"Mol, you're gonna be late, love!" Andrew called from the kitchen, pouring coffee into a travel mug and screwing the top on tightly.

A second later, Molly appeared at the top of the staircase, high heels in hand. She hurried down the steps and sat on the end of the sofa to put them on.

"Why in under God does my first class of the day have to start at fucking eight in the morning?" she huffed. "I thought this was supposed to be a degree for people with jobs already?"

Andrew smiled and held out the travel mug. "You're the one who hit 'snooze' twice," he teased, kissing her quickly.

She rolled her eyes and slid around him to grab an apple from the new fruit bowl on the island - a hand thrown ceramic bowl from one of Raine's friends. "Why were you up so early this morning? If I had just come off a months-long tour, the last thing I'd be doing would be getting up at the ass crack of dawn."

"I went for a swim in the sea," he replied, taking her bag off the hook near the door. "It's going to get too cold for it soon."

Molly looked at him in annoyance. "Could you stop having your life put together so well for like, five minutes?"

He laughed and handed her bag over. "Here," he said. He pulled her to him, kissing her long and deep. "Have a good morning. I'll see you for lunch."

She fixed her lipstick and shimmied her coat on over her red button down blouse and black pencil skirt. "Alright. I'm off," she said. "See you this afternoon."

"Right. I love you," he said, kissing her one last time as she dashed out of the house to her car. He watched her drive off from the kitchen door, waving.

Traffic into the city wasn't horrible, but Molly didn't like being rushed. She never had. She would purposefully wake up half an hour earlier than she needed to just to make sure she had enough time to relax in the mornings. Unfortunately that morning, she'd been so exhausted from the night before that she'd chosen to sleep in much longer than she should have.

She had forgotten what it felt like to be back in school. Law school had its challenges, but she'd done pretty well for herself. It turns out, they were right when they said that going back to school after a break was harder. She was only on her third week of the term and already she felt slightly overwhelmed. But Molly was glad for something to sink her energy into.

With Andrew home all day now, it became pretty obvious that they would grate on each other's nerves sooner rather than later. He was an early riser, and on days when she had to go into the city it was helpful to have coffee ready to go. But when she was able to be at the house, it annoyed the hell out of her. Despite Andrew being a tall, slim man, he was not a quiet one. And she was a light sleeper. The combination meant she often found herself awake well before dawn.

Then there were nights like last night where they stayed up late exploring each other's bodies, kissing, touching, moving together off a cliff of ecstasy. Andrew had kept her up well past her bedtime, but she was happy for it. No matter how late she went to bed, she always slept better with him next to her, his arm around her waist or under her shoulders.

So far, Molly's classes had been challenging but interesting. On her first day, she was surprised to walk onto campus and be greeted by several undergraduates wearing Hozier concert t-shirts from his last few dates in Dublin. She was so startled that she nearly got run over by a cyclist on the sidewalk. It wasn't until that moment that she realized how well-known Andrew was in Ireland.

In all her time with him, the paparazzi had taken zero photographs of them together. But his fans had taken plenty. Out in the countryside, she'd been oblivious to his fame. His neighbors knew him and greeted him warmly just like everyone else. At the supermarket, people passed by him without so much as a second glance. But in the city, there was less familiarity and more fascination.

A week into term, a Roma woman was brutally attacked three blocks from campus. The assailant had been caught, but an undercurrent of approval of his crime seemed to flutter around the campus. Molly overheard two students discussing the case in an elevator, talking about how Roma were a blight on modern Irish society, that they were drains on the system and that their strange customs made them outsiders. She realized, too, that despite young Irish people appearing to be more inclusive, old habits and beliefs died hard.

So now she had two secrets to keep.

She dressed professionally and looked every bit the part of the sleek California attorney. Already, several of her classmates seemed taken with her and impressed by her experience and knowledge. But anytime someone asked a question about why she was studying at Trinity and not back at Berkeley or somewhere in America, she had to remember the story she'd crafted for herself: she was interested in studying law on an international level and thought Ireland would be a fun place to revisit after doing a semester there during law school. One thing she'd learned in her years of arguing cases was that the best lies always have a good amount of truth to them. So far, no one seemed to question it, so it had to be working.

