Currently no thoughts head empty so just enjoy this chapter, my lovelies! ~Shaymie

Molly

"Are you going to visit your brother for Thanksgiving?"

"Why do you ask?" Chase leaned against the counter of the bar. Despite it being Friday, it was a quiet nigh. Angela was at Kasey's house trying to convince him to come to the bar and Luke was doing the same with Owen. Cain and Dale were here, but they weren't that loud. Hayden had even pulled up a seat next to them. It's Selena's break so she's sipping a cocktail at a table by herself. Molly could feel the dancer's eyes on her. She had a feeling Selena wanted something more than just dance lessons.

She didn't have a clue what she'd do if Selena actually made a move on her. Thinking of it made her nervous but also a bit excited. It's nice to have someone actually look at her in a grown-up way. It felt like everyone just saw her as Angela's little sister. Angela had the bigger personality. Honestly, she had the bigger everything. She was more fun to be around. Molly in comparison was... boring. Plain. She wasn't good or bad or anything in-between.

She's just nice.

And while being nice was nice, she wanted to be something more than just nice.

"W-Well, Angie and Kasey are probably going to plan a visit to Oak Tree. I haven't seen Aunt Dee and Fritz since... um... since everything happened." Since I shut down and turned into a zombie... She wanted to see them again. She knew they worried a lot, and she wanted to show them how much better she's gotten. They left just before the incident and couldn't afford another trip. Molly fiddled with the straw in her glass of soda and looked up at Chase. "So... if you did visit your brother, then we'd probably be on vacation in Oak Tree together. I've never been, but maybe you could show me around."

The thought of that made her heart flutter in a confusing way. A nice, autumn walk with Chase, feeling the cool breeze brush against her flushed cheeks... No crops or animals to worry about... It sounded lovely. Like a dream come true.

"When you put it like that, you make it sound like we're going with each other. We'd just happen to be in town at the same time."

Oh... Her wording did make it sound like they were a couple, didn't it? She felt her cheeks grow warm in embarrassment. That... thought she had also made it seem like they were a couple, too. But that's a stupid thought. Chase wouldn't want someone like her, so stupidly naive that she couldn't even tell that her best friend hated her. He'd want someone edgy and mature, like that tourist he brought home with him.

Why do I care so much about what he would be interested in? And why am I so obsessed with that tourist he slept with?

"S-So you are going, then? That's nice." Was it hot in here or was it just her? She unbuttoned her sweater and took it off, laying it across her lap. Some of her clothes have been fitting a bit tighter lately since she's been gaining weight. It's... odd seeing stretch marks on her body. It's a good thing. She knew it was a good thing, she constantly had to remind herself that it was a good thing, but even at her most fit she never had stretch marks.

...She supposed the one good thing about it was that she finally had breasts now, if her tightening bras had anything to say about it.

She was luckily saved from her embarrassment by a text from Kasey, asking her to watch the kids for the night. It was the only way he'd come out to the bar. Molly barely thought twice before agreeing to it, even offering to have the kids spend the night. She wanted Angela and Kasey to spend some time together and hopefully work past their awkwardness. They stopped talking to each other when their father died. That was around the time Angela broke up with Mikhail and had to move back in.

Something... broke in their family then. Things had been tense between them for a while, but all of a sudden the dam just burst. The two of them thought she didn't notice what was going on but she's not a complete idiot. She saw the way they acted around each other. She was awake for most of their late-night arguments.

"I have to go. Kasey needs me to watch the kids. Um... see you tomorrow?" There was a glimpse of something like disappointment in Chase's eyes but it was gone as soon as it came, leaving her to wonder if it was maybe a trick of the light. Why would he be upset about her leaving? She shook her head as she placed her payment on the counter. She's just overthinking things again. Or maybe she's getting her hopes up.

...Getting her hopes up for what?

"Yeah, sure. See you tomorrow, Freckles."

She paused. Why did hearing "Freckles" feel... weird now? She's the one who insisted he call her that. She refused to let him call her by her name. But it's been some time since that. They've gotten to know each other better. So surely it wouldn't be weird of her to maybe, hopefully ask him to call her Molly? It didn't even have to be all the time! Even just sometimes would be nice.

"U-Um..." She stammered quietly, gaze dropping to the counter when he looked at her. She always lost her train of thought when she looked into his eyes. They were probably the prettiest part of him. "Would it be okay if I asked you to call me Molly?"

A name could mean a lot. Chelsea ever only called her Molly Rose. No nicknames, and never just Molly. Talking to Chelsea always made her feel like she was talking to a disappointed parent.

"Molly..." She chanced a glance up at Chase. His face was pink. There's no way it could be the AC this time. Hayden kept the bar at a reasonable temperature. So then, Chase was embarrassed like she was? She didn't think it was possible. He always seemed so cool and level-headed. He was never even bothered by Angela messing with him. Why would something as simple as calling her Molly fluster him?

"Y-You can still call me Freckles if that makes you more comfortable!"

