Wingman

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/40473426.

Rating: Explicit
Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: F/M
Fandom: Bridgerton (TV)
Relationship: Colin Bridgerton/Penelope Featherington, Colin Bridgerton & Penelope
Featherington
Character: Colin Bridgerton, Penelope Featherington
Additional Tags: That new S3 announcement, I'm trying to make sense of it, but in a
Modern AU, it's probably going to get spicy because that's how I roll,
I'm trying to process, Colin as a wingman I guess, Let's just do this,
Polin HEA, Polin, I've processed now, It got spicy, Gonna keep getting
spicier, There's plot in the first half but then it just kind of turned to fluff
and smut, They buy matching tshirts wherever they go because of
course they do, Modern AU Colin is a HUGE Harry Styles fan, I'm not
mad about the synopsis anymore, And that was why I wrote this, It
makes sense now, I'm not in control anymore the characters have
taken over, Chaotic Colin Bridgerton, Chaotic Colin at peak chaotic,
Horny Magic
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-07-22 Completed: 2022-08-19 Chapters: 15/15 Words:
33408

Wingman
by MissusTarq

Summary

A modern AU that began as a spotlight on one night out between Colin and Penelope, in
which Colin offers to take her clubbing in an effort to help her find a bf as a way to make
amends for what he said about her to his mates over winter break. Colin takes his role as
her Wingman quite seriously, but what happens when he starts seeing Penelope through the
eyes of other men?

The story has evolved and now spans 3 days, exploring the idea of "She fell first, but he fell
harder." And oh boy does Colin fall hard.

Notes

A little teaser to get us started. The writing will continue in typical narrative form after this
chapter.
 Texts

[Transcript of Text Messages, 5/20/2022, 16:22:27 – 17:16:09]

Colin: Heyyyy!! El is being a total brat and won’t tell me annnnything about u! r u home from
school yet? I just got in like an hour ago… finals are finalizzzzed!! Summer break here we
commme!!!!!! 8D

Penelope: Wow. There’s a lot to unpack there…

Colin: so that means you *are* home?

Penelope: LOL
Penelope: I meant your text. I got in this morning.

Colin: How are you not more excited??

Colin: IT’S SUMMER!!!!!!

Penelope: idk
Penelope: not sure how much I’ve got to look forward to this year

Colin: what’s wrong?

Penelope: …

Colin: c’mon
Colin: I’ll get it out of you one way or another
Colin: don’t make me come across the hall and tickle you for it!!

Penelope: like I said, there’s a lot to unpack

Penelope: for one, El and I got into a huge fight after spring break
Penelope: we haven’t talked since then
Penelope: and we’re not rooming together next fall either

Colin: you haven’t talked?? u lived together!!

Penelope: she slept in some other friends room for the last few weeks
Penelope: I haven’t seen her

Colin: sorry
Colin: dare I ask?

Penelope: I can’t
Penelope: it’s too private
Penelope: sorry

Colin: I get it. I’ll be here if you ever want to chat about it
Colin: actually…
Colin: I don’t want to seem insensitive buuuuuut…
Colin: doesn’t that just mean more you for me this summer!!
Colin: IT’S. SUMMER.
Colin: !!!!!!!!!!!!
Penelope: Colin.
Penelope: We haven’t spoken since winter break
Penelope: I’m still kinda raw about that

Colin: I told you. I know I fucked up. I said it terribly. You just… Pen, you’re my bestie. And I
hate it when guys can’t see that. Like, we’re close and you’ve got great tits so I must be trying to
bed you. It’s gross.

Penelope: now I’m gross?

Colin: THEM. THEY ARE GROSS.

Colin: And I really do miss chillin with u

Penelope: so you think I’ve got great tits?

Colin: I’m not blind

Colin: lol

Penelope: I guess it would be nice to actually still have a friend at home

Colin: 0:)

Penelope: Well, that kinda leads in to the other reason I’m not super stoked about summer…

Colin: ???

Penelope: ...ive never had a bf

Penelope: and I thought for sure that Freshman year at college would be it
Penelope: but now I’m back in Mayfair for yet another season doomed to spend every night alone

Colin: no
Colin: that won’t do
Colin: I wanted to go out tonight anyways, that’s y I texted
Colin: let me be your wingman

Penelope: ???

Colin: seriously
Colin: it’s the least I can do after… behaving like such an ass
Colin: let me make it up to u

Penelope: out?

Colin: dancing
Colin: tonight
Colin: I’m coming over at 7
Colin: We can catch up and pregame while u get ready
Colin: I’ll make lemon drops 0:)

Penelope: k
 Home
Chapter Summary

Colin shows up as planned.

Chapter Notes

I wrote enough that we're gonna call this another chapter. No idea how often I'm going
to update this. Maybe I finish it this weekend? Maybe I go to the beach. Porque no los
dos? :shrug: I'm going to bed.

It was 6:58 when Penelope heard the knock at her mom’s front door. Colin and Penelope had
grown up across the hall from one another. Their families, the Bridgerton’s and the
Featherington’s, each owned a flat on the same floor of the exclusive No. 1 Grosvenor Square.
Both of their families came from old money with ties to the aristocracy, and they really did live a
charmed life. But it was the only one they knew – their version of normal – and to each other, they
were just the other kid next door.

Both were from fairly large families by modern standards, even if Colin did have twice as many
siblings as Penelope; she was the third of four, while he was the third of eight. And while Eloise,
Colin’s second-oldest younger sister, was the same age as Penelope, and became her friend first
when they were small children, Colin felt that his bond with Penelope was just as close, if not
sometimes closer.

Colin was always two years ahead of Penelope and Eloise in school, which meant that most years
growing up they walked in together, saw one another in the lunch room, and passed each other in
the halls. But Penelope and Colin’s friendship developed the most due to their shared love of
music. Colin was the only of his siblings near their age interested in band and chorus, while
Penelope was the only of her sisters who didn’t need a bucket to carry a tune. Many days were
spent together practicing their clarinets or solos for select choir, and even though she was two years
his junior, Colin felt like Penelope became his closest confidant.

She was there for all his important moments. When he got picked for his first solo. When he tried
out for and got the lead in the school musical. She helped him get up the nerve to ask out his first
girlfriend, Marina Thompson. She was there when he applied to Cambridge and four months later
when he opened his acceptance letter. And she was there to hold him when he came home early
from his sixth form formal dance, having walked in on Marina making out with George Crane in
the coat check.

Penelope and Eloise both followed him to Cambridge, but he had seen little of her this past year.
Colin had switched majors several times, eventually landing on Communications because it
seemed versatile and because he still wasn’t sure what he wanted to do. But he had become
especially enamored with his newly declared minor in International Studies. It would take him an
extra year to finish his degree, but 4 of his remaining 6 semesters would be spent overseas studying
in affiliate schools and getting to explore different countries, cultures, and best of all – cuisines.

He had spent this past semester in Greece, and it felt like constant adventure. There were beaches,
mountains, orchards, ruins, museums, islands, and so, so much more. Colin ate his way through
every menu he could find, and made friends with every neighbor and acquaintance, mostly so he
could find himself invited to dinner with their yiayia. He loved every minute abroad, but was
equally excited to finally be home. And when he saw his favorite smiling redhead open the door –
grinning first at the ‘Maitre Choux’ box he held out, then at him – he felt he truly was home.

“I couldn't decide, so I got the box of eight. Two each: Persian Pistachio, Hazelnut Milk Chocolate,
Passionate Raspberry, and Very Dark Chocolate. Did you have dinner? Because I’ve got a few
slices of pizza I just abandoned back at mum’s.” Colin pointed his thumb over his shoulder to the
door behind him as an easy smile washed over his face.

“It’s good to see you.” was all Penelope replied before slotting herself between the patisserie box
and Colin’s chest for a hug. “I missed you.” She relaxed into his familiar embrace for a moment
before turning back into the flat, somehow managing to lift the pastries from his hand and abscond
with them.

“Those are to share!” Colin called, giving playful chase to the kitchen island where Penelope was
already setting out small plates and napkins.

“Yes, I had dinner to answer your question. But thank you. And thank you for these. I missed
Maitre Choux’s! How did you know?”

“It was the first thing I did when I came back from my first year at Uni.”

Colin looked at Penelope with what she could only discern to be wisdom in his eyes. She had
missed home, sure. But she wasn’t close with her family the way that Colin was. She was likely
closer with Colin than she was with any of her sisters, and definitely trusted him more than her
mother. Her baby sister Felicity was sweet, but she was only 13, and a 19 year old only had so
much in common with her 13 year old sister. And she had lived with Eloise all year until the
incident when they came back from spring break. No, the only thing about home that she truly
missed was Colin. And she had spent most of spring term angry with him.

Me? Hooking up with Penelope Featherington? You on drugs Fife? Not in a million years.

He had said it so casually. Like it was the most obvious thing in the world. The guys would have to
be on drugs to think he’d want to sleep with her. Because he was Colin Bridgerton. And she was
just Penelope. He didn’t know she heard him say it, but when she disappeared from the New Years
gathering a half an hour before midnight and then stopped replying to his texts, he put two and two
together.

He’d sent her a lengthy email explaining himself. He was a little drunk. He shouldn’t have said it
like that. She was his friend. The guys should respect that. It was reactive. She shouldn’t let it
reflect on her. But it was clear that the reason his words actually cut so deeply never even crossed
his mind. And that realization somehow made it even worse. She loved him.

Penelope had loved Colin since the first time she met him. When she tripped over the threshold to
his mother’s flat and fell into him, sending the bowl of popcorn he was carrying flying into the air
and across the hallway. She was 5 and he was 7, but to little Penelope, who didn’t have brothers
and had grown up in a family that placed more blame than kisses on one another, he was an
intimidating and scary older boy. But little Colin didn’t yell or point and ridicule. He laughed. And
not at her either. He giggled out the warmest sound she had ever heard, inviting her to join in with
his growing guffaws until they were both wiping tears from their eyes. She could still see the
merriment in his eyes as they looked at the seemingly thousands of pieces of popcorn adorning
every surface of his parents’ foyer. Well, that wasn’t very well done of me, was it?
 To Summer
Chapter Summary

Eclairs and shots

Chapter Notes

I went back changed the name of the pastry store he went to in the last chapter. Maitre
Choux specializes in eclairs and I decided I might want there to be more than one
eclair scene. (Yes, I google/yelp real stores and restaurants in Mayfair/Soho when I
write my modern AU's!) So instead of the assortment he brought in the original
version, now he's brought a box of 8 eclairs in 4 fancy flavors.

“Have you thought about what you’re going to wear?” Colin asked before tucking into a hazlenut
eclair.

Penelope glanced up, noticing him attentively watching her while blissfully chewing the
confection. “I don’t know. I mean, I just got all my stuff unpacked a few hours ago. I figured I’d
just go with jeans and a top.”

Colin swallowed, nodding thoughtfully for a bit before responding. “So, I know you haven’t really
done a lot of clubbing. I don’t want you to be surprised… usually a lot of girls wear really tiny
dresses –”

“Oh.” Penelope interjected with little enthusiasm, setting the choux but she was holding back down
on her plate.

“– but if we pick the right top, it could really work for you. No, Pen. We don’t want you looking
like everybody else. I’m saying we play up your features. You’ll be hot and approachable.”

Penelope nearly choked at his last statement. Did he just call her ‘hot’? First the text about her
‘great tits’ and now this? Penelope had promised herself following the New Year’s incident that
she would be well and truly over her grade school crush on him. She had spent two weeks crying
when it happened, only barely managing to pull it together in order to drag herself off for spring
semester. Penelope had to pretend everything was fine when she got to the dorm she shared with
Eloise – Colin’s sister had no idea of her long-held feelings towards him – and in so hardening
herself to the pain, she swore that she would finally move on. She had tried, going to parties and
events and pub nights. She had thought very little in fact of her old friend as the semester wore on.
But her attempts at attracting the opposite sex had been an utter failure.

Even so, Penelope had managed to wall-off the space in her heart and mind that had for so long
been occupied by her dashing neighbor. After receiving his text messages this afternoon, she
slapped a giant label over that spot which read ‘friend’. She would do everything she could to
maintain that emotional air gap each time he mindlessly flirted with her. Because she knew now
that was just his nature. And oh, was he trying her already. He was acting so matter-of-fact talking
about her outfit, as if it was indisputable that the right shirt would have men falling over
themselves to get to her. “Um, sure Colin.”

Colin paid little mind to Penelope’s quiet response. “I’d like to see some options. Anything corset-
y is good. Red would work. Something that shows off your shoulders and chest. Oh! Do you still
have that green satin cami? The one with the draped neckline? You fucking slay in that top.”

Penelope responded with a stilted nod, then closed her eyes and took a very large bite of her choux
bun. Colin found himself startled for a moment as he watched, her pink lips stretching and
wrapping around the elongated pastry, their fullness becoming obvious as contact with the dessert
pressed them outward before they sank together, pulling back and closing around the mouthful she
claimed. Chewing slowly, a sultry moan rose from the back of her throat. The sound of pure
ecstasy shook Colin enough to bring him back to reality, where he was sitting in his best friend’s
kitchen. The realization of what he had just caught himself fantasizing over was enough to send
him into a coughing fit, mostly as an attempt to distract his body from any sort of dangerous
reaction that his conscious mind would not allow.

“I’m making our first round of lemon drops.” he declared once he caught his breath, springing from
his seat and turning his back to Penelope, allowing her to finish her eclair in peace. Colin picked up
the bag he had set on the floor upon his arrival, retrieving from it a bottle of Stoli Elit, simple
syrup, and a bag of Meyer lemons. Colin easily found the shot glasses, shaker, knife and cutting
board, bowls and sugar he would need, then set about mixing a double batch of their favorite shots.

By the time Colin turned around, Penelope was just Penelope again, finished with her pastry and
scrolling through her phone. He brought the four rimmed shot glasses he had prepared to the
island, then filled each to the top. Placing the shaker back on the counter by the cutting board, he
turned back towards her, plucking up his first shot and raising it in the air. “Bottoms up,
Featherington – to summer!” She set her phone down as if startled, surveyed the drinks in front of
her, then selected one and mirrored Colin’s gesture. “To summer!” she echoed, smiling like the
sun.

When their shots were finished, Colin stood and began walking towards Penelope’s bedroom, only
calling behind him once he was well on his way. “I’m going to look through your closet!”

Penelope eyed the mess left in the kitchen for just a second before launching out of her chair and
chasing Colin to her room. He had been there hundreds of times before, but something about the
idea of him being there alone, and going through her clothes no less, sparked something akin to
fear in her chest.

She caught up to him just as he reached her doorway. Penelope was a bit out of breath and shaken
from her spring across the flat, but Colin strode in, seemingly entirely unbothered by her panic.
Colin walked to her closet door, then paused and turned to her, a questioning look in his eye. “Okay
Pen, level with me,” he began, a hint of seriousness in his tone. “Are you looking for a boyfriend,
or do you just want to get laid?”

Penelope flushed crimson at the bluntness of his question. “Um…” she stammered. “Uh… I
guess… I… I was hoping for it to be more… I don’t fancy my first time being a one night stand,
you know?”

Now it was Colin’s turn to blush. He hadn’t considered that Penelope was still a virgin. It made
sense that her text earlier was meant as code. Still, he felt a bit insensitive for not picking up on her
meaning. “Of course.” he finally replied, letting his voice drop softer than it had been,
communicating his understanding and contrition for handling the situation so indelicately until
now.
Penelope sighed wistfully, fixing her eyes on her window. “It doesn’t have to be perfect. It doesn’t
have to be something I expect to last forever. But I don’t want it to be a stranger either. I’d like to
find someone I at least care a bit about. And who maybe cares about me. But I’m also not going to
wait forever. I just want someone to choose me for once. Someone to see me.”

Penelope didn’t make eye contact with Colin just then, instead brushing past him into her closet,
flicking on the light and sliding blouses across the clothing rod. She began plucking out satin and
knit tops, everything red she owned, the green cami he seemed to remember for some
unfathomable reason, and a few personal favorites in pink and purple. She indelicately passed each
to Colin, standing a few feet from her in the doorway, piling the shirts high in his arms. When she
was through, she finally looked at him. “Put those on my bed and pick out out a few for me to try
on. I’m going to change into my jeans.”

With that, she gently pushed him out of her closet, shut the door behind him, and began to change
into her favorite pair of artfully ripped skinny jeans.
 OOTD
Chapter Summary

Colin helps Penelope pick out an outfit

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Colin tossed the mountain of clothing Penelope had piled in his arms down in the center of her
bedspread and immediately began sorting the shirts into ‘yes’ and ‘no’ piles. At first, the work was
quick; haphazardly tossing aside anything that screamed ‘bookish’ or ‘serious’ while keeping
anything that showed off a bit of her legendary cleavage. Colin slowed his work fairly quickly
though as he began to imagine how Penelope would fill out each top. He stopped completely when
he came across a red silk wrap blouse with a deep v-neck.

Colin wasn’t sure how long he had been standing still, holding the red shirt out in front of him by
the straps, imagining the way its deep plunge would reveal her soft and full decolletage, when
Penelope emerged from her closet. He looked to her, breaking suddenly out of his reverie, as she
strode decisively towards him. “That one, yeah?”

Penelope snatched the top from his hands without waiting for his reply, then spun to her dresser.
Colin watched without speaking as she rooted around in one of the top drawers. Penelope was
wearing a great pair of jeans – dark with rips all down the front and just the right height and shape
to show off the impossible curve of her hips and ass. ‘Those ought to work,’ Colin thought to
himself, considering for the first time that she might have just as much luck luring in the poor saps
at the club from behind as from head-on. Currently, she was still wearing the green marl
Cambridge hoodie that he suspected she lived in most days at school, but even in that she already
looked like a bombshell.

Penelope turned from her dresser after tossing a red lace, almost completely sheer, holy-fucking-
sexy-jeezuschrist-lingerie bra over her shoulder. Colin’s chin must have fallen on the floor because
Penelope started giggling at him. “It’s the only one I can wear with this shirt. It’s not terribly
comfortable, but it looks amazing!” Her tone was light and breezy as she spoke. She gave Colin a
sweet smile, then flitted back off into her closet.

“I’m, uh… I’m gonna go make us another round, k?” Colin called through the door. He had to get
out of there and catch his breath. What the fuck what happening to him tonight? A little bit of
space and a fresh drink to clear his head were exactly what he needed.

“Sure Col – maybe put them in glasses so we can sip on them while I try stuff on?”

“You got it!” Colin let out a little breath as he walked down the hall. Get it together Bridgerton, he
thought to himself.

Penelope emerged from her closet to find Colin still absent. She followed the sound of ice in the
shaker down the hall to the kitchen, rounding the corner to see her friend vigorously shaking their
cocktail with a look of deep concentration painted on his face. “Well?” she asked, catching his
attention and then slowly twirling, arms stretched wide before striking a dramatic pose.
Colin lowered the shaker to the counter, his fumbling hands seemingly having great difficulty
getting it to stand upright on its base. His eyes grew wide, raking over her form several times in
succession before freezing somewhere below Penelope’s eye line. “Colin?” she inquired, “What do
you think?”

After another beat, his eyes ripped from her form and finally met hers. “N… no. That won’t do.”
he stammered, shaking his head slowly at first, then almost violently.

Penelope looked at him confused and just a little defeated. She walked around and grabbed the
shaker from in front of him, pouring the drink between the two glasses he’d already prepared. She
let out a plaintive sigh, then looked up at Colin, who already seemed to be watching her intently.
She sipped her drink, then asked with a hint of despondency in her voice, “What is it? My arms?
Should we maybe go back to sleeves?”

“No!” Colin rushed out with a voice that was all breath. “No, Pen. That shirt… you want a guy to
date you, right?”

“Yeah…” she drawled.

“That shirt is for your third date.”

“Huh?”

“Pen. That’s the shirt you wear when you want a guy to fuck you.”

Penelope stood frozen for a moment, letting the meaning of his words wash over her. No wonder
he seemed so uncomfortable, she was making him think about getting her laid. And he thought of
her like just another sister. This all had to be so weird for him. And here she was with half her chest
hanging out twirling around like some kind of sexed up Julie Andrews in the Sound of Music. She
felt suddenly exposed and wanted nothing more than to crawl back into her hoodie. Tugging gently
at the neckline of her top, she turned towards the hall. “Why don’t I… go try something else.”

Shivers ran through her when she felt Colin’s large, warm hand land softly on her bare shoulder.
“You look great, Pen.” His hand withdrew, and she heard him release a heavy breath. “The black
one. You should try on the black one. I’ll be there in just a minute to finish looking through. Just
let me… uhh… clean up the kitchen a bit.”

Penelope nodded without turning, then plodded down the hall.

As soon as she was out of sight, Colin gripped the counter and hung his head between his
shoulders, breathing in sharp, measured bursts. Why was his body betraying him like this tonight?
He had known Penelope for fourteen years, and not once had he reacted to her like this before
today! Get it together, Bridgerton. He had been forced to press into the kitchen island from the
moment he caught sight of Penelope in that top just to keep from embarrassing himself in front of
her.

