The touch completely took her by surprise, and the familiarity of it made something in her chest constrict in a strange, painful way. Shane looked down at Molly’s fingers, her own hand turning slowly as though she were going to hold it back, but then her ex pulled away.

Shane sat back and took her coffee cup with one hand, her other tracing a useless circle on the tabletop as she listened to Molly continue to talk about Jenny. “Yeah, you’re probably right.” There wasn’t any point in denying it. Yet here she was, obviously going against the wishes of her girlfriend, despite how deeply she actually did care for her. Shane didn’t want to hurt Jenny - she actually went to extraordinary lengths to avoid it. The way she saw it, not telling her about meeting Molly was just another way to do that.

"I'm sorry, I wasn't laughing at you, I was- Shane this is ridiculous.  You're talking to me about the weather."

Her hand instinctively went to Shane's arm.  This time Molly didn't pull it away.  "We're not these people.  The people that sit and make awkward small chat because the can't talk about anything else."  Her hand squeezed Shane's arm.  "We're just not.  Shane you can really talk to me."  

Shane had never been friends with exes, or flings, or whatever you would call them. All the friends she kept had remained friends. It was a sacred position to her. She valued her friends the way someone would value a family - crossing that boundary was treading on dangerous grounds. Jenny… while Shane couldn’t bring herself to consider Jenny to be a mistake, she knew that something had gone terribly wrong in their delicate and now unstable relationship.

"Me? No." Shane shook her head, smiling faintly, as if there would be no reason at all for Molly to assume she was hitting on girls here just as frequently as she had in LA. "Look, Molly…" She paused, then pressed her lips together and shook her head. "Nevermind. You look good. This city suits you, you know? I went to a few art galleries with Bette when I first got here. It… reminded me of you. Not the art galleries, just… you know, the environment." Intellectuals. New York City was less about glamour and sex than the celebrity-filled streets of Los Angeles. There were people here with real careers - people who changed the world. 

The topic of Jenny threw her off guard. Shane blinked, then gave a soft laugh and shook her head, her gaze shifting toward the large window. “Jenny doesn’t know I’m here.” She was a lot of things, but never a liar.

Her heart beat steadfast for her ex, no matter how long they were apart.  She hadn't bothered to look through the pages of her journal, she knew what they would say and it made her feel a little pathetic.  Shane had moved on, so why couldn't she?

"Well it's good to know you haven't changed."  Molly said with a knowing smirk.  She placed her hand on top of Shane's without a thought.  The feeling of her skin against Molly's cause her an excitement she hadn't felt in a very long time.  Just as quickly as she had placed her hand on top of Shane's, she removed it and continued talking.  "I'm sure Jenny wouldn't be thrilled you were here talking to me."  Molly had no reason to tip toe around Shane about Jenny.  She had never changed who she was before or censored herself in front of Shane, she wasn't going to start now.

Molly wanted to ask how Shane's little crazy girlfriend was doing, but she didn't want to upset Shane.  She had always been very protective of Jenny, even when it was a detriment to herself.  

Around 10:16, she arrived at the nondescript coffee shop, rubbing her hands together to thaw them out. She’d walked and it wasn’t exactly close. The weather in New York City was so different than LA that she wasn’t sure how to cope with it. The two cities were like night and day. It wasn’t the city that Shane would choose to live in, at least not permanently; there was a coldness here that was more than skin deep. 

She glanced around the small shop, but only took a few seconds before she saw Molly sitting at a nearby table. “Hey!” Shane grinned and sat across from her, leaning forward and with her elbows at the edge of the table. “Sorry, I didn’t know it’d take this long for me to walk here.” She thought better of mentioning Jenny. The conversation she had with Molly at the art gallery had been more than slightly awkward… but this time, she had her phone on silent. It sat shoved in her pocket, out of sight and out of mind. 

