the spoon in the skillet before taking her face in his hands.

 

“Who the fuck did that to you?”

 

The bruise on her right cheek isn’t dark, but it is relatively large, roughly the size of a grown man’s set of knuckles. The thought of Molly getting punched makes his blood boil. Seeing evidence that she’s been hurt? He can’t even describe how it makes him feel. The only thing that keeps him from freaking out is her wince when he grabs at her face. It takes the wind out of his sails just enough to immediately soften his hold to make it more gentle.

 

“Damn, is it really that bad?” Molly asks, as he turns her head to inspect her face for any more injuries, “I checked when I got to my car and it was just a little red at the time.”

 

“Who punched you?”

 

Molly scoffs, “How do you know I was punched? I could have fallen down the school steps and hit my face on the railing.”

 

“Because the bruise on your cheek is the size of a grown man’s fist. The angle of the impact is head on, not coming from the top or bottom-”

 

“Wow, did you learn that from your grandpa?” Molly says, sounding impressed, briefly trying to walk away only to give up when Hunter won’t let her.

 

“Personal experience more than anything,” Hunter says to her, which has Molly looking more empathetic as she reaches over brush at his face, “Molly, seriously, who-”

 

“It was a student,” Molly says, then actually laughs, fucking laughs.

 

Hunter narrows his eyes, “That looks like more damage than what a fifth grader can do.”

 

But Molly shakes her head, “He’s big for his age. Ten years old and already over six feet tall.”

 

Before Hunter can stop gaping in horror over a ten year old that size, Molly begins to elaborate.

 

“So for the first two periods of the day, I go over to our sister school across the street to do science experiments with the kids there. It’s a special education school. I have mixed feelings about them being kept separate from our kids, but there are some good reasons for it. They receive more psychological services there, so there are some HIPAA conflicts if they are more integrated. Some of the kids are aggressive due to having sensory or behavioral issues, so it’s good that they aren’t stimulated with a bigger crowd of kids. They’re less likely to get bullied in their current setting as well. Anyway, they are really understaffed there and none of our teachers like to go over there to work, but I enjoy working there. Some of them are non-verbal so I have been incorporating sign language into my lessons. I teach five classes at the main school and two at the Special Education school, then I just do my lesson planning period during lunch and work three days a week at our sister school during the summer since they continue on throughout the year with smaller breaks-”

 

“Would you quit overworking yourself?” Hunter interrupts, already feeling stressed out over hearing her normal schedule.

 

“No,” Molly brushes off before continuing, “Anyway, today I went with the Special Education school to the Carnegie Science Center and a sub filled in for me. They never get to go on field trips, Hunter. The school board refused to even try. Some of the higher functioning kids who haven’t been aggressive can tag along for ours, but they aren’t even trying to get them accustomed to the public because they are scared of what might happen. Anyway, while I was fighting to implement an after school program at the main school, I was also teaming up with the staff over at the sister school to implement an educational field trip schedule for those kids. That ended up being harder. One of them had the fucking nerve to say, ‘Some of them don’t even talk. They don’t care if they get out of the building or not.’ It took everything within me not to flip my shit over that. Anyway, I had collected data on how they reacted to visitors coming into the building to work with them on extracurriculars and showed them pictures of their field day during their summer school session last year and they finally agreed to a few trips and today was amazing.”

 

Hunter purses his lips and really doesn’t want to burst Molly’s bubble but does it anyway, “...Molly, you got punched in the face.”

 

“But Hunter, he did so well!” Molly exclaims, “He was great during the whole trip, really enjoyed himself, and he didn’t punch me until after we got back and I was walking him back into the building. I think he was just upset because it was the end of the day and he didn’t want to go back to school. He couldn’t tell me for sure. He doesn’t voice or sign and communicates basic needs and wants through an iPad, which he is getting better at since I set up more words and menu options for him, so he was able to tell me “No” and then “van” and then “goodbye” which is huge for him. But after he hit me, he just plopped himself on the ground and waited for his van. I was so proud of him.”

 

And as Hunter watches her, seeing how bright and happy her eyes are over her day and this asshole of a kid, he can’t help but find it a little amusing.

 

“...I suppose I can’t be mad at him, if he’s making you this weirdly happy,” Hunter eventually responds, shaking his head, “You really do like the genius kids or the hard to work with kids. The ones in between must grate on your nerves.”

 

“The average kids are so boring,” Molly complains, “Now if a kid with an off the charts IQ would throw a fit and hit me, I would definitely have a favorite student.”

 

“You are a freak, Taylor,” Hunter says, lightly kissing the bruise on her cheek before turning to get the spoon for her. Now, do you want to try this or not?”

------------------------------------------------------------

 

When they get to Ted’s and Blake’s, it’s basically what Hunter had been expecting since they officially said yes to the invitation. Ted answers the door with a big smile and is dressed in a sweater vest. That had been a given. Blake is cooking in the kitchen, being nicer than any human has a right to be. That’s pretty par for the course as well, as it is for them to be domestic as fuck - straight out of Gay as Blazes at this point - with their opera music playing softly in the other room, the candlelit dining room, their love of classic literature, but minus the troubled, adopted kids. And when they sit down, Ted and Blake immediately begin interrogating them with enthusiasm.

 

“So, how did you two decide to give it a shot?”

 

“Who made the first move?”

 

“Oh, Blake, they are adorable. Look how flustered we are making them.”

 

“I love a good slow burn, where it takes a few years but then all of the sudden, it makes sense that there’s no point in not being together.”

 

Hunter wants to say that his relationship with Molly feels anything but slow. That his heart is fucked enough when he’s just hearing her voice, but when they are physically together? It’s like their relationship is moving at such a high velocity that Hunter’s terrified that something will cause it to crash and burn. And at this point - if that happens - he will crash and burn. It would cause his heart to shatter and he’d probably worry his dads for months, if not longer.

 

But Molly is a bit more charismatic and cool. She will probably have an eloquent answer for them that doesn’t make her sound insane.

 

“We hooked up in the dining room at the hotel we were all staying at,” Molly shrugs, “Best holiday celebration ever.”

 

Hunter chokes on his water at Molly’s answer, before turning to stare at her and shake his head in disbelief, all while she looks way too innocent for it to be real.

 

“I like you. I can see why Hunter does too,” Ted says, holding back a laugh and nodding approvingly, “You’re adventurous and don’t mince your words.”

 

“We didn’t hook up in the dining room,” Hunter says quickly, “I have developed more class than that. After she propositioned it, I was gentlemanly enough to take her back to my hotel room-”

 

“But Hunter, we sounded so cool with my version of things,” Molly says, pouting as she takes a bite of crab cake.

 

“You’re making it sound like I just bent you over the continental breakfast bar.”

 

“I wouldn’t be opposed.”

 

“She’s definitely Justin’s sister,” Ted adds, sounding amused.

 

Hunter has to keep himself from bursting into hysterical laughter when he sees Molly’s face at that.

 

They do manage to get the conversation off of their relationship when Blake begins talking about now working in the teenage unit at the substance abuse center. It’s a huge tone change, but Hunter is cool with that if it means getting the attention off of them for a few minutes.

 

“It’s challenging,” Blake admits as he cuts into the blackberry pie he made, “A lot of them are angry and come from shaky family situations. Most have been abused in one way or another. Some got put on drugs by their parents themselves. But it’s so rewarding and it’s honestly the best time to intervene, since they are still young.”

 

“He gets hurt on this unit more than any other unit,” Ted grumbles, looking at Blake with what can only be described as annoyance, “Just a couple of weeks ago, one of the girls gave him a black eye. Before that, one of the boys hit him over the head with a lunch tray.”

 

“They were going through withdrawal and were both feeling triggered by their environment,” Blake argues, “I’m not angry with them for being understandably hypervigilant. Both of those kids have gone through more than what any of us can comprehend…or…well, most of us.”

 

The room gets quiet at that and at first, Hunter doesn’t even know why. But he can see Blake overthinking his previous words and Ted’s eyes watching him closely and it’s not hard to connect the dots on what they are thinking. Before Hunter can awkwardly tell them it’s cool, Blake begins to speak again.

 

“You know…” Blake starts, looking almost hopeful, “The teens I work with would probably really appreciate a success story who isn’t their staff. A speaker of sorts. Hunter, you uh…you are a success story. A pretty big one. You have been through more than we can comprehend. If you were open to speak to them one day, I really think it would really inspire them.”

 

He feels Molly’s fingers touch his under the table and he appreciates the feel of them on the top of his hand. He turns his hand over and she gently begins to interlace her fingers with his.

 

“I don’t know much about drugs and addiction, at least from a personal standpoint,” Hunter says, “I’ve never done anything but drink and smoke weed and even those things are limited. There were several guys on the streets a little older than me who were addicts, but I honestly lost touch with them – or they’re dead. Several of them are dead.”

 

Blake looks sad over Hunter’s words, but not surprised, before nervously continuing, “I’m sorry to hear that. That’s sadly the reality of teens in their situation who don’t get help. That’s what we are trying to prevent. We want to see them thrive. I know you were never fueled by addictions, but many of these kids come from similar homes. They have addicted parents. They have had to resort to certain things in order to get money or drugs. I know I did at one point. I just…I don’t know, your life would be a fairy tale to them. You went through a lot of horrible things, got adopted by loving parents, went to college, moved to California, became successful in a field that’s hard to become successful in, you’ve won awards, and have a smart and beautiful girlfriend. You’re an inspiration.”

 

“You’re the second person who has said that to me in the last twenty-four hours,” Hunter snorts, shaking his head, “I’m really not-“

 

“Bullshit,” Molly responds, actually glaring at that, “We’re all proud of you, even my friend who literally just met you. You are extremely inspiring.”

 

“Speaking of inspiring,” Hunter says, selfishly taking the opportunity to get the spotlight off himself, “Molly is a teacher. She developed an after-school program at the school she works at and has developed various focuses for students to choose from and learn about. It started with science - she runs the science program in it – but she also made sure that staff was willing to run extracurriculars for music, drama, writing, and math. She also apparently gets punched in the face at work. You guys have something in common.”

 

“Don’t you teach 5th graders?” Ted asks, confused, “I could have sworn Justin said you were a 5th grade teacher.”

 

“I am,” Molly shrugs, “But I go work with kids at our sister school a couple of hours a day. It is a special education school. Several are non-verbal and have Autism. A few have sensory and behavioral issues. Hunter thought I was attacked by a full grown man when I came home today, but I was just punched in the face by an extremely overgrown 5th grader. But he did so well throughout the day. He was amazing and the fact that it took as long as he did to go off is impressive. He also communicated after with his iPad and he’s getting so much better with it.”

 

“See?” Blake points out to Ted, “Getting hit isn’t the worst thing that could ever happen at work. Molly understands that even though it is by far not the best way to communicate, aggression still is a form of communication for those who can’t figure out how to get their message across more productively. It offers a chance for them to debrief and learn after they de-escalate. And look, she doesn’t even have a bruise.”

 

“Oh, I do,” Molly says, tapping her right cheek, “I’m just really good with makeup. Hunter’s right. It looks like a grown man hit me. I covered it so you didn’t think Hunter was being extremely uncharacteristic and beating up his girlfriend.”

 

The conversation is pretty much dropped after Blake asks him to think on it. They don’t stay much longer than that since Ted and Blake are catching a flight to New York in the morning for Lily’s and Duncan’s party. When they are putting on their coats and saying goodbye to the couple, Ted is stepping away to take a call from Michael. They last thing said as they are walking out the door is,

 

“Hey, your dads want you to call them sometime when you get the chance! And they also want me to tell you that they love you very much and that…no, Michael, I’m not saying that. You just want to embarrass him in front of Molly, I know you.”

 

“Let’s leave before my dad gets Ted to put me on the phone,” Hunter says, leading Molly to the car before driving away. Molly’s mostly quiet in the passenger seat for the first few minutes of the drive and Hunter wonders if the week has finally caught up to her and made her exhausted. But before he can ask anything about how tired she is, she speaks up first.

 

“So do you think you’ll speak at the center Blake works at?”

 

Hunter stifles a put-upon groan and can see Molly watching him out of the corner of her eye. It’s not that he’s mad at Blake for even asking him. In some ways, he can understand why he would give it a shot. Hunter’s not secretive of his past, but he also wants it to fucking stay there – in the past. He doesn’t particularly like bringing things up that happened a long time ago, although he will occasionally do it in private when he feels like it is necessary or some part of him wants to talk. But speaking to a whole room of teenagers sounds less than desirable and it’s honestly something Hunter doesn’t think he could do.

 

“Motivational speaking isn’t really my strong suit,” Hunter says as they drive along the highway.

 

“Sure it is,” Molly says, “You talk me up all the time. And even when you aren’t trying to build someone up, you get them to pull their head out of their ass. Blake was right. You probably are an ideal person to talk to those kids.”

 

Hunter does groan at that, “Not you too.”

 

Molly is silent for a moment, then clears her throat, “No, I’m on your side for whatever you choose. I would completely understand if you didn’t want to dredge up some upsetting and traumatic stuff for strangers, regardless of the reason. But I would also understand and be supportive if you did go and talk to them about everything.”

 

“I don’t know shit about teenagers.”

 

“Bullshit, you work on a teenage show.”

 

“That means nothing.”

 

“It would mean something to those teenagers. They’re gonna think that you are so cool,” Molly counters.

 

Hunter shakes his head, “I’m not a fan of public speaking. You saw my fucking acceptance speech. I remember getting a text from you backstage with a bunch of cry laugh emojis-”

 

“I couldn’t help it!” Molly defends herself, “It was funny - but in a good way - and I was only sort of your friend at the time!”

 

Hunter rolls his eyes in amusement but moves on, “Plus, we’re going on a trip next week, so I would only have the week after – if I decided to do it, which I probably won’t.”

 

“I understand,” Molly says, “I’m just saying that if you do, I wouldn’t mind coming to watch. Or I could stay at home if you don’t want me to watch. It would be up to you. Just tell me where to be and I’ll be there.”

 

“Kinky. Alright, let’s start now. Go over and stay at that hotel,” Hunter says, pointing at the Wyndham, “I’ll drop you off and then I’ll meet you at the continental breakfast table in the morning to make all of your fantasies come true.”

 

“Oh, Hunter, don’t tease me!” Molly says dramatically, before dissolving into giggles.

----------------------
The next morning, Hunter wakes up before Molly for the first time since he arrived. He briefly thinks about waking her up to see if she wants to go on a run with him. While Molly seems to hate gyms, she does seem to enjoy jogging outside. Hunter is pretty sure it’s due to her geeky ways. When she came in and they drove out to the Mojave Desert early Sunday morning with his dads, he thought he was going to have to pull her away from the Desert Mallow that was growing off the side of a trail. She had been fascinated since it was too early for it to start blooming and she wondered why it would be triggered to bloom in February. If it had been anyone else, Hunter probably would have tuned them out. However, since it was Molly who had been schooling him, he now knows a ridiculous amount of facts about desert vegetation.

 

But despite his amusement of her stopping and going when she sees a plant, bug, tree, or a fucking rock, Molly hasn’t been sleeping much in the last week and this is her first official day of her Spring break. He’s going to let her sleep. He’s tempted to stay with her - to wait until she wakes up – but he’s been slacking on his exercising. He had gotten into that with Ben and never stopped. He had done a few morning routine exercises, but he’s no longer a member of any Pittsburgh gyms, nor had he done any hiking, except for a walk with Craig last week. When he had attempted to give Craig the keys to his SUV back on Monday, Craig refused to take them and had just said, “You can keep them while you are staying here. I rarely use that car anyway. That way, you don’t have to worry about asking to use it if you need it.” If Molly wants to hiking with him, he wouldn’t be opposed to do it again. It wouldn’t hurt him.

 

He sends Molly a text, briefly taking her phone away from the nightstand so that the vibration won’t wake her, then gets dressed and heads out. He settles for a moderate trail in Frick Park that’s a little over four miles and works up a good pace. He mostly keeps to himself – keeping his earbuds in helps with that – but does give in once as he stops to tie his shoe and an overly excited pit bull puppy comes up to lick him on the face. He always wanted a dog. He lives alone and his job doesn’t really allow for him to come home and let a dog out, but he honestly likes them over cats. Don’t get him wrong, he loves HIS cat. She’s chill, kind of independent and keeps to herself, but does like to be pet by him and seems to tolerate Quinn since he’s watched her enough. She surprisingly took to Molly quickly, despite Molly claiming that Katniss was judging her the first day she met her. But by Molly’s last morning there, Katniss was rubbing against her legs and had jumped on Molly’s suitcase when Hunter attempted to pick it up. Either she hadn’t wanted for Molly to leave or she had known that Hunter didn’t want her to. Either way, she’s smart and had never warmed up to any other girlfriend Hunter has had that quickly.

 

But still, other than Katniss, he likes dogs more. He had one once, briefly. He doesn’t like to think about her much. Even after twenty years, he hates thinking about Scout. His mother had brought her home to him, probably the only nice thing she had ever done for him. Scout didn’t really like men, but liked Hunter – probably because he was a kid. She had been protective of him. His father was in town for a stint. He would do that sometimes – come in, get all hot and heavy with Rita, then usually steal something valuable from them to sell, take the cash that they had, or end up in prison for several months for stealing from someone else or on domestic battery charges. Rita was probably the bigger piece of shit overall – James Montgomery never sold him out as a prostitute. But after Scout bit him when he hit Hunter, James had forced both Hunter and Scout into the car. He sold Scout to a dog fighting ring that his drug dealer ran and made Hunter watch as she got torn apart. He had never cried so hard in his life. He had nightmares about it for years, even after he moved to LA. He doesn’t think he has had a bad dream about Scout since he got Katniss. It’s probably another reason he likes her so much.

 

Michael and Ben had asked him a year after the adoption went through why Hunter had claimed that Rita had stabbed and killed James. Hunter had just told them that he hadn’t wanted to go back to either of them, so he made that story up to avoid the possibility. He hadn’t told them that when Rita did stab James and Hunter ended up in a foster home, the only thing he could wish as James got wheeled into the ambulance was for his father to die due to what he had done to Scout.

 

“He’s adorable,” Hunter says, smiling a little as he stands up and gives the dog one more pat on the head, “He looks like a dog I had when I was a kid. I loved her.”

 

He finishes the trail without talking to anyone else.

 

When Hunter returns to the house, the only person up is Craig. He pokes his head into the dining room to say hi before heading up to grab some clothes and hop into the shower. He opts for a shirt that Molly had given him in LA, insisting that it would bring out his eyes and go well with his skin tone. He can admit she has excellent taste in clothes and knows how to dress and style herself, as well as other people. It’s almost deceiving, considering what a nerd she can be. But when Hunter had told her that, she almost got offended and started going on about people being multi-faceted. It gave him the assumption that he’s probably not the first person to say that to her and her beauty might have worked against her in the past, at least in the academic and scientific world. So he quickly made a note to never say anything about that again.

 

He keeps his shower quick, then heads into the kitchen to eat a bowl of cereal before calling his dads. He talks to JR for a while first – who apparently spent the night at Emmett’s along with everyone else. He finds himself listening intently to her when she talks about the book she’s been reading because he knows how it feels like for a family not to give a shit about what you’re interested in and he never wants JR to feel like that due to anyone. He keeps it pretty quick with the both of his dads, but they sound way too chipper for 8:30 am on a Saturday morning and Hunter sort of wants to know what’s up. Maybe they are just tired and overcompensating. They got into New York late last night to surprise Lily and Duncan for their party, with no doubt a shit ton of presents in tow, Hunter’s gifts for the two four-year-olds included. Maybe they are just excited about seeing everyone. But when he does ask, they just wave it off.

 

“We just got some good news,” Ben says, sounding like he is grinning ear to ear, “We’ll tell you next time we see you. You’re still coming to Brian’s wedding, right?”

 

“Yeah,” he says, “I’m working on getting Molly to tag along as my date. I think that she might. But even if she doesn’t, I’ll still go.”

 

“Good, because we miss you,” Ben says seriously.

 

“So much,” Michael adds, “We’re tempted to come to Pittsburgh and see you and Molly, not to mention Ted and Blake.”

 

“But we’re not going to impose this time,” Ben says pointedly.

 

“I miss you guys too,” Hunter says, rolling his eyes, “I wouldn’t hate it if you came, but Molly and I are heading to Morgantown tomorrow and probably going on a trip for a few days this week, since it’s her spring break.”

 

“…Is Craig doing well enough for you guys to go?” Michael asks in hesitation, “You mentioned that he wasn’t doing well and that was why Molly was so upset.”

 

“Yeah…” Hunter sighs, before lowering his voice because he really doesn’t want to get into this, nor does he want Craig to overhear anything he does end up saying, “Things are better. A lot better than before. I think Molly being around helped a lot. His son came down too, although he didn’t know anything about it. But now that he does, he’s helping out and I think that’s putting Molly’s mind at ease a bit.”

 

“…What do you mean, his son came down?” Michael asks, confused, “Justin’s here. I just spoke to him this morning and asked if he was going to be in Central Park early for the set up.”

 

“His other son,” Hunter corrects, and now he can see why Molly kept Mason’s title as ‘step-brother’ with some people, “Craig’s ex-wife’s son. He adopted Mason when they got married.”

 

“…Oh,” Michael says eventually, “Sorry, I didn’t realize. I don’t think Justin ever mentioned him. Neither did Brian.”

 

“Justin barely knows him. They’ve only met like three times. Mason is Molly’s brother but Mason and Justin are a different story,” Hunter says softly, “I doubt Brian knows him at all.”

 

“Well, I’m glad that he’s there,” Ben says, “Especially if that means you and Molly can go and have a nice trip without her being too worried. Where are you guys going?”

 

“I don’t know,” Hunter answers, “I was looking into this resort called the Ferrington House Inn. It’s in North Carolina and about six and a half hours away. It has a nice spa and stuff so it might help her relax-”

 

“Wait,” Michael interrupts, which immediately has Hunter frowning, “Look, I know you want to treat her and take her some place beautiful, but I’m already looking it up and she will flip if she knows you are spending over four hundred dollars a night. You had to beg her to take the new phone.”

 

“But if I tell her that I want to go and pamper myself, then she won’t be able to resist because I deserve it.”

 

Ben huffs out a laugh, then sarcastically says, “Ah, yes. I keep forgetting how metrosexual you are.”

 

“I’m not NOT metrosexual,” Hunter argues, “I’m just not Brian Kinney or Emmett Honeycutt. It’s not my fault that you instantly think of them whenever that word is brought up.”

 

“What are you arguing about?” Molly asks, coming into the kitchen to dig through the fridge, she is still in her robe and her hair is damp but her makeup is already done for the day. If anyone is metrosexual, it’s probably Molly. It’s why he wants to give her a spa getaway, or at least some sort of luxurious vacation. He might lie and say he deserves it, but it’s really her.

 

“Whether or not I’m metrosexual,” Hunter says and soon enough, Molly is coming over to study him.

 

“You did style your hair and it’s only 8:30 in the morning,” Molly says slowly, “You have a short and well-groomed beard, but it doesn’t have designs or a super sharp cut, it’s more of a subtle and gentle style – which is a plus in my eyes because I’m not personally attracted to the sharp edge style. You are artistic and you live in LA. You have an amazing body. You are also wearing the shirt I got you, because you realize that I’m a person to trust when it comes to fashion. Sixty-five percent.”

 

“…I accept,” Hunter says, “See Fathers Novotny-Bruckner? Sixty-Five Percent. Which is why I deserve a grand stay at a five-star spa resort this week.”

 

“Oh god, not that again,” Molly groans, walking away, “I take it all back, because I obviously misspoke. You are negative sixty-five percent metrosexual. You have a beer belly and a mullet and you hold in belches every time you talk.”

 

“Oh, you take that back!” Hunter says, sitting up in his seat, “And even if that was true - which it isn’t - a five star spa resort might help a guy like that out. Enlighten him. Either way, all the more reason for me to go.”

 

“Uh huh, have fun! I’ll stay in the Motel 6 across town.”

 

“You liar. I would bombard you with beautiful and relaxing pictures from my deluxe suite and you’d arrive at my door within two hours.”

 

“I think you’ve underestimated how stubborn I can be.”

 

“And I believe you’ve made the same transgression regarding my own abilities.”

 

“Uh, Hunter?” Michael says, sounding as if he’s stifling back a laugh, “We’re going to let you go bicker with your girlfriend. As amusing as it is to hear, we have to go and help Emmett.

 

“Yeah, of course,” Hunter says, still playfully glaring at Molly, “Tell Lily and Duncan happy birthday for me.

 

“We will,” Michael says, “We’ll let them know that you and Molly send your love.”

 

“We love you,” Ben says, in a way that always sounds like they want Hunter to know just how much they love him, “So much. We’re really glad you are having a good time and that Molly is doing well.”

 

“…Yeah, me too. I’ll check in with you guys later. Bye.”

 

Hunter hangs up the phone, then puts it on the table before putting his empty bowl in the dishwasher.

 

“Was that your dads?” Molly asks.

 

“Yeah,” Hunter says, “I talked to JR for a while and then checked in with them. They’re all in New York for Lily and Duncan’s birthday party.”

 

“You didn’t bail on two small children to hang out with me, did you?”

 

“I was invited,” Hunter shrugs, then puts his arms around her shoulders, “But I invited myself elsewhere, somewhere much better.”

 

Molly scoffs out a laugh, “Yes, Hunter. Your girlfriend’s dad’s house is much better than New York City with all of your family.”

 

“It is a nice house,” Hunter points out, looking around the luxurious kitchen, “New York might have it beat if you weren’t here, but you are so it is what it is.”

 

“Uh huh,” Molly says, rolling her eyes as she turns to fully face him, “What are we doing today? Mason and Dad are getting ready to leave and head to Columbus to watch the Penguins play Hockey. Mason said he could get two extra tickets but I turned them down without asking you if you wanted to go because I don’t wanna.”

 

Hunter holds back a laugh and attempts to look forlorn, “But Molly, I thought you liked the violent sports.”

 

“No. I prefer watching violent sports if I have to attend a game. Like, if it was between hockey and baseball, I’m obviously going to choose hockey. If it is hockey and close to anything else outside of sports, then the Penguins can suck my dick.”

 

Hunter can’t hold his laughter back at that, “That is blasphemous. My expatriate Pittsburghese heart can’t take it.”

 

“I would also claim to be an expatriate, but West Virginia has basically claimed all Pittsburgh teams as their own since there are no major league sports teams in the whole entire state. Doesn’t keep WVU from hating Pitt though.”

 

“Do they still chant ‘Eat Shit Pitt’ at football games?”

 

“I’m pretty sure I have a shirt that says it from when I was there,” Molly says, “But seriously, what are we doing? Let’s go do something. I need to get out.”

 

“It’s still pretty early. When are your dad and brother heading out?”

 

“They’re leaving by 9, so they can get lunch before going to the game,” Molly says, “They probably won’t be back until late tonight.”

 

“…And you think your dad will be okay? Being out all day and around crowds?”

 

Molly lets out a sigh and puts her arms around Hunter’s neck, “I don’t know. It’ll probably wear him out at best. But I let Mason know what to watch out for, so that he knows whether or not he needs to get Dad back to the car. I’m going to make sure he has enough pills for the next couple of days if something happens and they can’t make it back tonight for some reason. But…I think it will be good for him. Mason too. I’ll make sure I check in with them every few hours.”

 

Hunter nods, “Alright. If you’re comfortable with it, then I am too."
------------------------------------
They settle on taking advantage of the house being empty once Mason and her dad leave. They fuck in the bed twice, against the wall, over Molly’s desk, and in the shower – which may seem wasteful since they already showered earlier in the morning but they are in there together this time around so it isn’t quite as bad. It’s totally worth having to do her makeup and hair again because they fuck as loud as they want and as hard as they want. It’s basically like living in the best porno to ever exist. Sex with Hunter is amazing – the best she’s ever had. He has such a short recovery time that it’s almost intimidating, he’s versatile when it comes to who is the more dominant one. Sometimes she’s in the mood for him to take control and fuck her to his heart’s content and sometimes she wants to push him against the bed and ride him until he’s begging her to come already so that he can.

 

After what happened with Seth and Will, she had strongly preferred to be dominant in bed and be in control of the situation. She didn’t like being held down or against a wall or in a situation where she couldn’t see the person’s face. It probably raised red flags with the people she had slept with – it had with Miguel. Like Hunter, he had asked her if Seth had done anything to her. Other than the attack outside of her apartment, Seth had never sexually assaulted her, not really. There were some things that he had done that were more dubious and toeing the line near the end of their relationship – holding her down on the bed face down and getting too rough, trying to switch holes without asking her if she was even into anal or prepping her, stuff that really made her used, but never full on assaulted. But she knows others wouldn’t see it that way, that it would bother them at best and devastate them at worst. It’s why she never told anyone but Hazel she was drugged by Will. She never slept with him anyway and the fucker died in an accident two days later, so it’s moot point. But with Seth, it had always been the manipulative and emotional abuse that bothered her more and she honestly thinks it had been that more than anything that made her act the way she did when it came to intimacy.

 

But with Hunter? He’s the first one she doesn’t mind giving up some of her control to. She doesn’t know if it is because she trusts him so much, if it’s because he trusts her, or if it is because he is so fucking good in bed. It’s probably all of the above. All of the above, plus the fact that he can literally pick her up, put her legs on his shoulders, prop her up against the bedroom wall, and eat her out like it’s fucking nothing.

 

It’s something to her. She’s fucking impressed. She’s impressed over how good he is at eating her out and how much he seems to be into doing it, especially since some guys are fucking bitches about it. What gets her the most is that how he literally does it as if he’s aiming for an Olympic medal. She’s 5’9” and has and hourglass figure. She’s not super light. She’s around 150 pounds, Hunter has 2 inches and maybe 25 pounds on her due to muscle. Yet he lifts her up like she’s as light as a feather.

 

She’s never been one to brag about her sexcapades, but she’s extremely tempted to brag about that, along with close to everything else Hunter does when they’re fucking. He’s a sex god, at least compared to everyone else she’s slept with. She doesn’t know if it’s his past that makes him so focused on pleasing his partner, but she doesn’t want to look into it. She’s too grateful for the orgasms he gives her to get sad about why he possibly gives her so many of them.

 

They do eventually stop having sex and head back down to the kitchen to grab lunch. They eat the leftovers Hunter made for her dad and they taste as good as they smelled the day before. And then soon enough, they’re out of the house and genuinely enjoying themselves. They don’t have a destination in mind at first, they sort of just drive around until they figure out where they want to go. They head for the point to walk along the river. They go to the Warhol Museum to explore since admission is free for the day. She sends a picture to Justin with the caption, Trying to be you for the day. It doesn’t take long for her to get a response.

 

Oh, yeah? Who are you there with?

 

You know who

 

Voldemort? Fucking knew it.

 

Shut up

 

Didn’t realize Hunter was so artsy.

 

You did too. He’s literally an award-winning
cinematographer. And you’re a dick

 

K. Nathan and I are at the kids’ party. You guys
are basically the gossip of the hour. You should probably know

 

Molly rolls her eyes at the news and is about to respond but gets another text from Justin.

 

And you should tell Mom and Tucker before Debbie does.

 

Molly glares at her phone.

 

You know how they get, Justin.

 

They get like that for a reason. And they know
Hunter. I think they would be okay with whatever
is going on between you two.

 

Are you okay with it?

 

You’ve barely told me anything. Idk.

 

Because it’s my fucking business.

 

“Why are you scowling at your phone?” Hunter asks, walking over to lightly smack a silver metallic balloon towards her.

 

Molly serves the balloon back to him before hitting another that blows over to her, “Justin’s being a dick.”

 

“A dick about what?”

 

“A dick about us.”

 

“Huh,” Hunter says, nodding before pulling out his phone, “Yeah, I’m gonna text him. He should be a dick to my face If he has a problem with it.”

 

“You’re going to start a fight with my brother now?” Molly sighs, yet she is intrigued enough of what the outcome of this is going to be by just letting Hunter do his thing.

 

“No,” Hunter answers, “I’m texting him to say that I respect you and he needs to respect that we’re a thing.”

 

Molly snorts, “Okay, have fun with that.”

 

It doesn’t take long for Hunter’s phone to ping and if Molly didn’t want to know how Justin was going to respond before, she does now once she sees Hunter’s look of surprise.

 

“What did he say?”

 

“….I don’t know if I want to say. I kind of want to chew Michael out right now though.”

 

Molly lets out a breath, “What did you tell him?”

 

“…That we possibly hooked up in the bathroom at Justin’s gallery on New Year’s,” Hunter admits, wincing, “But I didn’t plan on blabbing about it so don’t look at me like that! I was having a crisis and being a drama queen over missing you and how can I be faulted for that?”

 

Molly lets out a groan, because of course Justin has that kind of knowledge now. But soon enough, she begins laughing because honestly? Justin deserves the need for brain bleach.

 

“You know what?” Molly says, sobering up, “He had it coming. Remember when we were both staying there when I was nineteen and we walked in on that threesome he was having, essentially ruining his sex life for the rest of the summer? At least he didn’t see anything. He should be grateful.”

 

Hunter nods in agreement, “He really should be. We were being quite chaste in comparison. Either way, I guess I will work on proving myself to him. Next time we’re around him, I’ll push your chair in, open doors for you, and wait on you hand and foot.”

 

“That will probably just weird him out,” Molly points out, immediately catching onto Hunter’s bullshit.

 

“I know.”

 

“Well, at least you know,” Molly says before taking Hunter’s hand to lead him to the screening room, “Come on. I’ll let you geek out and sit through some weird, artsy movies.”

--------------------------------------------------------

Molly both treats and torments Hunter by taking him to get pierogies for dinner. As soon as she says the word ‘pierogies’ the man gets excited and acts like they are some great delicacy you can only get in Pittsburgh. And I guess, in some ways, he’s right. They are known for them due to the huge Eastern European population. But she knows what Hunter wants are some authentic pierogies from a tiny hole in the wall run by Polish grandparents. To be fair, she looks up the times for some places like that she knows, but they all close early. Stuff’d Pierogi Bar doesn’t. Stuff’d stays open late and sells all different types of pierogies. They’re also hipster as fuck.

 

“I don’t like this,” Hunter says, looking around warily as soon as they sit down, “I feel uncomfortable here.”

 

Molly chokes out laughter at that, “Hunter, you’ve lived in LA for eight years. This is nothing compared to some places we went to there.”

 

“Pittsburgh is supposed to be different, Molly. Pittsburgh is blue collar and authentic and-“

 

“Is now one of the most hipster cities in the nation.”

 

“Don’t talk like that! Look, Molly! There are taco pierogies on this menu. Chicken marsala pierogies. Lobster mac and cheese pierogies.”

 

“Those sound great. Maybe I will order all three,” Molly says, looking at Hunter with amusement as he narrows his eyes.

 

“They sound disrespectful.”

 

Molly rolls her eyes, “Well, you’re in luck. They have some traditional flavors too. Get the potato and sauerkraut ones or the potato and cheese ones. I bet they will do the job when it comes to your long standing craving for Pittsburgh pierogies.”

 

“I doubt it,” Hunter says, but orders both of Molly’s suggestions anyway. Molly doesn’t go so traditional, opting for the spring roll pierogies and the buffalo chicken pierogies, solely to piss him off.

 

But when they do get the food, it actually does end up being very good. They end up sharing all four plates as Hunter swallows his words, along with a little bit of her order. And then, they just talk. With her workload, their one on one conversations have mainly been limited to post-coital pillow talk and as much as she loves the sex and the way Hunter holds her after, she loves the conversations just as much. Because she’s never felt more comfortable talking to someone. Hunter may even beat out Hazel, and that’s extremely difficult and absolutely foreign to Molly. And it’s a good night. For once in what seems like a long time, Molly doesn’t have any worries on her mind. People know about her and Hunter now and are taking it well. She already knows Justin well enough to know that he’ll get over whatever reservations he has about it. Her dad and Mason seem to be having a good time and it’s been hours. Hunter is here and she’s going to have him for two more weeks and that feels like a lifetime in comparison to what time she’s had with him so far. It’s just been a really good day.

 

So, of course, something had been bound to ruin it. It had been inevitable. Still, she hadn’t seen this coming. Even if she had, she doubts she could have ever prepared herself for it.

 

“Jimmy?”

 

Molly doesn’t react to the name. She knows that Hunter’s original first name had been James, that he went by Jimmy as a kid, and now legally, personally, and professionally used his middle name as his first name and had done so since he was a teenager. So even though she knows that, yes, at one point Hunter Novotny-Bruckner had been James ‘Jimmy’ Montgomery, she doesn’t even think the woman’s voice calling out ‘Jimmy’ has anything to do with Hunter. She ignores it.

 

But as soon as she looks at Hunter, she realizes that he’s not ignoring it. His face is white as a sheet and his eyes are glazed over as if he’s not even fully there. Molly’s own eyes widen in concern and she reaches over the table to touch Hunter’s hand.

 

“Hunter?” Molly prompts, patting his hand briefly before taking it, “Hey, what’s going on with you?”

 

“Jimmy!”

 

Molly turns her head and a woman in a Greyhound uniform is standing in front of their table. She’s thin and looks worn – like she is probably younger than she appears – and has her red hair tied into a bun, her pale blue eyes looking at Hunter with hope and surprise.

 

Molly doesn’t know who the woman is, not at first. She just knows that Hunter is fucking bothered so she is too. It isn’t until she looks at Hunter again that she realizes that the woman’s eyes are the exact same color as his. That they don’t look terribly too much alike otherwise, but their eyes are exactly the same.

 

No. No.

 

“I…” Rita Montgomery starts as she stares at Hunter, “I saw you…you and your friend come into the restaurant a while ago. I work down the street and saw you walk past. It took me a second to register it. You look so different. You’re a man now. But I will always know my baby. It took me a while to work up the courage to come in and say hello.”

 

Molly watches Hunter closely as his Adam's apple bobs in his throat, before he rasps out, “Well, you came in and said hello. We done?”

 

“Jimmy…” Rita says, almost cooing as she grabs a spare chair from the empty table next to them and sits down, “Jimmy, I want to get to know you again. I’m…I’m doing better. I miss you. You have to miss me too, right? Everyone needs their mother.”

