Between Chords and Paragraphs (Polin fanfic) EN

Chapter 2

Penelope

Tonight had to be perfect because one of the Bridgerton brothers was going to be there, and I wasn't talking about Eloise. I chose a bright blue dress with a V-neck; I wasn't used to showing cleavage, but the occasion warranted it, if only for a moment of attention from the muscular-chested guy. As Justin Bieber's Love Me played, I grabbed the curling iron and gave my hair some loose waves, lined my eyes, applied mascara, and spritzed on about three liters of Dior's J'adore. Before leaving the house, I checked everything: makeup: on point, hair: on point, bag: on point, and cleavage: on point. I grabbed my keys and left my apartment.

When I arrived at the Jazz Café, none of my friends had shown up yet, so I opened TikTok to pass the time. My FYP was filled with videos of cute kittens and cookie recipes; I was watching a Nutella cookie recipe when I felt the presence of a figure looking at me, a figure about three and a half meters tall. I slowly lifted my head, ready to take off my heels and run for my life, when my eyes met the darkest blue eyes I had ever seen.

- Hi, I'm Colin, Eloise's brother. I think you were with her this morning. - he said, tilting his head slightly and giving me a puppy-dog smile, and I thought I was going to have a cardiovascular event right then and there.

- Uh... yeah. —Seriously, Penelope? Really? He's going to think I have some kind of mental deficiency.— "Sorry, I'm Penelope, Eloise's friend since we started college. - I smiled politely and extended my hand. Shake hands? Bravo, Penelope!

The denim-eyed guy chuckled softly and shook my hand. - Nice to meet you, Penelope. I'm Colin, Eloise's brother, - he paused for a moment, - since she was born. - He kept smiling.

At that moment, all I could think was please stop smiling at me like that, because I was going to fall in love—fall in love with that smile, those dark blue eyes, with Eloise's brother since the day he was born. It took me about two minutes to realize I was still holding his hand and starting to sweat, so I quickly pulled it away, wide-eyed, and hid it behind my back.

Behind Colin, at the end of the street, I could make out two figures chatting and laughing like children, and without a doubt, I knew they were Eloise and Philip. I could recognize them from miles away, not just because my friend's laughter could be heard from Ireland while at the Jazz Café. I waved and jumped up and down to greet them with enthusiasm because the three-meter-tall figure was completely blocking me. Colin turned around as well and gave a small wave in greeting.

- Good evening to my favorite person. - Eloise opened her arms.

- Good evening, little sister. - Colin also opened his arms to give his sister a hug.

- What are you doing? Obviously, I was referring to Penelope. - She shoved him aside with a swat and enveloped me in her arms. Poor Colin's face; if you had seen it, but I let out a little laugh unintentionally while hugging my best friend back.

- Hi, I'm Philip, Eloise's friend. - The poor guy stumbled over the word "friend," but he extended his hand to shake Colin's.

- Since you started college? - He gave me a playful glance while smiling. - Good evening, Philip, I'm Colin, Eloise's brother. - Could he please stop smiling so charmingly?

Colin

I couldn't study all afternoon, whether it was due to lack of motivation, the subject being unbelievably boring, or because I couldn't stop thinking about the red-haired girl who was about five feet tall. So I decided to take a shower and get ready to go out with my sister and her friends. I chose dark loose-fit jeans and a lime green shirt, slipped on my Vans, and spritzed on some Dior Sauvage on my neck and wrists. I gave my look one last check in the entryway mirror, grabbed my keys, and headed out the door. I decided to walk because the weather was nice, or at least it wasn't raining, which was unusual for London.