The Gravity of Love

by Thomas, Anne

  He chuckled softly. "No, it's not old, Molls. Better not be, I'm single and I am already twenty-nine. Why? Are you thinking of moving the pact or something?"

  She laughed at him. "The pact? God no. I don't even think of the pact. It's not serious or anything. It's not like we're really going to marry out of desperation. I mean, maybe if we were fifty or something but no."

  Harrison looked away. "Yeah, whatever. It was a stupid idea. I mean, we were thirteen. What did we know how we'd turn out?"

  Molly stared at him. He was acting different. Like everything she said affected him in a different way than she had intended. Why didn't he laugh and really agree?

  "I think it's time for me to head home. I'll see you tomorrow, Harry." She said, walking over and kissing him on the forehead before going out.

  He didn't move or say a word. Just sat there, staring straight ahead.

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  When Molly looked out her window the next morning to close the shades and go back to sleep, she noticed a single figure standing in the snow. Squinting harder, she noticed it was Harrison. He wasn't doing anything, just standing. Staring straight ahead. In the freezing cold.

  Enticed enough to know she wouldn't get any more sleep, she slipped on her boots, grabbed her coat and ran out to him.

  "Harrison, what in the world are you doing out here?" She asked, already bitter cold.

  A slow smile appeared on his lips. His eyes seemed to be glazed over with memory. Slowly, he raised a hand and pointed ahead of him. "Remember the good days, Molls? When we had no responsibility and we spent all our days in there?"

  She followed his gesture and saw the old barn that was falling down. Her father had fixed it up for them when they were eight so they'd have a place to play instead of getting in trouble all the time. The top layer was transformed in to a game room. Just for them.

  "It looks so sad. It used to be quite beautiful."

  Harrison nodded. "It looked like that before we left. We let it get that way. There was no one to play in it anymore so it didn't really matter."

  She looked at him, her thoughts flowing. "Maybe we should try to fix it up. I mean, one day at least one of us is bound to have kids. And they're going to want to see their grandparents and where their mom or dad spent all their childhood days at."

  He looked at her in surprise. "You want to try to fix it up? Really?"

  "What else do we have to do with our time? We have a week to go. We could spend all day in there working. It'll at least be some improvement."

  He grinned, the first real look of joy that crossed his face since they had started fighting about Candy Grey. Or perhaps longer. It made her want to fix up the old place even more.

  "Lets get started now. The dance isn't until eight tonight and it's only seven in the morning. We can hurry to the nearest Home Improvement store, pick up whatever we need...my dad still has tools in his old shed, I'm sure."

  And so it was what they did. They started resurrecting their childhood on Christmas Day, before anyone was awake.

  "Thank God for lazy families." Harrison laughed at the thought as he climbed in to the truck he had rented.

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  The barn wasn't as bad as it looked, though half of the floorboards needed to be replaced and a side of the wall that had wind damage to it needed better wood supporting it.

  Before the dance, they managed replace the wall and rip up the floor boards. It would be a long seven days of work, since everything needed repainting and better decoration. But no time for that now. It was seven thirty and all needed to be dressed and on their way to the place that was holding the dance.

  Aiden's jaw dropped when Molly emerged from her room and walked down the stairs in a powder blue sleeveless dress that flowed to her ankles. Her wavy hair tumbled down her shoulders and her back, looking magnificent. Her silver high heeled shoes made her as tall as he was and matched her silver necklace with the heart shaped diamond at the end.

  Harrison's necklace.

  "You still have Harrison's heart, I see." Aiden stated with a wicked grin.

  Molly rolled her eyes and kissed his cheek. "Do I really look as terrible as I think I do? I really don't want to go through with this. Maybe if I said something was happening to Marty or something..."

  "Nonsense you look terrific and you're staying. What would Harrison say if you left?"

  "I'd take him with me."

  "But he spent the last hour getting ready for this. He never spent an hour getting himself dressed for anything. This must be special for him, or he's trying to make it special for you."

  Molly smiled at the thought. "Then I guess I'm really going through with it, huh?"

  Her mother came walking in, looking at her up and down to see if she was dressed properly, then handed her a cream colored silk shawl. "We must get going. Aiden, is Harrison and your mother ready?" She asked, fixing his tie and straightening his black jacket. She also looked distainfully at the distressed jeans he wore with holes at the knees and the worn out concert shirt under his jacket. Molly thought it looked quite handsome on him, especially with his gold blond hair done up in short little spikes, but her mother had a very different opinion. "Hopefully they're dressed a little nicer?"

  Before he could reply, the door swung open, revealing a sight that Molly never saw. Harrison was dressed in a complete dress suit, his hair smoothed down and combed carefully, his shoes buffed and polished. He was even wearing silver cufflinks and a silver ring on his middle finger. Molly may not have recognized the handsome man before her, but she did know the ring. It was his part of a friendship ring that she used to make him wear back in high school. Sterling silver with the word forever engraved on the inside.

  She laughed as she entwined her fingers in his, studying the ring. "I can't believe you still have this, let alone are wearing it." She whispered, spinning it around his finger.

