Look East | A Hozier Fanfiction |

48

FOUR WEEKS LATER

END OF AUGUST, 2025

"Molly, you look fabulous," Caroline exclaimed, hugging her tightly. "And the baby! Oh, you're so lucky you've got one of those perfect round bumps," she added, touching Molly's stomach. The older woman moved to hug Andrew next. "You both look amazing. The hiatus is agreeing with you, I see," she remarked, looking up at him.

"Ehm, yeah. For the most part. Its been nice to really focus on preparing for the baby and all of that," he told her.

"We had one of those 3D ultrasounds done, you know the ones where you can see the face," Molly said, opening her clutch. "Its insane how detailed it is."

She showed Caroline the photo from the scan the day beforehand. The orange-tinted image showed an up-close image of the baby's face, tiny cheeks and all. Caroline exclaimed again as she looked at it.

"Oh, it has Andy's nose!" she laughed.

"I've already written the apology letter for it," Andy joked. "Fortunately, it seems like everything else is all Molly." He put an arm around Molly's bare shoulders and pulled her closer to his side.

"Are you guys still waiting until birth to find out the gender?" Caroline asked.

Molly nodded. "Its so hard to wait, but I want to be surprised."

"How far along are you, again?" the other woman asked.

"Twenty-eight weeks," Molly replied, rubbing her stomach.

"I just can't believe you're having a baby, Andy," Caroline smiled, patting his arm. "You'll always be that teenager in the talent show to me." The string quartet on the stage began another song and Caroline shifted her focus. "I've got to mingle. I'll see you later in the evening," she said, handing the photo back. "When Oscar arrives, come find me, alright?" she said over her shoulder as she walked away.

The ballroom at the Westin in Dublin was decorated elegantly, with round tables surrounding a dance floor and a raised stage on one end of the room. A string quartet currently occupied the stage as mood lighting softened the Georgian features of the room. The high ceiling featured decorated molded plaster and the crystal chandeliers reflected the light beautifully.

The room was filled with people circulating and chatting with one another. Everyone was wearing black tie suits and elegant evening gowns, carrying glasses of champagne that were being passed around by waitstaff in tuxedos.

"There you two are - holy shit, Mol. You look incredible," Oscar said, coming up to them through the crowd.

She'd gone with another form-fitting dress, enjoying the way it accentuated her curves. It was a black chiffon off-the-shoulder number she'd picked up from a small boutique in Grafton Street two weeks prior. It fluttered behind her and made her feel very feminine. She'd secured her hair up in a sleek bun, showing off her bare back where the neckline dipped down toward the middle of her spine. Andrew had asked how she kept the dress on when he saw her in their hotel suite earlier in the afternoon. She told him he'd find out later that evening.

For his part, Andrew was looking dashing and styling as well. He had on his standard black tie tuxedo with a crisp white button-down shirt and freshly-shone black dress shoes. He'd left his hair loose, but went through the effort of brushing it to make it look more controlled. He was performing an acoustic set later that evening with Alex as part of the fundraiser event, so she assumed that meant he'd lose the suit jacket at some point.