The Gravity of Love (19 page)

Molly looked frightened out of her mind.
"Does Harrison know this?"

Marty laughed. "No. Or at least, I
seriously doubt it. Haven't you read any romance novels in the last decade?
It's the people in love who are the last people to know of each other's
feelings. But I think...I think you should give it a try, Molls."

Molly's jaw dropped. "You must be
crazy!"

"I don't believe I am. Though it is
possible you are. But in a different way."

Crazy in love, was what she meant.

Molly sighed, running her hand through her
curly hair. "You don't understand, Marty."

"You're right, I don't. You got the
love of your life right in front of you and you refuse to admit it to yourself
or him...or anyone!" Her best friend said from her spot on the sofa.

Shrugging, Molly began to pace across the
floor. "Red is half of me; half of my life, half of my soul. He's the
only guy I can stand talking to for hours on end and who I eat with my almost
every meal. The only one I share my deepest thoughts with since I first had
deep thoughts. He's inspiration and my support in everything I do. He
understands me and expands upon all my wildest dreams and constantly pushes me
to do more and better. He's who I run to when I'm hurt or something goes wrong.
Why would I try and mess with what's already so perfect? Why jinx my great
luck? And why add lover to that list?"

Marty shook her head in disbelief. "No
Molls, no! What you just said is the perfect reason why you should make him
your lover and probably even more!"

A tall frame filled the doorway then,
showing Harrison's arrival. He cocked an eyebrow, backing away slowly.

"Why are the two of you staring at me
like that?"

Molly threw a silencing glare at Marty to
make sure she wouldn't say just why they were. Then Molly focused her attention
back on Harrison.

"What brings you here, Harry?"

He tilted his head, studying her for a
moment. "You call me Harry a lot lately." He commented.

"Well...I supposed I'm just exercising
my privileges. I mean, when you're the only person who's allowed to call you
Harry, besides you're mother, you get an odd sensation that you just might be
special."

He chuckled and winked. "You know it!
So, can I take my special girl out on a weekend adventure tomorrow?"

"What do you mean, weekend
adventure?"

Harrison walked out of the apartment and
back in to the hallway. When he returned to the girls' sights, he was carrying two
fishing poles, his favorite fishing hat upon his shaggy curls that were trying
to escape. "Gee...I don't know. You have any ideas?"

Her mouth flew open in delight.
"Midnight fishing!" She squealed, running towards him and claiming
the fishing pole that she always used. She ran her finger along the scarlet
handle and emerald green spinner. "We haven't went fishing since the first
week I got here."

Harrison nodded. "Which is why we
should go now. I'll take you up to that lake we went to before. Middle of nowhere
with creeks and rivers and forests...remember how clear that yellow full moon
was last time?"

She bit her lip, her eyes beaming.
"Yeah, it was great."

"Good, so you're free tomorrow
night?"

She threw out her arms. "I'm always
free now."

"Well then, perfect! I'll pick you put
around five, okay? We'll get some food on the way, drive two hours, set up camp
and we'll be fishing."

"Sounds like fun." Molly assured.
Leaving the poles there, Harrison made a display of trying to tip his bucket
hat, then walked out.

Marty made a noise and Molly turned to her.
"Well, it looks like someone is taking a helping hand in all this break up
stuff."

"What, Harrison? No, he's just being
Harry."

"Yeah, and the last time you two did
anything like this was two years ago you said so yourself."

She shrugged. "Well, you know how busy
a principal like him can get." She said sarcastically with a laugh.

_______________________________________________________________________

With her stomach full from a quickie mart
ham sandwich and a full bag of chips that she had shared, Molly leaned back in
relaxation. Crickets chirped all around her, reminding her that this was how it
used to be how it should be. The lake's reflection shown the full, bright
moon as it rose steadily in the sky as the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band played on
their famous tune about fishing in the dark on the radio.

Harrison switched his pole to his other
hand and grabbed his cool beer, swinging his head back to gather a strong gulp.
When he put the long neck bottle back down, he looked over at her with a grin.
"Feels like the old days, huh?"

She nodded eagerly. Back in Vermont, they'd
do this near every night in summer. Just her, Harrison, and sometimes
Harrison's brother Aiden would tag along. Occasionally, they'd go full out and
Harrison would invite all his friends mostly guys and a few of their annoying
girlfriends and they'd all camp out through a three day weekend.

But it was just Molly and Harrison who would
come rain or shine and stay for days. Camping, making fires, hiking, fishing,
and cooking anything they caught. Harrison had learned when he was young how to
gut a fish, and he taught Molly well.

"But Vermont never was this warm in
winter." Molly commented.

"Yet that never stopped us. I bet
everyone you know would be shocked to learn your old camping habits. How you
and I survived on next to nothing when we did those week or two long camping
trips."

