Today was Molly and Eli's date. Eli hadn't told Molly anything about the date but told her to dress casual. He even offered to pick her up, which was weird considering Molly was so used to being her friend groups driver.

After getting Eli to promise that he wouldn't pick her up on his motorcycle, Molly finally felt comfortable enough to start getting ready.

The nerves and excitement for the date buzzed through Molly as she scrambled around her room for clothes.

"What the hell do you wear for causal?" Molly muttered to herself and as she searched through her closet in a panic.

It was as if her words summoned a Fairy Godmother. Her laptop rang from her bed and Molly, too focused (panicked) on finding an outfit, jumped at the noise.

A small yelp left her lips as she spun around to face her bed. Her heart was pounding hard against her chest as she slowly started to calm down, realizing it was only a FaceTime call.

Slowly, Molly walked toward her bed and her eyebrows furrowed when she saw it was Yasmine calling her. "What..?" She muttered under her breath, answering the girls call.

In seconds, the blonde took over Mollys entire laptop screen. She was focused on painting her nails but when she saw Mollys answered, her entire body perked up and a smile grew on her face. 

"Oh my God! You actually answered!" Yasmine breathed out in excitement. Her eyes moved to Mollys now messy closest behind the girl and her eyebrows furrowed. "What tornado hit your bedroom?" She asked and Molly groaned, falling onto the bed beside her laptop.

"Eli and I have a date and I have no clue what to wear." Molly groaned into the air. Out of the corner of her eyes, Molly could see Yasmine squint at her. "Well, what time do you have to be ready?"

"Seven." Molly said and Yasmine's face paled. "Bitch, it's 6:40 and you're not dressed yet?" Yasmine shrieked as if Molly had just admitted to murder. 

Molly ignored Yasmine calling her a bitch, knowing the blonde meant it as a term of endearment and after being around Mitch who get called names like "Assface" and "Penis Breath" as terms of endearment on the team, Molly decided "bitch" wasn't too bad. There could definitely be worse.

Her main focus was on the time Yasmine said. Mollys eyes almost popped out of her head as she turned to face the girl on her laptop. "It's 6:40?" Molly asked, her voice low while a panic started to rise up her throat.

"6:41 now. Did Hawk tell you how you could dress?" Yasmine asked and Molly defensively started to raise her shoulders so high, they were almost touching her ears. "He just said causal." Molly said, making Yasmine scoff.

"God, I hate boys." She muttered more to herself than anything. "They said casual as if there's not like... four different kinds of causal!"

Yasmine turned back to Molly and in seconds, all of the anger she was letting out calmed. She wasn't that close with Molly, but she wanted to change that. She thought back on the times Demetri retold stories and Molly's anxiety came up. Yasmine didn't know many details, but she knew Molly had pretty bad anxiety and she didn't want to stress the girl out. She wanted Molly to figure this out as fast as possible.

"Wear your favorite pair of jeans, the cutest top you have and then some boring old sweater." Yasmine said, quickly coming up with an idea to get rid of Molly's stress.

Molly only blinked. She was completely stunned by Yasmine's words.

Yasmine shook her head crazily, moving a little closer to her camera, making her face bigger on Molly's screen. "Go! It's 6:44!" Yasmine yelled, knocking Molly back into her senses.

Molly opened and closed her mouth as she started to stumble out of bed. "O–Okay!" Molly yelled, quickly grabbing the clothes Yasmine suggested.

She was shocked she didn't trip over her own feet while grabbing the clothes and putting them on. Molly looked at herself in the mirror; her outfit was cute, but casual.

Slowly, Molly stepped in front of the camera and nervously looked down at her outfit. "How does this look?" Molly asked, making Yasmine look up from her nail polish.

Yasmine gasped at the sight, her dropped jaw turning into a smile as she looked at Molly. "You look stunning!" Yasmine yelled in excitement. Molly smiled at the compliment, shaking her head. "It's just a causal outfit like you said..." She muttered and Yasmine shook her head, waving around the wand of her nail polish.

"You could still look hot dressed casual. Hawk is gonna be speechless." Yasmine hummed, nodding her head in a matter-of-fact way.

Molly tried to hide back her smile and decided to stop fighting Yasmine's compliments. Her eyes moved to her clock as she walked toward her laptop. "Eli should be here in 10. I'm gonna make sure I didn't forget anything." Molly said and Yasmine nodded, going back to painting her nails.

"Okay! Tell me how the date goes!" Yasmine said happily and Molly nodded.

"I will. Thank you, Yas." Molly said and Yasmine froze at the nickname. She slowly started to smile down at her red painted nails over the fact that Molly actually used her nickname.

After a couple seconds, Yasmine went back to painting her nails as if nothing happened and nodded. "Anytime, Molls. Bye!" She said and Molly smiled at her even though the blonde wasn't looking at her. "Bye!"

...

