It was a little after eleven when he finally dragged her out of the shops and into a little cafe across the street, he'd claimed he was in desperate need of a coffee-which wasn't a total lie- but he also wanted to just sit and talk to her for a while, they hadn't really had a proper conversation about what her being back meant with everything that happened. She'd picked a table by the window, shoving her shopping bahe under the table as he'd queued up to get the drinks, waiting for him.
"So." He said, breaking the silence. He placed the two mugs down on the table between them as he sat down. "You never really did tell me about your tour, was it everything you hoped it would be?"
He was genuinely interested, and not just asking because he felt like he had to, that was one of the things she'd always loved about him. Maybe that was how she'd ended up telling him about Artan, because even when she'd hardly known him he'd always been there to listen without judging her.
"It was good." She said slowly, thinking. She didn't really know how to put into words what those three months in Afghanistan had done for her. It'd been one of the hardest decisions she'd had to make, walking away from him and the possibilities of what might've happened between them. But she also knew that the fact that she had done that was probably the reason they were sitting there together now.
"Good?" He frowned at her, a smirk on the corner of his lips. "You were there for three months Molly you must have a bit more than that." He laughed.
She smiled in return, sipping at the steaming mug of tea he'd placed in front of her. It was far too hot to drink but she needed a moment to collect her thoughts. "It was nice, I got to see a few of my old friends who I trained with, and I got to catch up with Quaseem too."
"But?" He could hear in her voice there was a but coming.
"But." She said slowly, looking down at the table. She could feel her cheeks darkening already. "I kept thinking how much better it would've been if I was there with Two Section…. and you." She added quietly.
He smiled, waiting until she finally stopped staring at the table and looked at him. "I would've much rather been there with you too, it seemed like the longest three months of my life waiting for you to come back. But, even I can see that you were right. You look so much happier than you did when you came to see me and tell me you were going."
She nodded, gulping down another mouthful of her tea, thankfully it wasn't quite so hot by this point. "I still wasn't really sure I was actually doing the right thing when I came to tell you." She admitted. "It was a lot easier sitting at my Mum and Dads to convince myself that letting myself fall into a relationship with you was the wrong thing to do. Then I was standing there in your office and all I wanted was to be with you, not fly off to the other side of the world again."
He reached across the table hesitantly, taking her hand in his when he realised she wasn't going to pull away. "Believe me, I wouldn't have argued with you if you'd said you wanted to stay but you did the right thing. You weren't the Molly I know when you came to see me that day, I didn't really understand it at the time but I do now. It's just nice to see you so happy again."
She squeezed his hand a little tighter. "I didn't want to rush into anything, it took me most of those three months to sort everything that had happened with Artan out in my head and be a functional person again." She admitted. "I didn't want to try and start anything with you and then find out he'd messed me up so much that I'd ruin things with you."
"I know, I understand that now." He nodded. "But at the time when you were standing there telling me you loved me but you didn't want to be with me, it was a bit harder to process."
She decided her cheeks must be the colour of the bottle of tomato ketchup on the table by this point because she could feel the heat radiating from them. "I can't actually believe I walked into your office and said that." She shook her head, the truth was it had just tumbled out of her mouth as she'd been stood there in front of him, she certainly hadn't planned it.
"It wasn't what I was expecting either." He smiled, the hope that hearing her say that had given him had been what kept him going through the months she was gone.
"It was true though." She told him, her voice a low whisper. "And it still is." She looked up at him hesitantly, hoping she hasn't said too much. Why was she incapable of stopping herself when it came to him?
"I know." He smiled, leaning in a little closer. "I've been waiting for you to come back to me. I didn't want to put any pressure on you, I meant it when I said I'd be your friend if that was what you wanted. It might've been difficult but I would've managed it."
She laughed quietly. "Let's be honest, I don't think either of us could've managed it."
He shook his head. "No, you're right. And now you're not in my chain of command, we can just see where things take us?" He sounded hopeful, like there was a part of him that was still worried she might say no and leave him.
"That sounds alright to me." She smiled, picking up her mug and draining the last of her tea. "I think right now it's going to be leading us in the direction of that shoe shop over there!"
He groaned, following her as she stood up and gathered her bags together.
"Don't look at me like that!" She laughed. "You were the one that offered to bring me, I could've come on my own!"
"Yeah well, I didn't realise quite what I'd let myself in for!" He retorted. He honestly didn't mind, he just enjoyed winding her up a bit, he was just happy to be spending time with her even if that did mean trailing behind her while she visited every shop in the city.
"Just you wait." She laughed, holding her hand out to him. "The best is yet to come!"