Between Chords and Paragraphs (Polin fanfic) EN

Chapter 7

Colin

The days following the party seemed to stretch out as if time were against me. Every time I tried to talk to Penelope, something or someone seemed to get in the way. Maybe it was fate, or maybe it was just us, two people trapped in a misunderstanding and a mess of unresolved emotions.

Marina, on the other hand, was always there. I'm not sure how it happened, but after that night, she and I started spending more time together. It was subtle at first, a chat about trivialities while making coffee in the kitchen, or sharing a pizza because we were both too lazy to cook. But with each conversation, each shared smile, I felt a bond forming. Marina, who had been so distant and reserved at first, began to open up. Her laughter, which had been absent for weeks, returned to our small apartment, bringing with it a version of Marina I had almost forgotten.

I began to seek her company, almost without realizing it. There was something about her that drew me in, a warmth that had been hidden behind all that sadness. I told myself I was just being a good friend, helping her come out of her shell, but I knew there was more to it. There were moments when our eyes met, and time stopped for a second, or maybe it was just my heart that did.

And then it happened. It was one of those nights when the silence of the city seemed to absorb everything, leaving only the sound of our breathing and the faint hum of the refrigerator. We were sitting on the couch, talking about nothing in particular, when suddenly the space between us ceased to exist. It was an impulsive kiss, almost accidental, but as real as anything I had ever felt before. Marina leaned in, and I welcomed her, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

At first, I didn't think. I just felt. I felt her softness, her warmth, the weight of everything I had been holding inside. But when she pulled away, when I saw the light in her eyes, reality hit me like a bucket of cold water. Because everything I had been trying to avoid, everything I had ignored, was right there in front of me.

Penelope.

She flashed into my mind like a gust of wind, reminding me of what really mattered. What I had said that night wasn't just a way to smooth things over; it was the truth. I cared about her, more than I wanted to admit. And now, here I was, kissing Marina, complicating everything I had tried to keep simple.

Marina smiled, unaware of the storm raging inside me. "I guess we both needed this," she said, and though there was some truth to her words, I couldn't help but feel like I was betraying someone who didn't even know what had happened.

"Yes..." I replied, but the word came out with difficulty. My mind was already elsewhere, on someone else.

Guilt coiled around my stomach like a snake, tightening with every second. Marina had been a refuge, an escape from everything I couldn't handle, but Penelope... Penelope was different. She was the uncomfortable truth I had been trying to avoid. She was the future I didn't even know I wanted until she complicated everything with that kiss under the neon lights.

I made a clumsy excuse and went to my room, closing the door behind me. I fell onto my bed, staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of what I had done. I couldn't deny that I enjoyed being with Marina, that there was something about her that attracted me, but at the same time, I couldn't ignore what I felt for Penelope. It was like being trapped between two worlds, not knowing which one to choose, or worse, not knowing if I even had the right to choose.

And so I stayed there, tangled in my thoughts and emotions, with no clear answers, just one certainty: none of this was going to be easy. Because when you play with people's feelings, sooner or later, everything gets complicated. And I, with my clumsiness and indecision, had made everything even harder.