"molly?" paul began with an almost nervous manner.
"yes, paulie?" molly sneered. he twitched at his name.
"there's uh... something i'd like to ask you,"
molly sat up completely to face him. he shifted around on his floatie. "yes?"
"well, umm... would you erm... like come for dinner at my house next friday evening?" he managed to choke out through utters.
"what?" molly didn't quite hear him, so she drifted herself closer to him.
"would you want to have dinner with me next week?" he looked into her eyes and smiled.
molly grinned. "sure! i'd love that! what time should you pick me up? seven? no, that's early! eight? yes, eight should do... i'll have plenty of time to gather an outfit. i could bring snacks if you want," molly began rambling again.
"no, molly. i mean, like, on a date." paul said.
"oh... a date..." she pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. there was only silence before she finally said, "well, i suppose. i don't see why not..."
paul mentally and internally started cheering himself on. outside, he was rock solid, but inside, he was practically screaming.
*
"a date?" molly's mother yelled. "with him?"
"yes, mother," molly sighed. "just dinner with paul— can i go?" her mother frantically looked to the left of her for eduardo, but soon remembered he already left for work.
it was only three days after paul asked, and molly planned on asking her mother only when she needed to.
"erm... i'll have to confirm it with your f- eduardo." molly's mother rubbed her hands together nervously as she folded the laundry.
"why? he's not my father. he shouldn't have any say in what i do."
her mother looked visibly shocked. "i'll have you know, i console with him on all of my situations!" she explained.
"so i'm just a situation, now?" molly crossed her arms. she and her mother were in the living room on the couch.
"molly, don't twist my words! you know what i mean! if you really want to go, then fine!" molly raised her eyebrows. "just don't come crying to me when he breaks your heart, because i won't be here." molly's eyebrows instantly went down in disappointment.
"but-"
"no, molly. i'm sick of you being so naive. you're beginning to act like a child!"
of course, her mother would say something like that. she couldn't say she expected the reaction she got, but she knew it wouldn't be good.
molly got up and ran back upstairs, not a care in the world for her mother downstairs, flinging herself onto her bed in a heap of tears.
molly wasn't sensitive to many things, but her mother was different. she always looked up to her when she was younger because she was shielded from the truth, but now that her mother didn't hold herself back and showed her true colours, molly became embarrassed that she even loved her.
eduardo completely changed molly's mother, and not in a good way. her mother became hostile and spiteful over the past years.
molly looked up from her bed to see a mop of brown hair right outside her bedroom window. it was george! he had a wide smile on his face as he looked at her.
she quickly wiped her tears and unlocked the window.
"hello love," george climbed through the window and sat beside her on the bed. "what's the matter?"
she sniffled and wiped another tear. "my mother," she spat. george nodded and swallowed hard. "my bloody mother,"
george didn't know what to do, so he just put an empathetic arm around her. "would you like to talk about it?"
"no, not with you. no offense, but you wouldn't understand..." molly wiped her tears away once more. "what are you doing here, anyway?" she turned to face him.
"i wanted to pop in and say hi..." he sighed. "i was around the area and i saw your light on. i brought your favourite candy and a flower,"
george gave her a small container full of molly's favourite candies and a lily. she instantly cheered up, taking the flower and candy.
"oh george, thank you!" she hugged him tightly while clutching the flower. "you know me too well..."
the two spent the rest of the evening chatting and eating candies— molly even allowed george to have some of her candy.
*
friday couldn't come soon enough for paul.
it seemed the days took longer and longer the more he noticed. it was almost his birthday, too. only five more days... then he'd be sixteen!
molly was only fifteen and george the same. molly would be sixteen on the first of july. george had only just turned fifteen in february.
on the friday he was to see molly, he'd done all the prepping he could; making sure everyone was out of the house by eight o'clock, doing his hair just right and showering.
around seven pm, molly was doing her hair, paul taking his second shower. they were going to walk the short distance to his house, and it was the perfect weather.
by the time eight o'clock came round, everyone was out of paul's house and molly was ready to avoid her mother while going downstairs.
she wore a plain yellow dress that was pretty low cut. it showed her almost non-existent chest. though, through the years, she was able to say they had gotten a bit bigger. lucky for her, paul wasn't very picky.
tick.
a small rock was thrown at molly's window. she gave him a thumbs up and ran as fast as she could downstairs without her mother noticing.
she let out a giant exhale as the door closed behind her. "fancy seeing you here," she greeted paul.
he shot her a charming smile. "you look ravishing!" he complimented her dress and hair.
"as do you," molly said. "where we off to, then?"
paul put an arm around her waist and guided her down the sidewalk. "we'll be dining at the mccartney residence tonight, dear." he said to her as they walked. he wore his classic leather jacket and jeans.
paul had set up a table for the two of them for the night. it contained plates and cups, with leftover spaghetti and bread from the dinner his father made.
"here we are," paul pulled the chair out for her to sit down.
"wow, paul... this is all so amazing!" molly exclaimed as she sat down. "you did all this for me?"
"why, of course!"
she sat across from him and admired the silverware. he sat down and lit one of the candles on the table with a grin.
"spaghetti, my favourite!" molly took her spoon and began twirling a piece of spaghetti around it. "how'd you know?" she asked.
paul laughed. "just guessed," he replied. "cheers!"
paul held up his glass for a cheer. molly clinked his against hers and sipped along with him.
"so tell me, molly," she nodded, waiting for him to go on. "do you have a lot of hobbies other than listening to music?"
molly laughed with an eye roll. "you know, you should know this since i've known you for almost four years,"
"we don't talk too often, though," paul slurped his spaghetti.
"less often than we should..." molly mimicked his actions by slurping her spaghetti. "yes. i actually do a lot of other things than just listening to songs," she chuckled. "i like watching reading books, watching television... eduardo bought us a fancy new set last week,"
"eduardo buys you a bunch of stuff, doesn't he?" paul asked after he took a sip of soda.
"well, not me. my mother. i'm not allowed to use the one he bought," molly replied disappointedly.
"oh... well, if you ever want to experience television at a slower pace, come over here," paul joked. "what type of movies do you watch?"
"i quite like horror films, actually. like 'i was a teenage werewolf', 'night of the demon', stuff like that," molly answered.
"'night of the demon'? i've just bought that movie! why don't we watch it tonight?" paul quickly said. molly wiped her face and smiled.
"alright! say, do you like books?" molly asked in return.
"yeah," paul said skeptically.
"what's your favourite?" she pushed.
he took a big forkful of spaghetti to momentarily avoid the question and think of a book— any book. think, paul. think! he just couldn't think of anything. a solid ten seconds passed as he thought.
"erm... probably... 'the catcher in the rye'," he said, feeling accomplished. molly nodded, sipping her soda.
"what's your favourite chapter?" molly asked. she could tell he didn't even now the book, let alone one of the chapters.
then he began to panic.
"probably... chapter thirty," he said, trying hard not to show his nervousness.
"hmm," she hummed. "that's odd,"
"why?" paul asked with a glint of amusement.
"i could've sworn there were only twenty-six chapters..."