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Penelope hadn’t even thought to text her best friend before running over to her house. The only thing in the redhead's mind had been to get away from her awful older sisters as quickly as possible. If she had just taken a moment to shoot Eloise a message, though, Penelope would’ve known that Eloise wasn’t even home. She was apparently at the library working on a project with her science group.
Looking up at the boy who’d just told her this news, Penelope ignored the way her cheeks immediately flushed and she nodded.
“Oh, that makes sense. She did say she had a project due Monday,” Penelope mumbled, cringing at the awkward silence that immediately followed. Of course, of all people to answer the door, it had to be Colin Bridgerton. Colin was Eloise’s seventeen-year-old brother who had kind eyes and a smile so pretty that Penelope had almost melted into the floor when she first saw it.
Colin looked her up and down and Penelope’s skin began to pulse in that familiar way it tended to do whenever she was in his presence. She had caught Colin looking at her a few times before, even sometimes convincing herself that he liked what he saw. But then he’d shake his head and school his features into one of indifference and Penelope was left feeling foolish for getting her hopes up.
After a second of Colin analyzing her, he must’ve noticed something in her eyes because he frowned, his own gaze flooding with concern.
“Have you been crying?”
Penelope gulped, breaking eye contact as embarrassment washed over her. She wasn’t exactly close with Colin and didn’t really want to delve into her family trauma, but he looked genuinely upset to see her crying and her poor sensitive heart twinged. The words fell out before she could stop them.
“Yeah. Older sisters can be real assholes sometimes,” she shrugged and tried to laugh it off, but Colin didn’t look the least bit amused. “They…they are home for spring break and I thought I’d do something nice for them. Spent all day baking their favorite desserts and everything.”
Colin’s eyebrows bunched together in confusion.
“That is really nice of you, Pen.”
She gave him a half smile, glad that at least someone thought so.
“Yeah, well, they decided the sweets weren't up to their standards and nitpicked at every little thing wrong with them before throwing them all in the trash.”
There was a moment of silence again, only this one was filled with the anger Penelope could feel radiating off of Colin. It surprised her, in all honesty. Not only because Colin had never been unkind to her or anyone else, nor had she ever known him to be, but because no one had ever felt anger on her behalf before. Sure, Penelope had confided in Eloise about her shitty family before (hence why Penelope had come running to her tonight), but Eloise had simply called them idiots and talked about a future where Penelope would be free from them. That was kind of her and it did normally help bring Penelope down from a mental spiral, but this was different. Colin looked genuinely appalled and ready to march over to Penelope’s house to give her sisters a piece of his mind. The image of Colin defending her sent a shiver down Penelope’s spine.
“Excuse me for being crass, but fuck them for that, Penelope. You didn’t deserve any of their bullshit. I would’ve been ecstatic to come home to your delicious treats. Hell, I steal all of the ones you send home with Eloise half the time. Your lemon bars are to die for,” he teased and Penelope had a feeling that he was being serious. Eloise always complained to her about Colin’s overactive appetite. A wide grin broke across her face and her heart twinged again when Colin mirrored it with one of his own. The smile that never failed to take her breath away was now being directed at her, and Penelope had to place a hand against the door frame so her knees wouldn’t buckle.
“Thank you,” she whispered, trying to get the butterflies in her stomach to calm down.
“Well, I better head back home,” Penelope said at the same time as Colin blurted out, “I have stuff to make chocolate chip cookies.”
Penelope blinked up at him in surprise, not expecting him to say that.
“You want to make cookies with me?” she asked, noticing the way the tips of his ears had turned pink. Colin chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his neck before shrugging.
“Why not? I promise I’m good company, and we have everything we need. Plus, I want you to have a better night doing something you enjoy. No one should ever make you feel like shit for being a good person, especially family.”
The stinging in her eyes made her feel a bit ridiculous, but Colin either didn’t notice or decided not to comment on it if he did. Instead, he stuck his hand out to her and waited. Penelope knew there would be no going back for her if she stepped over the threshold and found out just how nice it’d be to be alone with Colin. Just the two of them. She had been harboring a secret crush on him for years, and lord knew her heart couldn’t take it if she started catching real feelings. Even with all this in mind, Penelope went against her better judgment and placed her hand in his.
🍪🍪🍪
“I think we need more chocolate chips,” Colin murmured, looking into the bowl Penelope was currently mixing. She let the spoon go with a huff, placing her hands on her hips.
“We’ve been over this already. You poured the entire bag in, Colin. We can’t add more, no matter how many times you say we should.”