"Just to get away from the stress of
daily life and get back to the basics. Being in the middle of nowhere was never
so appealing."

"We should do this more often."

Molly didn't speak for a moment, playing
with the fishing line on her pole. "Harry...why did you bring me
here?" She finally asked, keeping her voice soft.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, you have a girlfriend. Why
didn't you take her?"

"Take Candy Grey, the famous model?
God no. She wouldn't last a minute out here. She's not made out of the tough
stuff like you are."

"But...you've never even suggested
going and doing anything like this for two years. And now out of the
blue...?"

"It's not out of the blue, Molls. I've
been wanting to do this for a long time. I've just been busy."

"So it has nothing to do with me
breaking up with Ephram? This is for you and I and old times...no pity party,
right?"

"Of course. Just you, me and old
times. And yeah...maybe a little...comforting to you. For recent happenings.
But it's nothing different from what you used to do for me.

Remember Susan Wrinkler?"

Molly grinned. "The girl who you loved
since you were nine. She broke your heart on your sixteenth birthday. We drove
out to Nowhere's Land and stayed until every last feeling for

Susan had drained from your system. It took
two and a half weeks." She recalled.

"Well, you're twenty-eight. You really
liked Ephram and he broke it off for another woman. So I'm repaying you for
Susan."

"Oh God, we're not staying here for a
week and a half, are we? Because it was fine when we were teens, but
now...?"

Harrison laughed. "No, not that long.
Just until you're okay."

"But I'm okay now. I never really
loved Ephram. I kept a space between us for this occasion so it would be
easier to break it off sooner or later. Really, I'm fine."

Just then, Harrison's pole gave a few tugs,
and he started reeling in his line. "Well, let's pretend you're not
because I'm having a pretty good time here and nowhere near ready to go
back."

"Ditto." She whispered softly,
watching a furiously flapping fish come out of the water.

_______________________________________________________________________

Monday came too soon. And with it, a fresh
batch of rumors, settled upon Molly and Harrison.

"Have you heard how much we're madly
in love with each other and how we're planning to run away and elope sometime
within the next two weeks?" Harrison asked at lunchtime, leaning against
the doorframe of the classroom.

Molly rolled her eyes as she looked up from
her pop quiz papers. "You mean we're not married already? Geez, these guys
give us too much credit." She teased.

"I know you got really upset over the
rumors last time. I thought I'd just stop by before making an
announcement."

But Molly just shook her head.
"No...it's okay. Just let them talk they'll get tired of it soon
enough."

His eyebrow perked up. "You mean you
don't mind?"

"No, not really. I just got a little
carried away last time. As long as Candice knows the truth, I see no real harm
done."

Harrison nodded slowly, thinking it over.
Or rather, thinking over her behavior. "Okay, that sounds fine with me.
But hey, you miss the wedding, I'm blaming our marital status on you."

She giggled. "I have papers to write,
Mr. I'm a strict principal. Get out so I can finish before my class comes
back."

He offered her a wink, then turned and left
her to her solitude.

_______________________________________________________________________

"What is with you lately? You hardly
ever talk and that's very weird for someone like you." Josiah said as he
watched Harrison pace before him. "You've been like this ever since you
came back from that fishing trip with Molly three weeks ago. Actually...I think
it was a little before that. And you're happier too. What the hell?"

Harrison chuckled, shaking his head.
"What the hell about me being happy?"

"Yeah. You're never
this...daydream."

"I don't know...really I don't. I just
think...I feel...like things are changing. Like it's a whole new beginning for
me. I don't know how to react half the time I'm so happy I disgust myself.
Other times I'm miserable and I want to pound something or someone in to a
pulp. I never visited a gym until two weeks ago, just so I could beat the hell
out of a punching bag."

Josiah looked at him with moonshaped eyes.
"Oh my God...what's wrong with you? What have you done to Harrison? I
know...Molly killed him on that fishing trip, right? She was so hurt by
Ephram's betrayal that she took her rage out on the real Harrison and buried
him with the fishes. You're just his clone that's covering for them. But what
you didn't expect is that I know my best friend better than anyone I can see
right through this disguise. You should be ashamed of yourself!"

Harrison groaned, plopping down on the sofa
hard enough to make it groan under the impact. He rubbed his forehead in
circular motions with his fingertips, his eyes closed. "I'm not a clone,
Joe."

Josiah faked a gasp. "Really? Great,
thanks for the confession now tell me what's up? What's been going on?"

"It's...it's..." Harrison growled
deep in this throat. "It's Molly, alright?"

"What about her?"

"She's...different."

"No, you're the one who's been
different Molly's been fine."

