Chapter Text
Colin was sitting alone on the floor of his living room eating ice cream while singing along with “All by myself” in Spotify.
Marina had dump him, again, apparently she could no longer fight her feelings, she discovered her true love was George Crane, and she couldn’t keep denying it, she had to follow her heart, again.
Colin couldn’t believe he had fall again in the same trick, he met Marina three years ago, she had told him she had just broke up with this guy George, that they had a really toxic relationship, and she was ready to move on and start something new, something better.
So they started dating, and it was great, they were happy, at least he was happy, he was happy and in love, until one day Marina told him she never stopped loving George and she wanted to try again. He was heartbroken, but he accepted and tried to move on, until she reappeared to tell him she was wrong and how she realized he made happy and she begged him for another chance, and because he was an idiot, he took her back.
And they were happy again, until she discovered she loved George again and again and again.
Colin had lose count how many times that had happened, an smarter man would had let her go ages ago, but Colin knew he just couldn’t, he knew she’d come back, and he’d take her back as many times as necessary until she finally chose him.
He was truly pathetic.
Then suddenly the music was interrupted by the ringing of his cell phone he checked the screen, it was his sister Eloise.
The second he pressed the green bottom his sister speak before he even had the chance to say hello.
“There is a crisis.”
“Hello you too.”
“I don’t have time for this.”
“I’m not in the mood to deal with your so called crisis.”
“Let me guess, Marina dump you again.”
“You know? I could really use a little bit of sympathy from my own sister.”
“Is really hard to feel sympathy for you after the tenth time, at this point is on you.”
He sighed, she was right, he was the one who kept coming back to Marina despite knowing she would walk away over and over again, but he couldn’t help it. He loved her.
“Listen,” Eloise interrupted his thoughts “Right now there is something more important than your Big/Carrie/Aidan situation.”
“I told you I don’t like that comparison.”
“I told you I don’t care, this is more important Debling cancelled the wedding.”
“WHAT?!!!”
When Colin and Eloise where 10 and 6 years old respectively the Featheringtons moved across the street, and with them their youngest child Penelope, she was Eloise’s age, and the second they saw each other they decided to be best friends forever.
They were inseparable to the point where every member of the family referred to them as the Siamese, however they all liked Penelope, she was a sweet girl and probably the main reason Eloise didn’t end up in jail.
A few months after Colin met Marina, Penelope started dating Alfred Debling, if someone would ask Colin what he thought of Debling he would have said that he thought he was a good guy and he was really happy for Penelope.
But if that someone had pushed him to say what he really thought of Debling he would admitted he thought Penelope could do better. There was nothing wrong with the guy, besides being vegan, it was just he didn’t seem to appreciate Penelope like she deserved, all he talked about was animals and how help them, again there was nothing wrong with that, but he was dating Penelope, he should had been more excited about it. He should have put her in a pedestal and worshiped her like a goddess.
However it didn’t matter, Penelope seemed to like him and Colin respected that, at least until that evening standing in front her door, listening her signing along “All to well.” (The ten minutes version). He waited until the song was over to knock.
When she opened the door he noticed she was in her pajamas, and her mouth was slightly tainted with ice cream.
“I told Eloise I want to be left alone, I don’t need anyone consoling me.”
“Console you? No I’m here to be miserable with you.”
Penelope’s face softened.
“Did Marina dump you again?”
“Yes.” He replied trying to hold his tears.
“Come in.”
A few minutes later they were on the floor of her living room, listening her playlist of break up songs (which was basically every single break up song of Taylor Swift.) while they were eating ice cream and drinking wine.
“So how bad was it? Was it a big fight? Did he cheat?”
Penelope sighed.
“I wish. At least I would have some closure but no, I can’t even have that.”
She drank a little bit of wine while Colin waited for her to continue.
“I was on a business trip.” She explained “When suddenly I received a bunch of updates that the flowers, the food, the venue, everything was cancelled. So I tried to call Debling and turns out he had blocked me in everything. So I rushed back home only to find out all his stuff were gone, except for this.”
She gave him a piece of paper that said.
Penelope:
If you’re are reading this it means that I’m many miles away, you’re probably thinking I’m coward, and I completely understand that but I want to believe I’m doing the right thing.
You see I got a job offer, is once in a lifetime opportunity to truly make a change but it also means I have to move to the north pole for at least three years.
I thought about it carefully for months, I could never ask you to leave your life behind, but I cannot let this opportunity go.
