I can't believe I have over thirty reviews! Thank you guys so much! :D


Chapter Twelve
Wednesday, Fall 11
th – Thursday, Fall 12th


The days passed quickly. At first, Molly thought time was sluggish. She always had to wait for hours and hours for something exciting to happen. But dating Julius, something strange or exciting happened every day. And it was suddenly halfway through autumn.

Having a relationship was still very new to her, and Molly allowed herself to be thrown in head first. Before she knew it, she was doing up her hair in funky styles, wearing bright colors, worrying about the state of her shoes in her garden, and applying a fresh coat of brown eyeliner every morning before she went out. Actually, it didn't matter if she was going to go out and see people or not anymore. Molly just became obsessed with looking her best at every waking moment.

Though the change was noticeable in Molly, the people of Harmonica Town didn't seem to mind. In fact, she was standing out more and that made people wonder. Since dating Julius, the revered farmer was becoming this beautiful, social butterfly. The villagers looked at Julius differently because of it. Who could have such an influence over quiet, little Molly? To make her a completely new person? Everyone seemed to be glad he could make their golden girl Molly so happy, but they silently worried that she was nothing like her old self.

On one particular Wednesday, Molly was at her vanity table. Her hair was parted stylishly to the side, and it reached her shoulders. It was the longest it had been in quite some time, but Molly liked the look. Even though the waves got in her face while she was working, making them rather impractical and quite the nuisance, it was all worth it for the effect they had. The style suited her heart-shaped face well, she thought. Molly gently put a brush through it, careful not to pull too hard and create split ends.

The phone started to trill on its stand.

I wonder who that could be… Molly flicked her hair back, making her way to the phone. She collapsed onto the sofa, drawing her legs up underneath her. She took the receiver to her ear and asked a bright: "Hello?"

"Doll face, good to hear you," Julius smiled on the other end.

Molly's mouth curved upwards. "Somehow, I guessed it was you."

"No! Have I become… predictable?" He asked with false depression in his voice.

"Very much so," she nodded. "I suppose it comes from seeing you too much."

"I will leave you be then!"

"No, don't say that!" She bantered. If Luna was around, she would have been rolling her eyes, but Molly had been avoiding talking to her because Luna could only insult Julius, and that wasn't any fun to hear. "What did you call for?"

"I have a surprise!" Julius said. "But I'd rather show you than tell you."

"Show me? Okay, where do I have to be?" She asked, winding the cord around her fingers. Molly noted a chip out of her pink nail polish on her ring finger.

"Your living room at… say six," he decided.

Molly wrinkled her nose in confusion, but she didn't argue. Shrugging, Molly said: "Mmkay, see you then."

"Lovely! Bye, doll face," Julius hung up with a click.

She set the phone back in its cradle and looked around her living room. What could it be? Dinner? A movie? Probably a movie…

As Molly went about her errands and chores, Julius' surprise nagged at her all through the day. When evening finally rolled around, she double-checked herself in her mirror before starting on dinner.

Cooking for two hadn't been much of a step for her to take either. With all the changes, it was one of the simplest. Make extra. It wasn't exactly rocket science. And Julius seemed to enjoy her cooking well enough. So when he came over to her house, they didn't have to snack or starve. Another hurdle passed.

Molly was stirring the vegetable soup when Julius knocked. She tapped the spoon on the rim of the pot and called over her shoulder: "Come in!"

"It's getting cold, love," Julius shivered, stepping into her house. He closed the door behind him, hanging up his scarf and coat on the rack.

"Oh?"

"At least it's not hot like summer," he said, knowing she'd frown.

Molly frowned at him and rolled her eyes. "So what's the surprise?"

Julius smirked at her reaction but slumped his shoulders in a pout. "Can't it wait until after dinner? What are you cooking? It smells lovely, doll face~"

It was Molly's turn to be disappointed. She crossed her arms. "I guess… It's just some soup."

"That's just fine," Julius gave her a kiss on the cheek and opened the cabinet. He scanned the shelves a second before taking two bowls out to set the table.

Molly got the spoons and the napkins and soon they were sitting down to a hot meal.

When did things… get this way? Molly stared over her soup spoon at Julius. Her boyfriend. And a pretty steady one at that. How long had it been? Was it really last fall when she met him? Molly was continuing to find the time slipping through her fingers. It was a strange sense that something was coming or something was being wasted. She couldn't put her finger on this feeling of urgency, but her gut was telling her to look down before Julius caught her staring.