Colin rolled his eyes dramatically, muttering “what a shame” under his breath before he continued cleaning off the counters. The two had made quite the mess as they were making the cookie dough; Penelope’s grey sweater was now sprinkled with flour. Colin’s hair hadn’t looked much better a few minutes ago, and Penelope had used the opportunity to brush her fingers through it like she had secretly dreamed of doing. He’d let out a shaky breath when her hand touched his scalp, making her flush in embarrassment. She had pulled her hand back immediately, but instead of making her feel like an idiot for giving in to her secret urges, Colin had simply smiled at her, his ears turning bright pink.
“That was nice,” he had muttered and Penelope felt like she had physically melted into the floor. Colin had left soon after that to grab a rag from the hallway closet, and she was left wondering if she had actually made Colin blush or if she was simply imagining things that she hoped to be true.
When Colin had returned to clean the counters, Penelope snapped herself out of her thoughts and started mixing the dough together again. The task was tougher than usual due to the excessive amount of chocolate chips Colin insisted they add. He had offered to let her use his mother’s KitchenAid mixer, but Penelope feared she’d ruin it somehow and would hate to do that to Violet. Ever since Penelope first came over to hangout with Eloise, Violet had shown her such kindness that Penelope had never experienced with her own family. Though the elder woman would likely never get upset with Penelope if something were to happen to the mixer, Penelope didn’t want to chance possibly messing up their bond somehow. Perhaps it was her insecurities talking, but a huge part of her feared the day the Bridgertons saw her for all her flaws and abandoned her like everyone else in her life already had.
“Alright, all that’s left to do is put them on the baking sheet and put them in the oven,” Penelope announced after she finished mixing the dough. She looked up and noticed that Colin had been watching her, a curious look on his face. Not knowing what to make of it, Penelope looked back down at the cookie dough and scooped up a small portion to roll into a ball.
“I’ll help you,” Colin said as he walked over and stood next to her. Her right side was pressed up against his left and the air in the room suddenly felt too thin as the staccato beat of her heart picked up. The two had never been this close before, and Penelope was quite…inexperienced when it came to being close to a boy at all. Colin being a boy she had a massive crush on also didn’t help.
They continued to roll the dough into balls and place them on to the baking sheet, their hands occasionally brushing. Penelope was worried she might spontaneously combust right here in the Bridgertons’ kitchen if she didn’t get a hold of herself. Thankfully, they soon finished placing the cookies all around the tray, and Colin carried it over to the preheated oven and placed it inside. He set the timer for eleven minutes and swirled around to face Pen with a wide grin. Her breath left her in an instant.
“Those are gonna be so good, I can’t wait to eat eighty percent of them.”
Penelope giggled and Colin’s smile widened.
“Eighty?” she guffawed. “I busted my ass helping make those! Be generous and give me the fifty-fifty split I deserve.”
Colin made his way back over to her until he was only a few steps away. He leaned his hip against the kitchen counter and Penelope found it far more attractive than she probably should. She also wanted to kiss the smirk off his face, but decided that may not be the best idea. Tonight had already started poorly, the last thing she needed was to be hit with rejection. Colin’s last girlfriend looked like a model and though Penelope knew she was pretty, she wasn’t a model type.
“Hmm…but Pen, normally I’d only give my entire family five percent of the desserts mother makes, and you know how many siblings I have to share with. I am being generous.”
There was a teasing lilt to his voice and Penelope let out another giggle. It was nice to laugh and joke around with him. Colin had always been funny to Penelope, but she had always been on the outside of the conversations, sticking to the walls and listening from a distance like she tended to do. To be able to actually laugh with him had her sixteen-year-old heart spinning. Perhaps she had been kidding herself earlier before she had accepted his offer to bake cookies. It was clear now that she had already started to develop feelings for Colin long before this night. This was more than a crush, and she hoped to god it didn’t end up crushing her in the end.
“Whatever, I don’t want that many anyways. With all the extra chocolate chips you just had to add, those cookies are going to be so sweet. You’re gonna wind up having six cavities when you're done.”
Colin scoffed and gave her shoulder a playful shove. He asked if she wanted anything to drink and made his way over to the fridge. Penelope took the moment to admire how nice his shoulders looked in the white henley he was wearing.
“So, not that I’m complaining because I am thoroughly enjoying your company, but I thought you’d be at the prom tonight. Eloise told me that Alfred was planning on asking you,” Colin casually said as he pulled out two coca-colas. Penelope could practically feel the anxiety radiating off of him as he passed her the drink, and she tilted her head curiously.
Why did he seem so nervous asking this question?
Penelope let out a groan at the mention of that guy and placed both hands on the counter before lifting herself up to sit on top. If she was going to have to go down this rabbit hole, she was going to be comfortable doing so.
