Chapter Text
Caleb sighed, and tugged at the collar of his shirt. Then he fidgeted with the sleeves of his jacket, ran a hand through his freshly-washed hair, and turned to the woman sitting on his right with a look of absolute dread.
“Please, why am I here, again?”
Jester reached over and straightened his tie. “Because Fjord was really worried about this date being awkward, so he’s bringing along a friend,” she said. “And I couldn’t ask Yasha to come, since Molly’s basically her brother, and I couldn’t ask Beau to come, since she’s super in love with Yasha. Plus, Molly’s not her type.” Then Jester grinned broadly and poked Caleb in the chest. “But he’s definitely yours.”
Caleb rolled his eyes. “Ja, I know you think that,” he muttered, “but I thought I was here to keep you company. Not to actually find a significant other. Can’t Beau—"
“Do you really think Beau will be able to play nice on a date like this?”
Caleb didn’t hesitate. “No chance,” he mumbled.
Jester nodded. “So that’s why you’re here. Just try to have some fun! When was the last time you hung out with someone that wasn’t me or Nott or Beau or Yasha?”
There was a pause, and then he sighed. “A very long time, I suppose.”
“Exactly! You need more guy friends. Or,” she winked, “more guy friends.”
“Do I really?”
“Yes,” she said firmly. “Besides, I knew you’d be huddled up in your apartment tonight anyways, and it’s so cold! Your walls are too thin, and you don’t have enough heating. At least this way, you’ll have warm food in your tummy, and warm leftovers to bring back to Nott.”
“I can make fire with my hands, Jester.”
“Can you make food like that, though?”
He deflated. “Alright, alright, you win. But know that I came here initially for you, verstanden?”
“Got it!” she grinned. “Now stop talking to me so I can check on my makeup.”
As Jester pulled out a small mirror and began to examine herself with a critical eye, Caleb looked around and tried to sort his thoughts out. The restaurant they currently sat in was fancier than he could afford to look at, much less dine in. It was probably Jester’s trust fund that had secured them this table, towards the side, where the lights were sufficiently low and gorgeous, where the exotic plants sheltered them from the other patrons, and the live band wasn’t too loud. Faint wisps of candlelight curled around them to add a certain…je ne sais quoi to the atmosphere. Caleb definitely ne sais quoi, since this was more affluence than he’d seen in a lifetime. Plus, he barely remembered how to behave in normal society—much less high society. He prayed that Fjord and his plus-one would feel just as out of place, for solidarity’s sake.
He turned to Jester, who was closing her purse.
“What should I know about this Mollymauk person?”
She considered this. “Well, he’s a tiefling, like me. I’ve met him a few times before, and he’s really cool. He’s a singer at the same bar where Fjord works, and also Beau and Yasha—”
“The Fletching & Moondrop.”
“—yes, that one. And they’ve known each other for a couple years, and they’re roommates. But they probably aren’t, you know, best friends like you and me.”
Caleb cracked a smile at that. “Their loss, I suppose.”
Jester giggled. “So right! And, hmm…what else…? Oh, Molly says he isn’t magic like we are, but Fjord swears he can make things happen sometimes. And he is very fashionable.”
Caleb’s shoulders drooped. “He is? Will he try to talk to me about clothing? Jester, you had to pick and buy these clothes for me—which I still insist was unnecessary—and I know that the minute people find out that I…am partial to men, they ask me for tips and—”
Jester laughed and shook her head. “First of all,” she said, “I wanted to get you nice clothes, so you’d stop making excuses not to come with me to fancy parties. And second, you deserve it, Caleb! You always wear that tattered coat around and I know it’s very important to you, but sometimes you have to dress up a little! And I owe you big time, remember? You doing my schoolwork for me so I could let Fjord copy it is the reason why we even started talking to each other. And besides,” she added, “I’m sure Fjord gave Molly the rundown about you. He’ll probably know to avoid clothes-talk.”
Caleb breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh, good,” he said. “Is there anything else I should know?”
And just as the words left his mouth, two figures began making their way over, guided by the maître d. One was obviously a half-orc, dressed in a sharp blue dinner jacket with his hair combed back. He gave Jester a little wave as they made eye contact, and blushed slightly.