Julius' hair had grown back out down his back. Apparently, long hair was 'in' as Molly was attempting to grow hers out, too. He looked up, pushing some of the layers from his face. Molly was quietly sipping her soup. But it was an unusual quiet. She was normally rather chatty. But she was already finishing her food – something that normally took near a half an hour to do. He pinned this to the fact she was eager to see what his surprise was and confirmed the theory when she glanced at the clock.

When did the quiet set in? When did the spontaneity die? Was there some sort of moment, something said, something done, when things became… normal? Molly folded her hands under her chin, pondering this. A routine is the last thing she expected when she got mixed up with a guy like Julius. But it was like one day she woke up… and Julius didn't intimidate her anymore. It was strange, but she had to admit it wasn't that bad a thing. Blushing all the time was severely uncomfortable.

Julius smirked. Still… that smile never failed to set her on edge. "I know your game."

"What? What game?" Molly asked, straightening in her chair. Her hand immediately flew to her ponytail to adjust it.

He stared at the ceiling. "You're giving me the cold shoulder until you get your surprise."

"That's not…" her protest died as she analyzed their conversation. They weren't really having one. She released the band and her hair curled back down around her face. She let herself mindlessly play with her sapphire bracelet. "Alright, maybe. I didn't mean to."

Julius chuckled and stood, stretching his arms up above his head. "Well, now's as good a time as any! Hurry up, hurry up! Sit over here~"

Molly left the dirty dishes on the table and made her way to the sofa under his instruction. She plopped herself down unceremoniously, bringing her knees to her chin.

He made a quick surveillance of the area before he spotted the remote. Switching the television on, Julius changed it to channel six before sitting down next to Molly.

Confused, Molly peered at the screen. An ancient rerun of Mastery of Beauty was on. The guy on the screen was speaking eloquently on the importance of tartan. Molly shot a curious eyebrow at Julius. "Um… why are we watching this 1970's nightmare?"

"Because…" Julius bounced on his seat in excitement. He pulled on Molly's shoulders, making her face him. "This is me!"

"Wh…what?" She looked where his finger was pointing at the man on the screen and then back to him. "I don't—"

"That's going to be me~!" Julius announced with a flare.

Molly's face lit up, but she was still confused. "That's… but… what?!"

"Okay, look," he took one of her hands. "I may or may not have been discussing the possibility with a certain mayor and his son."

"Should I be worried?" Molly asked slyly.

Julius stuck his tongue out. "Intriguing. But no. We have agreed that the show could use an update, and they think that I'd be just the man for the job!"

"You're… you're getting a television show?!" Molly gasped. About time, too.

"Yes!" He practically shouted, bouncing on the cushion again.

"Oh, Julius, that's wonderful!" She threw her arms around his neck, hugging him in congratulations. Pulling away and holding him at arms' length, she said: "You have a television show… Oh my goodness! This is great! Just… wow!"

"It's all been worked out," Julius nodded, giving her another tight hug. "And it's all thanks to you, doll face."

"Wh-what?" Molly asked over his shoulder, her arms limp. "But… how did I—?"

"Without you, they would never have considered me."

Molly quickly wriggled away to look him in the eye. "Don't say that!"

"It's true," he stated matter-of-factly. A sudden, different smile spread across his face. It was an elated look she had never seen on him before. "People… they treat me different now. It's like… like they finally see me…"

She stared at him with slight worry. Julius gripped her shoulders, seeing her expression. "It's a good thing, Molly! I… I don't know how to describe it, it's just… I know I've got you to thank for it, darling."

Though she wanted to disagree, Molly knew it wasn't completely untrue. He wasn't exactly the man of many friends (he talked about Selena sometimes, and there really wasn't anyone else), but now that he was dating Molly he was suddenly Mr. Popular? She didn't like that people only paid him any attention because of his connection to her, but if that's the only way for them to see…? How bad could it really be? Maybe it was a good thing after all.

Molly smiled. "So – you're updating Mastery of Beauty? Or… is it something different?"

Julius fell back against the couch like he was exhausted from all the excitement. "Oh, doll face, it's going to be completely new! I've been granted to do anything I please. Anything in the fashion universe! Molly, it's a show just for me… to talk about beautiful things~!"

Molly giggled. "Dream come true?"

"Completely!"

She looked down at her hands, wondering why her stomach suddenly felt knotted. "Um, so are you keeping the title?"

