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Colin had never felt more relaxed in his life.
He had just submitted the final draft of his book to his publisher; there were no more late nights, no more edits. Years of work coming to a nice closure, for now anyway. So he did what any normal person would do; he booked himself a really nice holiday. And he did a very normal thing: he invited his best friend, who, after some convincing to allow him to pay for her, accepted his invitation.
And that is when it all started to get a little confusing…
“Do you have swimming shorts?” Benedict said from his spot lounging on Colin’s bed,
“I basically only have swimming shorts” Colin rolled his eyes,
“Well, you better pack more than that!”
“Ben, I travelled professionally for years until now; I can pack a suitcase” Colin snapped. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be at the gallery?”
“Can I not support my little brother?” he said far too quickly,
“With his holiday packing?” Colin narrowed his eyes. “You are hiding from Sophie”
“I am not…I…fine, yes I am hiding from Sophie. I screwed it all up”
“I mean asking if she wants to be your…what did you call it?”
“Stress-relief” he muttered,
“Gross, Ben….why didn’t you just ask her on a date, like you wanted to do instead of sounding like a dick who just wants a friends with benefits situation”
“I know, I know!” He shuddered, “Please do not make me relive it”
“You need to fix it”
“And I can do that tomorrow…or next week or anytime, just not today. I don’t think I could look her in the eye currently”
“You need to do it”
“Speaking of doing it” Colin made a face, “not like that, I just was wondering if this is going to be an important trip. You and Penelope…it has been years now”
“It is going to be very special; I cannot wait” Colin grinned. “Is it weird that I’m so nervous, excited, but nervous”
Benedict couldn’t help but smile. “I am very happy for you, Colin”
Colin’s eyebrows twitched slightly in confusion “….thank you?”
“So when is the big day?”
“Well, it is all part of it isn’t it; each day just adds something new”
“Hmm…” Ben nodded before his phone started to buzz. “Oh no”
“Answer it! Tell her!” Colin shouted as he scurried out the door. “What an idiot” he muttered under his breath
“Hi Mum” Colin said as he arrived at the table for their monthly ‘fancy’ lunch,
“Hello dearest, you look nice”
“Thank you” he grinned,
“I have ordered the wine, and you can order the food, you know what I like”
The waiter had arrived with their drinks; Colin ordered, and they chatted about all the normal things when Violet asked a somewhat unusual question.
“So…I was going to go and look for a Birthday present for Penelope after this; would you like to join me? I want to give it to her before you go away”
“I have already gotten her present, but I would be happy to tag along” Colin smiled, shoving another bite of food into his mouth,
“Oh, what did you get her?” Violet enquired, then added a “just so I don’t get her the same thing” to make sure she didn’t sound suspicious.
He grinned,
“Oh, don’t worry, there is no chance of that happening”
“Oh really?” She said, trying not to let her excitement seep through. “What did you get?”
“I don’t want to say, but I think it is going to be pretty special. And we will be on holiday too, so…even better”
Violet let out a little sigh, somewhere between relief and excitement,
“Are you alright, Mum?” He asked with a frown,
“Fine, dear” she nodded,
“So what are you getting Penelope?”
“I was thinking maybe jewellery” she said nonchalantly, “a nice necklace or bracelet, maybe even a pair of earrings, or a ring of some kind. She had mentioned last time she didn’t have many and wanted to get some more, but I don’t know her ring size”
“Which finger?” Colin asked, pulling out his phone
“You know each finger?”
“Well…yeah…? Look I have them in a note in my phone” he said, turning the phone to find her.
“Isn’t that just perfect?” She nodded, making a mental note to commend him later on his preparedness,
“I suppose…..” He said, slightly confused, but didn’t have time to ponder as the dessert menu was placed in front of him.
“You don’t happen to know any jewellers nearby here?” She asked as he paid,
“Actually yes, there is one just around the corner I happened to be in recently”
Violet just about managed to keep a squeak of joy from escaping, instead going for a much more respectable, “How wonderful”
“Why are you so adamant about this, Eloise?” Penelope said, as she was being basically dragged out of Bridgerton House.
“Because…you are going on holiday and you should feel nice; people do it all the time.”