The other…the other…
The other was a definitely a tiefling, whose curling horns were adorned with silver jewelry that gleamed in the low light. His skin was a smooth, light lavender, and he stood a few inches taller than Fjord. It took Caleb a second to realize that this was because—aside from the low-cut, onyx-colored evening gown, aside from the midnight-black and sequined shawl, aside from the glittering silver necklace draped across very well-defined collarbones, aside from all that—Molly was wearing a pair of very, very tall stiletto heels.
Caleb sank lower into his chair. His face was on fire. Jester leaned in.
“I forgot to mention,” she whispered beyond cheekily. “You should know that Molly is super-duper hot. And he’s got more charisma than six bards in a rooftop club.” She gave him a quick pat on the arm. “Good luck! I’m sure you’ll do great.”
And then, with one final smile at the host, Fjord and his plus-one sat down, and dinner began.
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Molly took one look at the furiously blushing ginger seated across from him and thought:
Oh, thank you, Jester, for bringing along this lovely piece of work.
They exchanged pleasantries, Jester and Fjord beaming all the way like lovestruck idiots. Then she gestured to her left and grinned, “And this is my friend! He’s technically your date tonight, Molly.”
There was a sudden flinch from his technical date. Molly got the idea that under the table, Jester had just kicked him in the leg.
“C-Caleb Widogast,” said Caleb Widogast, slightly hesitantly. “Er…it is nice to make your acquaintance.”
Molly stuck a hand out and opened his mouth to deliver a carefully-crafted introduction glowing with complimentary flourishes and unsubtle overtone of flirtatious teasing sure to get this delightful man in bed with him before the midnight.
But then he caught those dazzling, sky-blue eyes. For the briefest moment they stared at each other, gazes locked, before Caleb’s reddened face quickly looked away.
Molly’s mind shut down.
“Teamauk Mollyleaf,” he said, and froze, and immediately wanted to die. He could see Jester’s mouth drop, could hear Fjord make a small noise of astonishment on his left. He swore inwardly, corrected himself as smoothly as he could. “I meant, er, I meant Mollymauk Tealeaf. But, but my friends call me Molly.”
Caleb took his hand. “Am I one of those friends, Mister Mollymauk?”
Molly swore again. Was that charm, or hasty and oblivious banter? He couldn’t tell. His face was starting to heat up.
“I would hope by the end of the evening that you would be, Mister Caleb.”
Friendship? Friendship? Why was that coming into the equation? When Fjord had proposed a double date, Molly had thought that, at best, he’d spend the night with a nice-looking stranger—or at the very least, get a free meal from Jester and make sure that hers and Fjord’s date went well. But this? But this?
Luckily, just at that moment, a waiter came over and Jester launched into a lengthy list of requested wines and appetizers, sparing Molly from having to come up with anything else to say. When the man left, looking rather flustered, Fjord took charge of the conversation.
“So, how do you and Caleb know each other, again?” he asked Jester.
“Oh, it’s a great story!” she grinned. “He’s the librarian in my neighborhood, and one day he walked past while I was doing my homework and saw that I had a bunch of mistakes, so he sat down and started to help! And then it just sort of became a thing, you know, where he would help me out every week. And eventually I introduced him to my other friends, and he introduced me to his, and now we all hang out and watch movies and spend time together and stuff. That was a couple months ago, of course.”
“Well, that’s rather sweet,” Molly smiled, focusing in on Caleb. “You’re a librarian? Do you read a lot?”
“Ja,” Caleb nodded, and the blush faded slightly as he found safe footing. “I read quite a lot, actually. I enjoy books.”
“About what kinds of stuff?” Fjord asked.
“Mostly history and magic,” Caleb shrugged. “I, er, I was studying to be a wizard for some time.”
“Oh, he’s so good at wizard stuff,” Jester volunteered instantly. “He’s amazing, he can do anything!”
“Really, anything?” Molly’s eyebrows went up. “Anything at all?”
Caleb’s face went red again. “Jester likes to exaggerate a bit,” he said, “I only really know the basics. But I am working on learning more.”
“Really?” Fjord perked up. “Where are you thinking of learning? The Academy? ‘Cause I was actually thinking of trying to attend th—"
Caleb shook his head. “No, no, that is not the place for me.”