 

Hunter scoffs but he sounds anything but amused, “No, Rita. I don’t. I really, really don’t. What I need is for you to leave.”

 

“Jimmy-” Rita starts but Molly cuts her off.

 

“He said he wants you to go.”

 

Rita glances over at her with what can only be described as disdain before continuing to ignore her completely.

 

“Jimmy, I’ve been trying to get a hold of you,” Rita continues, a bit more urgently, less sweetness lacing her tone, “I…I need some help. Financially. I know you are doing really well for yourself. I’m so, so proud of you. But when you’re making money, good money like you’re making now, you owe it to your family to help them. But you’ve blocked me on Facebook, again and again and again. You had that production office screen my calls. I need money. I can barely make rent. Please, if you could just buy me a place and pay for utilities-“

 

“Are you fucking kidding me?”

 

The words come out of Molly’s mouth before she can even stop them and butt out. But she’s not going to butt out, not when Hunter looks like he’s on the verge of either screaming, storming out, or having a fucking breakdown. Not when this abusive bitch is trying to use her son as a cash source, just like she had when he was a child. No. Molly’s not going to watch it. She can’t.

 

“Okay, look, I don’t know who you are, but this is a family matter,” Rita says, “If you could just step outside or go to the bar for a few minutes-“

 

“Absolutely not,” Molly says, looking at her in disgust, “You might not know who I am, but I fucking know who you are. You don’t deserve shit. You should be rotting in jail for what you did to him.”

 

Rita opens her mouth to speak – most likely to deny the accusations or chew Molly out – but instead, she turns back to Hunter and ignores her once again.

 

“Sweetheart, it isn’t only for me,” Rita says, getting out her phone, “I…I had a baby a couple of months ago, back in February. Her birthday is the same as yours. It was like God was giving me a second chance. Just look at her, baby, look at your sister. I have lots of pictures of her.”

 

Molly wants to take the phone from Rita’s hands and throw it, tell Hunter that it’s probably a fucking trap, but she knows she can’t do that. She knows that Hunter has to see it for himself.

 

Molly stares at Hunter as he goes through the pictures before letting out a shaky breath, “What are you now, 45? With all of the drugs you’ve done, how the hell are you still fertile?”

 

Rita looks offended by the question but seems to be able to hold her tongue as she ignores the question completely, “Her name is Nova. It means ‘New’ in Latin because she’s a new beginning for me-”

 

“I’m guessing you’ve finally moved on from James. She looks nothing like him. Who’s the father?”

 

Rita avoids answering that question too. Great.

 

“Jimmy, that isn’t important…I…I had to resort to some things to make money. Not…Not prostitution. It was legal. All of the men on that set were nice. It was legal.”

 

“All of the men?” Hunter says in disbelief, “All of the men? Jesus Christ, Rita. Were you on some sort of gangbang shoot? Is that what you’re trying to say here? Is that how your new beginning came to be?”

 

“You’re one to fucking judge!” Rita hisses, slamming her hand down on the table, “You’re the one who was a fucking whore.”

 

“And who got him started on that?” Molly grits out as Rita looks at her sharply, “Who forced their ten year old to be a fucking whore, you cunt?”

 

Rita’s hands form into fists as she looks back to Hunter, “Are you going to let her talk like that to me?”

 

“Yep,” Hunter says, only to give the woman nothing else, before standing up, taking the bill, and opting to pay up front. Molly can’t blame him. She wouldn’t leave her cash or card around this woman either.

 

It also leaves Molly alone with Rita. She doesn’t mind.

 

“If you even have an ounce of love for him, you’d realize that you fucked up and let him live his life in peace.”

 

“Oh, shut up, you slut,” Rita scoffs. And Molly finds the insult more amusing than anything. She usually gets called a slut roughly once a month. If Rita is trying to shock her, then she’s going to have to try a lot harder.

 

“At least I’m not an abusive addict who has no business having kids, yet still got knocked up from a gangbang,” Molly shrugs, “If you’re dying for cash, we can’t give you that. But do you want our leftovers? You can have them.”

 

Rita makes a grab for her, probably to hit her or pull her hair or whatever. But Molly just detangles Rita’s hand from the neckline of her dress, moves her seat back, and walks around the woman to meet Hunter up front. He could look worse and Molly is proud of him for how he handled it, but she can see that he’s not okay, not with the way his hand is shaking as he signs the receipt and the way his breathing is just slightly off. When they’re good to leave, she puts an arm around his waist and holds him tight, he returns the gesture by throwing an arm around her shoulders as they make their way down the street towards the parking garage. For a few moments, Molly thinks that their time with Rita has come to an end. That the woman got it through her thick skull that she will never earn a second chance and will never be a parent or even an acquaintance to Hunter again. But maybe Molly underestimated Rita’s stubbornness because soon enough, she hears Rita’s voice behind her.

 

“Jimmy, please!” Rita calls out desperately behind them, “I’m working two jobs! I can't keep it up anymore! And I promise I’m going to stay clean this time! I’ve been clean for several months now! I can’t do this on my own…Jimmy, answer me! What kind of monster are you? You find out you have a sister who isn’t even two months old and you don’t want to help her? You fucking sociopath! You ungrateful piece of shit! You ignorant snob! Fuck you! And fuck you too, you bitch! I hope you know your boyfriend is a sick faggot! I hope you get sick too!”

 

“Nope, can’t ignore her,” Molly says, letting go of Hunter to turn around and walk towards Rita.

 

“Molly, get back here,” Hunter says, trying to grab a hold of her hand only for Molly to shake it off.

 

“You think saying those things is going to prove that you’ve changed?” Molly scoffs, looking down at Rita in disgust, “You haven’t changed. That whole ‘new beginnings’ bullshit was just that: bullshit. So is the whole being clean thing, by the way. One look at you and anyone can see that you’re not clean. You’re pupils are super dilated, your face is puffy, your eyes are red, you’re being ridiculously aggressive over Hunter rightfully not wanting to deal with you, and I seriously doubt that the scabs by your hairline are from acne. Get the fuck away from my boyfriend. He is no longer your son. He never will be your son again. He has a family who loves him. And I hope that one day, for Nova’s sake, she is taken away from you and adopted by a family who will love her just as much as Hunter’s parents love him.”

 

Rita lets out an ugly laugh, possibly the ugliest laugh Molly has ever heard, before spewing out what can only be referred to as absolute hatred.

 

“Well, I hope that you have to watch my son die of AIDS. And I hope that you die from it right after.”

 

It’s probably a good thing that Hunter is close by to grab onto her and pull her away when she tries to lunge at Rita. If Molly was able to think logically, she would realize that this woman would definitely go to the police and report her for attacking her. She would lose her job since teachers apparently can’t have assault charges against them. She would be completely fucked. But Molly isn’t able to think logically because Rita deserves to be punched in the fucking face. She deserves to feel an ounce of the pain that she’s caused Hunter.

 

“She’s not worth it,” Hunter whispers into her as he literally picks her up and turns her around.

 

“Let me go, Hunter!”

 

“When we get to the car.”

 

“Let her at me, sweetie!” Rita calls out.

 

“See?” Molly snarls, attempting to turn around once more, “She wants me to hit her.”

 

Hunter scoffs as he continues to stand behind her to walk her forward, his arms still wrapped around her in a bear hug, “She wants a reason to sue us. She wants money, right? Come on, Molly. You have a smarter brain than I do. Put the pieces together. Let’s not give her the satisfaction, okay? I know you’re upset, I know…”

 

Hunter keeps talking to her all the way to the car. It barely blocks out the sound of Rita’s taunts.

---------------------------------------------

She doesn’t like crying in front of people. She doesn’t. But she’s so fucking angry that she can’t even think straight.

 

“Molly, it’s alright,” Hunter sighs, taking a hand off the steering wheel to rub her back as she cries into her hands, “I’m okay.”

 

Molly can only shake her head. She doesn’t even know why she is reacting like this. She isn’t an angry crier. That’s always been Hazel’s thing. Molly never quite got it, but now that she’s experiencing it, she gets why it was always hard for Hazel to stop when she got to that point. Because right now, Molly is crying because she is so angry and the fact that she’s crying over it makes her even angrier, which makes her cry harder and it won’t fucking stop.

 

But despite being stuck in this vicious cycle, she does feel it when Hunter pulls over. She feels him bring her into his arms, stroke her hair, and press several kisses against the top of her head, as if he’s trying to will her to calm down.

 

“I h-hate her, Hunter.”

 

“Really? I couldn’t tell at all.”

 

“Don’t joke about it!” Molly cries, “I can’t believe you grew up with that. I can’t believe she fucking came to our table.”

 

“Yeah…It took me by surprise too.”

 

Molly stays silent for a moment, focusing on Hunter’s soothing hands on her. Gradually, she does calm down just enough for the worst of her anger to be replaced with sadness and guilt - sadness over how this must make Hunter feel, guilt over the fact that he’s comforting her instead of the other way around. Slowly, she brings her arms around Hunter’s middle and holds him tightly. She suddenly has an intense need to never let go of him and she knows that’s illogical, but she just wants to stay in this car on the side of the road and never go anywhere else again.

 

“You good?” Hunter asks, his cheek resting against the top of her head, “Hm?”

 

Molly shrugs her shoulders, because she honestly doesn’t know how to answer that question, but she does feel the need to say something, “I’m sorry.”

 

“I told you to stop with that ‘sorry’ bullshit every time you get emotional.”

 

“I wasn't apologizing for my fucked up breakdown,” Molly rasps out, “I was apologizing for trying to beat up your ex-mom.”

 

Hunter snorts, “My ex-mom.”

 

“That’s the nicest word I can come up with for her,” Molly answers, “I want to say a lot worse, but I’m trying to remain somewhat respectful.”

 

“Molly, you literally called her a cunt to her face at the restaurant.”

 

Molly winces against Hunter’s chest, “I hate that word. I used it because I hate that word almost as much as I hate her. But I’m sorry if I upset you by calling her that.”

 

“I’m not sorry,” Hunter says, “I thought that shit was funny. She deserved it.”

 

Molly lifts her head just enough to glare up at him, her eyes still slightly wet, “Nothing about all of that was funny. Nothing.”

 

Hunter purses his lips and nods, “Just the cunt part. But yeah, you’re right. The rest of it wasn’t funny at all.”

 

Molly watches him closely, trying to watch for some sort of sign that Hunter is traumatized or is about to breakdown as hard as she did. He’s not giving her much to go off of though, so she forces herself to sit up just enough to press her cheek against his bicep and wrap her arms around his shoulders.

 

“Fuck, Hunter, are you okay? I don’t understand how you are so calm right now.”

 

Hunter shrugs, “Eh, I have you. That helps a lot. Even though I stopped you, the fact that you tried to lunge at my mom after she wished death upon us made me realize I have an awesome, badass girlfriend.”

 

“…I saw your face at the restaurant,” Molly says, frowning, “You looked like you were about to freak out or go catatonic when we first saw her. Don’t tell me you’re okay if you’re not.”

 

Hunter lets out a breath and it takes him a few moments to even say anything, as if he’s trying to rehearse the words he wants to say in his head, “…It probably wasn’t the best thing to happen to me, psychologically or whatever. But I’m really fucking glad she didn’t find me while I was on my own. Even though I really hate that she upset you so much and that she said all that shit to you, I’m really grateful you were here with me. It made me feel…I don’t know, safer, I guess.”

 

Molly feels her face crumple as she nods against Hunter’s shoulder, then tries not to fall back into being all weepy again when Hunter says, “Molly, it’s okay. If you are getting so worked up because you think I’m traumatized or heartbroken or whatever, don’t worry. I’m okay.”

 

It takes her several minutes just to chill out – from the adrenaline, anger, guilt, sadness, and tears, but as soon as she does, she realizes she is sort of being clingy as fuck. She is a little embarrassed by it but really doesn’t want to let go – the clinginess is outweighing the pride for once in her goddamn life and she doesn’t even care at this point. Although, Hunter might want to move on from the moment because he brushes her hair away from her face, tucks it behind her ear, then softly asks, “So are we staying on the side of the road tonight? Heading back to the house? I got a group text from Hazel, asking us if we wanted to go to Arsenal Bowling with her, Samira, Jerome, Rubina, and Gabrielle and Gretchen. I haven’t seen Gabrielle and Gretchen much in a while. I think the last time I saw them was a year ago when they came out to visit me in LA. I’ve kept in touch with them though. They just moved back to Morgantown from Philadelphia.”

 

“Yeah,” Molly answers hoarsely, “They went to WVU but graduated right before I started. They are good friends of Samira’s. I haven’t met them yet.”

 

Hunter nods, “Then we should go and hang out with everyone. Have a good time. Not let that cunt bring our whole night down.”

 

“I don’t feel like having fun. I’m not in the mood.”

 

Hunter lets out a groan, then twists his body just enough so that Molly’s cheek is off his shoulder and her face is suddenly in his hands. His lips are on hers before she can react to the change. The kisses are loving, but also insistent – as if he is trying to seduce her to change her mind.

 

“Do you…want…to go…bowling?” Molly manages to get out between kisses. Hunter nods seriously, before kissing her once more and settling back into his seat to turn the keys in the ignition.

-------------------------------------------------------------------

Molly probably doesn’t make the best impression with Gabrielle and Gretchen. She isn’t rude, but she is quiet and doesn’t join any conversations unless she is coaxed into them. She might also throw the bowling ball a little too hard whenever it’s her turn, but luckily she’s always been decent at bowling. Throwing it as hard as she does just gives her more strikes.

 

“Alright, what’s going on?”

 

It’s Rubina who asks. Molly has to wonder if it is because she’s the bravest or if she lost a coin toss or something. Either way, as much as she adores Rubina and wants Jerome to be with her forever, she isn’t in the mood to talk about what happened, nor is it really her place to do so anyway.

 

“Nothing,” is all Molly says, staring down at her stupidly comfortable, yet stupidly ugly bowling shoes.

 

“That is complete crap and you know it,” Rubina says softly, “You’re upset about something.”

 

“Was it Hunter?” Hazel asks, obviously eavesdropping as she comes over to join the conversation, “I told him I would make sure his body was never found if he hurt you. Didn’t think he would slip up this soon.”

 

“If it was Hunter, I’ll help,” Jerome adds, coming over to sit next to his girlfriend, “He seems nice but I know which side I’ll choose. Which river are we dumping his body in, Hazel?”

 

Molly rolls her eyes, “It wasn’t Hunter. Hunter makes me the opposite of what I’m feeling right now. It’s something else. I’m not going to talk about it because it’s none of your business-”

 

“We ran into my biological mother while we were at dinner.”

 

The whole group stares at Hunter when he says the words. Rubina, Jerome, and Samira look at him with confusion while Gabrielle, Gretchen, and Hazel look at Hunter in horror.

 

“Wait a second,” Gabrielle says, putting her hand up, “You ran into that bitch and we’re just hearing about this now?”

 

“No, not a bitch. I believe Molly called her a ‘cunt’ to her face,” Hunter informs them, all while Molly just stares at the stupid animated pins on the screen.

 

Gretchen nods, “Okay. I thought she was just quiet and pretty but now I officially approve…But fuck, Hunter. Are you okay?”

 

Hunter shrugs, then grabs his ball from the ball return, “Could be better. Could be worse. She wanted money, you know her…Well, I guess you technically don’t, but whatever. She was awful to me, then awful to Molly, then started saying insulting things about me to Molly, so Molly tried to lunge at her. It was kind of hot.”

 

“Oh my god,” Hazel says, sounding slightly amused, “Molly Taylor, did you try to get into a cat fight?”

 

“Hunter dragged me away before I could make contact,” Molly mutters.

 

“Is that why you’re pouting?” Jerome asks, “Because you couldn’t punch someone?”

 

It’s more complicated than that. Molly can’t get into how she felt about hearing a woman wish that her son die from AIDS and her horror over Hunter having to hear that shit. She can’t describe the pain she’s feeling over knowing that Hunter was raised by someone like that, sold out to pedophiles by someone like that. She can’t explain the worry she’s feeling over her boyfriend being traumatized by this, especially since he hasn’t seen his mother face to face since he was 16 years old.

 

But Jerome isn’t wrong. She’s pretty fucking bummed that she couldn’t break Rita Montgomery’s nose.

 

“She’ll be okay,” Hunter says after making a spare, coming over to sit down next to Molly, “It just…We had a really good day and having that happen was hard. She just needs to get her mind off of it.”

 

Hunter’s probably right. But she tends to perseverate on stuff. Hunter apparently doesn’t. He bowls without wanting to break the pins, laughs with Gabrielle and Gretchen, glares at Hazel when she steals his ball once she decides that it’s lucky, and seems to have a good night. And Molly is happy that he’s having a good night despite what happened. She really is. But even after they go home, tell Mason and her dad goodnight after hearing about their day, and head to her room to pass out, her last thought she has before she drifts off is, ‘How the hell is he taking this so well?’

-----------------------------

As soon as Molly is awoken by Hunter’s gasping cries, she realizes that seeing his mother bothered him a lot more than he had been letting on.

 

She thinks about pretending like she’s still asleep to give him privacy. It’s possible that he doesn’t want her to know that he’s so upset, especially with how he put up a front throughout the rest of the evening. But as soon as she opens her eyes and sees him sitting at the foot of the bed, his head in his hands and his shoulders shaking, she knows she can’t ignore it. She can’t.

 

“Hey,” she says softly, sitting up to touch his shoulder blade, only for him to flinch away. It comes off more as a reflex than anything. He has never flinched or acted like he didn’t want her to touch him before. If anything, he tends to lean into her touch. She understands why he’s doing it now. She gets that he’s in some kind of headspace he can’t be easily pulled from right now. She understands if he doesn’t want to talk or be touched. It hurts like hell, but she gets it.

 

But before she can wonder what else she can do, wonder if she should ask him if he wants the room to himself for a little bit, Hunter’s voice hoarsely breaks the silence.

 

“I should…uh,” Hunter starts, sniffling as he continuously tries to pull himself together, “I should call Pennsylvania’s CPS soon. Make sure they know about what Rita did to me. Make sure they know she has a baby that she could do the same thing to.”

 

Fuck. Out of all of the things, that’s the thing that’s bothering him the most. Of course it is. The fear of what he went through happening to someone else. It breaks her heart.

 

“That’s a good idea,” Molly answers, feeling teary herself, “That baby deserves a lot better.”

 

“Yeah,” Hunter chokes out, “You didn’t see the pictures, but she’s a really cute baby. Kind of reminded me of Lily when she was a couple months old. Dark eyes, curly hair. She’s darker than Lily. She looks nothing like me. She has my lips, maybe, but that’s about it…I called the Childline phone number just a little bit ago. They can’t do much about abuse that happened over a decade ago that’s already been investigated. They can’t take a new kid away just because I told them that Rita shouldn’t have a kid. But they’d ‘make a note of it, inform the main CPS office on Monday, and keep my information on file’ or whatever the fuck they said. But I’m going to call them myself, just to make sure they got everything.”

 

Molly nods, letting herself scoot a little closer, “Okay.”

 

Molly gives him a few minutes and just waits as the shaking of his shoulders dies down before coming to the edge of the bed to sit beside him. Hesitantly, she puts her hand over his and this time Hunter doesn’t flinch away. This time, he squeezes her hand before letting his head fall onto her shoulder. Molly wraps her arms around him and rests her chin on top of his hair as softly rubs the back of his neck.

 

“I think…” Molly start, her voice cracking, “I think that an early Easter breakfast would make my dad happy. We don’t have to do a big lunch or dinner. We can get up early, cook up something, eat, and then get on the road. The sooner we get out of Pittsburgh the better. We can go wherever you want. Seriously.”

 

She feels a little wetness against her neck as Hunter nods, but then he lets out a soft laugh.

 

“A resort?” Hunter asks, almost sounding amused.

 

Molly can’t help it. She rolls her eyes at that. But she’s not going to take anything off the table that Hunter might want, not now. So all she can do kiss the crown of his head and fondly say,

 

“If you absolutely insist.”

Molly wakes up the next morning with Hunter already up and out of the room, second day in a row. She's sort of surprised by it this time. Even after she had told him that he could pick wherever they went and had gotten him to lie back down, he was still emotionally raw. In their still limited amount of nights together, he had held her for almost all of them. Last night, it had been the other way around. Molly had laid on her side as she wiped his wet cheeks and ran her fingers through his hair until he was relaxed enough to shut his eyes. When he made a grab for her - most likely to assume one of their normal sleeping positions - Molly had gently pushed at his shoulder until he took a hint and was on his side, his back facing her. She was the big spoon for the first time since they first spent the night together and he had been cool with it. More than, possibly. He went to sleep almost instantly and, as far as Molly knows, didn't have a bad dream once. Molly had stayed awake for over an hour on the chance Hunter would have one but he had slept peacefully.

 

The whole night left her feeling a lot of love for him. It's a love so heavy and undeniably solid lodged directly into her chest cavity and it has made itself more known than ever.

 

Molly sort of knows how to explain the feeling to herself. She's free to think about her feelings for Hunter as strangely as she wants to. But saying them out loud? How can she express a feeling she's never felt before - not like this, not even once? She doesn't know if she can. She does know that Hunter deserves to know. He deserves to know how much he affects her and how much he is loved, especially after facing Rita Montgomery last night - the woman who had been meant to love him the most yet didn't love him at all. Molly wants him to know that he's fucking adored, especially if last night possibly made him feel less than.

 

She just has to find him first. Although she doesn't know what she is going to say when she does. She might have to wing it and sound like an idiot. Maybe her attempt will be so hilarious that Hunter won't be put on the spot and will feel free to laugh it off. Maybe it will be so badly spoken that he'll pity her instead of get uncomfortable by the intensity of it.

 

She finds him before she can overthink everything and immediately realizes that it is not a good time to proclaim her undying love or whatever. Not with her dad and Mason already cooking in the kitchen and Hunter looking through his laptop and cutting up potatoes simultaneously. Seeing the sight of the three of them all up before her hanging out is weird. Cute, possibly, but weird. Too weird for a love confession, that's for sure.

 

"Look who's finally up," Mason says, still half asleep, "See? You could have gotten her up and not made this morning all about pampering her. She doesn't even care about Easter."

 

"You're just jealous because your dad forced you to get out of bed and not her," Hunter says, glancing at Molly to give her a small, hesitant smile before pushing the cutting board aside to turn back to his computer. He might be embarrassed. She doesn't want him to be. The thought that he might be makes her want to clear out the kitchen so that she can make it clear that there's no reason to be. It would be another role reversal, probably. Maybe they're rubbing off on each other.

 

Mason doesn't seem to notice whether or not Hunter's off. He just huffs out a breath and says, "Nah, if I am going to be jealous of my sister about anything this morning, it's the fact that you're basically paying enough to be mistaken as honeymooners."

 

...Okay, that gets her mind off of Hunter's emotional health.

 

"What is he talking about?" Molly asks warily.

 

Hunter shoots Mason a glare, "Dude, I am not."

 

"You liar."

 

"Where are we going and how much are you spending?" Molly asks, trying again.

 

Hunter looks a little hesitant, "I've narrowed it down to two places. There's the Fearrington House Inn in North Carolina like I mentioned and there's the Marriott Falls View Resort in Niagara Falls, Canada. Your choice on which one we go to."

 

Huh. Out of their back and forth conversation on where they might go, Hunter has never once brought up Canada until this morning. He's brought up North Carolina, Virginia, Southern West Virginia, the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, Maryland, and Delaware. Canada never once came out of his mouth until just now. It doesn't escape her on why it suddenly might appeal to him, a place that's less than an hour and a half away from his family. If he needs to be closer in proximity to them or see them in person after having to deal with Rita, then she wants him to have that.

 

Unless it ends up costing a lot more.

 

"You didn't answer my second question."

 

Hunter lets out a breath, "They are both in the same price range, roughly. A better question would be which one is a better deal. Fearrington has more spa services attached to the price, while the Marriott does have some basic spa services but you get more when it comes to meal plans at participating restaurants and being close to a lot of stuff. Fearrington is good if you want peace and quiet-"

 

"And Niagara is good if you want to have fun?" Molly finishes, "Fine. I'm guessing something about it appeals to you since you haven't mentioned Niagara until this morning. What's my half going to cost?"

 

Hunter narrows his eyes, "The trip is my idea. I'm paying for it."

 

"Yeah, but I ended up making the final choice," Molly shrugs, "Seems only fair that I pay for half."

 

Mason snorts, "Believe me, Molly, you don't want to pay for the room that he wants unless you have 1,300 dollars lying around."

 

Molly sharply turns her head to stare at Hunter as Hunter turns around in his seat, "Mason! Shut. Up."

 

"You are spending over one thousand dollars for just five nights?"

 

Hunter opens his mouth but Mason beats him to it.

 

"No, he's spending 2600. 1300 would just be your half," Mason smirks.

 

"Hunter, no, that's too much," Molly groans but before she can even go over to close his laptop, Hunter presses his mouse twice, then shrugs.

 

"It isn't going to leave me hurting at all," Hunter argues, "Plus, I have points at the Marriott so it isn't costing me as much as you think. And besides, I haven't been on a real vacation in a really long time. It's done."

 

"You suck," Molly says seriously and while that seems to just amuse Hunter, it doesn't seem to amuse her dad, who has butt out until this point.

 

"Molly, it's a very nice suite. Your boyfriend wants to treat you and take you on a trip. Be grateful and go have a good time," he says, frowning, "Seriously. The last actual vacation you went on was when? Over three years ago? China, right? Just go. Make sure you stop back at your apartment to get your passport."

 

And Molly really doesn't have anything to say to her dad's pro-Hunter, pro-expensive romantic getaway stance, so she just lets out a defeated sigh, sits next to Hunter at the table, then eats the food that is put in front of her before she and Hunter head back upstairs to pack up their bags and get ready to leave.

-----------------

Molly parks her car behind her complex, walks through the courtyard and passes the covered pool, then leads the way up to her apartment. The sight of the place makes her feel more dread than usual and she has no idea why. It's early so it's still quieter than it would normally be, but she would like to get on the road before Peter and Rachel start with one of their screaming matches or all of Kaya's kids across the hall start crying since they can never just get upset one at a time. Usually, she doesn't mind helping out with the consistent drama in her complex. She doesn't mind it when Rachel hangs out in her place for a few hours when Peter gets drunk and she doesn't mind giving Kaya the occasional break by taking at least two of her kids out for ice cream. But now that she's here after not being here since stopping here on Monday? She wants a break. A break from West Virginia, a break from Pennsylvania, a break from this complex, and a break from her damn life.

 

You'd think she would feel some relief being home after a week away but even after living in this complex for over three years, it has yet to feel like a home. Jerome moving across town with Rubina and out of the old place she used to share with him one complex over hadn't helped on that front.

 

Hunter seems to think differently once they step inside.

 

"Huh. This place is pretty nice. I didn't expect there to be a pool. The place Gabrielle and Gretchen used to have on high street was small and the landlord had to fix their pipes all of the time."

 

Molly shrugs as they walk further into her apartment, "Housing isn't terrible in Morgantown if you don't live on a main street. They built a bunch of these complexes in the last few years because of all the college students in the area. Rent is cheap. This place is only $750."

 

Hunter practically stops in his tracks as he gapes, "$750. $750? That's it? My rent is three times that and your place isn't too much smaller than mine. Forget pretty nice. It's fucking too good to be true."

 

Molly actually has to laugh at that, "I don't know. Your place is pretty spacious. And in LA. And believe me, it is too good to be true. I'm sorry to hear that Gabrielle's and Gretchen's old place paled in comparison but at least their landlord fixed anything that broke. Here, you have to put in a request with the management office, wait for a month if it isn't an absolute emergency, and when they come out here, they find some way to blame you for anything that broke and charge you a minimum of two hundred dollars to get whatever it is fixed. If you are a day late on rent, you get charged one hundred dollars every five days, no exceptions. They get a lot of lower income people to live here, then profit with late fees and cheap, quick fixes to any problems."

 

Hunter frowns at that as he sits on the couch, "That's kind of disgusting. I take back what I said. Fuck this place."

 

Molly sighs, "Yeah, pretty much. I'm going to put some stuff in my bag. Feel free to snoop around."

 

Molly quickly adds some clothes to her bag and gets her passport out of the lock box in her closet. She keeps her time in her room brief before coming out and letting Hunter know she's ready. They are so close to getting out - so damn close - but when she sees Gabriel trying to push past his mother by the pool, hitting at her and trying to grab her hair in the process, she knows she can't ignore him, especially when it looks like he is getting more aggressive. She can probably ignore close to everyone else, but not Gabriel.

 

"Rhonda, do you need help?" Molly calls out.

 

Gabriel's mother's look of exasperation and trepidation turns into relief and Molly walks over despite Hunter's sounds of hesitation coming from behind her. She makes sure Gabriel sees her first then nods, letting Rhonda know that she can step away for a few minutes and the woman goes to stand a couple feet away from Hunter. Molly can't really focus on either of them right now, only Gabriel. Molly applies pressure to his arms and he does try to swing at her twice but she just catches his hands and squeezes them until he begins making random noises that aren't quite as frustrated.

 

"What's up?" she signs, letting go of one of Gabriel's hands in order to do so.

 

"What's up?" he mirrors, so Molly rewords it.

 

"Nothing. Soon vacation. I'm fine. Gabriel feels what? Happy, mad, sad, which?"

 

"Mad."

 

"Mad why?"

 

"Why"

 

Molly looks at Gabriel, shirtless and only in a pair of shorts despite it only being 50 degrees.

 

"Gabriel wants to do what? Walk, Swim, Go inside, which?"

 

That gets him started. Finally.

 

"Swim, I want that. All day, swim want. Mom says what? No. Swim, Mom, like more which? Swim. Mom, don't like."

 

Molly nods, "Ah, I see. You mad why? Swim want, that's why. I understand. Swimming fun. Swimming I love, same."

 

Gabriel nods, then stims for a moment before signing, "Swimming will."

 

Molly braces herself and holds Gabriel back before signing again, "Wait. Why? Water dirty. Weather cold. Swimming now? Can't."

 

Gabriel lets out a frustrated groan and smacks himself a few times in the ear, before signing, "Ready when? Tomorrow?"

 

Molly shakes her head, "No. Sorry. Tomorrow no. April no. May finish, people do what? Pool, they clean. Water, they fill pool up. Weather warm. Gabriel swim again can."

 

This doesn't satisfy Gabriel much, although he understands more, so Molly continues.

 

"Two weeks from now, night I'm free. Sometimes, I do what? Swim. Where? Mylan Park. Swimming inside. If safe, come with me can. You want?"

 

"Yes, swimming want. Swimming love."

 

"I know. Two weeks swim will. Now? Expectations what?"

 

She finishes up with Gabriel then makes sure he doesn't get overly silly and change his mind regarding obeying his mother. It seems like he won't. He probably won't. Hopefully.

 

Rhonda sighs as Gabriel makes his way back to his apartment, "He threw the milk all over the kitchen and charged at me when I told him he couldn't go swimming in the pool. You're better with him than I am."

 

Molly frowns, "You're good with your son, Rhonda. Don't say that."

 

"He just doesn't understand," Rhonda says sadly.

 

"I can make a chart for him or something for you to use with him. Or a PEC schedule so that he understands what he needs to do and you can have some pre-scheduled motivators set up throughout the day."

 

Rhonda smiles, "After you get back from your trip, I might take you up on that. But just enjoy your week with your boyfriend, who has been a nervous wreck the last five minutes. I had to tell him that you have no self-preservation and don't care if you get hit by my son at all and I don't think that comforted him much. So make sure he has a relaxing time as well."

 

They part ways with Rhonda after that and Molly calls the driver's seat first before putting the key into the ignition, all while Hunter stares at her.

 

"I can feel you staring at me and it's getting weird," Molly says finally.

 

"Sorry," Hunter says, "You'll have to forgive me. I almost watched you get punched by a kid the size of a full grown man. Apparently that's a regular occurrence in your life, but I'm not used to it."

 

Molly shrugs as she pulls out of the parking lot, "Gabriel actually is a full grown man. He looks a little young I guess but he's 26. He has the mentality of a five year old. He's also deaf, has cerebral palsy, and has Autism. He's actually very sweet. He just really wanted to go swimming."

 

Hunter nods, "Well, you were amazing with him. I mean, I don't know what the fuck was said, except for "swimming" "more" and "ready" because I barely know any sign language but he responded to you when he was ready to kill his own mother."

 

"It was a simple conversation. His communication skills are pretty low. He basically said he likes swimming more than he likes his mom and he was upset he couldn't get in the pool. I validated his frustration and I said if he was safe and listened to her, then I would take him to the indoor pool in a couple of weeks," Molly tells him, "And he will remember that. He remembers everything when it comes to calendars and events."

 

"Hmmm," Hunter acknowledges, "You ever think of going to work in the Special Education school full time? You'd be good at it."

 

"I would probably like it a little better too, at least when it comes to some of the challenges presented with the kids," Molly says, "But I would need to go back and get another Master's in Special Ed if I became an official classroom teacher there. And if I do go back to school, I'm not doing it for education again. Plus, the teachers at the special ed school get paid less and get less vacation time. They have to deal with so much there and don't get as many perks. I thought about working at a school in Pennsylvania while I was getting my masters. It's for special needs deaf children and young adults. Some of them are really aggressive. My ex, Miguel, works there. He's deaf but grew up learning to voice and sign. The staff at that school get paid less than I do yet they are expected to be proficient in sign language, work in the summer, accept they might be hurt on the job...I don't know. I feel disrespected enough at my job and now I am bummed, damn."

 

A beat of silence passes and Hunter clears his throat, "Well, I didn't mean to make you feel bummed. You should go back to school though. Not for education, but to be a scientist or a pathologist or an epidemiologist because that's the shit you're meant to be doing anyway, even though I think you are pretty great at what you are doing now. Maybe you can research developmental and psychiatric disorders so that you can work with people who have emotional or psychological issues. You will have a bigger chance at getting hit on the job. Best of both worlds when it comes to your weird ass preferences."

 

"Now you've convinced me," Molly says, smiling, yet shaking her head, "I'm not ready to commit myself to that kind of debt."

 

"I have money to pay for school."

 

"That's nice," Molly says, "It's good that you have money. If you ever go back to school, then you're set."

 

"I didn't mean for me," Hunter says softly, "I meant for you. If you didn't want to ask Justin or your dad."

 

Molly rolls her eyes, "You can keep it."

 

Hunter grumbles something and it's probably about Molly's stubbornness or pride, before he says, "I'm never going back to school. A Bachelor's is more than enough for me. That money will just sit there then."

 

"If you don't spend all of it on luxurious hotel rooms," Molly says.

 

"Now that the trip is official and you can't back out, I feel no guilt or hesitation in telling you that it is a two level loft suite."

 

"That's obnoxious," Molly points out, "You'll be poor by the time this trip is over, I know it."

 

"I'm good with money," Hunter shrugs, "Actually, Ted is the best with money and he taught me how to be good with money. Everyone who listened to him about the stock market the last two years is basically going to be kissing his ass forever."

 

"Did you invest in Southwest and Netflix and sell when they were at their highest too?" Molly guesses, "Justin went on and on about how much of a genius Ted is for like three months because he literally made my brother millions. It was gross."

 

"Yes," Hunter says, "Although, I didn't make millions because I am not a millionaire like your brother is, who you should feel no guilt taking money from because he is so rich that it is fucking gross."

 

"You made a couple hundred thousand off the stock market then," Molly decides, then shrugs, "That's kind of gross too."

 

"I don't remember the exact number," Hunter says, sounding put on the spot, "I just know that I didn't earn it through income I made working. I feel no reason not to use it to cover whatever isn't covered under any grants or scholarships so that you can get your doctorate."

 

"Uh huh."

 

The subject is dropped after that since Hunter knows how to take a hint and the conversations are much lighter after. They talk about inconsequential shit: favorite movies, favorite cities, non-traumatic memories from their pasts. It isn't until they switch seats two hours in and are back on the road with a full tank of gas that they get into an argument.

 

"I just feel like there is no reason to hate this song as much as you do," Molly says as 'Iris' by The Goo Goo Dolls plays on the radio.

 

"It is one of the cheesiest songs I have ever heard in my life," Hunter says seriously, practically glaring at the radio, "It was overplayed when I was in middle school and there is no reason for this station to play it now."

 

"But you can be pretty cheesy too," Molly points out, "If you have an issue with this song, then you may have an issue with yourself."

 

"The thought of breaking things off with you has never once entered my mind, but if you are comparing me to this song-"

 

"It's a compliment coming from me," Molly interrupts, laughing, "I like this song. I like you. But I can change the station if this song gets you so riled up."

 

Hunter purses his lips, then sighs in defeat, "No, if this song means so much to you, I can put up with it."

 

"I mean, it doesn't have any great meaning when it comes to my life-"

 

"Fuck, if it means so much to you, I will learn the words," Hunter says, beginning to get an ornery glint in his eye, "Maybe that's what Hazel meant when she was trying to will a big, over-the-top, romantic proposal from me into existence. She wants me to propose to you through song."

 

Molly winces, "Please don't. I take everything back. I hate this song too."

 

"Too late. Already planning it," Hunter says, grinning, "So in the future, when you hear that god awful intro music interrupt your day to day life-"

 

"Run?"

 

"You're rude," Hunter sighs before turning the radio up.

---------------------------------------

They have no issues once they reach the border and make it to their hotel soon after. Molly already knows the room is going to be incredible just by looking at the building and seeing how close it is to the falls, but when she finds out that they are facing the falls and are on the 15th floor? Okay, she's a little excited, possibly excited enough to kill her pride regarding how much Hunter is spending. They get checked in without a hitch, except for the woman behind the desk smiling at them brightly as she asks, "Newlyweds or Eloping?" So Mason had been right on point about that. But before Hunter can correct the woman, Molly gives the woman a radiant grin of her own.

 

"Neither," she says then drums up some extra pep, "It's our five year wedding anniversary getaway!"

 

Hunter makes a sound of bafflement but doesn't refute her fib as the concierge becomes more enthusiastic.

 

"Aw, congratulations!" she coos, "Any kids?"

 

"Two year old triplets," Hunter surprisingly plays along as he wraps an arm around Molly's waist, "Identical girls. We miss them already."

 

Molly realizes that she started all of this but Hunter is such a shit.

