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“Ladies and Gentlemen, Welcome to sunny Mumbai, where the weather is a comforting 29 degrees Celsius. We hope you enjoy your stay here in this wonderful city, and fly with us at Qatar Airways again soon!”
Penelope could already feel the humidity in the air. They hadn’t even left the aircraft yet, and her cotton shirt was already sticking to her skin uncomfortably. The pilot had announced it to be sunny but with a brief look out of her window she could see the gray clouds beginning to form.
Monsoon season was upon them and oh, how she couldn’t wait to taste the fresh Indian mangoes and lychees of the season. She’d always heard it was better than all the imported produce they got up in London. She couldn’t wait to experience many, many things actually, although this trip had been quite the impulsive booking, she was growing less skeptical and more excited by the second.
The dim lights inside the aircraft were overshadowed by the rays of light filtering through the windows. She watched the golden dust particles float about like stardust in front of her. Oh, how India made even the dust look beautiful.
The man next to her got up to open the overhead bins as she reached for her phone to text Eloise of her safe journey. An air passage had been securely attached, and the lines of passengers made their way out of the plane. Excitement was coursing Penelope’s veins, she could feel her pulse as she walked down the aisle, her backpack firmly on one shoulder.
She tried to tell herself that her excitement was purely due to the ambiance of the beautiful country she had landed in, and not due to who she had come to see. Not because of what she had come to say.
She’d come to confess, to Colin Bridgerton, that is. Confess her love, that is. She was going to do it.
She’d booked her flight, she’d decided she was ready, she was done waiting. It was now or never.
They’d been friends for ages, they’d loved each other for so long. Now she was going to pour her heart out to him, she was going to tell him she was in love with him, truly, truly in love with him.
She practically ran out of the air passage to immigration, where the line was impossibly long.
When she’d called Colin to let him know that she was planning on joining him in India, he’d been so encouraging, he sounded so happy that she was going to come see him. He told her over and over how much he missed her, how he couldn’t wait to see her.
“ Next please, Ma’am!” The immigration officer urged her forward.
Entrance stamps planted firmly on her passport, just how Colin’s name was stamped on the surface of her heart. She felt like she floated to baggage claim.
Colin had assured her he’d be there to pick her up at exactly 5:30PM even though she knew that was peak rush hour. He insisted he’d be the one to pick her up, not letting her rent a taxi to the hotel. He’d mentioned how he’d rented a small toyota while in town, how it was easier to take day trips with it for him. He repeated over and over how he’d missed her.
She couldn’t forget the way he said her name even if she wanted to. It was engraved in her mind.
He was ingrained in her heart.
Collecting the one suitcase from Baggage Claim, she was nervous. Eloise had encouraged her, she’d always been Penelope’s biggest supporter, biggest cheerleader. When Pen had confessed her love for Colin to Eloise, she’d taken a while to come around, not exactly the most comfortable with the idea of her brother and best friend together. She’d requested a few days to herself to come to terms with the idea.
But when she’d entered Penelope’s room of their shared apartment one night, she’d had nothing but the look of concern on her face,
“Now I don’t understand the appeal, but Pen, if he makes you happy-”
“-He does El, he does. He sees me.”
Eloise smiled warmly and continued, “If he makes you happy, then I’m happy. As long as you’re happy, I’m happy Pen.”
She’d hugged her so tightly that night, and exactly three months, two weeks and four days, Penelope was making her way to the arrivals gate in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Mumbai airport. Awaiting her future.
Of course, she’d thought of what she’d do if he didn’t reciprocate her feelings. They’d be friends of course.
They’d always been friends before, they could be friends again.
That was what she told herself, she didn’t understand where this newfound courage, this newfound optimism had come from.
But she knew exactly where it had come from, actually - their kiss.
The kiss of her dreams
He held her close, gazed at her as if she‘d hung the stars in the night sky. He lit her ablaze and she basked in his heat. He’d kissed her soundly, his plush lips against her own. In that moment she knew he felt for her.
She knew she wasn’t alone in her emotions.
Her heart raced when she caught a glimpse of his familiar brown hair amongst the masses of people waiting for passengers at the arrivals gate. She felt absolutely everything in that moment. She knew she loved him, as surely as she knew there was a shirt on her body, and shoes on her feet.
Blue eyes met bluer ones.
The world disappeared from around her, it was as if they were the only two in the room.
She felt her breath hitch as her feet moved towards him at their own accord. Once again, she felt like she was floating .
“Pen.”
His voice was the same, his eyes the same, his nose the same, his smile the same.
He was wearing his favourite black t-shirt and cargo’s, his skin tan as it always was when he returned from holiday.
The glint in his eyes was the same, he smelt of the same woody floral cologne.
His lips were the same, the ones she yearned to kiss .
She was just going to go ahead and say it, she had to do it,
“Colin,” She took a breath in, “I wanted to-”
“You must be Penelope! Colin’s told me so much about you!” And just like that it was all over.
The spell broken.
Her eyes moved to scan the source of the voice. A beautiful brown skinned girl, tall and willowy and radiating beautiful.
Her arm looped around Colin's; she moved forward to embrace Penelope. The latter remained frozen.
“I’m Maryam, Colin’s girlfriend . I’ve wanted to meet you for so long, he won’t stop talking about you!”
Colin’s girlfriend.
Girlfriend.