"I'm not sure," he admitted. Julius sprang back up and put a finger to his chin. His maroon eyes slid over Molly, and the ever familiar smirk marked his face. "What do you think? I could call it Molly's Channel."

That made her laugh. "Heavens, that sounds awful! No, no, make it something to do with you. This is your show."

The two thought quietly for a moment. Molly twirled her hair around her finger while she was thinking. When she looked up, she saw Julius doing the same thing and he was watching her. She blushed lightly, dropping her lock of dark hair. "Um, so do you have any ideas? I've got something, I think."

"You say yours first," Julius demanded. "I love your ideas."

Molly's blush grew suddenly darker. That was the closest he had come to saying— "Um… er… why don't we say it at the same time?"

"Fine, whatever entertains you," he agreed.

Molly rolled her eyes, getting ready by sitting up and putting her hands on her knees. "Okay… on the count of three? 1… 2…"

"3 – Molly's Style Check!" Julius shouted.

"Aw, I was going to say Julius' Fashion Corner…" Molly grumbled, crossing her arms. "I like yours better though… but it's your show! You should use your name."

"You're no fun," he whined, but acquiesced. "Hm… Julius' Style Check? I suppose it's not bad."

"Not bad? It's great!" Molly grinned.

At that moment, the television caught them by surprise. The man on the screen smiled wide, holding up a bottle to the dim camera. "—because you need to keep up with the newest fad! Hair gel gives that wet and wild look, or it can give your locks impossible height! It's all the rage!"

Julius and Molly blinked for a few seconds. Molly mumbled: "Yeah, it needs an update."

"Definitely," Julius switched it off.


Late that night, Molly was leaning against Julius' shoulder. They were still on the couch though the room had grown dark around them, and the television's blue glow seemed to grow brighter. The eleven 'o clock news was on, repeating the same information that had been broadcasted at seven, noon, six, and eight.

Molly's head slid and suddenly she was leaning down… down…

"Comfy?" Julius smiled, petting her hair.

Molly nodded from his lap, curling her legs closer so she was virtually a ball. She yawned. "I'm just sleepy…"

"You're always sleepy, doll face," he started a small braid. "You're like the sun – you get up with it and you fall asleep when it leaves."

"Aren't you metaphorical," she snorted.

"Big word," Julius teased.

They were quiet for awhile as Molly's eyes drooped. She was never a fan of people touching her hair – that was the reason she cut the moppy mess herself. But with Julius, it was okay. He didn't tug or pull or beg to style it (very often anyways). When he was braiding little strands like he was, it was soothing for her somehow. Though it irked her at first, yes. Now… well, it's kind of nice.

"It's rather late," he suddenly said, breaking the hum of the television as the shield against the silence.

"Hm."

"I should get going, doll face."

"But you don't have to work tomorrow, right?" She asked. "Sleepover! Yay…!"

Julius laughed. "You know, I'm almost never at my own house anymore because of you."

"Well, who needs your house?" Molly grumbled. She yawned again. "We should just stay like this… forever and ever…"

"Was that an invitation?" He joked, combing his fingers through her hair to unravel the braids he made.

Molly rolled onto her back. Her surprised eyes met Julius' that were slowly widening as well. "I… I think it was…. Yeah. Why don't you… er… why don't you move in? W-With me?"

Julius stared down at her; his face was illuminated a strange, synthetic color by the TV. His hair was hanging down, framing his face and hanging in Molly's. He blinked at her for a few pain-staking moments before the smirk appeared. "So it was an invitation, hm? …Alright, doll face. I'll humor you."

Molly reached up and grabbed some of his hair, picking through it with both hands. "I used to think this color was so… well, I don't know. But now it looks kind of normal. Maybe I should dye my hair."

"Blonde could be fun," his smile was mischievous.

She blinked at him again, the subject back on track. "Are you sure?"

He could skip topics easily. "Well, I would have less to walk. Means I could wake up later. Sounds heavenly."

Molly giggled, her confidence growing. "This could be really fun! Okay… Okay! Um… really?"

"Yes, really! Goodness, doll face, do you want me to jump up and down for you?"

The farmer sprang up, swinging her legs off of the couch and standing. "Yes! This is exciting! Oh goodness, you've got a show and you're moving in and… when are you going to film for your show?"

Julius looked away from her, biting his lip guiltily. "Well… seeing as my only day off is Thursday…"

"Oh," her mood quickly dropped. She loosely hugged her stomach. "So… you won't really be home at all?"