Eli picked Molly up right on the dot. Molly yelled a quick and excited goodbye to her moms before she ran outside and quickly got into Eli's car. She muttered a small and slightly out of breath "hi" to Eli, which made the boy laugh and mutter a small "hi" back before he leaned over the center console to kiss her.

Eli's car hummed quietly as they drove, his left hand steady on the wheel while his right held Molly's, his thumb gently brushing against the side of her hand in soothing motions. He'd caught her grimace when they hit a left turn earlier, so he wanted to make sure she had something to focus on to keep the carsickness at bay.

"You know..." Eli started, his tone playful as he turned to face her just for a second. "I was this close to blindfolding you before we even left." He teased, holding his pointer finger and thumb practically pressing together.

Molly groaned out a laugh, rolling her eyes dramatically as she threw her head back. "Eli—"

Her words were interrupted by his laugh. "What? I didn't do it! I know you'd puke all over my car if I tried." He yelled defensively and Molly cringed, looking down at her lap in embarrassment. "Gee, thanks for the reminder." She muttered sarcastically.

Eli then turned into the Balboa Park. Molly's eyebrows furrowed at the destination, but she didn't say anything. When he parked, Hawk turned toward Molly with a mischievous glint in his eyes. "Okay, so... can I blindfold you now?" He asked, reaching into his pocket and holding up a black blindfold.

Molly hesitated, her eyes jumping back and forth between his eyes and the blindfold in his hand before she caved in. "Fine, but only because I trust you." She turned to undo her seatbelt and quickly glanced to the boy beside her. "Barely."

Eli grinned and quickly climbed out of the car. Molly could hear the gravel crunch under his sneakers as he hurried around to her side. He opened the door for her and offered his hand, helping her step out, making Molly's stomach tug.

"Alright, no peeking." He muttered eagerly, like a kid excited on Christmas morning. Molly giggled, turning around so he could tie the blindfold around her easily.

"I won't peek!" Molly protested, her voice a little higher in pitch and her laughter matching his.

Molly's steps were hesitant as she started to get further and further from the car. She couldn't see after all. Eli had been holding her hand as he led her into the park but as soon as he noticed Molly's hesitation, his free hand moved to wrap around her waist.

"I've got you." Eli assured her, his voice soft and right up against her ear. The warmth of his breath and the laughter bubbling in his words eased Molly. Her shoulders relaxed and her steps were a little braver.

The whole walk, Eli kept one hand on Molly's waist and the other interlocked with her hand. The position madd his body twist a little bit, but if it made Molly feel even the slightest bit safer, he was willing to walk hours in this position.

"Where are you taking me?" Molly asked, her voice full of playful suspicion as she turned in the direction she felt Hawk beside her.

Eli hummed, holding onto her softer. "You'll see." He hummed, his voice raspier the quieter he got. "Just have a little trust here." He tried to reassure, but his words only wanted a scoff from Molly.

"I'm giving you a lot of trust here actually." Molly snarked just as Eli stopped walking. She felt his hand drop from around her while his hand holding hers loosened.

Eli turned to face Molly, his thumb gently tracing the side of her hand. "You ready?" Eli asked, his tone a little more serious now, like he was holding his breath.

Molly nodded, unable to hide her smile. She didn't know what he was planning but now that they finally reached their destination, Molly was starting to get excited.

When she felt him untying her blindfold, Molly was practically bouncing on her toes, ultimately making it harder for Eli to untie her.

Eli finished untying the blindfold, muttering, "Okay..." as it slipped from her face.

Molly's breath caught when she saw it. In the middle of the park, under the faint glow of string lights Eli had somehow rigged to nearby trees, was a candlelit picnic. A cozy blanket was laid out with candles lining the edges of it.

Molly's heart flipped as she took it all in, her lips parting into a wide smile. "Eli..." She whispered, turning to him. "How did you pull this off?" Molly asked, her voice soft, but Eli could hear her excitement.

Eli shrugged casually, though his grin betrayed his pride and was turning big and goofy every second. "Had a few security guards make sure no one messed with it while I picked you up." He muttered through his smile as he glanced to his left.

Molly's eyes followed his, landing on Demetri and Miguel peeking out from behind a tree, both of them giving Eli exaggerated thumbs-ups.

Molly burst into giggles, her head dropping. "That's why Yasmine called..." She muttered and instantly, Eli's head whipped back to her, his eyebrows furrowed in a scrunched confusion.

"I didn't tell Demetri to have Yasmine call you. She did that all on her own." Eli said and Molly's lips parted, her gaze softening as she thought about it.

He led her to the blanket, knocking Molly out of her thoughts. As they sat down, Molly's eyes immediately caught the stars above her head. The night sky stretched endlessly above them, stars twinkling in the distance.

She could hear rustling from Eli digging through his backpack, but Molly's focus was stuck on the stars, like a deer in headlights.