Fjord blinked, and tilted his head to the side. “How come, if I might ask?”
“Too…expensive,” Caleb murmured. “And I do not entirely agree with the faculty. But if you ever need help studying,” he added hastily, “or would like assistance on the entrance exams, I am happy to provide it for someone important to Jester.”
Fjord chuckled softly at that. “Thank you,” he nodded. “That’s a very nice offer.”
Jester turned to Molly, reeling him back into the conversation. “Tell Caleb about how you know Fjord!” she said. “You guys work at the same club, yes?”
He grinned. “Almost right, dear. The establishment itself is called the Fletching & Moondrop,” he explained, turning to Caleb, “you might’ve heard of it before? It’s downtown, overlooks the water, lovely place. But it’s actually set up as two separate clubs. The upper floors are for the more…discerning clientele, that’s the Moondrop part. Yasha’s the muscle there, and it’s where I sing. And then Fletch is downstairs, that’s the fun part, where Beau’s part of security and Fjord bartends. And I must say, he’s quite good. Nobody else has the flair, or the knack for pleasing guests.”
“Except for you,” Fjord snorted. “Molly’s one of the most famous singers in the city. Jester knows.”
Her giggle of agreement was laced with mischief. “More like infamous,” she said, and waggled her eyebrows. Molly laughed, and Caleb nodded with the air of one who had no idea what was happening.
“I did not know this much about the bar,” he said slowly, “but that sounds like quite an experience. And it is nice to meet you as well. I have never known someone famous before.”
Molly chuckled. “I’m not that famous, dear. Or, at least, I’m that famous when I’m running around town doing silly things with silly people. The real me likes to keep a lower profile.”
Caleb raised an eyebrow. “Is that why you are here tonight, at this very fancy restaurant surrounded by very fancy people?”
Before Jester and Fjord could intervene, Molly shook his head and leaned in closer. “I don’t know,” he said. “Is that why you’re here as well?”
Caleb, to everyone’s surprise, gave a short laugh. His lips quirked up into a quick smile. “I suppose you have a point, Mister Mollymauk.”
And as the waiter arrived with their first round of extremely expensive appetizers, Molly decided then and there that he would hear that laugh again tonight, no matter what.
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Fjord and Jester steered the conversation as they tore through soup and salad, Molly chiming in every once in a while and Caleb’s attention desperately fixed on trying to figure out what it was he was eating, and how—if at all—he felt about a certain lavender tiefling.
Jester had been right about the attractiveness, though Caleb was worried about dwelling on that thought for too long. His “date” also definitely had charm, though not in the ways Caleb had expected. Molly, surprisingly, didn’t seem all that talkative, and only spoke when the others led. He didn’t ask intrusive questions, and had even stumbled a bit during their introductions. Perhaps Caleb’s definition of silver-tonguedness wasn’t quite up-to-date anymore. Later on, he would ask Jester. Maybe even Yasha. And speaking of…
“It’s funny how our friends are all connected, isn’t it?” Fjord asked between bites of some unidentified dish. “I can’t believe you know so many people from the Moondrop.”
“I still can’t believe you never figured out how fancy it was,” Jester added with a grin.
Caleb sighed. “I do not ask many questions,” he said, “and I admit that I am not very in tune with high society. But, er, I am glad that you, Mister Mollymauk, I am glad that you also know Beau and Yasha. They are good friends to me.”
“And to me,” Molly chuckled. “Well, Yasha is, anyway. You know, when she mentioned a scruffy wizard she’d met through Jester, I had no idea it was you.”
Caleb nodded. “And when she mentioned an old friend who was a singer, I did not know she was talking about you.”
“Like I said,” Molly beamed, “low profile.”
“Oh, oh my gods!” Jester turned towards him and waved a fork around excitedly. “Molly, you and Fjord should start coming to our movie nights! Oh, they’re so fun, and that way you can also meet Nott!”
“Nott?” Fjord began. “Who’s—”
Caleb, in an instant, had thrust a hand into his pocket and whipped out a wallet that looked like it was half made of duct tape, and half made of the prehistoric ancestor to leather. He carefully produced a strip of photographs, placed them gently down onto the table, and the gang all leaned in.