After parking in the garage, Molly made her way across campus toward her first class of the day: Contemporary Issues in Refugee Law. Her bag slammed against her side as she hurried along, clutching her phone in one hand and her travel mug in the other. Finally, she reached the classroom and slid into a seat just before her professor arrived.

"Cutting it close, aren't we Ms. Stanley?" he asked, smiling at her.

"Sorry," she replied breathlessly as she set her laptop up.

"Right," Professor Ryan said, setting his own mug of coffee on his desk. "I've got your essays from last week marked, so let's spend the first bit of time here discussing them."

Molly watched as Professor Ryan handed out the graded essays. The topic had been an easy one for her: select one marginalized group that had sought refuge in Ireland and the consequences thereof. Of course, she'd chosen the influx of Ukrainian and Hungarian Romani in the 1990s. It was a topic she knew well and something that needed little additional research on her part. Work smarter, not harder had always been her motto.

Professor Ryan passed her essay to her. "Very well-written, Ms. Stanley. Could you see me after?"

She looked up at him in surprise. "Uh...sure. I've got another class at ten-thirty though."

"No worries. It'll be quick," the young man assured her.

Molly nodded and looked back at her paper, noting the lack of red ink.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am slightly disappointed in how little it appears many of you worked on these," Professor Ryan sighed, leaning on the front of his desk. "The few of you who seemed to truly grasp the concept, well done. Otherwise, disappointing."

A murmur went through the other twenty-five students. Molly avoided their gazes as she flipped her essay over to hide the A scrawled largely at the top of the front page in bright red ink.

"Ms. Stanley, would you share the premise of your essay with us, please?" the professor said, making her jump slightly.

"Oh - uh...sure," she replied.

She hated being put on the spot like this. She could feel twenty-five pairs of eyes boring into her as she flipped her essay over and cleared her throat.

"I wrote about the influx of Roma into Ireland following the collapse of the Eastern Bloc in the 90s," she started. "The consequences were an increased number of trafficked victims stuck in the system for an extended period of time that led to an increase in the poverty level due to a lack of interest in social programs available to provide aide."

"Exactly," Professor Ryan remarked. "Can anyone tell me why the social programs failed to help the Roma population at that time?"

"The programs were there. It was the Roma who didn't take advantage of them," Patrick Donahue remarked from across the room. "They isolated themselves from any help and therefore caused their own issues with poverty. Its their own fault they're struggling."

"Can you blame them?" Molly countered. "They've literally escaped the Holocaust, genocides, slavery, and prejudices. Aren't they allowed to isolate themselves as a manner of protection and preservation?"

Professor Ryan looked over at Patrick. "Rebuttal, Mr. Donahue?"

"How are we supposed to help a population that doesn't want help," he replied, holding his hands out.

"Ms. Stanley?"

Molly took a deep breath. "The programs in place were not created with existing Roma customs in mind."

"So now we need to tailor social programs to fit each individual population?" Patrick asked. "I'm sorry, but if you're going to seek asylum in another country, you have to adapt to their ways."

"But its a matter of simple changes: Roma women from Eastern Europe do not talk to unrelated males. Roma men have a fierce pride in providing for their families in traditional ways, so accepting handouts from the government is seriously frowned upon," Molly explained. "Something as simple as only sending women to speak with mothers and young girls instead of men. Or pairing men with tradesmen to allow them to learn a useful skill."

"They have no problem accepting handouts on the street. How is that different from accepting handouts from the government?" Patrick asked, a smug look on his face.

Molly crossed her legs and sighed. "Because when they face such extreme prejudice that they aren't allowed in businesses or welcomed in any way, shape, or form, why would they? If you were treated that way, would you want to participate in said society in a productive manner?" She looked across the room at him, eyebrow raised.

The class turned to look at Patrick who dipped his head in defeat. Molly fought to hide her grin as she looked over her paper. Amateur, she thought.

Professor Ryan continued the lecture and Molly focused on taking notes. Two hours later, he released the class and she gathered her things slowly, waiting for everyone else to leave. When the room was empty, she approached the professor's desk.

