I Set You Apart

“I hope you realize you’re completely mad,” she laughed, watching as he tried out different poses with the hat pulled down over his eyes.

“I’ve always known I’m completely mad,” he replied, grinning; she could only see his mouth and the tip of his nose, as the rest of his face was hidden from view, but she knew his eyes were sparkling with mischief. “Totally bonkers, I am.”

She reached over and pulled the hat off his head, smiling at him in a ‘I love you even though you’re ridiculous’ sort of way; she plopped the hat back on its peg and began walking out of the store.

Dom grabbed her wrist lightly and gently tugged her back, “Wait! I was going to purchase this fantastic hat!”

“Dom,” she laughed, shaking her head, “It’s too big for you. You can’t even see!”

“This is very important, Molly, so listen up.” She shifted her bag to the other arm and waited patiently. Dom lowered his voice and his face became very serious, “You don’t need to be able to see, in order to see.”

Molly rolled her eyes dramatically, “Don’t go all deep and philosophical on me, please. I haven’t eaten yet today and I’m bloody famished. If you start acting like Buddha, I may hit you.”

“I’m not being Buddha,” Dom pouted. “The point is, if it looks good, it doesn’t matter if a.) it fits b.) you can see or c.) it’s practical. All that matters is that it’s FASHIONABLE. As a girl, I should think you’d know that.”

“It’s nice you noticed I’m a girl, but even so, I don’t buy hats just because they’re fashionable. I’d need it to be the correct size for my head, at least.”

…you don’t know how lovely you are…

“I’ve never even seen you in a hat,” Dom stated, setting the hat atop her head.

“It’s because it messes up my hair!” Molly threw the hat at him, laughing, and fixed her dark hair, which hadn’t gone out of place at all.

“Well, mine too, but there’s nothing better when you don’t feel like shampooing.”

Molly made a face, “In other words, you wear hats when you’re slacking in the gel department?”

He threw her a cheeky grin, “Right-o.”

They stood still for a moment, staring at each other, until Molly cleared her throat, “Are you buying it? Because I wasn’t kidding when I said I was famished. I haven’t had anything since a bit of toast last night.”

“You should have had Billy cook you up some porridge. You know how he loves to feed you nutritious things.”

“Yes, and unfortunately I don’t like healthy foods,” she smiled and then began walking from the shop. “I’ll meet you at the pizza place if you’re going to buy that thing.”

Dom shook his head, threw the hat down onto its peg, and waltzed from the shops behind her. “You know, Molls,” Dom said, putting his arm across her shoulders as they walked, “There’s no other girl who’d dare tell me I don’t look good in something. I like that about you. The honesty bit.”

Molly turned towards him, tucking some hair behind her ear, “Dom, I never said it didn’t look good. I just said you couldn’t see when you wore it. There is a difference.”

“Cheeky,” Dom muttered, half laughing as he pushed open the door for her; she smiled at him and brushed past him into the wafting smells of freshly baked pizzas.

…I had to find you, tell you I need you…

“Dude, it’s two o’clock in the bloody morning,” Molly yawned, running a hand through her messy hair; she tugged down her pajama top and crossed her arms across her chest, shivering.

“Ignoring the fact that you said ‘dude’ and I don’t want you hanging out with Elijah anymore, I haven’t been able to sleep for about six years and I was wondering if you could help me.”

Molly rose an eyebrow and leaned against the door frame, “Dom, what are you going on about? Are you high?”

Dom shook his head vigorously, “No. Is Billy here?”

“No, I believe he stayed over at Sarah’s, which is a good thing ‘cause he’d kill you if you woke him up.” Molly glanced back into the empty and darkened house and motioned with her head for him to come in. “It’s brass monkey stuff out there; come inside.”

“I really sort of need to say this before I forget how I got it worded perfectly. Okay. Are you ready?”

She stared anxiously at him, wondering what the hell was going on, and finally found some words in her muddled brain, “Can I get a sweater first?”

Dom sighed heavily, “Molly, this is important. I don’t just show up at your house at 2 in the morning if it’s a social call. Well, this is sort of a social call, but not really. I mean, I don’t want a cup of tea or anything.”

“Dom, shut up, will you? Please, please, please get on with it.” Molly began jumping up and down as the wind picked up outside.

Dom went on as if she hadn’t said anything, “Remember that day two years ago when I tried that hat on that was too big, and it fell down to my nose?”

Molly thought for a moment, still slightly jumping up and down, “Er, yes, I think so. Why?”

“Well, I’ve been thinking about that day quite a bit. It was the first time we really had any ‘us’ time since…well, everything happened. You know, since you moved in with Bill and everything. And we haven’t had much time together lately ‘cause of your job, and ‘cause I’m never here, but…” He paused, trying to remember the words he’d worked out on the car ride there. “I never meant to hurt you.”

Her eyebrows knitted together in confusion, “What are you talking about?”