He needed to get a hold of himself quickly if he was going to make it through the next couple
hours alone with her before they could head to the club, let alone be any help in picking out her
outfit. Colin took a long slake of his drink, then topped it back up with vodka from the bottle. He
made quick work of cleaning up the counters, then screwed up his courage and trekked back to her
bedroom.

Penelope was still in her closet getting changed when he entered. He made the very practical
decision to make space for himself on the bed amongst her clothes, hugging a ruffled purple throw
pillow in his lap as a precaution. Just as he settled in and picked up another blouse to evaluate,
Penelope appeared, wearing a black leather bustier that he most definitely did not remember
selecting. “Ffffu…” was the involuntary response that left his lips.

“I thought you said you wanted to see the black one!” she huffed.

Colin leaned forward towards the pile of maybes, rooted around for a moment, then retrieved a
black sleeveless mock turtleneck. Looking pointedly in Penelope’s eyes, he repeated, “The black
one.”

“That?” she asked incredulously. “I thought you were kidding about that one. It doesn’t show off
anything!” Penelope turned to evaluate her reflection in her bureau mirror, turning from side to
side, running her hands along the sides of her waist. “I don’t know, Col. I’m kinda feelin’ this
one.”

Colin allowed his eyes to trace the overflowing curves of her chest once more. “It’s the same as the
red one, Pen. You’re not going to get a phone number in that shirt, you’re going to get
propositioned.”

Colin took a moment to look through a few more of the shirts in front of him. He picked out a
magenta halter top with straps that twisted in the front, creating a little key hole cut out. Colin had
seen this style on his sisters before, and knew that it would look just as sweet on Penelope as it did
on Daphne or Francesca. “Here, try this one!”

Penelope smiled at the proffered article, tossed it over her shoulder, then retrieved another bra from
her drawers. Thankfully, the cream colored undergarment was far more utilitarian than the red lace
number she first produced from that drawer, and Colin felt as if he could finally relax a bit. As she
retreated to the closet, he worked quickly to finish sorting through her tops. He had just finished
when Penelope reentered her room, a triumphant smile on her face.

Penelope was grinning, placing her hands on her hips as she looked at Colin for his approval. Colin
tried not to choke on his cocktail when he saw her. The top looked incredible on her, hugging and
hanging off her curves just right. But the keyhole? That godforsaken keyhole? On his sisters, it sat
flat against their chest, just below their neck. But on Penelope? Oh, no. Not on Penelope! That
keyhole was sitting smack dab in the middle of her cleavage, creating a window – no, a peep show
– right in the middle of her chest!

Colin did his best to compliment the top, knowing that Penelope’s self esteem was beginning to
take a hit from the rejections he was giving (even if it was because they were too hot), and
suggested they continue on through the pile.

And so they spent the next hour or so working their way through every suitable top in her
wardrobe, Colin doing his best to help narrow the field, until only one shirt remained; the green
one. When Penelope walked out of the closet in the dark emerald green satin cami with the prettily
draped neckline, she could tell just by looking at Colin’s face that this was the one.

“It was always going to be that one, wasn’t it?” he asked rhetorically. A sweet smile graced his
face as he tilted his head to look at her. “You look beautiful, Pen.” he paused for a moment before
adding, “The guys are going to be tripping over each other to ask for your digits.”

Penelope chuckled in response. “If you say so Bridgerton.”

Penelope plopped herself down at her vanity and began working on her evening makeup. She and
Colin fell into a natural rhythm of conversation, him catching her up on his time in Greece, her
 recounting tales from the second semester of her Freshman year. She asked for Colin’s input on eye
shadow colors and let him pick her lipstick for the evening. A deep red that utterly popped and set
off her skin and eyes just perfectly.

By the time Penelope finished styling her hair into a ponytail with precise ringlets falling around
her face, it was time to head out. Colin, who had re-hung all of her shirts while she was busy with
her makeup and hair, looked at her contemplatively. Penelope began to flush slightly under his
scrutiny. He knocked back the last of his drink, then extended his hand to her, “Let’s go find you a
man!”

Chapter End Notes

I'm going to the beach tomorrow. Not sure when I'm going to get the next written.
Should be within a couple days at the latest. <3
 All Up in the Club
Chapter Summary

Colin and Penelope arrive at the club. Colin gives Penelope her first 'lesson'.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

As they loaded into the lift, waiting for the doors to close, Colin subconsciously warmed at the
sight of the handsome couple next to them. It only took a split second for him to realize that it was
them reflected back in the mirrored wall of the lift. But it was long enough for him to recognize
just how perfectly Penelope fit at his side. Colin smiled down at the top of his friend’s head and
thought to himself, She’s going to make someone very happy…

When they stepped out of the Addison Lee car, Colin noticed Penelope’s eyes widen as they
scanned the line, stretched down the block and crowded at the door. “C’mon.” he said, taking her
hand. “Ant keeps a membership – we’re good.” He swiped at his phone a few times as they walked
around to the bouncers on the opposite side from the line. He turned his phone to them, allowing
them to scan something. “Welcome back, Mr. Bridgerton.” The bouncer smiled graciously,
stepping aside to allow his entry. “One guest tonight.” Colin said, squeezing Penelope’s hand and
pulling her along with him. “Of course.” the bouncer nodded warmly, clipping the rope behind
Penelope.

Penelope felt overwhelmed the moment she stepped into the club. Loud electronic music pulsed,
lights flashed in time with the beat, and beautiful people occupied seemingly every square inch of
space. She immediately felt awkward and out of place, wondering why in the world Colin would
think that any man would give her so much as a second glance, let alone their phone number, when
there were gorgeous women practically everywhere.

Colin saw the moment nervousness and self-doubt took over in Penelope. Her entire demeanor
changed, his warm, witty friend retreating; replaced by furtive glances and anxious movements.
Ah. This is why she has trouble meeting guys. We just need her to relax so that they can see what I
see. “Let’s grab our table. Then we can come up with a plan!” Colin yelled near her ear to be heard
over the driving beat.

He tightened his grip on her hand that he still had not released since the car service dropped them
off, leading her around the side of the dance floor to the VIP lounge. He once again turned his
phone to be scanned, then was welcomed and seated at a small table at the far side of the room.
“Veuve?” he asked Penelope once she was seated.

“Hmm?” she replied, still clearly distracted by everything going on around them.

“We’re getting bottle service. Champagne?”

“Oh! Yes! Can we get Veuve Clicquot?”

Colin turned his eyes to the patient waiter, quirked the corners of his mouth, and nodded his head
once.
“So, let’s talk game plan.” Colin began, able to speak at something resembling a normal volume
now that they were removed from the dance floor. “Tell me what you’re thinking. What would
your first move be? See anyone you fancy?”

“Col, I feel way out of my element. These guys are all out of my league. And the girls all look like
friggin’ supermodels. My first move? I don’t know, I guess I’d probably just go dance and see if
anyone tries to join me.”

Colin scoffed and shook his head throughout her whole answer, but waited until she was done
before he spoke. “First of all Pen, you’re as hot as or hotter than like… almost everyone here.
Those girls out there are ten a penny, and all the guys know it. You’re a catch. But guys can tell
when a girl is insecure, and most guys are gonna steer away from that. They don’t know the cause,
and they’ll usually assume the worst. And any guys that do approach you? They’re gonna be the
creeps that are trying to prey on someone who doesn’t know their worth.”

Penelope listened and nodded her head, absorbing this precious insight into the male mind.

“So, lesson one is: Confidence. And fake it till you make it. I want you to pretend that you know
you’re the hottest chick in this joint. When that waiter comes back in just a minute, I want you to
look up at him through your eyelashes, hold eye contact while he pours your drink, and then softly
say, ‘Thank you,’ as sexy as you can manage. He’s getting paid to be nice, so there’s literally no
chance of striking out. You’ll get to see the effect you have. It’ll be good practice.”

A few minutes later, Penelope spotted the server headed their way with their bottle of bubbly. She
took a deep breath just before he arrived table side, then did as Colin suggested, and pretended she
was one of the beautiful people. She could feel Colin watching her as she flicked her eyes up at the
waiter, tilting her head, but without lifting her chin. The handsome young man immediately locked
his eyes on hers, even as he made to open their champagne.

Penelope blushed slightly when he popped the cork, but never dropped his eyes even as he poured
her drink. Penelope was the one to break contact, her eyes moving to his hand as he passed her the
now full glass. She took it, accidentally brushing her fingers against his. Instead of shying away
however, she remembered Colin’s words and used that moment to look back up and deliver her
line, a sultry “Thank you.” The words dripped from her mouth like honey, sweet, thick, and slow.
The waiter gave her a goofy smile, reminded her if she needed anything at all to just wave, and
promised to take care of her all night. He lingered for just a moment longer, then left to tend to his
other tables.

“Jesus, Pen!” Colin exclaimed the moment they were alone again.

“What? Did I screw it up? I’m sorry, I – ”

“What? Pen, no! That poor kid just fell in love. Could you not see what you did to him?”

Penelope’s face screwed up in genuine confusion. “Huh?”

“Pen! He forgot to fill my glass. That was literally his only job other than opening the bottle!”
Colin huffed, then reached across the table to the ice bucket, retrieving the bottle to fill his own
glass. He needed another drink after watching her in action like that. Watching Penelope flirt with
the waiter, even if it was under his close tutelage and instruction, had been unnerving. He felt a
strange tugging in his chest as he observed the electricity between the two, almost like sadness
where he had expected to find pride. She was doing brilliantly already, and he was certain that if
she followed his guidance, the perfect man would fall for her before the night was through.
 “Wow – I didn’t even notice! You really think he liked me?” Penelope cheered at the news of her
first success.

“Easy there killer. Of course he did. But you’re going to do so much better than him. We’re just
getting started.” Colin sipped his champagne, considering their next move. “You said you like to
dance, yeah?”

“Yes! I love dancing! I don’t even care that no one ever asks me – I’ll just go out and do my own
thing.”

“Great. Let’s hang out for a few minutes and finish these, then you can show me what you’ve got.”

Chapter End Notes

I can't wait to write the next chapter, it contains the scene that popped into my head
and inspired this whole lil fic. I've got to do responsible things like sleep and work. I'm
hoping to have enough time to write it tomorrow, but if not, it will be up soon I
promise!! <3
 Too Close
Chapter Summary

Penelope shows off her dancing skills

Chapter Notes

Baby, when we're grinding

I get so excited
Ooh, how I like it
I try but I can't fight it
Oh, your dancing real close
Plus it's real, real slow
You're making it hard for me

Colin and Penelope chatted for fifteen minutes or so as they sipped their champagne and continued
to swap stories of the past semester. When they had finally drained their glasses, Colin nodded to
the dance floor. “Why don’t you go hit the floor a bit. I don’t want to get in the way or give anyone
who might want to approach you the wrong idea. Really, the whole idea is to combine the eye
contact you just practiced with the dancing, and just reel somebody in that way. I’ll watch from
right here, that way I can run over if it looks like you need help.”

Penelope nodded her head solemnly. “So just… go do my thing? But then look at guys?”

Colin smiled encouragingly at her, “That’s basically it. I know you’ve got this Pen. As soon as you
leave my side, you’re gonna turn into a magnet. You’ve just got to communicate that you’re
interested.”

Penelope shook her head gently while she laughed sweetly at Colin’s blind faith in her. “Whatever
you say, Colin.” she said, raising up and then marching off to the dance floor.

Colin watched as Penelope weaved her way into the crowd, settling on a spot not far from the edge
of the floor, and checked to make sure Colin could still see her. He smiled at her, giving a subtle
wave to encourage her as she rolled her shoulders and checked the space surrounding her.
Suddenly, Penelope began dancing. Hard. Penelope was jumping side to side, pumping her fists in
the air, thrusting her hips back and forth, and shaking her head – all seemingly to different beats.
When she opened her eyes and tried connecting with her first target, the previously sultry
expression he thought she’d perfected looked more like a murderous glare. He needed to intervene.
Fast.

Colin had to physically scrub the laughter off his face as he rose from the table and nearly sprinted
to her side. She didn’t see him coming, and so when he reached her, he quickly snaked his arm
around her waist, turning her a half circle around him before slamming her in tight to his body. She
instantly ceased her frenetic movements; eyes popping wide until recognition hit, then relaxing into
his hold. Colin began to dance to the beat, one knee threaded between Penelope’s legs, his grasp of
her tight enough that her body rocked with his in time to the music.

“What’s wrong?” Penelope asked, her head laid almost fully back in order to meet Colin’s eyes.

“Nothing’s wrong, Pen. You were just… going at it a little hard.”

“Oh.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that when you want to cut loose.” he assured her, smiling down in his
best attempt to chase away the cherry red pout that had replaced her smile. “But you’re here for
business, not pleasure, right?”

Penelope nodded, dropping her head and looking off to the side. “I… it’s just that I… that’s the
only way I really know how to dance.” she finally sighed.

“Hey,” Colin whispered, leaning down to her ear, “I’ve got you.”

Colin continued to hold Penelope flush to the full length of his body, moving together to the beat.
“You just need to make it a little smaller, like this.” He demonstrated his meaning by splaying his
hand across the space between her shoulder blades, pressing her chest into his as he moved to the
beat.

“Try to relax, let the beat take over.” Colin closed his eyes, grinding his hips with hers, still pulled
tight to him by his other hand at the small of her back. “Get out of your head. Just feel.”

Colin let his mind go blank, relishing the way her soft, warm body slotted so perfectly into his.
The contrast between the cool satin he felt at the small of her back and the soft, silky bare skin
between her shoulder blades. Her thighs pressed against his. Her chest squeezing into his.

“Colin?” Penelope suddenly called, a hint of confusion and warning in her tone. Colin didn’t
respond right away, doing as he had instructed and letting the music lead him.

“Colin?” she repeated, louder and more insistently this time.

“Hmm?” he hummed by way of reply, opening his eyes dreamily before letting them fall to hers.

“COLIN!” she hissed, going rigid in his arms and staring at him in incredulous disbelief.

Suddenly, it became extremely apparent to Colin what had caused Penelope to stop dancing. He
was hard as rock and pressed right into her belly.

“FUCK.” Colin snapped his body away from Penelope’s as reality crashed down on him. He stood
there, hunched slightly forward. He glanced into her eyes for one horrified moment, then stared
straight down at the floor. He rushed out a mumbled, “I – I’m going to the men’s room.” then
turned and ran as fast as he could, leaving Penelope alone in the middle of the club.

Colin stumbled into the bathroom, thankful that it appeared empty for the moment. He walked to
the sink at the far end of the counter, gripped the counter, and looked himself in the eye. What are
you doing, man? A quick glance at his pants made it quite clear that he hadn’t imagined his
predicament. Colin ran the water and splashed it on his face, rubbing his eyes and trying to find
some semblance of self-control and decency. He patted his face dry with a paper towel, then eyed
himself in the mirror once more, shaking his head at his reflection.

Colin heard the bathroom door open, catching a glimpse through the mirror of three men entering.
Still rather uncomfortably at half-mast, Colin ducked into a stall, closing the door behind him. He
leaned against the wall, letting his head fall back and his eyes close. It didn’t take long for Colin to
hear the unmistakable sounds of the three guys doing lines off the counter.

“Did you see that short red-headed chick out there? Fuck me, you could drown in her titties.”
“Who cares about her titties, you could serve dinner on that ass.”
“I saw her earlier though, looked like she was paired up with some fuck boy already in VIP.”
“Na, they were dancing but then he bolted and left her on the floor.”
“Bloody hell, if she’s all alone, I don’t mind rescuing her.”
“I’ll do a lot more than rescue her you fucking simp.”
“I’ll simp my fucking dick in her throat.”
“Bet.”

Colin considered bursting out of the stall and breaking all of their teeth, but he didn’t like the odds
of taking on three coked-up tossers alone in a bathroom. Plus, Anthony would kill him if he got
their membership revoked. So he waited. And he thought about Penelope. Why was his body
reacting like this to her all of a sudden? He had known her since he was a little boy, and never once
had he thought about Pen like that. And now? Now he had spent an entire evening fighting off
erections like some kind of crazed fourteen year old. Penelope was his friend. He cared about her.
Why was his body acting like he wanted her? Regardless of the reason, he needed to get back out
there and protect her from the three coke-heads that had apparently set their sights on her. Alone in
the bathroom once more, Colin splashed some more cold water on his face, set his jaw, and then
left to find his friend.
 Dicks
Chapter Summary

Penelope starts to get some attention.

Chapter Notes

***TW/CW***
Attempted Drugging. Non-solicited dick pics.

Colin walked back out to the dance floor and began to scan for Penelope. He was still rather
embarrassed, but knew he needed to find her quickly if he was going to warn her off the blokes
from the loo. After a few minutes of searching the dance floor and checking their table, he finally
found Penelope standing at the main bar, taking to the blonde from the men’s room.

Fuck. Colin thought to himself, realizing that the other two men were hovering just behind her,
probably without her knowing. They had her caged in so that if she tried to walk away, they could
easily block her path. He picked up his pace, unsure what he would do when he reached her side.
Just as he was getting close, the bartender brought drinks over to the blonde man. Colin saw him
grab one of the drinks across the top, spreading his fingers out over the drink, and pass it to
Penelope.

"Don't!" Colin yelled, lunging at Penelope to bat the drink out of her hand just before it reached her
lips.

The drink splashed to the floor, and Colin saw the ire of all four suddenly turn on him. "What the
hell, Colin?" Penelope hissed.

"The fuck, mate?" Blonde guy snapped, his two friends stepping in closer. Penelope looked over
one shoulder, then the other, seeming to notice the other two men for the first time.

"Pen, c'mon." Colin said, hoping to quickly extricate both of them from the situation.

"No!" She huffed. "Not until you apologize to Sam for knocking over the drink he bought me. And
anyway, we were talking!"

"Yeah, mate. Maybe you should apologize. And then leave the lady alone. We were talking."

"How about you tell the lady what you just dropped in her drink?" Colin challenged, stepping in
close to 'Sam.'

"Colin?" Penelope's small, shaky voice rang out.

He looked down, seeing the realization that had finally hit her face. She watched him with wide,
nervous eyes and a drawn mouth. "Can... we go?"
"Yeah, Pen." He replied softly, reaching for her hand and gently leading her away from the bar.
Sam and his little posse weren’t dumb enough to stick around. By the time Colin found a bouncer
to report what they had done, he only saw the backs of them ducking out the front door.

Finding their way back to their table in the lounge, Colin finally had a moment to ask how she was
doing. “Are you alright?” He asked sincerely, worry in his eyes as he caught hers.

“Mm-hmm.” She nodded in a small movement, her eyes darting quickly down to her hands, folded
together on the table.

Colin didn’t wait to think better of it, instinctively reaching out with his own hand to cover hers. “I
swear to you, not all men are creeps.” The second the words left his mouth, the adrenaline of the
last five minutes dropped from his bloodstream and he remembered the events immediately
preceding the incident at the bar. He retracted his hand as if he was worried he would burn her with
it. Colin hung his head in shame, “Present company excluded I guess.”

“No!” Penelope hurried to defend him. “It… it happens, I guess. Right? It’s not like it meant
anything.”

Colin jumped on the excuse. “Right!”

“I’m more pissed off that you disappeared for like twenty minutes. You said you were going to the
bathroom and then you… Oh god – did you… in the bathroom?”

“No!” Colin choked out, covering his face with his hands. “I washed my face. And then took some
deep breaths.

“For twenty minutes?” Penelope said skeptically.

“Those guys you were with at the bar? They came in and I hid in a stall. I wasn’t really ready to
look anyone in the eye just yet. Then they were doing coke off the counter, so I didn’t want to walk
out in the middle of all that. And then they were talking about… well, you.”

“Me?” Penelope squeaked.

“Yeah. They all thought you were hot. But they were fucking pigs, Pen. I won’t repeat what they
said, but I was coming out to try to warn you about them. They just beat me to you."

“Fancy that.” Penelope responded in a matter-of-fact tone that caught Colin quite off guard.

“What?” he asked, genuinely confused.

“Oh. It’s just your little lessons. They’re working. That’s more attention that I got all year at
school!” She grinned at Colin’s twisted disbelief. “I know, I know. They almost drugged me.” She
waived her hand at his concern, “But it’s still nice to be seen!”

“I see you.” Colin said, direct and somber.

“But you don’t count,” Penelope replied with a curt smile, reprising the words he said to her after
Marina broke his heart three years prior, “you are my friend.”

Penelope stood, patting Colin on the shoulder. Looking at the dance floor and not him, she
announced decisively, “I’m going to get back out there. I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of
this. And I promise, I won’t be accepting any drinks!” With that, Penelope floated away, picking a
spot on the dance floor a little closer to the middle, dancing like she had done it all her life, and
making eyes with any guy that looked her way.

It wasn’t long before a tall, dark, and handsome young man with a fitted shirt approached her, bent
to whisper something in her ear that made Penelope giggle, and then started dancing with her. It
took every ounce of self-control Colin had not to run over and separate the two. His chest tightened
when he watched her smile up at him, and a pit formed in his stomach when Tall, Dark, and
Handsome’s hands drifted from the small of her back down to the swell of her derriere.

