perfect storm | elijah hewson

05, an unexpected sleepover.

Elijah woke up in an unfamiliar environment, Penelope was sitting on the other end of the sofa with a blanket over her that he put there. He didn't mean to drift off there, and he felt so guilty that he did.

He didn't even know how to go about this, should he stay until she wakes up? Or should he just leave? He had no idea, and settled with doing her dishes for her first. They had four cups of tea since the one she made when she first invited him in. She even treated him toa new mug each time, said she'd do the tidying up later but there he was, doing it on her behalf because he felt guilty for overstaying his welcome.

'Hey-'

'Oh fucking hell,' He said, dropping one of Penelope's mugs in the sink when she walked into the kitchen, snapping him from his daydream and giving him the fright of his life. She couldn't help but burst out laughing. 'Fuck, fucking hell, pen, christ.'

He stood there leaning against her cupboard, his hand clutching his heart as they both laughed it off, luckily her mug dropped into the sink didn't break. His heart was still beating a million miles an hour, whether that's because of the first she gave him, or because she was standing there with a smile on her face he wasn't sure.

'Here, leave them, I'll do it.' She chuckled, wandering over and trying to shift him away from the sink, but he didn't move. 'Elijah.'

'No, let me, my apology for overstaying my welcome.' He smiled, nudging her away with his hips. 'Apologies for that by the way, I didn't mean to fall asleep, I swear.'

'It's fine, honestly.' Penelope chuckled. 'I feel like I fell asleep first, sorry. I swear your company is not that boring.'

'You sure?' He joked. 'I'll be off as soon as I'm done these I swear.'

'I'm not forcing you out, you can have a cuppa, another one.' She smiled, 'I'd offer you breakfast but I don't really have a lot of food. I really should go food shopping, but...tea, cigarettes and toast.'

'More than I've got.' He chuckled. 'Grab breakfast with me? Or is that insane of me to ask?'

Penelope just smiled. She wasn't used to spontaneous plans like those, maybe a while ago she'd have been all for it, but now the thought of leaving the house is terrifying. It's not the same as it was, and it's really sad to dwell over. She's twenty two years old, not seventy two.

What would Sophie say though? She was meeting Sophie later, and she'd only wind her up for not going. She comes from a good place, she gets Penelope like nobody else does and so she's right. Maybe she should just give up on hiding away from people, because no matter what she does,people will talk.

'I'll come with you,' she smiled. 'If that's okay.'

'Nah, you're actually uninvited.'he joked.

'Oh,'

'No, what? Penelope, I'm kidding on,' he said, leaving their mugs on the drying board as he turned to face her. 'You're so funny.'

'Shut up,' Penny laughed, rolling her eyes. 'Let me get changed.'

She skipped off to go and get changed into some jeans and a t-shirt she threw over her chair yesterday. It was a David Bowie t-shirt, and when she hurried through into the bathroom to brush her teeth, Elijah was standing in the same place smiling away to himself. She made him laugh, there was something about her that is just so different to the type of person you'd think she was basedonal her interviews and stage presence. He was slowly learning about the true Penelope.

Penelope was such a sweet person, she seemed that way before he met her a couple days ago, but the more he learns the more it's highlighted just how wrong everybody has gotten their image of her. All his friends loved her too, they thought she was hilarious and if she was going to become one of their friends they see on the regular, they wouldn't be mad, in fact, her company was always nice, Sophies too.