Laughing at Shane's comment about making friends, Molly eased herself into conversation with her ex.  It was like riding a bicycle or making love, she knew exactly how to do it without even thinking.  "Yeah, well I didn't ask for his number, though I may ask for the busty redheads number."  She quipped, winking at Shane.

What was she doing?  Shane had a girlfriend.  A psychotic, bimbo who was the spawn of hell, but still a girlfriend.  Molly was digging herself a hole and she knew it.  She was pushing the shovel in the ground, willingly, but she couldn't help herself.  Her fingers reached for her hair and she twisted it a little.  

"But knowing you, you've already got her number."  She joked, verbally nudging Shane.  Molly made jokes about Shane's past to make it seem like it didn't bother her, but they both knew it did.  Between Shane's past and Molly's mom, their relationship had failed.  But at least they could be friends.

"Coffee, yeah, umm… What are you doing later?"

It was forward, but Molly had never been one to try and hide what she wanted.  She wanted Shane to know that she was here, no matter what, even if it was just as friends.  Secretly Molly had the feeling that Jenny and Shane would implode, or at least she kind of hoped they would.  She should feel guilty or ashamed about that, but honestly she didn’t.  They weren’t good for each other-  Molly didn’t actually think Jenny was good for anyone.  Jenny just had too much shit to deal with of her own to be in a relationship.

“Yeah, tomorrow, sure.”  

She felt like she was being brushed aside, even though Shane was making an effort to meet up the very next day.  Molly reached in her pocket and pulled out her phone.  She knew she still had Shane’s number, but maybe she had changed it when she moved to New York.  

“My number is still the same… Is yours?”  She questioned while flicking through her contacts to Shane’s name.  

Molly let her hand drop after she checked Shane’s number against the one she had in her phone.  The street outside the gallery was bustling.  Molly let her eyes drift to the people outside, coming and going.  She didn’t want to look at Shane, to feel the sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that she had felt when Shane said she wanted to be friends.  Molly didn’t want to be friends, but if it was all she could have, she wanted at least that.

"Coffee, yeah, umm... What are you doing later?"

It was forward, but Molly had never been one to try and hide what she wanted.  She wanted Shane to know that she was here, no matter what, even if it was just as friends.  Secretly Molly had the feeling that Jenny and Shane would implode, or at least she kind of hoped they would.  She should feel guilty or ashamed about that, but honestly she didn't.  They weren't good for each other-  Molly didn't actually think Jenny was good for anyone.  Jenny just had too much shit to deal with of her own to be in a relationship.

"I really do like it here.  You know how much I hated driving in LA."  She laughed a little, allowing herself to ease into the back and forth they had had before.  Molly’s eyes skimmed over Shane’s face, stopping for a moment on her lips.  How she missed those lips, the tender way they had kissed her own.  She couldn’t help but stair at them, longingly.

The word ‘friends’ took Molly by surprise and she couldn’t help the words that spilled from her mouth.  

"So you’re still with Jenny then?"

"Yeah." She managed to laugh softly and relax, even though it was difficult to look at Molly and not remember the delicate words on that hidden letter - the one she was never meant to see. "Of course I remember. I drove us everywhere." Reminiscing about their relationship was more painful than it should have been, even though it had been six months since their last encounter. It had been similar with Carmen - but different. It was impossible to compare her exes. She’d been different. Now… she really wasn’t so sure who she was, what she was. Everything was wrapped up in Jenny.

When she planned her move, Molly convinced herself it had nothing to do with Shane.  She almost believed the lies she was telling herself, but now faced with the reality of Shane and Jenny's relationship, she couldn't keep lying to herself.  They weren't going to make things work, Shane was still in a relationship, she had move for nothing.  Molly was annoyed, but she tried to real it in.  It wasn't Shane's fault.  Shane hadn't know Molly was going to pick up her whole life and move across the country to work on things with someone who wasn't even responding to her text messages.  She felt like such a fool.  This was completely out of character for her, even though it was quite romantic.  At least Shane didn't have to know Molly's real reasons for moving.  