They saw a series of images depicting a scrawny young girl in baggy clothing that might have been Caleb’s. She had stringy, dark-green hair, and in some photos she wore the bottom half of a porcelain mask. But in others, Molly noted as he leaned in further, he could see her full face, complete with bright yellow eyes, green skin, jagged teeth, and—
“Nott’s a goblin?” he asked, and Caleb’s gaze hardened.
“She is wonderful,” he said. “She is my dearest friend.”
Molly opened his mouth, and Caleb braced himself for what would come next. But to his surprise, the tiefling just grinned brightly and nodded. “That’s great!” he said enthusiastically. “I’m glad you two have each other. The Moondrop’s performers are also…a bit unconventional, so it’s nice to see other people who don’t care about things like appearances. I knew Yasha liked you for a reason.”
Caleb blinked. He stared at Molly in bewilderment, though there was a faintly warm and fuzzy feeling now settling in his stomach. He managed a small smile.
“I am…glad to hear that, Mister Mollymauk.”
There was a moment, where the tiefling sat there in silence. Then his grin got even wider, and he lifted his drink and winked at the others. “Here’s to dear, unconventional friends, then,” he chuckled, and Jester and Fjord also joined in with a clink of their glasses.
Caleb took a sip. Then he tucked the photos away, and resumed eating.
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Jester and Fjord stood out in the hallway, pretending to wait on line for the restrooms. In truth, they had really excused themselves—leaving Molly and Caleb alone at the table in various states of sudden panic—to have a quick strategy meeting.
“There’s chemistry,” Jester sighed, rubbing her chin, “but I don’t get why nothing’s happened yet.”
“I really thought Molly would be laying on the charm,” Fjord nodded in confusion. “This isn’t like him.”
“Maybe he’s already found someone?” Jester suggested.
“Oh, believe me,” Fjord grumbled, “if he’d found someone, I’d have walked in on them already.”
“Hmm…and you’re sure he said he’s looking for someone?”
Fjord sighed. “Molly’s a tough nut to crack. But he did mention once that he was sick and tired of getting tossed around rich people and he was tired of being arm candy, but then he did three shots and didn’t do anything but sing karaoke for the rest of the night, so I’m not sure. I think that’s a yes, in any case. I just don’t understand why he wouldn’t be trying harder. I mean, he seems to like Caleb, right?”
“Maybe he’s afraid of looking like a jerk?” Jester suggested. “Or maybe we need to give them more hints. Caleb is really smart, but he can also be pretty dumb sometimes.”
Fjord nodded. “Alright,” he said. “Let’s try that.”
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Despite the clinking of silverware and ambient humming chatter, the silence at their table was deafening.
Jester and Fjord had just run off to the restrooms, muttering something about fixing her dress—just give us a moment, we’ll be back before you know it!—leaving Molly and Caleb by themselves to pick at their food and try awkwardly not to make too much eye contact. Molly had a feeling he knew why his friends had run off, and while he completely understood their motives, he also wished they’d have waited until after he bill was settled.
In the waiting tension, he fought for something to say. He settled on:
“So, er, Mister Caleb, have you been to this restaurant before?”
Caleb quickly glanced up. “No, er, I have not,” he said. “Why, have you?”
Molly shrugged. “Honestly? I’m not entirely sure. I might’ve, before, with someone or another at some point or another.” He tried for a grin. “I must’ve been too drunk to remember.”
Caleb stared into his plate. “Do you have frequent…entanglements, then?” he asked quietly. “That you are not able to remember who they were and where you went?”
“Oh, tons,” Molly shrugged. “It comes with the job, dear. You meet rich people, they try to impress you by taking you to fancy places.”
“I see,” muttered Caleb. “Your past partners have been wealthy?”
“Oh, beyond reason. And famous, usually.”
He fidgeted with his fork. “And you are experienced in, er, romantic endeavors.”
Molly laughed along to that. “I think they thought it was romantic,” he grinned, “but they should work on their definitions.”
The table fell silent again, and Molly kicked himself. Was that a good response? Gods, of course it wasn’t, what was he even saying, what did that mean, definitions—
And then Jester and Fjord appeared through a sea of tables and white cloth, clothing mildly ruffled and faces just a bit flushed. Molly breathed a sigh of relief.