  "Why? Don't you still have yours?" He asked, surveying her with intense eyes.

  "Of course I do!" She replied with a kiss to his jaw. Even in heels she was no match for his height.

  His mother was in a burgundy three piece that looked quite classy on her, though was in quite a contrast with her own mother that was in a gold colored dress. Beautiful, but definitely not for her.

  Ushered out the door, they were all hurried in to the awaiting cars that took them in a hurry to the dance.

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  Chapter 11 Is the One thing You Can't see

  The ballroom was huge. Huge. And it was packed with hundreds of people. Molly immediately slipped her hand in to Harrison's.

  "Protect me." She whispered, clinging fast.

  He broke them away from the rest of the family and made towards the food tables. "Just stay with me and far away from your mother. Maybe stick towards the bathrooms and the dark corners. Don't worry, this party shall only go on for a good five hours or so." He smirked.

  "Five hours in hell."

  "No, don't worry. It's Christmas. At some point you'll warm up and have fun. Hopefully."

  Harrison sure was in the teasing mood and Molly found herself wondering what it would be like if Marty was here. She sure did miss her friend dearly, but as long as Harrison was by her side, she'd survive.

  After they had downed a few finger sandwiches and three cups of soda, they moved away from the tables. Harrison drew Molly on to the dance floor. "Will you dance with me,

  Radcliffe?" He asked with a charming smile.

  "I suppose there are worse things than dancing with my handsome boss."

  He shook his head. "We're on vacation. This week I'm not your boss."

  "So it's okay to hit and slap you?" She asked with a hopeful grin.

  "Not here. I spent way too much time getting ready for this to have it messed up from one of your temper tantrums."


  "So I've heard." She said, putting her hand on his shoulder as he placed one on her hip.

  She looked away as heat flowed to the place where his hand was. It felt strange, dancing with Harrison so closely. Thoughts of what Marty had told her came rushing back, making her almost dizzy at their speed.

  "What are you thinking about?" His mouth was right next to her ear from the loudness of where they danced.

  Her cheeks grew red. "Nothing. Nothing at all."

  Apparently something was happening on Harrison's side too, for when the dance was over, he seemed to disappear in the crowd, forgetting all about his promise to stay with her.

  Her mother was soon by her side. "Come darling, I have a few people who want to meet you." By people, she meant men.

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  Hour two in to the dance and Harrison was growing more miserable by the minute. Second, really. He already felt guilty enough for leaving Molly. After all, he had promised to stay with her. But on his defense, he really couldn't help it. Was it his fault that his heart started to race at an inhuman rate when he held her in his arms? That his blood started to heat to a boil when he stared in her eyes? Certainly it wasn't his fault that he was more than just attracted to this woman. That he still felt the same way he did that night he dreamed of kissing her instead of any silly cheerleader captain model woman. He wanted Molly. He's always wanted only Molly. And now he was being forced to come to terms with that again. And he couldn't deal with it. Not now, not here. Not when it was clear her mother wasn't going to approve of him. Why else was she trying to get Molly with all these other men? And there was loads of men. He might not be with Molly, but that didn't mean he wasn't watching her. Stalking her. And checking out everyone she danced with to make sure they weren't her type. Why, he wasn't sure. After all, if she was with someone, maybe his insane feelings with calm down and stop trying to ruin his life. Although, he knew somewhere deep down that he was deeply in love with her while she dated Ephram, and her dating was the sole misery of his life for months. No, her dating wouldn't solve anything. And him dating another distraction wasn't going to do it either. The only cure to make him stop going mental whenever he was around her was to deal with it. Own up.

  Shame he knew he couldn't do that. Not with Molly. Not the woman who knew his track record. He really screwed this one up.

  On top of that, he had met up with a bunch of his old friends. The thrillseekers. None of these guys had a sick brother to keep them back from doing what they were destined to do. His once best friend James had done his lifelong dream to go to Queenstown, New Zealand and go bungee jumping off of one of the tallest cliffs possible. He hiked throughout the South Island's mountains that took him months to get through.

  Jerry Longbred had moved to Colorado and became one of the chiefs for Search and Rescue. Ben Lawrence had gone with him and became his partner.

  Four others did things just as magnificent. They set out to fulfill their wildest dreams and made it happen. Harrison was the only one who never made it. He went in to the military, then settled in to the role of a principal.

  To sum it up, his romance life was zero, he was deeply in love with his best friend who despised him for his track record with other women, and his life was going nowhere and all his dreams were dead. Wonderful thoughts for a cheery Christmas, for sure.

  His very soul was starting to tear apart just when a gathered gasp rippled through the crowds. A scream. A few people rushing. Fear instantly gripped him as he stood on a chair to see what was the matter. That was how he saw his mother with her eyes wide in fright. Aiden?

  Harrison jumped off the chair and pushed through the crowds until he found a few men picking up his little brother from the floor, his eyes fluttering open and closed. His mother was frantic on the cell phone.

