So, this chapter was inspired by the fact that I woke up this morning feeling very rubbish and absolutely full of cold. Rather than lounging around, feeling sorry for myself I thought I could use the time to crack on with a few more snapshots! Hope you guys enjoy! xxx
Molly always soldiered on regardless...
The minute Charles saw Molly when she shuffled into the kitchen still wearing her pyjamas and his dressing gown he knew she wasn't well.
"Good morning, I've made you a cup of tea." He said walking over to where she had sat at the kitchen table and handing her the mug "Though maybe a lemsip would be better?"
"Mornin'" Molly replied back thickly, the sound of a cold evident in her voice, "thanks for the tea, I don't need a lemsip, I'm fi…" she interrupted herself with a sneeze.
Charles rolled his eyes and went to the sink to wash his dishes from breakfast.
"What's on the agenda for today boss?" Molly asked with a sniffle.
"My parents were going to come round for dinner tonight, but if you're not up to it I can always reschedule." Charles replied
Molly shook her head vehemently.
"I just told you I'm fine!" She snapped.
"Ok!" Charles replied tersely, turning his attention back to the dishes.
Molly stood up with a slight wobble and then made her way upstairs to get ready for the day. Charles sighed as she left the room, he wished that she would admit to herself that she wasn't well and let him look after her.
"What do you reckon we should cook tonight?" Charles asked Molly as they walked through the supermarket together.
Molly was in the middle of suppressing a coughing fit when he asked her. She took in a deep breath and then responded to him.
"I'm not sure," she wheezed out "your dad really liked that baked salmon with a parmesan crust that we've made for them before. It's really easy to make too." She added weakly.
Charles nodded.
"Yes, good idea. I'll go and fetch the salmon, you can go and pick up the cheese and then we can meet back up by the wine section." He told her, beginning to walk away. Molly waited until he had disappeared round a corner before she succumbed to the cough, leaning on the trolley for support.
Charles wasn't sure how she managed it, but dinner was cooking in the oven and Molly was sat at the kitchen table drinking a glass of wine awaiting the arrival of his parents. She was wearing a white blouse and a monochrome mini skirt that hung tightly to her slender figure. Her hair hung in loose curls down her back and she'd expertly applied make up to cover up the dark circles under her eyes and her red raw nose. If it wasn't for her constant coughing, sneezing and sniffling Charles might actually have believed her that she was fine.
"You're amazing you know." Charles told her as he leaned against one of the kitchen surfaces watching her. "I love you even if you are all germy."
"Fuck off Charles." Molly replied just as the doorbell rang. Charles chucked to himself and walked to the hallway to let his parents in.
After his parents walked through the front door, Charles pulled them to one side before they walked into the kitchen.
"Right mum and dad. The thing is, Molly has a really bad cold but she's adamant she's fine and battled through the day. It's probably best though not saying anything about it." He told them in a hushed voice, remembering her harsh tones towards him that morning.
Penny laughed and made her way through to the kitchen.
"She's a woman Charles, that's what we do!" She told him as she let herself into the kitchen and went to greet Molly with a hug.
Molly struggled through dinner, frequently leaving the table to blow her runny nose. It was only after all the plates had been cleared away that she sat and looked at Charles and his parents over the table and let out a big sigh.
"Charles, do we have any Nurofen? My head is killing me." She whispered
Charles smiled sympathetically at his girlfriend and nodded before getting up and going to the kitchen.
"I'm really sorry." She told Penny and Richard "I think I might gonna need my bed soon."
Penny got up out of her seat and went to sit in the chair next to Molly that had just been vacated by Charles.
"Nonsense dear." Penny told her "Even Superwoman herself has to admit defeat sometimes."
Molly smiled gratefully at Charles' parents.
"Thank you." She replied, "Not just for this, but you've really accepted me with open arms into your family and I really appreciate it."
Penny put her arm around Molly and pulled her into a tight side hug.
"You make my boy so happy Molly." Penny told her "That's all I ever wanted."
"I concur." Richard added "I don't think I've ever seen him like this."
Molly smiled brightly as Charles came back into the room carrying two small white tablets and a glass of water. Molly gratefully took them and swallowed the pills down quickly. She then very apologetically excused herself up to bed. Penny hugged her tightly before she went, and Richard gave her a peck on the cheek. Once she'd left the room and they heard her footsteps on the stairs Penny turned to Charles.
"I'm actually glad she's gone." Penny said, picking up her handbag and rummaging inside. "There's something your father and I would like you to have."
Charles looked at his mother perplexed then Penny pulled a little black box out of her handbag and gave it to Charles. He opened it, and what he saw inside made him draw in a quick gasp.
"I love you and all mum, but I don't think it's legal to marry your son…" Charles said, his voice no more than a whisper.
Penny rolled her eyes at her son and laughed slightly.
"We want you to have it for Molly." She told him "It was your grandmother's engagement ring. It didn't feel quite right giving it to you for Rebecca, so we were going to save it for Sam, but the minute I met Molly I knew that it was destined to go to her."
"We're not telling you to go and propose to her right now," Richard quickly added "but you will know when the time is right." He told his son.
Charles didn't really know what to say. He looked at the ring in the box and imagined it on Molly's finger.
"I can't thank you both enough." Charles eventually said, "Molly is going to love it."
"Not as much as she loves you." Penny replied.
After Penny and Richard left and Charles had locked up and turned off all the lights downstairs, he very quietly went up the stairs and into his bedroom. Molly was fast asleep, breathing steadily and evenly. Her nose looked very red and sore and her cheeks were slightly pink from the fever that was beginning to creep in, but in Charles' eyes she could not have been more beautiful.
Charles very quietly put the ring box his mother has given him at the back of the drawer in his bedside cabinet before stripping off and climbing into bed next to Molly. He pulled her warm body into his and spooned her from behind. Molly shifted slightly in her sleep, but she did not stir.
"I love you more than anything Molly Dawes." He whispered into her shoulder before drifting off to sleep also.
Well, that one kind of drifted off topic towards the end there! These characters have a life of their own I swear! Hope everyone liked that, if not we can just blame my fuzzy head from my cold! I'm not like Molly unfortunately, and when I have a cold everyone knows about it! Please feel free to keep making suggestions, every one I've had so far has gone onto my little checklist on my phone and will be appearing very soon! Catch you all later, Em xxx