Issues [Frollie]

Chapter 14

There weren’t many things that could make Frankie feel truly uncomfortable. She liked to think she was quite at ease in her own skin and that after dealing with fame, from both of the bands she’d been in; that she had become somewhat equipped to deal with awkward situations. However, no manner of training or management lectures could have prepared her for just how very uncomfortable she felt as she stood across from David, complete silence enveloping them both.

They were scheduled to have rehearsals later in the afternoon, so David had arrived early to take Mollie out for breakfast before they had to leave. Unfortunately, Mollie had still been in the shower when he arrived, and Frankie had unknowingly gone to open the door wearing very little, because she had expected one of the girls to be wandering into her flat and not her bandmate’s boyfriend. There had been a brief instant of averted gazes before she invited David inside with a quick promise to put on some more clothes.

Still, as the unbroken silence continued to stretch out in the living room, Frankie thought she would probably have traded that momentary discomfort for the prolonged social torment that she was experiencing now.

It was the first time that she had come face-to-face with the man since he had been so abruptly thrust back into Mollie’s life almost a week and a half ago, but that had not been an accident; it had been a result of complex effort and planning on Frankie’s part. She found that if she did not actually see him, she could then successfully indulge in complicated fantasies in which Mollie was simply taking a few hours to herself and not seeing her boyfriend. It helped that his name was so rarely brought up inside the walls of their flat, though that truly was a cheerful happenstance, and not by Frankie’s design. She might have been determined to ignore David, but Mollie was making it very easy for her.

It was the only thing Mollie was making easy for her. Of late, it was all Frankie could do to keep from falling apart every single time Mollie was within a metre of her - yet it seemed that her bandmate could find no other space to occupy. Her hands were constantly in Frankie’s hair or brushing against her fingers, her lips had found their way to Frankie’s neck on more than one occasion, and each time she so much as glanced in the younger girl’s direction, Mollie had the devastating ability to make the temperature of the entire room rise a few more degrees.

But, most importantly; sometimes, as those wicked blue eyes burned their way through her skull, Frankie could have sworn that Mollie was feeling the same exact same fire that she was.

“So how was Sarah?” David asked suddenly, voice casual, as if they had been in the middle of a conversation Frankie did not remember taking part in. She managed not to jump in surprise as she looked over, and she smiled at her. “I heard you guys had a great time at her house.”

“Yeah, it was great fun,” Frankie replied quickly. “Sarah seemed happy to see Mollie again, mostly, and I chatted to her for a bit. She’s doing well.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

He hesitated for a moment, and then they lapsed into silence again. David offered her an awkward smile, but he did not make another attempt to strike up a conversation. It was a blessing when Mollie finally emerged from the bathroom, even if Frankie knew it was only to disappear with her boyfriend. It was fortunate that she was dressed, because Frankie thought she might have just leapt out the window if she had to stand in the same room with both David and a semi-naked Mollie.