“That time I told you I only liked you as a mate. You know, when we accidentally kissed that time at Elijah’s birthday party? I said I was really drunk and hadn’t meant to do it, but I was lying. And I was lying when I said I only liked you as a mate. I just didn’t want to screw up any friendship we still had. I was stupid, I know. And I know you detest liars, but I was scared of what could happen to us.” He took a deep breath, “You’re more important to me than any other girl I’ve ever had in my life. And that’s the truth.”

…and tell you I set you apart…

As Dom watched her, Molly thought back to that night, and every other night they’d ever spent together, or day for that matter; they’d been very good friends at one point, having met through Billy, who had been Molly’s older sister’s boyfriend when they had all been in school. Through some twist of fait, Billy and Molly had remained friends, and then he’d introduced her to his friend, Dom. Molly had been going to school in New Zealand, trying to find some sort of life for herself, when she got a call that Billy was in ‘town’ and would she like to go out for a drink?

Ever since, she’d spent as much time as possible with him, and likewise Dom, though she could never quite figure out where that relationship really was. It couldn’t be defined as just ‘friends’, nor as more than friends, but there had always been something there, stirring between them; ever since day one when Dom had smiled at her, held out his hand, and asked if Billy had always been a little shit.

Molly had never had luck in the ‘more than friends’ department, so she’d given that up for the friendship she found in Billy. The odd date here and there was so disastrous that no matter how much Billy coaxed her, she just would not continue on dating all the wrong ones just to find the one right one.

Though, perhaps the right one had always been just there in front of her, and she’d never noticed.

…tell me your secrets, and ask me your questions…

When Molly didn’t seem to have a response for him, he began rambling again, grasping at words and blurting them out; to him, there didn’t seem to be an alternative. He needed her to know how he felt. Right now, right this second, because that’s always how he had been.

“It’s Valentine’s Day,” he stated, shifting his feet awkwardly.

“Yes, I suppose it is, since it’s past midnight.” Molly sighed, “I can’t stand here much longer or my limbs are going to fall off. Will you come inside? Please?”

Dom looked up at her, his eyes pleading with her for some sort of sign as to what was going to happen; she gave none, and he hesitantly stepped inside behind her.

“I know you said you don’t want tea because this is not a social call, but I’m going to put the kettle on anyway. I have some of those scone thingys you and Billy like, so you could have one of those.” Molly threw him a wane little smile as she set a plate with scones on the table, turned on the overhead kitchen light, and filled the kettle with water before setting it gingerly onto the stove.

“Now that I’ve said what I needed to, I wouldn’t turn one down,” he pulled one towards him, set it on a napkin, and then just looked at it.

Molly sat across from him, surveying him curiously, “Usually food doesn’t just hop into your mouth, but I suppose there’s a first time for everything.”

A little laugh escaped Dom’s parched throat and he inhaled deeply and then slowly blew it out before attempting to look her in the eyes again. “I’m going to throw all caution, and manly hood, into the wind by saying this, but I really came over to see if you’d be my Valentine. I’ve never really had one, really, you know one that you’d care to remember, so…” he trailed off, shaking his head.

“You’re not really acting like yourself. Are you sure you’re not high? It’s not like you to be all fidgety and meak.”

Dom really laughed this time, “I know. I feel like I’m losing my mind.”

“When’d you come to the conclusion that you should tell me all of this?” The kettle began to scream, so she stood up and robotically poured two cups of tea.

“I mulled it over for about a year, and then I thought maybe it’d go away, so I waited that out. And, I haven’t seen you for about three weeks, you know, and I couldn’t stop thinking about you, so I thought probably it won’t go away.”

“What won’t?” She set a saucer in front of him and then took her seat again.

“My feelings for you.”

Molly swallowed, “Well. Er. I’ve always had feelings for you, you know. Ever since we met, I’ve felt this…” she gesticulated oddly, “…thing between us that I couldn’t explain, so I ignored it the best I could.”

Dom’s lips quirked into a grin, “I can’t ignore it any longer. Not only am I completely bonkers, but I’m quite smitten with you. As well as stupid, may I add, that I’ve wasted all this time thinking you didn’t like me like that. I felt like I was back in bloody secondary school, and I hated that.”

…tell me you love me…

Taking a deep breath, Molly reached to take hold of Dom’s hand across the table. “That seems to be how our relationship is. Just a big jumbled, playground-like mess.”

Dom grinned, running his thumb across her hand. “When’s Billy coming back?”

“Some time this morning, probably. To grab his clothes before he has to go off to work.” She tilted her head and smiled at him, “Why?”

“Well, I’d like to make up for lost time.” Dom brought her hand to his lips and kissed it. “Not to mention, I’d like to make the best of Valentine’s Day. It’s not everyday this holiday comes round, you know. It’s only once a year.”

Molly nodded slowly, “Yeah, and thank God for that.”

“You don’t like Valentine’s Day?” Dom implored, letting her hand go to stand up.

“Not so much, no.”

Dom stood behind her, brushing her hair off her shoulders; he planted a kiss on her neck and whispered, “So, you won’t be my Valentine, then?”

Molly let a laugh escape her as she turned to face him, “No, I most definitely will.”

…oh let’s go back to the start…

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