When the DJ changed beats, they stopped dancing, and Colin could tell that TD&H was finally
making his excuses and moving on. But then Penelope pulled out her phone, and… was she? He
was giving her his number! Colin knew he should be excited for her, but instead he suddenly felt
adrift. A feeling crawled through him that reminded him of the worst nights of homesickness he
experienced while in Greece. He furrowed his brow, trying to understand what he was on the brink
of confronting, when Penelope’s sparkling eyes and bright grin ground all of his thoughts to a halt.
He watched her in awe as she bounded back to their table.

“I got a phone number! Col! I could kiss you! We did it!” Penelope cheered, pulling their bottle of
champagne out of the ice bucket and filling each of their glasses. She raised hers in the air, and
Colin mirrored the gesture. Penelope clinked her glass against his and gave herself some kind of
toast, but even as he gestured his glass in solidarity and sipped the smooth, bubbly spirit, he didn’t
hear any of what she was saying. Instead, all he could think about was the part when she
mentioned kissing him.

Bzzzzz-bzzzzz! Penelope’s phone lit up with a text message. She set her champagne flute on the
table and reached for the phone. The bright grin that had taken up residence on her face remained
in place until the second she tapped the message. “Fucks sake!” she shrieked, wincing away as her
phone clattered to the table.

“Pen?” Colin shook from his reverie, instantly concerned for Penelope’s well-being. He reached
towards her phone, only to have his hand slapped away. She took a few short, calming breaths,
looked him in the eye, and said as calmly as she could muster, “It’s a dick pic.”

“WHAT?” Colin hollered, his eyes bugging out of his head, teeth clenching, and face turning beet
red.

Penelope just laughed, picking her phone up, nonchalantly pressing a few buttons, then setting it
back down with a flourish. “Deleted annnd blocked. Goodbye Marcus, thanks for the dance.”

“Pen, I am so. So. Sorry that your night is going like this.” Colin could not believe the terrible luck
Penelope was having. She had dicks flying at her from all directions tonight, whether metaphorical,
digital, or in his case, literal. He couldn’t believe she still had a smile on her face through it all.
“What can I do to make this better?”

“Better? Colin, this has been the most successful night out of my life! Girls get dick pics all the
time. Actually, Col. That was my first! I feel like I’ve finally arrived. Just not with him, of course.
A couple more garbage encounters and I might actually end up on a date!”

Colin did not understand Penelope’s indefatigably cheery attitude. She could be hugging her knees
in a corner, rocking back and forth right now and he wouldn’t think she was overreacting one bit.
When had she become this strong? Colin had always appreciated Penelope’s sunny disposition and
positive personality, but right now, he admired her for it. He raised his glass to her, and said the
first thing that came to mind. “To dicks!”

Penelope enthusiastically clinked her glass to his, echoing the toast with as wide a smile as he had
seen all night. “To dicks!”
 Her
Chapter Summary

Colin grapples with the true nature of his feelings for Penelope

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Colin was relishing these simple moments with Penelope; sipping their drinks, talking, laughing.
He felt at ease in a way he often sought but infrequently experienced. Comfortable. Happy.
Content. Smiling at the terrible pun she just forced, it began to dawn on him. That feeling was her.

Colin started to fit the pieces together. She was his closest and dearest friend. And she was
beautiful. Not just beautiful, but that extremely rare combination of cute and sexy that all men
sought after. She was definitely sexy – tonight had proven to him that his body craved hers. But she
was also witty and funny. Sweet and thoughtful. Caring and compassionate. Brave and strong. Did
he... love her?

Of course he loved her, they had been neighbors and close friends since he was seven. That wasn't
the right question. Was he in love with her? Colin smiled warmly at her, considering the
possibility, just as a handsome young man approached her from the side.

"Hi! I'm Harry." the stranger smiled sweetly at Penelope, keeping a respectful distance but
standing decidedly at her side.

Penelope blushed, but looked up at the man through her eyelashes, just as Colin had taught her.
"Hi, Harry. I'm Penelope, this is my friend Colin." Why did she have to emphasize ‘friend’ like
that?

"Cool. Hi. Did you want to dance?" Harry seemed to blush too, shifting slightly on his feet.

Penelope lit up like Christmas, and Colin's stomach dropped to his shoes. "I'd like that." she replied
demurely, placing her soft, ivory hand in Harry's lithe, tan one.

As he led her away from the table, Colin, now alone, felt something in him shatter. Listening to
and watching other men earlier in the evening as they lusted after Penelope was novel, but it
wasn’t surprising. He had always known her to be lovely. But watching now as a handsome co-ed
approached her, overcame nerves to speak to her, then took her away from him to dance and flirt
with her? It was as if a curtain was lifted from in front of his face and he could finally see what had
been in front of him all along. Through the eyes of the other men, Penelope wasn’t his kid sister’s
friend, or his band buddy. She was an attractive young woman, to be desired and treasured. He
definitely wasn’t jealous of Harry, or any of the tossers that had paid her attention earlier that
evening. If anything, they should be jealous of him. Because he knew that he would be bringing
her home tonight. And that what he had with her was deeper than anything they could dream of.

Still, watching Penelope dance for the better part of half an hour with a handsome stranger left him
feeling broken. The pieces grew jagged and sharp when she returned with him to the VIP area
holding his hand, passing by Colin without a second glance, and getting a bottle of water from the
bar. She stayed with him at the bar another fifteen minutes, smiling, nodding, cocking her head to
the side, and appearing to enjoy an attentive conversation. Colin winced as her phone came out for
the second time that night, clearly entering his phone number into her contacts. Harry leaned in and
gave her a kiss on the cheek, then left to return to his friends.

Penelope looked to ensure Harry wasn’t watching, then made a bee-line for Colin, squealing a
little as she sat down close to him, leaning in as if to whisper all the details of the juiciest gossip.

“Did you have fun?” Colin asked, a bit flatter than he intended.

“I did. But… Oh, my god, Colin. He’s like… so dumb.” Penelope widened her eyes to intimate the
depth of her meaning.

Colin couldn’t help the relief that swelled in him. “Oh yeah?”

“Thick as a post. Like. I couldn’t land a joke. Not one. He took everything so literal. If he
understood me at all that is!” Penelope rolled her eyes then sighed. “He was sweet though. And
definitely interested. He gave me his number and said we should ‘hang’ soon.” Penelope was
smiling as she recalled the conclusion of their conversation.

“Pen. You’re the funniest person I know. Other than myself, of course.” Colin winked and
Penelope giggled. “There’s no reason to say yes to the first guy that doesn’t try to drug you or
digitally assault you. You’re too brilliant to date someone that doesn’t understand you.” Colin
looked at her sincerely. He would have said the same regardless of any ulterior motives he may
now possess. Penelope was brilliant, and she deserved someone that appreciated her. All of her.
Someone like… him.

“I don’t know, Col. It’s like I told you earlier, I don’t need perfect. Just someone who sees me and
cares a bit. I want a first. It doesn’t have to be forever.” Penelope sighed resignedly, then perked up
a bit. “And anyway, he’s like, really cute. So that helps cover a few sins!”

Colin couldn’t help but laugh along with her, but inside, was furious that she was holding herself in
such low esteem still. He would see to changing that. But right now, he was ready to get out of this
club, to go somewhere – anywhere really – where he could be alone with Penelope and figure out
what exactly he wanted to say to her. Because he certainly needed to say something to her. “Hey,
it’s getting late, and there’s a box of eclairs with our names on it. Are you ready for me to call the
car service?”

“Sure, Colin. I think I’ve had enough excitement for one night.”

Colin pulled up the car service app and ordered their ride, then stood and offered his hand to
Penelope. She smiled through a flash of confusion, taking his hand and letting him lead her
through the crowd to the door.

Sitting in the back of the Mercedes, Colin began fretting over the details. Dating Penelope
wouldn’t be anything like dating any other girl. The second he pulled the trigger on this, he was
already certain it would be forever. There was nothing to figure out with Penelope – she had been
his whole life. Was he ready for forever? Was she? Hadn’t she said back in the club that she wasn’t
looking for forever? And what if she rejected him? Would this ruin everything? He would be
devastated to lose her. But at this point, he would be equally as devastated if he couldn’t fully have
her. He wished he could talk all of this through with his best friend, his closest confidant, the one
person that always helped him with these sorts of problems – except that was her.

More than anything, Colin wanted to reach over and hold her hand. He considered it, how sweet it
 would feel to face his anxieties with her cool, tiny fingers laced through his. But somehow it
seemed too intimate a gesture as they sat together in silence. Instead, he wrapped his arm around
her shoulders, tucking her into his side. It was a friendly gesture, one more common between them
that she wouldn’t question, but it had the added benefit of substantially more physical contact than
merely holding her hand.

Penelope snuggled down into his hold. Colin worried what she would think of his heart furiously
pounding under her ear, but eventually allowed himself to relax into her. He took a deep breath,
inhaling her scent. He felt like she belonged in his arms, and he belonged there with her. He
wondered what it would be like to know that she was his forever.

Chapter End Notes

Did you catch it? Sam, Marcus, and Harry are all based off of the new cast members
announced for Season 3! Lord Debling doesn't have a first name yet, so I just went
with Sam Phillips' first name. Marcus Anderson inspired TD&H, played by Daniel
Francis, and Harry Dankworth inspired Harry, played by James Phoon.

Also, I promise, next chapter, Colin is FINALLY going to get out of his damned head.
I promise. <3
 Home II
Chapter Summary

Colin and Penelope get home from the club.

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Neither Colin nor Penelope moved until the car pulled up in front of their parents' apartment
building. Penelope slid away first, righting herself and then reaching for the door handle. The
driver looked back at Colin through the rear-view mirror. "You two seem really sweet. How long
have you been together?"

Penelope startled, and Colin could tell she was about to deny their involvement when he spoke
first, firmly and decisively. "Fourteen years."

Both the driver and Penelope whipped their heads around to look at him. The driver was clearly
assessing their apparent ages and the logistical possibility of such a long relationship. Penelope
meanwhile had furrowed her brow as she tried to read his face. Colin simply smiled at her, reached
across her chest, and opened the door.

Penelope stumbled out of the car, eyeing Colin as he crawled out behind her. Looking back at the
driver, just before Colin shut the door, she tossed up jazz hands and exclaimed, "The Aristocrats!"
She and Colin burst into peals of laughter at the reference as the ever more confused driver pulled
away.

Catching their breath, Colin stepped in close to her. No one could make him laugh like Penelope.
And no one looked as beautiful as she did with that expression of unbridled joy on her face. Colin
reached for her, regarding her seriously and thinking this might just be the moment he leans down
and finally gets to feel her soft pout with his own. But Penelope turned from him before he could,
making for the front door.

Colin followed her, disappointed to have missed another moment. He studied her as they made
their way back to her mother's apartment. As well as he knew her, he felt as though he'd never truly
taken the time to appreciate all of her curves and swells. He knew it wouldn't take long for him to
memorize every inch of her.

Riding the lift up to their floor, he again took notice of the couple in the mirror. Something about
their reflection felt inevitable. Predestined. As if all he had to do was keep moving forward, and
everything would fall into place. He just needed to find the right words to say.

Colin followed her back to her mother's apartment, hovering as she unlocked the door. Penelope
entered, flicking on lights and not making any attempt to be quiet. It was then that Colin realized
he hadn't seen Penelope's mother or sisters all evening. "Where is everyone anyway?" he asked.

"Oh, mama took Felicity and Prudence to visit Phillipa. They wanted to leave the day before I got
back, so I've got the flat to myself all weekend."
Colin stared back in disbelief. While he was quickly thanking the gods for this good fortune, he
couldn't help but feel angry that her mother would abandon her on her first weekend back from her
first year at college. Over a one-day schedule difference. She really was disgusting in the way she
neglected her third-eldest daughter. "I'm so sorry they left you alone." he said sincerely.

"I'm not alone, silly. You're here!" Penelope smiled brightly and then floated to the kitchen, pulling
put plates and opening the Maitre Choux box. She selected the pink and red Passionate Raspberry
pastry for herself, then slid the box to towards Colin.

Colin looked at the box, but did not reach for it. Instead, his mind was busy trying to choose his
next words. I love you, Pen. No, too much, too fast. Don’t want to scare her off. I want you. No, too
emotionally devoid, could be misconstrued. Be with me, Pen? Too vague. Marry me! Settle down,
Bridgerton. I never want to leave your side again. Somehow too vague and too much. Will you be
my girlfriend? Ew, is this Year 8?

Colin looked to Penelope, hoping that he could imagine her telling him the right thing to say. But
when he did, he realized that she was paying absolutely no attention to him. Rather her entire focus
was on the pink pastry she was raising to her ready lips. Her eyes were closed, lips slowly parting
as her tongue darted out, leading the rounded tip into her mouth. Colin held his breath as she
plunged the pastry deep into her mouth, wrapping her lips tight around it. As before, the motion
caused her lips to flare and plump with the pressure. Tasting the tart, sweet, and cream of her
favorite confection – Colin knew that the raspberry one was her favorite – she released a deep,
sensual moan.

Colin could take no more. He rounded the island in a flash, crowding into Penelope’s space just as
she swallowed. Colin took her by her upper arms, causing her eyes to pop open, just now
registering his proximity. Through rapid, shallow breaths, Colin tried to tell her what he felt. “I…
Pen, I…”

Fuck words. Colin crashed his lips into Penelope’s. He pulled her tight into his body, his hands
splayed across her back. Penelope went rigid for a moment, but quickly began to melt into his
touch. Colin’s lips were hungry, dragging and kneading hers with a passion and fervor that
matched his racing heart and the quickness of his breaths.

Penelope’s hands wrapped around his waist, holding firmly to his torso as if she were worried she
might float away if she let go. Colin’s by contrast raced across her back and sides, trying to feel all
of her all at once. He brought his hands to either side of her jaw, trying to slow his pace so that he
could look to her face, hoping to find his own emotions mirrored in hers.

After several, increasingly more tender and spaced apart pecks, Colin finally pulled back enough to
open his eyes. To his dismay, he found a blushing and somewhat flustered Penelope meet his eyes
for just a few seconds before looking away. “Thank you, Colin. You didn’t have to do that. But,
thank you.”

“What?” Colin asked incredulously. That certainly was not the reaction he expected.

“I told you I’ve never been kissed before, so you thought you’d help me out. It’s very sweet of you
Colin, but I know you don’t –”

“Stop.” Colin snapped. Penelope’s attention was pulled back with the forcefulness of his tone.
“That’s not what – Penelope, I kissed you because I couldn’t help myself. I kissed you because I
wanted to. I want you, Pen. I – I’m in love with you.”

Colin waited, his heart bare and exposed to her. Waiting for her response was excruciating, every
second that passed felt like years. But Penelope just stood there, face blank, lips – still swollen
from his kisses – parted loosely, staring up at him. He wanted to say something, anything, that
would get her to reply. But he knew her. He knew her. And he knew that she needed this time to
process. To turn over his words. To weigh their veracity. To determine her own thoughts. And
finally to form a reply.

It was Penelope’s eyelashes that began to flutter first. Then, the corners of her mouth tightened
ever so slightly. Warmth returned to her eyes as they fixed on his. “Are you sure?”

Relief swept through Colin’s body. “I’ve never felt so sure about anything in my life, Pen.” He
nodded vigorously, emphasizing his point. Colin took her hand, holding it tenderly at first, then
raising it up to his chest, laying it against his still racing heart. “I love you.”

“But, New Year’s?” she asked, not needing to say any more to convey her distrust.

Colin pressed her hand deeper into his chest. “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before. It feels like
the most obvious thing in the world to me now.”

“Are you sure that you aren’t just jealous? That this isn’t just some reaction to seeing me with all of
those other guys tonight?”

“No. I don’t think it is. I asked myself that earlier when you were dancing with Harry. I didn’t feel
jealous though. But seeing you through their eyes helped me open my own.” Colin reached up to
stroke Penelope’s cheek, marveling in her softness, and silently celebrating as she pressed into his
touch.

“Are you sure that you won’t regret this? That you won’t change your mind? We’ve been friends
for so long. I couldn’t bear it if we ruined that.”

“And I can’t bear another day without you. Pen. I love you.” Colin searched her eyes, desperate for
her to finally reciprocate the emotion, if not the words.

“Oh, Colin.” Penelope looked as if she was going to burst into tears. She leveled her gaze at him,
pressing her palm into his heart once more. “I’ve loved you since I was five.”

Something akin to shock and delight broke over Colin’s face. “Five?” he questioned.

“Five.” Penelope replied, smiling sheepishly up at him. “I have loved you for fourteen years. Even
when I hated you, I still loved you.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t realize my feelings sooner. But I have loved you as my friend for just as long.”

Penelope raised up on her toes, landing her lips on his. Colin was overcome with emotion and
passion. He swept her off her feet, carrying her by her back and knees, and practically ran to her
bedroom. He deposited her gently on her bed, crawling in after her.

“Col… I…” she began, voice uncertain and shaky.

“Not tonight.” he answered softly, already anticipating her concerns. Grinning, he stole a fast kiss.
“That doesn’t mean we can’t have a little fun, does it?”

Penelope understood his meaning, and nodded enthusiastically, relaxing into the feeling of his
body pressed against hers.

“Good. Because you have been driving me wild since seven o’clock.” Colin ground his hips into
her thigh, this time unashamed of the rock hard erection concealed in his pants.

“Colin!” she squealed, eyes popping wide. “What do you mean since seven?”

Colin ran his fingers up her ribs, lightly brushing the back of his hand along the swell at the side of
her chest. Penelope shivered in response, taking his hand with hers and guiding the flat of his palm
to cup the full center of breast. Colin let out a breathy moan, reverently testing the give and shape
of her. “I mean, you had me running to the kitchen and hiding this,” Colin took her hand and
pressed it against his swollen member, “under your purple pillow all evening.”

Penelope gasped at both the feel of him under her palm and the realization that dancing with him
wasn’t the first time she had had this effect on him. “So you really, like… I turn you on?” she
asked, approaching the question with equal parts awe and incredulity.

“Fuck.” Colin gasped, pressing himself into her hand, chasing friction at the memory of Penelope
in those low-cut tops. “You’re so sexy, Pen. These alone,” Colin brought his other hand to her
chest, dipping his lips down to place several slow, lingering kisses across her decolletage, “are
enough to drive me wild.”

A cheeky grin spread on Penelope’s face. She was beginning to understand the power she wielded
over him. Colin stilled, waiting for direction. “Do… do you wanna see them?” she teased.

Colin rocketed up, nodding furiously. Penelope rose to her knees in front of him, fighting to place a
kiss on his lips through a tight smile. She brought his hands to the hem of her shirt, letting go and
resting her hands on his shoulders.

Colin stroked her sides reverently, closing his eyes for a moment to feel the delicious slide of satin
against his palms. Unable to take the anticipation any longer, he opened his eyes again, grasping
the hem of her cami, and inching it upward. His large hands spanned her sides, lifting the top
carefully over her shoulders and then head before discarding it to the side.

Penelope blushed for a moment, looking down. Colin’s hand caught her chin, raising it up so that
she was looking at him. “You’re beautiful. I want you to know that. I will make it my life’s work to
prove it to you.” Just then, Colin felt the tension in her bra give way. Penelope had reached behind
her back and unhooked it as he was speaking. “You know you don’t have to…”

“I want to.” she said softly, bringing his hands to the straps on her shoulders. “I want you too,
Colin.”

Colin slowly inched the straps down off of her shoulders, down her arms, and finally pulled away
the delicate fabric, freeing her glorious bosom. He couldn’t help himself. He sat there, eye level
with the most perfect breasts he could have imagined, just staring. He studied every freckle, the
way they swelled at the top – even without support, the pale pink hue of her nipples, and their rosy
centers.

It was only when Penelope began to shift uncomfortably under his gaze that he realized how long
he had been studying her. Without words, he pressed forward, laying her down on the pillows, and
taking a nipple hungrily into his mouth. Penelope’s moaning and keening let him know that she
enjoyed his attentions, spurning him on. Colin could die here, he thought to himself, and never a
happier corpse there would be.

When Penelope began tugging at his shirt, Colin broke away to quickly pull it free. He realized
that he already missed her lips. Laying at her side and pressing his now bare chest into hers, he
engaged her in a slow, languid kiss.
Penelope pulled back, regarding him seriously for a moment. He paused, seeing that she was
working up the courage to ask for something. Swallowing convulsively, she began, “Can we… just
with our hands… tonight anyway?”

“I would be happy just to hold you, Pen. You don’t have to do anything you’re not sure of. But if
that’s what you want, fuckyes. I would love get you off.”

“I want to touch you too. I want to see you, Colin.” she whispered.

Colin rolled onto his back, pulling Penelope over him. He took her hand and trailed it down his cut
abdomen, abandoning it on the button of his trousers. “You’re in control.” he whispered, resting
his hands at his sides.