"I’m, well.  How are you?"  Molly looked down at her shoes, feeling an awkwardness that had never be there with Shane.  Things were different now, but she hoped they could return to where they had been before.

She had to stop herself from taking a step back when Molly brought up the texts. She’d gotten each and every one of them, nearly all while Jenny was still in the hospital, but hadn’t been in any condition to respond. The whole episode had been disconcerting and terrifying. Some of it she didn’t even remember. “I know, I’m sorry. It was… yeah. You’re right. It was crazy… what happened.” It was difficult to believe that Niki was capable of something so violent, and even though Shane hadn’t been there, she had been involved in the relationship and easily could have been the catalyst. It was hard not to blame herself.

Jenny still didn’t remember anything, so it was impossible to know exactly what happened. The only thing Shane clearly recalled was diving into the pool and pulling Jenny up under her arms, she’d been surprisingly light, and dragging her out onto the concrete. Bette had been there too. Everything else was a rush of activity that seemed to fly by and go in slow motion at the same time.

"I really do like it here.  You know how much I hated driving in LA."  She laughed a little, allowing herself to ease into the back and forth they had had before.  Molly's eyes skimmed over Shane's face, stopping for a moment on her lips.  How she missed those lips, the tender way they had kissed her own.  She couldn't help but stair at them, longingly.

The word 'friends' took Molly by surprise and she couldn't help the words that spilled from her mouth.  

"So you're still with Jenny then?"

Bette’s abrupt disappearance made her feel a surge of panic, but she didn’t outwardly show it. Instead, Shane awkwardly took her hands out of her pockets, rubbed her hands together again, and took a few steps closer so there wasn’t so much distance between them.

"I'm, well.  How are you?"  Molly looked down at her shoes, feeling an awkwardness that had never be there with Shane.  Things were different now, but she hoped they could return to where they had been before.

It was true that Bette hadn’t seen Shane as much as she could have since they arrived in the city. She felt surprised (but glad) to see her now, until she belatedly realized the tense situation it might create. Bette had heard about the awkward meeting between Molly and Shane after their break-up, which had seemed amiable enough (compared to Shane’s past indiscretions), but it was still a situation she wasn’t unprepared for. 

The words seemed to vibrate through the air towards Molly.  Her body tensed up, her fingers tightened into a fist at her sides.  She had never been afraid of seeing Shane until now, when she was presented with her.  Molly took in a deep breath and turned around.  Shane was standing in front of the doors, a look of disbelief on her face.  Neither seemed to know what to say.

Molly turned to talk to Bette, but she was already telling the two of them to talk, heading in the other direction.  It looked as if this meeting, something Molly had anticipated, even dreamt of was now happening, and she wasn't sure she wanted it to.  With a deep breath, knowing there was nothing she could do to change what was happening, Molly greeted Shane.

The call from Phyllis had been unexpected, but Bette was happy to promise Molly a position at the Lehmann Maupin Gallery. Although there wasn’t much more to it than menial errands, it would still be a prestigious job to match Molly’s acceptance into one of the country’s highest ranking law schools. From what Bette knew of Phyllis’ daughter, she was more than just a bright girl - she had been smart enough to step away from Shane before the relationship created irrevocable disaster.

These days, Bette thought as little as possible about Shane - because it also meant thinking about Jenny, a blight in her mind that would not, no matter how much she tried, completely disappear. It was sheer luck that Jenny had forgotten what she had thought she’d seen between Bette and Kelly (something that she still couldn’t understand, especially because that night had been entirely platonic in nature), but that didn’t mean her memory couldn’t inexplicably return. That last conversation they’d had on the balcony also seemed to have been mercifully forgotten.

