losttheright | (no subject)

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It seemed like a good idea. That's how she presented the idea to Lee, anyway, when she first asked if he'd want to go with her to the annual holiday party for the mayor's staff and other City Hall employees. She'd have been going by herself otherwise, and though it's not really like she'd have had a problem with that, this way, she can introduce him to some of the people she knows, ones it might be useful for him to have met if he keeps moving forward with trying to get representation for people not from Darrow. Besides, she thinks a lot of them will want to meet the person who helped her try to keep everything afloat during the week and a half no one can account for, when just about everyone was gone, and God knows she could use some good company to get her through the night. She works day in and day out with these people, and she likes most of them well enough, but she really doesn't want to spend an entire fucking party doing her job.

So it's mutually beneficial, at least as far as she tell, and that's the important part. It isn't, however, why she puts so much effort into it, and neither is the prospect of being around her coworkers all night. They've seen her at her worst, so while she'd want to look nice regardless, she wouldn't necessarily see the need to go all out. Molly isn't entirely sure why she did, but she's glad for it. She's wearing something more revealing than she has in almost a fucking year and a half, and no matter how nerve-wracking that is, it's relieving, too, a step forward in its own right. For that alone, she's sure it'll be worth it, even if she's pretty sure that, heavy coat or not, she's going to freeze by the time she gets back to her building. At least, if the past couple months are any indication, she'll have a pretty damn good way of warming up again after. That is, if she can manage to keep a couple of her friends away from her plus one.

For now, keeping warm isn't a concern, anyway. It's warm enough inside, her hair falling in soft curls over her bare shoulders as she sips at a glass of champagne. The party will start winding down pretty soon, she thinks, but few have left yet, drinks are continuing to be served, and several people are still on the dance floor, and she isn't too eager to leave quite yet. The only thing she is in a hurry for is to get back to Lee, after having been dragged away for a work-related conversation far too serious for this setting. Making her way back to his side again, she smiles brightly. "Hi," she says. "Sorry about that. You weren't too bored without me, were you?"

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"Well, we could always take turns," Molly says with a shrug, shooting him a grin as she starts for the exit. There's a table on the way they can set their glasses down on, and other than that, the only thing she really needs to do is pick up her coat. Were she here on her own, she'd probably make the rounds once more, say goodnight to everyone, but she's not just going to wander off and leave Lee again, nor does she want to drag him around with her for something ultimately pointless. It's not like she's about to go on vacation or anything; she'll see everyone again on Monday. Now that they've decided to get out of here, she doesn't want to wait around any longer than she has to. "Probably be more fair that way."

She doesn't think they'll actually do it, but that's probably for the best. The only awkward and imposing question she can think of is one he's already been asked, and she wouldn't have done what she could to avoid that if she were ready to ask him as much herself.

He follows Molly when she starts to head toward the door, setting his empty glass down on a table as they pass. He needs to pick up his coat on the way out too, but that's only going to take a second. Though, he's noticed that one of Molly's coworkers who hasn't left the party yet keeps eyeing them like he might walk over and start up a conversation.

"Hang on, I'll grab our coats," Lee says, and heads off in the direction of the coat check, reaching into the pocket of his slacks to search for the claim ticket.

"Thanks," Molly says, smiling at him when he steps away towards the coat check. "I'll be right here." It's only a moment after he's gone that she opens her purse, fishing out her cell phone. It hasn't escaped her notice that there've been eyes on them, and she wants to avoid that conversation, too, if she can. Maybe it's a cheap way of doing so, looking at her phone and pretending she's reading something serious, but it's not like it needs to work for long, just enough time for Lee to get back with their coats so they can leave. All joking aside, there really have been enough awkward and imposing questions for one night.

He's already wearing his own coat when he finds Molly again, and holds hers out to help her slip it on.

"Anything important?" he asks, noticing her expression as she glances down at her phone. He was under the impression that just about everyone Molly works with was at the party tonight, so can't really imagine that it's something work related. At least, he hopes it's not anything that's going to keep her from heading back to High Gate Terrace.

"Oh, no, not at all," Molly says with a laugh, a little surprised. It's not something she'd really thought through, how it might seem when Lee got back, her looking at her phone like this, but at least it's something easily explained. She holds the phone out to show him the screen for a moment. "Solitaire. I just didn't want anyone to start talking to me about work again. We'd probably never get out of here that way, and then this'd probably be the last party you let me bring you to."