"You wanted to see me?" she asked, folding her coat over her crossed arms.

The man looked up at her from his seat. "I was very impressed with your essay, Ms. Stanley."

"Molly, please," she said, nervously. "When someone calls me Ms. Stanley, I think I'm back in court."

Professor Ryan nodded with an understanding smile. "Of course. I was very impressed with your knowledge of Roma culture and history. Did you spend a lot of time working with the Roma population in Los Angeles?" he asked, crossing his legs.

Molly fought to keep her face neutral. "I - uh...yeah. In a manner of speaking, yes."

He looked at her for several seconds before inhaling sharply. "You're Roma, aren't you?"

She blinked and looked away from his penetrating gaze. "I don't see how that matters." Her heart was racing and she felt her palms start to sweat.

"If you were, I actually had a project I'd like your help with, if you're free," he replied. At Molly's quizzical look, he continued. "You speak Romani?" he asked.

No use keeping up the ruse now, she thought.

"Yes - yeah. But each sub group has their own dialects. So its not one hundred percent effective," she answered.

"On the weekends, I go to Pavee Point and work with the Roma community there," he explained. "We could really use a native speaker to help translate. Especially a woman."

Molly tilted her head, considering his request. "I'm not sure they'd actually trust me enough to talk to me if I showed up with you."

"Why not?" he asked.

She shifted on her feet and looked at the clock over the chalkboard. Twenty minutes until her next class. "I'm technically not Roma any longer. I left to pursue my degrees. My family disowned me," she said simply, knowing he would at least be familiar with the customs since he already worked with the community. "If I show up there, with you, they won't talk to me because I've been shunned."

"Possibly. But it would still be helpful to have someone familiar with customs and the language on hand," he allowed. "Think about it and let me know."

Molly nodded. "I will."

"I'm also very sorry about what happened with your family," he finished. "It can't have been easy."

She stiffened slightly. "We all make sacrifices for our goals," she said.

"Indeed. Well thank you for your time," he said. "Keep up the good work."

"Of course," she said before turning and walking away.

As she walked to her next course on the other side of the building, Molly's head reeled. One more person knew now. One more person could spill her secret. She tried to think about anything else, but their conversation stayed stuck in the front of her mind. She barely registered what happened in her next class and by the time she was walking across the campus to her car, she was fully distracted. She barely noticed the girl take her photo on the other side of the sidewalk.

Andrew saw Molly pull up and went to work preparing lunch for the two of them. When she hadn't appeared ten minutes later, he walked outside to see what was going on. She was sitting in the driver's seat, staring into space. She jumped when he tapped on the window.

"Everything alright?" he asked, opening the door.

She blinked. "Uh -yeah. I - I don't know," she stammered.

"Well come inside, at least," he said, offering his hand for her to step out.

She took it and stepped out carefully. He took her bag from the other side of the car and led her inside. Briefly, he wondered what exactly could have left her in such a distracted state. She walked right past him and directly to their bedroom. He followed her in confusion.

"Molly? What's going on?" he asked.

She started changing her clothes, pulling the fine fabrics away from her body and letting them stay where they fell. He picked them up as she absentmindedly dressed in more comfortable clothes. When she was fully changed, she put her hair up into a messy pony tail.

"My professor knows," she said vaguely.

Several scenarios ran through his head as he hung her blouse up. "Knows? About us?" he asked.

"No. That I'm Roma," she replied, finally settling her eyes on him.

He leaned against the door of the closet, arms crossed. "And?"

"He didn't make a big deal out of it. He asked if I'd volunteer at a charity with him as a translator," she sighed.

He relaxed slightly. "Oh. Are you going to do it?"

She shrugged. "I don't know. I'm not sure its a good idea to broadcast that I'm Roma or anything like that." She paused for a second. "Not after what happened to that woman a couple weeks ago."

Andrew moved to sit next to her on the bed. The attack on the Roma woman had drawn a lot of criticism and attention. First, the attack itself had been brutal, landing the woman in the hospital. Second, the police response had been non-existent as the Gardai had treated the attacker with far more delicacy than he deserved. Finally, Molly had been set on edge as she faced the reality of people's responses (and lack thereof from the media).

