Between Chords and Paragraphs (Polin fanfic) EN

Chapter 3

Penelope 

When Colin finished his performance, my cheeks were wet with tears. It was as if I had experienced an astral journey; I wasn't in that bar, I wasn't surrounded by people, there wasn't a damn background noise. It was just him, on stage, with a faint light partially illuminating his eyes, and the only thing I could hear was his voice singing one of my favorite Coldplay songs. And before I knew it, he was already beside me at the table. He had crossed the bar from end to end amid screams and cheers, and I was still in that empty bar, just him and me.

-How was it? Aside from not knowing the lyrics, it wasn't too bad, right? - he said to me, grabbing my forearm.

-Are you kidding? - I took his hand so he could feel my cheeks wet with emotion. - Colin, it was... I don't even have words to describe how you made me feel. Spectacular. - I couldn't stop looking at him with wide eyes, filled with admiration.

He lowered his head while smiling shyly. - I think your performance with my sister is impossible to beat. I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) I wanna, (ha) - he imitated me while dancing.

-You little...!- I couldn't help but laugh uncontrollably.

-Hey, Colin! See, the stage isn't that scary! - Eloise interrupted our laughter.

-Yeah, but next time you could be a bit considerate and give me a heads-up beforehand, - he replied.

-Bah! If I had asked you, I'm 95% sure you would have said no, - she gestured with her hands. - We're going out for a smoke, don't move from here. - Eloise signaled for us to stay put, and with Phillip, she headed to the door.

-Honestly, I can't explain what this song, well, you singing this song... It was... it felt like I was in a movie. Have you seen the scene in La La Land when they're at the observatory and it's just the two of them? It was something like that, I don't know, really Colin, wow, you should go up again. In fact, you should release a whole album, have you ever thought about dedicating yourself to music? Honestly, I think you could, because what you did tonight...

-Penelope, calm down, it wasn't that great. - He interrupted me, still smiling. And thank God he did because I no longer knew what I was saying; my mouth was moving much faster than my brain. -But thank you, no one has ever made me feel so special. - He squeezed my arm in gratitude.

While Kiss Me by Sixpence None The Richer played, we remained silent, his deep ocean-colored eyes locked on mine, and I hadn't realized it, but we were really close to each other, so close I could feel the warmth of his breath on the tip of my nose. And it happened again, the bar emptied, not a soul, just Colin and me. I felt my stomach turning over when he started to raise his hand towards my cheek, my heart racing, I swallowed hard and...

- I love this song! - Eloise and Phillip had re-entered the bar, a bar that was no longer empty. I quickly moved away from her brother and smiled.

The night continued its course, beers, some dances, really good people singing, and unbeatable company.

Colin 

If it hadn't been for the totally unfortunate and untimely interruption of my little sister, I'm sure I would have kissed Penelope Featherington that very night, in that bar, my favorite bar, with the perfectly appropriate song playing in the background. But as soon as I heard my sister, I stepped back a couple of paces from her friend's face. It had been a great night, much better than I expected.

The next day, I woke up early; I had to study everything I didn't study the day before. I was four days away from the exam and had to pass it no matter what. I went down to the kitchen to make myself a good breakfast to gather strength and heard Marina crying behind her bedroom door. Worried about my best friend, I carefully went back upstairs.

-Marina? Are you okay? - I asked from the other side of the door.

-Yes, Colin, I'm fine, now get lost. - her voice responded from inside, with a mix of anger and disappointment.

I ignored her and opened the door. Marina was sitting on the edge of her bed, her hair a tangled mess, wearing pajama shorts, and covering her face with both hands, but I could still see her red and swollen eyes from crying. "What happened, Marina?" She looked at me in horror.

-He's gone, Colin. George is gone. And he left me here, he left us here. - As she spoke, she showed me a positive pregnancy test.

I was frozen and speechless, so I thought the best thing I could do at that moment was to sit beside her and hug her. Let her cry on my shoulder, let her release the storm, while I rested my chin on her head.

-It's okay, I'm here, I'm with you, and I'm going to help you, we're going to get through this together, okay? - I said in the most brotherly tone I could muster, to make her feel better, to make her feel safe, like Anthony did with me on the nights following my father's death. While she continued sobbing, we lay down on her bed, she was curled up like a child facing me, but her face was covered by her mass of hair. My left arm was under the pillow where her head rested, while with my right arm, I stroked her arm, trying to calm her. After half an hour in the same position, I stopped hearing sobs, and when I turned to check if she was asleep, I realized she had fallen asleep. I kissed her on the forehead, tucked her in with her blanket, and left her room. How was I supposed to study now?

I spent the entire morning on the same two chapters of the book I was studying, rereading them over and over without paying attention until I gave up. I got dressed and left the house, thinking some fresh air would do me good. I passed by an Asian food restaurant, knowing it was Marina's favorite cuisine, bought food for two, and went back up to my apartment.

When I opened the door, I found Marina awake, her eyes still swollen but now with a determined look. She had washed her face and tied her hair back in a messy ponytail.

-I brought you something to eat. - I said, raising the bag with the Asian food.

Marina gave a small smile and nodded. We sat at the dining table and started eating in silence. Every now and then, I glanced at her, trying to gauge how she was feeling.

-Thank you, Colin. - she said, breaking the silence. Her voice was soft, almost a whisper.

-That's what I'm here for. - I smiled, trying to infuse some cheer. - We're going to get through this, Marina, I promise. - After lunch, I convinced her to take a shower and put on some comfortable clothes while I cleared the table.