 

"Triplets?" the concierge gapes, "You definitely deserve a getaway! There's a romantic, large whirlpool tub on the second level in the bedroom that I hear is quite relaxing. You two should take advantage, now that you have time away from your three little ones."

 

"Aw, babe, maybe we can make three more!" Molly says, all while Hunter shows mercy towards the woman - who looks like she thinks Molly is insane - by guiding Molly away from the desk and towards the elevators. He doesn't say anything until the doors close.

 

"You are so strange, Taylor."

 

Molly shrugs, "You're the one who claimed we have identical triplets."

 

Hunter raises an eyebrow, "You're the one who told her you wanted to double the number and have six kids."

 

"We're lucky her baby fever wasn't out of control," Molly says to him, "What if she asked to see pictures?"

 

"I would have quickly looked up stock images on Google to find a set of girls that sort of resemble at least one of us."

 

"Sounds like a lot of pressure," Molly says, "I would have just pretended to be an overly paranoid mother who didn't want a stranger laying their eyes on my kids."

 

The elevator doors open on the 15th floor and Hunter leads the way to their room.

 

"There's a reason I begged you not to look up pictures of the view on the way up here," Hunter says, getting the key card out, "I want to see the look of pure wonder on your face when you see it. I was excited looking at the pictures alone."

 

"Watch there be a bunch of window washers outside of the room," Molly smirks, "I want to see the look of pure annoyance on your face if that happens."

 

Hunter shoots her a playful glare, "I will go downstairs and flip out at the first manager I see if that happens. Don't jinx things with your affinity for chaos."

 

The lock clicks and the light turns green. Hunter removes the keycard from the slot before opening the door.

 

"After you," he says, nodding towards the room. Molly can already tell it’s really fucking nice and expensive just going by the walls. The annoyance and excitement stemming from Hunter’s choice are still warring with each other after all.

 

But that all stops as soon as she walks into the living room.

 

The room is nice itself. Even if this place was facing a brick wall, it would still be a beautiful place to stay in. But Hunter is right. The view alone is worth it. She’s seen the Great Wall of China and the New York skyline, but this might beat those. The only thing that might tie with this is freefalling over the California countryside. That had been one of the most beautiful sights she has ever seen, maybe because Hunter had been there to witness it as well. Everything about this room is gorgeous. The high ceilings, the stairs, the floor to ceiling windows overlooking the falls, the way the room is positioned and right across the street from them. If she stands close enough to the window, it literally feels like she will fall in. It might be one of the most beautiful views she’s ever seen in her life. Like the last beautiful view she saw, Hunter made it happen. And his presence makes it even better. Before she knows what she’s doing, she’s walking over towards the window until the tips of her shoes are almost touching the base of the wall.

 

 

“You remind me of my sister the time I took her to meet Jennifer Lawrence when I was working on Silver Lining’s Playbook. She was reading the Hunger Games almost obsessively even though she was probably too young for them. Literally thought her jaw was going to drop to the ground. It was like she met God.”

 

Molly forces herself to turn around and straighten out her expression. Hunter sees what she’s trying to do and smirks.

 

“No, go on. Geek out. It’s cute,” Hunter tells her, before walking over to stand beside her and stare out the window too.

 

“Is that why your cat’s name is Katniss?” Molly has to ask, despite Hunter’s request, “Because you worked with Jennifer Lawrence around the time when you got her and she’s hot?”

 

Hunter laughs, “No, although she might be my type. You both are sort of built similarly. But alas, JR named Katniss. Like I said, she was obsessed.”

 

“Hmm,” Molly hums before turning back to the view. The view still wows her but JR being brought up is now at the back of her mind. It’s another sign to add to a growing list that Hunter might need to see his family while he is up here. Just as she is trying to think of a way to approach the topic - or suggest it - Hunter puts his arms around her and lets out a breath.

 

“Wanna go upstairs?”

 

Molly gives him a curious glance, “You tired or is going over twenty-four hours without getting off finally getting to you?”

 

Hunter shrugs, “Probably both.”

 

Molly meets his eyes, “Alright, come on.”

 

Molly takes Hunter’s hand and has him follow her up the steps. The upstairs is just as nice as the downstairs, with a king sized bed, and a whirlpool tub and large shower literally steps away from it, curtains opened and pulled to the side. There’s a bottle of champagne - freshly popped and sitting on ice - with two glasses already poured sitting on the ledge of the tub, along with white chocolate covered strawberries.

 

 

 

“They really did think we were honeymooners,” Molly comments, looking down at the strawberries and champagne in amusement, “Unless these are included with the package you selected or something.”

 

"Or something," Hunter answers vaguely, biting his cheek.

 

Molly smiles a little, grabs a strawberry, then shakes her head, "I know that the expectation when it comes these strawberries is for me to eat them all sexy in front of you, but they are so large that I will probably gag if I try and get white stuff all over my face."

 

Hunter holds back a laugh, his eyes dancing with amusement and Molly lets out a groan, "Stop. I'm the one with the more inappropriate and sexual humor out of the two of us, not you."

 

"I know. You are the one who said it."

 

Molly shakes her head in mild exasperation, but then gently pulls Hunter in by the hem of his shirt. Hunter takes the hint and takes a step towards her before capturing her lips in a kiss, one so tender and sweet that Molly melts into it before reluctantly pulling away to hold a strawberry over his head.

 

"I already kissed you. Isn't a little late for some weird mistletoe substitute?" Hunter asks, squinting at the chocolate covered, most likely radioactively grown strawberry.

 

"I was trying to be a cute and considerate girlfriend by feeding it to you," Molly answers.

 

Hunter stares at, seeming bewildered, "How in the hell do you think I am supposed to look sexy eating that if you think you won't? If you can't put it off, then I doubt anyone can, especially me."

 

Molly gapes, "Wait, are you telling me that you don't think you are sexy? Like, seriously?"

 

"I don't think I am ugly, but in comparison-"

 

"No, shut up, let me give you a pep talk. I'm already making a list," Molly says, briefly putting down the strawberry to push Hunter onto the bed so that she can straddle his lap. Hunter's arms wrap around her waist as she begins, "One, you have gorgeous eyes. So, so pretty. Two, awesome body. You're fit and muscular but you have lean muscle, you're not bulky, which is good because that's off-putting for me. Three, you have a smile that can light up a room. Four, you have beautiful hair and the perfect haircut, so much better than that Bieber haircut you had when you were like 16-"

 

"I am sort of offended you're calling it that because I know I had that haircut before he did," Hunter snorts, "And Invisalign helped with the whole smile thing, I'm sure."

 

"Nah," Molly says, prying his lips open to inspect his teeth, "Don't get me wrong, your teeth are nice but the selling point comes more from within."

 

"Your sudden lack of physical boundaries both turns me on and weirds me out," Hunter says, his words slightly distorted from Molly's fingers practically in his mouth so she lets his lips go and continues.

 

"You also have a big dick," Molly says, "But not intimidatingly big to the point I want to close my legs and ask to cuddle instead. It's the perfect size."

 

"Got it, perfect sized dick. I will add it to my resume," Hunter says, laughing, "Now that you've gotten your list out-"

 

"I'm not finished," Molly says, "That was just the list of your physical traits. The list on your personality is so much more comprehensive."

 

"You know, I would feel really put on the spot and embarrassed by someone hyperfocusing on me like you are doing right now, but if this is going to get you to say the sweet and sappy shit Hazel claims you have said about me in the past, then I am all ears."

 

Molly lets out a sound of acknowledgement before reaching over to grab a flute of champagne. Hunter raises his eyebrows, then shrugs before doing the same by grabbing the other.

 

"Are you insinuating that you can't go forward with your list without getting buzzed first?" Hunter asks, "That's pretty emotionally constipated, Molly."

 

Molly gives Hunter a look and doesn't dignify that with a response, opting to link her arm with Hunter's to drink her champagne, which gets him to do the same.

 

"Alright, my list," Molly begins, clearing her throat dramatically, "First thing's first, I know you hate being told this, but you really are extremely inspirational and brave. You are so so, SO talented. And not just when it comes to your career. You are incredible in bed. Like, by far the best lover I have ever had. So good that I am not sure if you are human. It's almost ridiculous how good you are at anything sex related. Any orgasm I had before December 26th, 2014 pales in comparison to the ones you have given me. I might not have known what an orgasm was before I met you. I probably didn't know what sex was either. You basically took my virginity because you are so good with your dick that sex with you is an experience all on its own-"

 

"Did the alcohol from that bottle of champagne somehow all end up in your glass or have you just thought a lot about this?" Hunter asks her, glancing into her champagne flute for effect before taking both glasses to put aside.

 

"Oh, I have thought plenty about this," Molly confirms, "You're just so good, so good that I am tempted to brag to my friends about my sex life in explicit detail and that has never happened to me before. The fact that you can lift me up on your shoulders, prop me up against the wall-"

 

"Well, damn, if I had known you would be that impressed by it, I would have done it sooner," Hunter laughs, "I'm surprised that you got so into that. I thought it would make you nervous."

 

"No, not nervous...not with you," Molly says more softly, "That's another thing on the list. You make me feel safe. Safe, cared for, and happy. More than anyone else has made me feel."

 

Hunter's eyes become so tender as he looks up at her, lifting his hand to brush his knuckles against her cheek. He opens his mouth like he wants to say something but closes it before any words can come out. Instead, he reaches up to bring Molly in for a kiss, one so meaningful and filled with feeling that Molly almost wants to ask him what he had wanted to say. But as they both fall into the bed - their clothing off and on the ground before Molly can comprehend who took off what - they find themselves in an embrace, both on their sides, facing one another, and so close that Molly is surprised they haven't fused together. It's an embrace filled with heavy breaths, hot, open mouthed kisses, topped off by them joining as one as soon as Hunter is inside of her. She fucking wants to say it, although it feels like she is expressing how much she loves him now.

 

The words can wait.

----------------------------------

Hunter pulls Molly's hair back into a bun before wrapping his arms around her chest and resting his right cheek against her temple. The hot water swirls around them and he honestly doesn't think he's ever felt more comfortable. He's in a tub with massaging jets, the water is the perfect temperature, and he has the woman he loves lounging against his chest, the back of her head resting against his shoulder. She fits there perfectly, especially now that her hair isn't getting in his mouth. It's good. He might say it - what he wanted to say a few nights ago; what he wanted to say a few hours ago when she told him how safe, cared for, and happy he made her feel. The first time he hadn't said it because he wanted to wait until this trip. Give it a few more days to figure out the right moment. The second time? After she had told him how he made her feel more safe, cared for, and happy than anyone else ever had...knowing what she's been through, it had a huge effect on him. To know that he, out of fucking everyone, made her feel the safest? It put a damn lump in his throat, one so profound that he couldn't verbally respond to her at all.

 

"Dufferin Islands," Molly says as she scrolls on her phone, snapping Hunter out of his thoughts, "It's a bunch of small islands in Niagara connected by nature trails and walking bridges. It's about ten miles total if you want to hike or something tomorrow."

 

"I'm down," Hunter says, trying to clear his head a little, "The white rapid walk sounds cool too."

 

"We can be super touristy and do one of the wax museums," Molly continues, "I remember coming up here with Mom, Dad, and Justin when I was 6 and we went. I thought it was so cool until we got to the horror room. I had no problem with the statues of Michael Myers or Freddy Kreuger or Candyman. But then I freaked out and wouldn't walk past the Charles Manson statue. I didn't know who he was at the time but I didn't like the look he was giving me."

 

Hunter huffs out a laugh, "What kind of look was he giving you?"

 

"I don't remember, I just remember him staring at me," Molly says, "I was crying and hiding behind Candyman - that movie scared my mom to death so she didn't want to come over and comfort me. The only thing that calmed me down was Justin going over to stand next to Manson to show me how I shouldn't be afraid of him because he's not the real Charles Manson and he's super short anyway. Justin was my hero for the day and Candyman was my hero for the month."

 

"Because Justin and Candyman joined forces to protect you," Hunter says, his fingers gently tracing down Molly's arm.

 

"Basically," Molly says, "I kept trying to summon him in the bathroom and my mom would tell me to stop and I would argue with her because he was 'my friend'. She was seconds away from taking me to therapy, I swear."

 

Hunter shakes his head, "Starting riots, trying to summon vengeful, bee covered spirits, you were a weird kid, Molly. Creative, but weird. The only normal response within that story is the fact you were freaked out by Manson. That guy is fucked up."

 

Molly nods her head, "He's a West Virginia boy. Born in Ohio but raised mostly in West Virginia. He wanted to be transferred to the Penitentiary in Moundsville, wrote the warden and everything. His mother's family was from West Virginia and he knew the prison from when his mom was a prisoner there. He had a horrible mother. She was a terrible human being to her son, although that's no fucking excuse for what he did."

 

"It really isn't," Hunter agrees. He sees Molly try to look back at him. The mention of bad mothers - more specifically, Hunter's bad mother - seems to have quickly become a subject that gets her immediately concerned for him. It's only been 24 hours since they ran into the woman and Hunter won't lie, he's still pretty raw from that encounter and calling Childline last night. Getting out of Pittsburgh and being in a nice suite with Molly has made things a lot better, but the wounds that were re-opened from seeing Rita aren't going to magically heal on their own. Hearing Molly's voice helps though. Having her here, flush against his chest, helps more than possibly anything else ever did.

 

"...I'm doing that thing again," Molly sighs, "Where I talk about weird shit during sexy and/or romantic moments."

 

"What are you talking about?" Hunter says, feigning confusion, "This is the hottest conversation I have ever had in my life. What did the warden say when dear old Charlie asked to be transferred?"

 

"He told him when hell freezes over," Molly reveals, "So he's not in West Virginia with me, he's in California with you."

 

"I prefer it that way," Hunter says, "You live alone. I don't want you near Charles Manson. I bet if I traveled back in time and asked her, six year old you wouldn't want him anywhere near you either.

 

"This conversation is already weird enough and you're incorporating time travel into it?" Molly snorts.

 

"Yes, but I think the conversation is at a good place to conclude, so the weirdness has hit its peak," Hunter says tilting his head down to kiss her shoulder and the crook of her neck a few times. Molly settles back into him, her eyes watching the falls through the huge glass window as he nuzzles into her. He has that urge again, but he wants to see her face when he says it. It might be a little more terrifying that way, but at least he will be able to see how it makes her feel. He can't do that sitting behind her.

 

They don't get out of the tub until they hit the beginning stages of pruning and they dry each other off before putting on complimentary robes. Molly's stomach growling makes him realize that neither of them have eaten since breakfast at 7 o' clock this morning. They could step out and get something, but he honestly doesn't feel like leaving the suite tonight and she doesn't seem like she wants to either. He barely wants to go down the stairs to get the food when there is a knock at the door. However, his hungriness beats his laziness and he goes down to get the tray even though Molly tries to get up to do it herself. It's not like he wants to wait hand and foot on her but she looks so pretty and peaceful, wrapped in the white, plushy covers. He doesn't want her to move. He wants to go to sleep and wake up to that sight every single day.

 

She hits a second wind after getting her salad and some of the pita and hummus appetizer in her. It's when Hunter is cutting the giant, chocolate covered strawberries in half for them to share while Molly is flipping through the channel guide that she lets out a sound of excitement.

 

"Candyman!" Molly exclaims, putting the remote down to watch the movie from the beginning.

 

"Say it four more times and your man might come see you in person," Hunter says in a light tone, lying on his stomach, his head at the foot of the bed, mirroring Molly's position as he pops a strawberry half in her mouth.

 

"I need to do it in front of a mirror, preferably in the dark," Molly informs him as soon as she swallows, "We can try that later in the week, if we get bored one night. Put it on the maybe list, along with Ripley's Believe It or Not."

-----------------------------

The weather is almost abnormally warm for early April. Hunter had expected it to be cold due to being so close to the great lakes. But when they go out to explore the next morning, they don't need more than long sleeved shirts on as they go and find the best place to look at the falls. Two men on their honeymoon asked Molly to take their picture before offering to take one of them. He's grateful for it. Neither he or Molly take that many selfies - when they do, it's to please the other when they are thousands of miles away from each other. He has several pictures and videos of Molly he's taken of her now. When Molly gives him a look, he just defends himself and says it's to capture his time with her. He's caught Molly doing the same thing. But any pictures and videos of them together are rare, most are from before they were even together - a time when they were really only friends whenever they were in the same city.

 

So he accepts the cute, posed photo of the two of them in front of the falls. He finds himself going back to look at it whenever he checks his phone. He doesn't even catch the second photo, a candid one taken of them before they were warned. They aren't even looking at the camera, only having eyes for each other, as Molly reaches up to fix his hair and they are laughing about something. He may or may not make it his lock screen cover. He thinks Molly might make fun of him for it but when he catches a glimpse at her screen, he sees she has made one of the pictures of them taken on her phone her cover as well.

 

The two of them do end up walking around Dufferin Islands, which ends up leading to more couples coming up to Molly to ask her to take their picture, which gets them a picture in return. The number of people who ask Molly to stop and be their photographer is comical and almost annoying.

 

"Yeah, I don't get why they only ask me and not you," she says, flipping through their own photos, "You need to tell them that you are an award winning cinematographer and set up shots everyday."

 

"It's probably your kind face," Hunter says, "You are super hot and that can be daunting, but you are very sweet looking so it makes you more approachable."

 

Molly shakes her head before showing him the newest photo of them, "Even in this picture?"

 

Hunter looks down at the picture and sees Molly crossing one eye and snarling.

 

"I still don't get how you can do that with your eye," Hunter says, laughing.

 

Molly shrugs, "It's my greatest talent. You have your cinematography skills and I have this."

 

"I'm sure you have more worthwhile talents than crossing one eye," Hunter says.

 

Molly looks at him dubiously, "What can be more worthwhile and useful than that?"

 

"Oh, I don't know, Molls," he says, "Discovering a biochemical marker, being able to connect with the intellectually disabled and neurodiverse to help them calm down and communicate, having enough charisma to bring about change in your district's school system, being a literal certified genius-"

 

"Nah," Molly says as Hunter rolls her eyes at her dismissal, "I'm hungry again."

 

"Another talent: eating more than I have seen anyone else eat and somehow maintaining a perfect figure."

 

Molly shakes her head, "I went up a couple of sizes since my freshman year of college. I used to be a size 6, sometimes a size 8. Now, I am sometimes a size 8, but usually a size 10. My mom is like a size 2. If I were a model, I would be considered overweight."

 

Hunter frowns at the words because Hazel's words regarding Seth being an asshole about Molly not being stick thin are echoing in his head. Molly doesn't seem upset by her body being brought up, but he does want to explore it a little, if only to make sure Molly doesn't have any body image issues.

 

"You are also 5'9" and curvy. You are built a lot differently than your mom. If you were thinner than you are now, then you would probably look unhealthy," Hunter points out, "Believe me, you don't need to get skinnier. I have a few friends who model and their self-confidence and diets are completely fucked from what that industry did to them, especially the women. The one who is the best adjusted is a plus sized model and honestly? She's the hottest out of all the models I know. Another woman I know was put on an 800 calorie a day diet and she was a size 4. She ended up in the hospital."

 

"That is fucked," Molly agrees then lets out a breath after studying Hunter's expression, "Get that look off your face. I can see you getting all concerned and I accept my body the way it is. I accept that I will never be some cute, petite girlfriend who can wear your button-ups or t-shirts around the house like an adorable nightgown."

 

"You can just borrow my clothes and pass them off as your own, probably," Hunter shrugs, "Doesn't make you any less cute. That's more useful anyway."

 

"Not the button-ups," Molly says as they walk back towards the car, "My boobs will make one of the buttons pop off."

 

"Eh, I need to practice sewing anyway," Hunter says, "It's a useful skill to have."

------------------------

The next couple of days are spent splitting up their time in the city, out in nature, and in their suite. They do take one trip down to the spa for a couples' massage session and to get Mani-pedis. Molly had been hoping to get Hunter to groan over also being booked for a Mani-pedi, but he had just shrugged it off and said, "I am secure enough in my masculinity to do this with you, sorry to disappoint." It was strangely hot.

 

By Wednesday afternoon, Hunter still hasn't brought up his family and whether or not he wants to see them. It makes Molly wonder if he is worried to bring it up, due to this being a romantic getaway and all. She has thrown out hints by saying JR would love The Write Bookshop, an independent bookstore they stopped at on a whim while driving around. She says that Ben would appreciate the Mount Carmel Monastery when they tour it and that Michael would be into the Marvel display of wax figures when they go into the Movieland Wax Museum (all while hitting a bit of nostalgia when they enter the horror room and she sees Candyman and Manson in the same spots they had been in eighteen years before). But while Hunter gets a couple of souvenirs for his fathers and several more for JR and Gus, he doesn't mention inviting them down when she tries to hint that he can and possibly should.

 

So on Wednesday evening after dinner, once they are back at the suite and drinking the last of the champagne that they have only sporadically touched, Molly makes her suggestion much more blunt.

 

"We are not that far from your dads and JR," Molly says, "If you want to invite them down or if you want to go up and see them, we can."

 

Hunter stays quiet at the suggestion, so Molly continues, "I just think it would be good if you saw them. It would be dumb not to when they aren't that far away."

 

Hunter looks at her then, but still says nothing so Molly just says it.

 

"I think that your dads should know what happened on Saturday night so that you can know how many people care deeply for you and support you. You can't tell me that you didn't have their proximity in mind when you made Canada a choice."

 

Hunter takes a moment to respond, but he eventually does, "I won't lie, part of me probably wanted to be closer to them after what happened. But this...this isn't the kind of trip you invite your parents and younger sister on. Just because I wanted to be geographically closer to them, doesn't mean that they should be here."

 

Molly squints, "What rule book did you get that from? And it isn't like we are inviting them to spend the night. They are only an hour and a half away. It can be a day trip for them. Ben and JR are on Spring Break too and Michael has employees at the store-"

 

"How do you even know that?" Hunter asks incredulously.

 

Molly has the decency to look sheepish, "I might have texted Ben this morning to see when they would be free."

 

Hunter lets out a laugh then, "Oh, so you already invited them. Why are we having this conversation then?"

 

"I didn't invite them," Molly corrects, "I was very vague about it and didn't tell them anything. He probably thought I was weird."

 

"...Nah, Ben likes you. Michael does too," Hunter says honestly.

 

"Good," Molly says, feeling more relief at that kind of approval than she expected, "All the more reason to invite them. I also got five ziplining tickets over the falls for tomorrow afternoon. Non-refundable. I miss the sound of Michael's screams."

 

Hunter lightens up at that, shaking his head in amusement before pulling out his phone, "Fine, Molly. I'll call them."

 

"Good," Molly says, pleased with herself as she settles back into her chair in front of the window and tries to be subtle as she listens to Hunter's side of the conversation.

 

"Hey...yeah, the trip is great. We're having a good time...No, we ended up not doing North Carolina. That's why I am calling. We're in Niagara Falls. We wanted to see if you guys and JR wanted to come down for the day tomorrow and hang out...No, Molly doesn't mind. She manipulated me into calling you."

 

"Wanting you to see your family is NOT manipulating you!" Molly calls out so that whichever dad Hunter is talking to can hear.

 

"So yeah, she's cool with it. She even bought tickets to zipline for all of us...Oh, she knows Michael will freak out...Okay, I'll text you the address and room number...Yeah, see you in the morning."

 

Hunter hangs up the phone before giving Molly a look, "Happy?"

 

"Yes," Molly says sweetly, staring at Hunter with big eyes as he walks over towards her. Before she knows it, she's over his shoulder.

 

"Oh my god, what are you doing?" she says, as Hunter heads towards the stairs.

 

"They are going to be here at like 7 am. That very likely means no morning sex for us," Hunter says, "I would carry you bridal style but I don't want to bash your feet against the wall, so this is as romantic as I can get due to the architectural limitations. If we are going to have to go another 24 hours without sexing each other up, then we should at least make the most of it now."

 

And just as she's about to say that Hunter and his libido are both being a bit dramatic, he puts her down just enough so she's standing on the bed. She's only wearing a robe, so Hunter only has to untie it and slide it off her shoulders before doing the fucking shoulder trick again. Soon, she finds herself against the wall, several feet above the ground, with Hunter driving her insane with his mouth and tongue to the point that she suddenly feels that Hunter and his libido aren't being dramatic at all.

-----------------------------

The next morning, when Hunter gets the call from Michael telling him they are about 30 minutes away, the two of them quickly shower and Molly blow dries her hair and puts makeup on while Hunter goes and makes the bed and closes the curtain that keeps the whirlpool and see through shower out of sight because while Hunter can be shameless when it comes to his dads, he is a lot more modest and respectful when when it comes to his younger sister.

 

It's just as Molly is heading downstairs while Hunter adds the finishing touches to making the bed look as unfucked in as possible that she hears knocking. And since Molly is closer, she answers the door.

 

"Hey!" she greets them, smiling as she steps aside.

 

"Hey!" Ben says jovially, immediately bringing her in for a hug before saying a bit more softly, "Thanks for asking Hunter to invite us here. We've missed him."

 

"We are really grateful for that," Michael says, smiling widely before his eyes suddenly narrow, "However, I am not grateful for you buying ziplining tickets for all of us."

 

"But Michael, we had fun skydiving," Molly says innocently, "Ziplining is nothing in comparison. Probably."

 

"I'm excited," JR says, peering around the adults for her brother.

 

"You would be," Michael huffs as soon as Hunter makes his way down. JR takes the first initiative, immediately running at her brother as soon as he turns the corner.

 

Hunter lets out a dramatic "unf!" as soon as JR makes contact, staggering backwards as he lets out a groan before picking her up and spinning her around in circles.

 

"Missed you!" JR exclaims, looking up at her brother with bright eyes and the happiest expression on her face.

 

"I suppose I missed you too...wait, what's your name again?" Hunter asks, feigning confusion, right before JR gives him a sour look and lightly pinches him. The sight honestly makes her feel like her heart is swelling and while that kind of makes her feel like a sap, one look at Michael and Ben makes her realize that they are in the same boat she is.

 

When Hunter's reunion hello with JR subsides and JR becomes obsessed with the view in a similar fashion that she did, he greets his dads as they walk over. It isn't hard to see that something is up. The hugs that he gives Michael and Ben are a little too long, a little too tight, enough that they both notice and Ben sends her a concerned glance over Hunter's shoulder. Molly can only give him what is probably a sad smile in return. The subject of Rita Montgomery isn't brought up through initial greetings or breakfast. Molly realizes that it is probably due to JR being there. Hunter was probably the happiest to see his sister, but he also doesn't want to talk about upsetting shit around her. So Molly gives them an out and mentions that she and JR can have girl time.

 

"No boys allowed," Molly shrugs as JR nods her head vigorously in agreement, "Extremely sexist, I know, but we are going shopping and to that bookstore and you just can't come."

 

Hunter knows her well enough to know exactly what she's doing. That's apparent by his exasperated stare. But he doesn't say no. Neither do Michael or Ben. In fact, Michael and Ben look slightly relieved, probably so that they can grill Hunter in private. All Michael and Ben do is tell JR to listen to Molly and all Hunter does is pull out his wallet to take a card out to offer her that she refuses to take.

 

"No, thanks," she says, shrugging as Hunter narrows his eyes.

 

"I know you," Hunter calls out since Molly and JR are already walking away, "You are going to buy my sister a ridiculous amount of clothes and books and-"

 

"I'll meet you back here in a couple of hours!" she says before shutting the door behind her.

 

As she and JR walk down the hall, she realizes that Hunter really hadn't been exaggerating over JR's hyperactivity when she's excited about something. But it's all good, because she deals with kids her age everyday and she already knows JR is a good one. She also has good tastes because Molly also loves shopping for clothes and books so it isn't like this is going to be a chore for her at all.

 

"So do you looooove my brother?" JR asks as soon as they step outside and Molly gives her an amused and surprised glance.

 

"Like, LOVE love," JR clarifies, smile in place.

 

"Straight to the interrogating, huh? I'm impressed," Molly says, glancing down at the girl to meet her dark brown eyes, "Your brother said you tended to be quiet."

 

JR shrugs as they get into Molly's car, "My mom says I'm really quiet until I'm curious. And I am curious, so I am asking."

 

Molly snorts as she turns the keys in the ignition, "You're funny."

 

"Still doesn't answer my question," JR points out but she drops the subject and they talk about books, JR's school, and their favorite plays and Molly can see that Hunter was right: JR is a cool kid. So cool that Molly may buy her a latte at Starbucks, the word decaffeinated whispered to the barista as soon as JR turns her head.

 

It's all perfect until JR yells out from the changing room stall, "Hey, Molly! If my brother asked you to marry him tomorrow by the falls, would you say yes? That would be so cute!" It's then she realizes that JR, in her own way, can be as big of a shit as Hunter can be.

-------------------------------

"Is there something going on?"

 

Hunter is absent-mindedly looking out the window at the falls when Michael asks the question. When Hunter turns his head, he sees both of his fathers staring at them in concern. He knows he doesn't have it in him to lie to them. He doesn't know if he has it in him to start telling them what happened though. He doesn't know how he'll be emotionally once he gets started.

 

"With Molly texting to ask about our availability, only to be super vague about why she was asking, we were a little concerned," Ben explains, "Now that we're here, you seem a little off. And I'm guessing Molly took JR so you might feel comfortable talking to us about something?"

 

"...Yeah," Hunter says, then clears his throat, "It's...It's not a big deal."

 

"...Then what is it?" Michael asks, "Is everything good between you and Molly?"

 

"Everything is awesome between me and Molly," Hunter says honestly, "She's the one who wanted you guys here because she thought I should talk to you. The only thing that sucks on that front is that I'm dreading leaving her in less than two weeks. That…That's going to fucking suck."

 

"I know," Michael murmurs, "But she seems to love you a lot. Hopefully you can meet up pretty often and see each other."

 

"Yeah."

 

Both of his dads give him a moment before Ben breaks the silence, "If it isn't about Molly, then what's wrong? Is it work or is it...Hunter, your cell counts are still good, right-"

 

"Work's still good, cell counts are still perfect," Hunter sighs then just decides to fucking say it, "Molly and I ran into Rita while we were in Pittsburgh."

 

Both Ben and Michael are quiet again and, this time, Michael breaks the silence, "You ran into your mom?"

 

"The best word Molly has for her is ex-mom," Hunter snorts, "And yeah, sort of. She works at the Greyhound station. We were eating at a restaurant across the street. She apparently saw me walk in and bombarded us at our table. She wanted money. She wanted me to buy her a fucking house."

 

"That fu…" Ben starts but cuts himself off before coming over to sit next to Hunter on the couch, with Michael quickly following suit, "She say anything else?"

 

"She apparently called Molly a slut and grabbed her the neckline of her dress when I got up to pay the bill since I wasn't going to put out any money around her," Hunter says, "Molly didn't tell me that until after we got back to Craig's. I'm surprised Molly didn't hit her then. When Rita followed us outside, she said to Molly that I'm a sick faggot and she hopes that Molly gets sick too. Molly went over to her and told her off, she was sort of a vicious guard dog, but fuck, Rita was vile. She told Molly, 'I hope you have to watch your boyfriend die from AIDS and I hope you die from it right after.' I had to literally carry Molly away so that she wouldn't beat the shit out of her."

 

"You should have let her," Michael fumes, hitting the arm of the couch once, "I swear, if I ever see her, I probably will. Don't give me that look, Ben. Don't pretend violence is never the answer when you know you would make an exception for Rita too."

 

Ben lets out a breath, "...Yeah, I might. Especially if I heard her talk to Hunter and Molly like that. I'm...I'm so sorry, son. I'm so sorry you saw her and she said all of that stuff. You know it isn't true. You know that your mother is abusive and sick and selfish. Please tell me you know that."

 

Hunter shrugs, blinks back the stupid moisture that enters his eyes, and speaks around the sudden lump in his throat, "I am probably selfish too. I don't want to help Rita, but she probably had a good reason to ask me for my help. I'm afraid that something is going to happen now that I refused to help her, even though she would most likely spend any money I gave her on drugs anyway."

 

"What?" Michael asks, confused, "Hunter, no. You are not selfish for not helping her. She doesn't deserve it after what she did to you and she would try to take advantage as much as possible if you ever started-"

 

"She had a baby," Hunter interrupts, "She showed me pictures of her and everything, pictures of her in the hospital with her daughter so I know she's hers. I might not be selfish for not helping Rita, but I definitely am for refusing to help that kid when I know what Rita does when she wants more money. She'll do the same thing to her that she did to me and it doesn't matter that I childlined her and called CPS to tell them she has a baby now. They won't do anything since my accusations from over a decade ago were unfounded-"

 

And then suddenly Hunter can't hold it in anymore. He tries. He's already cried once over this shit and he really doesn't want to again but with his dads here, it's no fucking use. He covers his face as if that will keep any tears or sobs from escaping. It doesn't fucking work though. All his hands do is muffle everything at best. He doesn't even need them when Ben quickly pulls him into his arms, leaving Hunter's face tucked into the crook of Ben's elbow. It's only then that Hunter lets his hands fall down. It feels like both a relief and a defeat.

 

He feels Michael's hands patting and rubbing his back and Ben's hand stroking the hair by his temple and he knows he needs to pull it together. He really doesn't want to risk the chance of Molly seeing him like this twice within the span of days, even though he already knows that's hypocritical of him to think since he's gotten on her about bottling shit up and becoming embarrassed or apologetic when she does end up breaking down. He definitely doesn't want JR to see him like this because he knows that will be upsetting and confusing for her. So he forces himself to pull it together.

 

"It's going to be alright," he hears Ben say softly, "It'll be okay. I know you're worried about her, I know, but you did everything you could, hopefully they will keep a closer eye on the situation. We can call too, just so they have multiple accounts. You were really brave to call them and tell them."

 

"We're proud of you for doing that," Michael adds, sounding choked up, "You did the right thing. We're proud to call you our son."

 

"Fuck, stop it, both of you," Hunter gets out, sitting back up, wiping at his face, "I'm trying to pull it together and I'm not going to be able to do that with you guys being all sentimental. Let's just...Let's just change the subject. I'm done talking about Rita and the baby. Give me some good news. When I talked to you on Saturday, you said you had something to tell me and sounded excited. What is it?"

 

Hunter watches Michael and Ben look at each other in hesitation and Hunter scoffs.

 

"You said it was something good," Hunter says, annoyed, "So give it to me. Why are you hesitating now?"

 

Ben clears his throat, "We just don't want to overwhelm you. We still plan on telling you first."

 

Hunter lets out a sigh, "I'm fine, alright? I'm having a fun vacation with my girlfriend, we've gotten plenty of fresh air and have an awesome view, the sex is incredible-"

 

"Really, Hunter?" Michael sighs, only slightly exasperated.

 

"Really," Hunter confirms, "And we got fucking Mani-pedis. Because I am metrosexual, even though you think I'm not, and secure in my masculinity."

 

"I thought your hands felt softer," Ben snorts, shaking his head, before glancing at Michael who eventually gives Ben a small nod, "Alright, no one knows yet. We are waiting until the summer to tell everyone else. But we got a surrogate a couple of months ago and she's expecting. We found out literally 30 minutes before you called on Saturday."

 

"Like he said, we are waiting until the first trimester is over," Michael adds, "But we wanted to tell at least you. Because we love you."

 

"Very much," Ben adds.

 

"Our first born son, our pride and joy-"

 

"Okay," Hunter huffs, but then gives them both a genuine smile, "I am really happy for you guys. You've wanted this a long time and even though you were both being stubborn ass bitches and not letting me even loan you money for it, I admire that you made it happen. It's awesome. I'm excited to meet whoever pops out."

 

"Whoever pops out," Ben says, laughing before sobering up, "You're sure you're okay?"

 

Hunter gives Ben a strange look, "Why wouldn't I be okay with it?"

 

"Just…" Michael starts as he gestures, "You learned about having a biological sibling just a couple of days ago. You are learning that you're having another sibling through us. You have a lot of stress on you from your mom. You seem worried about leaving Molly in a little over a week. You have a lot on your plate."

 

"...Look, there's not much I can do about Rita or Nova - I guess that's her name," Hunter says, letting out a breath, "But you're right, I've done all I can do at the moment. It fucked with my head but I can deal with the psychological bullshit a lot better than I could before. As for Molly, yeah, the thought of leaving her is really fucking with me. I have never felt this strongly for someone before. I don't...I don't know, I am going to have to figure out something there, so we aren't as far apart. I only got here less than two weeks ago and I don't know how I am going to go back to normal."

 

But then Hunter lets himself smile again, "But hearing you guys are having a kid, one that you've wanted for a while now, that's good news. I might be worried about Nova, but I know I'm not going to have to worry about this kid even for a second. You're the best dads I know and - Michael, stop crying."

 

Michael wipes at his face and glares at Hunter, "I can't help it! And Ben is crying too!"

 

Hunter snorts once he sees Ben quickly pawing at his own eyes and shakes his head, "You're both such bitches."

--------------------------------

Molly returns with JR and several bags in tow, all while JR is practically skipping into the room to tell her dads and brother, "Molly taught me some sign language! She said she could talk to me on FaceTime and teach me more if I really wanted to learn and I do!" Although Michael, Ben, and Hunter all show enthusiasm at that, Molly can read the room. She tries not to look surprised over the sight of the three men she had ditched in the suite. Hunter's eyes are a bit red and she's not surprised by that since he probably opened up to Michael and Ben over what happened. But Michael's eyes are also red and teary and even Ben's are. She's sort of glad she got out of the suite if they all needed to cry something out that badly, especially if she was brought up at all. She has a feeling that she was, especially when Ben and Hunter are taking some of the bags to Ben's car and Michael approaches her, pulling her into a tight hug.

 

"Thank you for being there and protecting my son," he rasps out before whispering, "I would have let you murder her."

 

Molly goes from feeling uncomfortable to appreciating the exchange immensely.

 

They are all in better spirits by the time they go to lunch. Hunter's fingers occasionally but very purposefully dance against her hand, as if every time he does it, he feels more at ease knowing she's there. The five of them talk and laugh and the four of them are treating Molly as if she's family and not just Hunter's relatively new girlfriend. It surprisingly doesn't feel all that odd.

 

The only time any of them turn on her is when they are climbing up the tower to zipline and Molly volunteers to go first.

