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Penelope arrived at Colin’s flat a little earlier than was planned. She had come from the gym, and didn’t feel like trekking all the way home when she was closer to Colin’s flat. She knocked and opened the door, calling out his name. “Colin? I’m here!”
“Hey, Pen! Wasn’t expecting you yet, I’m still finishing up tonight’s meal.”
“That’s fine. I’m gonna jump in the shower, if that’s okay. Then onto our dinner and movie!”
Colin laughed as he called over his shoulder, “Sounds good!”
Colin smiled as he heard the bathroom door click shut. He was glad she was comfortable enough to shower at his place, even having her own stash of spare clothes for whenever the need arose.
Humming along to his playlist, he put the finishing touches on the Eggplant Parmesan and divided it in two. He then grabbed one large bowl, one small bowl, and two spoons. He took the vanilla ice cream out of the freezer, and gathered the chocolate syrup, peanuts, and whipped cream from the cabinet.
He grabbed the new bottle of strawberry syrup, Cupid’s, from the pantry and placed it with the other toppings. It was something he had discovered online, and he had smirked at the words on the bottle when he saw them: “ Hits the Spot! ”
He scooped the ice cream into the smaller bowl, put the toppings on, and had just put a spoonful in his mouth when he heard Penelope’s voice behind him.
“Colin Bridgerton! Did I just see what I thought I saw? You started eating that sundae without me!”
Colin shrugged guiltily as he turned to face her. “I wasn’t technically eating it, I was merely testing…” His sentence and smile faltered as he saw what she was wearing: one of his shirts and a pair of his gym shorts.
Penelope had never looked more beautiful, with her wet hair, pink cheeks, and dewy glow. He had never wanted to pull her into him and breathe in her scent as much as he did in that moment.
His body has also never reacted to her in that way before. He could feel his heart racing, his breath was turning shallow, and he could feel himself start to harden. He must have been staring, because she said, “What? I wanted to be comfy tonight. I knew you wouldn’t mind.”
Colin physically had to turn away from her and clear his throat before he responded. “Not at all.” After a second of deep breathing, he asked, “Before we have dinner, would you care for a taste of this masterpiece?”
“Duh. You know how I’m always craving something sweet.”
“Other than me, you mean?” he asked, flirty playfulness in his voice.
Penelope rolled her eyes, smiling as she said, “Shut up.” She walked up behind him and because he was in front of the counter, she had to reach around him to grab one of the spoons in front of him. Colin moaned quietly and gripped the countertop as he felt her press up against him.
She could feel his body tense and asked, “Are you okay? You’re acting a bit odd. Is it because I’m wearing your clothes? I can change if it’s a problem.”
An image of Penelope stripping naked to change flashed through Colin’s mind and he bit his lip to silence another moan. She could’ve been wearing a burlap sack and he still would’ve responded the same way. “Y-yeah. Fine. I think I got part of a peanut caught in my throat.”
He gave her a smile to reassure her that he was okay. Another mistake. When had her eyes gotten so blue, her lips so perfectly pink? Had she always had freckles along the bridge of her nose? And when did she start smelling like honey?
“Okay, if you’re sure. If something else is bothering you, you know I’m here for you,” she said, placing her hand on his arm.
He couldn’t take it anymore, being that close to her and not doing anything. He put his hand on top of hers and brought it to his lips, kissing her knuckles first, then her palm. She blushed profusely as he dropped her hand, his own cheeks turning a lovely shade of pink.
He stepped away from her and apologized. “Sorry. I—sorry. I couldn’t help it, I just had to do it. Sorry.”
“Hey. It’s okay. I liked it. It was cute,” she said, her cheeks turning a darker shade of pink. He only nodded at her, still upset with himself for not being able to stop. The last thing he ever wanted to jeopardize was their friendship.
However, if he was being honest, he knew he had always found her attractive. He just never acted on trying to date her because he knew if things ended badly, he would be lost without her. But he also knew he couldn’t deny what he was feeling for her now.
