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Penelope was fiddling with the strap of her purse when the front door opened to reveal Colin Bridgerton looking extremely cute in his pajamas, with his chestnut curls sticking out haphazardly and a sleepy smile on his face as he looked down at her.
“G’morning, Pen.”
“Oh! Um, hey, Col,” she stammered as the blood rushed from her brain to her cheeks, which were now likely as red as her hair. She really should be used to him by now, but she wasn’t sure she ever would be at this point.
“Come in,” he said, holding the door open for her so she could walk underneath his arm and into the foyer. “Are you here for breakfast? Mom made blueberry pancakes.”
“No, I–” she started but was cut off when his twin sister walked around the corner and squealed.
“Penelope!” Daphne exclaimed, running to her and wrapping her in a warm hug. She was still in her pajamas, too–not unusual for a Saturday morning at the Bridgertons’. Daph backed up a step and looked Penelope up and down, smiling in approval at the outfit she’d helped her pick out. “You look amazing. I told you green was your color. Isn’t it great, Col?”
“Pen looks great in any color,” he answered automatically, the sincerity in his voice making her blush all over again. His sister smacked him in the chest and glared at him, obviously wanting him to back up her assertion, so he quickly added, “But the green looks especially great.”
Daphne crossed her arms and grinned in triumph until Colin pulled on her ponytail and earned himself another whack, this time on the back of the head. Penelope giggled at the twins’ antics and they both beamed at her, chocolate brown and denim blue eyes sparkling with joy and mischief.
“Do either of you know where El is? She told me to be here at 10. We wanted to get to Mayfair’s early.”
It was odd that she hadn’t seen her best friend yet, especially since Eloise appeared to have a sixth sense for whenever Penelope was anywhere in Colin’s vicinity, seemingly ready to barge in and drag her away from her older brother at all times.
“Oh, she must be getting ready still,” Colin shrugged, not noticing the grimace his twin was sporting.
“El’s sick,” Daphne said.
“What?” They had just been together last night at Colin’s football game and Eloise had seemed fine–though now that she thought about it, she had complained of a headache on the way home. “Migraine?”
Daphne nodded solemnly. “Mom gave her her medicine and made her go back to bed. She was so out of it, she must have forgotten to text you. And I completely forgot you were going today or I would have texted you myself. I’m sorry, Penelope.” Her tone was soft and pitying; she’d known just how much the two of them had been looking forward to their annual trip.
“Oh, that’s okay,” she said, forcing a smile and waving off the concerned looks of the Bridgerton siblings. “Um, we can just go next weekend or something.”
She tried to hide the disappointment from her tone, but she wasn’t sure she’d done a very good job. It was true that they could go the next weekend; Mayfair’s was open for three more weeks this year. It was just that today was meant to be the first time that the two of them were allowed to go alone. They’d been going to Mayfair’s Pumpkin Patch and Apple Orchard every year for the decade that they’d been friends–it was one of their favorite traditions–but they’d always had to go with the family or a chaperone. However, now that they were sixteen and had their driver’s licenses, their mothers had agreed to let them go on their own.
They’d been talking about it for months and Penelope had bought this outfit specifically for their trip, knowing they would be taking photos. Ever since her mother had given her permission to pick out her own clothes and say goodbye to citrus colors forever, she had felt so much more confident, so much more like herself. And maybe it was silly, but she’d been excited for the pictures she would take today. Though if part of that excitement was due to the secret thrill she got whenever Colin’s name popped up in her notifications as the first person to like her posts whenever she shared something on Instagram, then that was no one’s business but her own.
“I’ll go with you, Pen,” Colin said, pulling her from her thoughts.
“Huh? Go with me where?”
She was vaguely aware of Daph giggling as she stared up at Colin, slightly dazed. Amusement danced in his navy eyes and a smile tugged at his lips; he always used to tease her about her daydreaming and must have realized he’d caught her again. She wondered how he would react if he knew most of her musings were about him, but he still seemed to be as oblivious as ever to the massive crush she’d had on him pretty much since the day they’d met.