“I told him no. Alfred’s…okay, but I’m not really interested in him like that. I’ve told him this already, but I guess he didn’t care and asked me anyway.”
Colin nodded and Penelope swore she saw him biting back a smile. At the mention of prom, something suddenly dawned on her.
“Wait a minute, how come you aren’t at prom? It’s your senior year,” she asked. Colin’s smile dropped to a sheepish expression, and he brought a hand up to rub the back of his neck. He looked nervous, yet determined all at once.
“I-I was planning on asking…this girl, but I thought she was already going with someone else, so I didn’t really feel like going anymore,” he admitted, shrugging nonchalantly. The way he was looking at Penelope told her this admission was anything but nonchalant, and she’d be stupid not to pick up on exactly what Colin was implying. She swallowed thickly and rolled her shoulders back in a way that she hoped expressed confidence.
“I think you should ask her anyway.”
Colin blinked, standing up straight and staring at her questioningly.
“But…prom is tonight, it’s too late.”
“Ask her anyway,” Penelope said sternly, hopping down from the counter. She had literally dreamed of this moment, and even though they had technically already missed prom, she wanted to hear him ask her.
“Would she say yes if I did?”
Penelope could see that he was anxious.
“Ask and find out.”
A beat passed; the kitchen lights were buzzing above them, matching the feeling flowing between the two. Colin took a step toward her until they were toe to toe and brought his right hand up to tuck a curl behind her ear. Penelope burned with the heat of his touch, the butterflies in her tummy amplifying.
“Penelope Featherington, will you go to the prom with me?”
“Yes,” she whispered before Colin had even finished his sentence. Colin smiled, glancing down at her lips. Penelope waited in anticipation and prayed to anyone that could hear it that she would be a decent kisser. She wanted to be good for him.
Colin cupped her cheek before closing his eyes, leaning his head down. Penelope’s own eyes fluttered shut and she let out a small gasp when she felt the soft brush of his lips on hers.
Suddenly, the loud buzzer of the oven went off, signaling that the cookies were done. The two sprung apart and Penelope wanted to scream in frustration at being interrupted. She had barely got to feel his lips on hers before the moment was ruined. Letting out a huff of annoyance, Penelope walked around the kitchen island and over to the oven to take the cookies out. They looked delicious, even with the obviously excessive amount of chocolate chips. She began to unload the cookies onto the cooling wrack when she heard footsteps coming up behind her.
“Those look good as fuck,” Colin commented from over her shoulder, left hand already reaching to grab a cookie. Penelope lightly swatted it away with the spatula she used to remove the cookies from the pan.
“Paws off, Bridgerton. They’ve got to cool down first. You’ll burn yourself.”
Colin chuckled and Penelope thought he was about to try reaching for one again when instead he wrapped his arms around her middle, hugging her from behind. Her body’s immediate reaction was to tense up, not used to physical affection, but when Colin noticed and started to pull his arms back, she gripped his wrist in her free hand to stop him.
“It’s okay…it’s nice.”
“Okay.”
The warmth that settled over her when he wrapped his arms around her again rivaled the heat coming from the freshly baked chocolate chip cookies. It kind of left her feeling all soft and gooey like one, too. After she finished placing the last of the cookies on the rack, Colin spun her around until they were face to face. He tugged her softly until she settled comfortably against his chest and began to slowly sway them back and forth.
“What are you doing?” she whispered, not wanting to break whatever was happening right now.
“I’m dancing with you, Pen. I asked you to be my prom date didn’t I?”
Penelope lifted her head up and settled her chin on his chest, looking up at him.
“Yeah, but we aren’t at the prom.”
Colin stopped dancing and stepped back with a smirk. Penelope felt her hand twitch at her side, itching to pull him back and be back in his warmth once more.
“Aren’t we? Imagine it with me, Pen. The dining table in the corner is the DJ booth, the pictures of my siblings are the other prom goers and my mom is the chaperone, there’s lemonade and cookies for our ‘meal,’ and we are dancing,” he finished pointing out the different things around the kitchen and took her hands in his. “That is, if you’ll have me.”
Penelope giggled and stepped forward until they were chest to chest (more like chest to abdomen due to the height difference) again. “Colin, in what world would I not?”
They began to sway around the kitchen once more, both of them letting out uncontrollable laughter as Colin twirled her around and around. There was no music, but there didn’t need to be. Penelope was sucked into this beautiful little world Colin created and found that she was so glad to be at this prom instead.
“So,” Penelope said after a couple minutes of silence, “your graduation is coming up soon. Got any big plans for your future after that?”
Colin let out a sigh that she felt against his chest and his hold on her tightened slightly, as if he was struggling with what he was about to say.
