Apologies for the delay in posting this chapter. What sort of idiot decides to start writing a new story in early December?! Am finding it quite brain taxing to keep the two different paths going and it is not something I can write in a snatched couple of minutes in between writing Christmas cards, remembering to attend the endless end of term activities, panicking about the lack of progress I've made on present buying and eating mince pies. As ever, I would love to hear your comments on the chapter.
Dylan realises his mistake
Molly misses the train
Dylan is panicking, trying to get his breathing under control as he dials Marie's number. He's acutely aware that he should have met her at the hotel half an hour ago and she is going to be furious with him.
Although he vowed to himself weeks ago to finish the affair with Marie after Molly nearly discovered them together, he's just not managed to do it. In fact, he's actually managed to make his life even more complicated because in a moment of madness when Marie was doing something to him that would have made him sell his own grandmother, he stupidly told her that he's going to leave Molly just as soon as she's back on her feet. He's finding Marie more and more demanding, and frankly the whole situation of being in a relationship with two women at the same time is utterly exhausting.
He's also ashamed of what a complete and utter bastard he is being to Molly. Once again, she's working herself into the ground to pay their bills and he is contributing absolutely nothing to her either financially or emotionally. She's already exhausted from working daytimes at the café, preparing for and attending PR job interviews and she'll soon be working evenings as well in a new Italian restaurant that's opening in a few days.
He's suspected that Molly has been getting suspicious of his library and mobile phone habits, indeed she's challenged him a few times over the last few weeks, but today he is certain that she knows something is not right. The problem is that he doesn't know what to do next or how to extract himself from the Marie situation.
The call is connected and the irritation is loud and clear in Marie's clipped greeting, "Where are you Dylan?"
"At the library. She followed me."
"What do you mean you are at the library? Who followed you?"
He can tell from her tone that she is not going make this easy for him, "I said I was going to the library and Molly followed me. So, I've come to the library."
Marie's increasing rage is obvious from her voice, "Oh for god's sake. Get yourself here now. I'm lying here in my new expensive underwear waiting for you."
He knows he sounds pathetic, "Marie, I can't come now. What if she's still lurking around the corner?"
Marie is shouting now, "I don't care. Grow some balls Dylan and just get here. I've taken time off work and already paid for the hotel."
He's pleading and trying to calm her down, "Please Marie, don't get hysterical. Look I'm sorry! Ok, I'm sorry! I booked a hotel in Dorset for our weekend away. We're going to have a great time."
It sounds like she is spitting the words out now, "Are we still going? Is she going to follow us there? Do you want to end this Dylan?"
Marie hangs up and he feels the panic rising again. Shit, he is going to have to go and see her and calm her down. She could do anything in this kind of mood. He is properly shit scared of what might happen when he finally breaks up with her.
-x-
A couple of hours later, despite his best intentions, they're lying in bed drinking champagne after some filthy make-up sex, when Marie casually mentions that Molly has been delivering sandwiches to her office.
He almost chokes on his drink, "Sorry, Molly has been delivering sandwiches to your office?"
She has his complete attention and seems very pleased with herself, "Yes, and earlier today I had reason to summon her. Well, I made up a reason to be brutally honest. Told her that her tuna sandwiches had given my team food poisoning. You should have heard her grovel and beg me to not take it any further. It was quite pathetic really."
He is looking at her incredulously, "Marie, what are you playing at? Have you gone raving mad?"
He is feeling strangely defensive of Molly. It is bad enough that he is treating her so poorly, but she doesn't deserve Marie messing with her head as well.
"I wanted to see what the woman you ditched me for all those years ago is like."
"Now, now, now, wait a second. I didn't ditch you for Molly. I mean, you went to America."
She seems irritated to be challenged by the inconvenient truth, "Whatever. I wanted to see what this girl you seem to have no intention of leaving me for… despite the occasional pre-orgasmic suggestion that you are…. has that is so unleavable. And I have to say that I ended our brief meeting at a bit of a loss."
"Marie, she's not bloody stupid you know."
"Oh, I wouldn't say that."
-x-
He can't get out of the hotel quick enough after Marie's bombshell. He knows he is completely out of his depth with this woman. He knew she could be a bit of a bitch, but this kind of scheming is something else. She's dangerous and he feels slightly sick at the prospect of what else she might get up to.
