Page 45 of Molly

???

We stand back along the side of the playground, watching Em climb it like some kind of mini gymnast. Molly laughs at me every time I go to lunge forward, thinking Emma’s about to fall.This shit is terrifying.

She leads me to a bench further back and sits down, pointing to the spot next to her. “Sit, mister. You’re going to give yourself a heart attack. You need to chill out.”

Easier said than done. She’s had two years to learn how to cope with the worry. This is brand new to me.

As I drop onto the bench, I feel my phone vibrate in my pocket and fish it out.

JESS: Hey, handsome. What you up to today?

I’ve only seen Jess a couple of times since our little blow-up. She came into the shop and apologised, said she was out of line and that she’d try harder. I didn’t tell her that Molly and I agreed to keep her separate from our life together. I feel bad for her, honestly. It must be rough having no one here to talk to...

“What’s wrong?” Molly whispers in my ear.

I jump. I was so focused on my phone I didn’t even feel her body heat press into my side. “Sorry, what, Mol?”

“You look like your brain’s about to burst. What’re you thinking so hard about, honey?”

“Oh, nothing, was just checking my phone,” I reply and instantly regret it. I lied to her. I should tell her. I should. But I don’t want to ruin today.Fuck.She said she wanted to keep herseparate,but does that mean I shouldn’t tell her when Jess messages me? Fuck, should I have told her she was coming by the shop for lunch sometimes? I’m lost here. How do I navigate this? On one hand, I’ve got one of my best friends, who’s new to town and needs my support. On the other, I’ve got the girl of my dreams who says she doesn’t want that friend to be a part of our lives. Does that mean she doesn’t want her to be a part ofmylife? Should we have spoken about that...

I shake my head, clearing it, and put my phone back in my pocket without replying to Jess. I turn my focus back to Molly and Em.

My girls.

It’ll be fine. I’ll talk to her about all of this later.After.

???

MOLLY

He thinks I didn’t see the message. I did. And he lied right to my face. My stomach is in knots, but I decide to give him another opportunity to be honest. "Jess message you?”

He shakes his head. “Nah, baby. I was just checking the time.”

My blood boils, and I feel my hands start to shake. “I saw the message, Ryan,” I snap.

He groans, throws his head back, and runs his hands down his face in frustration.

“Mol, I... look, you said you wanted to keep things separate. That’s what I’ve been trying to do. She came by the shop not long after our fight at the pizza shop and apologised. She promised to make more of an effort with you, so I let it go. She’s come by a couple times for lunch, that's it. I didn't know if you'd want to know. We’re having such a great day, baby. I didn’t want to bring her up and ruin it.”

“So, the solution is for you to lie to my face and just keep doing whatever you want behind my back, hoping I don’t find out and get angry.Really?” I ask, irritation lining my tone.

“You make it sound like I’m sneaking around with her cheating on you. It’s not like that.”

“Isn’t it? Doesn’t matter if you’re not fucking her, Ryan. You’re lying to me. Purposely keeping things from me. That’s not how relationships work, even I know that! When I said keep us separate, I meant don’t organise more fucking group lunches, not message her and see her without telling me. How would you feel if you found out I had Beckett coming over while you weren’t there?”

He narrows his eyes. “That’s not the same thing.”

“He’s my friend. She’s your friend. What’s the difference?”

“I don’t fucking know, Molly. It’s different, okay? I don’t tell you so that you don’t get upset. You’re twisting this into something it’s not. We’re friends. We’ve been friends long before I even met you.”

His tone is aggressive and demeaning, and I feel my shoulders hunch, protecting me from how his words are making me feel. I duck my head down and stare at my hands. He does the same.

We sit in silence until Emma’s ready to go home.

???

---