"You don't understand. Molly is the same.
She's acting like she always is. But she's different...to me. I see her
differently lately, and it's driving me out of my freaking mind."

Josiah was taken aback, staring at his
friend for a few minutes in comprehension before daring to talk. "Red...are
you...are you saying you're falling for Molly? Our Molly, the one I know? As
in, Molly Edwynn Radcliffe? That's Molly?"

Harrison gave a slight nod. "I think
so. God...I don't know. I have no clue. It's all so...weird. Sudden. Strange. I
never had any kind of feelings for Molly outside being her best friend. I've
always been very protective of her. I've always been fond of her. We've been
great and I've always had deep feelings for her. But never like this. Always
before it was more like a cross between a best friend and a sister. Now...now I
don't know."

Josiah still couldn't believe his ears.
Getting up from his chair, it was his turn to pace. "I can't believe what
I'm hearing here. Are you serious?"

"Try being a little sympathetic here,
Joe!" Harrison yelled.

"Since when did being in love need
sympathy?"

"Since it involves my Molly."

"Oh, you're already adding
possession?" Joe hinted, starting to enjoy his friend's pain.

"She's always been mine! That's beside
the point."

"Well what are you going to do? I mean
hello you already have a fabulous girlfriend. A cheerleading captain, super
model, gorgeous and adoring girlfriend. You can't seriously, in your right
mind, let that one go!"

Harrison stood up, stretching his back
muscles. "I'm not sure if I'm in my right mind, Joe. I'm not sure if I've
been in my right mind for weeks. It's a scary world, the way I've been looking
at it."

"Then you better start looking at it
differently and quick before you actually get carried away with this
idea."

"...I...I think I already did."

"Then I'll have to take away your
license and your job and check you in to a mental hospital."

"You think it's not possible to really
be in love with Molly in my sane mind?"

"No. I just think...you're going to
make things weird. You have to decide for yourself if it's worth the risks of
hurting and changing your friendship. It could make it better or it could kill
it. Molly's pretty damn unpredictable. Be sure of your new feelings for her
before you act upon anything."

Harrison nodded. "Maybe I'll just try
to make it stop. I'll ignore it. I never said I loved her I just said I have
weird feelings going on. They're probably not love at all. No, in fact, I know
they're not. It's not love. It's just a bit of infatuation. She's been really
sweet to me lately and since Ephram left, we've been spending a lot of time
together. I'm probably just confusing it with that, I'm sure."

Joe nodded, but he didn't really believe
it. "Yeah well, you sleep on it. And speaking of which, I have to get some
shut eye too it's getting late and I have work early tomorrow. We're starting
on constructing a new house on fifth avenue. The whole team's pretty excited
the blueprints are amazing. But I rather not drill a screwdriver through my
hand from being dizzy with sleep vision."

Harrison waved his hand in dismissal,
already heading back to his bedroom, his eyes weary and heavy from need of
sleep. It's not like he'd been getting much since Molly's breakup anyway.

_______________________________________________________________________

Harrison twisted and turned, his legs
getting caught up in the sheets.

It was a good dream he was having, despite
the sweat that was breaking out on his forehead. He was watching Candy Grey
cheerleading in a little white and red uniform, watching from the bleachers and
cheering her on. Running to greet her when the game she's cheering for is over.
She's an amazing treat for the eyes and he can't wait to have her in his arms.
But when he does, he's no longer holding Candice Greybill. Instead, he's
holding Molly. She's beautiful and attractive, even though her body isn't shown
off in a cheerleading outfit. Instead, it's covered in simple hiking gear
long sleeved baggy sweatshirt with backpack straps going down and across to
secure a heavy backpack. Normal fitting jeans that tucked in to heavy wool
socks inside big hiking boots complete her wardrobe. Her hair was back in
nothing but a simple, everyday pony tail, and yet she was still amazingly
attractive. Her smile is radiant, and only for him. And suddenly he's thinking,
"Candice who? What cheerleader? I don't have a girlfriend." But those
thoughts get replaced by more intense thoughts of the woman snuggling in his
arms, her face coming closer to his as he's leaning down. It's the first time
he's ever been in this position and he just realized it.

He never kissed Molly. Never like this.
Never with these feelings racing through his veins. But just before his lips
can reach hers, he wakes up with a start, finding himself now sitting straight up
in bed. He's panting, he's breathing so hard in his shock as slowly the
memories of what his mind had just conjured came back to him.

"My God..." He whispered in
disbelief.

His blood was still pumping fast, leftover
emotions still running their course from the dream.

