We walk back into the kitchen and the scent of fresh coffee wafts through the air. I check the time on my phone and it’s nearly two in the morning now. Molly and Joel are hugging, their bodies pressed tightly together.
Alex’s eyes widen in surprise as she takes in the scene before us. Fintan and I exchange a look, equally shocked by the sight. I didn’t expect Molly to reconcile with Joel so quickly, especially after her breakdown this morning.
“What’s going on here?” Alex asks, her voice laced with a unique surprised curiosity.
Molly pulls away from Joel, her face flushed with emotion. “We talked things over while you three left us out here and decided we want to give it another shot,” she explains, her voice trembling slightly as she smiles.
Joel wraps an arm around her waist, pulling her close. “Yeah, I still have feelings for Molly and don’t want to let her go. Not for Hush or anything else,” he adds, his eyes locked on the side of Molly’s face.
Fintan breaks the silence first. “Well, I guess that’s good news then,” he says, trying to sound genuine but failing miserably. I know that he couldn’t care less about the state of their relationship. He isn’t Joel’s biggest fan and honestly, neither am I.
Joel places a kiss on Molly’s cheek, and she moves her head to the side with a heated glare. “Oh, not so fast. You really hurtme, and I am not about to make this easy for you. It’s gonna take more than a few flattering words and kisses to make me trust you again, so I suggest you start groveling, pretty boy.”
The three of us snigger at Molly’s words and damn, I wish I had a camera. The look of defeat and surprise on Joel’s face, is absolutely priceless.
“Wow, you go, M!” Alex laughs and my heart warms at the sight of the first genuine smile I have seen on her beautiful face in what feels like ages.
“Okay, enough of this,” Joel barks, his face flushed with embarrassment. “What did you three come up with in there?”
The three of us chuckle again before Alex clears her throat and begins to explain the plan we made in her bedroom but she doesn’t mention the content we already have.
Well, not in so many words.
I can see the concern and confusion on Molly and Joel’s faces. They look at each other, unsure of what to make of this insane idea.
“You’re joking. I’m not letting you do that, Alex. Have you fucking lost your mind?” his voice raised in disbelief and frustration. “Why would you even consider something like this?”
Molly tries to calm him down, placing a hand on his arm. “I think we need to hear them out,” she says softly, her eyes locked on Alex’s face.
Wait, does Molly know what Alex did? Does she know that her best friend locked us in her basement and exacted her revenge?
Molly leaves his side when he takes a few breaths in an attempt to calm himself while staring daggers at me and Fintan.
“You need this, don’t you?” Molly asks in a low tone, laced with concern as she steps toward Alex. “I do. We are in this together,” Alex says, gesturing to us. “I’m not letting them do this without me.”
Fintan steps in, adding his own perspective. “We’re not doing anything we haven’t done before,” he says, in his signature smug tone. “Jesus, Fin. Read the room,” I growl at him as I shake my head at his words.
Joel still looks pissed, but he seems to be coming around now that Molly has spoken up in support of our decision to do this. I can see the wheels turning in his head as he tries to process.
Joel speaks up again. “Alright,” he says softly, his voice still tinged with uncertainty. “But you have to promise me that you won’t let this get out of hand and you two better not harm her in any way.”
Molly looks at Joel with relief and affection as he finally seems to accept the plan. She places a gentle kiss on his cheek before turning back to us with a small smile on her face.
“Alright then,” I say.
“Let’s make some money and take these bastards down!” Fintan finishes my thought with a diabolical smirk.
Molly and I bustle around the kitchen, making more coffee as everyone sits in the living room, trying to ease the last bit of tension that still lingers in the air. It’s after three in the morning now, and we’re all feeling the weight of the decisions we’ve made.
As I help Molly take the cups over to the coffee table, I can’t help but feel a sense of relief washing over me. We’re all here together, united in our goal to take down Hush in our own ways.
“I just want to say that I’m proud of you,” Molly says, looking at the three of us, her voice trembling slightly as we all sip our coffee. “You’re doing something really important here. It’s fucked up on so many levels but I think you are doing the right thing by doing this to take them down.”
The three of us smile at her and I feel grateful to have her support even though I know she despises the idea of us making content together.
After more small talk and going over the plan for what feels like the hundredth time, Molly and Joel prepare to leave and I can see the uncertainty still lingering in their eyes.
“Stop worrying. I’ll be fine, I promise,” I say as I give them both a reassuring smile. They return the expressions and say their goodbyes before I walk them out to their cars.