“Oh, thank the gods,” he said. “I mean, er, thank the gods that there’s nothing wrong. Right?”
“Right,” Caleb echoed softly. “Or, er…no, wait—yes. Yes, that is right.”
Their stares drilled into the tabletop as Fjord and Jester sat down.
“Sorry about that,” said Jester. “The fashion crisis was dire.”
“I imagine it was,” Molly nodded, draping his elbows onto the table. “Especially since you needed Fjord to help you. And both of you look rather flustered now, was your situation that strenuous to fix?”
Fjord’s ears went a slightly darker shade of green. Jester gave Molly a pointed glare that was half-embarrassed, half-impressed. “It wasn’t anything we couldn’t do together,” she replied easily. “But now we are back, and we can talk about completely different things.”
She shot Fjord a meaningful stare. He coughed, and turned quickly to Caleb, then coughed again and asked, “So, er...is it just you and Nott in your…home?”
“Apartment,” Caleb supplied, “and yes. It is us two.”
“It’s so cute,” Jester beamed. “And Nott says that Caleb’s a great roommate. Better than Frumpkin, anyway.”
“Frumpkin?” Molly raised an eyebrow.
“My cat,” Caleb explained, taking a small sip of wine.
“Frumpy-frumpy is really cute too,” Jester giggled. “And it’s so nice that you’ve got such a good friend and roommate in Nott!”
Molly tilted his head to the side, blinked a few times at Jester. “Hey, you and Fjord are moving in soon, aren’t you?” he asked. “I think I vaguely recall being told that. And to look for a new bunk-buddy.”
“You’ve still got plenty of time,” Fjord chuckled. “Don’t worry about it, yet.”
“I’m worried about different stuff,” Jester sighed, leaning back in her chair. “Fjord, what if living together changes stuff about our relationship?”
“It might,” Fjord said gently. “We might get closer.”
“Aw,” Molly grinned as Jester’s heart imploded. “How adorable.”
“You and Fjord have a good relationship,” Caleb added. “You are close friends, that would only help, ja?”
Jester recovered, and stuck her tongue out at him. “You’ve got a good point, but he’s not my friend, silly.”
“Of course,” he corrected. “Your boyfriend.”
Molly’s mouth opened, and the words tumbled out before he could stop them. “Are you, er, in the market for one of those?” he asked Caleb. “Boyfriends, I mean. Or, or any kind of significant other.” He mentally kicked himself. “Because, well, I know you’re here tonight, but…”
Caleb gave a small, semi-panicked shrug. “Er…maybe? I am… undecided.”
“He’s single!” Jester’s eyes had lit up, and Caleb’s went right back to the tablecloth. “Super-single. He’s just bad at words.”
“It’s alright,” Molly chuckled. “I am too, sometimes.”
“Mol, you aren’t with anybody at the moment either, are you?” Fjord added, extremely gracelessly. “Isn’t that why you said you’d come with me tonight?”
Molly’s eyes narrowed slightly. “I’m coming to support you, dear. But, er,” he added hastily, “if there happened to be another interested party…I wouldn’t be opposed.”
Caleb sank into his chair. “Oh,” he said quietly.
“I, er, I mean if the other party was really interested.” On the inside, Molly kicked himself again. “You know, I wouldn’t want to make things weird. At all. In any way. Avoiding all weirdness—"
“Molly’s a great person,” Fjord cut in, trying to nod supportively. “If I didn’t have Jester, I’d definitely have my eye out.”
“And Caleb is super nice!” Jester chimed, in a little too loudly. “Plus he’s caring, and very, very smart, and funny! I’m sure he’d be just wonderful to get to know, and he’d also be the perfect—”
Caleb shot up to his feet.
There was a moment’s pause, where they all stared at him in shock; then he seemed to shake his head, his eyes going wide with realization, and before anybody else could say anything, he shoved his chair roughly against the table.
“Excuse me,” he muttered. “I need some air.”
He grabbed his jacket and marched away, towards a set of double glass doors that led out onto the balcony at the side. He almost collided with a waiter, before reaching the handles, yanking them open, and being swallowed up by the darkness beyond.
For a moment, they just stared at the point where he had vanished. Jester put her fork down. Fjord fidgeted slightly.
