Lo Stesso Tempo (Sherlolly)

Chapter Three

Past

"Molly?"

"Hm?" Molly looked up, jolting as her eyes met bright blue ones.

"Can I walk with you?"

She nodded numbly, stunned by the way his eyes mirrored the sky that day. It was a rare day of warmth and sunshine and he looked absolutely perfect. He gave her a hesitant smile and fell into step beside her.

"Did you... Did you want something?" She asked. He shook his head.

"I knew this was where your dorm is so I thought I'd meet you here. You go to the cafe for coffee every morning. As do I." He shrugged. "You don't seem to mind my presence."

She smiled. Over the last few weeks, she'd gotten used to him. Meeting her for breakfast was a sure sign that she had earned the title of worthy acquaintance. He probably didn't consider her a friend yet.

Sherlock glanced sidelong at Molly. She had visibly brightened after getting over the shock of his request. No one had ever been happy to see him. He didn't know what to think of that. Molly wasn't like everyone else. She was tolerable and intelligent. He could talk to her about his interests and she never minded when he deduced her - as long as he found a kind way to put his deductions. She was more than an acquaintance but he wasn't sure if he'd call her a friend yet.

"How do you like it?" She asked as they entered the campus coffee shop.

"Black."

She nodded and took the money he handed her. He sat at his usual table. It was a little early for him but he had a bad night and felt that somehow Molly would cheer him up.

"When is the last time you smoked?"

He frowned and looked up as Molly sat across from him. She slid his coffee over and waited. He took a sip. "A few weeks. I've been trying to quit. How did you know?" He smirked, thinking she was trying to imitate him.

"You've been fidgeting and you don't do that. When we met, you smelled subtly of cigarettes. You don't anymore."

He nodded and sipped his coffee. They didn't talk. He was still trying to wake up and she was observant enough to realize this and leave him alone.

Every day for months on end, this continued. Sherlock would meet Molly outside of her dorm and walk with her to get coffee. She was glad to see him relax around her. The usually cold glint in his eyes and tense position of his shoulders disappeared when they were together. He smiled easier and spoke freely. Sometimes what he said hurt but she reminded herself that he was just like that and he didn't always mean it the way it sounded.

One particularly nice morning, she slid his coffee to him and waited for him to sip it. He did and paused. His eyes narrowed and rose to meet hers. She ducked her head and giggled. She'd slipped sugar into his coffee, just to see what he'd do. He swallowed it down anyway but gave her mock glares from time to time. She started doing this every now and then, enjoying the way he looked at her before drinking it anyway. After a while, he started asking for his coffee with two sugars.