“So you booked me a facial, a manicure and a hair appointment?” Penelope questioned,
“And then Kate and Daphne are meeting us for a private shopping appointment afterwards”
“El…I am going to Greece for a week. I don’t think any of that is necessary. It’s not as if I do any of those things normally”
“All the more reason to do it, let the holiday start early and all that”
“Are you high?” Penelope asked, actually getting a little concerned,
“What? No!”
“You are suddenly being very enthusiastic about girly things, El, it’s freaking me out a little”
“Sue me for trying to do something nice for you”
Penelope sighed, still a little wary, “You’re right, I’m sorry, thank you”
Eloise grinned, “Better”
“So what time do we have to be there?”
“What time do you have to be where?” Colin said, appearing from the kitchen,
“Eloise is…forcing? Me to go get my nails and hair done”
“Force is a strong word”
“So you will just let me go home and pack as I planned”
She shook her head with a simple, “No” and Penelope tuned back to Colin,
“So yes… forced”
“And why is she forcing you?” He chuckled, which earned him a look from El that actually scared him slightly. “….. never mind then”
“It will be nice” Penelope admitted, “I just like annoying you”
“I thought I was the annoying one in this friendship” Eloise said, affronted,
“You are…most of the time; I should get a turn every now and again”
“We should be going” she said, deflecting. “Bye, Colin”
“Yes, bye, Colin” Penelope said, reaching up to kiss his cheek before heading to the door.
Once they were both through, Eloise turned to her,
“I forgot my phone; you stay here. I will be back in a second”
“It’s in your…” she said, but was cut off by the slamming of the front door “hand"
“Right you!” Eloise shouted at her brother, who had just taken a rather large bite of a sandwich, and now looked rather startled. “I know what you are planning; it’s clear to all of us. But let me be clear: she is still my best friend; you hurt her, they don’t find your body. And for all of this…you are welcome”
Colin just blinked at her, mouth still full, and he still hadn’t managed to utter a word by the time that Eloise disappeared out the door again.
“What…” he whispered to himself.
The next day he arrived at Penelope’s flat just before seven; their flight was a few hours later, but he wanted to leave enough time for a leisurely walk around duty-free and a nice breakfast before they took off.
“Come in, come in” she said, opening her door and rushing back to her bedroom, “I just have to check my case one last time”
He wandered in behind her,
“And how many times have you checked it already?”
“Seven” she said sheepishly, and he raised an eyebrow. “I don’t want to hear it. One I haven’t been on a holiday like this since I was a kid; two, blame your sisters and sister-in-law for buying me an entire new wardrobe yesterday for a birthday present. Apparently there were so many things I just had to have”
He grinned,
“Was it at least fun?”
“Yes” she muttered. “Oh, and look what your mum got me”
She pulled a dainty little sunflower necklace out of her hoodie.
“Beautiful”
“I love it” she smiled,
“I told her you would” he grinned. “I helped her pick it”
“Aw…well then, thank you too”
“And look at your snazzy nails too”
“I actually really like them. Eloise wanted me to match with her, so she talked me into it. I was originally going to go for a blue or something”
“Eloise got baby pink?”
“I know; her crazy is normally a burgundy” she shrugged, “it’s weird”
“You good to go?” He asked, checking his phone “The car will be outside in five”
“Yep” she said, zipping it closed and setting it on the floor. Colin grabbed it, while she lifted her handbag, checked for her passport one last time, and they headed downstairs.
“Colin, you shouldn’t have bought that for me” she scolded,
“I want you to have a memorable holiday; now you have a perfume to associate the memories with. Think of it as part of your birthday present if that helps”
“Thank you” she said, squeezing his hand, “but for that you are going to let me buy you breakfast”
“About that….” He began to say, “I booked us into the lounge”
“Colin, you do realise this is a holiday to celebrate you finishing your book”
“Yes, but you are coming with me and its your birthday while we are there; it is your holiday too”
They found the lounge easily, had some champagne, some food and then some more champagne,
“Ooh, let’s get a picture of the glasses with the planes in the background” he said, snapping it quickly and deciding to send it into the group chat.
V&P&S&K and The Source of Their Headaches
Colin: *sent a photo*
Colin: almost on the plane, don’t miss us too much 😉
Violet: Enjoy your trip, make sure to make some wonderful memories xxxx
Frannie: Have a safe flight, text when you land 💕
Anthony: Have fun!!