"Honey, you know I can't ever understand how you feel about this. I know your...relationship with your family is complicated, at best," he said softly. "But maybe...maybe it could be a good thing. I mean, how many lawyers or solicitors are there with direct ties to the Roma community?" he asked, placing his hand over hers. "How many laws and ordinances are passed that impact the Roma community but have no direction from the Roma community? Maybe you could be a bridge there," he offered.

She scoffed. "Why? Why should I help a community that fucking disowned me, Andrew?" she asked. "I'm fucking proud to be Roma. I'm proud to be descended from generations of fighters and creators, generations of people who fled atrocities and kept their culture mostly intact. But there are several practices within this culture I cannot abide by." Molly sighed. "You have no idea what it feels like to straddle two worlds and not feel like you're good enough for either one."

He rested his chin on her shoulder. "Somewhere out there, there is a girl just like you, who wants to do something with her life, just like you. She wants to be a teacher or a doctor or even a solicitor. But she doesn't have an example and thinks her dreams are pointless," he said softly. "You could be the light that drives her to take the first step toward following her dreams."

Molly was silent for several seconds. "I'll think about it," she replied. Her stomach growled and she realized she hadn't eaten anything all day. "Is lunch ready?" she asked.

Andrew nodded and stood, offering his hand. "So other than this, how was your day? What did you discuss?" he asked.

His interest in Irish and international law had grown since the term had started. Molly had caught him reading through her textbooks and following along with legal cases on more than one occasion. He said he did it so he could understand what she was studying and help her, but she knew it was because he was bored and looking for an outlet for his unused energy.

"Protections for child refugees," she said.

"Oooh sexy," he replied with a wink.

She felt the weight of the day drip away. "I guess. I have a paper to finish and revision to do for Thursday."

"So you're going to miss dinner with my family tonight?" he asked as they walked to the kitchen. She noted the disappointment in his voice.

"Maybe? I don't really know. It depends on how much I can finish," she replied apologetically.

He pulled her chair out for her before sitting opposite her. "Its the fourth time you've had to cancel, Mol. Mum's getting suspicious."

"Andrew, I have to study. I have coursework. You know these things," she sighed.

"I know," he relented. "I just hoped that you'd have enough time to spend with my family. It feels like you're always busy these days."

Molly looked at him firmly. "Don't start, Andrew. School comes first. Its why I'm here. And since you're not paying for it, you don't get a say in what I do in regards to it," she warned. "I didn't complain when you were on tour and needed the space or when you were working with Alex at Christmas."

Chastised, Andrew looked away. She was right, he knew. As much as he needed his space when writing or touring, she needed her space when studying. It just felt like he was on his own a lot more than he anticipated recently. When he imagined Molly living with him, he figured they'd have more time to do things together. Unfortunately, most of her time was spent focusing on school.

And while he found her ambition incredibly sexy, he was feeling slightly neglected lately. When she said she was moving in with him, he'd envisioned mornings spent drinking coffee or tea while they read in the courtyard, afternoons going for walks in the countryside or through town, and evenings having dinner with his family and friends. It was futile to have the thoughts, he knew. But it didn't stop him from hoping.

The first week back, he'd still had meetings and things to take care of with the label and his manager. Molly was busy with school, he was getting back into a normal life and taking care of things around the house that had been put off when he left. The second week had been a little slower, but still manageable. But the third week was hitting him rougher than he expected. Coming down from the highs of touring was always something he struggled with.

Each time was different. After his first major tour, he'd tried staying in Dublin, thinking that was where he needed to be, but the closeness of the people and the chaos of the city wore him down quickly. He'd gotten wrapped up in following the news and current events, which didn't help his mental state much, either. Then he'd moved to the little bungalow on the outskirts of Bray and met Molly and had that glorious summer with her. When she'd left, he sort of holed himself up in the new house, even as construction went on. She'd been a beautiful distraction and the drop when she left was worse than the one from the tour ending.