I don’t expect you to understand, but the truth is this is my legacy, this is how I hope to remembered, as someone who makes the sacrifices that need to be done to make this world a better place.
I love you, I really love you, and I hope someday you find in your heart the strange to forgive me.
I don’t ask you to wait for me, I know that’s too much, but in my heart there will be always hope.
With love.
Alfred Debling.
It took a few minutes for Colin to finally process what happened.
“So he just left? Just like that?”
“He did.”
“Oh Pen… what an asshole.”
“I know right? But do you want to know what pisses me off the most?”
“What is it?”
“It says he thought about it for months Colin, months, so that means that while we were picking flowers, music, guest list, he was planning his way out, instead of… I don’t know talking with me.”
“What a coward.”
“I mean at least Marina had the courage to tell you face to face she didn’t want to be with you.”
“Yes all the ten times.”
Penelope snorted a little.
“Sorry I shouldn’t do that, it’s not funny.”
“It is a little funny, stupidity often is.”
“You are not stupid Colin, you are just in love.”
“What’s the difference?”
Both of them started to laugh, and then proceeded to sing every song that came in Penelope’s playlist, but given that Colin didn’t know most of the lyrics, and Penelope was far from an skillful singer the duet was unfortunate to say the least.
They were interrupted by her neighbors begging them to stop.
They laughed again and suddenly the tears started to come out of Penelope’s eyes.
“Please Pen don’t cry, he is not worth it.”
“I don’t know how could I be so stupid? How could I think he or anyone would marry me?”
“Don’t say that Pen, anyone would happy to marry you.”
“Oh please, even my own mother knew he would leave me, my sisters even joked that I was blackmailing him or keep him hostage.”
“I told you to never listen to your mother and sisters.”
Colin couldn’t stand Penelope’s family, they always treated her badly, often referred to her as the ugly duckling, which made absolutely no sense to him, since he always thought Penelope was far much prettier than her sisters, not mention far kinder and smarter.
“Is my destiny to die alone, just like is my ex’s destined to be remember as the man who saved the polar bear.”
“The only thing Debling is going to be remembered for is as the idiot who let you go.”
Penelope snorted, but this time with skepticism.
Colin sighed.
“I wish you could see yourself the way I see you, then you realize how truly amazing you are.”
He reached for her hand.
“You are so kind and loyal, you are the most intelligent person I have ever met, and yet you are so humble, you make everyone around you feel special, everything is better when you’re around, at least every thing in my life is so much better when you’re in it.”
The more he talked the more he realized the truth in his words, is not like he didn’t believe in what he was saying, he really meant it, he knew Penelope was everything he was describing, he just never thought much about it, the same way he didn’t thought about the color of the sky, it was something he simply knew, something so obvious he didn’t need to reflect on it. And then it suddenly hit him.
“And you are so beautiful.” He continued. “You are the most beautiful woman I have ever s…”
He was suddenly interrupted by Penelope’s kiss.
She pulled back immediately with a horrified expression.
“Oh my god, Colin I’m so sorry, I don’t know what I was thin…”
This time it was Colin who interrupted her with a kiss.
Colin wasn’t sure at what point the playlist was over but when he suddenly heard the lyric “I don’t want you like a best friend, I only bought this dress so you can take it off.” Which he thought was quite appropriate considering he had taken every single piece of clothing off Penelope, not to mention friendship was the last thing that came to his mind in those moments.
They were in her bed completely naked, Colin lips were touching every inch of Penelope’s body, her skin was so soft and warm, he could also hear her whispering his name.
He wanted to whisper her name as well, but the second his lips stopped touching her skin, it suddenly hit him what he was doing and who he was doing it with, he looked at her and both knew that was the moment to stop if they wanted to conserve their friendship, if they wanted the things between them remain the same, and Colin couldn’t think of anything worse. So he kissed her instead.
When Colin woke up he was alone in Penelope’s bed, he found her in her living room wearing his t-shirt drinking a cup of coffee, for him she was a vision, the personification of beauty, he just couldn’t take his eyes off her.
She immediately noticed him looking at her, she smiled shyly and Colin had to fight the urge to kiss her and carry her back to bed.
“Hi.” She said.
“I like how you look with my shirt on.”
She blushed. Jesus Christ how could someone be so unintentional seductive. She would be the death of him.
“I’m sorry, I will return it.”