Benedict: Good luck 😘
Hyacinth: Just remember who your favourite sibling is
Hyacinth: I take payment for my favourite services in the form of presents
Daphne: Make sure to keep us updated @Colin
Kate: Seconded
Eloise: Thirded @Colin!!!!!!!!
Penelope: Thanks guys!! See you in a week
“They are all so invested” Penelope said, smiling down at her phone
“I know”
“Why did Ben say good luck though?”
“Who knows what he is thinking at the minute” he said with a shake of the head, "like the whole Sophie thing”
“So true, I did give him a good telling off for that. Sophie is the sweetest. I know he didn’t mean it badly, but my word. And do you know what else? Sophie likes him too; if he had just asked her out, she would have said yes”
“Idiot” Colin groaned. “Like, if they just sorted themselves out, they could be so happy”
“Some people can be so blind to reality sometimes” she laughed,
One week later….
“I want to go back already” she said sadly as they were in an Uber on the way back to Bridgerton House. She looked up at him with tired eyes. “No”
“I wasn’t going to say anything” he said in his defence,
“You were already booking another week in your head”
“I…” he began to say, “fine…maybe the thought crossed my mind, but my phone is firmly in my pocket.
“We should go back…but after an appropriate amount of time, as normal people do”
“Being normal is overrated” he said, head tilted back against the headrest,
“Did your mum say why we were being ordered to the house?”
“Nope, although she had talked about having Sunday dinner and forcing all of us to be there, it seems like someone was always missing. And now Fran is back from Scotland; maybe it’s that?”
They got their answer a few minutes later,
“It’s so quiet” Penelope whispered. “Did something happen?” She asked worriedly,
Colin set their suitcases to one side in the hall and went to find… anyone, really. They walked into the living room, flicking on the lights,
“Surprise!!!”
The whole family jumped out, in flurries of streamers and confetti. A massive ‘Congratulations’ banner behind them.
Violet was first to them, hugging them tightly,
“Oh, I am so glad you’re both home; how exciting!” She beamed,
Colin just turned to Penelope, who thankfully was just as confused as he was,
“Let me see!” Daphne squealed, reaching for Penelope’s hand,
“What is going on?” he laughed. “We just came home from holidays”
“But it was a very special holiday, was it not?” Anthony grinned,
“It was amazing” Penelope sighed contentedly, missing the concerned look on Daphne’s then Kate’s face.
“It was” Colin grinned in agreement. “But have we walked in unexpectedly? Who is the congratulations for”
“For you and Pen” Benedict said matter-of-factly, then paled, “Did you not do it?”
“Do what?”
“Propose” Hyacinth helpfully supplied,
“Shhh Hy, maybe he just hasn’t done it yet” Eloise scolded,
“Propose to who?” Penelope laughed,
“You?” El said,
“What are you on about?” Colin said, joining in with Penelope’s laughter.
“What is so funny?” Gregory asked,
“Why would I propose to Pen out of nowhere? I know I can be chaotic, but that’s a bit much even for me?”
“Well, you have been together for years, that’s not exactly out of nowhere” Anthony tried to reason,
Their laughter died down,
“I’m sorry, what?” She said,
“You have been together…actually, I’m not sure I know” Daphne said thoughtfully,
“Certainly before Ant and I met” Kate supplied, “so eight years?”
“That sounds about right” Eloise agreed,
“I would have guessed closer to nine” Benedict offered,
“What are you all talking about?” Colin said, “Pen and I aren’t together”
“We never have been” she added, and that caused the whole room to dissolve, everyone talking over each other and the bombshell that apparently had just been dropped,
“Ok!” Violet shouted, “I think we all have a lot of questions; let’s sit and figure this out like civilised people, shall we?”
They all mumbled in agreement and took their seats in the living room.
“So…to be clear, Colin, Penelope, you are not together, not engaged, just friends”
There was a small amount of hesitation from each of them, which went thankfully unnoticed.
“Yes, we aren’t together” Penelope answered, and Colin nodded,
“So before you went, when I was asking you about the holiday, about the it’s been years and that it was an important trip?” Ben asked,
“We had been talking about going on a holiday for years” Colin explained, “and I wanted to make it extra nice; of course it was important”
“El, is that why you forced me to get my nails done, and the shopping!” Penelope said, connecting the dots,
“Yes, of course. I was being a good friend; you think I got pink for me”
“And you threatened me too; that also now makes sense” Colin nodded to himself
“And at lunch mum? Is that why you were asking about her ring size, to make sure I knew it?”