He had never been in love before, but he somehow knew that’s what this was. He felt it in his heart as he watched her walk up to the counter and go for the bowl, making sure she got every topping.
He watched as her eyelids fluttered shut, savoring the flavors. Her face was in a state of pure bliss, and he could not look away. He felt like his heart was going to burst out of his chest. He still didn’t know what made him see her - really see her - but he was glad he finally was.
As she opened her eyes, she couldn’t help but notice the way he was watching her, the way he was looking at her. She smiled, the pink returning to her cheeks. “Do I have something on my face or something?”
Colin smiled back at her and stepped toward her until he was a foot away. He leaned in and rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip, and he could feel her shiver. “Now you’re perfect,” he whispered.
“Thanks,” she whispered back. Colin moved his hand to her jaw, tilting her chin up. His gaze turned heated and he knew she saw it because her eyes widened and she parted her lips slightly.
“Colin…”
“Pen…”
She cleared her throat. “A-are you feeling well?” She reached up and touched his forehead, noticing how he leaned even closer to her.
“Mm-hm. Perfectly fine. Couldn’t be better, actually.”
“Okay good, me too.”
Colin was now mere inches from her face, her lips to be precise, and all he wanted was to close that distance. But he wouldn’t - couldn’t - until he knew how she felt.
He had been so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t realize Penelope had asked him a question. “…first?”
Colin shook his head and stepped back. “What?”
“I said, should we eat now or watch the movie first?”
“Why not both? Go pick one out, and I’ll put the ice cream away for now and grab the plates.”
As Penelope turned around, Colin couldn’t help but appreciate the way she moved, with power and grace. He felt his body stir again as he watched her retreat, and shook his head. He had to find someway to calm down, otherwise dinner would be torturous for him.
After dealing with the ice cream, he grabbed the plates and heard the familiar hum and crescendo of the THX screen. Penelope was on the couch humming along to the noise when Colin made his way over to her with the food.
He laughed as he handed her a plate. “You’re adorable.”
“It’s my favorite part!” she said with a laugh. “And thanks. This looks and smells amazing.”
“You’re welcome, Pen. What movie did you decide on?” he asked as he settled on the cushion next to her.
“We’re going with a classic tonight, baby. Dirty Dancing. ”
“Is that so you can say you’ve had the time of your life tonight?”
Penelope groaned at his pun, but still managed to let out a small giggle as she looked at his cheesy grin. Something was definitely different about Colin tonight, but she loved it.
“Oh! I almost forgot!” she cried as she put her plate down and jumped up. “I stopped and got us a bottle of wine, I’ll be right back!”
Penelope grabbed the wine from her bag and handed it to Colin before heading back to the kitchen for the essentials - two glasses and a corkscrew. She heard Colin call out, “Good choice on the moscato!”
“Told you I was craving something sweet tonight!” she called back, before adding, “Besides you!” She could feel the heat in her cheeks and her heart pick up speed as she walked back to the couch smiling.
“Here, let me help you,” Colin said as he reached for the glasses, his fingers brushing against hers. The contact was electric, and Penelope stumbled. “You good?” Colin asked as he steadied her.
Penelope jolted back from his touch, her skin on fire. “Yeah, I’m good,” she managed to choke out. She sat down on the couch, farther away from Colin than before as he opened and poured the wine.
Colin frowned at how far away she was, but decided it was better that way. He handed Penelope her wine glass and hit play. They sat in relative silence as they started eating, with the exception of Penelope’s moan as she took her first bite.
Colin nearly choked on his own food when he heard her. “Glad you like it,” he said with a proud smile.
“You can be my personal chef anytime,” she said with a grin.
“Really?” he asked, hopeful.
“Yeah. You’re amazing.”
Colin scooted closer to her. “So you think I’m amazing, huh?”