By the second album, he'd gotten more used to the extreme levels of adrenaline and developed a plan to handle it once he got home. He went for daily walks, spent time with his family and friends regularly, and didn't write for a solid three months afterward. He didn't even pick up a guitar for a month. He went on dates and even got into a relationship. He thoroughly enjoyed his time alone, too.

When the third album was released and he toured, he tried to be more present and enjoy every single moment of it. Yes, he'd had a few one night stands. Yes, he'd leaned a little more into the touring lifestyle with everyone. But then Molly reappeared and all of that stopped. When the first leg of the tour had ended and they'd been together, his entire focus was her. He didn't try to reconnect with as many friends and his parents' invitations had gone unanswered multiple times.

Then she'd ended things and he found himself floundering. He'd stayed in L.A. until the rental ended, hoping she'd change her mind and come back. When he came back to Ireland, he had no choice but to pick up the pieces and carry on. Again, the lows hit him and it had been hard. The only saving grace was that he knew he'd be heading back out on the road in the new year, so it wasn't as hard to relax.

The second and third legs of the tour had been brutal in every sense of the word. There were days when he got two hours of sleep and was expected to do three interviews, a photo shoot, and then a performance all in one day. Adrenaline was all that kept him upright at times. The best part of the tour ending was that Molly was coming home with him. But with her attention elsewhere, he realized fairly quickly he needed a routine to fall back on.

Several of his friends were married with kids now and they'd drifted apart over time. He'd reconnected with a few for a drink, but the spark wasn't there anymore. He'd spent time with his parents instead, helping his father around the house and seeing what his mother had been up to in her studio. The solitude he used to thrive in was now wearing him down.

"I'm sorry," he said softly. "I know you're busy."

She set her fork down and tilted her head. "I don't mean to snap, darling. I just...you know how important this is to me. I don't fail at things. I don't intend to start now."

"Do you ever think that maybe you push yourself too hard, Mol?" he asked. "Maybe a break wouldn't be the worst thing in the world."

"Andrew, I'm three weeks into the term. If I need a break now, I'll never survive to the end," she replied with a scoff. She saw his face and softened. "We can go to dinner. But we can't stay long, okay?"

He lit up and she felt a warmth spread through her. "I'll let Mum know," he said.

Dinner with Andrew's family meant she'd be up for hours more than she planned, but it was a small price for his happiness. She finished her lunch quickly.

"Alright, if you want me to come tonight, I need to get things done. I'll be in my office. Give me a thirty minute warning before we need to leave," she said, kissing him quickly and putting her plate in the sink. "Thanks for lunch."

Several hours later, Andrew sat on the foot of the bed watching Molly put the finishing touches on her makeup. "Love, why are you going to so much trouble?" he asked. "Its just dinner with my parents, Jon, and his new girlfriend. There's no one there to impress."

She looked at him through the mirror as she leaned over, applying mascara again. "Do you like what walks out the door every morning?" she asked. He nodded. "Then shut up," she smiled. "I'm from Los Angeles, baby. Its quite possibly the most vain city in the world. Cut me a break."

He chuckled. "My parents don't care if you show up in your pajamas. Hell, they'll probably be in their own. You don't need to put all this effort in."

"I hardly call jeans and a t-shirt effort," she replied, straightening. She slipped her arms into one of his jackets.

"How is it that you always manage to look so fuckable?" he asked, standing and walking behind her. "Hmm?" Every time she wore something of his he felt the urge to mark her further, as if his scent against her skin wasn't enough.

She smiled when she felt his breath on the back of her neck. "We'll be late," she whispered as he trailed his fingers up underneath her shirt.

"Jon's never been on time for a thing in his life," he replied, nipping her neck softly. "I'd say we've got a twenty minute window."

"I'm beginning to think tardiness is a family trait," she smirked as he pressed against her.

"You think so?" he growled softly against her ear, making her breath hitch in her throat.

She felt him unbutton her jeans and slip them down her hips along with her underwear. He pushed her forward, over top of the dresser, and she heard his belt jingle before he pushed into her with a soft groan. Molly sighed happily and relaxed against the wood as he moved.

Andrew went slowly at first, enjoying the way she looked in the mirror. With her legs clasped together, there was a tightness that was going drive him over the edge. She met his eyes through her reflection and he wrapped her hair in his fingers, jerking her head back. The cry she let out made his cock twitch.