“Well…yes. I wanted to make sure. And then when you said there is no way we got her the same thing for her birthday, I thought it was all but confirmed. Then you said you had been in the jewellers”
“Yeah, to get the battery in my watch replaced” he said,
“Oh…”
“My present was the dedication in my book” he explained, “no-one else could have gotten her that”
“He had the page put in this ornate frame” she said, voice getting quiet, “it is beautiful”
Colin’s face matched hers, smiling softly,
“Are you two sure you're not together?” Simon asked, “because that is very boyfriend/girlfriend behaviour”
“No, we aren’t” he sighed,
“You always stay with Penelope basically the whole time you are home” Hyacinth argued,
“Yes, and more than that, you sleep in her bed with her” Eloise added,
“El!” Penelope said, cheeks turning pink, “that makes it sound bad. He wasn’t going to fit on my sofa; where else was he going to go?”
“Into his very large room here at Bridgerton House?” Kate mumbled,
“How many beds were in the hotel room you just stayed?” Daphne asked
“One” he said, “but it was big”
“Was it the Honeymoon suite or something?” Benedict laughed, and the pair suddenly found the floor very interesting. “Oh my god it was!”
“I said it was for a special occasion; they assumed” Colin said,
“And you didn’t think to correct them?”
“They were so excited, then the room was amazing and…then it was just too late” Penelope said, feeling guilty.
“So you just walked about all week being called Mrs Bridgerton?” Eloise laughed, making her and somehow Colin too flush even more.
“It wasn’t that much” she groaned.
“Sorry to disappoint, guys” Colin said, trying to lighten the mood,
“Well, as long as you haven’t managed to scare Penelope off in the past week, no harm done” Violet laughed. “I do feel bad though; we have jumped to conclusions for years”
“I did think it was odd we never saw you kiss once” Hyacinth shrugged, “But you are basically attached at the hip a lot of the time, so I don’t think it was too much of a stretch either”
“And come to think of it, you never actually mentioned you were dating; we just thought it was a gradual transition” Anthony remarked,
“Well, if the party isn’t happening, can we have cake now?” Gregory asked,
“I don’t see why not” Violet said. “Come on, you two can at least cut it; it will make a good end to the funny story at least”
“Thanks for seeing me home” Penelope said as they reached the door to her flat and went inside,
“Of course” Colin said softly,
There was a lingering awkwardness after the events of the evening that neither of them could shake.
“So, today was weird” she laughed, but it died down quickly,
“It was” he agreed. “I can’t believe I didn’t catch on to what they were saying before we went. All the pieces make sense when they say it now”
“And all the other stuff too…I just never thought of it any other way; it is just us, you know” She shrugged, and he nodded,
They fell into silence,
“Do you….”
“What if they….”
“Sorry, you go ahead” Penelope urged him,
“What if they are right?”
“What?”
“What my family said”
“Colin…” she whispered, “don’t do this just because your family made assumptions”
He took a shaky breath,
“I’m not. Maybe it was the final push, but…Pen, do you know what this past week was, for me?”
She tilted her head in confusion,
“It was the first time since we have known each other that we had more than a day or two of totally uninterrupted time together.” He swallowed thickly, “It isn’t Greece that I was going to miss”
“I’m right here”
He couldn’t help but smile,
“Earlier…I couldn’t agree to just being your friend,” he confessed,
Her heart started to thump in her ears as he continued,
“You aren’t just my friend; I am just yours?”
Tears prickled in her eyes as she shook her head, “No”
“Can I tell you something else?”
She nodded,
“Every time the people at the hotel called you Mrs Bridgerton, I felt like fireworks were going off in my chest. And something else?” He laughed as he repeated himself, “If I had caught on to what my family were talking about before we left, I would have done it”
She froze,
“You would have asked me to marry you?”
“Yeah, I would have”
“How could you know that?” She asked carefully,
“Because…It is all I can think about now, Pen,” he said, and she took a sharp breath.
“We can’t, you can’t…”
“Why not?” He sniffed. “Do you love me?”