Penelope let her curiosity win out over her desire to tease the moment. She stroked him twice
through his trousers before unbuttoning them and carefully unzipping the fly. With a firm hand on
either side of the waistband, she pulled them down to his thighs in one fluid move, taking his
boxers with them.

“Oh my god.” she whispered as his fully engorged cock sprang free. “Bloody hell, Colin. You’re
enormous.” she cried. “How the hell would that even…”

Colin couldn’t help but grin at her reaction. He cut off her speculation however by sitting up into a
bruising kiss. He swept his tongue into her mouth, flicking and swirling against hers. He pulled
away as quickly as he had started, promising, “When that time comes, I will make sure you are
ready for me.” He kissed her again, slowly laying the two of them back on the pillows.

Colin could feel a flurry of movement next to him, looking down to see Penelope had rid herself of
her jeans. He shuddered, then allowed his hand to grip at her thigh, pulling her to him. He released
her, sliding his own jeans free of his legs. A wave of sheer joy crashed over Colin, and he pulled
Penelope into a tight hug, holding her to him and pressing his cheek to hers. “I love you.” he
murmured in her ear. Penelope turned, leaving a sweet peck on his cheek. “I love you too. Now
would you please touch me?”

Colin didn’t have to be asked twice. He slid two fingers down between her thighs, parting her lower
lips with deliberate movements. She threw her head back into the pillows at the contact, keening
loudly. Colin reminded himself that this was the first time she had ever been touched by a man,
and resolved to take his time with her.

Dipping into her center, Colin found more than enough slick there to accomplish his task. “You’re
already so wet, Pen.” he growled. “Are you wet for me?” He took her earlobe in his teeth as she
nodded her head. “Tell me. I want to hear your voice.” he whispered hotly in her ear.

“I’m wet for you, Colin.” she choked.

“Good girl.” Colin swirled his fingers around her clit, varying between teasing and firm pressure
and speed. It wasn’t long before Penelope was arching and writhing at his side.

Colin was so focused on his task that he almost missed it when her soft hand gently gripped the
base of his member. She began with a feather-light touch, running her hand up and down his long
shaft. Colin twitched and groaned, pressing firmer into her hand. Penelope understood his need for
friction, tightening her grip, pumping him slowly.

Sensing Penelope was getting close to her release, Colin pressed his finger inside her. She moaned
loudly, gripping down tighter on Colin’s throbbing cock. “Fuck, Pen. You’re so tight. You feel so
 fucking good. I want you to feel so fucking good.” He slid a second finger inside, the heel of his
hand rubbing at her clit.

“Ohh, Colin! Fuck, fuck, fuck…” she wailed, picking up the pace with her own hand as her
pleasure grew.

Colin fucked his fingers in and out of her in earnest now, reveling in her high-pitched keening and
ever tightening core. His hips began to thrust in time with her pumping, aware that he was climbing
ever closer to the edge himself. “Just like that, Pen. Fuck. You’re so fucking beautiful with my dick
in your hand. So perfect fucking yourself on my hand. The second you let go I’m gonna come so
hard. Fuck. I wanna come for you. Do you want to come for me, Pen?”

Colin’s filthy words pushed Penelope straight over the edge. She screamed out her reply, “Yes!
Yes! Oh, fuuuck Colin. Fuuuuuuck!!” seizing in his arms. As promised, Colin came with her,
unable to contain himself once he felt her pussy clenching and milking at his fingers. A guttural
groan ripped from his throat, his release spurting wildly onto his stomach and Penelope’s hand.

Overcome with the passion of their simultaneous release, Colin poured all his emotion into a fierce
and fulsome kiss.

Colin and Penelope cleaned themselves up, then returned to her bed, cuddling into one another’s
warm, naked flesh. Colin, holding her from behind, laid several pecks on Penelope’s shoulder,
eventually resting his chin there.

“You meant it then? What you said to the driver?” she asked.

“Hmm?” Colin replied, disappointed slightly that he wasn’t able to follow her thoughts.

“When you said we’d been together for fourteen years.”

“Oh, that.” he replied nonchalantly, squeezing her into his middle. “We have been though, haven’t
we?”

Penelope didn’t reply, instead snuggling deeper into his hold. Colin had never felt more content,
wrapped around the soft, lush body of his best friend. They both quickly drifted off to sleep after
that, home, in each other’s arms.

Chapter End Notes

While I could totally end this here, I've got at least one if not two more good chapters
in me. However, I am going to be entirely unavailable all weekend, so don't expect
anything until early next week.

Please leave a comment if you're enjoying this - I live for feedback!!

Thanks for reading <3
 Morning
Chapter Summary

Colin and Penelope wake up with places to go and a lot on their minds.

Chapter Notes

This was supposed to just be the lead-in to the next chapter, but it got a little long, and
since I couldn't post yesterday, I thought I'd slap it up for what it is. I'm hoping to get
back to my normal posting pace by tomorrow. Also, what was supposed to be the
ending to my story has expanded in my head - I'm thinking at least 5 more chapters at
this point. Maybe more. I've got some ground to cover before I'm ready to wrap.
Enjoy!!

The first thing Colin noticed was the gentle rhythm of her breathing, her ribs rising and falling
softly under his arm. He let his eyes flutter open, his heart flooded with overwhelming contentment
at the sight of her, still sleeping, nestled tightly into his embrace. He let his forehead drop onto her
shoulder blade, pressing his lips gently into the soft skin of her back. Colin knew he wanted to
wake up like this forever.

Noticing the sun was higher in the sky than expected, he freed his other hand and tapped his watch
screen. "Shit!"

Colin hear a sharp inhale come Penelope. Before he could connect the sound to its meaning, she
was pulling away and moving to cover herself with the blankets. Even in his groggy morning
stupor, Colin could figure this out.

"Pen, no. Stop. You slept through the part where I was snuggling into you and kissing your
shoulder. It's just that I saw the time!" he rushed to explain. Colin rolled towards her, gently
opening her shoulders to him with a steady palm. "I meant every word last night."

Penelope remained uneasy at his side, and he hated that she still didn't trust him fully. He took her
hand in his, dropping kisses on her knuckles. He continued to kiss the back of her hand, trailing
slowly up her arm, as he explained the predicament he found himself in.

"It's Saturday. And it's ten o'clock. And it's my first full day back from Uni. And Greece. And
Saturday at ten is family brunch. And I'm still in my clothes from last night. My whole family is
across the hall right now wondering where I am. I'm going to have to do the walk-of-shame in front
of my mother."

Penelope was giggling by the time he was done, more at the teasing kisses he was pressing into her
chest than the circumstance he described, but the idea of Violet blushing furiously while Benedict
and Anthony loudly and relentlessly teased him was quite amusing. Still, she wanted to help.

"Why don't you text them that you're going to be a few minutes late and hop in the shower?"
"As tempting as taking a shower with you sounds, I'd still have to put on last night's clothes." he
lamented.

"Seriously, Colin? All those years of going to games and shows together? All those times you
insisted on buying us matching shirts? You can just borrow one of mine – no one would know the
difference but us. And no one is gonna pay attention to your pants."

Colin considered pressing her on the assertion that 'no one' was checking out what was in his pants,
but was too glad about her shirt idea, and simply gushed, "You're a genius, Pen!"

Penelope smiled sweetly, still holding the sheet to her chest, covering the majority of her body.
"Shower with me? Then come to brunch. I want to tell everyone you're my girlfriend!" Colin shot
his signature lopsided grin at her, imagining his morning playing out much nicer than he had just a
few minutes prior.

"What? Penelope gasped, looking over at Colin in wide-eyed disbelief.

"Is the shower too much? I can't help it – all I want is to be near you. But it's okay to say no. I can
handle it, I promise." Colin looked to his lap, nodding his head sheepishly.

Penelope shook her head sharply at him. "It's not that." was all she offered.

"What is it then?" he asked, turning back to her, suddenly self-conscious."

"Girlfriend?" she breathed, her voice full of question and uncertainty.

"I know, it doesn't feel like enough." Colin sat up on the bed, sidling up next to her, picking up her
hand and playing with the fingers.

"You want me to be your? G... girlfr.. girlfriend?" she practically hyperventilated.

Her deeper misunderstanding finally dawned on him. Pressing closer to her side, he now took up
both of her hands in his. "Of course I do, Pen. I told you last night and I will keep telling you. I love
you. I want to spend – all of my time with you." Colin had to course-correct his last sentence before
he sent her running for her mother's safe room.

Penelope continued to stare, seemingly unable to accept the reality she had woken up to. Colin, on
the other hand, was feeling more and more insecure by the moment, not understanding how
Penelope could be in doubt of his intentions. Colin climbed across her lap so that he was straddling
her on his knees, his face lowered just inches from hers, hands still holding hers. His voice direct
and serious, he asked, "Will you be my girlfriend, Pen?"

The second she allowed for the briefest of nods, Colin surged forward into her lips, sharing with
her equal parts relief and passion. Penelope was the first to break away, leaving him dazed and
unfulfilled. "You need to text your mother."

"Shit." Colin refrained, searching the bedside for his phone. Not finding it, he stood from the bed,
revealing his fully nude form to Penelope for the first time in broad daylight.

She gasped lightly, causing Colin to whip his head around, then wink at her when he noticed she
was studying his form. "You're beautiful." she sighed.

Colin flushed. "It's all for you." He paused, then went back to work retrieving his phone from his
trousers. "None of that now, Miss Featherington. We have to make ourselves presentable for
brunch!"
Colin tapped out a string of texts to his mother:
I'm safe
There in 30m
Sry I'm late
I'm bringing Pen

"That's done then. Shower?" Colin extended his hand to Penelope. She gulped down her fears and
placed her trust and her hand in his. He snapped her up into a full body embrace, then turned and
gently led her to the en suite.

The shower was not the raunchy, steam-filled romp he thought Penelope might be anticipating.
They both needed to get ready fast, so although they did enjoy 'helping' each other lather, it was
more business than pleasure.

He pulled on yesterday's boxers and trousers just in time for Penelope to emerge from her closet,
clad in a classically beautiful light pink sundress with a blue floral print, carrying her royal blue
Brighton Hove & Albion Seagull's tee. A brilliant smile split his face at sight of his favorite shirt.

The two rushed to finish readying themselves. Colin blow-dried his hair while Penelope scrunched
and squeezed the water from hers, then rushed to throw some quick make-up on. Fifteen minutes
later, they were both looking presentable and feeling ready to face Colin’s family.

“You look beautiful.” Colin wrapped his arms around Penelope’s waist, eager for one last moment
alone before he had to share her with his family. He leaned in, sweetly pressing his lips to hers.
This time, it was Penelope’s turn to utter a non-sequitur curse. “Shit.”

“What is it?” Colin asked, eyes wide with concern.

Penelope hung her head, too ashamed to meet Colin’s worry. “Eloise.” she offered with no other
explanation.

Colin deflated, understanding all at once the gravity of the problem and his inability to fix
something he knew nothing about. Colin looked at his watch. It was already 10:42. He knew his
mother was anxious to see him, but he knew that whatever this was, it was important to Penelope,
and it needed to be addressed now. “Can it be explained in less than ten minutes? I can’t help if I
don’t know what happened.”

He could see tears pricking at the sides of her eyes. But when he reached out to hold her, she only
stiffened and pulled away. “Please. What is it? What’s wrong?” he pleaded.

Penelope turned a steely gaze out the window. “Before I tell you, I want you to know that last night
was truly magical. The best night of my life. I meant every word too. But if… after I tell you this…
you want nothing more to do with me. I’ll understand.” Penelope’s voice began strong, but was
breaking and quivering by the time she paused.

“Pen, you’re scaring me.” Colin tried again to reach for her, but she stepped back again,
maintaining both physical and emotional distance from him.

“You know that anonymous campus TikTok? TheWhistleBlower? The one that exposes all of the
scandals and drama of the school’s social elite and professors?”

Colin nodded, remembering how both he and his sister had been targets of the controversial social
media account.

Penelope turned to face to Colin, appearing both resolved and fearful. She took one more deep
breath, then revealed flatly, “I’m LadyWhistledown.”

Colin stumbled back slightly at the news. His personal mentions on the infamous account were
largely inconsequential and easily forgiven. But the exposé that had been released about Eloise and
her Women’s Studies TA Theo was not. Not only was her personal life exposed to all of
Cambridge’s student body, but the administration became involved and nearly expelled them both.
Last Colin had heard, Theo was able to stay on for his PhD program, but was forced to move off
campus and had lost his TA position. Eloise only suffered social consequences, but the ordeal
strained her relationship enough that she had broken it off with Theo. Colin was shocked by
Penelope’s confession, able to produce only two words, “Eloise… Why?”

Penelope nodded curtly, resigned but grateful to have the opportunity to finally explain herself to
someone. “The dean got involved. She was trying to uncover the author of the account. And she
became convinced it was Eloise. They brought her in and questioned her. Claimed to have
evidence. Threatened to expel her. Threatened to sue your family. I had to do something to throw
them off her. The exposé was… it was all I could think to do to protect her.”

Penelope let out a long, sad breath. “It wasn’t long after that when she figured me out. I came back
from the showers and she had unlocked my phone with a picture and found the secret account in
my hidden apps. There was a lot of yelling and then… well, and then I haven’t spoken to her
since.”

Penelope walked to the window she was facing, holding her body tense and tall. “So you see, I’m
not who you thought I was. I’m sorry.”

Penelope stood, silently staring out the window, expecting to hear the sound of her front door
shutting. Instead, the clear sound of Colin’s voice rang out into the silence. “I love you.”

Penelope whirled around, confused by the unexpected declaration. She didn’t speak, but the knit of
her brow and question in her eyes told Colin all he needed to know. “You’ve never… No one’s
ever… Oh, Pen.” And then he was standing with her, pulling her into his arms. Colin realized in
that moment that Penelope had grown up not knowing unconditional love; always having to work
to be noticed or appreciated by her family. It was something he had taken for granted, never having
to worry whether there would be someone to catch him when he fell. “Pen, you don’t have to earn
my love. It’s okay to make mistakes. You… don’t have to be perfect. I love all of you.” Colin
continued to hold her to his chest as she choked out a sob. “Thank you for telling me. We will face
Eloise together when the time comes.” Colin discreetly checked his watch again. 10:53.

“Pen, this is a lot. We obviously need to talk more. But nothing about this is going to change how I
feel about you. And right now, I really, really want to bring you home to my mother. Eloise can
either hold her tongue or storm off to her room. I will make sure she doesn’t say anything to you
during brunch. And we will figure out how to patch things up between you two later. Together.”

Colin pulled out his phone. No missed calls yet, that was a good sign. He tapped open a new text
message to Eloise.
Pen is coming to brunch
I know what you know
We are together
I love her
We can talk later

“There. It’s done – she knows.” Colin flipped his screen around so Penelope could read. Her eyes
grew wide at the straightforward declaration, but when she looked back at Colin’s sincere face, she
knew she trusted him, and resolved to be brave for him.
Colin gently thumbed away the dampness that had fallen from Penelope’s eyes, cradled her jaw
with his large hands, then kissed her sweetly. He encouraged her to take a few deep breaths by
doing so himself. She followed his lead, feeling assured by his support and fidelity. Soon, Colin
had her giggling and smiling again, ready to take on his family at his side.

At 11:01, Colin and Penelope finally walked out of her mother’s front door, hand-in-hand, stepped
two paces across the hall, and entered the Bridgerton residence.
 Brunch
Chapter Summary

Colin brings Penelope to brunch.

"Colin!" Violet's high, clear voice rang out, only the slightest hint of frustration playing at the back
of her tone.

Colin stepped into his mother's open arms. He wrapped his arms around her, pulling Penelope's
hand – his fingers were entwined with hers – with him. Colin let go of her hand only when he
noticed the awkward way he was dragging Penelope into his mother's side.

After Violet eventually relinquished her tight hold of Colin, Anthony and Benedict rushed in,
surrounding him in another fierce embrace. Benedict broke the hug and stepped back first. "Why
do you smell like strawberries?" he asked, cocking his head to the side and examining his brother.

"I slept over with Penelope." Colin offered.

Anthony responded, baffled and incredulous, "Why would you spend the night on the couch when
your own bed is just across the hall?"

Colin arched an eyebrow at his brothers, taking a dramatic pause to snake his arm around
Penelope’s waist and snap her to his side. "I didn't sleep on the couch."

All at once, Violet let out an ear piercing squeal of delight. Benedict smiled at Penelope so wide
she it looked as if his face had cracked in two. Anthony's eyes darted between Colin and Penelope,
then he smacked his Colin on the side of the head.

"Ow! What was that for!" Colin yelped.

Anthony barked back, "For all the hell you put her through at New Year's when we all told you
this was bound to happen all along! Honestly, Colin!"

Penelope giggled at the already erupting chaos while Colin bounced his head and shoulders in a
resignedly affirmative reply. Just then, Daphne, Simon, Kate, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth all
rushed the front hall. Several squeals of "Colin!" and "Penelope!" overlapped as each pushed in for
their own hugs.

After everyone had a chance to greet the family’s favorite brother and neighbor, and the din of
‘welcome homes’ died down, Colin found his way back to Penelope’s side. “I had planned to tell
you all this around the table, but since you’re here. I have an announcement.”

Colin waited just long enough for most of his family to start paying attention, but not long enough
for any of them to finish forming their inevitable quips and jabs. “Penelope has finally agreed to be
my girlfriend!”

Penelope smirked at his obviously false phrasing, appreciating the playful dynamic shift, and
looking forward to having some fun with it. “I couldn’t say no any more – it was getting pathetic.”
“Which part? The begging? Or the crawling on my knees?”

“Honestly? It was when the begging turned to whimpering. I had to do something to put you out of
your misery.”

“I thank you for your endless kindness and generosity.”

“Two of my many endearing qualities which attracted you in the first place.”

“I am indeed attracted to your two most endearing qualities.”

“I believe you will find my endearing qualities quite ample.”

Colin nearly choked on hearing the word ‘ample’ cross Penelope’s lips. As did nearly the entire
Bridgerton clan, who still surrounded them, jaws on the floor. None present aside from Colin had
ever heard Penelope speak quite so freely.

“P – nelope?” Kate stuttered, the first to find her voice.

Penelope’s eyes shot wide, flushing like a tomato in September sunshine, when it finally occurred
to her that she had just made blatant sexual innuendo about herself in front almost all of Colin’s
family. The silence hung thick for another beat. Until, as if on cue, all present burst into riotous
laughter. Colin used the distraction to reward Penelope’s brilliant banter with a searing kiss.

Wiping the laughter from her eyes, Daphne sang out, “Penelope, you’ve been holding back from
us!”

Hyacinth piped up next. “No one ever outwits Colin! Not even me!”

Penelope noticed that Anthony, Benedict, and even Gregory – who had just turned sixteen last
month – were splitting their focus between staring at Colin with something that looked remarkably
like envy, and herself, regarding her with what appeared to be both reverence and something she
wasn’t familiar with – something hungrier that she couldn’t quite place.

A deafening growl ripped forth from Colin’s abdomen, causing every head to turn back towards
him. He blushed a little, explaining, “It’s nearly noon and I haven’t eaten since about 7:30 last
night.” He turned to his mother, who looked nearly panicked at his admission. “Is there anything
left in the dining room?”

Violet replied with new purpose, “The brunch is in your honor! Everything is still in the fridge or
covered and warming in the oven. We were waiting!”

Colin again offered his apologies for arriving a full hour late, which were promptly waived off. He
followed his mother and siblings then into the kitchen to help carry food to the table.

Brunch lasted well into the afternoon. Colin ensured there were no leftovers anywhere on the table
as he regaled the entire group with tales of his travels to Greece. Colin did a poor job of noticing
the strained smiles of his family as they heard for the fourth time about the ‘divine’ flavor of the
Santorini tomatoes, and how he hiked the volcano where they grew. Or the time his neighbor
Dmitri's yiayia invited him over to help make Dolmades, which turned into a ten-hour affair
producing thousands of the delectable stuffed grape leaves.

“Where will you travel to next semester?” Francesca innocently inquired, hoping to spare all
present from another retelling of the Aegean sunset and how certain he was that Venus herself
would rise from the water.
Colin’s eyes turned quickly to Penelope, who did not look up, instead carefully pushing food
around her plate. “I, uh… I think I’ll be staying in Cambridge next semester.” he answered. “I only
have to do two more semesters abroad.”

“Have to?” Benedict asked quizzically. “What happened to ‘the opportunity of a lifetime’?”

“It is.” Colin rushed to defend. He continued, less sure of next words, “It’s just that… I have more
to consider now.” Colin was disappointed when Penelope still did not look up at him. He rested his
hand on her knee under the table, hoping it was a reassuring gesture.

Penelope suddenly perked up, but looked at Benedict across the table, not Colin. “I for one thought
he would push to be allowed extra semesters abroad! Why stop at two?” Her tone was just slightly
too eager. Colin knew she was being disingenuous.