 

"You were the smart one, Molly!" Michael yells up to her as they all make their way to the top, "We were a team once, I remember that, and my son brainwashed you. I don't know who you are anymore! You're a traitor for making me do this!"

 

Betraying Michael so badly doesn't make her feel too much guilt, neither does hearing him scream as he glides over the falls. That shit is funny.

 

Ben, Michael, and JR end up leaving around 9 pm. The three are emotional about leaving Hunter, even JR, who has no idea what her brother went through on Saturday. Hell, especially JR, who is trying and failing not to cry as Hunter says goodbye to her.

 

"I will try to come up at least a few weekends this summer," Hunter says to her helplessly, crouching down as the 11 year old sniffles and stifles back what are probably wails, "Maybe you can come stay with me for a week or so in August?"

 

"This happens with her every time he leaves or she does," Ben mutters to her, "She is extremely attached to him."

 

Molly watches Hunter try everything to calm JR down, "I mean, same. Can't blame her."

 

Ben's eyes soften at that and he almost impulsively brings her in for a hug.

 

"Thank you for loving my kid."

 

Before Molly can say anything to that, Ben has turned to say one last goodbye to Hunter before they head out. Molly takes the few steps needed to put her arms around Hunter's waist and rests her cheek against his shoulder. Hunter glances back at her and pats her hand fondly before turning around to kiss her softly, once, then again. Molly reaches up to stroke his face before leading him upstairs to the bedroom. They both let themselves lie on the bed. But for once, they don't tear off each other's clothes or try to get the other one as turned on as much as possible. They don't even hold each other, not really. Molly is lying on her back and Hunter is on his side, propped up with one arm with his other arm framing her head, his fingers barely stroking the hair on the top of her head.

 

It's the way he's looking at her though. The way he's looking at her like she's something precious to him. Like she's worth more than she probably is.

 

He's looking at her like she's the only thing worth looking at, even with one of the most iconic views available to mankind displayed outside their suite window on their last night here.

 

"I'm in love with you."

 

The words leave her mouth as a whisper and it feels like both the hardest and easiest thing she's ever said in her life. Hunter's expression goes from fond and sweet to looking like he's been emotionally punched in the gut. She doesn't know how to interpret that and doesn't know if she should downplay the most important sentence she has ever said in her life or-

 

"I'm in love with you," Hunter says, his voice strangled as he leans forward until his forehead is touching hers as he begins a litany of, "I'm in love with you, I'm in love with you, I'm in love with you too, Molly."

 

She might have broken him.

 

The possibility doesn't keep her from saying it again.

 

Or again. Or another time as well.

 

He may have broken her too.

 

She'll definitely never be the same. Not after this, not after everything they have been through and felt together in just a few short months. She's a changed woman and she can honestly say it's because of him and how he makes her feel things she has never felt before.

 

It terrifies her.

Their last week goes by more quickly than Hunter wants it to go.

 

It's a fun week. A group of them take Mason out for his 21st birthday after they get back from Niagara. Hunter had watched Mason closely as the kid drank more than Hunter probably ever did in one night, which led to Mason barely flirting with a few women who had flirted with him first before becoming immensely guilty and going home to tearfully drunk dial Ezra, resulting in absolute word vomit and excessive apologies that even Ezra seemed baffled by. It had ended with Mason passing out on the couch, Ezra getting a hold of Molly through Facebook Messenger to find out what had happened from a more sober person, only for them to mesh well and chat for a while until they said goodnight. Molly had put a blanket over Mason and a water bottle next to him before pouncing on Hunter to end the night on a good note. Now that they're up, any hangover or regret Mason awakes with disappears with the filling breakfast Molly makes for the three of them, four when you count Jerry, the 40-something year old guy Molly lets in who smells strongly of liquor and occasionally talks to himself. Mason looks disturbed that Molly just hands him a towel and lets him use her shower and washer and dryer, not keeping it to himself as soon as the bathroom door closes.

 

"Molly, what the fuck?" Mason hisses, looking more concerned about Molly than he had when Hunter first met him, "Seriously, what the fuck is wrong with you? You don't let homeless strangers into your apartment."

 

It tells Hunter that Mason doesn't know anything about Jerry at all, which means that while he might know about Seth, he probably doesn't know about the attack that Jerry saved her from. It's the only thing keeping Hunter from hugging Jerry and thanking him, since that would probably weird Mason out even more and have him ask questions. The only way he can show his support regarding Jerry is when Mason desperately tries to get Hunter to reason with Molly.

 

"I was homeless for a couple of years," Hunter points out, "I know I felt really grateful when my dads let me shower and crash with them before they officially took me in."

 

"Okay, but this guy isn't some wayward teenager Molly is going to adopt," Mason argues, "He's literally old enough to be her dad. Doesn't that bother you?"

 

"Meh."

 

He probably lost points with Mason due to his response but whatever.

 

After Jerry heads out, he and Molly drive Mason back to Craig's. They stay in the Pittsburgh area for a while but avoid downtown, opting for Mckeesport, which is where Molly takes him on a hike through Dead Man's Hollow. The hike is ridiculously annoying and fun simultaneously. They literally have to slide down a hill, holding onto trees and branches in order to get where Molly is wanting to go.

 

"Hazel's dad used to live down the street from here when we were kids and she and I would explore this reserve all the time," Molly says as they go up and down The Enchanted Staircase, "Her dad disappeared when we were 13. Just up and vanished. Hazel thought he got lost in here and never came out because the place is totally haunted."

 

"Fuck," Hunter says, stopping on the next to the last step, "Did they ever find any signs of what happened to him?"

 

"For the longest time, no," Molly says, "Everyone thought he was dead. But he turned up last summer when Hazel's and Samira's engagement announcement was in the paper. He ran from loan sharks, started a new family, and didn't tell Hazel shit until finding out she was getting married. He just sent her a congratulations message on Facebook, as if he hadn't been a cold case missing person for a decade. Hazel was pissed off. She won't talk to him."

 

"I don't blame her," Hunter says.

 

The hike and the conversations during it are lighter after that and they are playful with each other, Molly taking a lot of satisfaction in trying to scare him which doesn't really work since it is more amusing than anything. Despite the silliness, they do get some walking in and make it over to the factory ruins, where Molly stops in front of one of the decaying walls and gasps, "Oh my god, it's still here!"

 

"What's still here?" Hunter says, coming up next to her, glancing at the graffiti covered wall, "The phrase, 'Eat my ass, Daddy'?"

 

"Later," Molly dismisses, which almost makes Hunter choke on his own spit, "Behind that. It's something I wrote when I was 10."

 

Okay, now Hunter is interested. He searches through everything pretty carefully and it's sort of amazing how far back some of these go. If you look closely on one end, there's graffiti about Lewinsky and Clinton. He has to wonder what kind of spray paint they sell in Pittsburgh to make it last this long.

 

But behind some of the more crude statements and drawings, there are the faded letters:

 

MET
<3
HNB

 

"Are you shitting me?" Hunter says, squinting at the wall to rub at the message, "Did you come out here in the middle of the night while I was asleep, write on this wall in a ten year old girl's handwriting, scrub at it to look old, and write 'Eat my ass, Daddy" over it just to-"

 

"What?" Molly interrupts, confused, before recognition floods her expression, "Oh my god, those are your initials! That's kind of cute. More weird, but still cute."

 

"I literally don't get it."

 

"Molly Elaine Taylor loves Hector Nelson Beckham. Not you."

 

"Damn," Hunter says, throwing a hand to his heart, "You sure took those words back fast."

 

"10 year old Molly was obsessed with this kid," Molly shrugs, "First boyfriend, first kiss."

 

"You got started young."

 

And that probably sounds weird, coming out of Hunter's mouth, considering what he had been doing when he was 10. He would have much rather had some innocent puppy love relationship. He suddenly almost envies it, even though it's pointless to do so - just like it's pointless to wish that Ben and Michael had somehow found him when he was 10 instead of 15, yet he does it occasionally anyway.

 

Besides, he doesn't envy Molly. He's glad that her childhood was never like his. He's glad that she can empathize with it without experiencing it for herself. It would devastate him if the little girl who wrote about her crush on a wall in the woods went through the same things he had. He's suddenly glad that 10 year old Molly was here doing this, nowhere near whatever a 14 year old Hunter had been doing at the time. He's sure that 14 year old Hunter would be happy that Molly was (relatively) safe, drawing some sappy graffiti in the woods without a care in the world, especially if he found out who Molly would become to him in 14 more years.

 

"It was the summer Justin was in a coma," Molly says softly, "I was with Hazel a lot that break while my parents were at the hospital - even my dad before Justin woke up, despite how he felt about Justin being gay. Hazel dared me to do it, I think in an attempt to cheer me up. She stole the paint from her dad's garage."

 

Okay, maybe she wasn't here without a care in the world.

 

Hunter puts a hand around her waist and pulls her in, "Well, whatever happened to Hector?"

 

Molly lets out an overly dramatic sigh, "He cheated on me. Kissed another girl behind the slide. Dumped him immediately."

 

"Totally deserved it," Hunter says.

 

"And he knocked up two girls while we were in high school," Molly says, "Not one. Two. Other than that, I have no idea what happened to him. I moved on very quickly."

 

"Good," Hunter says, weirdly satisfied that Hector is not in the picture at all, "He sounds like trash."

 

"You are the superior HNB for sure," Molly agrees, smiling, "I have to send a picture of this to Hazel. She'll think it's funny too."

 

Despite being in the woods, Molly has enough service to send the picture to her friend before pushing Hunter against the wall.

 

"Oh, we're doing this here?" Hunter asks, his laugh turning into a moan as he tosses his head back while Molly unzips his pants to stroke him.

 

"We're allowed," Molly says, pressing kisses against his neck, "It's our wall. Has our initials on it and everything."

 

Hunter bites his lip and breathes out through his nose, smiling a little at Molly's claim, "But what about Hector-"

 

"Hector is dead to me," Molly dismisses, "I'm just going to pretend I was a perceptive child who knew who I would be with at 24. You're the only HNB I care about, the only HNB I love, and the only HNB I am going to give a blowjob in the middle of the woods."

 

The tenderness that Hunter feels in his chest over the word 'love' quickly turns into lust when Molly makes her proposition and starts to go down. Hunter watches her and feels the need to say, "Watch before you kneel, like for glass or sticks or...Fuck...What are you doing with your tongue? Jesus, Molly, oh my god!"

 

Molly can literally suck the responsibility and reasoning right out of him.

 

By the time he's finished and Molly's standing again, their horny make out session against the wall is only interrupted when Hazel calls Molly, squealing about true love and fate, which only leads to a suggestion that they visit Hazel's psychic aunt in Lily Dale, New York to have a relationship reading done, all while Molly rolls her eyes over the prospect.

-----------------------------------

The rest of the week is as good as it can be despite the fact that Molly works. Hell, he goes in with her on Sunday morning after Molly receives a mass text from Skinner Saturday afternoon, saying that it is recommended that teachers prepare their classrooms over the weekend due to the number of in-service trainings on Monday. When Hunter asks if Molly is going to get paid overtime by going in, she shakes her head.

 

"Nope," Molly says, already sorting through supplies she has stashed away in the back of her closet, "Skinner did the same thing after winter break too. A lot of teachers brought in their partners or their kids or their friends to help out so they wouldn't have to stay all day. Skinner doesn't seem to give a shit about that, as long as he isn't paying us more or providing aides. I should be okay though. If you want to drop me off at the school in the morning, you can keep my car to do whatever so you aren't stuck at the apartment or taking Uber everywhere."

 

Hunter shakes his head, abnormally pissed at Skinner considering the fact that Skinner isn't his boss, "You said you can bring someone in to help you, right? Count me in."

 

Molly looks at him, "I seriously doubt you want to spend a day in my classroom-"

 

"There's nowhere else I would rather be."

 

Molly continues to stare at him, more bewildered, "That's really sad, babe."

 

It is obviously strictly business as soon as they go through the doors that the school, both of their arms weighed down with boxes. A couple of Molly's coworkers introduce themselves enthusiastically. Melinda McGinnis and Linda Barton, two older, motherly women who teach the 1st and 2nd grade, Tyler Liscomb, the overly cheerful music teacher in his 30s, and Shannon MacLeroy, one of the behavioral health specialists from the Special Education school who is around Molly's age, cusses as much as he does, and is very obviously Molly's friend since she keeps coming over to the main building to hang out.

 

"If I spend another fucking second in that classroom with Jason, I'll scream," she says, coming over to work on an atom display, "If I get some ricin, kill him, and hide his body, will they send you over to fill in since none of the subs on the roster want to work over there?"

 

"Probably," Molly answers while she and Hunter both stand on chairs to tack up the banner they painted, "And no, I am not making you ricin so that you can work with me instead of him."

 

"But you know how!" Shannon says, sounding genuinely upset over Molly's refusal to be her murder accomplice, "He won't do shit with Maria, won't even try to build a relationship so he can teach her. He gets pissed every time she attacks him but can you blame her? His frustration with her can be felt from here. You managed to get through to that kid and become her favorite and you're only there for a couple of hours in the morning. It isn't even your class or she's not in your age group."

 

"I wonder how Maria is doing," Molly says, frowning, "Is she still trying to break into the school and headbang off the doors in the evening and on the weekends?"

 

"From what I understand," Shannon says, "Skinner keeps talking about expulsion but how the fuck do you suspend someone with the mind of a two year old, especially when her parents moved up the street to make sure their child could go here?"

 

"Better be quiet on any Skinner criticism," Molly warns, looking back at Shannon, "He's here."

 

Shannon scoffs, "I'm legitimately shocked that he is sacrificing his free time. Then again, it's probably fun for him to see us here on our day off."

 

And Hunter honestly thinks Shannon is onto something there, the way Skinner stops by to observe Molly like he's trying to find a way to criticize.

 

"Did you have your guest sign the book in the office?" Skinner questions, staring at Hunter with what Hunter can only describe as contempt.

 

"Of course I did!" Molly says, way too sweetly to be genuine, "So glad I brought him too. He and Mr. McGinnis are helping out multiple classrooms. You might have to add them to the payroll so at least they can get paid for their services today."

 

If Shannon wasn't standing right next to Hunter, he wouldn't hear her say, "Oh damn, shots fired."

 

As soon as Skinner leaves in a huff - right after pointedly telling Shannon that she has another classroom to tend to - both Shannon and Hunter turn to Molly in shock.

 

"Why can you tell off our boss but not me?" Shannon pouts.

 

"Because you can't do it kindly, subtly, and passive aggressively," Molly says, collecting everything she's cut out in her hands, "I'm taking these to the laminator."

 

Once Molly leaves the classroom and Shannon collects the paintbrushes to wash them off, she glances at Hunter.

 

"I don't know how much you know, but Skinner is a fucking creep with a lot of the younger female staff, Molly and I included. He's fired multiple women due to rejecting him or reporting him. He and Molly are like mortal enemies though, because she got shit passed with the school board that he didn't want to put any effort into, so now he is a different kind of creep with Molly. He still wants to fuck her - it's probably why he has been glaring at you every time he comes in here - but he also wants to murder her, I think."

 

Hunter purses his lips, "Do you know how much I hate hearing that?"

 

"Eh, just figured I would give you some context," Shannon shrugs, "Luckily, I don't have to deal with him much. He's technically the principal at the special ed school too but never goes over there. We're the red headed stepchildren and that sucks in a lot of ways, but it's nice that he avoids us."

 

After Shannon leaves and Molly comes back, he and Molly are able to get everything done by lunchtime, opting to chip in for delivery with the rest of the main school staff before heading out to the car, only to see Skinner in the parking lot on the phone.

 

"Yes, she's a student. Take her to a cell or to the hospital, I really don't care. Make sure you are prepared to chemically restrain her or taze her, she's extremely aggressive-"

 

"What's going on?" Molly interrupts, walking over to Skinner.

 

Skinner looks at Molly in annoyance, "I'm getting Maria off the property and taken into custody. She can't keep attacking staff and the building. She's 16 years old-"

 

"She doesn't understand why she can't come in," Molly says slowly, looking up at the second building, which prompts Hunter to look up as well.

 

Sure enough, there is a teenage girl there screaming with frustration, attacking a man Hunter can only assume is her teacher, and getting a hold of Shannon's hair.

 

"She likes being at the school," Molly continues, "She feels safe there. Take it as a compliment. Let me go see if I can walk her home."

 

Skinner snarls, "I already called the police-"

 

"The police will make things worse," Molly insists, "They'll scare her. She will respond better to staff."

 

"She's not responding well to staff now, or her stepfather-"

 

"Sometimes it just takes a different face," Molly says, "It's great that you had us come in today so that we can be utilized for her. Now, please. Let me see if she will respond to me."

 

When Molly goes over to the second building to help the kid, Hunter has to force himself not to be a dick to Molly's boss and goes to Molly's car to drive over to the parking lot entrance and wait. Within fifteen minutes, Molly is walking hand in hand with an excitable teenager who Hunter can hear making squeals of happiness while she looks at Molly in awe. Hunter can't help but look at Molly in awe too, even after she comes back to the parking lot and Shannon jokingly bows down to her before Molly gets into the car.

 

"Fucking miracle worker," Hunter says, smirking when he sees Skinner's scowl in the rearview mirror as they pull out of the lot.

 

"Not really," Molly says, combing at her hair only for dozens of loose hairs to end up in Molly's fingers, "Look at this shit. She's going to make everyone bald."

 

"You have a nice head shape," Hunter says, "You could pull it off, I'm sure. I'd still date you. Having a badass, bald girlfriend would make me badass just by association."

-----------------------------

By Monday afternoon, not only does he get Molly to agree to see her doctor and get a prescription for PrEP, he also gets her to confirm that she will go to Brian's and Eric's wedding with him as his date so he is able to buy their plane tickets. The relief he feels over getting a couple of extra days with her is a bit extreme. The dread of leaving her has become so potent and consuming to the point where he wonders if there is something wrong with him. He hasn't felt this attached to a girlfriend ever. He's cared deeply about a couple, enjoyed spending time with them and would go as far to say that he loved at least Hannah. But his love for Hannah had been a different kind of love. It had started out tender and fond, protective and supportive, and pretty much stayed that way throughout the course of their relationship until work became a top priority for both of them and any passion between them fizzled out.

 

When it comes to Molly, the components that made up his love for Hannah are still there but are so overwhelming that it's insane. And on top of those things, the passion between them is indescribable. The fact that it's almost impossible for them to be near each other without touching each other is probably a bit ridiculous, the sex between them almost sends Hunter to another plane of existence. The love Hunter has for Molly affects him physically. He feels it in his chest and stomach, even in his hands and shoulders. Sometimes it's a warm, tingling sensation and other times it is literally painful.

 

He's just really glad he's going to get a couple of extra days with her, even if it ends up prolonging the inevitable. But they are able to distract themselves from that inevitable for the most part. As soon as Molly gets off work each day, they are exploring different state parks and restaurants West Virginia has to offer. On Wednesday evening, they meet up with Hazel and her mother so that they can help find the perfect dress for Molly - which ends up being a form fitting dark emerald green dress that she looks fucking beautiful in. He goes ahead and lets Hazel's mother get his measurements for a fitted Navy suit and a tie that matches Molly's dress. Molly is wired and filled with a nervous energy for reasons not quite known to Hunter after they finish and head back to Morgantown. Whether it is a high from shopping around or something else, they go for a drive late into the night and find stuff like haunted bridges and tunnels and then Molly wants to walk on a haunted trail at 1 am because she's apparently into creepy hobbies like that. But it leads to sex in the car right after they make their way back to it so Hunter is definitely not complaining. The result of that gets Molly to fall asleep while he drives back to the apartment and Hunter dramatically carrying her from the car all the way to the bed.

 

"I am too tired to care that you are doing this," Molly mumbles into Hunter's neck as Hunter nudges the bedroom door open with his foot, "Although, I don't see how you are managing to carry me. At all."

 

"Because you're not heavy?" Hunter says, laying her down on the bed with a flop.

 

"I bet I'm not even twenty-five pounds lighter than you," Molly yawns, then sits up, "Let's go weigh ourselves in the bathroom."

 

"Let's go brush our teeth, strip, and go the fuck to sleep," Hunter suggests instead.

 

"I don't want to go to sleep," Molly says, her eyelids looking heavy regardless.

 

"I think you do."

 

"I don't."

 

Hunter puts a knee on the bed, then cards his fingers through her hair, "What's going on with you?"

 

Molly shrugs tiredly, "Nothing. Just want to stay awake."

 

"How come?"

 

Molly stares at him, as if she's willing him to get something, before reaching up to cup Hunter's face. Instead of bringing his head down to kiss him, she just watches him - closely - as if she doesn't want to take her eyes off of him since the hours they have together are so limited as it is.

 

"Yeah," Hunter says softly, situating himself closer before gently lying them both back, "Same here."

-------------------------------

As happy as Hunter is for Brian and Eric, the wedding weekend comes too soon.

 

They are met at the airport by Emmett, Michael, Ben, JR, Justin, and Nathan. Emmett immediately goes into gushing mode, telling them how gorgeous they both look and how perfect their romance is, basically because he's Emmett. JR greets him like she hasn't seen him for months, rather than a little over a week. His dads and JR hug Molly possibly more enthusiastically than they hug him. Sort of rude, but it is a rudeness that he can totally understand since it is Molly. Justin looks like he wants to slaughter him, all while Nathan looks at his boyfriend in amusement.

 

"You should ride up to Montauk with us," Justin says, eyes not leaving Hunter at all, "It will be more cramped if you get in Emmett's van."

 

"I didn't realize you were so desperate to spend quality time with me," Hunter says sweetly, which has Justin glaring more before he heads for the car in a huff.

 

"He's uh…" Nathan starts, scratching the back of his neck, "He's thrilled about you guys."

 

"Yes, I can definitely see that," Hunter says, smirking.

 

"Play nice, Hunter," Ben says, giving him a look, "Your favorite pastime of messing with Justin should probably stop now, all things considered."

 

"I am being nice!" Hunter insists, all while Molly rolls her eyes, "I'm going to treat Molly like she's a queen when we are around her brother and act like the lovesick fool that I am."

 

"...We'll see you up there," Michael eventually says after shaking his head in amusement, "We are heading back to stay at Emmett's tonight after the rehearsal so we might not see much of you until tomorrow."

 

The ride up is a little tense, since Justin is relatively quiet. Hunter has the feeling it isn't only about the fact that Justin is trying to adjust to the two of them being together. This is also Brian's wedding weekend and it isn't like Justin and Brian have been pals for years. The two literally just started talking again right before Christmas. Brian was the first great love of Justin's life. Hunter sort of feels for him. Even though he and Hannah stayed friends and their relationship fizzled out rather than exploded like Brian's and Justin's did, he would probably have a few mixed emotions going to her wedding as well. He'd mainly be happy for her and - more so - happy for himself since he has Molly and no one can compare. But there would probably be a little bittersweet nostalgia attached. It probably doesn't compare to what Justin's feeling right now.

 

"So you have any big events coming up, Justin?" he asks, genuinely taking Ben's advice by at least trying to play nice.

 

Justin glances back at him in the rearview mirror, as if he's wondering what Hunter's angle is before shrugging.

 

"No big ones for myself until July," Justin answers, "I have a show in Portugal. A gallery there wants to headline and sell my work. Other than that, I'm focusing on up and coming artists at my gallery. I don't want to take too much on since Nathan goes into previews at the end of May."

 

"That's fair," Hunter says, "You excited about the show, man?"

 

Nathan shrugs, "Yeah, I guess. I've never done theater other than a class in high school so I'm more nervous about the acting part of it."

 

"But he's a natural," Justin says proudly, briefly reaching over to take Nathan's hand, "What about you, Hunter? When's your next gig? When does the month of love come to an end?"

 

Molly glares and kicks the back of Justin's seat, "You're a fucking dick."

 

And yeah, Hunter can agree, but even he's surprised by how touchy and hostile Molly is about the subject.

 

"I have a few pre-production meetings as soon as I get back this Monday," Hunter says, putting what Hunter hopes is a comforting arm around Molly, "That week is pretty filled with them. Then I'm heading up to the apartment in San Fransisco that the production company is setting me up at next weekend. We go start shooting next Monday.

 

"Who all's involved?" Justin asks, seeming to feel guilty enough over Molly's outburst to play nice too.

 

"Darren Aronofsky is directing," Hunter begins to list off, "Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem are starring in it, the supporting cast is Ed Harris, Michelle Pfeiffer, Kate Mara-"

 

"Shit," Justin says, glancing back at Hunter bewildered, "And you're doing the cinematography?"

 

"Yep."

 

"You're the head cinematographer."

 

"Unless they fire me next week, then yeah," Hunter says slowly.

 

"That…" Justin starts before trailing off, likely not having anything to come back with, "...Well, fuck. Good for you. I mean it."

 

The sense of relief he feels over Justin being proud of him is incredibly annoying.

---------------------------------

He and Molly don't go down for the rehearsal and neither does Justin. They aren't in the wedding party so there really isn't any point and Hunter has a feeling Brian wants to keep the number of people in attendance small as fuck so he doesn't get nervous the night before his wedding. Nathan is with the band checking on the set up for the reception so it's currently only the three of them in his and Molly's suite. It's awkward, it's slightly off-putting, it's-

 

"I'm going to take a shower," Molly says suddenly, getting up before Hunter can call her out on her shit. It's comical how much she hates awkward silences. It's also comical that Justin looks like he is on the verge of giving him a speech.

 

"So…" Justin starts and yep, Hunter was right.

 

"So…" Hunter mimics, laying back on the bed to stare at the ceiling, slightly bummed he isn't with a naked Molly in the next room.

 

"How the fuck did this happen?" Justin asks finally. Hunter glances up and sees Justin frowning.

 

"Well, Justin," Hunter begins, "When two people wake up way before anyone in their families, having nothing to do after having a deep conversation but also have an empty hotel room available, plus they like each other very, VERY much-"

 

"No, stop, seriously," Justin interrupts, holding up his hand, "I don't need to hear that. I didn't need to hear that you hooked up with my sister at my gallery either, but too fucking late for that."

 

"Yeah, too late," Hunter agrees, "I wouldn't take that back for anything. Didn't even make our top ten but it was still fucking awesome."

 

"I hate that I know you've slept with her enough times to even form a top ten. I don't really like any of this," Justin says, and okay, that kind of hurts.

 

Hunter hums, but then has to ask, "Well damn, didn't know you hated me that much. Am I really that bad?"

 

Justin actually looks like he feels a little bad, "I don't hate you. I don't, okay? I let you stay with me on New York shoots when you first got started, didn't I? You fucking annoy the shit out of me sometimes, but whatever, it isn't even that."

 

Hunter nods, then decides to sit up since this conversation is getting serious apparently.

 

"Is it the HIV thing?"

 

Justin lets out a breath, "Partly. And I know you are safe with everyone but that's partly it."

 

"Well-"

 

"And it's the fact you used to have sex with men," Justin adds, wincing at the bluntness of it, "I don't...I don't want my sister getting her heart broken because you decide you're not into women after all, just like you decided you weren't into men back when you were 16."

 

Hunter forces the frustration the speculation causes, the fucking hurt, the feeling of never being able to fully escape his past. And honestly? He thought Justin understood, at least somewhat. He had fucking talked about it - to both Justin and Molly - five years ago. He hates that Justin said it. He hates it almost as much as he hates that he understands why that would be a concern.

 

"That's…" Hunter starts, trying not to lose his cool, "Justin, I was severely sexually abused for years. I was violently raped when I was 10 with my mom's okay and it happened more than once, on and off her watch. I didn't sleep with anyone less than three times my age until I dated Callie in high school. The thought of hooking up with another guy ever again makes me feel sick to my stomach. It doesn't come from a homophobic place, I promise you, but I wouldn't be able to do it. I never was actually into men. I tried to convince myself I was to make it more tolerable, did what I had to do, but I have never actually been genuinely attracted to a guy. 98% of the times I was with a guy, I didn't even come and the times that I did, it was because I was forced to and I would actually throw up after."

 

Justin looks like he feels guilty, immensely so, but then he clears his throat and says, "You were into Brian. You literally said you'd fuck him for free."

 

Hunter actually snorts at that, despite hating that memory almost as much, "I did say that. But compare Brian to my Johns. He was younger than they were, a lot more attractive, and probably richer than a lot of them. There were a few guys on the street who, at the time, got what I thought was lucky because they had not terrible looking guys to keep them as their live in boy toys. If you had fucking paid attention, any 'crush' I had on Brian stopped as soon as I stopped tricking. And even if the crush had been genuine, bisexuality is a thing. I don't identify that way, but it is valid despite all of the supposedly super gay people in our family-"

 

"Okay, I don't need a speech on the LGBTQ community, especially from someone who says they identify as straight," Justin interrupts, sighing, "...Look, I'm sorry, alright? I didn't mean to bring your past up or get you upset. If it means anything, I think what happened to you was fucking terrible and your mom deserves to be in jail. I just...Fuck, Hunter, I don't know. I'm not dumb. I know there was some crushing between the two of you when you both stayed with me. Thanks for not hooking up with her back then, I guess -"

 

"She was only 19 then," Hunter shrugs, "It felt like it would be inappropriate to hook up with her, especially when you were giving me a place to stay."

 

"Yeah, she was super out of your league too," Justin responds before his eyes narrow, "She still is."

 

"Oh, we can agree on that," Hunter answers, nodding, "I'm really fucking lucky. She's beautiful, intelligent, fucking amazing in bed. Like, Justin, you have no idea-"

 

"I'm going to check on Nathan," Justin mutters, out of the room before Hunter can even think about elaborating. Another time then.

--------------------------------

He does fuck with Justin a little the next morning, just a little as he pushes in Molly's chair for her and looks at her like a lovesick puppy, all to weird Justin out and because he had told Molly he would and he tends to keep his promises. Justin had come down in a sort of iffy mood anyway, so Hunter would like to think that he's giving him something else to focus on.

 

"You're ridiculous," Molly says, rolling her eyes when Justin walks over to pay the bill for their brunch, all Nathan looks at both of them in confusion, "I didn't think you were actually going to push in my chair for me. You're so weird."

 

"Do I have my lovesick puppy dog look down yet?" Hunter asks, staring at Molly with exaggerated adoration but Molly ends up not dignifying that with a response and turns to Nathan.

 

"How much has my brother been bitching about this?" Molly asks him, "And I will know if you lie and say he hasn't been."

 

Hunter barely knows Nathan but he can tell the guy is loyal as fuck to Justin and he's not going to blab about his boyfriend to just anyone. But Molly is Nathan's friend. Nathan is a year younger than her and she's obviously formed some sort of bond with him, enough to get him to open up slightly.

 

"He's uh…" Nathan starts, thinking on it, "He's not expressing his negative feelings on it as much as he did a few weeks ago when he first found out. He'll get over it."

 

"Uh huh-" Molly starts, only to be interrupted by a child's voice.

 

"Hunter!"

 

The sound of Lily's squeal has Hunter turning his head. Lily has Duncan in tow, who Hunter only knows through pictures and stories, since he hasn't even seen him in person until now. Drew is trailing behind, already looking tired but amused by their energy.

 

"I've missed you lots and haven't seen you in a bagillion years!" Lily says as she dramatically tosses herself at his side, "Daddy said you were coming and I got very happy. You need to meet Duncan! This is Duncan!"

 

"Hi!" the little boy chimes in, obviously a man of few words.

 

"Hi, Duncan," Hunter says, sending the little boy a smile, "It's nice to meet you. This is Molly."

 

"Hi, Duncan," Molly says sweetly, causing the boy to bite back a huge grin.

 

"Justin's sister is Hunter's girlfriend!" Lily whispers excitably, "She's so so SO pretty."

 

"Yeah," Duncan says in awe as he stares at Molly, "So pretty."

 

"Alright, both of you," Drew says, trying to usher both the four year olds away, "You need to start getting ready. Come on. Sorry we can't stay, guys. I'm on kid duty until Emmett finishes with overseeing the reception set up and then I think he's getting Justin to take over an hour before the wedding."

 

"I'll be there," Justin says, re-appearing at the table, giving both kids a brief hug, "I'll touch base with him anyway. I will probably just stay with Nathan and the band until you guys need me."

 

After Drew takes off with the kids and Hunter and Molly part ways with Justin and Nathan, they're left alone.

 

They make the most of it.

-------------------------------------

Brian and Eric walk up the aisle together as fiances and down the aisle as husbands, no objections raised from anyone in the crowd once.

 

Hunter can't help but glance at Justin every so often, just to make sure the guy is cool with everything. He hopes he is, for his own sake and for Nathan's, and Hunter thinks that he is for the most part. Justin's eyes do get a little teary near the end, but people do cry at weddings, regardless of their relationship to the people in question. Hell, Hunter sort of feels like shedding a tear because Brian and Eric look so damn happy together. It weirdly makes Hunter want something like that. The thought of Molly walking down the aisle in a wedding gown just makes him feel more emotional, which is stupid because as intense as his relationship is with her, it is way too soon for that.

 

He forces himself to chill out. He's not going to cry over a fucking wedding and give Molly that kind of satisfaction. If Justin can hold it together, Hunter certainly can. Lindsey and Michael are blubbering messes though and it's very easy to see Michael since he is one of Brian's best men. They need to quit it with that shit because it's obviously at least minorly contagious.

 

Of course Brian is still Brian. As he and Molly are headed over to the tent, he sees Brian dragging Eric along the path towards the resort, because there's no way a guy with Brian Kinney's libido is going to wait until after the reception.

 

"Hi, Hunter!" Eric calls out, stopping as his husband gives him a death glare, "It's great to see you! You both should have come down for the rehearsal last night, I would have loved to hear about the new project your working on-"

 

"But it can wait until after we get back," Brian says pointedly, practically pulling at his husband like an inpatient toddler.

 

"Be polite," Eric scolds, "You know, you should be more invested in Hunter's career since you hired him for TV spots early on and be proud of what he's accomplished and-"

 

Brian cuts Eric off with a filthy kiss, all while not so subtly pulling the man in by his ass. Whatever else Eric was going to say is forgotten as he quickly follows his husband without complaint.

 

"Well, they're shameless," Molly says, laughing, "Can't even wait until their guests leave. Guess I can't blame them. They're both pretty hot."

 

Hunter smirks at that but forces his expression into one of concern, "Should I be jealous?"

 

Molly rolls her eyes but circles her arms around Hunter's neck, pressing several kisses against his lips before Hunter holds her tight to kiss her more deeply.

 

"You don't need to be jealous," Molly mumbles against his lips, "They're both way too old for me. Justin is the one into older men. And now younger men, considering he's with Nathan. He just likes men, period. I'm more picky. You tick off all the marks on my list of criteria that potential lovers need to meet. Handsome, talented, kind, funny, best dick ever, and short."

 

Hunter scoffs at that last one, "Still two inches taller than you and you can't pretend otherwise since you are wearing flats."

 

"Have you tried walking in heels while in grass?" Molly asks, "It's like asking for a broken ankle. You'd have to carry me all night and that wouldn't be fun for you at all."

 

"I would do it with no complaints," Hunter says.

 

"You liar."

 

"I would," Hunter insists before bringing her in for a kiss again. They are away from the crowd and prying eyes and the fact that he's not going to kiss her again in God knows how long after tomorrow is killing him on the inside. So he lets himself indulge and doesn't continue their silly conversation so that it won't interrupt this.

 

"Hunter and Molly sitting in a tree! K-I-S-S-I-N-G! First comes love, then comes ten - no, seventy! - babies, then comes Hunter feeling like he's crazy!"

 

Silly children are a different story. Although he will admit that he's impressed with Lily's ability to alter a song.

 

Lily laughs hysterically as Hunter forces himself to not pout as Molly breaks off the kiss. Lily marches over, looking quite proud of herself, all while JR and Gus stand back and he immediately knows they put her up to that.

 

"I spelled kissing, Hunter!" Lily enthuses, looking up at him with pride, "Because I know how and that's what you were doing. I saw."

 

"Very perceptive," Hunter says, "Aren't you supposed to be with an adult?"

 

Lily shrugs, "I'm with you and Molly! And Gussy. He said he would give me five dollars if I sang that to you and I need the money. You understand, right?"

 

"You need to learn how to negotiate for a higher salary, Lily," Hunter says, picking the little girl up when she inexplicably reaches up for him to do so, "People try to underpay women in the workforce and that isn't fair. You need to tell Gus that original lyrics call for a higher paycheck. You deserve it. Tell him you want more money or no dice."

 

Lily nods her head seriously before turning to look over at her brother, "You're right! I do deserve it! Gussy, I want twenty dollars or no dice!"

 

But Gus has found an excuse to wave both of his sisters off because having a girlfriend and becoming a teenager has sort of occasionally made him a douche.

 

"Whatever," Lily huffs, flipping her styled, curly hair behind her shoulder, "JR and me will just hang out with you and Molly until my Daddy and Papa get back. Emmett said they had to do something very fun and important but he had a look on his face, like my Papa gives me when I don't want to get out of bed."

 

He tries not to laugh at that, he really does, but Molly barely attempts to conceal any laughter at all which doesn't help his own resolve.

 

"Why are you laughing at me?" Lily pouts at the both of them, but gets over it quickly as she gets a sweet, yet calculating smile on her face, "Hunter, are you and Molly going to get married?"

 

"Yeah, Hunter," JR finally jumps in, "Are you? I asked Molly in Niagara and she wouldn't say."

 

Hunter glances at a put on the spot Molly in amusement, "Oh, really? And why would you ask her that?"

 

JR rolls her eyes, "Because? You were in Niagara. A lot of guys propose to their girlfriends there. You had a really nice suite and on the drive down, our dads were talking and they said that you never were so in love before and when I asked them if you guys were going to get married, they said they like Molly so much that they hope you do propose to her one day. So I just had to ask."

 

"She HAD to ask," Lily reiterates as Hunter regrets fucking asking two young girls about this shit in the first place. He had been expecting a cute answer, not one exposing the fact that his dads wanted him to marry his long distance girlfriend of only a few months. He's almost afraid to look at Molly now. But he's kept from having to do that when Lily suddenly gasps in delight.

