Run To Me

Final Answer

They walked back to the hotel, chatting, laughing, and occasionally stopping to kiss. Rome was living up to its reputation.

"I don't love you, Molly." He said as they crossed the courtyard to the front door. Her face dropped in shock, but only for a second as he grinned and swung her around in his arms. "I absolutely adore you, darling ."

"TOM! Dont DO that to me! I about had a heart....." she stopped suddenly, clamping her hand over her mouth and her eyes filling with tears. "Oh, Tom!" She burst into tears, and he immediately pulled her to his chest.

"Oh darling, shhhhh little one. It's ok. It's ok to cry. It will always be ok to cry. He was your life for so long." They stood in the moonlight, Molly weeping into Tom's arms as he held her tightly.

"I'm... I'm sorry, Tom. I shouldn't do this, I should be strong. But I don't feel strong...." she dissolved into tears again, her legs beginning to give way with the strength of her emotions. Tom scooped her up into his arms and carried her inside.

As he passed reception, they called over to him. "Is everything ok, Sir?"

Tom nodded. "Yes, thank you, just a little tired and emotional. It's been a rather trying few weeks, I think it's all catching up."

"If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate."

"Thank you, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Sir."

Going up in the lift, Molly calmed, and Tom kissed her head softly. "Better?"

"Yeah." She made no move to leave his arms, and he didn't let her go. "I'm sorry. It was so silly. It's just a turn of phrase." She felt safe and calm, held in his arms. If she could have stayed like that forever, it wouldn't have been too long.

As they walked along the corridor, she rested her head on is shoulder. By the time they got into the room, she'd fallen asleep.

"Molly?"

"Mmmmm."

"Molly darling, you need to get undressed, love."

"Mmmm." She didnt even open her eyes.

He smiled to himself and laid her gently on the bed. Carefully, he undressed her, she hardly stirred. All the sorrow, the nervous exhaustion, the pent-up feelings, and the sleepless nights coming home to roost. He undressed and slipped in beside her. With the sixth sense of someone craving their soulmate, she snuggled in, her little body cocooned in his arms once more.

"Goodnight kitten," he whispered, kissing her hair. She murmured something but didn't stir. Tom fell asleep soon after, his last wakeful thoughts about something she'd said.

She had something to do. He hoped he knew what it was.

When Tom woke the next morning, the bed was empty. He reached across to check and was worried to find it cold. His mind instantly snapped awake, his hand roaming the space she should have occupied.

"Im here, love." Her voice came from the small balcony that led from their bedroom.

Sitting up, rubbing his eyes, now he could see her - outside. Clad in the hotel robe, she sat at the small table in the dawn light. Her hair, still messy from sleep, was almost like a halo. His little angel. Well, most of the time. He smiled as he recalled their first night in Rome. Fallen angel, more like he smirked.

Now, as he got up and went to join her, he was concerned. "You're awake early, love?" He stooped and kissed her upturned lips, then sat opposite. "Something bothering you?"

She smiled and shook her head. "Not any more." She pushed a small pile of torn paper towards him. "Not any more."

For a moment, he looked at it, confused, and then it dawned on him. Picking up a small shred, he was able to make out handwriting and the phrase "My dearest James...." With wide but unjudgemental eyes, he looked back at her. "Is this? Did you read it before...?" He gestured to the remains.

"It is, and I did not." She gathered the homemade confetti and dropped it into an empty champagne bucket from the room. Then, amazingly, she produced a small lighter. Lighting a corner of one of the larger scraps, she dropped it into the bucket.

Within a minute or two, the letter was turned to ash. Being out on the balcony meant it had been a safe space, no fire alarms to trigger. Just to be sure, Molly cracked open one of the small water bottles provided by the hotel and poured it over the charred remains.

"I made it to 30-odd without them. Without knowing. I can continue that way. Whatever it said, if it was worth hearing, it should gave been face to face."

"They might have been scared love." Tom tried to be the voice of reason. He knew this was so hard for her, he just wanted to gently remind her that for all their many faults, her parents were only human.

"I don't care. I was scared my whole adult life. I only had my brother. Then you." She looked at him. "They destroyed his life. He gave up his career, for me. They owe me the courtesy of a face to face explanation. If I cant have that, I dont want anything else." There were no tears now. The time for tears was past. Now there was anger. And regret.

Anger at the parents who abandoned her, anger - irrational as it was - at James for leaving her. And a
regret at her own weakness. She needed to let go but couldn't. Not without closure. That, she thought would never come. Her parents could be dead too for all she knew.

To her, they'd been dead since she was 14 years old.

"Well darling, I'm proud of you for making a decision. A bold decision at that. As I said, all I ever wanted was for you to be ok." He smiled and held her hand.

"So" she swallowed and seemed to pull herself together, "what to do today?"

Tom smiled, impressed at her resolve, at her ability to keep going in the face of such turmoil. "I think we should spend the day buying cheap and tacky souvenirs, drinking espresso and eating pizza and pastries from the little food vans outside the Colosseum. Our flight isnt until nine, so we have until at least six pm before we have to head to the airport."

Molly grinned "sounds like an excellent idea. Come on, lets pack and get on the go. I don't want to miss a single minute. Life really is too short, isn't it?"

Tom nodded and stood as she went back inside. Watching her walk away, he could sense she was more at peace than before. What she'd done took bravery and determination. He wasn't sure he could have had that strength of will.

Unbeknown to them both, it was shortly to be tested in the most unlikely of circumstances.