06-22-2020, 11:02 PM
[align=center][div style="width: 430px; text-align: justify; font-family: verdana; font-size: 6pt; letter-spacing: 1.5px; word-spacing: 0px; line-height: 12px; color: #000"]She was terrified.
Mollie could deny it to herself all she wanted, but the truth was that she was falling in love.
She didn’t want to feel this way, but the way the years of skepticism and distrust seemed to dissolve in his arms was undeniable. Love wasn’t supposed to feel this good. The only vision of love she’d ever grown accustomed to in her life was an unrequited one between a desperate daughter and two absent parents. That kind of love was twisted. It fucked her up. That feeling of never being good enough for somebody to ever love her back hurt more than the absence of love all together. She’d rather not risk having a seed of hope planted in her heart than take a leap of faith and watch the love wither away.
Instead, she felt safer as a ghost than a human being, drifting in and out of people’s lives unattached. She enjoyed her voice being heard, and loved the way the world around her trembled at her fingertips. Mollie was a walking disaster, but she liked the way it felt. It drew in the thrill seekers, the ones which would make her feel a rush of excitement and adventure, and before they knew it she’d be gone the next day. She hoped that they missed her when she left, but she never did stick around for long enough to know.
She turned her back on good people, men who would be willing to burn the whole world if she did as little as ask them to, eyelashes fluttering. People who would follow her to the ends of the earth just to wake up every day and be entranced once more by her allure. But, she couldn’t risk it. She wouldn’t risk love because love never had a happy ending. They’d either die, or abandon you, or leave you with a broken heart. And so, if Mollie were to dare admit that she needed Freddie far more than she’d let on, she would hope that he would not take her words lightly. She did everything in her power to make sure she would never have to depend on anyone and yet here she was, in Freddie’s bar after closing time with a heart feeling so full it could burst.
❝ You really need a jukebox in here. ❞ Mollie pointed out with a long hum before glancing over to where Freddie was finishing off packing everything away for the night. ❝ Wouldn’t that be sick? You could put it right there. ❞ She squinted her eyes as she gestured in a circular motion at the corner of the room. With that, she finished off the last of her beer before swaying towards the pool table, twirling around absently before lowering the empty beer bottle to the ground so that she could instead pick up the cue. She had only played pool a couple of times before, playing disastrously every single time, and so a part of her wondered what possessed her to try her hand at the game again.
Closing one eye - as if that would help with her accuracy - she hit the cue ball as it proceeded to bounce across the table, balls scattering in all directions. And then, subtly, she glanced back to check on Freddie, beginning to smile as she noticed he’d finished up and was getting the both of them more drinks. Those pale eyes lingered for what felt like lifetimes as she searched his features before looking back at the pool table. She could no longer deny to herself that she felt something for him. Never before had she felt those butterflies so intensely in her stomach. Never before had a smile lingered on her lips before she’d even come to realize it was because he was on her mind yet again.
Love never felt so sweet. She wanted to retch at the thought.
It was shit because Freddie was this egotistical, charming asshole who probably treated every woman as if she was the only one. Mollie wasn’t special. God, she couldn’t even claim that maybe she was but she certainly hoped that she was more than just a warm body to spend the night with. And there it was again. Hope. It was a dangerous feeling. It made her question everything that she’d ever believed in. For a woman who was once so restrained - she could dominate the room with nothing more than her presence - never had she felt so out of control. Was this what feeling free felt like, or was this nothing more than a woman unraveling?
Maybe she was overthinking things again, but he was her friend. Hell, she would even consider him a best friend if he felt the same way as she did, but she was grateful that she had that with him. It was a dangerous move, finding this way to attach herself to him in more ways than simply lust. This boasted emotion. A lot of it, and it had her thinking. The absence of emotion in a relationship was nothing more than some mindless lust - the usual affairs which no person would think twice about. But, they were friends. They shared more than intimacy with one another. Did that make them any more than the typical fling? Could this be more?
Could this be love?
Mollie kind of hoped that it was. She felt really happy with him.
Even if he was an annoying asshole.
Lowering the cue onto the table, Mollie twisted around and leaned against the pool table, eyes curiously watching Freddie approach. She took her next drink from him, taking a sip before she began to snicker playfully. She hadn’t even said anything yet, but the way the pair of them exchanged glances so intense, so powerful, it was enough to fill her to the brim with joy. ❝ You’re really missing out, Freddie Stirling. ❞ She then quirked a daring brow, watching him with careful eyes as she said, ❝ If you had that jukebox then we could be dancing right now. I bet you got two left feet though; that’s why you don’t have a jukebox, huh? That's your secret, right? ❞ She teased, so evidently trying to gain a reaction from him. She knew what he was like - he'd be itching to prove her wrong.