 

"I have the bestest idea!" Lily says, "You and Molly can get married today! Here! There's bunches of people here, there are chairs in the garden, Jinkx can talk for you guys and make sure you're married right. I can be your flower girl, only me this time-"

 

"That isn't fair, Lily," JR glares, "He's my brother. If anyone is going to be his flower girl, it's me."

 

"If he's your brother, he's my brother too!" Lily says back, a frown firmly placed on her face, "Gussy is my brother and he's your brother. Hunter is your brother, so he's my brother! Sharing is caring! That's just how it works!"

 

"That's not how it works-"

 

"It is!" Lily interrupts, leaving no room for a rational argument, then lets out a groan, "I forgot! Molly needs a dress! She has a nice dress on but it's got to be a wedding dress! Ughhhhhh!"

 

Lily throws herself back flopping over Hunter's forearm before Hunter puts her down.

 

"It was a good plan while it lasted," Hunter says, patting a dejected Lily on the head.

 

"My parents and friends aren't here anyway," Molly answers, "We'd have to wait for hours for them to arrive for my impromptu wedding. Maybe next time."

 

Lily grumbles before saying, "They don't have to come. My Grandpa and Abuela didn't come. I heard my Uncle Diego say it's the elephant in the room but that makes no sense because there's no elephants here! At all! It would be so much funner if there was though."

 

"Oh, I completely agree," Molly says, completely able to ignore the sad subject that Lily just brought up, "Elephants are so interesting."

 

"Did you know there are three different kinds of elephants?" Lily asks, as they take the opportunity to walk the girls to the entrance of the tent, "African Savannah, African Forest, and the Asian elephant. I have a whole book on elephants!"

 

"Wow! That's so cool!" Molly exclaims as Lily takes her hand, "Did you know they use mud as sunscreen?"

 

"I did!"

 

Hunter hangs back as JR and Lily start completely gravitating towards Molly. It's so fucking cute that he wants to take pictures of the sight but he forces himself not to. For the most part.

 

Okay, he takes a few.

 

After the speeches, dinner, and cake, the reception is mostly spent dancing with each other. Molly does go off and dance with Justin for a couple of songs and Hunter has to force himself to keep himself occupied so that he won't listen in on that conversation. He dances a slower song with JR and a faster one with Lily, spinning her around in circles and dipping her until she is laughing hysterically and claiming that he's a wild man.

 

Michael, Ben, Eric, Brian, and Gus also dance with Molly, but he's not really concerned about any conversations that can happen there at all. Maybe a little with his dads since apparently they want him to get fucking married to her, but it's only the dance with Justin that gets him a little nervous, especially since he's pretty aware of Justin's concerns regarding the fact that Molly is with Hunter at all.

 

Gus asking her amuses him. The boy is blushing and obviously crushing on Molly a little by the time his dance with her is finished. Hunter thinks about embarrassing Gus and asking him why he was dancing with his girlfriend, but he tries not to make it a habit to be a dick to 14 year old boys and he can't blame Gus for having a crush anyway.

 

The rest of the time, however, is spent dancing with each other, off to the side, far away enough from the rest of the crowd to almost feel like they're alone.

-------------------------------

They don't sleep that night.

 

They take advantage of every second together. The sex is passionate and almost desperate, knowing it's their last night together. He doesn't know if he's ever held Molly so tightly nor as she held him with such an urgency. As the sun begins to rise, their time together takes a turn and Hunter can't help but feel a weight on his chest knowing that in a couple of hours, this will be over.

 

"This fucking sucks," Molly mutters, sniffling and wiping at her eyes before anything can escape, "I hate this. I love you and you're still phenomenal in bed, but I hate this."

 

"I hate it too," Hunter says sadly, "We'll...we'll figure it out, okay? I'll come see you and you'll come see me. We'll meet in the middle. We'll make it work."

 

"But what if we can't?" Molly says, before getting more emotional, "We might not see each other for months, Hunter."

 

Hunter shakes his head and props himself up, "I won't let that happen, okay? I won't. I don't think I can go that long without seeing you. I'm physically incapable. I love you. JR might have embarrassed the shit out of me by talking about what my dads said, but she's right. I've never been more in love than I am with you."

 

Molly nods but she doesn't look comforted at all. It's like she doesn't believe that they'll see each other anytime soon - like she'll believe they'll have this again when she sees it.

 

"You'll have the summer off-"

 

"I'm working at the special education school part time until mid July."

 

Part of Hunter wants to ask her why, beg her not to, offer her money if it's about needing money, but he forces himself to keep his mouth closed on the matter.

 

"I'll definitely come in for Hazel's wedding in July," Hunter says, "If one of us has a long weekend, we'll be on the first flight out."

 

"I should have all long weekends," Molly says quietly, "I'm only working two days in a row during the week once summer starts. Don't know which ones yet."

 

That makes Hunter feel a little better, "See? You can fly out every fucking week if you want to."

 

Molly frowns, "That sounds expensive. And it isn't the same. It won't feel like the last three weeks have felt."

 

He wants to point out that he would pay for her ticket every single week while he was filming just so he could see her for a few days, but he doesn't want to open that can of worms, or the one that consists of him begging her not to work this summer just so she can stay with him in California. He could ask about that second option later.

 

So instead, he just strokes her cheek, kisses her once, and says, "Yeah, I know."

------–-------------------------

Anticipating leaving her had been rough - really fucking rough. But actually leaving is a whole different matter. He feels like he can't move his feet. He doesn't want to take one step towards his gate. Molly can't even pretend she's not crying, her face in her hands. Hunter is trying, he's really fucking trying not too get too worked up. But the sight of her like this hurts and the fact that he has to leave her when she's like this is fucking unbearable.

 

So yeah, he cries a little too. Into her hair so she can't see him and get even more upset. He's already upsetting her enough.

 

Justin can see him though. At first, Hunter wonders how Justin even feels about this emotional goodbye. You'd think he'd be happy, since he doesn't really want Hunter with Molly and that's clear. But no, even Justin looks at them sadly. Nathan seems even more upset. Hunter can't think on it. He can't focus on them right now.

 

"Fuck, Molly. You're going to make me cry if you keep this up."

 

It's meant to come out as a joke, something light to get her to cheer up a little, but Hunter's voice is strangled to all hell and it makes him burrow his face into her neck just for a second so he doesn't fucking lose it as Molly just cries harder and sobs out, "You're already crying. I f-feel you getting my hair wet."

 

Hunter lets out a tearful laugh, "I'm sorry. You put so much work into it this morning and I'm just messing it up."

 

Molly lifts her head from Hunter's shoulder and wipes beneath her eyes with her fingers, "I'm already a fucking mess. It's really not a big deal."

 

Hunter watches her for a moment, tries to memorize her even in this state, and shakes his head.

 

"You're beautiful."

 

Hunter presses his forehead against hers and just stands there in silence with her, cupping her face with every amount of tenderness he feels for her. They stand there like that until the last call for his flight.

 

"You should go," Molly says, making no attempt to move first.

 

"...Okay," Hunter breathes out, bringing her head forward to kiss her forehead twice, "Okay."

 

Molly nods, her expression crumpling, before throwing her arms around his neck to kiss him goodbye.

 

"I love you," Hunter manages to say after they part, causing Molly let out a sound filled with longing and pain.

 

"I love you too," she chokes out. Before Hunter can say goodbye or later or throw Molly on his shoulder and add her as a last minute carry-on, she's out of his arms, quickly walking away as she bypasses her brother and Nathan.

 

He manages to get through security with only a few looks of confusion and concern by the way he must be coming off. He gets his carry-on in the overhead compartment and realizes that he has the whole row to himself. Usually, he would be thrilled but right now? It feels so fucking lonely. He is able to make it until the plane has taken off and the fasten seatbelt sign is no longer lit before rushing for the bathroom and locking the door. As gross as Hunter is sure it is, he doesn't even sit on the toilet. He just slides down the wall and onto the floor and cries. It's overly dramatic and stupid and he's crying like Molly broke up with him - or worse - fucking died. Neither are the case and Hunter meant it when he said they wouldn't go multiple months without seeing each other. He will make sure that they see each other as much as possible. He will fucking make sure that this heartbreaking, long distance bullshit doesn't last forever either. But despite that, he can't even bring himself to a point where he can pull it together, not yet, not without her. Molly has ruined Hunter's capability of living life without her.

 

This fucking sucks.

May 1st 2015

Molly is adding the more stylistic touches to the poster board as soon as her phone pings. She glances over at it and sees that it's Hunter. He's later than usual. Usually, he's back at the apartment by 9 pm. Right now, it's 2 am for her, making it 11 am for him.

 

Hunter: Hey, checking in. Sorry I didn't get to call. Some of the cast and crew went out because we have a late start tomorrow. Back at the apartment now. Katniss still hasn't changed her mind on the place. She hates me for making her leave LA for a few months. I hope you had a good day. Bummed I didn't get to hear your voice. :/

 

Molly looks down at the phone, wondering if she should even answer and get into a late night conversation when she has to work on a bunch of shit. But yeah, she misses hearing Hunter's voice too. She can deal with the pain that hanging up brings her after.

 

I'm up if you want to talk.

 

She sends the text before splattering some red on the board. Skinner will probably hate it, but the kids will love it and that's what matters to her.

 

Her phone rings, Hunter's name lighting up the screen and she answers it with a, "Yo."

 

Hunter lets out a soft laugh, "Yo to you too. And yo, why the fuck are you up? You have to be at work in 5 and a half hours."

 

Molly sighs, "I have stuff I have to get done. Fake blood with different pH compounds to make, fingerprint kits to compile. Also - on the other end of the spectrum - ingredients to make bath bombs to gather and separate."

 

"How many science booths are you running at that carnival tomorrow?" Hunter asks, "Or are you doing some super weird hybrid? Woman loses consciousness in the bath by a toxic bath bomb, found stabbed to death the next morning-"

 

"See, this is why I need you here," Molly says seriously, "You made my classroom look more awesome than it already did and I already took pride in myself when it came to having the coolest looking room. If you were here, you could have came up with a whole case like that so I wouldn't have to oversee two booths and would have a super cool case for the investigation booth on top of that."

 

She doesn't mean to make it come off like she's guilting him, she really doesn't, but Hunter seems to take it that way when he doesn't answer at first before clearing his throat.

 

"...I wish I was there. I really do," Hunter tells her softly, "This first month is tough though, with pre-production, rehearsals, meetings with the set design team to corroborate my side of things and their side of things, plus setting up first days of shooting-"

 

"I wasn't trying to guilt you, Hunter," Molly interrupts, "Really, I wasn't. I get that you're busy right now."

 

"It will be less busy in June and July," Hunter says, "Darren is promising that this shoot won't go past July 20th. You said that the summer session for the sister school is only until July 17th, right?"

 

"Right."

 

"And you aren't doing it full time? You are only going to be working there a couple of days a week?"

 

"Yeah, hourly," Molly says, "I get my salary through the summer but this gives a little extra income, so that's nice."

 

Hunter lets out a breath, "Look, if you are working there because you need extra money, please don't. I can give you whatever they are paying you."

 

Molly rolls her eyes, "The extra cash is just a perk. I work there during the summer session because I really enjoy working with the kids there. Like I've said: keep your money."

 

Hunter stays silent on the other line so Molly prompts him, "What, Hunter?"

 

"...Nothing," Hunter says sadly, "It's just...I don't know, I thought I could maybe fly you out here for the summer if you didn't work. More than just for a weekend."

 

Molly purses her lips, "That's nice of you...I just...I don't know. I can't do that right now."

 

"Why?" Hunter asks, sounding agitated.

 

"Me saying no doesn't have to do with you," Molly tells him, "I have obligations here. And in Pittsburgh. Plus in Connecticut and New York. My family is on this side of the country and I can't spend the whole summer over in San Francisco and LA, especially when my grandpa is the way that he is and my dad is still having bad days."

 

She can tell Hunter is losing his patience, although he is probably desperately trying not to. They parted in New York not even two weeks ago but it was…fuck, hard is an understatement. The sudden loss of his presence after having it for three weeks had left her devastated for days. When Hazel had picked her up from the airport and had taken one look at her, she wouldn't even let her stay in her apartment by herself. Hazel had just gotten her stuff from her office at home, loaded it into the car, and told Samira she would be in Morgantown for a few days. Molly didn't have it in her to argue. She had just sat there the whole time and cried. She didn't even go into work the following Monday or Tuesday. She claimed she came down with a virus over the weekend. For once, Principal Skinner wasn't an ass about something that Molly requested or suggested. She sounded so hoarse and stuffed up that he had believed her.

 

She never told Hunter how she had become a broken down mess after he left. She hadn't answered the phone for him that Sunday or Monday or Tuesday. The few times she had texted, she told him she was sick and her throat was really sore. The flowers he had sent to her apartment on Monday had just gotten her more worked up. It wasn't until Wednesday - after she had gotten back from swimming with Gabriel - when she got a text from Quinn that she realized Hunter wasn't doing all that well either.

 

Hey, are you okay? Hunter is a mess right now. He's going to his pre-production meetings but won't get out of bed when he isn't working. He needs to get it together before he leaves for San Francisco. Can you call him?

 

That's what Quinn had texted her and it had pulled her out of her own self-pity just enough to feel guilty that Hunter wasn't doing well and she had just been avoiding him. It had pulled them both out of their funks - at least to an extent - but she didn't miss the way Hunter had sounded so depressed and tired when she finally caved. Some women might feel perversely special that they could get a guy that worked up over missing them. All she could think is that she isn't worth it. That he can do better. Someone who could accept his gifts without feeling guilty over the money spent, someone who made as much as he did, someone who didn't have a psychotic stalker, someone who didn't live across the country, someone who had their life together as much as he did. She still feels that way.

 

"Fine," Hunter says, sounding like it pains him to accept her answer, "For a few days then."

 

"Once the summer session starts," Molly says, feeling like an asshole, "School ends June 5th and final grades and the exam process is time consuming."

 

"When is the summer session?" Hunter breathes out.

 

"Last day of school is June 3rd," Molly says, "We have in service the 4th and the 5th. I start the summer session with the sister school on the 8th and will work Mondays and Tuesdays there until July 17th."

 

"So I could get you an evening flight for the 9th and have it go back on the 14th?" Hunter asks, his voice sounding strained despite them talking about a visit.

 

"I guess."

 

"What is 'I guess' supposed to mean?"

 

Molly lets out a groan, "I don't want you paying for every flight either of us take."

 

"I would rather spend a little bit of money than go the whole damn summer without seeing you," Hunter says stubbornly.

 

"Fine," Molly says, "I will get the next flight, whether it's you or me who's taking it."

 

"I will get this one. You're sure you don't have any long weekends before that?"

 

"The last weekend in May, I get that Friday off," Molly says, "But I'm going up to New York for Nathan's play...I think. If our family is still doing that. I don't know."

 

"Justin and Nathan are still broken up, right?"

 

"Yeah," Molly says, "But Nathan is my friend and he doesn't have family. I asked Justin if he should refund my plane ticket and he just made it for Thursday evening instead of Friday morning because he wants me there before our parents come in."

 

"Oh."

 

"Yeah," Molly murmurs, "So how's JLaw? You hang out with her tonight?"

 

Hunter snorts, "She's fine, I guess. She got really drunk and I had to take her back to the place they are boarding her. It's a lot nicer than the place they gave me."

 

"Your place looked pretty nice in the pictures you sent me," Molly shrugs, "But still, rude."

 

"I guess," Hunter says, "She asked about you. About when she was going to meet you. She was really demanding of it. She tried to take my phone to call you."

 

Molly tries not to feel shock and confusion over one of the highest paid actresses in Hollywood trying to call her but fails, "How did I even get brought up?"

 

Hunter lets out a sheepish chuckle, "Apparently, I came off as morose tonight and she grilled me about my life, then my sex life. Like I said, she was drunk."

 

"Huh."

 

"What?"

 

"...Nothing," Molly eventually says, "I just didn't realize you were close with her."

 

"I'm not," Hunter says pointedly, "We hung out some during Silver Linings, I hadn't talked to her since, but she remembered me and seemed happy I was doing the cinematography on this shoot when she found out."

 

"Okay," Molly says because what else is she supposed to say?

 

"Molly Taylor," Hunter says, sounding amused for the first time since this whole conversation started, "Are you jealous of JLaw?"

 

"Who the fuck isn't?" Molly snorts, "And on that note, I am going to bed. After I get the bath bomb ingredients sorted."

 

"Alright," Hunter says softly, "Try to get more than 3 hours."

 

"No promises."

 

Hunter clears his throat and stays silent for a moment before saying his next words, "I hope everything goes well tomorrow. I love you."

 

Molly swallows around the stupid lump in her throat and nods, "Yeah, I love you too."

 

She hangs up first so that she doesn't have to hear the beep. It fucking hurts and she hates hearing it.

 

She forces herself to get everything gathered up and ready on the counter before brushing her teeth and trying to get the three hours that Hunter suggested. The first half hour of that is spent on her side, looking at pictures of Hunter from their trip to Niagara, then pictures from her trip to LA, pictures of him at her apartment and out at Cooper's Rock.

 

She eventually runs out of her own personal photos of Hunter to look at, so she gets on his Instagram. She doesn't have one but he does. He doesn't post on it all that much and there are no photos of her on there but there's a good reason for that. She hates that she has to be so private about her relationship with him but she isn't going to risk Seth somehow figuring out who Hunter is to her, only to be driven to ruin Hunter's life all because he saw some coupley photo of them.

 

So even though there are no recent pictures on there that Hunter has posted himself, there is a picture that Kate Mara - of all fucking people - posted and tagged him in.

 

Loving this cast and crew already! <3

 

Almost all of them are smiling, Jennifer Lawrence has an arm slung around Hunter's shoulders. Hunter isn't frowning, but he's definitely the one who looks like his head is elsewhere, even with a beautiful woman casually wrapped around him. A beautiful woman who lives in the same state as him, a woman he wouldn't have to fly out just to hang out with him, a woman who could fly herself out every week if she wanted to.

 

He deserves better. It doesn't have to be Jennifer Lawrence or Kate Mara, but she is getting more and more confused when it comes to why Hunter is in love with her.

------------------------------

Both of her booths the next day are a hit and probably draw the biggest crowd of kids and parents. The bath bomb and soap making booth is more of a hit with the girls, while the CSI booth seems to be a hit regardless of gender. Some of the parents are more tolerable than others. One she weirdly ends up knowing personally. Holly Banks, now Holly Fitzgerald. She had gone to middle school with her and had actually been good friends with her at the time. Molly hadn't seen her since the 8th grade - until today, that is. With her 9 year old, 4th grade daughter.

 

Despite being a science teacher, Molly can do the math. She remembers the reason why Holly moved and had never been heard from again in the first place. Tucker had been the one Holly ended up breaking down to regarding her stepfather. Tucker had been the parental figure her friends felt comfortable talking to. He was young, kind, and their teacher, plus he rode a motorcycle. As much shit as Molly occasionally gives him, he's still someone she knows she can talk to about stuff, as can Hazel and Jerome. Molly distinctly remembers Tucker, her mother, her father, Madison, and Lorelei Levitt all sitting them down and fearfully questioning them on whether Holly's stepfather ever touched them inappropriately or hurt them.

 

The answer had been no. Unless both Molly and Hazel blocked out some seriously fucked up shit, she had never been sexually assaulted or abused as a kid. She almost had been in college, making for another awkward and upsetting conversation with Tucker, but not as a child.

 

Holly had been. And she apparently had a child from the abuse that occurred. As soon as Holly recognizes her, she goes white and Molly immediately feels awful because this is a woman who has obviously moved on. She seems to have a nice husband - one who is at least a decade older but he seems good with Holly's daughter and excited over his wife expecting a baby in a few months. She's changed her last name. She lives in a different state. Molly hates that her being here might have brought up some bad memories for her. The look on her face sort of reminds her of the look Hunter had on his when Rita Montgomery harassed them at their table a few weeks ago.

 

So Molly doesn't bring anything up, nor does she pretend not to know her. All she says is, "I'm really glad you're doing well. I'm looking forward to having your daughter for Science next year" and leaves it at that.

 

"You're Molly Taylor, right?"

 

The words don't come from Holly, they come from a man, most likely in his late 30s. He's handsome and has a slight Irish accent. He's well put together, with short brown hair, brown eyes, and just a hint of stubble.

 

And going by his attire, apparently a priest?

 

"That would be me," Molly says, kind of confused as to why a priest is even here.

 

"Great! That's great," the man says, almost acting relieved that he's found her, "I love your work."

 

What fucking work is he talking about?

 

"The poster board?" Molly tries, glancing at the bloody looking presentation.

 

"Well, it is eye catching," the man agrees.

 

"Thanks...uh, Father."

 

"Sorry, sorry," the man excuses himself, "I don't know where my manners went. I'm Matthew Carney. Not a father. Well, I am, my kids are with my wife here somewhere, but not a Catholic. I'm a reverend. Presbyterian."

 

Molly nods, "Well, it's nice to meet you. I'm glad you like the poster board. If your kids haven't done the activities yet, they are welcome to -"

 

"I was actually talking about your work on the after school program and how comprehensive it is," Reverend Carney says, smiling, "We just moved here a month ago from Ireland. I'm leading the congregation at the church in Westover. I would like to build some extracurricular programs for our youth. I would love to hire you to help me plan them. And of course, you and your family are more than welcome to join us on Sundays and during our evening bible study on Wednesdays."

 

Molly clears her throat and feels a bit put on the spot, "That's really nice of you to think of me, but I'm not religious. I mean, like not at all. It might be more appropriate for you to choose someone from your congregation to help you, or someone from a more religious background-"

 

"Don't feel like you can't offer your services due to our differences in religious beliefs," Reverend Carney says, "Just because you believe in one thing and I believe in another doesn't mean we can't work together as friends and colleagues. Besides, I enjoy hearing different viewpoints. I’m actually one who promotes aligning religion and science when at all possible. And like I said, I would pay you for your services."

 

"You're very considerate, but-"

 

"Miss Taylor would love to work with you on your programs."

 

Molly turns her head and sees Principal Skinner standing there, standing tall as he looks at her with a pointed expression.

 

"She did such great work with our after school program, we've seen a significant increase in grades and enthusiasm within the classroom. I am sure whatever she can come up with something and tweak it to make it appropriate for a church setting," Principal Skinner continues before glancing at the poster, "Less blood would be a good start."

 

Molly is extremely tempted to point out that most churches display a man nailed to the cross by his wrists and feet, but she holds her tongue.

 

"Wonderful!" Reverend Carney says, "We will exchange numbers then, meet tomorrow or Sunday after church lets out if you are free?"

 

"I can text you her contact information right now," Skinner says, glancing at Molly as he pulls out his phone.

 

"Fantastic," Reverend Carney says as he pulls out his phone, only for Molly to receive a text a few seconds later, "I best be off to find my wife. Ms Taylor, I hope to see you this weekend."

 

Molly can only nod as Reverend Carney leaves her table because she apparently has no control over her life. That's made clear when as soon as Skinner speaks again.

 

"He may be a reverend, but he is also the sole heir to an oil fortune. His family is old money. He's worth hundreds of millions of dollars. He's known for his major contributions to the local schools in his community. He opted for this school upon moving due to the special on the news about the program being passed. Do not fuck this up. If I need to take you off of your summer shifts so that you can dedicate everyday to that man, I will."

 

She tries not to glare at Skinner as he walks away.

-----------------------------------

The next two weekends are essentially spent working with Reverend Carney in his office at the church, as do her following Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings. He's a nice man, extremely nice, and it's weird that she's sort of friends with a reverend of all people, but she doesn't hate it.

 

Hazel isn't a fan. Neither is Jerome. Hazel especially makes that clear when she is driving Molly back from Rubina's Dance Studio after their Burlesque class.

 

"He's literally taking up all of your time and calling you even after you leave to brainstorm more," Hazel says as soon as Molly gets off the phone with him, "That isn't normal behavior from someone who is employing you for your services. He probably wants to bone you. He's probably a creep."

 

Molly lets out a groan, "Not every man out there is a creep, Hazel. I know I tend to attract them but Matthew has a wife and kids."

 

"Just makes him even sketchier since he is so obsessed with you," Hazel shrugs.

 

Although Molly doesn't feel like the time spent around Matthew is completely out of proportion, it is noticeable, even to Hunter who isn't even here.

 

"Skinner is asking a lot from you," Hunter says, possibly sounding more irritated than she's ever heard him sound in her life, "This isn't like once or twice a week for a couple of hours. This is several hours a day, five days a week that this guy wants to spend with you and work you into the ground."

 

It's time consuming," Molly says, feeling defensive, "Do you know how much work I had to put into the after school programs to prepare them and get them approved?"

 

"Yes, but a lot of that was about meticulously planning speeches and arguments and budgeting. This guy has a sky high budget and is approving all of your ideas," Hunter points out, then groans, "I...Whatever, Molly. If you trust him, then fine, but I am going to be honest and say that I don't like you spending all of your time with him."

 

Molly feels anger bubbling in her gut, "I swear to God, if you even try to tell me who I can and can't work with or hang out with-"

 

"No," Hunter says quickly, before deflating, "I wouldn't do that...Fuck, Molly. You know I wouldn't do that to you. I'm just...I don't know, I don't want you overworking yourself. I don't want you getting taken advantage of by some multi-millionaire with fifteen years on you who has permission to do so from your boss. You are sometimes working sixteen hour days because of this guy, plus you are still going up to check on your dad on Tuesdays and Thursdays - which were originally your long days work days - and it takes an hour and a half to get there. I don't want you to become absolutely exhausted."

 

Molly snorts, "You work sixteen hour days - with beautiful, successful women surrounding you, I might add - and I don't get on you like you are getting on me right now."

 

"...Do you want to get on me about it?" Hunter asks, "If something is bothering you about this shoot or my job or the people I work with and you need to get it out, then vent. Go ahead."

 

The anger leaves her just a bit. It might be because of Hunter not getting riled up at her words. But more likely, it's because venting over how the women Hunter works with are probably better suited for him would just make it more true.

 

"It's nothing," Molly says instead, "I was just trying to put you on the spot like you were doing to me."

 

"...I wasn't trying to do that to you," Hunter says, sounding guilty, "I am just worried. Don't mind me, okay? I'm being selfish about it. Hell, I'm probably jealous. He gets to spend a lot more time with you than I do. I guess I'm worried that you working with him will interfere with your trip here in a few weeks. I'm sorry."

 

Molly sighs, "It won't. Okay? I made sure that it won't. I miss you too much to help out a church."

 

Hunter lets out what sounds like a forced chuckle, "Yeah, at least you can agree there is one thing weird about this. You're pretty agnostic, babe."

 

The conversation on her being obligated to a church and some reverend is less tense after that, at least the few times the subject is brought up. She can still tell Hunter doesn't like the whole arrangement - both with her unofficial second job and the fact that they are so far away from each other. He doesn't make that hard to figure out. She has to wonder if she's as easy to read on the phone. If he's figured out that he doesn't have to deal with the distance and heartache, that there are girls he can pursue out there and talk to both in person and on the phone without sounding so fucking down when when the conversation is over.

 

Girls without a psychotic stalker.

 

"You're...uh," Matthew starts, glancing down at her constantly vibrating phone as she works on a display across the room, "Your phone hasn't stopped ringing in the last five minutes.

 

Molly glances over and winces, "Yeah, sorry. I will turn it off as soon as I am done with this."

 

Matthew nods, but presses her on the subject, "It sounds like it might be pretty serious. Maybe an emergency?"

 

Molly knows it's not. Her Fitbit is showing her all of the different numbers and she knows who it fucking is.

 

"It's an ex from almost five years ago," she says, wincing over the fact that she just told the person who is paying her to be here that she used to date someone who stalks her to this day, "He gets like this sometimes. Haven’t had any type of relationship with him since I broke up with him but oh well. It is what it is. Now, how do you want the set up to-"

 

"It doesn't sound like he respects you," Matthew frowns, staring at Molly with concerned eyes, as he steps towards her, “He shouldn’t be harassing you. You deserve to be loved and cherished, to have a man by your side who knows that. You are an extraordinary and beautiful woman, Molly.”

 

“...Uh huh,” Molly answers eloquently, “So, the Noah’s Ark exhibit for the animal science activities, I was thinking outside might be more appropriate for the set you’re planning to build. It will be good for the kids to get fresh air, allow more space for them to interact with the animals, plus you can probably have more animals on site when that day does come.”

 

Matthew spreads his arms, “As always, all wonderful ideas. Hiring you is the best thing I’ve ever done.”

 

Molly tries to forget about the exchange after she leaves for the evening. Maybe it’s an Irish thing or maybe religious people are just super socially awkward and they come off like they’re flirting when they’re really just trying to validate everyone as a child of God or whatever. Besides, Matthew is married. She just got the list of her students for next year and she’s supposed to have his son in her homeroom class. He’s technically employing her. He’s not hitting on her.

 

So she ignores it and keeps trying too when Matthew says the color of her eyes are probably the same color as the sky in Heaven. She subtly leans away when he puts his hand on her back and she tries to only be vaguely appreciative when he comments on her beauty before asking about how his wife is doing with the bake sale coming up.

 

She should have been more blunt. It probably wouldn’t have killed her second job three weeks in.

 

It’s May 22nd and a Friday. Molly actually has the evening off and Hazel and Samira have taken it upon themselves to come over to make dinner. When there’s a knock on the door, she assumes that it’s Jerome and Rubina or Gabrielle and Gretchen. Molly had kind of been dreading it, even though she loves all of them. Being the only single one in a group of couples is bad enough. Being technically involved with someone who is absent more often than not - only to hang out with a group of couples - might be even worse. She gets up to get the door though. Molly isn’t rude, nor is she going to be a bitch about her friends having their SOs living with them while hers lives over 2000 miles away.

 

It turns out to be none of them.

 

“I...uh,” Matthew says, flowers in his hands, “I was in the area and thought I would stop by.”

 

Molly stumbles and sputters on sounds, glancing at the flowers and at Matthew’s hopeful expression, “Uh...Okay, I’m confused. How did you even know where I live?”

 

Matthew at least has the decency to look bashful at that, “I asked Principal Skinner. I had to see you.”

 

“We…” Molly starts, trying to figure out what to fucking say, “We’re working together on Sunday after church lets out. I thought that was the plan. You could have waited to see me then.”

 

“I couldn’t,” Matthew insists, stepping inside as Molly just stands there in shock. Out of the corner of her eye, she can see Samira and Hazel enter the living room as Matthew continues, “I had to see you now. I can’t keep pretending. No matter what I do in this case, I will be disobeying God, but I might as well do it in a way that makes me happy.”

 

“Okay,” Molly answers slowly, “I mean, yeah, you should definitely do what makes you happy-”

 

“Good,” Matthew says. And then? Before Molly can figure out shit, he tosses the flowers behind his back, grabs her face, and smashes his lips against hers.

 

It takes a second for Molly to even move because it’s like her brain is short circuiting and it isn’t in a good way, not in the way that Hunter makes her mind and heart stop at a standstill when he kisses her. No, this it more of a ‘what the fuck is happening and why is this my life’ type of way. But she forces herself to get a grip on reality just long enough to push him off of her.

 

Or she tries to. She pushes him away and he grabs her to kiss her again. She grunts out a "Get off of me!" before she ends up shoving him hard enough to stumble. When he steps forward again, she holds her hands out and steps back.

 

“Matthew…” Molly says, trying for a kind, patient approach, “I think you’re confused-”

 

“I’m not,” Matthew says, shaking his head, “Molly, when I look at you, my mind has never felt so clear. I’m...Look, I know I’ve only known you for a few weeks, but it feels like a lifetime. I’m falling in love with you.”

 

“...Well,” Molly starts, then decides to not even touch that, “You’re married. You have a wife. And you have children, one of which is going to be in my class next year. You need to focus on them.”

 

“I can’t,” Matthew answers, “I can only focus on you.”

 

“Then you need to try harder when it comes to fixing that,” Molly says slowly, “You have a family. Your wife loves you. Your kids love you. I’ve never been to a service, but I’m sure your congregation loves you too.”

 

“I’ll leave them,” Matthew says, sounding so sure that it freaks Molly out, “I’ll resign from my position. I have plenty of money. I have never done this for the money. I don’t need to work. I do this because I thought it would be the right thing to do. But now I know that the right thing to do is to be with you.”

 

When Molly lets herself look past Matthew’s hopeful, determined, slightly crazed expression, she sees Hazel and Samira standing several feet behind Matthew in the living room. Samira is just standing there with her eyebrows raised and her mouth open, while Hazel is standing there not so subtly filming everything, all while frantically mouthing ‘WHAT THE FUCK?’ and possibly ‘CREEP! I TOLD YOU! CREEP!’ but Molly isn’t sure on that last one.

 

She isn’t sure how she feels about their presence. On the one hand, Hazel is definitely going to hold this over her head for the foreseeable future and Molly really isn’t looking forward to that. On the other hand, it might be good to have back up here if Matthew becomes physical, if the cops need to be called, or if she needs to pretend she is in a committed lesbian throuple so that Matthew understands he doesn’t stand a chance whatsoever.

 

“I am in love with you, Molly,” Matthew says, sounding more sure than ever, “I want to take care of you. My heart isn’t in my home. I’m not even sure it’s with God right now. It’s with you.”

 

“...I don’t feel the same,” Molly has to finally say, “I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I’m in love with someone else and I’m never, ever going to be the reason someone leaves their wife or their kids or their job. I’m sorry, but this isn’t going to happen. Ever.”

 

She feels bad at first, the way Matthew’s face falls. Even though this could be chalked up to a mid-life crisis or Matthew having an episode of some sort, she doesn’t want to hurt him. She had been telling the truth when she told him that. He’s a nice guy. For the last couple of weeks, despite some of his actions that Molly now definitely knows were flirtations, she was starting to consider him a friend to some small extent.

 

But the sweetness and the kindness Matthew had consistently displayed throughout their working relationship seems to dissolve away as soon as he processes her rejection. His eyes narrow into slits and his mouth curls into a snarl. Before Molly can blink, he’s throwing the foyer table at the wall, causing one of the legs to break off. Molly flinches at the sound and ducks before any splintering wood can hit her. She hears Hazel yelling out a warning at Matthew, telling him she's filming him, all while Samira holds her fiance back from getting any closer. But more clearly, she can hear what Matthew says next to her, as he steps forward to utter the last words he will ever personally speak to her.

 

“I put my heart on my sleeve and offered you a beautiful life and you refused to take it? I offered to give up so much for you and you just say no, like that means nothing? Who has shown you that much appreciation, hm? No one, I bet. You certainly don’t deserve it. You deserve nothing. You’re the fucking Antichrist.”

 

And with that, Hazel breaks from Samira's grip and charges into the foyer.

 

"Get out," Hazel says, opening the door for Matthew as he takes one last look of disgust at the both of them and leaves.

 

"And go get gangbanged by some archangels, you rapey, entitled prick!" Hazel calls out into the hall before slamming the door.

 

And then it's quiet, the flowers on the floor and the broken foyer table being the only signs that Matthew was ever there in the first place. She doesn’t know what else to do except to clean up.

 

“Hey, Antichrist!” Hazel says, coming over, “Go sit down. I got it.”

 

“It’s fine,” Molly mutters, her hands shaking as she picks up the table, only for a second leg to break off. It makes her so angry that she throws it to the ground. Tears immediately spring to her eyes and she covers her face with her hand. She hates this fucking shit. She doesn’t know if she’s starting to angry cry because that’s Hazel’s thing and Hazel’s condition is contagious or if Rita Montgomery triggered something in her and now it is going to be a semi-common occurrence, but she hates it.

 

It could be because she’s felt so lonely this month. It might not be about anger at all. Any negative emotion stemming from whatever the fuck just happened, regardless of what emotion it is, might have caused her to react like this. She’s emotionally mature enough to realize that. She’s just not emotionally mature enough to cut it out.

 

“Aw, Antichrist,” Hazel murmurs, pulling Molly’s head onto her shoulder, “Don’t cry over what he said. None of it is true. Dude’s off his rocker. That’s why, when you are bringing about the Apocalypse, he’ll be our first sacrifice when it comes to opening the Gates of Hell.”

 

“You’re so fucking weird,” Molly sobs out, not even finding it in her to fake a laugh.

 

“No,” Hazel counters, “I’m fucking cool. Because my best friend is the Antichrist. You should write a book about being the Antichrist. Or write a memoir and include this moment. The moment you turned down some creepy wannabe priest and he called you the Antichrist. I would buy ten copies.”

 

“Stop,” Molly says roughly, lifting her head to wipe at her face.

 

“Fine,” Hazel sighs, “No tell all. For now. But maybe you should go call Hunter and talk to him for a while. Tell him, at least.”

 

And Molly doesn’t know why that triggers her, but it does.

 

“Why, so he can think ‘I told you so’ like you probably are?” Molly snaps.

 

“Okay, woah,” Hazel says, holding her hands up, “I am not thinking that. Did I think that this guy probably wanted you to work so much for him because he thought you were hot? Yeah. But I didn't think he would do anything like this."

 

"Right, because the only reason any guy would want to work with me is because of the way I look. Not because of anything of substance I can actually offer," Molly continues, walking past Samira and through the living room, all while Hazel says, "What the fuck? I did NOT say that! You are stressed out and you are selectively hearing the worst of everything and you know it! Are you seriously just going to bail and hole up in your room? Molly!"

 

She closes the bedroom door before she can get into an argument with Hazel. Hazel doesn't deserve the anger Molly is feeling towards fucking everything and she doesn't want to say shit she regrets.

 

So after she forces herself not to throw anything against the wall (only one piece of furniture is going to get broken tonight and that quota has been hit) she lies down and stays in her room, even when she hears the other two couples come in. Jerome knocks on her door, asking if he can come in, but she just calls out, "I'm fine. I will be out in a little bit."

 

They must not take her word for it because within 30 minutes, Hazel walks in - no knock whatsoever - and drops the phone on her chest.

 

"Call Hunter."

 

"He's working," Molly mutters, not bothering to even touch the phone.

 

"Then tell him that something happened and it's an emergency," Hazel says.

 

"Why would I lie to him?" Molly says, "I'm here in one piece."

 

Hazel scoffs, "Your boss of three weeks came into your home, sexually assaulted you, and ruined your foyer table."