Slipping her phone back into her purse again, she shrugs into her coat, her expression warm as she glances over her shoulder at Lee. Were they anywhere else, she thinks she'd probably just turn and kiss him after she's gotten it on, but this isn't the place. It's not just another conversation about work she's trying to avoid, and they'll be on their own soon enough. "Thanks."

"So there are other parties?" Lee asks as they head toward the doors and then outside, and it's mostly a joke. Though, he doesn't mind the idea of it, and not just because being able to become acquainted with a lot of people involved in the government is nothing but helpful when it comes to wanting to establish something for people who have been forcibly relocated to the city. It's a plus, obviously, but being there with Molly isn't half bad either.

And maybe it's not just the ones with her work colleagues that Lee is interested in. He's seen something about a party on New Year's Eve, and hasn't been able to shake the idea of asking if Molly might want to go since he heard about it.

"I didn't know that there was a party agenda already."

"Oh, fuck me, it's cold," Molly blurts out with a laugh once they've stepped outside, bouncing a little in place as she shivers. It's not really as bad as all that — at least, it's not as bad as last year, when the city was perpetually covered in snow, and she's used to cold winters — but although her coat is a warm one, the tights she's worn under her dress don't really do anything for her legs. That she'd been expecting as much doesn't make any difference, either. At least it means they're in the clear, though. She meant it when she said she'd had a good time, but it's more than a little relieving to be heading back now, undeterred by any of her coworkers.

Looking over at Lee, she pulls a face, more teasing than actually apologetic for the interruption. "And I don't know, there might be other parties. But I like to keep my options open, just in case, and you're a pretty good plus one." She almost finishes the sentence with something else, but this way, it's actually true. Given what he's been asked tonight, she doubts it would be a good idea to joke about him being her date.

It's not far back to High Gate Terrace, only a couple of blocks, but he thinks that maybe he'll hail a cab anyway, if Molly's cold.

But first thing's first.

"So what are you doing New Year's Eve?" he asks, before he can think of a reason not to. But you're supposed to turn in and not cut and run, right? One of the first rules of combat. Lee thinks that maybe it applies a little too well here. "There's a thing happening at the ski lodge? I was wondering if you wanted to go."

He's not sure what kind of answer he's expecting. Maybe when he finally asked Molly something like this, it should have been an invitation to dinner. Gods, he hasn't done this in a long time, it seems. But the opportunity was right there and seemed too good to pass up.

Molly isn't expecting it, and it shows, her smile growing slightly surprised before she can do anything about it. It's not the first time tonight — or in the last few weeks, for that matter — she's had to tell herself not to read too far into anything, but it might be the most difficult. Him inviting her to a New Year's Eve party doesn't seem, at least, like her asking him to come to this with her tonight. Having his company was a big part of it, sure, but she'd been serious about wanting to introduce him to some of the people she works with. As far as she can tell, there's nothing else at hand here.

Once, there wouldn't have been a question in her mind about what a question like that meant, and it wouldn't have been a big deal. Now, she just really doesn't want to be wrong, and it's strangely intimidating, something she's pretty sure isn't purely because she's been out of the game, so to speak, for such a long time.

"Yeah, no, I don't have any other plans," she says. "And that... sounds really good, actually. I'd like that." For a moment, she just looks at him, expression softening, then tips her head back towards City Hall. "This isn't something any of my friends put you up to, is it?"

She tips her head toward City Hall and Lee glances back in that direction, realizing how frakked up his timing must seem, considering the conversation he had with her coworkers earlier in the evening. The truth is, he'd almost completely forgotten about that just as soon as they'd left the party. What Nick and and Gabi and whoever think about what he and Molly might or might not be doesn't really matter much.

"No, no, I... I just thought you might want to go," he says, "That's all."

"Okay," Molly says, nodding, and there's not a doubt in her mind that he's telling the truth. Her judgment has historically not been the greatest when it comes to this sort of thing, but still, she really doesn't think Lee would do that. Even if he had gotten the idea from being asked if he's her boyfriend, it probably wouldn't have mattered all that much, anyway. Mostly, she'd just wanted to know if he came up with the idea on his own or if he'd been nudged in this direction by people who'd been told that this wasn't anything like that, though now that he's answered, she prefers this by far. "In that case, I would, yeah. I... Definitely."