"Would you want that, though? You shouldn't put up with shit you don't like just for someone else's comfort."

Molly frowned. Chase sounded a lot like her therapist right now. Dr. Kane always told her that it's okay to be selfish sometimes and she's been working on that. She's been working on a lot of things lately, like finding more hobbies and speaking her mind more often.

"We're better friends now. In fact, I consider you one of my best friends. So I'd like it if you called me Molly... Oh, but I don't want you to completely stop calling me Freckles!"

"I can't believe you got attached to that stupid nickname," Chase mumbled under his breath. He let out a sigh and brushed some hair back from his face. She wondered if it was as soft as it looked. It's getting pretty long now. "I guess I'll see you tomorrow... Molly."

She left the bar a flustered mess. Chase had smiled at her before she left and scrambled her thoughts. She knew he was handsome. She's always known he was handsome, but it was easy to forget when she spent so much time around him. Then there were times when she'd get a look at him in certain lighting or at a certain angle and it just reminded her of how pretty he was. The fact always just slapped her in the face.

She may or may not have needed a moment to calm her beating heart. Angela would definitely ask her what was wrong if she showed up with flushed cheeks. Kasey would probably try to cancel their night out so make sure she wasn't sick.

Molly calmed down as the cool night air brushed against her cheeks, and she forced herself to think about something other than Chase. Like how it's nice to finally have time to herself. She didn't have to worry about memorizing routines and hating herself when there was something she couldn't get right. No more worrying about looking and being perfect. She didn't have to hide when she felt tired anymore. Which, if she was being honest with herself, was quite often.

She might have bitten off more than she could chew when she insisted on being the one to care for the Blue Mists. She thought she'd be fine. She's grown flowers before. But none of them were as delicate as Blue Mists. These flowers required a lot more attention and care. If she wasn't careful then they'd die, and all the money she and Angela invested into them would go to waste. It'll be fine, though. She'll be fine. She's been taking naps and soaking in the hot spring whenever possible. And it's not nearly as hot anymore so she can spend more time outside.

Molly could hear Kasey and Angela even from outside the house. It didn't seem like they were arguing. Just... talking loudly. She smiled to herself. Even though things were awkward between them, they haven't gotten into any arguments. At least not while Molly's been around. She could always tell when they've recently argued. The air around them was always tense. Angela always had a fire in her eyes that she couldn't quite douse no matter how hard she tried. There's a vein in Kasey's forehead that would always start to throb. And neither of them could look each other in the eye.

"I'm just saying, you should get out of the house more," Angela was saying as Molly walked in. She was perched on the corner of the dining room table, where Kasey was gathering some papers into an organized pile. "We've seen more of the kids than we have of you. You're always in meetings with Gill or grading papers or unpacking. All work and no play makes Kase a dull boy."

Molly looked around the house. Unpacking's been a slow process for Kasey. There were still boxes stacked around the living room and his bedroom. He made sure to unpack everything for the kids. Their room is fully decorated while Kasey's barely had anything past the basics. He always prioritized other peoples' wants or needs over his. He'd do that even when they were younger. That's probably where Molly picked up the habit. Their father always said that they were really similar.

"I already said I'm going with you, Ange. You don't have to—Molls!" Kasey shot out of his seat and scooped her into a hug when he reached her. She smiled into his chest. Nothing like a hug from Kasey to make her stop thinking about everything she was worried about. She felt like she could just forget all of her confusing thoughts and feelings about Chase right now. It was almost embarrassing, the way she acted around him sometimes. She didn't want to ruin their friendship by being weird.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt you two," Molly said softly. Kasey gave her one last squeeze before setting her down gently. He always treated her like something delicate. His little rose, he called her when they were younger. But now he called his daughter Rosie. Molly was happy to pass on the torch of Little Rose onto Mara. She's an absolute cutie, and they'll be able to spend more time together once the construction on Angela's room is done. Mara stayed outside to play with the animals when she visited because the house was too noisy for her, but she said she was interested in baking with Molly.

Luke said that Angela's room was almost done. Molly wondered if they typically finished individual rooms this quickly all the time or if they were rushing because it's for Angela. Either way, she's happy Angela is finally getting her own room. She was fine sharing a room when they first moved here, but now that she was dating someone it only made sense for her to want her own room. The house was still kinda small so any bit of privacy she could get would be nice.

It would also be nice for Molly to not walk in on Angela and Luke anymore. She's happy that her sister's happy, but she did not need to see what she got up to with her boyfriend. Sometimes she'd even hear the two of them in the middle of the night when they thought they were being sneaky. Luke... really didn't know the meaning of keeping it quiet. Even when they snuck off to another room, Molly could hear him.

"It's fine. We were just getting ready to go anyway." Angela grinned and slid off the table. "I'm gonna drink enough for both of us, so don't you worry about a thing, Kase."

"You're giving me something to worry about..."

Molly looked between her siblings with a smile. They still had some work to do, but this was a start.