'After' one shots

Molly

HARDIN

Trying to keep the new spirit of openness going between us is going to be hard. It means that I am going to have to tell Tessa that Molly wants to meet us both and she is not going to be happy about it. I hadn't heard from Molly in a long time. She is in her last year at WSU and to be honest I don't really have anything to say to her. I heard that she and Logan are finally together and seem really happy. So why on earth does she want to talk to me and Tessa? What would be the point of stirring up trouble now? I am tempted to ignore her message and pretend I didn't see it. But there's a tiny bit of me that is curious about what she wants to say. 

It took a lot of convincing to get Tessa to agree to come. I don't blame her, Molly and her have always been at each other's throats, most of which is my fault I remind myself. We meet in a bar in the early evening, all three of us in the same city on the same weekend for once. 

We make small talk for a bit, the usual how are you, how's college, you've changed your hair bullshit and finally we get towards why Molly wanted to meet. 

"Well firstly I wanted to tell you something. This is so hard." She pauses for a long moment and takes a nervous gulp of her drink. Then she looks me in the eye. 

In a rush she says "I made a video of us in the frat house one time."

"WHAT?! You have to be fucking kidding me!" I know that I am basically shouting but this was the last thing I was expecting. "Why?!"

"Honestly I don't actually know. I could feel that you were getting bored and I guess I wanted proof that you were into me or something. Now I say it out loud it's ridiculous. No-one else has seen it and I'm going to delete it in front of you." She looks down at the table, clearly concerned about what the reaction is going to be. "I'm trying to make amends for my behaviour and face up to the shit I've pulled." 

I can't bring myself to look at Tessa. I can feel her rigid beside me. "I don't want to see it," is all she says, her face a frozen mask. She looks away from the table, staring unseeing across the bar. 

Molly turns the phone to me, on silent thank fuck, and shows me a few seconds. My face isn't that visible but it's obviously me, I can tell by the tattoos. Molly is beneath me and we are clearly fucking. Her phone must have been wedged on the bookcase or something. It's not a turn-on in the slightest. It looks like the last time, when I slept with Molly but was imagining Tessa. I decide to keep that to myself.  

Of course I am reminded of the times I did this to girls and feel sick to the pit of my stomach. Why did I ever make any videos? How would I have felt if people had seen this one? A year ago I probably wouldn't have cared if I'm honest. What a prick I was. 

Molly presses delete and the image disappears. I can't bring myself to say anything to Molly. The image of me with anyone other than Tessa turns my stomach and strengthens my resolve that she is the one for me. 

I turn to Tessa. "Are you ok?" I ask her quietly. 

She nods stiffly, not looking at me. Of course she's not ok but I don't push it, trying to avoid the blazing row that is sure to follow this revelation. 

"I really am sorry," Molly says quietly. "I know this hard to believe but I've changed a lot in the last year. And really it's down to you Hardin. I saw how you straightened yourself out and I've seen some of your interviews, talking about your childhood and stuff. I thought if you could do it so could I. So thank you." 

I still have no idea what to say so I just nod. To my surprise Tessa speaks up from beside me. 

"What made you like that?" She asks Molly. 

Tessa still has a habit of asking the most intrusive questions. I am sure that Molly will tell her to fuck off and mind her own business but to my surprise she starts talking. 

"Before college I had a boyfriend whom I loved a lot. We were inseparable." She pauses and takes a deep breath and then continues, "That is until he let me drive his truck and we got into a wreck. We were both pinned in the truck and I watched him bleed out in front of me and then sat next to his body for an hour before help came." Her voice is thick by the end and there are tears running down her cheeks. I knew she had a rough background but fuck that's awful. I don't know how many people she has told but I get the impression it's not many. 

To my amazement Tessa reaches across the table and puts her hand over Molly's. Her compassion for others is always something I have loved about her and I never thought I would see the day when she felt sorry for Molly. 

The two girls look at each other but they aren't glaring or scowling. I didn't think I could be more shocked than I was earlier but this evening keeps getting more weird. 

"I'm sorry that happened to you," Tessa tells her quietly. Molly nods but doesn't say anything, trying to wipe her face with her hands. 

"I also want to say thank you for calling Hardin that night at the party . . ." Tessa looks very uncomfortable, remembering what must be a horrible memory. "I'm not sure what would have happened and I appreciate that you tried to stop it."

"I couldn't let them . . ." Molly starts, but stops before finishing the sentence. They look at each other again, understanding passing between them. "I'm sorry for stirring shit between you two. I have to admit that I was jealous. But I knew Hessa would win in the end."

My eyebrows draw together in a frown. "What the hell is Hessa?" I ask Molly. 

"You and Tessa, Hessa! It's the nickname I gave you two. When you get married I want full credit," she states with a hint of a smile. The fact that she's assuming that we will get married makes me smile but I try to hide it, doesn't seem like the sort of conversation where I should be grinning. 

After talking a little more that seems to be it, that was all she wanted to say to us and she leaves to meet Logan. As Tessa and I leave the bar I wait for the explosion but to my surprise Tessa seems quite calm. 

"Tessa, talk to me," I say gently. 

She doesn't say anything immediately and we walk side by side in silence. Then she says "You know, I actually feel better."

I can't hide the surprise in my voice. "Really?"

"Really. For ages I feel like Molly has been . . . a shadow I guess, around the edges of us. I hated her so much. And now I feel like I understand her just a little bit better. Hearing what she went through made me see her differently."

I almost don't want to ask this but I have to know. "And the video?"

"It doesn't change much. I'm not happy about it obviously, but she could have sold it to the press rather than coming and telling us about it. I have always known that you have been with lots of girls, Molly included. But I definitely don't want to see it. It also kind of seems like karma." She gives me a wry smile. 

I raise my eyebrows at this. "I guess so," is all I can think of to say. I can't quite believe her calm reaction, I keep waiting for her to lose it. If it were the other way around I'm not sure what I would do. Well I do and I would end up in jail for sure. 

I watch her profile, admiring her beautiful face. "If it helps I actually wish it had only been you. I have never felt for anyone the way I do about you. It's completely different." She doesn't look at me but I think I can see a slight softening of her expression. 

I think Tessa and I may finally be learning to talk to each other about difficult stuff without one of us freaking out. Actually I feel slightly better too, lighter somehow. 

"Why are you smiling?" Tessa asks curiously. 

"You said 'us'". I take her hand in mine and our fingers intertwine. "It may not be us like it was yet but it means there's hope."

AN: hi everybody, comments, votes and feedback welcome :-). It would be good to know what people think, whether I should keep going etc.