Edited 2014-12-25 19:45 (UTC)

It's been on his mind for a while, but maybe it had been the conversation with Molly's coworkers that had prompted him to get the frak on with it. But the idea hadn't come from them alone, not by a long shot. He and Molly have been... well, they've been something for a while now, and it's probably past time for them to actually figure out what that is.

"Okay. Great," Lee says, and he's fighting back a smile.

For a moment, all Molly can really do is smile in turn, warm, if a little sheepish. Maybe it should have been, she's not sure now, but this isn't something she had expected, and though there's plenty left it leaves her to wonder about, she's not too concerned with that just yet. Later she can ask him if he intends for this to be a date, or what it means in the context of what her stupid friends asked him a little while ago. All of that matters less than how pleased she is about this turn of events, a fact that's a little surprising in its own right.

She thinks about leaning in to kiss him, just about starts to do so, shifting her weight to her toes. They're still standing in front of City Hall, though, and it's still fucking cold, and the sooner they do something about both of those things, the better. "Come on, we should get going," she says. "Otherwise I'll freeze out here, which might get in the way of being able to go to that party."

Edited 2015-01-03 18:54 (UTC)

"Good idea," Lee replies, and without thinking, he does lean in ti press a kiss to her cheek. Maybe it's not the best idea, considering that they're still in front of City Hall, and considering Molly's coworkers were giving her a hard time even without seeing something like that, but it'd hard to resist.

"Think it's too cold to walk it? I could try to get a cab."

Though they might end up waiting longer for a cab than it'll take to walk the couple of blocks to High Gate Terrace.

"Might be worth a shot," Molly says, and steals a brief glance over her shoulder towards the door to make sure no one she knows is leaving the party just yet. It's not like, whatever any of this means, it really ought to matter all that much if anyone sees them, but having it commented on isn't something she wants to deal with yet, given that it already has been tonight. Secrecy isn't the point, she thinks, so much as wanting to get this right, to not have anything or anyone else interfere. The coast is clear, though, and so, curling her hands in the front of his coat, she gives in and pulls him closer to kiss, albeit briefly. "Maybe we see if we can get one quickly? If we have to wait too long, it won't be worth it."

Granted, she's not thrilled about the idea of walking back to their building in high heels, but she'd still rather that than wait around for ages for a cab to take them only a few blocks.

"Okay," Lee says, and manages to pull away, in the moment, even if he'd rather not, "Just... hold on a minute."

He leaves Molly where she stands to take a few steps closer to the curb where he potentially can be seen by a passing cab. Sometimes, it strikes him just how strange it is to do something so normal on a night like this, and just how long it's been since he flagged down a cab. If he were by himself, Lee might have just walked the few blocks back to his apartment, but he doesn't think Molly particularly wants to walk in the cold.

Fortunately, it's not long before one stops— the driver's probably aware that there's a party happening at City Hall tonight— and Lee waves Molly over as he opens the door.

It's admittedly a bit of a relief when it doesn't take long for a cab to pull up in front of the building. Molly feels a little ridiculous for it, when she walks to and from work every day, but it's different when she's wearing high heels and a dress this short. What's usually an easy trip of just a few blocks would be a lot more difficult this way, and she would rather avoid getting back to their building shivering and with sore feet if she can help it. For once, her plans don't include jumping Lee as soon as she possibly can — there's something she has to do first — but it would still be needlessly annoying.

Hurrying to the curb, she shoots Lee a grin when she's reached him. "Thanks," she says, then slides into the backseat of the cab, telling the driver where they're headed as she reaches into her purse for her wallet. Since she's the one more in need of a ride, she thinks it's only right that she cover it, and a couple of blocks should cost hardly anything anyway.

Lee slides into the back seat next to her, shutting the door behind him, and it's not but another moment before they're off.

"And so begins the shortest cab ride in Darrow history," Lee leans over to say, quietly in Molly's ear. It's not that he thinks the cab driver's going to have a problem with it, though. A fare's a fare, even if could probably be spending his time right now ferrying someone who'll end up giving him a little more money.