He brought his free hand to the middle of her back, pressing down slightly so she'd arch it. The change in angle was glorious. Her eyes closed and her mouth popped open in surprise. He sped up, biting his lip to concentrate. She was wet and tight and he knew he wasn't going to last long. He felt her tightening around him and closed his eyes at her moans. She cried out again and her hands scrabbled across the dresser, knocking several things off. They clattered to the floor loudly and he pulled up tighter on her hair, deepening the curve of her spine.

His cock hit a sweet spot inside of her and her legs started to shake. He laughed quietly. "Come on, love." Molly groaned against the wood. "Give it to me, Molly."

He sped up. The dresser began to rattle against the wall and the mirror shook on its hook. She gasped and slammed her hand against the mirror and he sighed as she clenched around him. A second later, he released himself inside of her with a loud cry. He slowed and shuddered, steadying himself against the edge of the dresser.

"Fucking hell," he smiled, leaning forward and nibbling on her ear.

She smiled back. "We're gonna be late," she repeated.

"You're no fun," he grumbled playfully, releasing her hair and straightening. He pulled out and walked to the bathroom to clean up.

"You know, it would be nice if you decided to rearrange my hair before I finished doing it," she sighed, sliding her jeans off completely and discarding her underwear. "It would certainly make things easier for me."

He reappeared and kissed her deeply. "You better hurry up then," he teased.

She swatted him across his ass, making him yelp in surprise. "Fuck you," she laughed.

"Love you," he smiled back.

Twenty minutes later, they were pulling up to his parents' house. Surprisingly, they were the last ones there as Jon's car was already parked behind Raine's.

"Would you look at that," he remarked, turning off the SUV. "Jon's on time for once."

"It is impressive, considering it only took you two minutes from start to finish," she replied, applying a lip gloss in the mirror.

"Hey, don't be mean," he answered with a grin, getting out. He walked to the other side of the SUV and opened her door. "I was aiming for efficiency."

Molly laughed. "What do you know about this girl?" she asked as she got out.

Andrew blew air out of his mouth and tucked his hands into his pockets as they approached the front door. "She's a banker or...accountant. Something like that."

"What's her name?"

"Chrissy, I think?" he suggested. "Christina, maybe?"

"You're as useful as a bag full of flaccid dicks," she sighed.

"Aw thanks, love. I love you, too," he quipped, squeezing her ass just as Raine opened the front door. She yelped loudly.

"There you two are!" she exclaimed. "I thought we were going to have to send a search party."

Molly smiled at the older woman's kind face. "Sorry. Andrew took longer to get ready than he expected."

Andrew scratched his head and followed both women inside, hoping neither he nor Molly smelled too heavily of sex. His brother sat in the leather arm chair in the front room, a curvy blonde sat on the arm rest. He stood when they entered the room, putting an arm around the blonde's shoulders.

"Chrissy, this is my brother Andy and his girlfriend Molly," Jon said. "This is Chrissy."

Andrew held his hand out to greet her. "Lovely to finally meet you," he smiled.

"You as well," she replied.

He could tell Jon had already briefed her about not talking about his music. She had the same look on her face every fan had when they met him for the first time. He turned his attention to his brother, who opened his arms for a hug.

"Why were you so late?" Jon whispered as they hugged.

"Since when are you on time?" Andrew countered, just as quietly before they separated.

"Dinner's on the table!" Raine announced.

"So...ehm...Molly, is it?" Chrissy asked. Molly smiled at her as they made their way to the kitchen. "Jon tells me you're studying to be a solicitor?"

"Yes and no," Molly replied. She felt Andrew's hand at her back as they navigated around the table. "I'm already a fully qualified attorney out of California," she explained. "I'm getting my Master of Laws degree. I don't technically need it to qualify as a solicitor here. I plan on sitting the exam to transfer my credentials next year after I finish my degree."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Chrissy said.

"Don't worry about it," Molly answered. "Its easy to get confused. I definitely did at first when I was sorting through everything."