“There is no need, you can keep it, it fits you better, although if you want to take it off right now I wouldn’t mind.”
He slowly reached for her cup and took a little sip of her coffee without taking his eyes off her, her skin suddenly turned into the exact shade of red as her hair.
“Listen Colin about last night…”
“No.” He interrupted her.
“What?”
“We are not doing that.”
“Doing what?”
“That stupid thing where we act awkward and say stupid stuff like ‘last night was a mistake’ and we try to pretend it never happened, we are not doing that, because we’ll end up together anyway, it would be just a waste of time, and we have wasted enough already.”
“Colin your friendship means so much to me, I cannot risk losing it.”
“Well I’m sorry to tell you this Pen, but our friendship was over the second we saw each other naked, there is no turning back for me, I refuse to be just your friend.”
“What do you want to be then?”
“For now? Your boyfriend, in a few months your fiancé and by next year your husband.”
“Listen to yourself, this is madness.”
“Madness? This makes all the sense in the world. Pen, you and I were made for each other.”
“You don’t really believe that.”
“Of course I do.”
“Then what are you going to do when Marina comes back?”
“I’ll politely reject her, and then if she doesn’t take a no for an answer I will not so politely reject her again.”
Penelope started to walk across the room, frustrated.
“You won’t do that Colin, you are in love with her.”
“I was infatuated with her, I’m in love with you.”
Penelope sighed.
“How can you change your mind so easily?, For three years you claim to love Marina, What changed? How could you expect me to believe you wouldn’t do the same to me?”
“Because nothing changed, not really, I have always felt this way about you, I’m just finally aware of it.”
He took her hands.
“Listen Pen, my whole life I heard songs, I watched movies, I read books and poems where they described a kiss as this amazing out worldly experience, and I always thought it was over exaggerated, when I kissed Marina and other girls it was nice, I liked and all but it wasn’t a big deal, but when you kissed me, it was a revelation, there were butterflies in my stomach, there were fireworks, heck there were explosions, and I realized the reason I never felt that with Marina was because she wasn’t you, no one but you can make me feel this way, because you’re the only one I truly love.”
He caressed her cheek.
“You want to know a secret, I have never liked Debling, I used to believe it was because I felt the typical brotherly jealousy, which now that I think about it, it was pretty stupid given that I have never disliked any of my sisters boyfriends, and it’s even more stupid because every time I looked at you together all I could think was how much better I would treat you if you were my girlfriend, or how much happier you would be with me.”
Her face softened.
“You really thought that?”
“Yeah, one would think that would be enough to make me realize I am in love with you, but clearly I’m a really dumb man.”
She laughed and he felt his heart beating uncontrollably.
“The truth is I have always thought that if I were in Marina’s place I would have chosen you in a heartbeat, without hesitation, without taking a step back, I would always choose you.”
He cupped her face into his hands.
“Then choose me now, listen Pen, I won’t try to force my feelings in you, if you don’t feel the same way about me I will accept it, but you have to say it.”
He stopped breathing waiting for her answer, she bite her lip.
“I can’t, the truth is I have loved you since I was 6, I have always known that I love you, but I made my peace with the fact that you would never feel the same for me a long time ago.”
Colin hugged her.
“But I do feel the same, I’m sorry it took me so long to figure it out, I promise I will spend the rest of our lives trying to make it up you.”
The tears started to come out of Penelope’s eyes and Colin hated himself for being the reason.
“Colin, if we do this, there is not stepping back Colin, I would never forgive you if you go back to Marina.”
He smiled and kissed her forehead.
“Penelope you have always been, and you will always be the only one for me.”
He kissed her and there it was again the electricity running through his body, he wondered if he would ever be used to that feeling and he realized he didn’t care, the only thing that mattered to him was that he had Penelope wrapped in his arms and he would never let her go.
“And by the way, next I wouldn’t mind to wake up next to you.” He said.
“So you’re planning to spend more nights with me.”
“Oh Pen, I don’t think I would ever be able to spend a night apart from you ever again.”
Penelope smiled and kissed him, however that kissed was suddenly interrupted by the sound of her door opening.
It was his sister Eloise, she had an extra key.
“Hey Pen, I just came here to…”
She immediately was silenced by what was in front of her, it didn’t need to be a genius to get what happened there.
Eloise sighed.
“Well, about damn time.”
They would later found out that their families had a bet about how long it would take them to get together... Eloise won.