Benedict chuckled softly, but turned eyes of concern to Colin, who looked to be in agony. “Two
sounds like plenty. He was already gone all last year.”

Colin nodded, leaning in to whisper to Penelope, whose drawn countenance stabbed at his chest.
“Can we please talk about this tonight over dinner? Privately?” Penelope nodded stiffly, stabbing a
peach slice with her fork and inelegantly shoving it in her mouth.

When she finished chewing, Penelope let out a loud sigh, pushing herself back from the table. She
thanked Violet for having her on such short notice, and made her excuses. She rose, declaring her
intention to head home and finish settling back into her bedroom after a semester away.

“Please, may I walk you out?” Colin hurried to ask. It was less than twenty feet to the front hall,
and it seemed ridiculous to ask to accompany her a distance that she surely could traverse without
ever actually being out of his sight. But she could hear the urgency in his voice, and reluctantly
nodded her agreement.

Colin rose, wrapping her arm around his, causing her to walk at his side. Colin led her to the door,
but rather than stopping, continued to lead her out into the hallway. Once they were in the relative
privacy of the hallway between their parents’ flats, Colin turned himself so that he faced Penelope.

“I’m sorry I upset you.” he began, rushing his sentences together partially from nerves, and
partially because he didn’t want to allow Penelope the chance to interrupt or misinterpret his
meaning. “This just all happened so fast and I am working on a plan, I promise, but I need just a
tick to be able to speak on the matter with any sort of intelligence. But I think. Just. Please let me
start over at dinner tonight? Please don’t assume I’m going to leave you. Because that is the last
thing I want to do. I want to wake up like I did this morning every morning. Every morning, Pen.
So, may I please pick you up for dinner at 6?”

Colin’s genuine and pleading face told Penelope everything she needed to know. She smiled
resignedly and nodded. Colin stroked her cheek with one hand, taking her hand with his other and
bringing it up to his lips. He placed a soft, slow kiss on the back of her knuckles, burrowing his
eyes deep into hers as he did. He released her hand and stepped back towards his mother’s door.
Before he turned to go back inside, the corners of his eyes crinkled with restrained joy, whispering
to Penelope as if he were sharing his most private secret, “I love you.”
 First Date
Chapter Summary

Colin takes Penelope out on their first official date.

Chapter Notes

This got a little long!! Prepare yourself for a wee bit of smutty goodness.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

[Text Message, 5/21/2022, 16:47:26]

Colin: I’m taking you somewhere nice. No jeans.

***

Colin knocked on the door at 5:49, a hand-tied bouquet of pale purple tulip buds in hand. Penelope
answered the door in a black cocktail dress with a high, halter neck and an a-line skirt, accented by
strappy beige sandals. She wore her hair pinned up in an elegant French twist with several loose
ringlets, and simple silver jewelry.

Colin blushed at the sight of her. “You look… stunning.” he managed, forgetting entirely about the
bouquet in his hand that had dropped to his side.

“Thank you.” Penelope said, more chaste than he had hoped. “Are those for me?” she asked,
gesturing to the flowers hanging limply from his arm.

“Hmm?” Colin replied, following her line of sight to his hand, then jerking back in surprise when
he saw his folly. “Oh! Yes! I brought you these!”

Penelope found herself laughing as she took the bouquet inside, placing the flowers in water, then
grabbing her purse. “It’s only two blocks. Are you okay to walk in those?” Colin asked with
concern, gesturing to her heels.

“I stumbled home from Bene’t Street all semester in higher heels than these. Two blocks is
nothing.” Penelope half-shoved Colin out of the door at that. She followed Colin to the elevator
and out onto the sidewalk where he took her hand and led the way to the restaurant.

“Le Petite Maison?” Penelope half-shrieked when Colin told her they’d arrived. Colin noticed her
anxiously checking her dress in the reflection of the plate glass exterior. “You look perfect. And I
wanted our first real date to be special. Like you.”

Penelope scoffed at his attentions. Colin knew she was still preoccupied about his International
Studies degree and his required semesters abroad. But that was okay – he had a plan.

The waiter seated them immediately upon confirming Colin’s reservation. Le Petite Maison was a
quaint-yet-elegant upscale French restaurant with arguably the best food in London. Penelope had
always wanted to go, but never had the occasion. Colin was well aware of that fact, choosing the
location intentionally.

When the waiter came, Colin ordered a bottle of wine and three appetizers, knowing that Penelope
would have declined had he asked. “What are you thinking, Pen? I’ve always wanted to order the
whole leg of lamb. I think I’m gonna pull the trigger tonight!”

Penelope giggled at his enthusiasm, quickly scanning the menu. “Maybe the gnocchi?” she replied.

“Penelope Featherington. Do not order the cheapest thing on the menu just because I’m paying. I
am paying by the way.” Colin smirked through a feigned glare. “Order what you want. I just told
you I’m ordering a quarter of a lamb!”

Penelope tried and failed to stifle a snort followed by peals of laughter. She quickly gathered her
senses behind the cloth napkin, clearing her throat and sipping on her water, then burying her nose
in the menu. Peeking up from behind the menu, she finally suggested, “The Iberico pork chop
sounds amazing.”

“That’s more like it! Definitely get the Pommes de Terre Gratinees as a side. You will not regret
it.” Colin grinned wildly back at her.

The waiter came back the moment they put their menus down, pouring the wine and then taking
their order. When he took his leave, Colin was grateful for the opportunity to divert their
conversation to more pressing issues. “I want to talk about our future.”

Penelope nearly choked on her wine. “Colin! We haven’t even been dating a whole day!”

He checked his watch, shrugging in acquiescence. “True. But that doesn’t mean we don’t have
important things to address. Move in with me next semester.”

Penelope’s eyes went wide, her mouth moving to respond, when Colin cut her off to explain. “I
looked into it. You can get 80% of your deposit back if you decide this week. And I’m already
renting my own flat. You wouldn’t have to pay for anything. You don’t have to worry about not
having a car because I can drive us both to classes. I was already thinking about offering to let you
move in and take over the office when you told me about your row with El. But now all we need is
a second desk.” Colin finally stopped, eyes searching Penelope’s for her reaction.

She smiled wistfully for a moment, then shook her head, as if trying to to push out a daydream in
favor of reality. “What would I do spring semester when you leave?” she asked flatly.

“Well. That brings me to my next point.” he began sheepishly, pausing to take a deep breath for
courage. “Did you know that all Cambridge undergrads may study abroad at any Cambridge
satellite location for up to two semesters without declaring themselves as part of the International
Studies program?”

“I did not…”

“The tuition is the same. You just have to pay for your travel and living expenses. I was planning
to rent a flat anyway, so you could just stay with me. And if you think I’m ever letting you pay for
another meal again when I’m present, you’re mad. We could go anywhere you want. Italy?
France? New York? We just can’t go to Greece or Morocco since I’ve already been.” Colin paused,
hoping Penelope’s face would give him an idea of how she felt, but her face was impossible to
read. “So? Pen? What do you think?”
“What do I think of what?” she replied, understanding his meaning but not quite allowing it to fully
sink in.

“Come with me. Take two semesters abroad with me. Live with me.” Something about the last
three words he uttered felt more important than anything else he had done or said in the past
twenty-three and a half hours. He didn’t want a girlfriend who was also a roommate. He wanted to
share his life with her. He felt like he already had shared most of his life with her. But now that he
knew what it was to hold her in his arms, it was as if a switch had been thrown within him. As if he
would only ever be at ease in her presence; only truly come to rest by her side. She had to feel the
same way, didn’t she? He was convinced that this was the only way forward – it was the only path
he could see.

Penelope didn’t say anything for a while. He knew she was replaying all he had suggested and
considering all of the possibilities in her exquisite mind. He was impatient, but held his hands still
as he waited for her decision. Finally, she looked up into Colin’s hopeful eyes. “I think you’re mad.
But I have always wanted to go to Italy.”

A huge wave of relief broke over Colin. He instinctively moved as if he were going to dive across
the table to embrace her, but caught himself and sat back into his chair. He grabbed her hand
instead, playing with her fingers. “So, you will? You’ll move in with me? And we can wait a whole
year before we travel the second time, so it’s not too much. And I’ll stay in Cambridge with you
for your final year too. I’ll write or something. It doesn’t matter, I just want to be with you!” Colin
was positively glowing with glee as she accepted his offered plan.

The waiter arrived with appetizers; a nicoise tapenade, burrata with datterini tomatoes, and prawns
in olive oil. Penelope was overwhelmed by the beautiful dishes laid in front of them, and was just
about to reach for one of the prawns when she noticed Colin hadn’t reached for the food. Colin.
Hadn’t reached for the food. Instead, he was watching her, as if anticipating something. It dawned
on her that he was still waiting for confirmation that she would in fact move in with him after the
summer.

It felt like such a terrible imposition, but he so clearly wanted this that she could hardly turn him
down. Even if he did change his mind about her, there was always the spare room. Penelope was
still skeptical that Colin’s supposed feelings for her weren’t some strange protective reaction to the
tossers at the club last night, but she could always go back to the dorms and the roommate pool if
things really didn’t work out. And so she agreed. “Yes, Colin. I’ll move in with you.”

Colin felt as if he were going to explode with glee. He raised his wine glass toward the center of
the table in a toast. He raised one eyebrow and cocked his head, dipping his chin slightly so that he
was looking through his lashes at Penelope. Speaking in a low, deep gravel, he pledged, “To us. To
our life together. To our future.”

When dinner arrived, Penelope realized Colin wasn’t kidding about ordering a quarter of a lamb.
His meal could easily feed a small family. Still, she was shocked when after only a few bites –
once he finished extolling how perfect the ras el-hanout blend was and how it was as good as his
favorite street vendor in Morocco – she found him leaning across the table, fork piled high with
lamb and couscous, a careful hand underneath to catch any spills, held out for her to sample. She
acted automatically, leaning forward to allow him to feed her, while the wheels both ground to a
halt and turned in her mind. Colin. Was sharing his food. With her? That was when she finally
accepted that he was in love with her.

After a dessert of the fanciest French toast Penelope had ever seen, apropos of the fanciest meal
she had ever eaten, they exited the restaurant and began walking home, hand in hand. They had
only walked by a few store fronts, when suddenly Penelope felt a snap under her foot, a tugging at
her ankle and found herself free-falling to the sidewalk.

Rather than the anticipated impact, she felt herself quickly jerked sideways, spun half around, then
righted into Colin’s chest. He had caught her. “Are you alright?” he asked with an adrenaline-
induced panic, his eyes raking over every inch of her for signs of injury.

“Fine I think, but… damn it.” Penelope reached down and pulled off her sandal. The heel had
snapped and was hanging loose by nothing but the thin fabric covering on one side. Penelope
flushed. She was sure this sort of thing never happened to ‘normal’ girls. Her mother was
constantly telling her she shouldn’t wear heels because of the ‘strain’ she put on them. She was
mortified to have done this in front of Colin no less, certain he would calculate the reason for it the
same as everyone else.

Colin kneeled down in front of Penelope, facing away from her. “Nothing to it, hop on!”

“W – what!”

“You can’t walk home in those. And I’ll be damned if I let you walk barefoot through the streets of
London. Even if it is only Mayfair. So hop on.”

“I can’t. I’m too… Colin I’m too heavy.”

“No you’re not.”

“I already broke a heel. I don’t need to break you too.”

Colin had been speaking over his shoulder, but between her adamant protests and the hints of
sadness and self deprecation in her voice, he knew he needed to stand and face her. Bringing his
face just inches from hers, he spoke sincerely but firmly. “You. Are tiny. And those muscles you
seemed to love so much this morning in the shower? They’re not just for show. At this point it
would be insulting if you refused. I absolutely insist.”

Colin turned and kneeled in front of her once more without another word. Penelope looped her
broken shoe over her wrist, leaned forward into Colin’s back and tentatively wrapped her arms over
his shoulders. As soon as she connected with him, she found herself swiftly raised into the air, his
arms looping under her knees and pulling her legs to wrap firmly around his waist. Her face was
buried into the side of his neck, allowing him to just reach her forehead to leave a chaste kiss. “Can
you breathe alright?” he asked.

Penelope lifted her chin at the strange question, seeing that he was grinning stupidly at her.

“I know the air’s a bit thinner all the way up here.” he finished.

Penelope rolled her eyes in response, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of her laughter.
“Onward trusty steed!” she commanded, squeezing her heels into his sides and pointing ahead over
his shoulder.

Wanting to show off just a bit, but also looking forward to proving his point, Colin began skipping
down the street. When Penelope began giggling wildly at his carefree gait, he started twirling
sharply from side to side, claiming to hear, but not be able to find her. He gave up the ruse when it
sounded as if Penelope was close to hyperventilating with laughter, electing to jog the rest of the
way home.

When they finally got on the lift, Colin turned to the mirrored wall, causing Penelope to confront
their image as a couple for the first time. He leaned his cheek against hers, looking at her through
their reflection. The lift dinged and the doors opened before any words were said, but both saw
something special in that mirror. Something stronger and somehow more than it had been even
earlier that day.

Colin refused to put Penelope down until she had given him the key, let them both in, and carried
her to her bed. He gently removed her other shoe, then crawled up the bed until he was lain fully
next to her. Colin kissed her softly with only his lips, letting the gentle contact convey the depth of
his emotions. He pulled back slightly after a time, waiting for her to meet his eyes before he spoke.
“May I kiss you tonight?” he asked.

“Hmm?” she replied, “Isn’t that what we were just doing?”

Gravel returned to his voice. “May I kiss you everywhere?”

Penelope contemplated his request for a moment, blushing when she understood the implication.
She had largely written off going any further with Colin this morning when she was reminded that
he would spend half of the next two years away from England. Convinced herself that this was a
passing fantasy. That she had to steel herself and stop whatever this was in its tracks or their
friendship would be forever broken. But Colin had managed to do and say all the right things. He
had opened her heart to the honest possibility of them. And right now, she wanted exactly what he
was offering.

“Yes.” she breathed, not knowing what would come next.

Colin simply went back to kissing her as he was before, nudging at her lips with his own. He was
content like this, and wanted to draw out this moment. When Colin eventually added his swirling
tongue, deepening his kisses, he noticed Penelope's thighs start to shift and rub together. Pulling
back just enough to whisper against her lips, he asked, "Are you imagining my tongue between
your legs right now?"

Penelope nodded her reply, a hot, shuddering breath accompanying the movement.

"Mmm. I bet it feels good, doesn't it? Snaking into your folds. Tracing and swirling against your
clit. Can you feel that?"

Penelope shifted hard under his intense scrutiny, keening loudly as her mind made his words come
alive.

Colin licked his way back into her mouth, this time paying special attention to how he worked her
tongue. He reveled in watching her wind tighter and tighter, knowing that this innocent torture
would only heighten her eventual release.

When he truly thought she could take no more, Colin added his hands to the mix, gently stroking
Penelope's thigh. He teased under the hem of her bicycle-shorts spanx and squeezed at handfuls of
her soft inner thighs. Her entire body was coming alive with his touch, slithering closer and
pressing into his own body.

It was Penelope who decided the time for clothing had long since passed. She broke their kiss,
pushing back against Colin's chest with flat palms. When she had enough distance to gather her
bearings, she stood, sliding her shorts off first. "Take your clothes off Colin." she commanded.

Colin eagerly complied, unbuttoning and then pulling his shirt off without so much as sitting up,
then unbuckling his belt and stripping his trousers and pants in one fast motion. Fully bared to her,
Colin rolled to his side to watch Penelope.

Any other day, Penelope may have blushed or been delayed by embarrassment. But between
Colin's ridiculous piggyback ride and the intense arousal he had drawn from her through his kisses,
she was feeling bold and confident. She took her dress by the sides, pulling it slowly up and over
her head, revealing the scalloped, lacy, matching black lingerie set she had picked out this
afternoon – just in case.

Colin sat straight up in the bed, his jaw staying in place on the mattress. He stared for a moment,
then pressed forward towards her, spreading his wide hands at her sides and kissing at her rib cage,
just under her breasts. He pulled her into him, fingers digging gently into the soft skin of her back,
thumbs tracing up and down her sides. He marveled at the way his fingers seemed to span her
whole torso, as if his hands could stand-in as replacements for her ribs should the need arise.

He turned his attention to her magnificent breasts, nipping at the swells that were practically
spilling from the cups. He couldn’t believe that this was what they had looked like all evening,
tucked away under the high neck of Penelope’s dress. Imagining her like this while they ate dinner,
and again as he carried her home on his back had him groaning and wanting for friction.

Colin stood from his seated position at the edge of the bed, his kisses trailing up to Penelope’s
neck. He walked his fingers back to where her bra clasped, finding the three hooks with ease
despite his split attentions. “May I?” he whispered into the sensitive skin just below her earlobe.

“Yes.” she breathed. Colin twisted and released the band with practiced ease. He would tell
Penelope someday about how he and his brothers as young teens stole their sisters’ bras and
strapped them to pillows to learn the skill. But today was not that day. Pushing that thought out of
his mind, he turned his attention back to slowly and sensually divesting Penelope of the last barrier
between him and her magnificent breasts.

Finally freed, Colin made good on his promise to kiss her everywhere. He nipped and sucked at
every inch of the impressive mounds, using not just his tongue and lips but truly his entire face to
nuzzle and worship them. He only allowed a few gentle grazes of her nipples at first, continuing to
wind her nerves and build the anticipation.

When Colin’s thumb roughly dragged one nipple, Penelope’s whole body trembled in response.
Her reaction was enough to convince him it was finally time to turn his attentions. Taking one
nipple between his thumb and forefinger, the other drawn delicately into his mouth, he began
delicately kissing and toying with the sensitive peaks.

Penelope moaned unrestrainedly in response, threading her fingers into the back of Colin’s hair and
pulling his head into her chest. Colin intensified his efforts, latching and sucking roughly while
pinching and pulling at the other. Every exhale of Penelope’s was a keening cry, raising in pitch as
he continued on without reprieve. Until he stopped.

Colin ceased his attentions, letting his hand fall flat against her belly. Still pressed firm into her left
breast, he rolled his head to the side, tilting his chin up with a wicked grin. Penelope panted
desperately at the loss of sensation, searching Colin’s eyes for explanation. The hungry look she
found there provided one.

She released her hand from behind his head, relinquishing her control over his person. He righted
himself, dropping both hands to each caress and then squeeze her full, firm ass and spinning her
around. He lifted her onto the bed by cheeks, pressing her back onto the pillows. Penelope squealed
in delight when her toes left the floor, giggling as she bounced onto the bed for the third time in just
over a full day.
Penelope drew her knees together and towards her chest in instinct, but Colin was focused now on
his goal. His lips followed his hand to one knee, stroking in gently then kissing the inside,
wordlessly urging it to drop to the side. Penelope followed his lead, one knee first, then the other
parting, making space as he slowly, tortuously burned a path up the inside of her thigh.

Reaching the top of her thigh, he passed over her center, dragging his soft lips onto her mound,
before taking a moment to rest his chin there, smiling up at her desperate face.

“Please, Colin.”

“Please what, Penelope?”

“Kiss me.”

“Isn’t that what I’ve been doing?”

“Colin!”

“Tell me what you want my love.”

“I want… I… Please just eat my pussy !”

And he did. The moment she let go and said the words, he knew she was ready. He teased his
tongue between her swollen lower lips, then swiped firmly through her folds, finally giving her a
glimpse of the relief that lay ahead. He knew it was the first time she would feel a tongue on her
sensitive bud, and he wanted to set the standard high. She shuddered at the contact then emitted a
low, almost serious sounding moan.

Colin traced the tip of his tongue in deliberate, concentric circles around her peak, simultaneously
running his hands along her legs and sides, wanting to feel all of her at once. He hummed into her
as he tasted the tart wetness of her core, making him hungrier for more. He slide two fingers inside
her, laving her clit while wrapping his free arm around her thigh, holding himself steady against her
bucking hips.

Colin curled his fingers into the root of her pleasure, working them slowly in and out of her center.
He used his tongue to walk her to and from the edge, intensifying until she tightened, then slowing
again until she relaxed. When her moaning turned to keening, and the keening became desperate,
he knew it was time to push her over the cliff.

Colin curled his fingers deeper into her, still dragging them slowly but with firmer pressure. He
flicked his tongue into her, but this time, just as she began to beg for satisfaction, he wrapped his
lips around the swollen bud, latching on and sucking it fiercely.

Colin felt her walls collapse, crushing down on his fingers as she cried out his name. Convulsing.
Moaning, screaming, then whimpering. Weaving her fingers into his hair and pulling. Practically
levitating from the bed before crashing back down. Colin rode out the entire crescendo between her
legs, conducting the symphony with each movement of his mouth and fingers. He eased his
ministrations eventually, allowing her to come down from the high.

Colin kissed the inside of her thigh, then crawled up the side of her spent body with no plan for
what was next other than his desire to nearer to her. He pressed the length of his naked body
against her nude form, nuzzling her neck and kissing her shoulder. All of his attentions towards
Penelope had left him hard enough to cut diamonds. He instinctively reached down and began
lazily stroking himself, needing at least some relief if release was not near.
Penelope was beginning to regain her bearings, lolling her head towards Colin, and engaging him
in a deep, sloppy kiss. She seemed to come alive again, tasting herself on his tongue. Colin’s
breath caught as she rolled to face him, resting her hand on his, stilling his movements and
brushing his hand away.