 

"He didn't sexually assault me-" Molly starts, but Hazel interrupts her.

 

“Look up the definition of sexual assault. Forcibly kissing someone is included in that and I saw your face after he left. The whole thing freaked you out. Hunter needs to know.”

 

“He does not.”

 

Hazel purses her lips, “I know if something like that happened to Samira, I would want her to tell me.”

 

Molly tries not to get riled up again, “He can’t do anything about it. He’s across the country on a shoot. If I tell him, he’s just going to get all worked up and upset and he doesn’t need to.”

 

“Of course he does,” Hazel says, “He’s your boyfriend, Molly. He’s in love with you. He needs to know.”

 

Molly just throws up her hands at this point, “I don’t know what he is. All I know is that he doesn’t need to get all worked up about a woman and her never ending drama over 2000 miles away from him.”

 

Hazel is quiet for a moment and Molly can feel her eyes on her, “...What? What are you even saying?”

 

“Just…” Molly starts, then shakes her head, “Look, I’m fine, okay? I promise, I’m fine.”

 

Molly even stands up to make a point, “See?”

 

“No,” Hazel says, studying Molly more than ever.

 

“Let’s just go eat dinner. Please. Let’s just forget about it for now, alright?”

 

Dinner is okay, despite the fact that she can see the broken table out of the corner of her eye. Her friends don’t bring up what happened more than a few times. Gabrielle and Gretchen are insistent that she call Hunter and tell him what happened, but promise they won't do it themselves. Jerome wants to track down a millionaire who had been devout to God until he got a boner for Molly, Samira is trying to keep things light and keeps trying to change the subject - it’s partly why she’s the best girlfriend out of the three girlfriends Hazel has had - and Rubina just says, “Well, if you aren’t going to be working for him any longer, you can help me with the Burlesque class again because you are the best and the girls follow your moves as much as they follow mine. And I know you. Between a church and glorified stripping, you will choose glorified stripping every time.”

 

And okay, that’s true.

 

By the time they all leave, Molly feels better than she had earlier in the night. She is able to talk to Hunter, act like nothing happened, and he only asks if she’s sure she’s okay twice, she helps out with the Burlesque class on Saturday morning, and she doesn’t go to the church on Sunday afternoon. She isn’t even questionably bailing. She receives a text saying her services are no longer required at 5 am on Sunday morning. It isn’t until Monday that she has a bad day again.

------------------------------------------------------------

 

“What did you do?”

 

It’s the first thing Principal Skinner asks her during their meeting an hour before classes begin. She had received the calendar notification the day before through her work email, one that said 'REQUIRED: SUPERVISION MEETING - 7 AM' even though 7:30 am is her start time. It doesn't exactly make her feel like aiming to please.

 

"Can you be more specific?" Molly asks, too tired to feel apprehensive under Skinner's glare.

 

"Reverend Carney called over the weekend, stating his children would no longer be attending this school due to the unprofessionalism of one the teachers. When I asked if you had done something, he said he would no longer need your assistance with the youth program and that he would send you the last check in the mail. Care to tell me what you did to upset him so that you or I can go about getting back what would have been a major private contributor?"

 

Molly lets out a breath and how is she even supposed to explain this?

 

"You would be better off asking him. I don't know what his thought process was but he's right. Continuing to work together after he arrived at my home to say what he had would be unprofessional."

 

Skinner squints, "What is that supposed to mean?"

 

"...Look, I am not aiming to hurt Reverend Carney's relationship with his family or church or even this school but one of the three had to occur. I'm sorry that turning down his advances made him pull his kids out of our school, but he's a married man and to put things bluntly, I'm not interested in him," Molly says, keeping eye contact.

 

Skinner takes a moment to study Molly then says, "You're saying that a married man who is devout to his church and family came on to you."

 

"Yes."

 

"Do you realize how ridiculous that sounds?" Skinner asks.

 

"Do you realize how ridiculous it would be to lie about something like this?" Molly says.

 

Skinner sits back in his chair, "You could be doing it to save face if you're the one who did something in the wrong. You could want money out of him."

 

"No, Principal Skinner," Molly says tiredly, "I'm not the one who wants money out of Reverend Carney."

 

Principal Skinner scoffs at that then says, "Well, you have no proof that he did such a thing. So unless that changes, your actions as they stand when it comes to upsetting one of our most prominent parents-"

 

"I do have proof," Molly interrupts, "Two of my friends were in my apartment when the incident occurred. One of them is overly paranoid so she got pretty much everything."

 

Before Principal Skinner can answer, Molly gets out her phone and pulls up the video, which starts out with Skinner telling her he wanted to be happy, only to force a kiss on her, and ends with the word Antichrist.

 

Principal Skinner watches the video closely, then once again before handing the phone back to Molly. If Molly happens to move her thumb the wrong way and press record? Oh well. There's a reason Hazel is paranoid
It's the same reason Molly is paranoid too.

 

"Well, you still upset him. You should have known the consequences of turning down Reverend Carney’s advances and reconsidered the offer for the sake of the school. He was attracted to you. You could have compromised. If you cared at all about this school, you would have. His wife and kids wouldn't have to know."

 

That wakes Molly up a bit. Because really? He's not even going to try to be more subtle than that?

 

"...You're telling me," Molly begins, staring at Skinner, "That you think I should have begun a romantic and most likely sexual relationship with a married parent at this school? You think that would have been more professional than turning him down? You think breaking up one of our student's families - or putting it in jeopardy by sleeping with his married father - would be okay with your superintendent brother? Yet it wouldn't be okay for me to show any autonomy by saying no? I should have just what? Taken one for the team, slept with this man because you think it would be for the best? That's what you call professional?"

 

Principal Skinner's condescending expression turns to one of hesitation as she calls him out on his bullshit before she leans in.

 

"You and I have differing opinions on professionalism, but even I don't think you are that clueless. You have been objectifying me, taking advantage of my lack of seniority, and talking down to me since I started here and I believe you at least had a hunch when it came to what Reverend Carney wanted when you gave him my home address, which is against school policy. So please, before you call me in here early again for an emergency meeting on my professionalism - only to insinuate I should have slept with one of the parents for the sake of private donations - think really hard on who is actually the unprofessional one here. Now, if you are going to write me up, go ahead and do it because I need to get over to the other building."

 

She gets a first warning write up for insubordination. She refuses to sign it, stating she would prefer a comprehensive and detailed write up as to what triggered her insubordination in the first place, not the vague one page paper he typed up within two minutes. Only then will she sign it, as long as Vice Principal Langan is in the room to witness. By the time she leaves his office, Principal Skinner's face is purple with suppressed rage.

--------------------------

Despite her early, stressful, and oppositional start to the day, things go smoothly even after she gets to her car to go home. She strangely feels better than she thought she would - despite some nerves over the possibility that Skinner will come up with a comprehensive write-up. She already has evidence to back that up in case she has to fight it. She doubts it will do much good but it won't make any disciplinary actions or termination easy. Skinner may have screwed over teachers he harassed and hit on in the past due to his family ties to the school board, but she wasn't going to let him do the same to her without having ammunition.

 

Honestly, it's been a while since she had stood up for herself in one way or another. The last time had been her stint throughout the fall all the way into the beginning of February, when she was actively going up against Skinner and the school board. It had been something worth fighting for - something she had wanted to fight for. This could probably be considered something worth fighting for as well, although she sure as hell doesn’t want to be in this position. Still though, the feeling of standing up for herself feels nice. It’s something she feels like she hasn’t done as much of after Seth, after he beat her down physically, only to continue to do so emotionally. He had been part of the reason a lot of the rebellion in her had, if not died, become too tired to re-emerge often. It’s almost nice that work is bringing it out of her, even if it is due to shitty reasons.

 

No, it had happened once outside of work. Back when she practically jumped Rita Montgomery. Hunter had called her feisty. Apparently, he saw a quality in her that she hasn’t seen in herself in years. She almost wanted to call and tell him what happened. Hunter has an almost amusing hatred regarding Skinner. He would probably be extremely proud of her. But telling him that she had stood up to him would lead to telling him why she had to stand up to him and that would get him extremely upset.

 

She ends up texting Jerome, asking if they can meet for Happy Hour at Mountain State Brewing Company, because she needs to talk to someone. And once she does meet him, sitting across from each other at a table out on the patio overlooking the river, they share a pizza and a pitcher of a beer she doesn’t hate (which is rare) and tells him everything about the day.

 

“You…” Jerome starts, shaking his head after he listens to the audio in disbelief and concern, “Girl, you need to get hell out of there.”

 

Molly shrugs as she takes a slice of pizza first, then her phone before pocketing it.

 

“No, I’m serious,” Jerome continues, trying to meet her eyes, “Get the fuck out.”

 

“And go where?” Molly asks, “Fairmont? Clarksburg? Preston County?”

 

“If the principals and parents are less predatory, then sure,” Jerome says, “This shouldn’t be happening at any job. Look, I’m proud as fuck that you stood up to him. You know you’re my girl and I’m in your corner. I love that we still live close to each other. Outside of Rubina and my brother, there’s probably no one I love more. That being said, get out of that job. If that means leaving Morgantown or the whole damn state altogether, I’ll miss you but I’ll help you pack.”

 

Molly rolls her eyes, “You were supposed to hype me up, not tell me to get away from you.”

 

“Oh, shut up,” Jerome snorts, “You know that’s not what I’m saying. Hell, if you do leave, Rubina and I might follow you if you pick a cool enough city. Don’t get me wrong, I love this city. For West Virginia, it’s liberal. But...I don’t know, I get worried. No one suspects Rubina being trans but she’s so open about it that when word does get out...I don’t know, it might be better if we moved somewhere else too.”

 

“Whose ass do I have to kick?” Molly asks, leaning in, “I’m in a mood.”

 

“The confederate flag waving, gun loving racists across the street would be a good place to start,” Jerome tells her, amused, “They already hate that I’m black and Rubina is Indian. I’m sure if they figure out that Rubina isn’t CIS, then we’re going to have to at least move to a different street.”

 

“I hate those guys,” Molly says, frowning, “The last time I came over, they catcalled me and when they saw I was going to your house they called me...I’m not going to say it. I’m white. I’m not allowed, nor do I want to be. They basically acted disgusted and implied I was fucking you. They were sort of obsessed with the possibility.”

 

“Well, that hasn’t happened since when?” Jerome asks, “11th grade after prom? Don’t get me wrong, you were good, but it felt like I was fucking my sister the whole entire time. When I admitted to Rubina we had slept together once, she just looked at me and said, ‘That’s pretty incestuous, Jaanu.’ Wasn’t even jealous.”

 

“Neither was Hunter,” Molly answers, “I mentioned that I was glad you guys got along and he said, ‘Yeah, he’s a good guy. I’m glad I get along with him too. He’s like a brother to you, right?’ and I said, ‘Yeah, but I did sleep with him once in high school.’ and he just laughed and said, ‘How weird was that?’. Of course, he was jealous of Reverend Carney getting to spend so much time with me, but not of me spending time with one of the hottest best friends I could ask for.”

 

Jerome shakes his head, “...Yeah, don’t take this the wrong way, but I think he who must not be named has made you confuse jealousy and concern hardcore.”

 

“He has not-” Molly says but Jerome cuts her off.

 

“Even if he hasn’t, that’s definitely what Hunter was,” Jerome says, “Concerned. Because we were too. We love you. Not in the same way Hunter does, obviously, but more than enough to want you to feel safe both on and off the clock.”

 

“You have a way of bringing conversations back around to the original topic and it’s super annoying.”

 

“Being on the debate team in high school and college was incredibly useful,” Jerome agrees, then leans in, “Seriously, Molly. Get the fuck out of that job and go teach somewhere else. Or better, go back to school. Elsewhere. LA, maybe. Just a suggestion. You’ve been more depressed since Hunter left than I’ve seen you in over 4 years and it sounds like he hasn’t been much better.”

 

“I can’t move across the country-”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because my life is here? My dad is mentally ill, Justin just went through a bad breakup a month ago, Mason is going through stuff and has been calling me more and he’s on this coast, my grandfather has Alzheimer’s, my mom and Tucker-”

 

“It’s not like you see them a ton anyway,” Jerome argues, “Tucker, your mom, and your grandparents are in Connecticut. Justin is in New York. Mason is in New Hampshire. And yeah, you’ve been seeing your dad more now. That’s good. But he wants you to be happy too. If you’re that concerned, Hazel and I will check in on him. I’m sure Justin and Mason could too. Don’t feel like you can’t be with your guy because of your family. They want you to do what’s best for you and that sure as hell isn’t staying here.”

 

“...No,” Molly says and Jerome looks like he’s about to explode so Molly continues, “I would miss you and Hazel too much to move that far. And Samira and Rubina. It’s too soon to make a move like that anyway. And too expensive.”

 

“I bet Hunter would disagree with those last two points.”

 

“Yeah, he probably would,” Molly sighs, “But he’s a romantic. He needs to start thinking about himself and what’s best for his own happiness and not worry about me.”

 

Jerome sits back in his chair, studying Molly closely, “What is that supposed to mean?”

 

And Molly isn’t sure she can explain that without making Jerome more concerned or frustrated so she just doesn’t.

 

Talking to Jerome had both helped and hurt, so she doesn’t even know what to feel when she gets back home. All she can do is read her book until 10 pm, which will probably be around the time Hunter calls if today’s filming schedule goes as planned. Reading has always been an escape for her, so it might be able to get her mind off of things for a little bit. She ends up reading one of the books that JR suggested she read when they went on their bookstore adventure. Hate List by Jennifer Brown. She had heard of it, but never read it, even though it came out at a time where it was probably appropriate for her to read it.

 

It is fucked. up. For an 11 year old to read, at least.

 

She kind of has to wonder if Lindsey, Mel, Michael, and Ben know what their 11 year old daughter reads. She feels like Hunter might have an idea. He had mentioned that she reads books that were way too mature for her but seemed to understand all of them on a relatively deep level. It ends up sucking her in though. She’s immersed until 9 pm, when her phone rings. She picks it up, feeling happy that Hunter is getting off early for once, until she sees the number. Random California number.

 

And by now, you’d think she would realize not to answer any number that isn’t in her contacts. But there’s a voice in the back of her head telling her, ‘What if Hunter’s phone was destroyed in an accident? What if he’s calling her from a hospital to let her know something is wrong?’

 

“Hello?” Molly says, her brow already furrowed. There is a pause on the line that makes her start to feel sick with each second that passes.

 

“So you’ll answer for a California number, but not a Pittsburgh number?” Seth spits out, “Why is that, Molly? You fucking bitch! You wouldn’t answer the last time I called but you’ll answer now? Fuck you.”

 

Her thumb hovers over the screen to end the call, but Seth’s words from back in March echo in her head, the threat of rape and murder looming like a dark cloud right in the middle of her suddenly too quiet living room. As much as she tries not to be afraid of Seth anymore, she suddenly can’t keep that up tonight.

 

“I have a few friends out there,” Molly says instead, trying to sound more nonchalant than she feels, “One changes her number a lot. She has an ex who keeps calling her. It’s a real pain for her. Strangely, I can relate.”

 

Seth huffs, “Well, maybe she should hear him out. Give him another chance.”

 

“She wants to move on,” Molly says, “And she hopes that her ex does too. She really does. She doesn’t want him to be unhappy, despite the things he has done to her. She just wants things to stay in the past so they can both live good and very separate lives.”

 

And she means it, even when talking about some imaginary friend. If Seth being happy with someone else means he will forever leave Molly alone, then she would take it. She hates even thinking about it - another woman at risk of being abused by Seth - but she’s tired. She’s so fucking tired.

 

“Well, that wouldn’t make me happy, Molly,” Seth says darkly, “Don’t think I don’t know what you’re doing. You aren’t going to escape me. You never will.”

 

The line clicks, only for the calls to come through again and again and again. When Hunter texts her at 10 pm and asks if she wants to FaceTime, she tells him that she feels gross from sharing a large pizza with Jerome and asks if they can just talk on the phone and save the FaceTiming for tomorrow. When she calls him, the calls still keep coming through. It makes it hard for Molly to concentrate and it must affect the quality of the call because Hunter asks, “Hey, is there something up with your service? You’re cutting in and out occasionally.”

 

“I don’t know, maybe,” Molly lies.

 

“Is everything okay?” Hunter asks, sounding suspicious.

 

And Molly knows it isn’t. She knows she isn’t when her eyes fill with tears and she forces herself to not let out a sound because she doesn’t need Hunter flying out here just because she has another breakdown or feeling guilty and stressed out he can’t because of his job.

 

He deserves so much better. He deserves more than someone who has a psychotic ex calling her all throughout their conversation.

 

“How is everyone on set?” she asks instead.

 

It takes Hunter a second to answer, “They’re...I mean, it’s all good. Pretty drama free shoot, despite it being a fucked up movie.”

 

“That’s good. I’m glad that it’s drama free,” Molly says, feeling a bit more resolved in her decision now.

 

“Yeah, it’s usually a good thing,” Hunter agrees, “So what’s up with you-”

 

“I think we should see other people,” Molly blurts out before she can overthink it.

 

If it weren’t for the insistent beeps of Seth’s calls, Hunter’s silence would be deafening.

 

“...What?” Hunter chokes out and it makes Molly feel like shit, “Molly, what do you mean? I...No. Let’s talk about this, please.”

 

“I didn’t…” Molly starts, “I didn’t mean break up. I still want to talk to you and see you. I still want to come out in a couple of weeks. I think it might kill me if-”

 

“Then why would you suggest that?!” Hunter stresses, his voice rising.

 

“You...Hunter, you’re across the country. We probably won’t even get to see each other in the fall since the show is starting back up and with my job.”

 

“...I’ve been thinking about leaving the show,” Hunter says hesitantly, “It’s a big commitment, time-wise, with my family all being in Toronto and you were right. I took it to lay a little bit lower and get my mom off my back. You’re making a good point with the fall being busy for the both of us, which is all the more reason for me to leave. I’m putting out feelers for some TV positions higher up.”

 

“I don’t want you to leave a steady and consistent gig because of me. And it isn’t only about that anyway. You live in a state filled with beautiful and talented women. I can’t fucking compete with that,” Molly says, losing tact as she continues to talk over Hunter’s denials, “Hell, I saw women flirt with you when I was there. And you ignored them for me.”

 

“Gee, I wonder why,” Hunter says sarcastically, sounding like he’s in pain - anything but humored, “Maybe because I’m in love with you and not them?”

 

“You might meet someone out there though. A woman who is absolutely amazing and deserves you and you’re just going to let her pass for me?” Molly says, trying not to sniffle but failing, “You shouldn’t let opportunities pass you by for someone like me.”

 

“Someone like you?” Hunter says incredulously, “Someone incredible and smart and beautiful? Someone who’s great with kids, stands up for what she believes in, speaks four languages, knows how to make her own makeup, is fantastic in bed, and is unashamedly a total nerd?”

 

“That is a really random list of my good qualities,” Molly says, suddenly feeling concerned for Hunter’s train of thought.

 

“Yeah, well you gave me a list in Niagara. Figured I would return the favor,” Hunter says, then starts to sound emotional again, “Even when you are trying to rip my heart out of my chest.”

 

“I’m not trying to rip your heart out of your chest,” Molly says, mumbling, “That’s the last thing I want to do. I just think it would be for the best. In case you find someone out there you like better. Someone who is better suited or more accessible.”

 

“Well, I fucking won’t,” Hunter says harshly, “And I don’t plan to.”

 

“But you might,” Molly says into the beeping phone, “And I don’t want to hold you back.”

 

“Jesus Christ, you aren’t holding me back!” Hunter says, sounding frustrated beyond belief, “Why are you doing this? Have you met someone? Is that why you’re doing...fuck, whatever you’re doing right now?”

 

“No,” Molly sighs, “No, I haven’t. I don’t plan on meeting anyone either.”

 

“Is it your job? Are you finally fucking exhausted from the hours that your boss and that reverend forced on you? Are you delirious and that’s why you’re talking like this?” Hunter guesses again.

 

“...I stopped working for him,” Molly says in hesitation, “Something happened on Friday. He showed up at my apartment and I didn’t appreciate it. It pissed him off so my services are no longer needed.”

 

“Woah, woah wait,” Hunter says, “What are you talking about and why are you just mentioning this now?”

 

“I don’t know,” Molly sighs, suddenly wishing she had just lied instead of being truthful but vague, “Like I said, I don’t want you to say no to anyone you might be interested in because of me. I’m not breaking up with you - I’m sorry that I made it sound that way. I just want you to keep your options open. I want you to have fun and not feel like you have to come home early every night just to talk to me. I don’t want you to say no to someone just because I exist.”

 

“Fuck that,” Hunter dismisses, “What happened on Friday?”

 

“Nothing, Hunter!” Molly snaps, “I’m tired, alright? It’s still early in California. Go out and have fun with Kate and Jennifer or go out with one of the girls from the crew.”

 

“You aren’t going to force me to go out on a date with someone I don’t give a shit about!” Hunter snaps back, “You don’t get to tell me to sleep with other people either! If this is something you want to do, then fine, but don’t pretend you are doing me a fucking favor!”

 

“Fine!” Molly says and that’s all she can say. She doesn’t know how else to soothe Hunter’s hurt and make him realize this is for the best. In a moment of her own agony and frustration, she just decides to hang up instead.

 

“Fuck!” Molly chokes out, letting the vibrating phone drop to the floor as she puts her face in her hands.

 

Hunter calls back twice within the next 24 hours but Molly doesn’t answer. It’s kind of hard to even consider talking to him when her phone doesn’t stop ringing for the next two days. It scares her because she can’t remember the last time Seth did one of his call marathons for more than a handful of hours. She ends up letting it die until charging it by her desk on Thursday morning before her flight to New York.

-------------------------------------------------

Focusing on Justin’s drama with Nathan helps keep Molly’s mind off of Hunter and her own drama back home. She is able to read the letter and give her opinion, feel concern for Nathan when Justin tells her he can’t express what had happened to the guy to make him so damaged. Molly knows some, probably more than Justin thinks she does. She and Nathan had gone out drinking once, after Nathan had met their mom for the first time. Nathan drank a little too much and had confided in Molly that his own mother killed herself on Christmas when he was eight and he’s really glad that Justin still has his mom, before pleading with her not to say anything to anyone.

 

She hadn’t. She never even told Justin that she knew about Nathan’s mom. She never told Justin the little she had guessed regarding Nathan’s dad. She just lets him think she’s clueless because she doesn’t want to see her brother more upset than he already is.

 

Although getting him upset might keep him more focused on himself. Usually it isn’t too much of a problem to get Justin to focus on himself. The dude can be kind of self-absorbed. He’s gotten a lot better with age but oftentimes Molly doesn’t have to worry about Justin asking about Molly’s problems. The only time that had truly been a thing had been when Justin obsessed on her safety and well-being regarding Seth. It’s partly why she never tells Justin anything about Seth anymore.

 

“How are you and Hunter?”

 

She isn’t even expecting the question, not with Justin’s torment regarding Nathan. She probably looks like a deer caught in headlights.

 

“Fine,” is all she tells him as she looks away to stare at the floor.

 

“Fine,” Justin echos dubiously, “But you were so upset at the airport. You both are talking still, right?”

 

“Yes, Justin. We’re still talking,” Molly confirms as she stands up.

 

“That doesn’t give me much information,” Justin mutters from the couch.

 

“It is what it is, Justin,” Molly sighs, “We still talk through Skype and on the phone at least a few times a week and text everyday. But I’m in Morgantown and he’s in Los Angeles. That’s how it will be for the foreseeable future.”

 

She knows how she sounds. Bitter. Sad. She might even sound like a liar. Because the truth is, she hasn’t talked to Hunter since Monday, not since she broke his heart and pissed him off. Not since Seth essentially kept her from having one conversation with anyone over the phone in peace.

 

“Maybe you can go visit him? I can give you the money for a ticket if finances are an issue.”

 

Why does everyone think they need to give her money? Is she that much of a fucking failure? Or does she just feel like one with a well-off...whatever Hunter currently is, a well-off father, and a millionaire brother?

 

“He’s busy with the movie he's working on,” Molly answers, “He has weekends off but works 12 to 16 hour days more often than not. He wraps in July and starts the show again in mid-August. He's talking about leaving the show and finding a different gig but it isn't like there are any jobs in his field in West Virginia."

 

“Then what about medical school?” Justin continues, “I know you think that it’s too late but it really isn’t. Why don’t you apply for different schools in California and New York then go from there? Hunter should be able to get a job in either place-”

 

“Why are you pushing this all of the sudden?” Molly suddenly snaps, because she’s sick of this shit, “You don’t even like the fact that I was fucking around with Hunter-”

 

“Yeah, and I still don’t want to hear about it,” Justin tells her pointedly.

 

Molly shakes her head, “It’s none of your business anyway.”

 

Molly goes over to sit in the chair on the other side of the room. If she looks like she’s sulking, then so be it. Justin can deal.

 

“Are you guys fighting or something?” Justin asks her carefully.

 

“No. I don’t know,” Molly tells him, rubbing her eyes, “He’s upset.”

 

“About what?”

 

“I told him we should see other people. Thought it would be for the best.”

 

Justin’s eyes widen, “So you broke up with him? I thought you said you guys were still talking.”

 

“We are. Or at least we were. And I didn’t break up with him. I just thought it would be better to keep things open in case he met someone else out there. I didn't mean to, but I really upset him with the offer. But his job is unpredictable and my future is unpredictable so I think it’s for the best.”

 

Justin stares at her for a few seconds before clearing his throat, “I still think you should apply to med school. I think you would be happier and would feel like you have more control over your future.”

 

Molly shrugs, “Med school won’t happen for at least another year, if it happens. I need to look into scholarships, grant money, save up-”

 

“I’ll give you money for it. Or loan it, if you don't want to keep it,” Justin promises her.

 

“No. I’m not taking your money.”

 

Justin rolls his eyes and Molly has to force herself not to yell at him.

 

“You could ask Dad,” he suggests finally, “He’s never been low on money.”

 

“He pushed for the teaching route too,” Molly says bitterly, “More appropriate for a woman who has to start a family.”

 

Justin’s gaze softens a little, “Molly, I think he’s changed a lot. Realizes he can’t force goals on his kids. He’s accepted my life now, from the looks of it. I’m sure if he found out that you are unhappy he would be willing to help you out.”

 

Molly lets out a sigh, “I don’t know, Justin. I’ll admit that he’s changed. But he’s still not doing all that well. He’s...he’s sick. Not physically but you know what I mean. I’m not going to take advantage of him wanting to please us to get on our good sides. Besides, it might be for the best if I do stay where I’m at or even go back to Pittsburgh due to how he is right now. He doesn’t have anyone. He lives by himself, doesn’t have a girlfriend. When Madison divorced him, she decided to stay gone. Mason cares but he is in New Hampshire and rarely goes back to Pittsburgh to visit. Uncle Martin lives in North Dakota and he and Dad have never been that close anyway. I’m the one who has been staying there at least a few hours almost every weekend and driving up during the week to make sure he’s still going to his appointments and taking his meds. I’d like to think he is responsible enough to take care of himself. Usually, he is. But he backslides easily and goes into a depression. He’ll act almost manic where he can’t sleep and he can’t stop moving around the house. He’s better than when you saw him last but it seems to be a long process. I’m not sure if it would be a good idea for him to be left completely alone.”

 

Justin looks guilty and Molly has to wonder why until her brother speaks again.

 

“You can’t put your life on hold for him,” Justin insists, “And it shouldn’t only be on you to look after him while he gets more stable. If you end up going somewhere farther away for school then I’ll check on him a couple of times a month.”

 

Molly just shrugs, “We’ll talk about it later, alright? All this angst is getting annoying. I don’t want to talk about our parents, especially when we’ll be having to deal with them tomorrow. Both of them. And Tucker.”

 

And it’s true. The angst is getting annoying. Justin seems to take a hint and the conversations at dinner are much lighter, consisting of their parents’ upcoming reunion and their father’s past suicide attempt.

--------------------------------------------------------

It’s 3 am when her phone rings.

 

It wakes Molly up out of a dead sleep and she’s fumbling around, thinking it’s her alarm, but it isn’t. Hunter’s name lights up the screen and she’s not even sure if she should answer it, even if it actually does end up being Hunter.

 

But if it is actually Hunter, it is sort of out of character for him to call her this late. He forgets the time difference occasionally, but those times have been so rare that she knows this isn’t normal for him.

 

“Hello?” she answers tiredly, trying not to sound too exhausted or off-putting.

 

The line is silent for several seconds and for some reason, Molly doesn’t prompt for a response. She needs the time to gather her thoughts as well.

 

“...Didchu mean it? When you sai’ you were in love wit’me?”

 

Hunter’s words are slurred and Molly has never heard or seen him more than buzzed in her life, let alone this drunk. It fucking worries her. She’s worried it will fuck with his meds. She’s even more worried about where his head is at.

 

“Or were you lyin?” Hunter sniffles, “Or just sayin it to say it but nont meanin it?”

 

Molly feels her face scrunch up as she lets out an unwanted, tearful gasp, “...I meant it. I meant every word.”

 

“Then I don’t understand,” Hunter whispers, his voice strangled, before he lets out a sob, “I miss you so fucking much and you won even talk to me...”

 

“I’m talking to you,” Molly says as Hunter continues to cry, “I’m talking to you right now. How much have you had to drink?”

 

It takes a minute for Hunter to even get himself under control enough to get out a half-assed answer of, “...It doesn’ matter.”

 

“Yes, it does,” Molly says soothingly, “Babe, you know you can’t drink like this. You’re not supposed to drink like this. You have to be more careful because of your meds. I need you to be more careful.”

 

“I don’t care,” Hunter says, his breaths uneven.

 

“Yes, you do,” Molly tells him, “I know you do. You’re literally the healthiest person I know and I want you to stay that way.”

 

“Then I…” Hunter starts before letting out a whimper, “I’m allo- this. I can have one nigh where I’m a drunken asshole. One nigh won’ hurt. Me bein’ drunk doesn’t hurt. This fucking hurts. You fucking hurt.”

 

It’s Molly’s turn to cry then.

 

“Fuck, Molly. I’m sorry. I’m sorry, okay?” Hunter says, his voice pleading, “I’m just...fuck, you won’t understand. You understand everything else but...You’re the only one. The only one who knew all of my shit years before we got together and you didn’t judge me for it. I never had that before, not even with Hannah and she was a good person but not even with her. And now you’re sayin you wan me to find someone else and I’m not going to find someone as good as you. Not ever. I don’t want to find anyone else. I can’t keep explaining things again and again and again to new women and worry whether or not they’ll leave because of it. I can’t fuck around and sleep with random people either. Telling hookups I’m positive is exhausting. Hooking up is fucking exhausting and it’s nothing compared to being with you. I don’t want a new girlfriend or a fuck buddy. Not when I want you. Not when I’m in love with you.”

 

Molly wipes at her face, “You...I’m not trying to force you to get with anyone, okay? I’m not. I love you. I mean that. I love you so much more than any guy I’ve ever been with. It terrifies me.”

 

“I love you too. I love you so much,” Hunter says, sounding fucking wrecked, and Molly hates that she’s doing this to him. Maybe she can be more honest now that he’s drunk. Maybe only a part of him will remember it. She’s never dealt with a drunk Hunter. She doesn’t know how to go about any of this.

 

“You deserve so much better than me,” Molly rasps out, “You deserve a girl who isn’t stalked by an ex that can ruin both of our lives and you deserve someone who makes more money or doesn’t mind that you spend yours on her. You deserve someone who doesn’t work under a horrible boss and stay there because she’s afraid to leave. Me saying that our relationship should be open wasn’t about me. I know I’m not going to find better. You can. You may think you can’t but you can. I’m fucking nothing compared to what you deserve-”

 

“Stop it!” Hunter interrupts, sounding more alert but also more pained, “Please, just stop. I can’t hear you talk about yourself that way. It kills me to hear that stuff. I’m fucking freaking out now because this isn’t you. This isn’t fucking you. What’s going on? What happened? Something happened.”

 

“I...uh,” Molly starts, then tries to downplay it to calm Hunter down, “I’m just stressed. It’s a lot of stuff. I really miss you. That’s the biggest thing. The last week has been pretty hard. My job has a shit ton of drama right now. I don’t want to get into it.”

 

“You can’t...Molly, I need you to stop keeping everything to yourself,” Hunter says, his voice straining, “It’s fucking with your head. You’re not hearing the way you are sounding. I can hear it and I’m seeing two of everythin’, but you aren’t hearing yourself. You sound depressed and it’s li’ any self-’steem you had has just laid down and died and something huge had to have happened to get you like this. Talk to me. Please.”

 

“Fuck, Hunter,” Molly groans, “It’s almost 3:30 in the morning. I don’t want to get into my shit right now.”

 

“You’re fucking scaring me. You can’t just shut down the conversation when you’re talking like that about yourself,” Hunter tells her urgently.

 

“I’m okay,” Molly says softly, hoping he’ll calm down, “I meant it when I said that you deserve better, but I am okay. I’m not going to do anything stupid. I talked to Hazel and Jerome about this past week anyway. I’ll be fine. I love you. I know what I said on Monday, but I really do love you. Get some sleep, okay? Look, I’ll be busy tomorrow and Saturday but I’ll text you both days and then call you as soon as I’m back home on Sunday.”

 

She’s expecting for Hunter to argue. She’s preparing for it. But for some reason, he doesn’t. He just lets out a sad sigh of defeat.

 

“Sunday?”

 

“Sunday.”

 

“...Okay,” Hunter says, resigned, “I’m sorry I called you like this.”

 

“I’m sorry that I made you feel like you had to drink like this. Get some sleep,” Molly answers, "I love you, okay?”

 

It feels like she's said it at least twenty times tonight, but in case Hunter can't get it through his drunken brain that she really does love him, that loving him never stopped despite what she suggested, she'll say it again.

 

“Love you too.”

 

When Molly hangs up the phone, she lets herself be much more emotional. Briefly, she thinks about waking up Justin. Telling him at least some of what’s going on. But she doesn’t want to bother him with her shit either.

---------------------------------------------------------

She keeps her promise and calls Hunter on Sunday. The conversation is less upsetting than the last two had been, which is good, but she can tell Hunter is still on edge. When he quietly asks her if she’s still coming on the 9th, she confirms that she is and that her dad offered to pick her up from work to take her to the airport. Apparently Craig Taylor is just as pro Hunter as Hazel and Jerome are, which is nice. Weird, but nice.

 

Her mother is a little more on the fence, worried that the distance is hurting Molly. She’s not wrong. On Saturday night, she went to her mom’s and Tucker’s hotel room to try to put their minds at ease. It hadn’t exactly worked. They both can read her like a book and could tell something was wrong. On top of that, Tucker is protective as hell and she’s sure the HIV thing doesn’t help, even though it was barely brought up, except through the question, “And...Sweetie, you’re being safe, right?” from her mother.

 

If she had been in a better mood, she might have tortured them with estimating the number of condoms they have gone through. But all she told them was that they are taking multiple precautions and Hunter’s viral load is undetectable anyway. And it's not a lie. She's on PrEP at Hunter's insistence, they've used condoms every time they've had sex, and even though it doesn't do shit for HIV prevention, she has been on Seasonique since Lybrel was discontinued. The possibility of an accidental grandchild for Jennifer Taylor is almost as low as Molly contracting HIV.

 

All of the preventions seem to put her mother’s mind at ease on that front, almost as much at ease as Molly is with it. Her mom is probably more at ease with it than Hunter is. Then again, Hunter is overly health focused. On top of worrying about the possibility of passing HIV onto her - which can't happen with his current numbers even without protection - he worries about other shit like Seasonique's side effects but she fucking hates periods and hasn't had any issues with it so far so meh.

 

Tucker is a bit harder, but she gets it even if she’s annoyed by it. He had dealt with most of the caretaking when Seth attacked her and he’s never quite been the same regarding any relationships or flings Molly has had since.

 

It had been a stressful weekend, to say the least. Productive, but filled with stress inducing conversations. So having a better conversation with Hunter after the one she had on early Friday morning is helping. The fact that Skinner doesn’t call her back to his office with a better draft of a write up helps too.

 

After her last day - at least at the main school until the fall - she returns home and lets out a breath as soon as she gets into the parking lot before heading up to her apartment. On her way up, she smiles at Gabriel and promises to take him swimming again soon, moves to the side as Kaya’s kids dash down the hall, and goes to her door to unlock it. Things feel completely normal until she looks to find that her foyer table is as good as new. It actually is new. It's a completely different - and probably much more expensive - table. She threw the broken one out last week. Who the fuck came into her apartment and gave her a new foyer table-

 

“I called Hazel and Jerome. They told me about last week,” Hunter says, coming into the foyer to glance at the table and then the small dent in the wall across from it, “I really wish you would have told me about what happened. With Reverend Fuckwad. With your boss. And I’m guessing Seth - that’s why no one could get a hold of you for a couple of days last week?”

 

After Molly gets past the fact that Hunter is here - fucking here - she can’t keep shit from him. She can’t keep pretending that everything is fine and all that happened didn’t happen because he’s right in front of her and she wasn’t even expecting this so how can she prepare-

 

“I just had a really bad week last week,” Molly chokes out and Hunter’s arms are immediately around her, pulling her in, his left hand on the back of her head to lead it down towards his shoulder as he strokes her hair and her face.

 

“I wish you would have told me,” Hunter says quietly, “I hate that all of that shit happened to you and I didn’t even know. I felt like something was wrong but I didn’t want to push you even harder to talk when I probably should have. I’m sorry I wasn’t here. I’m so sorry.”

 

“It’s not your fault,” Molly says, sniffling, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I didn’t want to stress you out. I still don’t and I keep doing it.”

 

“Shhh,” Hunter says, rubbing her back, “Just relax. Let me take care of you, okay? Please?”

 

And despite it being in her nature down to her very core to take care of things herself, to not rely on people or burden them, she finds herself nodding and letting Hunter take over.

 

He picks her up - a little over the top since Molly can walk. She doesn’t have it in her to argue that point though, other than mumbling, 'Do you have a kink for this or something?' as she tightens her hold around Hunter's shoulders. Other than that, she just buries her face into the crook of his neck as he carries her through the living room and into the bedroom. He gently lays her down on the bed, leaning down to wipe her eyes, before removing her shoes and joining her on the bed to stroke her hair and press soft kisses against her forehead, nose, and face, as if she’s worth as much to him as she had been before she broke his heart.

