Eloise and Penelope sat at the Bridgerton's dining table, chatting and drinking tea as they always did on Saturday mornings. It started as a ritual during their teens when Penelope spent the night, and as they got older and began drinking, the mornings became necessary to nursing killer hangovers.
Thankfully, they hadn't overdone it the night before, so the two twenty-year-olds were in a fairly good mood. They found themselves discussing their dating lives, much to Penelope's discomfort. Eloise had recently begun dating a Poli-Sci major named Thea, which meant she was increasingly interested in finding Penelope someone too, despite all of her protests.
"What's your type anyway? We've been friends for years and I literally have no idea the kinds of people you're into."
Penelope sank into her seat, desperately wishing they could move onto another topic. "I don't know," she shrugged.
She did know. Penelope knew exactly the kind of person she was into, and it was all the more embarrassing considering it was Eloise's older brother who she would absolutely never have a shot in dating. He was five years older than her with the looks of a model and a personality capable of charming the Queen herself.
Penelope was pretty, she supposed, even if she was a little overweight. After starting college, she'd learned to dress her figure in a flattering way, and she'd begun carrying herself with more confidence. That didn't mean someone like Colin Bridgerton would date her. He'd declared so just two years ago on her eighteenth birthday.
"Come on," Eloise prodded. "You have to have a type. Everybody does. I know you're not asexual considering the smutty fanfics I catch you reading."
"Eloise!"
"So, what are you into?" Her friend persisted, nudging her in the arm, causing her tea to nearly spill on her dress.
"Eloise!" Penelope scolded, holding back her laughter.
Eloise stood abruptly and began pacing, as the girl couldn't be expected to sit still for more than two seconds. "No, wait, let me guess!" She insisted. Penelope was far too amused to object. "Mmm...blonde, no, dark hair! Tall," Eloise listed assuredly, still pacing as she counted off on her fingers. "Funny. Smart, but not smarter than you. Muscular, but not too muscular."
"Colin!" Penelope exclaimed.
"My brother?" She asked with disgust.
"No, not-Colin!" She yelled again, gesturing to the man in question who had just entered the room.
Colin's suitcases dropped to the floor and he grinned at the two of them. He looked quite different than the last time she saw him. He was taller somehow, tanner, his shoulders were broader than before, and he had a shadow of stubble around his jaw. His trip to Greece had done him wonders.
Eloise immediately rushed over and threw her arms around him. "You're home!"
"Glad to see some things never change," he said, his eyes drifting to his other siblings who heard the noise and came running.
"Colin!" Hyacinth and Gregory screamed, racing to embrace him. They made room for Francesca, then Violet. The rest were off with their partners and families and would likely get the news of his return later.
"It's good to have you back, dearest," his mother said.
Colin sighed, glancing at Penelope who secretly wished she could join the fun and hug him too. But that would be weird. She already felt like she was intruding just standing there. "It's good to be back," he said, his eyes never drifting from hers.
Finally, it became too much and she grabbed her bag."I should head home," she mumbled, hoping she could slip away unnoticed.
"Nonsense!" Violet said. "Stay for dinner, Penelope. You know we'd love to have you."
Penelope shook her head, ready to decline. "It's Colin's first day back. You all should have some time together without-"
Colin cut her off. "Stay, Pen. Please." She nodded, finding herself unable to say no. Colin smiled brightly, and she was sure that she melted into a puddle right there on his mother's dining room floor. Eventually, the room dispersed, and Colin and Penelope were alone.
Violet had asked Eloise to help her with something, and her friend shouted to her as they left. "Don't let him bore you with stories of his trip!"
Penelope giggled nervously. "I love your stories, by the way."
Colin laughed too, then scratched at his neck in the endearing way he always did. "I know. I think I've texted and called you more than anyone else while I was away."
"So you're bored of me then?" She teased.
Colin bent his head so he was closer to her. "I didn't say that," he said seriously.
She licked her lips and swallowed, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. "You seem taller."
He grinned, seemingly amused at how flustered she was in his presence. "And you are still as tiny and adorable as always," he replied.
She huffed, finding herself just as annoyed as she did when they were younger and he made such comments. "I am not tiny."
"Oh really?" He asked. "Care to grab me that packet of crisps off the top shelf, Pen?"
She rolled her eyes, mumbling under her breath. "Maybe you're too tall."
He just laughed at her, as he always did. "You know, there are some advantages to our height difference, Pen," he whispered low in her ear.
She gasped as she felt his hot breath on her neck. "W-what's that?" She asked, staring up at him with wide, inquisitive eyes.
He smiled, a devilish glint in his eye. "The view," he answered, glancing down at her chest. But he couldn't...he'd never. Then she saw his eyes darken, flickering back up to her lips. "Penelope, you have no idea how much I've missed you," he said, before closing the space between them, capturing her soft lips between his own. She inhaled sharply, but within seconds, she gave into the intrusion. She stood on the tips of her toes, threw her hands around his neck, and dragged him down towards her. "Ah!" Colin hissed, and she quickly let go.
"What? I'm sorry, did I bite you or something?" She asked, dropping to her feet and pulling away.
Colin held her tigher. "No, you didn't," he assured her. "I might actually like it if you did," he mused, winking at her.
"Oh," she mumbled, her cheeks burning red as she realized what they were doing. "Then what was it?" She asked.
Colin blushed this time. "Don't take this the wrong way," he began. "But you might actually be too short. I can't kiss you." That was not at all what she expected him to say. Though, she can't say she expected her day to end in kissing Colin Bridgerton in his family's dining room. "I have an idea," he declared suddenly.
Before Penelope could even question him, he wrapped his arms around her legs and carried her down the hall to an empty room, kicking the door closed behind them. Making sure it was locked, he crossed to a desk in the corner and set her on top of it, taking her lips between his again and kissing her with a passion that left her breathless.
"Colin, what-ah! Colin, I-" Penelope moaned as he continued kissing her. She had never felt like this before. She'd kissed a few people in highschool and a few more in college, but it had never felt like this. She should have known. Everything was different with Colin.
"God, Pen, you're perfect. You're so perfect," he groaned out, dropping his face between her breasts, his beard scratching as her skin as he soothed it with soft licks.
"Colin, w-what is happening? What are you doing?" She panted.
He pulled back, and she shamelessly whined at the loss. He stared deeply into her eyes, a tenderness in them that she hadn't noticed before. Seeing him from this angle was strange, as if this was the same Colin in an entirely different light. She could make out the specs of green and lighter rings of blue in his irises as well as every freckle that surrounded them. And she could finally make out the look in his eyes that had gone unnoticed and been misconstrued so many times. He loved her, just as she had always loved him.
"Something I should have done a long time ago," he said, kissing her again.