Molly has to bite her lip to hold back a laugh at that, though she's not so sure she really needs to. They'll be out of here in a matter of moments, and she's not so concerned with what the driver thinks of their taking a cab just to go a few blocks. There's no way they're the first people to wind up in a situation like this, and they're still paying like anybody else would. If he does think it's ridiculous of the two of them, it doesn't really matter to her. Either way, they have a ride.

"Mm, probably for the best," she replies, just as quiet in turn. "Otherwise..." Hand on his arm, she closes the distance between them, kissing him the way she couldn't when they were outside City Hall. It's still relatively short-lived, mostly because they'll be outside their building before very long at all, but it's more intent, not just a moment's whim. "There'd be a lot more of this happening." She grins. "God, I've been wanting to do that all night."

"In the future, my vote is frak what your coworkers think. For the record," Lee replies, and doesn't move to put any distance between them again after they've parted. He leans in to kiss her again, in fact, even though the cab is already beginning to come to a stop in front of their apartment building.

He understands Molly's reservations when it comes to being open about whatever it is the two of them are doing here, but after having to hide and sneak around because of military protocol or other factors in the past, for once, he's glad to start something without feeling like he has to keep it a secret.

"Mm, good to know. For those future parties," Molly replies, keeping close for a moment, smiling against his mouth. She doesn't add that, though they certainly played a part, it wasn't just because of her coworkers that she hadn't wanted to do anything like this at the party. While she's had a few more typical relationships, the majority of her experience has been with guys who were either married or wanted things kept quiet for other reasons, and she wasn't going to assume that, just because they've been sleeping together regularly, he would've wanted anyone else to be aware of something going on between them. Hell, until tonight, she hadn't really been sure that he was interested in anything other than what they've been doing.

That being the case, it feels surprisingly good to hear him say something like that, enough that she nearly kisses him again for it. The cab driver clears his throat, though, and she reluctantly pulls away, paying the driver, a nice tip included, once he's given the total. "Come on," she says to Lee, sticking her wallet back in her purse. "Let's get inside."

"You know, I would have paid for that," Lee tells her, once they're both out of the cab and he's holding the door to High Gate Terrace open for her.

He knows that he's not exactly rolling in the cubits, in Darrow. Molly's job pays a hell of a lot more than his non-job at the public defender's office, and it's going to be a year or two before he's actually able to find any kind of employment. He would have offered though, either way. Especially because their cab ride of just a few blocks isn't about to bankrupt him.

"It's fine," Molly says with a shrug, instinctively shooting him a grin as she steps past him into the building, glancing over as she makes her way towards the elevator. "I'm the one who really needed a ride. Those few blocks in these shoes would not have been fun." As it is, she's looking forward to getting out of them anyway — among other things, though the rest of what she's wearing is slightly lower priority. Pressing the button for the elevator, she tugs at his tie after turning to face him, standing close, like now that he's effectively told her it's alright, there's nothing to stop her. "You can get the next one."

"Right. The next time we go to a party at City Hall, the cab's on me," Lee jokes, though they both know it's not really a regular occurrence. He'd go again, if she asked, but he doesn't think there'll be anything like tonight any time soon.

Molly's pulled his tie and moved in closer to him, and even though the elevator will probably make its way to the main floor pretty quickly, Lee figures he has enough time to spare to close the distance between the two of them to kiss her again.

"So what holiday comes next?" he asks her after a moment, once he's pulled away.

"Uh, I think after New Year's, it's... Shit, Mardi Gras, maybe?" Molly replies with a laugh, nose wrinkling a little as she leans into him, grateful that the lie comes easily, that she doesn't have to stop and give it too much thought. She doesn't actually know what day Mardi Gras falls on this year, but she thinks it's pretty safe to guess that Valentine's Day is before it, and there's no way in hell she's mentioning that. Given everything that's happened tonight, between her coworkers questioning him and Lee inviting her to that party, it would be way too weird once she started to explain it, and almost certainly give him the wrong idea about what her expectations are here, even if all she'd have been doing is answering a question. This works better for now.

Behind her, the elevator bell dings and the doors slide open, and she steps backwards into it, pulling Lee along with her as she does. "Why, are you planning ahead already?"