His thoughts were running fast enough to
keep up with the rest of his body. Thoughts on the conversation he and Joe had
carried on earlier. Talk about love. About how it wasn't true, but oh, how
clearly it all seemed to him now. At this moment, could he deny for a moment
that he hadn't fallen for his best friend of twenty-five years? Could he deny
that the first time since it was made he recalled his pact of marrying Molly by
the time she reached thirty if she wasn't in a relationship? Could he deny the
screaming truth inside him?

No. He couldn't even try to. Or to begin
to. Because it was true. It was all true.

And it felt like somehow, he'd burst any
moment now if he didn't get it out. It was an overload and it all needed
somewhere to go before his body took over and his feet found

themselves running down the stairs and in
to Molly's apartment to proclaim what he found out. And that certainly couldn't
happen. Not for Harrison, it couldn't. Not for the man who's so desperately
afraid of ever actually loving someone. Actually genuinely caring for someone
on that level. That kind of commitment. Frankly, it always scared the hell out
of him. Not that he would let anyone else realize this, especially Molly, but
it was true.

He'd never actually loved a woman on such a
level. Admiration, yes. Attraction, hell yes. Love? No, not once. And on
purpose it was why he went through women as fast as he did

and to the great dismay of Molly. He
never got a chance to fall in love with them and that's how he liked it.

He never suspected Molly though.

His chest had that bursting feeling again.
His feet hit the floor but it took the coolness of the wood boards to make him
realize it and haul them back on to the mattress.

Taking a quick escape, he grabbed a pillow
and held it to his head, cushioning his face in to it as he screamed, "Oh
God, I think I love you!"

With that over with, he fell back on to the
bed and closed his eyes, though no longer able to sleep.

_______________________________________________________________________

"So...you're saying you seriously
would want Molly over Candice?" Josiah asked as if his friend had gone
completely mad.

Harrison opened his mouth to say something,
something seemingly wicked and vulgar from the gleam in his eye, but he stopped
himself.

"Joe...I've spent my whole life with
Molly. And last night I realized something so amazing...I realized that I
really love Molly. God, I think I've always loved her. I mean, I know I have in
some way or another, but I think deep inside, I always knew that we'd end up
together somehow. And right now it's all coming in so fast...these emotions are
such a rush. I really don't know what to do!"

Joe sat back, staring hard at his friend,
all serious now. "Well...if you're really sure that you're in love with
her, then you have to take the first step. You have to become single.

Personally, I see a wonderful, perfectly
able bodied woman with a hot resume. I don't know why you'd want to dump God's
gift to men, but hey, we differ from opinions a lot.

Just...do me a favor. When you dump Candy,
tell her there's a willing shoulder right here that loves to be cried on by
gorgeous women. Because I'm fortunate enough to have avoided falling in love so
far."

Harrison shot him a sharp look, then
slumped back in to the sofa and nodded. "Whatever."

"Wait...so you're really...really
going to do this?"

"Probably. Not right away. I think I
want to make sure that...you know...I'm not going through manly PMS or
something, you know? Just being super emotional and over thinking things. I'll
give it a bit, not let anyone know there's even a question in my mind about my
relationship with Molly and Candice. I'll ignore things and see after a week or
two how my thoughts stack up. I guess I'll go from there."

"Sounds good." Joe agreed.
"But I got to go. I still have a life, you know." With that, he stood
up, grabbed his coat and walked out the door, flashing a wry grin over his
shoulder at Harrison as he went.

_______________________________________________________________________

"Okay, I'm starting to get really
creeped out now." Marty whispered.

Molly laughed. "So it's not just
me?"

"Hell no."

Their gaze landed on Harrison, who was
staring at Molly in another world like gaze.

"Could it be possible that you put on perfume
that smells like delicious steak or something? Because that's how he's looking
at you, girl. Like he's a starving, pitiful dog that hasn't eaten in a few
months." Marty commented.

Molly laughed. "Shush, he is not.
Besides, he's probably just in a daydream and thinking of Candy Grey...or food.
The boy does have a big appetite."

"That he does, but I don't think it's
for food."

"Do you remember that this is Harrison
we're talking about? Harry. The man who's dating exmodel slash cheerleading
captain."

"The Harrison that you're in love with
too."

Molly's eyes widened as she looked at
Marty. "You have to stop saying that!"

Marty gave her a grin that said she knew a
secret, then walked over to Joe. "What's up with your friend today?"

Joe flashed her the same smile she had to
Molly. "I can't imagine what. But I sense something's going down that
neither of them wants us to know about."

"No. They don't want each other to
know. They don't want themselves to know! Those two are insane they'd rather
battle than have peace."

Joe smirked. "That's true. But these
things can never be ignored. Either there's going to be one hell of a fallout
or they're not going to be around us much longer."

Marty wrinkled her nose. "I didn't
think about that part. Once they're together they'll want to be together all
the time."