And then, with a loud, drawn-out sigh, Molly reached for his shawl. “I’ll be back,” he said. “And you two, knock it off, please? I appreciate what you’re doing, but honestly. Just focus on each other. I’ll handle this.”
And then he stood up, and went out to follow Caleb.
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There weren’t any other couples out on the balcony, and it was honestly a wonder why the doors had been unlocked. Tonight was freezing. As Molly shivered and shut the door behind him, he vaguely remembered something about a forecast of snowfall. Tieflings ran hot, but not hot enough for this, and he was starting to regret coming out in a sleeveless dress and a gauzy shawl. But he clenched his teeth and drew his wrap close and his heels clicked softly across the treated wood as he made his way over towards the lone figure at the edge, silhouetted against the twilight, gazing down at the gleaming city lights below.
Molly leaned his arms against the railing, a few feet away from Caleb, and stared up at the moon.
“It’s a beautiful night, I agree, but if you’d wanted to come here and admire it, you only had to ask.”
Caleb gave a soft snort and shook his head. “I am sorry,” he murmured. “Jester is not always the most tactful, and I think the sudden talk of relationships scared me a bit. Especially when they were clearly trying to set me up with you.”
Molly, surprised by this honesty, raised an eyebrow. “Why is that, dear? Am I…not to your liking?”
Caleb quickly shook his head. “Nein, no, not at all. Scheisse, I mean, you are. Just that...” He ran a hand through his hair. “Sorry. I phrased that poorly. I just meant that I didn’t want…er…”
He paused, and found the words.
“I am a garbage person, Mister Mollymauk. I am not worth much, and I cannot offer anybody much. But you are beautiful, and talented, and well-known. You are very clearly out of my league. I did not want to sit there and listen to Jester and Fjord speak as if we ever had a chance of being together.”
Molly blinked. And then he blinked again. And then, he started to laugh.
Caleb whipped around, face pale and eyes confused. “Why…what is so funny, about that?”
Molly leaned into his elbows, put his chin against his palm, and gazed out onto the rooftops far, far below.
“Would you like to know something about me?”
Caleb raised an uncertain eyebrow. He decided to play along. “Ja, sure.”
Molly swept his hand across the distant skyline. “I've lived in this city most my life," he sighed. “I've known every rich bastard, every desperate heiress, every self-important millionaire that's ever walked through these streets. And they've got money, and they've got power, and they've certainly got the looks. And usually, when they come asking for some fun, some company, I'm all in. I’ve been all in. But sometimes…I get tired, Mister Caleb. And recently, I've been tired. Tired of being chased, and if I'm being honest, tired of doing the chasing."
For a few seconds there was only quiet, softened by faraway sounds of busy traffic and the eternal thrum of city life. And then Caleb spoke:
“Yet just now, you came chasing after me. Why?”
Molly turned and met those clear blue eyes. This time, they didn’t look away.
"Because you’re not some rich bastard trying to woo me,” he sighed. “You’re not some annoying socialite trying to bend my ear. You’re just Jester’s friend, who is good at magic, has movie nights, and lives with his cat and a little goblin girl in a—no offense—shitty apartment. Maybe you are, as you say, garbage. But nothing you’ve done so far makes me believe you. Without knowing anything about my reputation, or about my past, you seem to like me. Or at least you like talking to me, for me. And that’s not something I always get. But it’s something that I’d quite like to keep.”
“We barely know each other,” Caleb murmured.
“We could change that,” Molly returned. “If…er…if that is alright.”
Caleb’s mouth quirked up into that tiny grin again.
“That would be nice,” he said.
“Bloody brilliant,” breathed Molly. “Thank the gods. I’m really not sure what I’m doing, here.”
“Neither do I," Caleb chuckled. "I suppose we can figure this out together.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
Caleb’s smile grew. “But, er, but perhaps we could pick somewhere less…high maintenance, next time? I am not entirely…comfortable in a restaurant as fancy as this.”
“I imagine it was Jester who chose this, then?” Molly laughed. “From what Fjord’s told me, I assume she has—”
He broke off as a sneeze shook his body. He sniffled slightly, and rubbed his arms, and Caleb blanched and instantly shrugged off his jacket.
“Scheisse, I am sorry for not realizing, you must be freezing, Molly. Here, here, take my coat.”