“To be honest, I don’t have a fucking clue. Everyone expects me to go to University like Ant, or become a master at some sort of skill like Ben with his art. It’s just frustrating because what if I don’t want to go to University? Or if I don’t have any sort of creative skills? Part of me has always longed to travel, and I’ve mentioned taking a gap year off of college to save up and plan for a trip overseas, but my mother and brothers say that it’ll be a waste of time and money.”
Penelope could tell that Colin was growing upset talking about this and she brought her arms around him in a tighter hold, hoping to provide him at least a small ounce of comfort. She didn’t like seeing him this way.
“I know my words may not mean much, but I don’t think it’s a waste of time or money at all. I think if it’s something that you’re passionate about and you know it’ll make you happy, there’s nothing wasteful about that. Anthony went to law school like he always dreamed of, Benedict is now the artist he dreamed of being, so why can’t you chase your dreams? Your brothers and Violet may not understand it now, but it makes sense to you and I think you should also have the freedom to do the things you want to do without feeling guilty for doing so.”
Colin stopped swaying, staring deeply into her eyes in awe. The tension from earlier came back tenfold, amplifying even more when he tucked a curl behind her ear, leaving his hand along her jaw.
“You are amazing, Penelope Featherington. Thank you.”
“I’m just being honest.”
“I know, and I think it’s about time that I be honest with you.”
Penelope’s brows furrowed in confusion and Colin’s thumb instantly came up to smooth it away before returning his hand to cup her jaw.
“I like you, Pen. I have for a long time and I’m sorry that I was too big of a coward to say anything about it until now. It’s no excuse, but you’re my sister's best friend and I was afraid to come in between that and possibly ruin it somehow. Plus, I had no idea if you even liked me back, or if you even do now, but I’m tired I’m keeping it in. I like you…a lot.”
After his confession, Penelope’s heart started to thump so loudly that she could hear it pulsing in her ears. This whole night had felt like a dream, one not too far off from all of the ones she’d had about Colin on nights previous, but hearing him say the words ‘I like you’ out loud had her crashing back to reality. This wasn’t a dream. This was real. And the boy she’d had a crush on for two years just admitted that he had been crushing on her too. No wonder she had caught him looking at her all those times before; she knew she wasn’t imagining it.
“I like you too, Colin. A lot.”
Colin’s wide toothy grin most likely matched the one on her face. He trailed his thumb back and forth across her jaw and glanced down at her lips. Penelope nodded before Colin even had to ask if he could kiss her, and he wasted no time crashing his lips down on hers.
Goosebumps erupted all over her skin the moment their lips touched. Penelope could feel Colin smiling against her lips as he continued kissing her sweetly. It was everything she had hoped it would be and more.
Colin pulled back from the kiss once the two needed air, and placed a small peck to her nose. The ticklish sensation caused it to scrunch up as she giggled, unable to stop herself from pressing a kiss of her own to his cheek.
“I enjoyed that,” she whispered and started toying with the collar of his shirt, suddenly feeling shy. Colin placed his forefinger under her chin, tipping it up until she was looking directly at him. His face held such a fond expression, she felt all the air leave her lungs.
No one had ever looked at her so adoringly.
“Me too. I’d like to keep doing it…and I’d also like to be your boyfriend. I-If that’s something you’d like as well,” Colin said, trying to appear confident. The shakiness in his voice gave him away, but Penelope couldn’t focus on that, too busy flying from what Colin had just asked her.
“You want to be my boyfriend?” Penelope asked, just to make sure she had heard him correctly.
“Yes, I do,” he replied definitively. Colin then reached behind him and grabbed a cookie off the cooling wrack and held it out to her, wiggling his eyebrows. “See, I’ll even give you gifts.”
Penelope burst into laughter at that and took the cookie from his hand, shaking her head in disbelief.
“Thank you so much for this gift that I helped you make,” she teased and Colin chuckled with her. “And I would love for you to be my boyfriend. I think I’ve wanted that for a while now.”
Colin beamed, pulling her back into a tight hug, and Penelope didn’t think she’d ever tire of feeling as safe as she did in his arms . He began to rock them slowly once more and she enjoyed the peaceful moment before taking a bite of her cookie.
“Christ,” she guffawed, stepping back and looking down at the cookie like it had personally offended her. “There is way too much chocolate in these cookies. They’re so goddamn sweet.”
Penelope could feel a drop of melted chocolate on the corner of her lips but before she had the chance to lick it away, Colin was dipping down and swiping his tongue across it. She stared up at him dazedly as he made a show of swallowing the chocolate. He smirked at her lazily and never broke her gaze as he spoke his next words.
“So sweet indeed.”