 

“Get some rest if you have to,” Hunter says, “But we need to seriously talk about whatever happened last week, Molly. About what happened here with that hypocritical, assaultive, creepy-”

 

“How long have you been sitting here thinking of adjectives for him?” Molly has to ask and Hunter shrugs.

 

“I ended up calling Hazel and Jerome yesterday evening after I called you,” Hunter says, “They both hesitated, but I got them to give me the rundown after I told them you were trying to do whatever the fuck you have been trying to do because you thought I ‘deserved better’ or whatever insane shit you said-”

 

“I wondered why Hazel was sending me inspirational quotes yesterday. Jerome and Rubina both asked me to come over and spend the night. They were all super weird,” Molly mutters, “Snitches.”

 

“Some get stitches, but they have my eternal gratitude,” Hunter says, “Hazel mentioned she sent you the video of the night that...that fucker-”

 

“Reverend Matthew Carney,” Molly interjects and Hunter glares.

 

“He doesn’t deserve a name,” Hunter seethes, “Anyway, Hazel said that she recorded it in case something really serious happened or any threats continued to be made. Jerome said you recorded Skinner. I would like to hear and watch both. Hazel wouldn’t send her video to me. She said I had to ask you.”

 

“You’ll just get upset,” Molly says.

 

“Yeah, probably,” Hunter says, “I promise not to force you out of bed to go to the police station this time though.”

 

Molly nods, just trying to focus on Hunter’s fingers running through her hair, before saying, "How are you here?”

 

“Most of the cast and crew woke up with food poisoning yesterday morning,” Hunter says, “They went out to eat after finishing up on Wednesday and apparently pretty much everyone who went to that particular restaurant that week got sick.”

 

“Why didn’t you get sick?”

 

Hunter looks at her, “I wasn’t in the mood to go, Molly. I was pretty fucking down. Guess I should be thanking you though. If you hadn’t gotten me all fucked up, I wouldn’t be here. I would be bent over a toilet or projectile vomiting like Jennifer did when we tried to shoot yesterday morning.”

 

“...You’re welcome,” Molly says softly as she reaches up to stroke Hunter’s cheek, “And poor JLaw. You should have stayed to check on her.”

 

Hunter glares, “I am going to make myself clear one last time: I’m not going to pursue JLaw or Kate or even Javier Bardem-”

 

“But you’ve heard how he sounds when he talks -”

 

“Shhh, let me talk,” Hunter says, pressing a finger to her lips, “If it will make you feel better to leave things technically open, should one of us meet someone else while we’re away from each other, then fine. But I’m not dating anyone, even JLaw. She’s nice but I’m not giving you that kind of satisfaction. Besides, like I said, if anyone can make projectile vomiting hot, it’s you. Not her.”

 

Molly nods, looking away from Hunter as she forces herself to say, “It would make me feel better.”

 

“Why?”

 

“Because it would.”

 

“That’s a shitty explanation and you know it.”

 

Molly looks back at him, meeting his eyes, which have some pain in them still, but also love, “I meant what I said. I don’t want it to be open for my benefit -”

 

“I don’t either.”

 

“I just…” Molly continues, trying to find the right words, “I just want it to be open for you. I want you to have options. Even if it is just a hookup, I don’t want you to feel like you are cheating. Just be honest, I guess. Tell me if it does happen or if you want to pursue things with someone else. I would understand. I’m here and you’re there. I know that when you left to go back, I was in pain. I haven’t hurt that badly in years.”

 

“Yeah…” Hunter says softly, then clears his throat, “I was in a pretty bad place too.”

 

“I know,” Molly says, “Quinn texted me. And...I don’t know, all I could think when he told me how you were doing was that I wasn’t worth that. That you didn’t need to go through that kind of pain. You could have close to anyone you want. Even if it is some temporary relief like a one night stand, I want you to have it if it will make you less upset and stressed when I’m not there.”

 

“You act like another woman is some kind of replacement for you,” Hunter says, frowning, “...You have to know by now that you are irreplaceable to me. Whether you believe it or not, no one compares.”

 

“That’s a bit of an exaggeration-”

 

“It’s not,” Hunter objects, “I know it sounds like one, but I promise you. It really isn’t.”

 

Molly stays quiet for a moment, letting Hunter’s words plant themselves in her brain before admitting, “No one compares to you either.”

 

Hunter snorts “Now that’s an exaggeration.”

 

“No,” Molly counters, “I have never been treated with more care and love and respect. You are literally the best lay on this planet. Even if I would go and sleep with someone else, I’ll probably just lie there, super bored. That’s another thing. It seems selfish of me to have ownership of your dick when I’m so far away, keeping other women from experiencing sleeping with you. Women helping other women, you know? Hence why keeping the relationship open is for the best. There. That’s the best answer I can come up with.”

 

Hunter shakes his head, bewildered, “You think that you aren’t the best person I’ve ever slept with? Because you are by far. I probably won’t be able to get it up for anyone else. Pretty sure I only can for you at this point. I’m okay with that.”

 

“Well, that’s fine. But in case you do find yourself with a raging hard-on and a willing woman, I don’t want you to keep yourself from that,” Molly says stubbornly.

 

“This conversation is circling,” Hunter sighs, “Fine, Molly. We’ll be in a totally open relationship but turn down everyone who propositions us because we don’t actually want to be in an open relationship. It’ll confuse everyone, even ourselves. It’ll be great.”

 

“Somehow, I think you are being sarcastic,” Molly says, “But as long as you agree and know that I accept the possibility of you hooking up with or dating another woman, then your definition of our current relationship status is okay.”

 

“Can I watch the videos now?” Hunter says, looking resigned but almost relieved the conversation is over.

 

“...I guess,” Molly says, “My phone is in my purse. On the foyer table you needlessly bought for me. It isn't a necessary piece of furniture, it just looked pretty. You didn't have to buy a prettier one for me. Pointless purchase."

 

Hunter gets up to walk out of the room before he calls out, "No, it wasn't. You put your purse down there today. Your keys are pretty much always on it. This one is a lot heavier and sturdier too. It took me and Jerome just to get it up here. I may have gone overboard by making sure to get one made out of stone, solid wood, and thick glass. But if anyone even tries to throw it, they'll look fucking stupid."

 

"You're acting like people coming into my apartment to throw my foyer table is a common occurrence and it's not!" Molly calls back.

 

Hunter returns to the bedroom and throws himself into the bed, "It's happened more to you than it has to me."

 

Hunter digs her phone out of her purse and tosses her the phone to unlock. Molly looks at it for a second.

 

"I really don't know if you want to watch this. I don't know how much Hazel told you."

 

"Enough," Hunter mutters.

 

"Like what?" Molly asks.

 

"That he said he'd leave his wife and kids if you would be with him, you turned him down and said you are in love with someone else and it's never going to happen, so he got pissed and threw the table against the wall, talked to you horribly, and called you the Antichrist. Then Hazel started bragging about being friends with the Antichrist because as upset as she was about what happened, that seemed to amuse her. Doesn't fucking amuse me."

 

Huh. Hazel had left out that Matthew had forcibly kissed her and yanked her back a second time after she pushed him away. Hunter might think he's prepared but he's probably going to flip. This is great. Wonderful. Hazel probably thought she was respecting her by not telling Hunter the worst of it, but Molly kind of wishes she just would have told him everything.

 

"Yeah, okay," Molly starts, letting out a sigh, "You're not going to be happy watching this. Hazel probably wanted to respect me and my right to keep the worst of it to myself but this video starts out with him doing something that is really going to piss you off and you probably don't want to see the beginning of it. I particularly don't want to tell you, but I don't want you to go burn down a church or whatever because it takes you by surprise so spoiler alert: He forces a kiss on me in this video. I shove him back, but you should probably know in case you don't want to see that."

 

Hunter stares at her for a moment, the only sign that he is truly pissed is the shaky exhale coming from his nostrils, "...Just give me the phone, Molly. I will fucking deal and save the arson for later. Or cut the breaks to his fucking car while his kids are away at Bible Camp."

 

Molly actually has to laugh at that, "I'm glad you are making sure his kids survive."

 

"I'm not a monster," Hunter mutters, "He's the fucking monster. Now, please. The video."

 

Watching Hunter watch the video is too daunting so she ends up burrowing her face into his side and throws her arm around his waist while he sits there, only wincing a little as she hears him watch the video again.

 

And again.

 

"Are you trying to torture yourself?" Molly asks, finally lifting her head up, "Seriously, move on. I have. Mostly."

 

"You should have called me right after it happened," Hunter grits out, putting the phone down to pull at his hair in distress.

 

"You were working," she reminds him.

 

"I would have picked up or called you right back if it was mid-scene," Hunter tells her, "Seriously, personal emergencies happen, even with people in my field. I can at the very least step away and talk to you or get my ass here if you need me."

 

"I'm not going to let you do that," Molly says, "This is an important shoot for you. I'm not going to fuck it up for you."

 

Hunter glances at her and shakes his head sadly, "You're more important. My girlfriend being fucking assaulted is so much more important. I need you to understand that. I need you to understand how I feel about shit like that and where I am coming from."

 

Molly bites her lip and sits up enough to press her lips against Hunter's shoulder, "It wasn't that serious. Not compared to what you've been through or even what I've been through. I'm okay. I'm sorry you're so upset but I am fine, alright?"

 

"It was fucking serious," Hunter mutters, moving his arms absent-mindedly so that Molly can climb into his lap and press kisses against his jaw and neck, "Are you trying to seduce me into not watching the second video?"

 

"It's mainly audio," Molly says in between kisses, "And while I am proud of that moment, it might piss you off more than the first one, so maybe."

 

Hunter lets out a sigh and rubs his hands down Molly's sides before bending her head gently to get her to look down at him.

 

"You haven't even kissed me once since you got here," Molly says, although she's been trying not to dwell on it, "On the lips anyway. I didn't know if it was because you were upset with the whole open relationship proposal, everything you've heard about that week, or if you don't want to kiss me after watching that-"

 

Hunter's bringing her face down to press his lips against hers before she can finish her sentence. The kiss starts off as soft, tender, and sweet, then grows more insistent, as if Hunter is trying to make a point.

 

"I always want to kiss you," Hunter mumbles against her lips, "Don't think otherwise."

 

Molly pulls off his shirt and runs her hands down his chest before meeting his lips again. It's more urgent this time. So urgent that their clothes are off, only with two confirmations prompted by Hunter to make sure she's okay enough - Molly assumes headspace wise - to do this.

 

And she is. For him, she's more than okay to get some. He might think she's exaggerating when she says he's the best lay on the planet, but she's not.

 

Their moments together tangled in her bed, as amazing and time consuming as they are, only serves as a break in between videos. Within minutes after they come down from their highs, Hunter is grabbing for the phone and Molly lets out a sigh.

 

"Alright, here," she says, unlocking it, "I'm going to go make dinner."

 

"I'll do it," Hunter says, already getting up to pull his boxer briefs on, "I said I was taking care of you tonight. Just take a nap or something."

 

"What, are you going to listen to my conversation with Skinner while you cook like it is one of your podcasts? That's weird, Hunter," Molly calls out but then collapses back onto the bed and just stares at the wall. Normally, she wouldn't be able to sleep knowing that Hunter is listening to her meeting from Monday morning. But the orgasms Hunter gives her can sometimes knock her out better than Benedryl can and within a few minutes, she's asleep.

-----------------------------

She wakes up to lips pressing against the crown of her head and a whisper telling her that dinner is ready. Yawning and stretching until she feels more awake, it takes her a second to even process that Hunter has now listened to her meeting with Skinner. By the time that she does, Hunter is already in the kitchen and all Molly can do is go in there as well to get a better gauge on things.

 

It isn't even brought up at first. They just eat the stir-fry and talk about the movie and the upcoming summer session. It seems that Hunter can only take so much of ignoring the subject she is trying to avoid because he is the one who brings it up first. But it isn't in a normal, level-headed, therapeutic way or even in a hot-headed 'I will fucking rip his guts out' kind of way. The way he does it catches her off guard.

 

"I think you should move in with me."

 

Molly pauses, the rice sitting on her fork before she lets it fall back onto the plate, "I'm sorry, what?"

 

Hunter doesn't break eye contact as he repeats himself, "I think you should move in with me."

 

Molly huffs and stirs the remaining food around, "I knew I shouldn't have taken that nap to leave you to your own devices."

 

Hunter purses his lips, "Molly, your boss wanted you to sleep with the guy who came into your apartment, kissed you without your consent, and committed property damage. I...Look, I'm not telling you what to do. I'm not trying to do that. But you need to get out of there. If any of my friends were in the same position, girl or guy, I would tell them to leave too. I know you care about the kids and I am so fucking proud you stood up for yourself and put him in his place, but he's going to be out to get you for any reason he can find or make up. The fact that what he did is sexual harassment in the workplace is just another reason you need to leave. I would encourage you to report him and fight for him to get fired but you said yourself that his brother is the superintendent. I want you safe. I want you with me. If you come out to LA, you can apply to med schools there or get certified to teach in California. I don't care which or how much either cost. I'll just be happy you're with me. And I feel like you'll be happy too?"

 

Molly looks away, "Yeah. Yeah, I would be happy to be with you. It's probably too soon, but living with you would make me really happy."

 

The relief on Hunter's face hurts, "Good, that's good. So how do you-"

 

"But I can't," Molly interrupts sadly, "Like I said, I have a lot of stuff going on with my family. I'm already far enough away as it is. I need to be able to get to my dad quickly if something happens."

 

"...Molly, Justin is just in New York. Mason is in New Hampshire. They are on this side of the country. I'm sure Hazel and Jerome would check on him. Your mom probably would too if you made it clear you were concerned."

 

"I also renewed my lease in January," Molly says, "So I am stuck here until then anyway and I don't want to break it and have that on my renter's record. I probably won't get the security deposit back with that stupid dent in the wall, but I'd like to at least try."

 

Hunter groans, "I'll fix the fucking dent. I will buy the drywall and paint over it in the morning."

 

"That's nice of you, but if I leave early, I won't get it back. The only way your labor would do any good would be if I stayed until January-"

 

"Fuck the security deposit!" Hunter says, "You will be fine. I will make sure you are fine."

 

"My family and friends are here."

 

"Not really! Not in Morgantown!"

 

"Jerome and Rubina are here," Molly mutters, "It's just...It's just too much to think about right now, okay? I honestly don't think I could emotionally handle moving so far away while a few of my family members are going through some serious stuff. As much as I want to physically be with you, you would have a mess on your hands as soon as I get out there because I would be constantly worrying about them."

 

Hunter seems to not have much argument left in him, but does seem to be mulling over something over.

 

"If I could manage to get a series gig in New York, would you consider moving there?"

 

Molly stares at him for a moment, "...I...Yeah, I would move there. It's expensive as fuck, but I would move there. I'd be closer to Justin, my mom, Tucker, and my grandparents. Mason too. I wouldn't be too far away from my dad. So yeah. But I don't expect you to pick up your life and move to New York either. You have a lot of friends in California. JLaw, for instance-"

 

"Molly," Hunter warns, sending her a glare, but at least it looks slightly amused, "And I'm pretty sure JLaw has a penthouse in New York anyway - if you are so concerned about my friendship with her, which is all that will ever transpire between us. Ever."

 

"Well, I think if you gave her a chance-"

 

"Plus, my dads are in Toronto," Hunter says pointedly, "And they're having a baby, which is still some huge secret, I guess. JR, Mel, Linds, Deb, and Carl are all there too. New York is a lot closer to Toronto than LA is. I have extended family in New York as well. Friends. You would be doing me a favor. I would just need to find work out there. I haven't shot that many projects on the east coast. Most of my shoots have been in California and Vancouver. But...I don't know, I will think of something."

 

Molly nods, "Well, don't turn any big projects down in LA, okay? Or women. I...I can keep this up. What we're doing."

 

Hunter sends her a sad smile, "I don't know if I can. I want to see you every day."

 

Molly doesn't know what to say to that so she just awkwardly changes the subject.

 

"How long are you here for? Are you flying with me on Tuesday?"

 

Hunter shakes his head, "No, I need to be at work Monday morning. I fly out Sunday afternoon."

 

So my only full day with you on this trip is tomorrow," Molly says, feeling more morose about that than she should.

 

Hunter studies her for a moment, then reaches over the table to take her hand, "It'll be a pretty awesome day."

Hunter had been right when he said that Saturday would be a pretty awesome day. The morning is mainly spent in bed but also in the shower, the kitchen, the living room, the floor. As soon as they get all of that out of their system and Molly makes BLTs to fill up after the workout they had, they work out more by changing into bathing suits and heading out to the pool, where Gabriel is already enthusiastically swimming around with joy. Molly is pretty sure she hasn't seen the pool without him in it since it opened up. When Gabriel sees her, he looks delighted and she can see it's a good day for him, emotionally as well as cognitively, going by the way he's signing away to the both of them about how much he loves swimming and how happy he is that his mother is letting him swim everyday, which leads into him telling her his whole schedule for the next week, before getting back to swimming and asking Hunter if he likes swimming as much he does.

 

Molly is just about to turn to Hunter and translate for Gabriel, because up until that point she hadn't interpreted since Gabriel was mainly focusing on her. But before she can do that, Hunter answers.

 

"I love swimming," Hunter says as he signs and what the fuck is actually happening, "In high school and college, I was on the swim team."

 

It's SEE and not ASL, but his signs are all right and Gabriel understands what he's saying. She's both immensely baffled and proud.

 

"Where did you learn that?" Molly has to ask as Gabriel swims to the other side of the pool.

 

Hunter shrugs, biting back a smile, "Did I get the signs right?"

 

"Yes," Molly confirms, "Which confuses me, because you said you only knew a few words and the alphabet last time you were here."

 

"That was true," Hunter says, "But you've been teaching JR and she's basically throwing it in everyone's faces that she is going to be able to speak ASL because you are teaching her through FaceTime. Both she and Gus already speak French so I wasn't going to let her show me up."

 

"She catches on super fast," Molly says, tilting to float on her back, "Probably because ASL's structure is based on French. So what? Are you teaching yourself so you won't be so jealous of an 11 year old?"

 

"Yeah, some," Hunter says, still standing by the wall, "Hired a tutor too. I've been doing Skype lessons with him since the end of April, usually on Sunday mornings and a couple of evenings a week.

 

Molly wets her hair and flips it back, "You know, you could have asked me if you wanted to learn. I would have taught you too."

 

"I wanted to impress you," Hunter says, looking away slightly like he's suddenly self-conscious about it, "I wanted to be able to understand Gabriel since you like him so much. Figured it might come in handy when we are old and at least one of us ends up losing our hearing. Besides, no offense, but my tutor is the best tutor. He's deaf and comes from a four generation deaf family."

 

"Oh, then you are definitely better off," Molly agrees, before swimming back over to him, putting her arms around his neck, and smiling, "You're so cute. Wanting to impress me and your sister. That's adorable."

 

"Is it?" Hunter says, his eyebrows rising in amusement.

 

"Absolutely," Molly says, "We just have to work on your glossing. You're learning the vocab itself fast but it's the topic first, unless your sentence has a timeframe or a date, then THAT comes first."

 

"God, you sound like Damon," Hunter sighs, "I swear, I would be afraid to meet the guy in person. He'd probably smack my hands with a ruler. The amount of videos that guy assigns me to make just to focus on glossing annoys me to no end."

 

"I like him already," Molly says truthfully.

 

The rest of the day is pretty flawless. They shower together to wash the chlorine off, go for a drive, then meet with Hazel, Samira, Jerome, Rubina, Gabrielle, and Gretchen for dinner. Initially, Molly had been hesitant to go, considering Hunter had been concerned enough to call Jerome and Hazel over what mindset she's been in and Jerome and Hazel were concerned enough about what he was saying to them to blab about the shit that had happened to her.

 

But when they do all meet up, nothing stressful is talked about. Hazel looks at them with hearts in her eyes, as if she's never shipped a couple more, and after Molly starts getting creeped out by that kind of silent attention, she gets Hazel to focus on her upcoming wedding and bliss with Samira.

 

Just like their last last night together, they don't sleep much. Sex is obviously a factor but so is just sitting together watching movies late into the night. They probably make a bad call on watching Ghost, which happens after Molly has had two glasses of wine and is already feeling emotional about Hunter leaving soon, despite the fact she will be flying over to him in a couple of days.

 

"Are you crying?" Hunter questions suspiciously, prompted by her sniffling at Sam dancing with Molly for the last time.

 

"No," she says roughly, hiding her face into Hunter's thigh/her pillow, "You fucking wish."

 

Hunter laughs at that, "Yep, that's it. You got me."

 

"It's amazing, Molly. The love inside, you take it with you."

 

The line causes the real, non-Demi Moore Molly to let out a whimper.

 

"Shit, do you want me to turn the movie off?" Hunter asks, suddenly sounding more concerned and less amused.

 

"N-No, I like this movie!" Molly says, with inexplicable tears streaming down her face and it's so fucking ridiculous because she never cries during movies, this one or any others.

 

"Uh huh," Hunter says, smoothing Molly's hair back from her wet face but doesn't say anything else until the credits begin to roll a minute later, "So was it because Swayze said your name or…"

 

She could say yes, that Demi Moore having her name in that movie made her identify a little too much with her and her loneliness. Demi was obviously a lot worse off because Swayze died but it still made her identify a little more than usual and it made her identify Swayze as Hunter and that's even dumber.

 

"Never get murdered, Hunter," Molly mumbles instead, scrubbing at her face as she sits up, "And never haunt me."

 

Hunter's look of bafflement lasts for approximately three seconds before he bursts into a fit of giggles.

 

"It's not funny," she snaps, taking a throw pillow to lightly smack him with it.

 

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Hunter says, wiping his own eyes, "I just think it's hilarious that you think I won't jump at the chance at haunting you when I die. I mean, I will try not to get murdered but I am definitely haunting you regardless of how my eventual demise occurs."

 

"No, you won't," Molly says stubbornly.

 

"I will," Hunter says, "If it is through murder, then so be it."

 

"You won't because I'm dying first," Molly insists, "I bet out of the two of us, I would be the one to get murdered anyway."

 

Hunter's brow furrows as he frowns, "Absolutely not. I would take the bullet for you and die in your arms."

 

"What if you aren't close when it happens?" Molly questions, holding back a wince over Hunter's pained expression over distance being such a thorn in their sides before moving on, "I work in a school. School shootings are rampant. We almost had one my first month teaching-"

 

"Wait, what?" Hunter says, grabbing onto her, alarmed, "Why the fuck didn't I know this?"

 

Molly shrugs, "We weren't together yet? And no one got hurt. It happened on the same day another mass shooting happened that did have fatalities, that one in DC's Navy Yard, so our incident didn't even blip outside of local news. It wasn't a student who brought in the gun or anything. It was some second grade teacher's controlling, drunk husband. He came in with a gun and stormed past the office. I remember the secretary said over the intercom that there was an active shooter in the building so I was barricading the door and helping all of my students get out through the window. Since the ground floor is built into a hill, it's doable from the second floor but I was literally leading all of them out and dangling them until their feet were a few feet above the ground. When I had only a few kids left, I started hearing gunshots and then my classroom door was shot at. He tried to push against the door a few times but I guess I jammed it pretty well. Anyway, we all got out and no one in the school was hurt. We had a week off and when we came back, the school board had installed all new doors and key card locks, which you saw. But anyway, yeah. I'm dying first."

 

"No," Hunter says a little more harshly, not letting go of her, "You have ridiculously thick, automatically locking doors. A lot better security, which I have seen for myself. They actually did a decent job. No more school shooting experiences for you, so I am dying first."

 

"Maybe I won't have a gun come at me at school. Maybe it will be a knife somewhere else," Molly counters, trying to not think of Seth's threat before not letting Hunter catch onto that by coming up with more elaborate examples, "Or maybe someone poisons me. Maybe someone sticks my head in an old fashioned microwave to make it explode or removes my eyeballs and pours bleach into each of my eye sockets."

 

Hunter stares at her like he's extremely concerned with her imagination, but then shakes his head in denial.

 

"No, I'm still dying first. I'd offer the murderer every cent I have to kill me in your place," Hunter says, shrugging, "But even if we take murder out of the equation, it is statistically more likely for me to die first anyway due to my HIV."

 

"Your numbers are perfect and most people with HIV are living full lives with the rapid advancement of-"

 

"Okay, fine," Hunter says, scoffing, "But it is still more statistically probable that I die first. Men usually don't live as long as women. I'm older than you. I currently live in a more dangerous city than you. Totally dying first."

 

"I disagree," Molly says, "There's a history of Alzheimer's in my family. There is a history of mental health issues and suicide attempts as well. Multiple people on my dad's side have killed themselves. My dad tried to. You never know-"

 

"You trying to tell me something?" Hunter asks cautiously as his arms wrap around her, studying her way too closely.

 

"No," Molly says, giving him a glance, "Although, I was bored last month on the one day I had off and was studying our family tree. Apparently, my dad's grandmother hung herself from a barnyard rafter in North Dakota and her brother shot himself in front of the mayor."

 

"Please don't ever do either of those things. Ever. We can move to a mayor-less town if it's necessary," Hunter says, sounding a bit too serious so Molly gives him some relief.

 

"I don't plan on it," Molly says, "I have no suicidal ideation or any desire to shoot myself in front of a mayor. Or live in a barn."

 

"What a relief," Hunter says, bringing her head over to kiss her temple, "A relief that I am definitely dying first."

 

"Nope, it'll be me."

 

"We have established that it won't be," Hunter says slowly, "Because you aren't suicidal like some of your family members have been and if you would start to feel that way, you would tell me, right?"

 

Molly thinks on it, "I'd like to think so. But most people who are suicidal aren't in their most rational mind. So as much as I want to 100% confirm that I would tell you and get help, I don't know how I would be if some sort of gene kicked in."

 

Hunter burrows his head into her neck, "I really hate this conversation. It's making me feel sick."

 

Molly looks down at Hunter's hidden face, "Well, I don't like hearing you say your HIV is going to kill you."

 

Hunter meets her eyes, and suddenly he looks vulnerable, "It might. I've been fucking lucky. Really fucking lucky. But...I don't know, you should be prepared if for some reason my ideal case isn't so ideal anymore. The meds are amazing nowadays, but they aren't completely foolproof."

 

Molly shrugs, then pats Hunter’s knee, "...I'd take care of you if something did happen. It's not going to fucking happen but if it does, you won't be alone."

 

As she looks away, she hears Hunter's intake of breath but can't look at him again, not yet.

 

"...Well," Hunter starts after clearing his throat, "I would take care of you too. In a heartbeat. If you got diagnosed with something."

 

"Even Alzheimer's?" Molly asks, "You're in for a wild ride then. You should meet my grandpa. Dude used to be so smart - he still is - but he is completely out of his head sometimes. He talks to coat racks, regularly assigns essays if he is around a group of people, randomly takes off his clothes, decides he can just take a bus to Vegas and sneaks out of the house, only to end up on a bus to Yale. You'd put 80 year old me in a home in a heartbeat."

 

"I would never," Hunter says seriously, "84 year old me would have a blast with 80 year old you if you're anything like that. Never a dull moment. I'm just worried about who would care for you after I die first."

 

Molly snorts, "Agree to disagree."

-----------------------------

It's like the universe knows when Hunter is away from her. She literally lasts a day before something shitty happens.

 

It isn’t something terrible. The action that causes the shittiness isn't even out of the ordinary. It's her first day working at the sister school. It's the last period of the day and she is walking to the playground with a couple of the kids. Isaiah is excited and pulls on her right arm a little too hard, asking her to go on the swings with him with a big smile on his face.

 

The only problem is that it's the arm connected to her bad shoulder. The one Seth permanently fucked up when he had her pinned to the ground on her stomach and he twisted her right arm behind her back so far that it severely tore her rotator cuff. She used to have problems with it a lot more frequently. It's been at least six months since she's had more than an occasional dull ache in the morning. The time that had passed without pain in her shoulder had instilled her with a false confidence to the point that athletic sex with Hunter had never been a daunting prospect and that activity only made her feel better.

 

So out of all the things that could irritate her shoulder, she hadn't been expecting it to be a relatively small, sweet, and happy child. One she doesn't want to upset so she bites back the gasp of pain and breathes through it as she half-heartedly swings, subtly propping her right arm with her left as Isaiah pumps his legs and routinely asks, "Swing higher, Ms. Taylor! It's fun! Try it, try it!"

 

She's able to wait to get to her car before she calls Tucker in a shaky voice and asks if he thinks Garrett - one of Tucker's best friends and a sports medicine doctor Molly ended up going to the summer after she was attacked - would be willing to look at her shoulder after he's done with his appointments for the day.

 

"Aw, honey," Tucker murmurs, concern and empathy lacing his voice, "I don't think he would make you wait. I'll call him and see if he will ask his radiologist to stay on site so that you can go over there. Are you up for driving to Pittsburgh? If you are able to wait until tomorrow, I can take a flight out tonight and take you to see him in the morning."

 

Molly tries not to sniffle at that, because any sign of distress on her end will just turn Tucker's offer into a requirement in his eyes and while she finds herself suddenly wanting to see her pseudo-dad terribly, she wants to see Hunter just a little more and needs this taken care of now.

 

"I would love it if you could come down, but I'm supposed to be on a flight to San Francisco tomorrow and would rather see you for more than a couple of hours," Molly tells him, "I should be fine to drive, don't worry."

 

She must sound more upset than she thinks she sounds, because Tucker pauses for a moment, only to ask her when she's due to fly back into Pittsburgh, telling her that he will get a flight that will arrive there around the same time.

 

"You don't have to-"

 

"I want to," Tucker interrupts, leaving no room for an argument, "Your shoulder can act up for a couple of weeks, sometimes longer. So you...Hunter can make sure you are okay and on the mend while you are there and I'll make sure you are good when you come back."

-----------------------

"It's a small, partial tear, right where your old injury was," Garrett says after the MRI comes back, before gently maneuvering her shoulder to test her range of motion, "Surgery isn't necessary this time, but a sling should be worn for at least a week. I can give you a steroid shot too. It should help with the pain and inflammation. Tylenol PM can help in the evenings so that you can get some sleep. Avoid sitting for several hours at a time. I know in the past you said that made the pain in your shoulder worse."

 

Of course that's said to her 24 hours before she is supposed to be on a plane for 5 hours. She's not going to be talked out of that though, so she just nods along, doesn't talk about any upcoming trips at all, and agrees to stay on limited duty tomorrow and next week during her shifts.

 

That night, after she gets back to her apartment and she's clenching her teeth in pain from the drive, she carefully lies down and puts an ice pack on her shoulder, then turns on the TV because she really isn't up for much else. When Hunter calls around 10, she tries not to move other than to reach for her phone with her left hand. After it taking for fucking ever to find a comfortable position, she doesn’t even want to speak too loudly in fear of disturbing that.

 

“You seem quiet,” Hunter says, “You good?”

 

There’s no point in keeping it from him. She rather him not go into worried, mother hen mode by being taken off guard at the airport, so she goes ahead and tells him.

 

“I got injured today,” Molly says, breathing out through her nose at a burst of pain.

 

“What?” Hunter says, concerned, “Molly, what happened?”

 

“It was at the school, during free time,” Molly explains, “One of the kids-”

 

“I really wish you wouldn’t work there,” Hunter admits, “This isn’t the first time a kid has hurt you.”

 

“He didn’t mean to,” Molly says, suddenly feeling defensive of the kids at the sister school, “He was excited and was just leading me to the swings. Partially tore my rotator cuff. He wasn’t even pulling that hard. It was a freak thing. It wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t been injured there a few years ago. It usually wouldn't regardless. I don't know why my shoulder decided to be a weak fucker today.”

 

“...What caused that injury?” Hunter asks quietly, as if he already has a hunch. She really doesn’t want to talk about Seth right now though, so she moves on.

 

“Look, I just didn’t want you to be surprised or upset when you see my arm in a sling tomorrow evening. Or be alarmed that if I am not in the best mood or I’m not feeling well,” she says, “Sitting for a long time irritates it. Sometimes to the point where I feel nauseated.”

 

Hunter doesn’t say anything for a few moments, then clears his throat, “Do you need me to come to you instead? I can do that.”

 

“No, you can’t,” Molly says, “You are filming all week. You barely had any time here this past weekend. You’d have even less if you come in this weekend.”

 

“We start shooting at 3 am Wednesday. Thursday too. We should be done by 3 or 4 pm both days,” Hunter says, “If we stay ahead of schedule, Darren said we might be okay not to shoot on Friday, which is what everyone is aiming for since we have a bunch of big scenes to focus on next week. If you need to rest, I can fly on Thursday afternoon-”

 

“I’ll be fine,” Molly tells him, “I might not be up to looking around San Francisco while you are on set, but I will relax in the condo you hate so much and hang out with Katniss on the couch, alternating with hot and cold compresses and doing everything I am supposed to do.”

 

Except for not sitting down hours at time.

 

At first, it isn't so bad. The steroid shot kicked in a little overnight and the first couple hours of the flight are spent in minimal pain. But it starts to get worse the second half of the flight. She's suddenly very glad Hunter booked her in a window seat on the left side of the plane and that there is no one next to her. She's sure it would be even worse if someone was pressed up against her or if her bad shoulder was crushed against the wall.

 

Hunter is there when she arrives at 8:30 pm, immediately coming over as soon as he sees her, taking her carry-on bag and gently pulling her into an embrace before leading her to his car. He walks on her left side, seeming extremely aware that she has a bum shoulder since he's both gentle yet insistent in his touch, his arm around her waist as they walk through the airport. Molly can see him eyeing anyone who walks too closely to her apprehensively, as if they might bump into her and cause her shoulder to tear off from her body completely. She supposes she isn't helping his worries. She's in so much pain from the flight that she hasn't said much. Last time she got a look at herself was in the plane's bathroom, where she looked pale and just slightly clammy. Hunter probably thinks she is sick on top of being injured. It wouldn't be a huge leap going by how she looks.

 

He opens the car door for her after putting her bag in the back and she doesn't give him grief for it because she doesn't want to move her arm more than necessary. She does have to bite her tongue when she struggles with her seatbelt and he helps her though.

 

By the time they are at his condo, she's exhausted and she's hurting too much to do all that much. She doesn't have it in her to tackle him to the bed like she planned to and Hunter seems to fully accept he probably isn't going to get laid tonight without either of them saying a word about it. After she gets out of the bathroom and takes off her sling, he shows her to the bedroom, disappears for a few minutes, then comes back with two Tylenol PM in his hand and a glass of water in the other. She lifts her head up to take the pills, then tries lying on her stomach, since the back of her shoulder is cramping up to no end.

 

"Would massaging it help?" Hunter asks, gently stroking her back.

 

"...You can try, if you want to," Molly mumbles, feeling her stomach twist into knots at the prospect.

 

"Okay. Let me know if it hurts, alright?"

 

Molly braces herself for pain. She doesn't mean to, but there are just certain parts of her body that she gets tense about. Her right shoulder, her left jaw, her ribs. She hasn't faced any pain in her ribs since they healed and her jaw just occasionally clicks, but it's as if those parts of her body remember what happened, like they are aware of how awful pain can get and that the pain previously inflicted had been caused by someone else.

 

But when Hunter's fingers begin slowly massaging into her skin and muscle, she feels the tension slowly leak out of her. Soon enough, she's feeling almost as if she's having the most relaxing orgasm she's ever had. Of course Hunter is good at this. Of course he is. He's an expert at making her feel good, physically and emotionally. He never has and never would cause her physical pain and she's sure he wouldn't purposely be the cause of any other type of pain either.

 

"Why are you so good at fucking everything?" Molly asks, practically sounding like she's drugged.

 

Hunter huffs, "I'm not."

 

"You are."

 

"Not at science or math."

 

"Liar," Molly slurs, "Your dads told me you were in the 98th percentile for your SATs."

 

"You'd think they'd get over that by now," Hunter says, moving up to the top of her shoulder.

 

"They are proud of you," Molly says gently, "And of how good you are at everything."

 

"I'm telling you, I'm not. I'm good at creative stuff, that's it."

 

"You fixed my tub drain," Molly says, lifting her head up to argue before Hunter hushes her and gently gets her to lie back down so that he can continue to massage her, "You know how to do a lot of technical stuff. You're so smart. Much smarter than me."

 

"That's a complete lie and we both know it," Hunter says.

 

"No, you are. I'm completely left brained. Can't think outside of the box. No artistic talent."

 

"I've seen the stuff you've painted and made for your classroom themes," Hunter says, "You are talented and creative. You just think you aren't because you have a famous artist for a brother and your self-esteem has been shot to shit recently."

 

"So brutally honest, damn," Molly says, trying to glance at Hunter by turning her head farther, but it isn't like Hunter magically healed her so her movement is still sort of limited.

 

It's a little disconcerting that she can't see his face when he's starting to get serious like this, even more so when he is silent for several seconds in return, seeming to only focus on her shoulder and making it feel better.

 

"I've been worrying about you," Hunter says quietly, "What you've gone through the last couple of weeks, where your head's been. It's almost all I can think about, you telling me you weren't good enough for me and talking so badly about yourself."

 

Molly doesn't know exactly what to say to that, she really doesn't. But she knows she has to try to put his mind at ease a little.

 

"I'm okay. I am doing better. I was just stressed. A bunch of stuff happened at once and I was missing you but it's better now. Is that why you were so concerned after we watched Ghost and started talking obsessively about death?"

 

"...Yes," Hunter says after a pause, "I probably over thought everything, but I'm...I'm not fucking there and I didn't know how hard of a time you've been having because of that, and then that conversation came up. I got even more worried that all of the stress could possibly trigger something if there is some genetic component. What if I don't catch onto you going through some huge mental health thing since I'm here and you're there-"

 

"Hunter," Molly prompts, finally lifting herself up from the bed, Hunter quickly maneuvering her to limit the strain on her shoulder, "I was just pointing out that just because you have HIV, doesn't mean you will die first. I have never wanted to hurt myself or kill myself. Ever. When I found out my dad tried, it devastated me because I never thought someone so important to me would try to do that. Researching out of curiosity and finding out about my great-grandmother and her brother did concern me. That's a lot for just a couple of generations. It sort of scares me. But I'm glad that I'm aware, so that I can maybe understand what is going on if I ever feel abnormally bad and get it taken care of before it gets worse. Hopefully it never comes to that, but it is good that I know."