Penelope pulled herself up onto her knees, eyes raking over his form. He watched as she paused in
his lap, considering something, then looked to him with question in her eyes. Colin had an idea of
what she was thinking, and didn’t want her to feel obligated to return what was most definitely not
a favor. “Pen, you don’t have to do anything you don’t want to. I’ll be fine. I’m just happy to be
with you.” he reassured.

“It’s not that,” she began. “I just… I want to Colin. And I want you to like it. I want to make you
feel good. But… I don’t know how.” Colin wasn’t sure whether it was his imagination that saw her
eyes bug out slightly when they flicked back to his lap.

He smiled warmly at her. He loved that she wanted to please him – he only wished she understood
how much just being there with her already accomplished that. But he was also just a bit excited at
the prospect of teaching her how to give him a perfect blow job. He set his expectations low
however, happy just to explore and hopefully avoid getting hurt.

“First you have to decide on your preferred position. I’ve heard girls don’t always like kneeling
over on the bed, that it can hurt your neck. I can sit on the edge of the bed and you can kneel in
front of me, or I can stand and you can either sit on the bed or kneel. That part’s totally up to you.”

Penelope looked back at him unsure, and he could see a flicker of fear in her eyes.

“I’m… look, Pen. You know I would never do anything to hurt you, right?”

Penelope nodded slowly. “It’s just that… you’re really big, Col.” This time he was sure her eyes
were widening when she looked at him.

Colin chuckled lightly, understanding her concern now. “You absolutely do not have to take all of
me. I wouldn’t expect you. Here.” Colin offered her his hand and led her off the bed. “Why don’t
you try starting on your knees, it might give you a little more control.” Penelope nodded, sinking
down in front of him.

“First, wrap your hand around the base of me, just like you did yesterday.” Penelope followed his
instruction causing him to twitch and groan at the contact. “Good.” he praised, catching his breath.

“Now, you’ll use that hand to stroke me – Ohhh - hang… hang on Pen, or I won’t be able to say
anything at all.” Penelope started to follow along to his tutorial but promptly ceased her efforts
when Colin nearly choked at the movement. He saw a stirring of pride on her face, and he was
pleased to see she was beginning to understand the power she held over him.

“So there are lots of things that will feel good. You can lick the shaft. Long strokes or teasing
traces. You can use your lips and kiss along it. You can use your other hand to cup or gently pull at
my balls. Carefully. They like some pressure, but they’re sensitive. But my most sensitive part is
the head.” Colin paused to bring forward an instructive hand.

“Here, around the base of it, where it flares away, that is a good place to tease. And especially here,
at the bottom where it looks like it connects. That spot will always feel amazing. Here, the slit at
the tip, that likes some attention too. But mostly, just gently suck, lick, and tease at the head while
using your hand to stroke me.” Colin pointed at all of the different parts that drove him wild,
hoping like hell she was as quick a study at this as she was with just about everything else she tried.
Penelope dragged her bottom lip between her teeth, looking up at him through her eyelashes. Fuck.
That’s the look I taught her last night. Colin thought, feeling like it was a parallel universe in
which he thought it was a good idea to help her find a boyfriend that wasn’t him. “Is that it, Col?”
she sang, voice sounding higher and maybe even deliberately more innocent than usual. Colin
swallowed hard and nodded, anticipation beginning to take over his capability for rational speech.

Penelope turned her attention to his cock in her hand, pumping it a few times to start. She raised up
on her knees, the placed a slow, tender kiss against his tip. Colin stilled, fighting back the urge to
spill right there, then realizing he had forgotten one last important part of their discussion. He
eased her back by the shoulder, lifting her chin with his fingers. “Sorry, I forgot. When you make
me come, did you want me to use a tissue or a washcloth or something? Because we should get it
now…”

Penelope looked at him with determined eyes. “Oh, no Colin. I want to taste you.” Before Colin
could react, Penelope wrapped her free hand around to his buttocks, pulling him back towards her
ready mouth. This time, she was less tentative, opening her lips and swallowing his tip. He
shuddered at the bliss of it, moaning her name while bringing his hands to her hair.

She was a master of improv, teasing, tracing, kissing, and sucking – all to the steady beat of her left
palm, still grasping and stroking his shaft. He was in total awe of her, she was incredible, and she
was his. Colin had a penchant for dirty talk, and he felt the urge coming on to narrate her exquisite
work.

“Pen, fuck, you’re doing so good. Just like that, baby.”

“You’re a goddess, Pen. Sexier than any painting. Sexier than Venus herself. Shiiiit.”

“You’re so fucking beautiful. So perfect with my dick in your mouth.”

Penelope was alternating between bobbing up and down on his head and teasing the sensitive ridge
with her swirling tongue. He felt intense pride and pleasure not only from her actions, but at the
trust she placed in him to teach and her willingness to listen, learn, and then try – all with the goal
of bringing him satisfaction. His heart swelled at the realization.

“Ohhh, Pen. I love you.” he gasped as she reached up to palm his scrotum.

Colin could feel himself winding closer to the edge. He thought more about his day with Penelope.
Waking up with her in his arms. How his family embraced her even before he told them she was
his girlfriend. Girlfriend. He hated that word. It didn’t feel like enough to describe what she was to
him. She was everything. She was more. He remembered that she had agreed to live with him after
the summer. To travel with him. He was going to share his life with her.”

“Pen! Ohh. You make me feel so good! Fuck. I’m so close. I’m gonna come soon, Pen.”

He was bending towards her, fingers still woven into her hair for support. She glanced up and him,
then without pausing, redoubled her efforts, sucking and bobbing on him deeper than before,
meeting her fist halfway on his shaft, swirling her tongue at the underside of his cock as she did.

“We’re gonna live together. Mmm.”

“I’m gonna share everything with you. Fuck!”
“I want to give you everything. I want my future with you. I want everythingwith you.”
“Fuck, I fucking love you so much.”
“Pen. Pen. I love you, Pen. Penelope. Pennnnnnn!”
 Colin came then. He felt the pressure that had been building near his base boil up through his shaft
and erupt into Penelope’s throat. He saw her eyes widen at sudden burst of sour, but she plunged
herself forward into it, continuing to stroke his shaft and gently pull at his sack.

Colin continued to orgasm into her mouth, spurting at least five times until he was empty and
heaving, his whole body bending and curving towards the concentrated pleasure. He had to fight
the urge to sink his hips into her warm, wet mouth, bracing his hands against her shoulders to keep
himself from thrusting into her. Penelope just pressed harder into his hands, still eagerly sucking
every last convulsion from his body.

Unable to support his weight any longer, Colin dropped to his knees in front of her. He longed to
be as close to her as possible, reaching out and squeezing her body into his. When she tentatively
kissed him, unsure of the etiquette for kissing a man who just blew his load in one’s mouth, he
taught her his opinion on the matter by kissing her back deep and passionately. They toppled over
to the floor, both exhausted from their evening activities.

“When’s your mother coming home, by the way?” Colin asked, considering whether he ought to go
lock Penelope’s door.

“Wednesday.” she replied, a wicked smirk crossing her sleepy face.

“Wednesday.” Colin replied, speaking the day of the week as if it were a gift.

They fell asleep like that, wrapped in each other’s arms at the foot of the bed. Colin woke up some
time later when his arm started to go numb from the hard floor. He carefully lifted Penelope into
bed without waking her, then crawled in behind her, looking forward to waking in the morning by
her side.

Chapter End Notes

So, the international studies program/study abroad is based on my own college

experiences - I tried to look for Cambridge's but realized they don't seem to have any
of that. Whoops. Anyway, this is my world now and Cambridge (A)U has a
communications major, international studies minor, and lets its students do up to 2
semesters abroad.

I'm probably literally the only one heated about this.

 Showered
Chapter Summary

Colin and Penelope wake up the morning after their first real date. Will things get
steamy?

Chapter Notes

See the end of the chapter for notes

Colin woke up first again. The sun filtered through sheer curtains, highlighting the bedroom with a
soft, gentle glow. His arms were wrapped around Penelope, her back pressed tightly to his chest.
Their legs were intertwined as well, threaded together such that it seemed as if there were no part
of her he wasn’t holding. Colin sank into the feeling of togetherness – it was complete, whole…
home. He had never felt so at rest as he did with her, like this. He pressed his face into the velvet
skin of her neck, drinking in her scent and softness.

His heart leapt a bit when he felt her begin to stir. He loosened his hold on her so that she could
turn into him. “Good morning, beautiful.” he whispered sincerely when her eyes met his.

Colin observed the disbelief flash across her brow at his words. He hated that. He wondered how
long it would take him to remedy. He leaned forward and kissed the spot between her eyebrows
where the worry always seemed to focus. “This is the best.” he murmured, squeezing her tight
again.

Penelope, whose face was currently buried in his chest, craned back to look at him again. “What
is?”

Colin smiled. “Waking up with you in my arms.”

Penelope hummed her reply. She stilled for a moment, then asked, “How did we get in bed? I
thought I fell asleep on the floor.”

Colin’s mind roamed back to last night’s activities. It wasn’t his first time with a woman by any
means, although he could still count the number of intimate experiences he’d had on his fingers.
But somehow, the fact that it was Penelope doing those things to him had intensified everything.
She had no prior experience with a man, and yet she had already given him the two most
monumental orgasms of his life. If this was their jumping-off point, he knew he had quite the
lifetime to look forward to.

“We did. I woke up a little while later though, my shoulder started to hurt. So I put you in bed.”

A stunned awe washed over her face. “You – picked me up off the floor? Without even waking
me?”

Colin shrugged off what he thought was a compliment at first. “Sure. I wanted to get in bed, and I
wanted you with me.” he replied, matter-of-factly.

“But… I’m so heavy.” she blushed.

Colin decided right then he had enough of that. He sat up, snaked one arm under her knee, slid the
other hand under her torso, and swung her still naked body into his lap. She squealed lightly in
protest as he tucked her other knee up onto his hip. He wrapped his right arm around the small of
her back, and used his left arm to push up off of the bed, standing on the floor and lifting them both
into the air.

He marched into the en suite, flipped on the lights, and turned perpendicular to the mirrored wall
over the sink. His steady glare met her shocked eyes in their reflection. He adored the contrast of
their bodies – his taught tan skin, dark from the Grecian sun, her yielding, alabaster form. But this
wasn’t the right moment to get lost in fantasy. He had a point to make. “You.” he pulled her chin
towards his with his free hand, “Are perfect.”

Colin set her down on the vanity and began preparing the shower. “And if you insult my strength
again,” he eyed her with a teasing scowl, “I will make you come to the gym with me and watch me
lift every day for the rest of the summer.”

Penelope finally giggled. “That’s not really good motivation to stop you know. Especially if I get
to watch you do squats.” She squeezed her breasts together with her upper arms, shimmying
slightly while raising her eyebrows and feasting her eyes on his toned bare backside.

Colin turned from the now running shower, stepping up between her thighs. “So you like what you
see?” He grinned, forcing his lips together so he could drop a dozen tiny pecks on Penelope’s lips.
Without pausing his smiley kisses to let her reply, he lifted her from the vanity and walked them
both into the shower.

The shower began much like the previous day’s. Some lazy morning kisses were exchanged, and
each enjoyed helping the other lather. But as much as Colin tried to ignore it, his morning wood
had not waned, standing at attention since before carrying Penelope from the bed. Pressing into her
body and then rubbing suds all over it did nothing to ease matters.

Having finished rinsing the conditioner from her hair, Penelope eyed his stiff member, standing in
front of her, nearly at chest level. She leaned just slightly forward, purposefully knocking into the
head with the fullness of her breast.

Colin gasped at the contact, swallowing hard. His pupils blew wide as he watched an idea form,
then morph into seduction in her eyes. Penelope reached for the bottle of conditioner, squirting a
lewd stream of it across her decolletage.

Colin felt like a deer in headlights as she pressed him into the tiled wall behind him. The contrast
between the cold, hard tiles, and her warm, soft body instantly heightened his senses. He thought to
protest, to tell her she didn’t have to address every erection of his that sprang up, but something
told him he should really keep him mouth shut this time and let her continue on.

Penelope widened her stance slightly and leaned forward, lowering herself and easily bringing her
chest level with his cock. She spread the makeshift lubricant with her hand, then fit him into the
valley between her breasts. Colin was overwhelmed by the sudden turn of events, gasping and
gaping like a fish out of water.

She brought her hands up to the sides of her breasts, squeezing them together around Colin’s
twitching shaft. He groaned as he felt the soft, slick skin envelop him. His breathing grew rapid,
but he remained rigid, unsure what she wanted him to do.

“Col?” she called out sweetly.

“Yeah, Pen?” he choked out between breaths.

“Are you going to move?”

She looked up at him again through her eyelashes, and he almost broke right there. But the living
fantasy he was in finally registered in his mind. Tentatively, he stroked himself up into her
cleavage. A shattering moan fell from his lips at the sensation. Her slick softness swallowed him
completely, the skin to skin contact feeling somehow both intimate and obscene at the same time.

Colin picked up his pace, his hands on her shoulders for balance, taking on a smooth, steady
rhythm. Having woken up less than ten minutes prior, and without a drop of caffeine in his system,
he found himself unusually tongue tied. Instead, he breathed sharply through his nose, groaning
and humming his satisfaction. In his head, he thought about how insanely good this felt. Hand jobs
and blow jobs were nice, but they never enveloped his whole cock the way this did. And he’d only
ever had sex with condoms, which was great in its own way, but that electricity that only came
with skin to skin contact was always absent. This wouldn’t replace sex of course, but if Pen was
agreeable, it was definitely something he would like added to their regular rotation.

Their regular rotation he thought. This was only his second day waking up next to her, but it
already felt so natural that he was assuming they would have a regular rotation. Because they
would, wouldn’t they? He adored her, worshiped her, felt so incredibly, intimately close to her. She
was his life, and they were going to get to live it together. He felt fully enveloped, both by love,
and by her slippery breasts around his manhood.

It didn’t take long in all, perhaps two or three minutes, before Colin broke apart, emptying himself
into Penelope’s deep cleavage. He shuddered and moaned loudly as the hot spend flooded out and
then filled in around him. He stroked into his own wetness a few more times, then finally slipped
out, pulling Penelope up into a bruising kiss.

Both moved under the still hot running water, washing away the mess they had created. Colin
stepped in behind Penelope, landing his hand on her hip and beginning to slid it forward. She
stilled his hand with her own, turning to face him. A voice still somewhat dazed from sleep spoke.
“No thank you, I’d much rather go get some coffee.”

Colin checked her face, and finding genuinity there, nodded his agreement. They dried off and
Penelope disappeared into her closet to change, Colin sliding on his trousers and popping next door
to find clean clothes.

Colin managed to get through the front door undetected, but sneaking down the hall, he nearly
bumped straight into Benedict emerging from the bathroom. In a hushed whisper, Benedict hissed,
“You slept at Penelope’s again?”

Colin felt his ears burn red, but met his brother’s eyes and nodded solemnly.

“Oh.” Benedict responded, caught off guard by Colin’s reaction. “Oh. You’re not just fooling
around, are you?”

Colin shook his head this time. “Ben, I’ve never felt like this before. I… she’s moving in with me
when we go back to school. She’s it.”

“You love her?”

“Yeah. I think I always have.”

“Does she know?”

 “I’ve told her. I keep telling her. But I’m still not sure she understands yet.”

Benedict smiled warmly and nodded, landing a heavy hand on Colin’s shoulder. “Just keep
showing her.”

Colin embraced Benedict, feeling a bit sentimental. “I’ve got to get changed. She’s waiting for me
to take her out to breakfast.”

Benedict just chuckled lightly, shaking his head slowly as he walked off towards his room.

Colin hurried to get dressed, pulling on fresh pants and trousers along with a tee-shirt from last
summer when he and Penelope went to see Harry Styles together. He took a moment to use his
deodorant and brush his teeth, then crept back out to meet her.

Each of them burst into a fit of giggles when they spotted the other wearing the familiar “Love on
Tour” tee.

“I’ll change.” Penelope offered once she caught her breath.

“Not a chance, Featherington! We get matching shirts for a reason.” He clasped her hand and
tugged her towards the door. “C’mon, let’s go get that coffee.”

Chapter End Notes

Once again, I wasn't planning any of this, but then characters started talking and before
I knew it we were balls deep in that shower scene!! I swear I sat down to write the next
chapter, which is going to be far more wholesome!! I blame Colin. Anyway.

I'm on the fence again about ending this after 2 or 3 more chapters or adding in some
new plot and just keeping it rolling. (This was originally meant to just be the one
night! I need to update the tags...) I might just take a pause after I get to where I know
I'm going to write a little Benelope crackfick that's floating in the back of my mind and
then come back to it later on. Then again, I have a couple abandoned WIP's on my
desktop that are calling to me. We'll see!!
 Sharing
Chapter Summary

Colin shares a few important things with Penelope.

Chapter Notes

**TW/CW**
This gets real emosh. Colin talking about his dad and a tradition he's carried on to keep
his memory alive.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

“So, that was fun last night, huh?” Penelope sipped her double espresso with cream, staring into
the foam floating at the top of her drink.

“Fun? That was life changing Penelope. You’re life changing.” Colin saw that little furrow of
confusion flash through her brow again, and he wished there wasn’t a table between them
preventing him from kissing it away. He wanted to say something more, but just then, their
breakfast arrived.

Penelope tucked into her avocado toast while Colin eyed his full cafe breakfast, fruit salad, and
banana walnut muffin. “Feel free if you want any.” he offered casually, scooping some egg onto a
slice of toast and bringing it up for a bite. Penelope’s hand covered her mouth, and a second later
she was coughing and gasping for air.

Colin flew to her side, “Pen! Are you okay?” He knelt at her side, smoothing one hand over her
back and bringing her water glass closer with the other. That flash across her brow again.

Penelope quickly recovered, nodding to Colin, then clearing her throat and taking a sip of her
water.

“What happened? Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine, I’m fine.” she reassured him, waving him off and shaking her head in embarrassment.
“It’s just… never mind.”

“Tell me.” he insisted.

“You offered to share your food.”

“So?”

“So? I was so surprised I choked. It’s food.” She stared at him incredulously.

Colin matched her expression. “You’re more important.” he said reflexively. He watched her brow
furrow again, this time a fixed expression rather than a flash. He softened his expression. He was
still kneeling at her side, and took the opportunity to put his hand on hers. “Pen, you’re my girl. I
want to share everything with you. Even my food.”

Penelope leaned back, blinking rapidly. Finally, in a barely audible voice, she declared, “That is the
most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”

Quite proud of himself, Colin squeezed her hand, landed a kiss at the center of her brow, then
circled back to his seat. He set to work cutting his muffin in quarters, popping one of the pieces
into his mouth. Chewing happily, he plucked up one of the other wedges and deposited it on
Penelope’s plate. Her jaw sagged slightly, but she otherwise watched him continue without saying
a word. He put his spoon in the fruit salad next, lifting out two large strawberry halves and three
chunks of pineapple and leaving them all in a small pile next to the muffin. He knew she didn’t
care for grapes or melon. Colin cut a generous hunk of his sausage next, popped that piece into his
mouth, then repeated the action while chewing, placing the second piece on her plate with the rest.

Penelope’s avo toast already had eggs with it, and he knew she despised mushrooms and didn’t
care for tomatoes at breakfast, so after leaving a bite of the smoked bacon next to the sausage, he
smiled up at her. “I don’t want to make a mess of these beans. I’ll pass them to you if you want
some.”

Penelope was staring at him. Hard. He took a long sip of his mocha to hide his grin, then went
about eating what was left of his breakfast as if nothing had happened. After at least a full minute
had passed, Penelope reached forward with her fingers, selected one of the strawberries, and
tentatively popped it into her mouth. A full smile exploded across Colin’s face. “I knew you
wanted some!” He happily bit a slice of toast in half.

They ate in blissful silence after that for some time. A few minutes later, as Colin finished the last
of Penelope’s avo toast and she took the last sip of her espresso, their conversation finally resumed.

“So. I, um… have some shopping to do this morning. I was hoping you might come with. Are you
free?” Colin asked, his tone betraying nervousness.

Penelope cocked her head inquisitively, then nodded. “No plans at all. What kind of shopping?”

“I need to get a present for mum.” he stated plainly.

“Oh, okay!” Penelope agreed cheerfully until she considered it for a moment. “...Wait. Her
birthday was last month. What are you getting her a present for?”

Colin swallowed hard, looking askance and fidgeting as he considered how to explain himself. “It’s
her anniversary.” he offered quietly, not elaborating further.

Penelope intuitively understood his change in demeanor. She reached forward, covering his
knotted hands with hers. Colin took a deep breath, relaxing under her touch. A wistful smile
appeared, and he finally brought himself to look back into her eyes, ready to explain.