  Molly broke through the crowd and ran to Aiden, running her hand through his hair and a few men worked on moving him. She mumbled soft, comforting words that he couldn't hear but knew the protocol with her.

  It was there, watching his brother have another attack, a relapse, that his heart was stabbed with fierce guilt. Only moments ago he was secretly regretting giving up his adventurous life for taking care of a brother who would eventually recover anyway. Now he stood and watched his brother grow pale. Sure, he'd be fine this time too, these things just seemed to happen with Aiden from time to time. But that was besides the point. Harrison felt like he had almost wished this to happen while regretting his past decisions.

  And that added to the list of why his life really sucked.

  Making his way through the crowds again, he headed towards a set of stairs. After about half way up, he sat down, leaning his face in to his raised knees. At that moment, nothing seemed right in Harrison's world.

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  Molly finally found her friend a half hour later. He was still sitting upon the steps in a similar position that he'd been in from the start.

  "Hey Harry." She said softly, sitting beside him and putting her hand on his back. "I just got a phone call from Mom. She said Aiden's going to be just fine. It was just a little too much excitement for his heart."

  He nodded, still not showing his face. "That's good."

  "Yeah...but how are you?"

  He let out a low groan in reply, but nothing else.

  She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and pulled him away from his position so that his head laid on his shoulder. His eyes were red and watery. "Oh geez, Harry, what's wrong? Come on, tell me."

  He let out another groan, wiping at his eyes with the edges of his sleeve. "Nothing, I'm just being a baby. No, I'm just being selfish."

  "Selfish? How?"

  He told her what he was thinking of, leaving out the part about her. "My life is meaningless. I became nothing that I actually started out to be. And then Aiden..."

  She laid her head against his. "I know how you feel." She whispered. And she did, he knew. She had given up everything to care for her father. She lost her place in one of the top Ivy League schools. Never got her dream career. And she got stuck working for him.

  "I think I might pity you more than me." He said with a waning smile.

  She laughed, pressing a kiss against the top of his head. "These are things you and I have to figure out. But not this day. Today, we dance! Come, I've seen that you still haven't danced with anyone since I left you. You've just surrounded yourself with all men. Men who got you in a depressing mood. So what do you say? Wanna dance with a girl now?"

  He shrugged. "I don't know, do you?"

  She laughed, taking a clean tissue from her little purse and wiping it against his cheeks. "Yes, yes I do. Come on. Let's have fun for the rest of Christmas. After we're done here we'll check out Aiden, then head back to work on the barn. I won't be sleeping tonight anyway and either will you."

  He nodded, standing up with her. "Sounds like a good plan." He said, looking at her warmly and knowing that this was just one of the reasons why he so loved her.

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  When Molly checked her cell phone that night, she saw that she had missed three calls from Marty. Quickly getting out of her dress, she jumped in to her pajamas and sprawled out on her bed, flipping her phone open and dialing Marty's number. As it rang, she quickly calculated what time it was for her. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was two in the morning here.

  "Molls? That really you?"

  Molly smiled. No, eleven o'clock was never too late for Marty to pick up her phone. "I haven't been gone forever!"

  "No, but it does seem like it. So tell me, how is everything going?"

  "Pretty good. I mean...well, they've been okay. I just returned from a dance my mother threw in my honor to get me a catch. Aiden was overly excited and had to be run to the hospital. Harrison was upset over his life. My dad don't look so good. But...well, I'm having
some fun. Harry and I and redoing that old barn room I told you about before."

  "The one the two of you played in when you were little?"

  "That's the one. We're planning on getting it all finished by the time we return."

  "It sounds like you left here angry at Harrison and will be coming home in good spirits with him. What happened?"

  "We called a truce in the name of holiday spirit. It's been going real well."

  "You sound happy, despite all the bad stuff you listed."

  "You know what? I am pretty happy."

  "And the reason for that? Come on, admit it."

  Molly smiled. "Harrison."

  Harrison was walking up the stairs and towards Molly's room. She was supposed to come right back down so they could sit by the fire together and talk. Just as he was about to open the door, he heard her talking and stopped.

  "No, Marty, no. You're taking it out of proportion."

  "Well why? You know you're in love with him. He must be in love with you. Why don't you try it out?"

  "Because...because it wouldn't work. It's obvious we weren't meant to be. I mean, sure...at one point, I did think that we had a chance together. I did think we could live happily ever after. But we can't. Not with the way he is. Not with the way I am. Our chance passed. It's simply too late for us."

  "You're so sure?"

  Molly nodded. "Yeah, I'm pretty sure."

  Harrison's hand dropped silently from the doorknob and walked back down the stairs, grabbing his coat and heading home.

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  The next three days were spent waking before dawn and going to sleep after midnight. Harrison and Molly worked all day to repair their memory filled childhood play place.

  They had managed to replace the floorboards and get a few things to decorate the room by the time the snow storm hit.

  They had been forced to head in by five that night, for the storm clouds looked so terribly frightening that they were sure they'd be stuck, without food or warmth, in the barn if they didn't run back.