Penelope blushed. “Yeah, I really do. Now shush, I’m trying to watch a movie.”
Colin couldn’t wipe the huge grin that appeared on his face as he mumbled, “Sorry.”
Fifteen minutes later, they had the movie paused to clean up their dinner plates and Colin grabbed the ice cream and put the toppings on while Penelope went back and snuggled herself under the blanket on the couch.
“Mind if I share the blanket with you?”
“Of course not. There’s plenty of room under here,” she said as she moved it back for him to sit down.
As Colin got himself situated, he realized another mistake had been made. He was entirely too close to her. He took a deep breath, trying to stop his body from reacting so violently to hers.
“Hey,” she whispered. “It’s okay. Whatever it is, it’s okay. You know you can tell me anything, right?”
He nodded. “I know,” he said after a minute. “And I want to, but I’m scared. Because I want to know what you think. But let’s finish the movie first, okay? I need to gather my thoughts.”
“Sure, Col. Whatever you need.” Penelope patted his thigh gently under the blanket before she reached for the bowl of ice cream.
Colin’s thoughts were going a million miles a minute the moment he voiced that he wanted to talk after the movie. He wanted nothing more than to turn his feelings into reality, where she would let him love her and she would love him in return. But first he needed to gather his thoughts into the words he wanted to say. But his thoughts had come to an immediate halt when she touched his leg. Because dear God, he thought he was going to combust.
She handed him a spoon and placed the bowl in his lap. She knew he would probably end up eating most of it anyway, he always did. She clinked their spoons together once they each had ice cream on them and grinned. “Cheers!”
Colin laughed as she put her spoon in her mouth. “You’re such an idiot, I love you.”
Penelope started coughing as Colin’s face froze, panic flashing in his eyes. He had not meant to say that, at least not yet. If anything, he could try to play it off in a friendly manner, but he doubted it. He could feel the heat on his cheeks, and knew she would be able to see it.
Instead, she reached for her glass of wine and took a sip, careful to avoid eye contact with him. Her heart had skipped a beat at the way he sounded, like he actually meant them. Afraid of not being able to speak properly, Penelope decided to say nothing.
Colin frowned. While he had not meant to say the words, he had, and her reaction was not what he had expected. Not that he thought she was going to jump into his lap or anything, but he at least wanted her to acknowledge his words.
Unless, of course, they affected her more than she was letting on. Colin again stopped his thoughts. He wanted to remain positive about things, not spiral into darkness before the conversation even happened.
She put her wine back down, and leaned back again. She looked like she was battling with herself, which gave Colin a small sliver of hope. Surely she could tell how tense he was. And how he was losing that same battle by the minute.
They sat like that for quite some time, not really touching, but close enough that Colin could feel the heat from Penelope’s body. It was torture not being able to touch her, to lace their fingers together under the blanket. He shifted on the couch, trying to get more comfortable, hoping that would help his own discomfort.
After they paused the movie again to clean up the ice cream and for another refill on their wine, Colin decided he couldn’t wait any longer. Penelope was just about to reach for the remote, when Colin said her name.
“Penelope.”
She turned her head toward him, not saying anything. She heard the urgency in his voice, and waited for him to continue.
“Can I…can I hold your hand?” he asked softly.
Penelope nodded and Colin sighed happily, some of the tension leaving his body. “Come here,” he whispered. “You’re too far away.”
She blushed as she settled against him. He found her hand under the blanket and after he laced their fingers together, he placed them in his lap. She rested her head on his shoulder as they continued the movie.
Colin started mindlessly tracing circles on the hand he was holding, moving to her wrist and up her arm. She trembled, and moved her head to look up at him. “Colin…”
“Hmm?” he asked as he smiled softly, his eyes never leaving the screen.
“I need to move.” She unclasped their hands, and Colin let out a little whine at the loss of contact. “Give me a minute,” she said with slight annoyance. “I’m just getting more comfortable.”