Andrew sat next to her at the table, putting his hand on her knee underneath the cheerful yellow table cloth.

"Molly, how is school going?" John asked from the head of the table. "Andy says you've been very busy."

Molly helped herself to some salad. "Yeah, definitely." She automatically put some on Andrew's plate, knowing if left to his own devices, he'd skip it entirely. "I know I've been too busy to make it the last few times you've invited me."

"Oh don't worry about that," John insisted. "We know you're busy. I can't imagine how busy you are these days. "

"It is a bit manic," she replied, dipping her head.

"Andy, Jon tells me you and Molly have been together for a long time," Chrissy started. "How did you meet?"

Andrew glanced at his brother. "Ehm...yes and no. We sort of met about six years ago when she was here for a summer and got together then for a few months. Then she had to leave. We reconnected at a charity event for the organization she used to work for about a year ago."

Chrissy swooned slightly. "That is so romantic."

Molly smiled. "You could say so. We've had a bit of a rocky start, but its been a fun adventure to go on."

"How long have you and Jon been together?" Andrew asked.

"About three months I think?" Chrissy replied, looking to Jon for approval. Several seconds passed as they all ate. "Molly, I have to say, you're not exactly what I was expecting."

Molly's eyebrows raised and she smiled. "I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not."

"Oh a compliment," Chrissy urged. "I kind of thought you were intimidating when Jon was describing you."

Molly glared at Jon who held his hands up in a shrug. "Rory said the same damn thing to me!" she exclaimed.

"Well you are kind of intimidating, darling," Andrew said, sipping his drink.

"How?!"

"I think its the fact that you have this really established career and you have multiple degrees," Jon offered.

"Shut up, you thought she was intimidating when you met her for the first time years ago," Raine interjected.

Jon's face reddened and Molly burst into laughter. "I guess I'll take it as a compliment. I'd rather have people be intimidated and respect me than anything else, I suppose."

"What does your family think of you moving here from California and all that?" Chrissy asked, spearing a potato on her fork.

Andrew felt Molly tense next to him and the mood shifted in the kitchen. He reached under the table and squeezed her knee in reassurance.

"Eh...Chris, we don't really..." Jon started softly.

"No, its fine," Molly assured him, blinking and taking a deep breath. "I don't really have a relationship with my family. I sort of left when I was sixteen and didn't really look back."

Chrissy's face fell. "Oh God, I'm sorry. I didn't know."

"Don't worry about it, its okay," she assured the other woman with a smile.

"Well I can say we are very happy to have her as part of our family," John said, raising his glass to Molly.

She shot him a smile. "Anyway, what do you do, Chrissy?"

"I'm an accountant," the other woman replied. "I work for a firm in Dublin."

"Is that how you two met?" Andrew asked.

"Ehm, yeah," Jon said. "I brought her in to do some accounting work for the production company and I guess the rest is history."

Molly watched them make eye contact and wondered if that was what she and Andrew looked like. "That's really sweet," she told him.

"So Molly, what do you hope to do once you're finished with your degree?" Jon asked.

Molly shrugged. "I'm not really sure. I'll definitely be able to take the exam to become a solicitor. But I'm not really sure about what I'd like to practice." She moved her roasted potatoes across her plate. "Originally I thought I might go into refugee law or human rights law, but one of the courses I'm taking is seriously making me reconsider it."

"Oh? Why?" Raine asked.

Molly sighed heavily. "Let's just say there are only so many cases of child trafficking one can study before they have a psychotic break."

"Oh Jesus, I'm sorry," Raine winced. "That must be rough."

"It is, but its part of the job," Molly allowed.

"Why not get a job with a company as legal counsel?" Chrissy asked.

"Because that's not really what I want to do," Molly replied. "I don't see how working as a faceless drone in a major company, helping them get richer and cover their ass, is actually benefitting society as a whole. I'm not in this for the money. I want to help people."

An hour later, after finishing dinner, Molly was in the kitchen washing up with Raine. Everyone else was in the front room having a lively discussion and their laughter could be heard over the din of a record playing.

"I hope you aren't running yourself too ragged, love," Raine said, handing her a wet plate.