"I haven't gone over it with Aunt Mira yet," he quickly added, standing. "Maybe she'll let me have weekends off like normal people."

Molly chuckled uneasily. "Yeah…"

"But hey," he pulled her closer. Julius hugged her, putting his chin on her head. "You said home~ Mm… That's an odd thought."

"Yeah…" Molly agreed, staring at his shirt. "Home."

"You know, doll face, this is rather exciting. I kind of want to start packing."

"Now?" She asked.

"Right now," he said.

She pulled away, grabbing his hand and tugging him towards the door. "Well, what are we waiting for?"

"It's almost midnight!"

"Ooo, the witching hour!" Molly's eyes brightened. "Maybe something supernatural will happen!"

Julius rolled his eyes, following her out the front door. The wind was chilly – the night was crisp. "Isn't this supernatural enough?"

Molly ran ahead of him, eager to start the spontaneous move. She was suddenly alive, running up and down the path to pull him along. Because, after all, Julius didn't run anywhere. Couldn't get mussed.

The moon sparkled high above them, almost full, on the mid-autumn night. The wind howled down the stone bridge and the water wheel moaned on its axis. The world was asleep but for the couple, both still children at heart.


Compromise. Compromise was the first word Molly told herself when they had taken the last of the necessities out of Julius' house at three in the morning and dumped them in her living room. It was the word she used when Julius insisted on using his hideous mauve curtains. It was the word that came to mind when he crushed her clothes in order to stuff his wardrobe in the same closet.

But most of all, compromise was the word for Molly when Julius started moving the furniture.

"But it's fine…" she insisted once again. Molly sat on her table that was now against the wall by the window rather than the middle of the floor. A box full of knick knacks was next to her. She yawned and looked up where the clock was supposed to be, but it was taken down and was resting next to the oven. "Julius, it's almost five…! I have to get up in an hour to feed…" Yawn. "Feed the animals… Can't we do this in the morning?"

"It is morning, love," Julius grunted as he pushed Molly's bed away from the wall. His hair was tied up on top of his head and his jacket was off. "Besides, this was your idea to do this now if I remember."

"It was mutual!" She shook her head groggily. "Besides…" Yawn. "We did most of the work already. Can't it…" Yawn. "Wait?"

Julius blew the fallen layers from his face. He looked over at his dopey girlfriend and suddenly laughed. "Look what we've done! What on Earth are you making me do, doll face?"

"Me?" Molly whined, hanging her head.

"Yes, you," Julius crawled over the bed and stepped over and around different boxes and belongings to reach her. When he finally was before Molly, he put his hands on either side of her hips to pin her. "Before you, I don't remember doing something so… utterly stupid."

She smiled with her eyes closed. They were watering with her exhaustion. "Not my fault…! You're the one who started this mess."

"Which one? Moving in, dating, or introducing myself?" He prattled.

"All of the above!" Molly swung her hands up.

Julius laughed, giving her a kiss. He was surprised that she was awake enough to still kiss him back. He leaned away, pushing her long hair away from her face. "Well, I guess you've got me there… Fine then, let's go to bed."

Molly's eyes suddenly bugged. Julius had been waiting for this, surprised she hadn't thought of it before. Then again, she was rather naïve so the possibility probably never occurred to her. "We… Julius, we only h-have one bed!"

He kissed her neck but noted how she flinched. "I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to do, doll face. Come on, just sleep."

"Sleep…" she nodded, more awake again. Julius released her and she hopped down off the table.

Molly, in fact, had not considered all of the factors of living with another person. Her privacy would now be zero to none. She would be eating, sleeping, dressing, working – everything – with Julius right there. It was going to be weird. Really weird. To start… But she couldn't deny her fluttering stomach that it was still exciting.

To avoid making her uncomfortable, Julius collapsed on top of the bed just as he was (even though he knew he was going to have nightmares about all the wrinkles his outfit would endure). He pulled the sheet up for just Molly. She crawled in, still wearing her day clothes as well. She snuggled in and was glad that she had two pillows. Julius wrapped the comforter over top them both and fell against his pillow. He didn't realize how tired he was, too.

Knowing there was another person there… That there was another weight behind her… It was surreal. And almost scary. But Molly leaned back against him, pulling the covers tight to her chin. The sheet still separated them, and Molly was grateful for it on this first night.

The sun of Thursday was just reaching its arms out over her field from behind the Garmon Mountain when they finally fell asleep. And Molly didn't wake until noon, meeting a huge mess and a barn of grumpy animals when she finally faced the late day.