I Will Make You Fall In Love

chapter- 46

Exams were finally over. They just now have some paperwork to do. Of course, this means Josie has to go back to the college office after lunch brake. But for now she is on her way to see her favourite barista during lunch break. It's only going to be a truly lovely day if Penelope gives her one of her special smiles and tells her yes. Yes, she'll go on a date with Josie.

"Coffee for lunch?" Penelope asks when Josie's back at the front of the line.

"Rough day at work?" She adds

Josie sighs. "It's not that. More like a personal crisis. Well, not a crisis. Just me being stupid, I'm afraid. I'm sorry. You didn't want to know that. I need to stop talking."

Penelope gives her a soft little laugh.

"Hey, you can keep talking for as long as you want as far as I'm concerned. Do you think a cookie would help with your non-crisis? I've got some triple chocolate ones that are fresh out of the oven. And if a warm cookie can't solve your problem, then I don't know what else can."

Maybe Josie should skip the date thing and straight up ask Penelope to marry her. If only she would be getting useful words out at all.

"Thank you. You're really- Thank you, Penny."

Josie isn't sure whether she's going crazy now or if Penelope is blushing again. She wants it to never stop, but the lady in line behind her sounds like she's getting impatient, so she pays and goes, all faith in herself and her flirting abilities lost. What is Penelope doing to her?

In any case, she doesn't take quite as long this time to check her coffee cup. There's no writing on it, not even Josie's name. Well that never have been there before so it doesn't matter. But instead, there's a tiny little heart, a little crooked, a little asymmetrical. Josie's face gets all warm all of a sudden and she starts grinning, walking back into the college office looking like a love-drunk idiot, loving every second of it, cup clutched against her chest like the treasure it is.

By the time Josie has finished all her college work for the day and is on her way back to the coffee shop for the third time, she's kind of afraid Penelope won't be there anymore. She hurries out of the building and across the street, bag slung over her shoulder, the empty coffee cup with the heart on it in her hand, possibly for moral support. Nothing has ever been more exciting and nerve-wracking than this.

As Josie pushes through the entrance door so strongly that everyone in line for coffee turns around, Penelope's spot behind the counter has been taken by a Rafael. Josie can almost taste her heart in her mouth when she asks about Penelope, who must have just gotten off and left to go home.

"Shit," Josie mutters under her breath. Of course. She's already fucked up twice that day. Why did she think she deserved a third chance?

"Hey, Josie" Rafael in the apron says with a nod to the coffee cup in her hand.

"Uh, yeah."

"Penelope takes the bus home, you know," He says with a grin. After the whole incident of Hope and Penelope being thrown out of the Saltzman's house, then they being searched by their friends, brought Rafael and Josie on civil terms.

"She might still be at the bus stop around the corner." He adds

So maybe there is a third chance. Josie thanks him but not enough, turns on her heels and runs outside, praying. She'll either be too late or make it just in time, but after the day she's had wishing and failing and hoping and failing again, she needs to at least try. She runs as fast as she can, watching a girl that could be Penelope getting on a bus, jumping on the same bus at the very last second although she has no idea where it will take her.

Everyone stares at Josie as she tries to catch her breath. Everyone, including Penelope, still wearing her button-down shirt but without the apron over it. Josie is sure she looks a mess. She might be sweaty and her hair must be a disaster, but the biggest disaster would be letting another chance pass her by, and that's not happening again.

"Penny" she says breathlessly, smiling as Penelope comes closer.

"Jojo? What are you doing here?"

Now how exactly does she explain it best?

"Making a fool out of myself, probably," she mutters, aware that she and Penelope are standing in the middle of a bus where every other passenger is watching them.

"But I guess I deserve that. Because this should not have taken me so long."

She looks down at her cup that looks like it has suffered a little at this point, but Penelope's uneven little heart is still right there, and that's all that matters.

"Um, do you have a pen, maybe?"

Penelope checks her pockets but before she can find a pen anywhere, a lady sitting close to them offers Josie one, clearly excited to see what she's going to do with it. Josie takes a deep breath out and starts writing on the cup.

The result looks exactly what you'd expect it to, considering how nervous Josie is and that it was written in a moving bus with all eyes on Josie's shaky hands, including Penelope's. But when Josie turns it around and holds it out to Penelope, the look on the raven haired girl face is worth absolutely everything.

Will you go out with me?

"I thought you'd never ask," Penelope says. That very special kind of Penelope smile starts spreading on her lips as she's still looking at the cup in her hands, and then she looks up and Josie knows exactly why this is the smile she fell for, because it's not just on Penelope's lips but in her eyes too, and it's powerful enough to let her ignore the cheering and applause from several of the bus passengers.

"Hey, uh, not to sound like an idiot but I kind of don't know where I am right now" Josie admits.

Penelope laughs and holds her hand out.

"Next stop is mine. How is tonight for that date?"

Josie takes the hand in her own and intertwines their fingers. "Perfect. Tonight is perfect."

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Also, my new book will be up within a week! And also I wanted to ask if you guys are aware of Trimberly fandom- Trini and Kimberly from Power rangers. Because I'm including them too in my story 😉

Thank you for reading ❤️