“Dad used to bring me shopping every year to help pick out her anniversary gift. He always did his
best every day to make each of us feel special, but when you’re one of a bunch, it’s hard, you
know? I didn’t get a lot of alone time with him. But every year, he picked me, and it was just us. I
was only five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, and the last time twelve. But I remember he
would always try to teach me a little bit about love. How much he loved mum. He always told me
how important it was to marry your best friend. How to do little things, and big things too, that
would put a smile on her face. To remember every day to tell her you love her. Never go to bed
angry. Tell her she looks beautiful, especially when she thinks she’s a mess.” Colin took
Penelope’s hand with both of his, absentmindedly playing with her fingers.

“I never forgot any of it. And then when he died, the next year, I asked Anthony to bring me
shopping.” Colin’s voice faltered slightly. He squeezed her hand tightly as a tear ran to his
cheekbone then fell to the table. “He brought me the first couple years until I was old enough to go
on my own. And here I am, nine years later, still going down to Greenwich Market each May to
pick out her anniversary present for Dad.” Colin let out a shuddering breath, unsuccessfully
fighting back tears.

“You don’t have to go on your own anymore.” Penelope said softly. Colin held his lips tight but
nodded appreciatively. “I can’t believe you never told me about this.” she said, attempting to
lighten the mood a bit with gently feigned indignation.

Colin didn’t waver, however. “It felt too sacred. Too private and important. Anthony is the only
one of my siblings that knows. Mum’s face every year though. It’s the same. For just a second I
can see it in her eyes. The way she used to look at Dad, like she can feel his love all over again. It
makes it all worth it.” Colin sniffled a bit and blinked his red eyes.

"Oh Colin." Penelope gasped softly. "Thank you. For trusting me with this."

Colin smiled knowingly. "I love you."

"I love you, too."

When Penelope and Colin entered Greenwich Market, it was bustling with people and noise. Colin
took Penelope's hand, pulling her along. "Business first, then pleasure, yeah?" She nodded her
agreement.

The pair wound their way through the crowd, quickly locating the antiques and estates jewelry
stall Colin had patronized annually for as long as he could remember. Penelope was immediately
drawn to the unique and colorful selection.

Colin started to peruse a display case of unique bracelets, Art Deco, Edwardian, Mid-Century,
Victorian, gold and silver, with every gemstone imaginable represented in some form. Penelope
stood next to him, scanning the bracelets along with him. "What do you like?" he asked, hoping
both for her input and to learn a bit about her tastes.

"Hmm. For your mother? The green one – is that Peridot?" She pointed to a gold bracelet made up
of fairly large, pale green rectangular stones. It was clearly antique – the settings were rough by
modern standards and the stones hand cut with simple lines and noticeable irregularities. But the
flaws only added to the beauty of the piece. The color was exactly right for his mother too. He had
never bought her something with green stones before, but imagining her wearing it, he could see in
his mind how well it would suit her coloring.

"Pen. It's perfect!" he gushed. Colin caught the eye of the shop clerk and asked to look at the
bracelet. Penelope meanwhile, moved on to the next case, appearing to browse the vast selection of
rings. Colin inspected the bracelet, watching Penelope out of the corner of his eye. He decided
quickly that the bracelet was perfect, but continued pretending to look it over so he could watch
Penelope. She was moving her head, trying to make it look like she was looking at all of the rings
with equal interest, but her eyes kept flicking back to one corner of the case. Colin subtly leaned
her way, getting a better view of the rings.

At first, he couldn’t imagine what had caught her eye. There were all kinds of gaudy, brightly
colored rings – paste jewelry and chunky things with dozens of glittering stones – nothing that
suited her tastes. Until he saw it. Then he knew. It was a dainty thing compared to everything
surrounding it. A simple gold band, a Georgian daisy design made up of a round, central sapphire
surrounded by six round aquamarine stones of equal size.

Two important facts entered Colin's mind simultaneously. First, that the stones bore an uncanny
resemblance to his and her eye colors. He expected that was what was drawing Penelope’s
scrutiny. Second, that it would look perfect on her left ring finger.

Colin shocked himself a bit at the thought. Sure, he had thought about marrying her non-stop since
Friday night. But to actually buy a ring? Get it together, Bridgerton. either his or Anthony’s voice
echoed in his mind. Colin tried to shake the idea out of his head, but was stopped when it was his
father’s voice he heard next. Marry your best friend.

Penelope had moved on from the case and had her back to him, allowing him a slightly longer look
at the ring. She was his best friend. Colin could see his dad standing next to him, grinning down
because they had just picked out the perfect piece. He could see him wink and nod, and heard the
same refrain he had repeated every year. Good choice, Colin.

A warm feeling of assuredness settled around him. It was her engagement ring. There was no
question in his mind. He didn’t have to give it to her right away. But he would buy it now. He
looked to the attentive shop clerk, letting the corner of his mouth lift slightly.

He needed to distract her so that he could buy it. Colin gave the bracelet back to the shop clerk,
letting him know that he would be purchasing it. He walked over to where Penelope had turned the
corner, looking over a selection of hair combs without any particular interest.

“I’m going to get the bracelet you picked out. It’s perfect.” Colin let his large hands spread across
the curve of her hips, drawing her in for a quick peck. “It’s going to take a bit to wrap and pay. Do
you mind hopping in the queue for ice cream? Looks long. I’ll join you as soon as I’m through
here.”

“Ice cream? We finished breakfast barely over an hour ago!” Penelope laughed sweetly, shaking
her head at his enthusiasm for all things edible. “I’ll see you there.” She rolled her eyes and headed
for the stall.

Colin let himself be distracted by the sight of her walking away for a moment, then was back to the
shop clerk and the jewelry case in a flash. “The blue one.” he said almost desperately, pointing at
the ring. Colin checked over his shoulder while the shop clerk pulled it out. “Please, I don’t want
her to see.” he whispered hotly, hurrying him along.

The shop clerk smiled knowingly, still moving slower than Colin would have liked. “She’s the
one, huh?”

He nodded, echoing his father’s most important words. “She’s my best friend.”

“Here.” Colin said, passing over his credit card. “For the ring and the bracelet. Can I put the ring in
my pocket? I don’t want her to see.”

The shop clerk agreed, and Colin tucked the ring away, a strange sense of relief washing over him
at the realization. His wife’s engagement ring was in his pocket. He was buying his wife’s
engagement ring. Penelope was going to be his wife. All she had to do was say yes.

He waited another minute as the bracelet was secured in a familiar gift box and the receipts
printed, daydreaming about different ways he could pop the question. He would try to wait as long
as he could – Penelope would think he was crazy if he asked her now, before they’d even spent a
whole weekend as a couple. Perhaps in the spring, when they went to Italy. He could get down on
one knee in a romantic little restaurant tucked away somewhere down a winding cobblestone alley.
Or perhaps on a gondola in Venice. He wondered if he could make it all the way until Spring
Semester. Probably not. Maybe in the fall, in front of the library at Cambridge? Or better yet, in the
stacks. She would love that. They’d probably end up getting yelled at when she squealed with
delight. No, better to do it this summer. Maybe they’d drive down to Brighton Pier for the day,
spend the day by the sea, then he could ask her while they watched the sunset together. That might
work. Although he’d still have to wait at least another month or so before it was warm enough…

Colin snapped to when his credit card and the bag with his mother’s bracelet were shaken in front
of him. His ears pinked a bit as he thanked the shop clerk, took his things, and went to go find his
wi– Penelope.

She was almost to the front of the line by the time he got to her. He sidled up, discreetly patting his
pocket as he took her hand and kissed her cheek. “Thank you.”

Penelope playfully bumped against his side. “Really, it’s nothing. We would’ve had to wait
anyway.”

“No, I meant for coming with me. It means… a lot. Thank you.”

Penelope squeezed his hand in reassurance. “Of course, Col.”

When they reached the counter, Colin ordered without looking at the menu. “Two scoops of toffee
in a waffle cone, please.”

Penelope looked at him in curiosity – it was quite the departure from his usual orders, of which she
thought she had memorized them all by now. “Toffee?” she asked.

“Ah. It’s um… tradition.” Colin’s dad had brought him to this ice cream stall every year after he
helped him pick out his mother’s present. His ‘reward for another successful treasure hunt!’ his
dad would proclaim. Colin’s taste and order changed over the years, but his father’s order was
always the same. Two scoops of toffee in a waffle cone. After he passed, that first year he came
with Anthony, Colin insisted that they get the ice cream after picking out a necklace for their mum.
While Colin perused the menu, Anthony had been the one to ask. ‘What did dad get?’ That day
they both ate their dad’s order and felt just a little bit closer to him. Colin had ordered the same
thing every year since.

Penelope seemed to understand all of that from just the four words he spoke. “I’ll have the same.”
she declared decidedly. She looked sidelong at Colin before adding, “Umm… maybe just one
scoop for me though.”

“Blasphemy.” Colin whispered, eliciting a giggle from Penelope.

“I feel like I ate two breakfasts! I’m still stuffed!”

Colin snorted a laugh, reflexively replying, “I’ll stuff y–” He cut himself off, blushing furiously.
That kind of innuendo wasn’t ridiculous anymore as it had been when they were ‘just’ friends. And
they hadn’t had sex yet either, making it just weird. He felt a giant wave of awkwardness crest over
him.

Until Penelope spoke. Carefree and flirty, just as if he had finished his sentence and not a beat had
gone by. “Maybe. If you’re lucky.”
 Before he could get a good look at her expression or even try to respond, they were being handed
their ice cream cones and shuffling away from the counter. Their conversation turned to things far
less consequential as they walked the long aisles of the market eating their ice cream. They
laughed, teased, browsed, and just generally enjoyed one another’s company in something that felt
more like their old rhythm than it had in almost a year. Colin’s awareness never strayed far from
the metallic circle in his pocket.

After spending the rest of the morning wandering the market together, they finally made their way
home. Penelope had to stop Colin from following her back into her mother’s flat. “I could use a
little me time.”

Colin felt almost dejected, but then realized that he really needed the same – he hadn’t shaved in
two days and had spent less than an hour total in his own room since Friday afternoon. “Okay…
but I’ll miss you.” he replied, pouting. “Can I take you out for dinner?” he asked, hope renewed.

“Only if it’s somewhere a little less fancy than yesterday.” she insisted. “That was lovely, really.
But maybe a chippy or… Indian! Could we go to Dishoom? I could murder someone for a good
curry!”

Colin pressed her into the wall with a kiss. It was like she could read his mind. He had been
craving Indian since Greece. Dolmades and Moussaka were great, but nothing beat a curry from
their favorite stomp. “That sounds perfect. What time do you want me to come by?”

Penelope pushed him playfully by the chest, peeling herself off the wall. “You may come at six.”
She paused, giving him that damned look again – up through her eyelashes – before asking with an
innocent lilt, “Will you be okay without me for that long?”

And suddenly he wasn’t sure he would be. Five hours without Penelope seemed almost
insurmountable. He nodded reluctantly, not hiding his discontentment from her. Penelope turned,
pulling out her keys and walking to her door. Colin slumped towards the door to his mom’s flat,
resigned that he had plenty to occupy himself with between now and dinner.

Slam! Colin felt himself whirled around, his back thrown quite forcefully against the wall.
Penelope seemed to climb him like a tree, taking a kiss rather than giving one. Colin accepted her
advances, fighting off the shock of the moment to squeeze her body into his, tangling their limbs
together. Penelope seemed intent to swallow him whole, her tongue entering his mouth and
conquering the space as her own. He felt her hands clasp his jaw on either side, as if bracing herself
from somehow advancing further on his face. She used the leverage to slow her passions,
eventually pulling herself free.

With one final press of her lips, she stepped back entirely. “I love you Colin Bridgerton.” She
turned and disappeared into her mum’s flat, leaving Colin dazed in the hall. It was the first time she
said the words to him on her own, not as a reply. They made his heart soar.

Chapter End Notes

I took a day to write most of that Benelope one shot that was clawing at my mind, so I
can back burner that for now and focus on this again. I'm thinking the next chapter I
post will be the last one for at least a week - it's going to take me a couple days to
write but I promise, it'll be worth the wait. A big double chapter that advances our
Polin to a nice pause point. I've come up with some ideas for more plot to keep rolling
with, so I guess that's what I'm going to do. I'm so glad you're all along for the ride -
I'm still just writing on vibes here and going where the characters take me. Leave a
comment if you're enjoying it!! <3
 Peak
Chapter Summary

Colin takes Penelope out to dinner, and then back home.

Chapter Notes

So. I marked this as complete. ***BUT*** I very much so intend to continue writing
this story. But it's going on pause for a while. I *promise* I will come back to this. I
just have a bunch of other stories calling my name right now that I want to devote my
attention to for a bit. More in the end notes. For now, enjoy this 5800 word journey.

See the end of the chapter for more notes

To pass the time until he could pick Penelope up for dinner, Colin went to his favorite old
bookstore. He went without a goal in mind, but found himself quickly searching for books about
Italy he could give to Penelope. He eventually settled on two, “Pursuit of Italy,” a book that used
history to put the country’s modern regions and cultures into context, and “Stories of Italy,” a
collection of short stories, mostly from travelers, about their experiences and the people the met
along the way as they traveled the country.

Back at his mum’s flat, Colin spent some time grooming, making sure he looked and smelled just
right for his date with Penelope. He wore the same jeans from the morning – still carrying her ring
in the pocket – choosing a well-fitting white button down with blue pinstripes. He spritzed himself
with his signature Armani cologne, checked himself over in the mirror, then sat on the edge of his
bed, disappointed that he still had more than a half hour to wait before he could go knock on
Penelope’s door.

A knock on his door frame pulled his attention. His brother Anthony’s face appeared in the open
space, gently calling his name.

“Ant? What are you doing here?”

“Mum was watching Edmund so I could run some errands while Kate is at her sister’s. He’s
napping so I’m trying to wait him out. I heard you were in here.”

“For a bit anyway. I’m taking Pen out for dinner at six.”

“Ah. How is Miss Featherington?” Anthony stepped into the room, clicking the door shut behind
him and taking a seat on Colin’s desk chair. His expression was warm and inviting, and Colin
couldn’t help the urge to confide everything in his big brother.

“I brought her shopping, Ant.” Colin offered simply.

“Oh?” Anthony chuckled, not picking up on the deeper meaning. “Trying to impress her by
dropping some coin? I’m not sure she’s the type…”

“No, Ant. It’s the end of May. I brought her shopping. To Greenwich.”

“Oh.” Anthony replied, suddenly far more somber that he had been a moment prior.

“Yeah.” Colin echoed, giving Anthony time to process what he was sharing.

“What was… did she know?” Anthony finally asked, a half dozen different questions vying for
purchase on the tip of his tongue.

“Yeah. I told her about all of it. Dad. You. Mum. The ice cream. It was… Anthony it felt so right.
Like she was supposed to be there. And… I could see Dad’s face. It was the first time in years
without looking at a picture.”

Anthony crossed the room and pulled his brother up into a strong embrace. Both fought down
lumps in their throats, holding each other tightly until their breathing steadied.

“I um… bought a ring.” Colin said once they’d sat back down.

“I’m sure mum will love it.”

“No. Pen helped me pick out a bracelet for mum. But then I got her to go queue up for the ice
cream, and I bought her a ring.” Colin swallowed hard, bracing for Anthony to lecture him on his
impulsivity.

Instead, he saw only an encouraging nod, urging him to explain further. “Yeah?”

“I know it seems… fast. But. I caught her looking at it and I just felt like I had to. I kept hearing
Dad’s voice, telling me to ‘Marry your best friend’ and… when I made up my mind to buy it…
that’s when I could see his face. Smiling down at me like he used to when I picked something out
for mum. ‘Good choice, Colin.’” Colin did his best to imitate his father’s voice when he repeated
the words.

Anthony’s jaw sagged slightly as he stared back at his brother, speechless for a few seconds. “You
sounded just like him then.” he finally rushed out. He took another steadying breath, “You know,
that’s what mum told me that convinced me to propose to Kate. You sure?”

“Yeah. I’m sure.” Colin smiled softly at his brother, reveling in his parents’ shared wisdom. “You
wanna see it?” he asked, not waiting to pull the ring from his pocket. “I’m not planning to give it to
her tonight or anything, but once I saw it, I just knew.” He leaned forward, stretching his arm
across the room towards his brother, offering it out on the tips of his fingers.

Anthony inspected the delicate ring, turning it over in his hand and holding it close to his face. “It’s
beautiful, Colin. It’s so her. And so you.” Anthony stood again, crossing to the bed where Colin
sat, sinking down next to him. Anthony passed the ring back to his brother, wrapping his other arm
around Colin’s shoulders. “Ask her when it feels right to you. Don’t wait because of me or mama
or anyone else that you think might be judging you. This is about you and Penelope. No one else.”

Colin nodded into his lap, then faced his brother with a small, grateful smile.

“Besides,” Anthony concluded, “you’ve basically been together your whole life. She’s already
family. No one is going to be surprised that you want to make it official.”

Ten minutes later, Colin stood in the hallway between flats, nervously clutching the books he had
bought that afternoon for her. They were forgotten entirely when, after waiting a minute or so for
her to answer his knock, the door swung open.

Ffffffffuhh. was the sound that fell from Colin’s mouth as he took in the sight before him. The red
shirt. She was wearing the red shirt. The red silk wrap blouse with the deep V-neck. The one that
her ivory cleavage positively spilled from. That he wanted to bury himself in. The shirt he told her
was for third dates. The one he told her she should only wear when she wanted her ‘boyfriend’ to
fuck her.

Colin fixated on her chest, his own heaving with sharp breaths drawn through his nose. He raked
his eyes over her form, then finally tore them up to her face. “Y… you.. you wore… the red shirt.”
he panted.

Penelope smiled smugly back at him. “Something, something, third date?” she replied coyly,
letting her voice rise with the last word.

Colin swallowed hard, understanding now that she chose the blouse intentionally. The gravity of
her silent communique rooting him in place. He wanted to reach for her, to touch her to see if she
was real, but his hands were already holding something. He looked down to try and determine
what the strange objects were, not remembering until several seconds after his eyes reached them
that he held the books he had brought her in lieu of flowers.

When his eyes flashed back to Penelope, her head was cocked to the side, trying to read the titles
upside down. “I got you these, Pen.” he murmured, still not fully in control of his faculties. He
thrust the books forward in her direction.

“You got me books?!” she exclaimed, her entire being lighting up. Colin could swear she glowed.
She took them into her own hands, reading the titles before grinning back at a still flustered Colin.
“For Italy? I still can’t believe we’re going to Italy – these are perfect!” She flung herself into his
arms, and it felt like she was connecting her soul to his. When Colin looked down and saw her eyes
shining up at him, he bent and met her lips.

When Penelope moved to place the books on the side table back inside the flat, she had to put her
hand out against the center of Colin’s chest to keep him from trailing in behind her. “I believe we
have a curry to murder, Bridgerton.”

It was a little over a twenty minute walk to the restaurant, but with their hands intertwined and their
easy conversation, it felt like no time at all before they had arrived. Colin got over his initial shock
at seeing Penelope in the red shirt, and save for a few appreciative peeks at her stunning cleavage,
was able to focus on her and their discussion of must-see Italian landmarks.

Colin ordered Samosas for an appetizer, an order of Black Daal “for the table”, Chicken Tikka,
Naan, extra rice, Raita, and a bottle of Pinot Grigio. Penelope ordered the Chicken Ruby. While
waiting for their food, Colin found himself growing nervous around Penelope whenever his
thoughts strayed to her blouse and the message it was telegraphing. He did his best to distract
himself by focusing the conversation elsewhere, particularly on their plans to travel together next
year.

“So, my lovely Pen. Italy is a big country, and we have options in I think every major city. Which
one strikes your fancy?” They would, of course, travel to each city extensively while they were
there, but they would have to chose a city and campus as their home for the semester where they
would attend classes and rent a flat.

“I have only thought about this a bit. Since, you know, yesterday.” She eyed Colin, reminding him
that this was all still quite new. “But, as much as I think I will love Venice, I think we should stay
in Florence. It’s quite central, the architecture is gorgeous, and there’s plenty to do. We’ll have easy
access to everything.”

“You’re brilliant, Pen. I was leaning towards Venice too, but it would take forever to get anywhere
else. I made that mistake in Morocco, staying in Tangier when I really should have stayed in
Marrakesh. I wasn’t even thinking about that this time. See? This is why I need you. We’re the best
team.” Colin could see Penelope’s heart stutter at his words, but just smiled bashfully at her.

Colin still had the goofy smile on his face when their food arrived. He ate slower than usual,
taking his time to bask in the way their exchanges seemed to flow so naturally. Appreciating her
smiles and laughs the same way he appreciated the fine glass of wine he sipped. Considering how,
much like the curries they were dining on, every element of their relationship – from their school
days practicing for chorus and band together, every football game or concert they attended as a
duo, how each supported the other when first his, then her father died, to the fights they had, even
the New Year’s misunderstanding that left her not speaking to him for months on end – had
contributed to build something irreproachable.