 

Hunter's adam's apple moves in his throat, "I just...I just want you with me. That's just one of probably four thousand reasons. So I know you aren't bottling stuff up and making yourself feel worse all because you don't want to worry anyone. Because that's what you were doing. You were getting more distant and guarded before saying the stuff you did - about us and yourself - and I should have called you out more bluntly and gotten you to talk before you got to that point. Genes alone probably aren't going to trigger something like depression or suicidal tendencies. You bottling things up could though."

 

"...It's hard for me," Molly says, before clarifying, "To talk about the shit that happens to me. I don't like stressing you out or anyone else and...I don't know, I've stressed out my family enough. They still get worried about me even after four years. Tucker wanted to come to Morgantown and stay while my shoulder heals because of how it happened the first time. He's planning on flying in as soon as I come back. I don't like the pity."

 

Hunter shakes his head, "It isn't pity. It's not. It's love. I thought the same shit when Michael and Ben took me in. That they felt sorry for me. The only difference is that I tested them to no fucking end before running off for a month. You're at least a lot more mature about it. You quietly push people away and are respectful. I was a total dick. It took years of therapy in two different states to function at the point I'm at now. I was angry. Thought my parents only took me in because I was technically sick and was probably going to die soon enough that they wouldn't have to give me any thought after a few years-"

 

"You aren't going to die from it," Molly says softly, "The chances for your virus to get worse after all this time, especially with your numbers, is miniscule."

 

"I didn't know that then," Hunter says, "It wasn't like that then. I know that I am healthy and I know things are a lot better. I'm good. Ben's numbers are almost as good as mine. I get it but there are days that I don't. There are still days where I think I am going to die from this within a few years. You should probably know that fucked up part about me. It's not rational - not anymore - but I think it anyway."

 

Molly clenches her jaw and nods, reaching over with her left arm to cup Hunter's cheek. She knows what Hunter is doing. Being vulnerable with her so that she will talk to him, give him something in return. She's figured out his game. Doesn't mean it doesn't work any less.

 

"When I…" Molly tries, then starts again, "When you uh...I don't know, touched my shoulder, I was terrified."

 

"...Why were you terrified?"

 

Molly opens her mouth and then suddenly realizes she has never explained this before and that's what she is going to have to do because Hunter doesn't seem to understand. She doesn't think he's offended - not yet - but he's definitely questioning where she is coming from, going by his expression. She wishes she could be more articulate about it, tell him why she gets so guarded emotionally - and today, physically. But she never has told anyone. She has no past point of reference to explain something like this. She's never told Hazel or Jerome because she isn't going to have them worry about their fucked up best friend. She's never told her mother, Justin, or Tucker because it would probably break their hearts and make them start begging her to move in with them again. She never told Miguel, even though she could go as far as to say that she loved Miguel. Not like she loves Hunter, her love for Hunter is an entity all on its own, but she did truly love Miguel. It's why she pushed him away by breaking up with him when Seth began harassing him to the point where Miguel almost lost his job and that's even scarier in the deaf world than in the hearing world. Rather than put more stress on him by telling Miguel the trauma Seth had inflicted and still inflicts on her, she let him go. He hadn't needed her stress on top of his own.

 

Hunter doesn't either.

 

So why is she thinking of telling him anyway?

 

"Hey," Hunter murmurs, carefully bringing her into his arms. Molly lets herself be pulled in closer until she's practically in his lap. She lets herself accept the comfort and puts her left arm around Hunter's shoulders before being guided down to the bed. Somehow, Hunter doesn't aggravate her shoulder when he does it. He lets his chest elevate her shoulder and lets her head rest against the crook of his neck. He doesn't push her to answer him, surprisingly. He leaves the ball in her court. It might actually be the silence that gets her to talk more than anything.

 

"The injury to my shoulder is from when Seth attacked me," she says slowly, "He uh...He had punched me a couple of times after I hit him in self-defense and tried to run. He grabbed me by my hair and hit my head against a brick wall just hard enough to disorient me. He turned me around and punched me in the jaw, several times in the ribs and stomach, then shoved me on the ground onto my stomach and got on top of me. When I tried to get him off of me, he yanked my arm back so far that it fully tore my rotator cuff and took my shoulder out of its socket. I couldn't do much with one arm and I think he knew that so that's why he did it. It's like he wasn't going to stop until he heard it pop and heard me scream-"

 

She's not going to start crying, she's not, even if this is the first time she's discussed it in detail since reporting it to the police. She doesn't know what Hunter is doing, whether he's crying or seething or even asleep. He's not saying a word. All things considered, he is taking it pretty well. She's not going to get into how terrified she had been when he ripped the back of her dress and pulled down her underwear. She isn't going to get into how her heart had practically stopped beating in her chest when she heard his pants unzip. She won't do that to Hunter. She won't trigger the trauma she knows he has from his own abuse. She also isn't going to do that to herself.

 

"...Anyway," she says, trying to move on, "This is the only injury that bothers me sometimes, or gets retorn. I have really minor TMJ in my jaw and that sometimes irritates me. But I feel powerless when my shoulder aches, let alone gets reinjured. I injured it back when I was getting my students out of the building through the window. That tear was worse than this one. I injured it again last summer when I was helping my Grandpa get up off the ground. When I do hurt it again, I have nightmares over what happened with Seth. Other people touching it usually doesn't help matters, even if it helps with the pain. It's probably why Tucker is so insistent about coming down. When I hurt it again in Connecticut, I apparently woke up all upset. I don't remember it but I guess I wasn't quiet about it. It might happen tonight. I should sleep on the couch since you have to be up at 2 am-"

 

"No," Hunter rasps out before his voice becomes stronger, "No, you're staying in the bed. If you are feeling like you need space after what you told me, I can sleep on the couch. I...fuck, Molly, you know I would understand that more than anyone. But I really want to be here with you if you're okay with it."

 

Molly nods, not trusting herself enough to voice that need as she squeezes her eyes shut and burrows her face into Hunter's neck. Hunter's arms embrace her tightly and she's asleep by 9:30. When she wakes up gasping an hour later, she barely registers the nightmare she just had or even waking up as Hunter whispers soothing reassurances and leads her back onto his chest. She falls back asleep within a minute.

------------------------

She blearily opens her eyes when Hunter's alarm goes off and immediately glares as soon as he predictably starts fretting about leaving her for work.

 

"You can't call off," Molly says to him, "You manage all of the camera and lighting crew and work closely with the director. If you wanted a job you could call off from, you should have decided to be much less important and talented. It's your own fault."

 

"Quit blowing smoke up my ass. DPs are technically considered 'below the line' and replaceable in the crew hierarchy."

 

"But you're at the top of the replaceable people," Molly insists, "Like, right below where some prestigious asshole drew that stupid, insensitive line to begin with."

 

The corner of Hunter's mouth quirks up in amusement but then he starts to look more serious, "Maybe you can hang out in my trailer-"

 

"See? You're important enough to get a trailer," she interrupts, then shakes her head, "Maybe you can do the whole 'Take your girlfriend to work' routine tomorrow. I'm honestly exhausted and-"

 

Before she can finish her sentence, Katniss trots through the open bedroom door and hops up onto the bed, coming up to Molly to look down at her, purring loudly as she begins to knead on Molly's side.

 

"...And apparently your daughter wants me to breastfeed her," Molly finishes, petting Katniss as she begins suckling on the blanket, "Obviously, I need to stay here today and wean her."

 

"She can't be weaned," Hunter says, glancing down at the cat, "She was abandoned too young so she just does shit like that, all while acting like she's too mature for everyone when she's not trying to get milk out of your stomach."

 

Katniss gets over the suckling quickly enough and settles above her bad shoulder, resting her chin on Molly's collarbone as if she's protecting Molly's injury.

 

"Hunter, get me my computer, I can't get up, she's too cute to disturb," Molly says, all while trying not to coo at the now sleeping cat.

 

"Why?" Hunter asks, getting it out of her bag anyway, "It's 2 am. Go to sleep. Katniss has the right idea."

 

"I will, but I want to put something on Netflix first," Molly tells him, "In case I can't go back to sleep. Something soothing. Like Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey."

 

"That will suck you in and you know it," Hunter says, "Watch that Nikola Tesla documentary. Apparently the dude got cheated out of electricity patents and fell in love with a pigeon."

 

"That doesn't sound boring to me at all. Pigeons are fascinating," Molly says, before opening her laptop to browse Netflix, "Wait, here is a documentary from the 60s about surfers. I don't give a shit about surfing."

 

"Sounds like a perfect choice," Hunter says before coming over to give her a kiss and briefly pat Katniss on the head, "Get some rest, alright? Don't overdo it. I'll get the place down the street to deliver lunch to you around 11:30."

 

"I am capable of cooking-"

 

"Yeah, I know you are," Hunter says, "It's only partly about your arm. The other part is that I barely have anything at the moment. I haven't had much of a chance to go shopping. There's a really good Vietnamese restaurant that delivers here. I'll send you the link. Just tell me what you want and I'll have it sent over."

 

Molly gives him a look, "You do realize I can get food delivered here myself, right? I'm not an invalid and just because I am not rich, doesn't mean I am destitute."

 

"It isn't about money," Hunter says, "It's about my obsessive need to take care of my injured girlfriend, stemming from guilt over the fact that I will be gone until late afternoon. It's purely instinctual and probably primitive. I can't help it."

 

"You have issues," Molly tells him as he gets on the bed to sit on his knees, bending over her to kiss her face and neck all while he begs her in between each kiss to let him send her food.

 

"Fine, you weirdo," Molly sighs, "Now, go to work. Leave me and Katniss in peace."

 

Hunter gives her an affectionate look, then bends down to kiss her fully on the lips, only slightly jostling Katniss in the process which causes her to growl.

 

"Wow," Hunter says to the cat, "I see how it is, how easily you change alliances."

 

"She's a good guard cat," Molly yawns, reaching over with her left arm to scratch Katniss behind the ears, which Katniss seems very satisfied with, "I thought about getting a dog for protection, but who needs one with you, huh?"

 

Hunter looks at her for a second, then shugs in a nonchalant way that seems forced, "You should still get a dog. A big one who is super sweet and likes cats but we can train to attack on command if needed."

 

"Uh huh," Molly says, knowing exactly why Hunter added that last bit despite his feeble attempt at being subtle, "If I wasn't so busy, I would probably get one. It just isn't the right time."

 

"...Fine," Hunter says, "When we move to New York then. Because it's happening. There will be two of us. We can manage a dog and a cat."

 

"Okay," Molly murmurs. Part of her wants to point out how in demand he's becoming on the West Coast. On Friday night, Hunter had received a call from his agent telling him that he is being offered the head DP position for a show filming in New Mexico. On Sunday afternoon, his agent called him almost in a frenzy to tell him that Noah Baumbach and Danny Boyle both expressed interest for him to be their DP on their films that go into production at the end of August due to seeing his reel. From what Molly could get out of Hunter, one is filming in Oregon. The other movie isn't on the west coast though. It's filming in Australia.

 

She doesn't want to point out that she already knows he is going to do one of those movies. She doesn't want him to kick himself due to saying no just because he's stuck in some mindset telling him that he has to focus on finding work in New York. She doesn't want him to pass that kind of opportunity.

 

She also doesn't want to get him upset before work by telling him it might be a couple of years before his goal to move across the country in order to be with her will happen, if it happens at all.

 

"Have a good day," she tells him, briefly lifting herself up to kiss him once more, "I'll see you later.

---------------------

She mainly stays in bed all day with Katniss, sleeping on and off, only getting up twice. Once to use the bathroom and take a shower, which takes longer than she'd like due to the pain of getting undressed and dressed again. She could have waited for Hunter to help her. Knowing how he's been since last night, he probably would have preferred her to. But the thought of Hunter helping her while she's down for the count makes her feel embarrassed - like a burden. It had been bad enough when Tucker had to help her back when she was truly, significantly injured but it was different with him. He is her stepfather. He has been just as much of a dad to her as her biological father has been, more in several ways. She doesn't want to be sexy for Tucker. Hunter is a different story.

 

After she gets dressed, she takes the opportunity while she's up to give herself a tour of the place since Molly wasn't up for it last night. The place is honestly nice and she doesn't get why Hunter is so put off by it. It's sort of white and plain but she's sure that it isn't cheap, going by the hardwood floors and appliances. But as she explores it more, she realizes that it doesn't feel like a home. It feels very temporary, from the minimal decor and color to the not-lived in feeling due to the lack of food in the fridge and absolute lack of any kind of clutter or personal belongings. Hunter is actually very neat - definitely the neatest guy she has ever dated - but he isn't absolutely immaculate to the point where absolutely nothing is left out. The condo feels barren and cold and suddenly she finds herself not liking the place either.

 

She goes back into the bedroom and stays there until the lunch Hunter has delivered for her arrives. He video chats with her since it is his own lunch break. She watches him walk away from the craft and services tent and across a field towards his trailer, only getting stopped along the way by Jennifer who asks who Hunter is chatting with, butting her head into frame to introduce herself, which puts Molly in the position of introducing herself in return, only to be told how hot she is and to hear Jennifer Lawrence say, "Dude! You never told us how hot Molly is! What the fuck? I don't blame you for being upset about the distance. I'd be dying to fuck her too if I swung that way a little more. Let me talk to her again."

 

"Go bother someone else, I'm on my break," Hunter says, dismissing her, because he can apparently talk to movie stars like that despite supposedly being 'replaceable'.

 

"You better go out with us tomorrow night and bring her with you!" Molly hears Jennifer call out, "I want to see her in person and bask in her beauty!"

 

As soon as Hunter gets settled in his trailer and props the phone up on the table, acting as if one of the biggest actresses in Hollywood waxing poetic on his girlfriend is no big deal, Molly asks, "Are we supposed to go out tomorrow?"

 

Hunter shrugs, "Not really. Jen probably just wants a DD and she knows I don't drink...well most of the time."

 

Hunter adds the words hesitantly, his expression guarded. If he doesn't want to mention his drunken breakdown over a week ago, then Molly won't either.

 

"Anyway," Hunter continues, "She can afford an Uber. Neither of us are obligated to go meet up with her."

 

Molly snorts, "Stop pretending you're annoyed by her."

 

Hunter scoffs, "I wouldn't say I am annoyed by her. She's a friend now, I guess. She's just super loud and annoying today. Probably to pull herself out of a funk. We shot the scene where her character's baby gets eaten by a group of her husband's fans."

 

"Sounds like a routine scene to me," Molly answers, holding back a shudder, "But if she's feeling upset and trying to get her mind off of things, it might be nice to go out with her."

 

Hunter glances at the phone, giving her a warning look, "This better not be another way of you trying to get me to sleep with her or anyone else besides you."

 

"Oh, please," Molly says, rolling her eyes, "I wouldn't push you to fuck someone else while I'm here. Only if I am away and you need to get off."

 

"It isn't happening. Ever."

 

"Whatever," Molly says, "Like I said, the offer to fuck another girl who isn't me isn't on the table when we are in the same state. The only way that would happen is if you want a threesome with me and Jennifer."

 

Hunter raises his eyebrows at that, "Slightly more tempting, but I'm still going to decline."

 

"Are you sure?" Molly asks, "She thinks I'm hot. She might be down for it. The fact that a threesome like that is in the realm of possibility and your girlfriend is open to it should make you see how lucky you are-"

 

"Yeah, it does. That being said, it's still a no," Hunter snorts, turning back to his food.

 

Hunter returns that afternoon around 3:30 and they keep the touristy stuff low-key. If she was feeling better, he would probably have her hiking and sightseeing well into the night. But instead, they stick to mostly driving around, with Hunter pointing out different historical monuments so that Molly doesn't miss them. They go to dinner at 7. Hunter takes her to some romantic, rustic, and expensive New American restaurant that she looks at with trepidation.

 

"This is expensive," Molly says, looking at the menu on the phone. The place is literally called 'Rich Table'.

 

"It's not terrible," Hunter says, "You can get a four course meal for fifty bucks. That's $12.50 for each course. And I'm hungry as fuck so that's what I'm getting and you're always hungry so it works."

 

"There's not a dress code, is there?" Molly asks.

 

"No, there isn't," Hunter tells her, "According to the website, they are against dress codes. And even if there was one, you always look amazing so a dress code would be moot point."

 

"A sling isn't elegant or upscale."

 

Hunter nods, then puts the car back into drive before beginning to slowly back out of his parking spot, "You're right. There is a Swarovski store a couple of blocks from here. Let's ask them to bedazzle your sling in their finest crystals-"

 

"I'm jumping out," Molly warns, opening the door. Hunter rolls his eyes and puts the car back in park again.

 

The meal is actually very good, despite her feelings about restaurants with more than two dollar signs on Yelp. Normally, Hunter actually has similar feelings when it comes to overpriced dining. Despite his habit of wanting to treat her to trips, fly out to her, and fly her out to him, they both tend to gravitate towards holes in the wall, hidden gem restaurants that aren't particularly fancy or pricey. Their first date had fed four people for less than fifty bucks all together, including tip. She's not sure if he's doing this because of the incline in his career and hanging out with so many prominent people recently or if it's because he feels bad that he was gone all morning or if he is just being driven by that dumb, instinctual need to care for her and impress her. Either way, she suddenly becomes intensely aware that her dominant arm is down for the count when the first course is put in front of her. The cheese and guava empanadas are easy enough to eat with her left hand but it is definitely harder than it would be with her right. The bread and butter is more difficult though and Hunter must see her avoiding it since he butters a piece for her, then puts it on the plate in front of her.

 

"You are right-handed," Hunter says when she looks at him in confusion, "I would have problems if I was in the same situation. You'd do the same."

 

"Yes, I would," Molly admits, "But I figured it would be a good time to avoid excess carbs. Watch my figure or whatever."

 

"I always watch your figure. It's fucking hot."

 

"Uh huh."

 

Hunter scoffs, "Don't act like I am exaggerating. You know what your brain and body do to me. Your whole package? I dig it. Change nothing."

 

And yeah, he proves how into her he is when they get back to the condo. He makes sure she is in a comfortable position before mercilessly going down on her until her legs are practically wrapped around his head to hold him in place, she has come three times, and she's crying out what is probably nonsense since her brain has been turned into mush.

 

He insists that she doesn't have to do anything in return - that he can deal and get himself off - but she enjoys getting Hunter off as much as he enjoys getting her off so she makes it work. They find a good position where she's lying on her left side and he's spooning her, thrusting into her carefully until her arousal from it has her spreading her legs so that he can wrap his arm around her waist to rub her clit as he kisses her neck and injured shoulder. She feels so good that - at the moment - she can't feel the injury at all.

-------------------------

Hunter doesn't know how he feels about Molly and Jennifer hitting it off so well.

 

On the one hand, if there had been any insecurity on Molly's end regarding him working with a pretty, prominent actress, it doesn't seem to be an issue anymore. On the other hand, he really hopes that Molly's approval of her doesn't get her to weirdly approve of Jennifer as a prospective girlfriend of some sort because he isn't about that shit, even if Molly somehow feels like she's doing him a favor. He can't sleep with more than one person at a time and ever since he and Molly started all of this, he can't think of anyone else in a sexual or romantic way other than her. It doesn't matter how pretty or smart or successful or funny any other girl might be. They aren't Molly. He's so fucking monogamous at this point that it probably makes him a prude.

 

But overall, he's glad they are getting along, to the point where Jennifer has invited her buzzed self over so that she can hang with his equally buzzed girlfriend and Hunter can be a third wheel.

 

"Hunter, we're hungry!" Molly calls out right after she beats Jen at Poker the third time in a row, a win that causes Jen to yell 'What the fuck!' at the top of her lungs because she is probably not used to losing anything.

 

He mostly keeps to himself while Jen is there. He makes them food with the groceries Molly went out, bought, and carried back to his condo like an uninjured person who thinks her shoulder is fine when it fucking isn't. He watches from the accent chair as Jen gets all excited over suddenly figuring out Molly's brother is The Justin Taylor, all while Molly just looks put off by The preceding Justin's name.

 

"You don't understand how much I have spent on his work," Jennifer says, "I always fucking miss him when he does a show, like barely, but have probably spent over a million for his paintings. I'm so much of a fan that it's probably creepy. FaceTime him, please please please please please-"

 

"Okay, fine!" Molly says, caving in at Jen's insistence as she FaceTimes her brother. Justin answers in absolute confusion. He doesn't sound tired despite it being past midnight in New York, but Hunter knows from his time spent with Justin that the guy is a night owl. The confusion probably comes from Molly calling him to video chat, something confirmed when Justin says, "Why are you set on seeing my face tonight? Do you miss me that much?"

 

"No, not really," Molly shrugs, "I actually barely think of you. Someone over at Hunter's is a fan of yours and freaked out when your name got brought up. She wanted to meet you. She has some of your work."

 

"I promise I'm not a creep," Jennifer says, butting in as she takes Molly's phone, causing Justin to sputter at the sight of her before Jennifer starts gushing over Justin's talent and Molly leaves her phone unsupervised in order to throw herself in his lap.

 

"I love you," Molly mumbles, tucking her face into the crook of Hunter's neck as soon as Hunter's arms circle around her, "So so so SO much."

 

"You're okay," Hunter says nonchalantly, which gets Molly to lift her head up and look down at him with a pout. Apparently drunk Molly can't detect sarcasm. Noted.

 

"You know that I love you too," Hunter says bringing her down for a kiss, "You should know that even when your brain is all foggy and drenched in alcohol."

 

Before Molly can answer that, Jennifer starts cooing at them before turning her attention back to Justin.

 

"You should paint a picture of your sister and her boyfriend," she insists to Justin, lying back on the couch, "They are so good together and so precious. Plus, they are both super hot. I would even commission it-"

 

"I'm good," Justin interrupts, "Seriously. Pick literally any other subject and I will do it."

 

"He's a dick about Hunter, don't mind him," Molly calls out loud enough so that Justin can hear, "He's mad because he knew Hunter before I did and didn't think we would fuck because we didn't for years but we now have many, many times so here we are."

 

Jennifer puts a hand to her heart, "That's so romantic. Justin, you should be happy for your sister. I will pay you 500,000 dollars to use them as your muses-"

 

"No."

 

Before Jennifer can fight him on the topic longer, Molly's phone begins to vibrate in Jennifer's hand.

 

"Someone named Hazel is trying to video chat with you," Jennifer in forms her, "Should I hang up on your genius brother?"

 

"She probably wants to show me the wedding dress," Molly says.

 

"Good enough reason for me," Jennifer shrugs, "It was nice meeting you, Justin! I'm sure we will meet again. Molly and I are friends now."

 

"How is that-"

 

But whatever Justin had been about to say is never revealed, since Jennifer has now disconnected the call to accept Hazel's.

 

"Hello!" Jennifer says, smiling and waving at the phone, all while Hazel's voice can distinctly be heard saying, "Oh my god, what the fuck?!"

 

But as soon as Hazel gets over the fact that an Oscar winning actress has Molly's phone, they warm up to each other immediately. Hunter isn't surprised. They are both loud, extroverted people. They warm up so much to each other that Jennifer is insisting that she'd love to go to Hazel's wedding in six weeks. He feels like if Molly was less buzzed, she would be incredibly weirded out by it all.

 

When Molly starts becoming a bit more obvious in her fatigue and Hunter is feeling it too, he gives Jennifer a ride back to her condo. It is only a ten minute drive, but the whole time is spent with her telling him how great Molly is.

 

"You really need to get over to the east coast, like ASAP," Jennifer says more seriously than he's ever heard her sound, "You've been so quiet since shooting started and now that she's here, you're a completely different, happier person. If I hear of any good projects or get contacted about anything over there, I am going to demand that you are the DP before I sign any contracts because I believe in the love you two share.”

 

"How nice and entitled of you," Hunter snorts, shaking his head, "But yeah...if you do happen to hear of something I can push for, especially if it's a show that can keep me over there-"

 

"I don't really do TV, Hunter," she interrupts, "I don't see why you do either. You could probably get an Oscar nod within two years if you solely focused on film."

 

"I actually like doing TV. There's room for experimentation and storybuilding. And I'm not going to take just any show," Hunter says, "Maybe something that would be on AMC or HBO. Or one of the streaming platforms. It's more steady and I am guaranteed to have a good income. I try to do one season and one movie a year, sometimes two movies if I have the time or it is something too good to pass on…I got an offer on a movie that I don't think I can say no to. Paul Thomas Anderson is doing it. The shoot should only be six to eight weeks but it's filming in Australia in the fall and Molly is working full-time in the fall and flying from West Virginia to Australia isn't a trip you can make in a weekend."

 

"It's an opportunity of a lifetime though," Jennifer says, "She would understand that."

 

"She would," Hunter agrees, then sighs, "It's me. I...I don't think I can handle being that far from her anymore. There's a 14 hour time difference from the east coast and Australia, I would probably barely get to do more than text her due to the schedule."

 

"Get her to go with you then," Jennifer shrugs, "You make enough to support her. I would do it if I met a guy who meant that much to me."

 

Hunter shakes his head, "She won't. I already know she won't. She has some family stuff going on. I wanted her to move out to LA and while she wants to, she's afraid to leave her dad and doesn't want to be that far from her brothers. Her mom and stepdad are in Connecticut taking care of her grandfather and she doesn't want to be far away from them either. She won't move to California, let alone travel to Australia for two months. If I can get something in New York for the fall, something worthwhile, I will pass on that job in a heartbeat. She has agreed to move there, I would be closer to my family there, so I want to be out there. I just don't think an offer like that is going to come in the next two weeks. The distance is fucking killing me. She's practically all I think about."

 

"...I get it," Jennifer says sadly, "I've had a couple of relationships end due to working abroad so much. It sucks."

 

He doesn't want to even think out the possibility of his relationship with Molly coming to an end so he doesn't respond to that at all.

---------------------------------------------------

Things come to a head on Saturday. It isn't at any fault of Molly's or Hunter's, although Hunter supposes that his temper doesn't help matters at all. But how the fuck is he supposed to react, especially when Molly came here with an injury she only got because of being attacked four years ago? How is he expected to see her hurt, hold her when she tells him more about the attack than he has ever heard before, comfort her after an inevitable nightmare, only for Molly's phone to begin ringing non-stop a few days later?

 

It starts at sunset, on their last night before Molly goes home. They are lying on a large blanket together on Muir Beach. It was supposed to be romantic. It had been. The beach is completely empty, empty enough for them to make out and grind against each other. Molly is shameless and is already reaching down his pants because she apparently wants him to fuck her in public-

 

"It's not in public," she insists as if she is reading his mind, then traces her tongue against his lips in a solid attempt to kill his resolve, "There's no one here. Just you and me."

 

"It's still a public beach," Hunter tells her, hissing out a breath when Molly runs her thumb over the head of his dick. He’s seriously thinking about doing it. It could probably cost them both of their jobs but really, could the authorities blame him? Hunter is positive most people would understand giving in once they saw Molly-

 

On the other side of the blanket, Molly's phone begins to vibrate. Hunter doesn't think much of it when Molly puts a pause on seducing him to reluctantly glance at who's calling before putting the phone down. At first, Hunter assumes it's Justin or Mason, maybe Hazel or Jerome. It's not until it rings again that Hunter wonders if it is important.

 

And then it rings again.

 

And again.

 

And again.

 

"I can't ignore this shit anymore," Hunter mutters, rolling off of Molly to sit up and pick up the phone.

 

"Hunter, don't," Molly says harshly, making a grab for the phone.

 

"Why?" Hunter shouts, "Ignoring him obviously isn't fucking helping, Molly! He called less than two weeks ago, don't tell me he fucking didn't. Your phone was off for two fucking days because he wouldn't stop! Back when you first told me about him, you said he did this every couple of months. He's getting worse. He's dangerous and he is getting worse."

 

Molly stares at him with a hint of tears in her eyes and it fucking kills him to see her like this. The look of defeat, sadness, pain, fear, and heartbreaking acceptance in her eyes is destroying him.

 

"...I know."

 

As soon as the words come out of Molly's mouth, Hunter is shocked - shocked that she doesn't even try to downplay it in a pointless attempt to comfort and diffuse him, that she's scared enough to admit that she knows. The admission almost takes him off guard but he can't show that, not now, not when he does know that she will probably try to backtrack and get Hunter to drop the subject anyway.

 

"I get that you're scared," Hunter says, "I'm scared for you. But I can't sit back and pretend he's just some minor nuisance. I fucking can't."

 

"...You shouldn't have to," Molly rasps out, "You shouldn't have to deal with this at all."

 

"No," Hunter says, already not liking her tone, "I'm fucking dealing with it - we're dealing with it - because we are a couple. I love you. What hurts you hurts me and you should know that, considering how you reacted to Rita."

 

"Rita doesn't constantly harrass you," Molly sniffles, "She was a fucking horrible, abusive bitch who let her kid be sexually and physically abused for money but she doesn't hold any power over you anymore. You got out from under her. Seth... Seth's never going to allow that. I can't even post pictures of us together because I'm terrified he will hurt you. I accepted years ago that I can't get married, probably can't have kids. Both of those things will be public record and either would probably make him snap. It's the reason why I said we should see other people, because you don't deserve to deal with this. It's selfish of me to even be in a relationship with you-"

 

"Stop it," Hunter says, standing up, "I don't want to hear that shit. You're only saying it because Seth has fucked with your head-"

 

"Yeah, but it doesn't make it any less right," Molly says sadly, "He will ruin you, Hunter. If he finds out I am with you and it's serious, he will try to destroy your career and reputation. He will find any dirt on you to make people not want to hire you."

 

Hunter scoffs at the notion and shakes his head, "What, you think he's going to call up my bosses and agent to tell them about my past? Release an exposé on one of my film's opening weekends to say that the cinematographer is HIV positive because he used to be a teenage prostitute?"

 

"I don't think that he will," Molly answers slowly, "I know that he will."

 

"Then fucking let him!" Hunter says, throwing up his hands, despite the thought of absolutely everyone knowing making him feel sick, "Do you know how easy it would be to turn around that narrative? If any production companies become assholes about it, the world can know that they are discriminating against someone who was homeless and sexually abused as a kid and are taking the word of someone who harrassed, beat, and sexually assaulted the cinematographer's girlfriend. We would be seen as brave and inspirational and directors might be dying to work with me. Seth might be doing my career a favor in the long run. Fucking. Let. Him."

 

"He'd lie," Molly mumbles, "Make shit up about you. Make accusations that can't be proven or disproven. They might not go far if he doesn't pay someone else to accuse you of anything, but they will go far enough to make people question whether or not you did anything. He sent a letter to Miguel's boss, saying that Miguel is a rapist, when he obviously isn't, all because he was my boyfriend. He emptied his bank account, fucked up his car, blew up his mailbox. I'm shocked that Miguel still checks in on me and doesn't hate me for all the stuff Seth put him through."

 

"Probably because he knows those things weren't your fault? Because he isn't an asshole and wants you to be happy and safe? Because he's not insane and horrible like Seth is?"

 

"Yeah, well…" Molly sighs, "He still accepted me breaking up with him without any argument. He was probably relieved. Rightfully so. He's happy now. His girlfriend is really sweet. Pretty too. No psychotic ex in the mix. Perfect, to be honest. Definitely an upgrade. It's why I think you should keep your options open."

 

"Well, Miguel's girlfriend is already taken," Hunter says more harshly than he intends, "I guess I'll just stay with you."

 

Molly glares, "You know what I meant-"

 

"Yeah, and I am fucking sick of hearing about it!" Hunter fumes, "I am fucking sick of Seth doing this shit, I am sick of what his shit has done and continues to do to your head, and I am sick of being across the damn country and worrying myself sick over you being alone and him possibly hurting you!"

 

"Then maybe this thing - whatever it is - should stop!" Molly chokes out, tears already filling her eyes, "If all you are getting is pain and worry out of our relationship, then I should fucking go home and stay there! You deserve better and I know you hate hearing me say that but it's true! Seth might always do this. He might continue to do this for decades and the people who have tried to help me or get him to stop either can't or get hurt. The people who have some power to help me won't and decide to help him instead. He probably won't stop until I am fucking dead and now he's hinting he might kill me too and maybe he's just full of shit but I'm tired of even thinking about it and I've been thinking about it more than usual because of my shoulder and I'm just tired-"

 

Molly breaks off only to sob into her hands and it takes everything within Hunter not to cry with her. He sits on his knees in front of her and pulls her closer. She fights it for a second, barely getting out, "No, no, I'm fine" before collapsing into his arms, the fight in her extinguished.

-------------------------

"Please. Just for the summer."

 

The bedroom is dark, but she can feel Hunter staring at her.

 

"I can't," she says, staring up at the ceiling. It really is dark. She can't even see it but she's looking up there anyway.

 

"Why?"

 

"I told you why."

 

Hunter lets out a frustrated groan, "You can't break down like that and not expect me to want you to stay here. I already wanted you here, but I could technically handle the distance, even if I hated it. Now, I need you here."

 

"I can't-"

 

"Jesus fucking Christ!' Hunter shouts, then gets out of bed to storm out of the room. Molly isn't sure if she should give him space or not. She has seen Hunter mad before, but that anger has never been directed at her, except for when she first suggested seeing other people. But they had been thousands of miles away from each other when that argument occurred so there was no choice but to give him space, tons of space. Now, it's different. They're in the same condo, sharing the same bed.

 

But before she can think much more about lying down or going after him, Hunter comes back in the room and tosses her phone on the bed.

 

"It's still ringing," he says, as if she can't see that for herself.

 

"I'm aware."

 

"Let me pick it up."

 

"Due to the reasons I listed before, I'd rather you didn't."

 

Hunter stares at the phone with such an intensity that Molly is seriously wondering if he is going to break it. He has self-control and doesn't but she can tell that he just barely managed to get a hold of himself.

 

"Molly, please," Hunter says, his voice shaky, "I miss you so fucking much. I was a fucking wreck after I flew back to LA. If you just stayed until September-"

 

"I have work," Molly tells him, "I am still working a couple of days a week for another month. You know that."

 

"Just…" Hunter starts, then grips his hair, "It's a part-time job! It isn't your regular position! You are doing it as a favor! I'm not saying it isn't an important job, it's definitely more important than mine, but I'm contracted to be on this shoot until mid-July and work full-time. You aren't obligated to work there in the summer. Please, stay with me and Katniss. She likes you more than she likes me at this point and I thought that was impossible."

 

"She doesn't like me more," Molly mumbles, right before Katniss walks through the door, jumps up on the bed and puts her front paws on Molly's chest to nuzzle against her face.

 

"Uh huh," Hunter says dubiously, looking somewhat amused for the first time this evening.

 

"Look, it isn't that I don't want to be here with you, I do," Molly says, stroking the cat's head, "But if I back out of this summer gig without any reason or notice, it could possibly jeopardize my regular position when fall comes along. You said yourself that Skinner is probably going to be out to get me. I shouldn't give him more of a reason. My best friend is also getting married in July and I want to be there for her when it comes to whatever she needs me to do. And my dad is sick, Hunter. You know that he isn't well. You know that I'm the only one he's calling when he's lonely or upset. I can't up and leave him right this second for that amount of time -"

 

"Then he can move out here too," Hunter interrupts, "I will buy a bed for the guest room and it can become Craig's room. I don't mind."

 

"Oh yeah, you, me, and Dad, living it up in LA," Molly snorts, "That's hilarious."

 

"I wasn't fucking joking."

 

"I know," Molly says, shrugging, "That's what makes it funnier."

 

As Molly takes a breath and tries maintain her calm, Hunter starts to speak again.

 

"If you told your dad what was going on, I bet he would want you across the country," Hunter tells her softly, "He loves you. He would want you as far away from Seth as you can get."

 

"No one knows where Seth is, Hunter," Molly reminds him, "For all I know, he's checking my emails, knows that I'm in San Francisco, followed me from the airport, and is staying at the hotel down the street."

 

"I doubt it -" Hunter starts but Molly cuts him off.

 

"He's done it before, twice that I know of," Molly tells him, "Once when I was visiting Justin in New York and another time when I went up to Maine with Hazel, Jerome, and Liu. Those are the two times I saw him, at least. I was quiet about both trips too."

 

It seems to upset Hunter to hear it - he actually looks like he's ready to check every hotel in a five mile radius so that he can commit murder. That's something she doesn't want so she tries to get her mind off of it.

 

"Mid-July," Molly says, "That's when this movie wraps, right? We can manage to be together for a month or so then. Go to Hazel's wedding, go see Tucker, my mom, and my grandparents, go see your parents and sister, go on a trip maybe. You can even bring Katniss. She can stay at my apartment. I will go get everything she needs. We can spend time together until you go to Australia near the end of August."

 

Hunter meets her eyes then, looking more nervous than she's ever seen him look, "I haven't agreed to do that movie. I would need to quit the show-"

 

"Good, because you are more qualified than the head cinematographer of it. You took it to lie low but Rita can suck it. Time to move onto better things."

 

"...I don't want to be that far away, from you or from my family," Hunter finishes softly, "Not for that long."

 

"It isn't that long," Molly says, "And it's an opportunity of a lifetime. You will kick yourself for the rest of your life if you say no. I'll kick you too because you are supposed to be smarter than that."

 

Hunter just stands there silently, lost in his conflicting thoughts, so Molly reaches out for him.

 

"Come back to bed," Molly says, sitting up to pull on Hunter's arm, "At the risk of pissing you off again, it's my last night here and I want to make the most of it because I am super horny, especially since you refused to fuck me on a public beach. I can't believe you would do that to me."

 

Hunter tries to smile but it comes off more as a grimace. He's extremely angst-ridden at the moment. Molly hates it. She's going to have to put her all into this - go above and beyond when it comes to making Hunter go out of his mind with lust for her, instead of murderous rage towards Seth. She starts out with an enthusiastic blow job, one Hunter seems to try to be non-chalant about until it becomes too much and his head falls back against the pillow as he moans. When he's turning them over so that he can thrust inside her, Molly grabs the ever vibrating phone and throws it under the bed.