Molly almost protested, but then a chilly breeze blew past and he sneezed again. He gratefully nodded, and let Caleb drape the jacket around his shoulders. And then, to his surprise, the man did not pull away. Instead he wrapped an arm around Molly, carefully closed the gap between them.
“It will be warmer this way," he murmured.
It was too dark to see, but Caleb’s face must have been blazing red. Molly’s cheeks were beginning to heat up as well. Maybe that was just from the cold. Or, maybe not.
“Thank you, dear,” he said, and then realized something. “Wait. You called me Molly,” he said.
Caleb blinked. “Did I? Oh, er, I am sorry—”
He shook his head. “Don’t be. Like I said before, I want us to be friends. And my friends call me Molly, right?”
“Right,” Caleb echoed softly. “But we are not quite friends yet—”
Molly sighed, gave Caleb a faint grin. “Please?” he tried again. “Please, if I asked nicely?”
Caleb chuckled softly, then nodded. “Alright, Mi-Mollymauk. You must drop the ‘mister’ as well, then.”
“If you say so...Caleb.”
They were silent for a few beats. And then Caleb’s soft voice hugged Molly’s ear.
“Thank you, um, for coming out to chase me.”
“Of course,” laughed Molly. “Thank you for letting me chase you.”
He felt the warm hand on his shoulder squeeze slightly, and his heart soared.
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“It’s been twenty minutes,” Fjord observed, offering a bit of salad to Jester.
She grinned, and passed him a piece of chicken. “Yep! They’re in their own little world, now.”
He took a thoughtful bite, then put his fork down and raised an eyebrow. “Alright, alright,” he said, “tell me the truth. We’ve been on plenty of dates before, and I’d like to think all of them went well. So why did you really want me to bring Molly tonight? Were you actually worried about things getting awkward, or did you just want to introduce him to Caleb?”
She gave him a grin that would have been sly if it hadn’t been so shit-eating. “Maybe it was the second one. Maybe just a little bit.”
“Unbelievable!” He leaned back in his chair and shook his head, but there was still a smile creeping across his face. “You really never stop playing matchmaker, do you?”
Jester pouted. “It was just so sad, Fjord! When you told me that Molly was feeling lonely and used and he couldn’t stand the attention anymore, I had to do something! I’ve seen what happens when fame and love get mixed together, and I didn’t want Molly to end up that way! And then I thought, oh, I know somebody else who’s great and who also needs some company, and he’s totally not rich and famous, like the opposite, and it just clicked in my brain.”
Fjord chuckled, gave a nod. “You’re pretty selfless, Jes.”
She beamed, and laughed along. “I know, I know, I’m pretty great. I just can’t wait to see if anything happens tonight.”
“Do you really think anything will?” he asked. “I agree that they need to meet different people, but what makes you so sure they’ll work out? I mean, from what you said, they’re such different people. Molly’s…flamboyant, used to…fine living and rich company. Caleb’s reserved, lowkey, and I think he wears the same coat in every picture of him you’ve ever shown me. Molly might be a handful for that one. Especially if they lack…similarities.”
Jester giggled. “I don’t know about that,” she said softly. “I think they might have a bit more in common than you think.”
He shrugged, defeated by her romantic prowess. “If you say so, Jes. You’re the expert.”
She nodded, and under the table, poked Fjord’s leg with the tip of her shoe. “Oh, I definitely am, Oskar. Give it a week. They’ll be stuck together like glue.”
--------------------------------------
“Oh,” said Caleb, blinking and looking up, “the snow is starting.”
Molly considered the tiny white flakes now lazily spiraling down around them.
“So it is.”
Caleb glanced at Molly, and then at the doors to the restaurant, where warm light and distant chatter leaked out onto the balcony.
“Should we go inside?” he asked. “You must be quite cold.”
Molly shook his head, turned towards Caleb. Their faces stood inches apart. “Maybe in a minute,” he whispered. “I think I’m alright, for now.”
Caleb studied Molly’s eyes for a few more moments, and then nodded slowly. “I think I understand,” he murmured back. “Okay. A few more minutes.”
And, for a few more minutes they stayed, watching the snow fall together, from up on the rooftop, over the twinkling city skyline below.