Suddenly he has an epiphany. He's been thinking about this all wrong. What he needs to do is figure out a way to get Marie to finish with him, instead of him finishing with her. This is a genius idea and hopefully the upcoming weekend in Dorset will be the perfect opportunity to put this plan into action.
-x-
When he gets home he is surprised to find that Molly is not there. He's anxiously awaiting her return, hoping that her absence has nothing to do with Marie.
He hears the key in the front door lock and gets to his feet as she enters the living room, "Thank God Molls. I was so worried. Where have you been?"
She looks and sounds dreadful, "I went to Jac's. I needed to see a friendly face. I've had a 'orrible day. I met Cruella de Ville's less-nice sister this mornin'. She completely deflated me."
His guilt gets the better of him and before he can stop himself he utters, "I know."
She looks quizzically at him, "How d'ya know?"
"Well, no, I mean I can tell." He sits her down and gives her a cuddle to try to distract her from his slip-up, "Jeez, you look terrible. Let me make you a cuppa and run you a nice relaxing bath."
She doesn't seem tempted by this offer and instead snuggles in closer putting her feet up on the sofa, "Where were you earlier? I really needed to talk to you."
It feels good to cuddle her, they fit so well together, "Oh, I had some stuff to read up on, so I went to the library."
She sounds slightly exasperated, but not angry or demanding like Marie would be, "God, yer always at the library. I'm sick of makin' sandwiches. I know when you finish the book we'll be millionaires, but when you gonna finish it?"
He tries to sound confident, "I'm going to finish it very soon, Molls. Very soon."
He's stroking her hair, breathing in her scent and he feels overcome with affection for her. In this moment, he knows that she is all he wants and that he needs to make this right with her, "Molls, there's something I want to tell you….. I need to tell you. Um, it's a little bit to do with the book, the library and with that woman you met today. Only please let me finish before you say anything, ok?"
"Molls?" He's surprised she's not reacted to what he's just said until he realises that she's fallen asleep in his arms and he's missed the opportunity to come clean, "Bollocks."
Molly catches the train
Dylan is feeling suffocated by the woman clinging to his arm as they walk together through Battersea Park.
Since Molly left him, Marie has been around constantly and frankly he's finding her needy demands, both mentally and physically, exhausting.
He desperately misses Molly. He misses the easiness of their relationship. He misses her loyalty. He misses her beautiful smile. He misses her wicked sense of humour. He misses her unaffected, kind nature. He misses making love to her.
Marie is a poor substitute and he just isn't as into her as much as he was when it was an illicit, exciting affair.
He's taken to disappearing to the library to get some space from her. He's told her that he needs a change of scene to get restarted on his book, to get over his writer's block. He's not convinced that she believes him.
He's brought back to the present by Marie, "Are you sure it's just writer's block? I mean you seem so distant. I'm here Dylan if you need to talk to me about anything."
He really doesn't want to talk to Marie about anything. The only person he wants to talk to is Molly. He wants to apologise to her and see if there is any way she might be willing to forgive him and come back home.
He's about to answer Marie when he notices Molly and a tall, athletic looking, man running together across the path about 20 metres in front of them. He doesn't recognise the man, but can't help feeling a huge pang of jealousy as the man reaches out to guide Molly past a small yapping dog on the path and she responds by playfully slapping his bottom and racing off. He watches in horror as the man chases after her, quickly catches her and draws her into a passionate embrace. As they separate, and start running again, he can tell Molly is laughing by the way she has thrown her head back.
He's suddenly conscious that he has stopped dead in his tracks and he's aware that Marie is looking at him questioningly. Without really engaging his brain, he blurts out, "She's got brown hair."
Marie follows his eyes and has a thunderous look on her face, "Maybe it isn't writer's block at all, Dylan. Maybe it is Molly block."
The mention of her name makes him wince. There is no way he is having this conversation with Marie and he tries to deflect her, "I don't want to hear about Molly. I don't care about Molly."
Marie does not appear fooled at all by his protestations, "The trouble is you do. Quite clearly."
Before he has a chance to respond to her, she is stalking off. After a few paces, she turns around and looks at him coldly, "I just thought of a great finish for your book. 'The End!'"