At least for one of them. Every second was burned into Bette’s brain. She found herself exploding at Tina, Kit and even Angelica at the drop of a hat. Her naturally tightly wound nature was at its breaking point. Just two days before, she’d snapped and fired one of her best art movers for not properly measuring the space before maneuvering a brand new piece into the gallery. Her patience was waning. Her sanity was held by a finely strung cord that was slowly but steadily pulled tighter and tighter. For now, Bette explained her behavior to her partner as the natural stress of a new job and the mounting responsibilities of being a curator of such a distinguished collection with a formidable reputation, but she wasn’t sure how much longer Tina would excuse her erratic behavior. 

"Hey Bette," She said extending her hand to shake Bette's in a professional manner.  "I'm great.  It's been pretty exciting, moving to a new city and everything."  She pulled her hat off her head, a newly acquired piece to her wardrobe.  She hadn't needed anything like that in the LA sunshine.  "Thank you.  I never imagined I would be going to Columbia, but I love it so far.

Bette was friendly, which Molly was happy about, but her nature was mostly all business.  This was a side of Bette she had never seen before, but she expected from everything her mother had told her about her new boss.  

Late afternoon walks were one of Carmen’s new found pleasures. Lately, she had been rather stressed, and the recent run in with her ex had added to the stress level. So Carmen had gone out of her house, and taken a rather long walk. 

She was now seated on a bench in a park, drinking a rather disappointing cup of coffee. She had to work in a few hours, but she wished she had a job she could call off from. Carmen never wished for things like that. She loved her job. She loved being a DJ. She loved the fact that she was a permanent fixture in that club, that they wanted her to spin every night. Today, however, she was feeling rather tired out. Worn down. Who would have thought that such a brief encounter could bring her down so quickly? 

Carmen had called home, but hadn’t spoken of what had happened. She just called to hear her mother’s voice, to ask how everyone was. To say how much she missed her mother’s cooking. She listened to her mother ask her to come home, and said that maybe, she would someday. 

Molly had taken to exploring her new home, enjoying the time she had off from school.  Her breath rose into the air, a cloud of fog in the crisp, cold air.  The weather was different from LA, NYC actually had seasons.  She hadn't bought any gloves yet, so she nabbed a warm coffee from a cart before she made her way into the park.  The cup warmed her hands as she held it and Molly was thankful for that.  

She walked idly through the park, passing people who all new where they were headed.  Molly wished she knew where she was head, both on this walk and in life.  She couldn't even come to grips with why she was even in New York.  Her mother had thought she was silly for moving halfway across the country to law school, but mostly she was just thankful she had decided to go after all.  Her mom even called in a favor to get Molly a job at Bette's gallery.  Molly didn't know much about art but she was thankful for the job.

Lost in thought, Molly bumped into a guy who was in an obvious hurry.  Her coffee tumbled down the her front, hot against her clothing and the skin underneath, but quickly turning cold.  "Hey watch it!"  The guy yelled as he continued to walk.  He hadn't even stopped to see if she was okay. Molly looked around embarrassed, wondering if anyone had seen what happened.  Across the path she saw a girl watching from a bench.  She was very pretty and Molly walked over towards her, smiling, still embarrassed.  

Name: Molly Kroll

Sexuality: Bisexual

Status: Taken

Bio:

Molly Kroll is an educated, articulate and driven young woman. She has been pushed by her mother to be successful and has risen to the occasion with ease. When her mother, Phyllis, first came out as a lesbian, Molly was initially unsupportive. It wasn’t until she met Shane McCutcheon that she experienced her own attraction to the same sex. The two of them began a relationship, which was frowned open by Phyllis, who thought of Shane as not good enough for her daughter. Eventually, Shane pushed Molly away because she thought she deserved better. Molly delivered a letter for Shane, but it wasn’t received until it was too late. Molly is sweet, funny, and still coming into her own in regards to her sexuality. She has moved on, but still holds a candle for Shane.

Before Jenny’s accident, Molly received a voicemail from Shane about the letter Shane finally found in Jenny’s attic. Molly, believing there might be a chance at a new relationship, immediately dumped her current girlfriend - only to find out that Shane and Jenny never broke up.