Dammit. She hated the fact that every moment spent with him only made her crave him more.
Mollie could deny it to herself all she wanted, but the truth was that she was falling in love.
She didn’t want to feel this way, but the way the years of skepticism and distrust seemed to dissolve in his arms was undeniable. Love wasn’t supposed to feel this good. The only vision of love she’d ever grown accustomed to in her life was an unrequited one between a desperate daughter and two absent parents. That kind of love was twisted. It fucked her up. That feeling of never being good enough for somebody to ever love her back hurt more than the absence of love all together. She’d rather not risk having a seed of hope planted in her heart than take a leap of faith and watch the love wither away.
Instead, she felt safer as a ghost than a human being, drifting in and out of people’s lives unattached. She enjoyed her voice being heard, and loved the way the world around her trembled at her fingertips. Mollie was a walking disaster, but she liked the way it felt. It drew in the thrill seekers, the ones which would make her feel a rush of excitement and adventure, and before they knew it she’d be gone the next day. She hoped that they missed her when she left, but she never did stick around for long enough to know.
She turned her back on good people, men who would be willing to burn the whole world if she did as little as ask them to, eyelashes fluttering. People who would follow her to the ends of the earth just to wake up every day and be entranced once more by her allure. But, she couldn’t risk it. She wouldn’t risk love because love never had a happy ending. They’d either die, or abandon you, or leave you with a broken heart. And so, if Mollie were to dare admit that she needed Freddie far more than she’d let on, she would hope that he would not take her words lightly. She did everything in her power to make sure she would never have to depend on anyone and yet here she was, in Freddie’s bar after closing time with a heart feeling so full it could burst.
❝ You really need a jukebox in here. ❞ Mollie pointed out with a long hum before glancing over to where Freddie was finishing off packing everything away for the night. ❝ Wouldn’t that be sick? You could put it right there. ❞ She squinted her eyes as she gestured in a circular motion at the corner of the room. With that, she finished off the last of her beer before swaying towards the pool table, twirling around absently before lowering the empty beer bottle to the ground so that she could instead pick up the cue. She had only played pool a couple of times before, playing disastrously every single time, and so a part of her wondered what possessed her to try her hand at the game again.
Closing one eye - as if that would help with her accuracy - she hit the cue ball as it proceeded to bounce across the table, balls scattering in all directions. And then, subtly, she glanced back to check on Freddie, beginning to smile as she noticed he’d finished up and was getting the both of them more drinks. Those pale eyes lingered for what felt like lifetimes as she searched his features before looking back at the pool table. She could no longer deny to herself that she felt something for him. Never before had she felt those butterflies so intensely in her stomach. Never before had a smile lingered on her lips before she’d even come to realize it was because he was on her mind yet again.
Love never felt so sweet. She wanted to retch at the thought.
It was shit because Freddie was this egotistical, charming asshole who probably treated every woman as if she was the only one. Mollie wasn’t special. God, she couldn’t even claim that maybe she was but she certainly hoped that she was more than just a warm body to spend the night with. And there it was again. Hope. It was a dangerous feeling. It made her question everything that she’d ever believed in. For a woman who was once so restrained - she could dominate the room with nothing more than her presence - never had she felt so out of control. Was this what feeling free felt like, or was this nothing more than a woman unraveling?
Maybe she was overthinking things again, but he was her friend. Hell, she would even consider him a best friend if he felt the same way as she did, but she was grateful that she had that with him. It was a dangerous move, finding this way to attach herself to him in more ways than simply lust. This boasted emotion. A lot of it, and it had her thinking. The absence of emotion in a relationship was nothing more than some mindless lust - the usual affairs which no person would think twice about. But, they were friends. They shared more than intimacy with one another. Did that make them any more than the typical fling? Could this be more?
Could this be love?
Mollie kind of hoped that it was. She felt really happy with him.
Even if he was an annoying asshole.
Lowering the cue onto the table, Mollie twisted around and leaned against the pool table, eyes curiously watching Freddie approach. She took her next drink from him, taking a sip before she began to snicker playfully. She hadn’t even said anything yet, but the way the pair of them exchanged glances so intense, so powerful, it was enough to fill her to the brim with joy. ❝ You’re really missing out, Freddie Stirling. ❞ She then quirked a daring brow, watching him with careful eyes as she said, ❝ If you had that jukebox then we could be dancing right now. I bet you got two left feet though; that’s why you don’t have a jukebox, huh? That's your secret, right? ❞ She teased, so evidently trying to gain a reaction from him. She knew what he was like - he'd be itching to prove her wrong.
Dammit. She hated the fact that every moment spent with him only made her crave him more.