“Everything okay, Colin?” Penelope asked, shaking him from his reverie.

“Yeah.” he said wistfully. “I was just thinking about us.”

Penelope shifted slightly in her seat, still uncomfortable with the weight of his full devotion. “It’s
just that, you’re barely eating.”

Colin looked down at the still largely intact feast in front of him and realized she was right. He
laughed off her scrutiny, shoveling a forkful of chicken and rice into his mouth. He put his fork
down as he chewed to reach across the table and hold her hand. He played with her fingers again,
thinking about how it would feel to play with her blue and gold ring, still safe in his pocket, there
instead. Not yet, Col.

Colin finished his meal just as slowly as he started it, reveling instead in conversation with his wi–
Penelope. He felt the contentment that he had searched for since the years following his father’s
passing. He felt as if he had arrived home after a lifetime’s journey, and he couldn’t stop
daydreaming about their journey together. Building a life together.

When they left the restaurant, Colin took her hand again. He was nervous about what would
happen when they got back to her mum’s flat tonight, and he always felt better after a long walk.
He wanted to hold onto this feeling for as long as possible. Stretch out each moment and savor it.
Let the intimacy of their relationship truly breathe.

Penelope didn’t question him when the headed first for Trafalgar Square, then Green Park by way
of St. James’s Square. Even though it was half past eight, it was the end of May and the sun was
still up. Their pace was lackadaisical; their conversation sporadic. The sky was just beginning to
take on varied hues of lavender and pink when they found themselves in Berkeley Square.

Colin stopped walking for a moment, pulling Penelope around to face him. He took his time,
regarding her beauty, then dipped down to gently capture her lips. Colin paused to rest his forehead
against hers, hearing for the first time the soft sound of a live band at one of the bars across the
street. An idea entered his head and he acted on it before allowing a moment to second-guess
himself. “Dance with me, Pen?”

Colin stepped back and extended his hand in offer. “Here?!” Penelope nearly yelped. “In the
middle of Berkeley Square?” She stared at him with wide-eyed incredulity.
“Why not? I’ve never danced in Berkeley Square before, and dancing in Berkeley Square seems
like the sort of thing a person ought to do at least once in their life, wouldn't you agree?” Colin
buried his eyes into hers, still holding his hand out to her.

“I suppose.” Penelope replied softly, tentatively placing her hand in his.

“Good.” Colin declared, sweeping Penelope into a Waltz. “Because I wish to dance with you
always, everywhere. In every town, in every park, in front of anyone who dare watch.” He made
use of the grassy lawn, traveling through practiced steps to the beat of a distant song. “I love you,
Pen.”

He spun her one last time then pulled her close, dipping her back and kissing her sweetly in the
twilight. When someone called out “Oy! Get a room!” Colin didn’t break their kiss or lift Penelope
from the dip, he simply raised one hand in the air, sending up the V-sign in the general direction of
the interruption.

When Colin was quite done kissing Penelope, he righted them both and stepped back, adding a
bow to elicit a giggle from her.

Penelope took his hand, looking off in the direction of their destination. “Col? I’m ready.” She
squeezed his hand once, turning back to show him the burning desire in her eyes. “Take me home.”

After that, Colin practically dragged Penelope back to Grosvenor’s square, with her taking two
hurried steps for every one of his decisive strides. He noticed with the cheekiest of grins the way
her decolletage bounced along in time with her staccatoed gait, giving him no incentive to slow
their pace.

When the lift doors didn’t open immediately after pressing the call button, Colin threw Penelope
over his shoulder and ran up the three flights of stairs to their floor, ignoring completely her rather
vocal protest. He dropped her on her feet at the landing, pushing her back against the wall because
he couldn’t wait any longer to kiss her again.

Penelope felt for the door with her hand, lips still locked to Colin’s, pressing it open and walking
backwards through it, leading him along the hallway by her mouth. Once they reached her flat, she
tried to fumble with the key without breaking the kiss, but eventually both became frustrated and
separated just long enough for her to unlock the door and let them through, Colin breathing hot
kisses on her neck all the while.

The second the lock clicked, Colin whirled Penelope around, hoisting her up so that she was
straddling his hips and he could return his lips to hers as he walked them both to her bedroom.
They kissed deeply and feverishly, tongues warring for dominance as they battled to consume one
another’s passion. Colin laid them both down on the bed, covering Penelope’s body with his own.

Colin drew back from Penelope’s lips, tracing his index finger down the column of her neck,
teasing it through the long line of her cleavage. “I love every part of you, you know. But these?
These?” He grinned down at the view one final time before plunging his whole face into the ample
bosom that had teased him all evening. He thought of the morning, and how incredible it had felt
when she allowed him to bury himself there in the shower. Colin took a moment for his own
pleasure, nestling into the soft pillows and letting a warm wave of simple bliss wash over him.

When Penelope shifted under him, growing slightly restless at the change in pace, Colin went back
to work. He ripped his shirt from his body, then Penelope’s from hers, throwing both to the floor.
His heart stuttered when he saw the sheer, red lace bra on her, hiding nothing and positively
overflowing. If the sight of the garment flung carelessly over her shoulder on Friday had caused
him discomfort, he was truly in pain now.

Colin pressed his hand into his groin, groaning at the temporary relief brought by the pressure. He
needed to slow down if this was going to be enjoyable for Penelope, and making this experience
enjoyable for Penelope was his only true goal. He took several deep breaths through his nose, then
moved back to his Pen, teasing her neck with his tongue and carefully removing what he
remembered her describing as a rather uncomfortable undergarment.

Penelope sighed in near ecstasy when her breasts were set free. Colin noticed the angry red marks
where the underwire had dug into her sides and took care to place tender kisses over every hurt.
Penelope hummed her appreciation, running her fingers through his hair. Satisfied that he had
properly thanked her for enduring such pain for his pleasure, he turned his attention back to her
breasts, taking the full weight of one in each hand.

Penelope pressed into his touch, seemingly just as eager for contact as he. Colin lifted the silky
mounds up and together, kneading into them and dragging his face across them once more. He
began teasing kisses closer and closer to her sensitive centers, vacillating between sides, only
relenting and brushing against them when she began to whine for more.

Colin rolled her nipple between his fingers as he flicked the other with the flat of his tongue. He
went on ravishing her breasts, sucking and pinching at the rosy centers, until Penelope was pulling
at his hair, grinding up into him, and pulling at his belt.

He grabbed at her over her jeans, rubbing roughly against her heat, pulling a keening cry from her
throat. Colin unbuttoned them, pulling both the jeans and a flash of red lacy panties off together in
one fast, smooth movement.

“Please. Colin. I want you.” Penelope whined between breaths. She was laid back on the pillows,
fully bared to him. The urge to tear himself out of his pants and take her hard and fast right then
was overwhelming, but Colin had promised her he would ensure she was ready for him when it
was time, and he intended to keep that promise.

“Soon, my love. We’re still just warming up. I want you to come on my face before we try
anything new. That’s how we get you ready for me.”

Colin’s voice was sultry and low, all silk and butter, and Penelope could vocalize nothing more
than a keening cry. Her hips were shifting from side to side, almost like they did when he had
danced with her at the club Friday, except this time, the view was much different. When her knee
fell outward, exposing her glistening pink to him, Colin decided to spend no more time teasing.

The moment the flat of his tongue parted her lips and dragged up to her clit, Penelope’s hands were
tangled in his hair, pulling him to where she needed him most. She conveyed her near-desperation
through the writhing of her entire body, intensifying when he pressed and curled two fingers inside
her.

Colin was relentless with his attentions, circling, flicking, and sucking at her peak with all the
passion he felt towards her, pounding his fingers into her with equal fervor. Each exhale Penelope
took seemed to increase in both pitch and volume, until the sounds bled together into one glorious,
sustained high-note. Colin pressed his tongue firmly against her pulsing clitoris, letting her ride her
orgasm on his fingers and lips

Colin stroked her slowly when she finally came down, using his lips to delicately tease out her
aftershocks. It was only when she finally released his hair from her grasp that he removed his
mouth and smiled up at her.
“Take. Your. Pants. Off.” she commanded despite still not having caught her breath.

Colin stood from the bed, taking care to pinch the ring, still in his pocket from the morning, as he
slipped out of his jeans, folding them and carefully placing on the floor next to her nightstand.
Penelope looked almost offended by his methodical actions, but any questioning look was quickly
replaced when he then tore off his boxer briefs. She grinned up at the sight of him; he was large
and hard and ready for her.

Colin crawled onto the bed, laying his body onto hers and gasping at the intimate contact. His lips,
still perfumed with her scent, grazed against hers. He continued to kiss her, slowly, gently, as he
acclimated his bare body to the feeling of hers underneath him. His knee found purchase on the
mattress between her legs, allowing him to settle his hips atop hers.

“Fuck!” he snapped rather suddenly, pulling himself back to sit on his heels.

“Well, I rather think that’s the point.” Penelope quipped nervously, not comprehending the source
of his outburst.

Colin eyed her for just a moment, wanting to laugh but far too distressed to allow it. “Do you have
condoms?”

Penelope understood now, shaking her head in reply. “Can’t you just run across the hall? I won’t
go anywhere, I promise.” she smiled reassuringly.

Colin groaned. “It’s been a while. I don’t have any. Damn, I should have gotten some when I was
out this afternoon. I just… I didn’t expect… And then I forgot…”

Penelope sat up on the bed, drawing her knees together. “How long has it been?” she asked
carefully.

Colin cocked his head to the side, understanding that her question was leading somewhere, but not
able to see the path. He believed in total forthright honesty in these matters – Penelope or otherwise
– and so he answered her accordingly. “Not since last summer. Just about a year.” he offered
plainly.

“And… have you been to the GP? Tested and all?” she asked him directly.

Colin was slightly taken aback by her follow-up, but wanted her to know the answer without
hesitation. “Twice actually. Before Morocco and again before Greece. All clear. But Pen, that’s not
the only…”

Penelope regarded him seriously. “I’m on the pill, Col. Have done since I was fourteen. Mum had
my GP prescribe it for acne.”

Colin suddenly understood what she was trying to communicate. The thought of sinking into her
without any barrier at all nearly turned his mind to mush. “Pen?” he choked, suddenly breathless.

Clearing his throat after a moment, Colin knew he had more he wanted to share with her before
letting her make that decision. “I… um, I’ve only ever had a handful of partners. Can still count
them on one hand. And I’ve never… without a… never unprotected before.”

“Good.” Penelope smiled. “Well, it’s up to you. But I’ve never been with anyone but you Colin. I
trust you. If you want to.”

Colin stared at her, his chest heaving, as he considered her proposition. He felt the weight and
responsibility of her trust settle on him, somehow deepening his love and connection to her. He
nodded to her, taking her hand in his, drawing his thumb across her fingers. “I trust you too, Pen. I
love you.”

He watched a thought dance through her eyes, causing her to giggle. “It’s kinda like it’s your first
time too now!” she proclaimed lightheartedly.

Colin bored into her eyes with his own. Because that was exactly what this meant to him. There
was no joke about it. “Yeah, Pen. It is.” he replied, his voice low and serious.

Penelope reached out and took his other hand with hers, holding them both for a few seconds
before leaning back into the pillows, tugging Colin with her until his body covered hers once more.
“I love you too, Colin.”

Colin took his time, nestling into her, plucking at her lips with his, rubbing slowly against her
thighs. Penelope’s hands curled around his biceps and shoulders, drawing him closer and tighter to
her. Everywhere they touched felt electric, and Colin wondered if she could feel it too. It was
Penelope that reached between them, guiding his tip to her entrance.

Colin’s breath stuttered when he felt her wet heat against his sensitive tip. He craned his head back
slightly so that he could see her face. “You’re sure?” he asked, even though he could already see
the answer written on every inch of her face.

“Yes.” she breathed, “Please."

Colin pressed forward, just until she swallowed his head, pausing when her face began to tighten.
His breath was already ragged, low groans punctuating every other pant. “Are you… okay?” he
choked out.

Penelope shifted slightly with him, then nodded. She seemed to be more relaxed than he, reaching
up to cup his cheek, a gesture he leaned into, drawing her calming energy from it. Colin pushed
forward again, slowly sinking himself into the silken crush of her.

When he was completely buried within her, Penelope sang out a moan that nearly drove Colin over
the edge. He held himself there, fully extended, wanting to memorize everything about the way she
felt surrounding him. “Fuck, Penelope.” he hissed between clenched teeth. “You feel so fucking
good.” He sucked at the air, still trying to steady himself, “I didn’t know… I didn’t know it could
feel this good. Please. Please tell me this feels good to you.”

Penelope drew a breath through her nose, nodding tightly. “Mm-hmm.” was all she could vocalize
at first, but when she saw a streak of panic hit Colin’s face, she elaborated, “Move, Colin.” She
withdrew her own hips slightly, pressing back into him to demonstrate her meaning.

Colin buried a low moan into her shoulder then dragged his cheek across hers. He took an
experimental stroke within her, causing each to release low, stuttering groans. Colin set a slow
pace, taking long, smooth thrusts, studying everything about the way Penelope’s body responded to
his.

He screwed his body into hers until they both lost track of time, and space was nothing but each
other. The aria she sang became their soundtrack. Colin could feel Penelope winding tighter and
tighter around him, the pressure in his own member building. He needed her to know what she
meant to him, to hear how she was making him feel.

“You’re so beautiful.”
“I love you so fucking much, Pen.”

Her hands, which had been on his shoulders, slid to his ass, guiding his strokes deeper and sharper.

“You’re so perfect around me.”

“Ohhh, Pen.”
“So tight.”
“You’re going to crush me when you come.”

He sucked her bottom lip into his mouth, then dragged it out between his teeth.

“Fuck.”
“I want to do this every day, Pen.”
“Sink into you forever.”

Colin increased his pace, still deliberate, but each beat following closer behind the last.

“Forever.”
“Fuck!”
“Pen!”
“Pen?"

His breathing was ragged, each word harried and rushed. He could feel Penelope’s body begin to
change, readying itself for release. He took her left hand with his right, pinning it above her head,
squeezing it tightly by the fingers.

“I love you so fucking much.”

“Marry me?”

The second the question left his lips, Penelope came. Hard. When she cried out, "Yes! Yessss!"
Colin followed, erupting into her clenching, pulsing core.

He collapsed into her hold, rutting through each heave of his release, cries of pleasure falling from
his lips unbidden. Penelope shared in the duet, wailing in harmony, arching her body into his,
seizing in ecstasy. Colin buried himself inside her, remaining until both finally ceased twitching
through aftershocks.

Colin withdrew completely, missing her warmth immediately. He slumped his body to the side of
hers, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling into her neck. He began whispering softly into her
ear, eager to stretch out this feeling of bliss.

"You make me so happy, Pen."

"I love you so much."
"You're amazing.”
“I’m so lucky to have you."
"Thank you."
"Oh! Here, I almost forgot."

Colin rolled over toward the side of the bed, away from Penelope. He reached down to where his
folded jeans lay on the floor, deftly retrieving the delicate gold circle from the pocket. He rolled
back towards where Penelope lay, lifting himself up onto one knee. He presented the ring, reaching
wordlessly for her left hand.

When it dawned on Penelope what exactly Colin was doing, she yanked her hand back, eyes
thrown wide. "WHAT?!" she practically screamed.
Colin's face fell, her reaction not at all what he anticipated. "But... you? You said yes..?"

"You were inside me, Colin!"

Colin scrubbed his face with his hand, then began pouring words, trying to backpedal and return to
the pure bliss he had felt just a moment ago before he wrecked it all. "Fuck. I'm sorry. I knew I
should've waited. I meant to wait. But then I just felt so close to you and connected and… I
couldn’t wait. God, Pen. I've spent the whole day dreaming of perfect proposals for you. I was
gonna do it in Venice, on a gondola. Or over dinner in a little place we found in Florence. Or
maybe in the library at school. In the stacks. Or at sunset on Brighton Pier. I just. Pen. I hate the
word girlfriend. It’s not enough. It feels too temporary. Too flimsy. You’re my whole life, Pen. I
just – I want you to know that I’m yours. I want the world to know I’m yours.”

“I… I need to pee! Just. Hang on, okay?” Penelope got up, visibly rattled, and crossed to her
bathroom. Colin felt suddenly ridiculous, completely bare on one knee in the middle of her bed. He
stood, pacing a few times, before sitting back on the edge of the bed, head in one hand while the
other, still holding her ring, hung loose in front of him.

He didn’t hear Penelope leave the bathroom. “You’re really serious about this, aren’t you?” When
she spoke, her gentle words, mere inches in front of him, felt like warm breeze on a cool spring
day. Colin lifted his head towards the dawn of her voice.

Penelope sat on the bed next to him, letting the whole length of their sides press together. Colin let
out a deep sigh. “I am, Pen. I know it seems… rash. But it doesn’t feel that way. Not to me. And…
we don’t have to actually get married right away if you don’t want to. I mean, we don’t have to do
anything you don’t want to…” Colin trailed off, sounding utterly gutted.

Penelope pulled his hand into her lap. “Oh!” the pleased sound broke forth from her throat. She had
inadvertently taken possession of the ring when she tried to lace her fingers with his. “It’s… how
did you know?” she gasped.

“I saw something had caught your attention. And when you turned and I had a chance to look, it
could only be this one. It was perfect.”

“It was just so beautiful. It reminded me of –”

“Both of our eyes?” Colin finished for her.

“Yeah. It’s like it’s you, wrapped up in me. Or like your eye is reflecting in my eye. I just thought it
was so perfect for us.”

Colin held her hand again, stroking his thumb across the backs of her fingers. “I didn’t plan any of
this. I didn’t expect today to turn out like this at all. Hell – I didn’t even plan to kiss you when I
took you dancing on Friday! But. Penelope. Making you my wife is all I’ve thought about since
then. And. I don’t regret asking you. I would do it all over again.” Colin hung his head, feeling
vulnerable and uncertain where his actions left him with Penelope.

He felt Penelope straighten next to him. She pulled her hand away from his, smoothly passing the
ring back to him as she did. Colin felt on the verge of breaking down until she whispered, “Ask me
again, Colin.”

The moment the words washed over him he was on the floor, perched on one knee, taking her hand
in his. “Penelope Anne Featherington. I have known you since I was seven, and every single day
since has been better for it. I have loved you for more than half my life. I’ve loved every laugh and
 smile we’ve shared. I’ve shared everything with you. You are my best friend. My other half. But
you’re also my future. I want to keep sharing my life with you. Not just my kisses and my body. I
want to share my dreams. My passion. My joy. And I want to share in yours. For the rest of my life.
Will you marry me, Pen?”

Penelope sparkled at his words. When he was through, she nodded first, then answered him
simply. “Yes.”

Colin stood, sweeping her into his arms. He spun her around, their still-naked bodies held tight to
one another. “I love you.” he choked, fighting back tears that had filled his eyes. He righted her on
the floor, taking her left hand and sliding the ring into place. The dainty jewelry fit her tiny finger
perfectly, and he couldn’t help but think it looked at home there.

***

The next morning when Colin woke, he instinctively reached out for Penelope, only to find she
wasn’t in bed with him. He threw open his eyes, relaxing only somewhat when he saw her pacing
the floor by the window. She turned to him when she heard the shifting sounds of him sitting up,
approaching the foot of the bed. “We need to talk.” she declared sternly.

“About what?” Colin asked nervously, eyes darting to confirm she was wearing the ring he gave
her last night, his stomach flipping when he saw it still there on the hand she was using to hold her
phone out in front of her.

“Eloise.” she answered, flipping her unlocked phone down onto the bed so that it landed with the
illuminated screen just inches from Colin’s hand, “And Lady Whistledown.”

Chapter End Notes

Okay, okay, I know. It's a cliff hanger. I could've just never explored those plot lines
at all and ended the story there - which was my original intent. Actually, my original
intent was to end this whole thing after the first kiss. But it's grown into a baby
monster. And I love my baby monster. But right now, I just need to step away for a bit
to follow some other ideas and let my subconscious chug away at planning some more
of this story. So it's not really a cliff hanger so much as a teaser of what's to come. I
can't imagine I'll stay away for more than a month - it might be a week - I really don't
know. My favorite part of RMB is when the story shifts to Polin vs the World, so you
bet your sweet bippy I'm coming back to write that here.

Anywho! I really hope you enjoyed this journey so far! I am absolutely adoring who
these two turned out to be and just how intimate and close their bond is! I literally had
myself choking up when I was dreaming up some of the Edmund/Colin and
Anthony/Colin scenes - I hope I wrote them well enough to convey all that was in my
head to you folks! And yes, for those of you that recognized it, I lifted a sentence from
the Berkeley Square scene straight out of RMB. Anyway, I'll see you all in the
comments - let me know what you hope to see happen in the next 'Polin vs the World'
phase of this story!!

Lol and I titled it "Peak" because that proposal was Chaotic Colin at PEAK Chaotic!!
Please drop by the archive and comment to let the author know if you enjoyed their work!