"You sound like Andrew," Molly scoffed.

"Well, he has a point, darling," Raine said. "There has to be balance. I worry about you, you know."

Molly smiled. It was nice to have Raine's maternal energy in her life after so long without it. "Its just one year of hard work. Once I finish, I'll have total control over how much work I'm doing."

"But it won't stop once you're self-employed, will it?" Raine asked with a knowing look. "You don't always have to be the best at everything."

"Are you seriously suggesting I aim for mediocrity?" Molly asked with a laugh.

The older woman laughed too. "No. Not at all. Just that there are more important things in life sometimes than your standing in school."

Molly nodded, but didn't say anything. She didn't expect Raine to understand. She worked so hard because failure wasn't an option. If she failed, everything she'd worked so hard for, everything she'd been through, everything she'd left behind, would have been pointless. Failure wasn't an option when she first ran away from Sam's house all those years ago, and it wasn't an option now. She was in a constant battle to prove to herself that the sacrifices and fear had been worth it.

R/HOZIERFANS

U/BOGMAN3000 POSTED: Someone posted a photo of Molly at Trinity on Hoztwt this morning. I guess we were right when we thought she was in Ireland after leaving Bright Horizons.

U/HOZIESSHOES POSTED: Molly's been in Ireland for a while now. She was at the last shows in Dublin this summer. She was at the tour wrap party and Rory posted something with her, Desi, and Alex from it. And Oscar posted a photo with her from what I'm pretty sure is Andrew's kitchen on his IG a couple weeks ago.

U/FROMEDEN1990 POSTED: Could you share it with us? How do you know its Andrew's kitchen?

U/HOZIESSHOES POSTED: I'm not going to share her friend's IG account here. He's not famous and its a very clear photo of Andrew's kitchen. I don't want to invade his privacy. The tile matches the ones we saw in a few of his poetry lives. Between that and what we know about Andrew's relationship with Molly, its a safe assumption to make that Oscar was in his house.

U/FROMEDEN1990 POSTED: So what is Molly doing at Trinity though? I thought she'd be working or something.

U/SILICAGEL POSTED: Maybe she's going to school? Trinity does have several postgraduate law degrees she could pursue. Or maybe she's a teacher there?

U/BOGMAN3000 POSTED: All I know is that I'm loving her style. The little that we've seen makes her look like she knows what she's doing. Definitely very fashionable. Maybe she can rub off on Andy and help him because...sometimes I wonder about his style sense.

U/HOZIESSHOES POSTED: She does look really good in that photo. I can't believe fans are going in on Andrew for being shallow though. Like, Molly is a freaking lawyer. She's not a stupid bimbo. She's got two degrees - possibly a third, if she's in school at Trinity. She's well educated and does a job that obviously takes skill.

I'm glad she doesn't have any social media because...Gotdayum. These fans are going HARD on her. I hope Andy doesn't see some of this because its freaking vile.

U/ORCHIDNA1430 POSTED: So I just heard from a friend who grew up with Molly and she told me something that is really surprising. Apparently Molly is Roma.

U/BOGMAN3000 POSTED: Roma? Like a gypsy?

U/ORCHIDNA1430 POSTED: Yeah, but that's considered a slur, so don't use it. Apparently my friend went to elementary school with Molly and said her family was really weird. She was never allowed to go to any of the class parties and her parents would always pull her out of school. She hung around with one other kid, who I think she started dating in high school or something. But like, she was kind of a loner.

U/LEPRECHAUNFARTS POSTED: There have been several attacks on Roma people in Ireland recently. The conservatives have gotten bolder with their xenophobia. I'm actually surprised Andy hasn't said anything about it.

For those who don't know, in the 90s, there was a lot of conflict over Roma seeking asylum from Eastern European countries after the USSR fell. There were a lot of people who felt like the government shouldn't be helping them. And a lot of them were trafficked in, as well.

Its still a kind of contentious issue since some extremists have started gaining traction. Thankfully no one has died yet, but its sadly only a matter of time before it escalates. I hope Molly stays safe. I wouldn't look at her and say she's obviously Roma, though. Most of the Roma we have are begging on the streets in really shite clothes.