“I…”
“Because I love you”, he said, smiling as if the biggest weight was lifted off his shoulders, “I love you, Penelope”
“Colin…” she breathed,
“I have for as long as I can remember; there is a reason I stay with you, a reason that you are the only person who actually knows me, a reason that if asked my favourite person in the world, I would have one instant answer”
He took a step towards her,
“I’m in love with you, Pen”
She let out a watery laugh and closed the gap, reaching up to wipe away the drops that had managed to escape his eyes, his hands settling on her waist.
“Of course I love you” she said, her own tears coming full force, “I don’t think I would be fully me without that little caveat.”
“Really?” He said, almost in a whimper,
“Yeah”, she nodded, grinning, “isn’t it obvious?”
“I hoped; I didn’t know”, he admitted,
“I can understand that” she smiled,
“So are we doing this?”
“Well…I think I would like at least some time of calling you my boyfriend before….”
“Before?” He teased, “Before what?”
“You know…”
“I do, but I want you to say it”
“Before you are my husband…” She said, feeling a shiver run through her at the thought. It must have done much more to Colin than he thought it would have because all teasing had gone and it looked like he was barely breathing.
“Colin?”
“Sorry…that…yep” he stuttered, making her laugh. “my brain may have been temporarily converted to mush”
“Really?” She giggled, “I wouldn’t have guessed”
“Hey!” He grinned, “It is not so mushy that I am going to mess up the next part”
“The next part?”
“The part where I ask you out on a date, a proper date, where we dress up nice and I bring flowers when I pick you up for a nice dinner that I will get wildly offended when you even think of offering to pay for”
“I suppose I could get on board with that” she smiled. “When?”
“Now?” He said far too quickly, the excitement getting the better of him,
“It is eleven at night now; what about tomorrow?”
“I will wait, if I must” he said ruefully,
“What about something to tide you over?”
“Like?” He said, eyebrows raised
“Kiss me?” She said, eyes sparkling, “I will have to rethink that date if you are a shit kisse….”
She didn’t get the last syllable out before he was on her. Her head cradled tenderly in his hands. Her eyebrows knitted together, and she let out a contented sigh as she felt his lips against hers for the first, but certainly not the last, time. Kissing him had been on her mind for more years than she cared to admit, but being there in the moment, her wildest dreams paled in comparison. One of his hands slipped around her waist, grounding her to him while she clutched at any part of him she could reach.
“Pen” he whispered, the sound ghosting over her lips, his eyes still closed,
“Colin”
“So…is the date still on?” He asked cheekily,
“Yes, I think it is worth a go”
“That mediocre was it?”
“Just think of all the practising we can do to get you to top-tier” she teased,
“I don’t like the sentiment, but I will accept my dues”
“Good” she said, standing on her tiptoes to give him a peck.
He let out a grumble, “I can’t believe we get to do that now”
“And other things…” his eyes widened, as if he hadn’t quite realised that part, “…but maybe we wait until at least date one before all that”
“We have forever; I am in no rush. As long as I get you, I don’t care when we start”
“You might make me cry again”
“Oh, don’t worry; I am hanging on by a fragment of a thread right now” he assured her, “oh before…you were going to say something too”
She started to laugh hysterically, “I was just going to ask if you wanted a cup of tea. I am glad I told you to go first”
“Me too,” he grinned,
“Do you have to go back to Bridgerton House tonight? I know you were meant to be staying there because of your meeting in the morning.”
“Pen, I am not going anywhere, believe me"
“There are probably enough of your clothes here to do you for a couple of days”
“Half my stuff is already here; we really did this backwards, didn’t we?” He laughed,
“Maybe a little, I don’t think I would have it any other way though”
“Me neither”
“I love you” she smiled,
“I will never get tired of hearing that. I love you too”
Penelope took her suitcase into the bedroom and changed into pyjamas while he made the tea. He gave himself a few moments to quite literally giggle to himself; today had not gone as planned, but wow, he didn’t think he had ever had a better day. He pulled out his phone after he put on the kettle, noting a couple of messages from his mother.