Molly laid back, her gaze fixed above her. Eli, not noticing Molly wasn't sitting up, turned away from his backpack, her food in his hand.

His eyes widened when he realized Molly wasn't there and his shoulders tensed as he looked around for the girl. Eli finally looked down and when he saw Molly was lying back, he relaxed.

A small laugh left his lips as Eli followed suit, resting his sub sandwich on his chest. "I got us Jersey Mike's." He said with a smirk. "Not exactly fancy, but I figured it was fitting." Eli added, gently resting Molly's sub sandwich onto her stomach.

Molly's eyes lit up as she turned to him. "Our first date after computer camp..." She hummed, remembering the day vividly.

Since they were stuck at camp and none of them were allowed to leave, Eli and Molly's date while at camp consisted of having lunch together during lunch time... with Demetri. Sometimes, the boy would let the two have some privacy but he didn't know anyone beside Eli and felt more comfortable sticking with him.

So as soon as they got out camp, Molly dragged Eli to the closest place they could find for a date that didn't consist of microwaveable food and Demetri hovering.

They wound up at Jersey Mike's Subs and sure it wasn't anything fancy, but it became their spot after that.

Eli's smile doubled in size and his stomach warmed, glad Molly remembered the date. "Exactly." He breathed out, scooting a little closer to Molly.

While Molly gazed up at the stars, her eyes sparkling, Eli only watched her. He loved watching her like this, the quiet awe on her face as she soaked in the night sky. Her eyes practically sparkled brighter than the stars above them and her smile was perfect.

When they first dated, Molly dragged the boy out to stargaze all the time. Whether they'd lay against the fountain in Molly's apartment complex or on Eli's front lawn, somehow, Eli would always end up on his back, staring at Molly beside him.

Sure it had been over a year since they had last done this, but it felt the exact same. Molly still had that same smile and Eli still got butterflies looking at her.

"Look at the stars..." She breathed out, her voice soft and drawing Eli out of his thought. "Aren't they beautiful?" Molly asked, her eyes staying on the stars.

Eli's eyes didn't leave Molly as his lips curled into a small smile. "So beautiful." He murmured, though he wasn't talking about the stars.

Molly turned her head, expecting Eli to be looking up, but when she found him staring right back at her, she suddenly felt a nervousness in her stomach that made her only smile more. Her smile softened as Eli reached out, his hand cupping her face, his thumb brushing her cheekbone in gentle strokes. Their faces were so close now, their breaths mingling in the cool night air.

"You're such a dork." Molly laughed out quietly, suddenly very aware that Eli could feel her face starting to burn up.

Eli could feel the heat radiating off of Molly's face and he smiled. "Thank you for giving me this second chance." He whispered. Molly instantly shook her head slightly, her smile soft. "You don't need to thank me." She said, rolling her eyes, but Eli only cradled Molly's face with both of his hand, making her look to him.

"I do." Eli insisted, his voice firm but still soft. His thumb moved to gently run along Molly's cheekbone as he continued. "I don't deserve you, and I just want to say thank you."

Molly stared up at Eli, her playful smirk returning. "You could thank me with a kiss." She teased, her smirk only getting wider when she saw how Eli's eyes doubled in size.

He flushed, but after a couple of seconds of simply gawking at Molly, Eli nodded. "I can do that." He whispered with a smile, his voice low and raspy as he leaned closer until their lips met.

It wasn't their first kiss, but like every time before, it felt like it might as well have been. Molly's lips met his in perfect sync, like they were made to fit together. Eli's hand slid to the small of her back, pulling her closer as Molly smiled into the kiss, her hand moving to the back of his neck as Eli's moved to Molly's jawline so he could move her head to deepen the kiss.

It wasn't rushed or desperate. It was quiet, like stepping into a place that was both new and familiar. It felt like coming home after a long trip.

Molly tilted her head, deepening the kiss just slightly, her fingers threading through the short hairs at the nape of his neck. She smiled against his lips, and Eli's heart stuttered at the sensation.

"Get it, Eli!" Miguel's voice echoed from behind the tree, followed by Demetri's howling from next to him.

Eli pulled away from Molly to chuckle against her lips. Molly's fingers tangling in his buzzcut, pulling him back in and when their lips met again, Molly twisted her hand around to flip the two boys behind the tree off.

emily speaks...
IM BACKKKK🙏
sorry for the long wait in chapters, i got home from school, went to the er, then the holidays hit, AND THEN I GOT SICK FROM MY BABY COUSIN i couldn't catch a break😪

BUT i'm feeling better and i'm ready to keep writing!! i hope you all enjoyed this chapter, i really wanted to get more into Mollys friendship with yasmine and i wanted to write lots of moli so i did just that🙂‍↕️🙂‍↕️

im hoping for more chapters soon and it just processed that we're almost at season 6 for this book??? i have some ideas and none of them are happy😋😋