Feeling brave, she brought her legs up on the couch and turned her body so her back was leaning against Colin’s chest.
Colin, in the meantime had brought his arm around the back of the couch and turned his body slightly to adjust to her new position. She grabbed his arm, the one on the back of the couch, and slid it down around her shoulders and across her chest, lacing their fingers once more.
Once Colin felt her relax into him, he leaned down to whisper in her ear, “Comfy?”
“Very.”
“Good,” he said, satisfaction evident in his voice. “Now stop moving, I’m trying to watch a movie,” he teased.
“Shut up,” she replied, smiling against his arm as she rested her head against it.
Thirty minutes later, it was Colin’s turn to move. Colin moved Penelope into a sitting position and carefully, he swung his leg behind and around her, so she was now between his legs. He brought her fully against his chest, and he wrapped both arms around her, squeezing gently.
His hands immediately found hers again, and that was when he knew. Knew that he would never feel more content, more at ease than he was when he was with her. That staying home and having a quiet night in with Penelope was what he wanted to do forever.
He loved her. Just the thought made him giddy. She was everything to him. She knew all his dreams, his insecurities. She listened to him. She understood him better than anyone else. She made him want to be a better man. And she was perfect for him. Now he just had to tell her.
As the movie continued to play, Penelope still nestled against him, Colin wondered if this was what Heaven felt like. Because with Penelope in his arms, he was fairly certain it was. Colin snuggled her closer, and she sighed happily.
“This is nice,” she whispered, barely loud enough for him to hear.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.”
Penelope’s favorite part of the movie, not to mention one of the most iconic film lines of all time, was coming up momentarily. She was preparing to say the quote with Johnny as he stalked across the room to where Baby and her family were sitting. “Nobody puts—”
Her words were cut off with a squeak as she felt Colin pull her even closer, his mouth close to her ear as he finished the line. “…Baby in a corner,” he whispered. She shuddered as his breath tickled her ear, his lips grazing her cheek with featherlight kisses. The kind of kisses that were barely there, but still scorched the skin.
She felt Colin smile against her cheek as he continued, moving back toward her ear, biting her lobe softly. “Mmm,” she groaned quietly, grasping his hands tighter and squirming against him. She tilted her head, an open invitation for him to give her neck the same treatment, but he pulled back instead.
She turned her head to look at him, fully prepared to give him an annoyed look despite her blush. Her heart stopped at the way he was looking at her - with love, need, and desire. It was like his face had transformed into the heart eye emoji, and she giggled.
“What?” he asked.
“Nothing, just that I love you, too.” she answered.
Penelope broke contact with him momentarily so she could turn in his arms. She was now facing him, one hand on his chest, the other moving to the back of his head. Her fingers started playing with the hair at the nape of his neck, and he put his hands on her hips.
Colin’s heart was pounding in his chest at her words as she went from looking into his eyes to at his lips. He squeezed her hips and when she focused on his eyes again, he asked if he could kiss her. She answered with a slight nod, and as he moved in to close the distance, he whispered her name. “Penelope.”
He heard her breath hitch just as he touched his lips to hers. Their lips pressed together gently, softly. He moaned at how sweet she tasted from the ice cream. “You. Taste. Divine,” he managed to get out as he moved from her lips to pepper her face, neck, and jaw with kisses.
Penelope moaned and gripped his hair tighter, almost crawling into his lap. “Colin, don’t stop.”
“I won’t,” he promised before moving back to her lips.
They continued their slow, languid kisses, neither of them realizing the movie had ended. After a few minutes, Colin stopped, resting his forehead against hers and smiled again. He was fairly certain that smile was going to be permanently on his face.
“Hi,” he whispered, giving her another peck on the lips.
“Hi,” she whispered back.
Colin’s smile widened as he pulled her closer again. Penelope sighed happily, a huge smile on her own face as she snuggled against his chest. “Penelope?”
“Yeah?”
Colin kissed the top of her head. “I love you, too.”