Private Message between Colin Bridgerton and Violet Bridgerton
Mum: I am going to make some other assumptions, forgive me if they are incorrect
Mum: I am assuming you are not coming home tonight
Mum: I am assuming you have had a conversation
Mum: And I am assuming it was a positive result
Mum: If those are true, check the front pocket of your backpack
Mum: No pressure, but it is the right size (I checked)
Mum: Your Dad gave it to me when you were born
Mum: He would have been so proud of you, darling, so am I
He made sure Penelope was occupied and lifted the bag onto the counter, his heart half stopped when he felt it. He double-checked Penelope wasn’t going to walk back in, and he lifted out the little navy box. He flicked it open; in the velvet sat a gold ring with a round sapphire surrounded by six diamonds in the shape of a flower. It wasn’t overly large or loud; it was perfect.
He felt a flicker of grief and then overwhelming gratitude. In an odd way, his Dad had helped him pick out his future engagement ring. In another world, he wouldn’t have taken his mum or Ant or El, it would have been his Dad, without question. Maybe life had an odd way of working sometimes. He stashed it back in the bag when he heard Penelope come back down the hall,
“You ok?” She asked, noticing his changed demeanour,
“Yeah” he said, putting his arms around her, letting his chin rest on top of her head, “I’m perfect”
And he really, really meant it….
Four Months Later
“Why are we here?” Eloise groaned, clearly not caring for the early hour, “and where is Pen?”
“She had an in-person meeting this morning, but she will be back in a couple of hours”
“Not that I don’t appreciate the coffee, dear, but this is quite odd” Violet said,
“And what could you possibly need me for?” Ben said, stealing a biscuit from the open packet,
“I rebooked Greece for next month” he said,
“That will be nice…” Ben said plainly,
“Ok…?” Eloise frowned. “I swear to god Colin, if you dragged me here at this hour to ask for a lift to the airport, I will scream”
He was regretting inviting them all here until he looked over to his mum, who was sitting with tears in her eyes,
“You are going to do it?” She said softly,
“Yeah” he nodded,
“Do what?” Ben said, finally having an interest
“I'm proposing to Penelope”
“You are!”
“When I wasn’t doing you were all so sure, and now that I am, it’s surprising” he laughed,
“Can you blame us?” Eloise scolded, then softened “She will be so excited”
“So I am assuming you need our help?” Ben asked,
“El I need you to do the nails, hair, clothes thing again, but make it seem like there is a different reason”
“I’m sure I can come up with something” she nodded,
“And Ben, I need you to have some kind of art reason to be in Greece, make it out like you have extra tickets to something and me and Pen are the only ones who could make it”
“Oh does that mean I get to go too?” He asked cheerfully,
“No”, Colin deadpanned, “do not even think about it”
“Fine”, he groaned,
“I will just tell her we are flying out earlier and then we will hopefully be engaged and home before she even realised you didn’t turn up”
“I feel like it should be offended”
“And what do you need me to do?” Violet asked, and he smiled,
“Nothing, you already gave me the ring, I just wanted to let you in on the secret”
“I am thrilled for you, sweetheart” she gushed, “you make each other so happy”
He blinked back some tears,
“I just need to make it a month”
“I bet you cave before the end of the week” Eloise snorted, and he had to admit, she had a point.
He made it to Greece, and he managed to give Penelope the surprise of her life. Benedict had gone all out and even shipped a couple of his paintings to a friend who owned a gallery in Greece to make the lie all the more convincing. So on their first night there, because let’s be real, he wasn’t going to be able to hold off any longer than that.
He cried, she cried, and then he cried again. Then they both cried while they spent the next four hours calling the families.
Within the next month, the wedding was booked; in another, they found their forever home and just two months out from their big day, they moved in.
They stood in the living room surrounded by far too many boxes, grimacing at what was ahead of them.
“Which one do we unpack first?” Colin said, overwhelmed,
“I know” She smiled and walked over to a box that was covered in fragile tape and opened it, “I want it to be this”
She carefully took out the bubble wrap and set her chosen item on the fireplace, stepping back to admire it,
“Perfect” Colin came up behind her,
“I thought so” She grinned,
Sat on the fireplace was the frame, her birthday present, the dedication of Colin’s first book, the truth of the words meaning so much more now than ever.
For Pen, my favourite person
In the ordinary, you are my extraordinary. I don’t know what I did so right in life to have the privilege of knowing you. I will find you in every lifetime, because just one could never be enough.