“I’ll go with you to Mayfair’s,” he said, chuckling and rolling his eyes playfully.
“You want to go to Mayfair’s?” She tried to hide the shock from her voice. He used to go with them when they were younger, but hadn’t joined for a few years now.
“Of course, it’ll be fun! We never get to hang out anymore, just the two of us.”
“Oh, um…”
“We don’t have to,” he said as his fingers twitched at his sides. “I just thought that–”
“I want to!” she blurted out, interrupting him and ignoring the knowing grin on his sister’s face.
“You do?”
She nodded up at him and he beamed at her, tugging at one of her curls.
“Okay, let me shower and get dressed quickly, then we can go! Go have some pancakes!” he directed, already running up the stairs and leaving the girls in the foyer.
“Not a word,” she told Daph as she moved past her toward the kitchen. Colin might have been blind to her affections, but his sister had known about them for years now.
“I didn’t say a thing, Pen,” Daphne teased as she followed her.
In the kitchen, Hyacinth rushed into her arms, and she laughed as she greeted the little girl and waved to Violet, Francesca, and Greg, who were sitting at the kitchen table. Daph helpfully briefed them on the situation as Penelope shared pancakes with Hy at the kitchen counter, hoping that none of them would notice that she was internally freaking out about the idea of spending an entire day with Colin.
Twenty minutes later, he walked into the kitchen and Penelope pretended to be unaffected by how handsome he looked and how sweet it was that he’d obviously tried to wear an outfit appropriate for the day’s activities–though his mustard yellow flannel, dark jeans, and brown boots made him look like he belonged in an L.L. Bean ad, not at a pumpkin patch with his little sister’s best friend.
“You ready to go, Pen?”
She nodded and he grinned, both of them waving goodbye to his family as he led her out of the house to his car. After opening her door for her, he ran around to his own side. Once they were settled, he handed her the cord to plug in her phone.
“You pick the music,” he told her as he backed out of the driveway. “Your playlists are always better than mine. Can you pull up the directions, too?”
“Sure, of course.” Penelope set up the navigation to Mayfair’s and then started the playlist she’d made of songs that reminded her of Colin, though he never needed to know that.
As they started the forty-minute drive, he quietly sang along to the music, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel in time with the beat, and she felt herself relaxing into her seat–she’d always loved hearing Colin sing. And while she was still a little nervous about spending the day alone with him, she was quickly reminded that even if they didn’t hang out as much as they used to, he was still one of her oldest and closest friends. It didn’t matter that he was a popular football player and she was a socially awkward nerd, once they started talking about the books they’d been reading lately, it was like no time had passed at all. By the time they arrived, she was almost convinced she could make it through the day being somewhat normal around him.
She let him lead the way to the entrance and as they waited in line, she felt him tug on one of her curls again–something he’d done since they were little when he wanted her attention. She looked up at him to see him already smiling down at her.
“I’m really excited we’re doing this, Pen. I’ve missed you.”
“Me too, Col,” she said softly, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“So, what do you want to do first?”
After getting in and taking a look at the map and activities, they had decided that their first stop would be for hot apple cider, a perfect treat on this crisp fall day, the late-morning sun already shining down on them. As they sipped from their cups on an old wooden bench, Colin pulled out his phone.
“Can I take a picture of our drinks?” he asked and she laughed.
“Your grid is mostly food,” she giggled and he threw his head back laughing. She was right, of course. Most of his grid was pictures of food, along with an occasional snap of his brothers getting into some kind of chaos, or a particularly inspired shot he let Hyacinth take on his phone.
Pen always liked his photos right away, though, even if she teased him for it now.
Scooting closer to him on the bench, she held up her cider cup next to his as he snapped a photo–their hands holding their cups pressed together with the old barn seen in the background. It was a perfect fall photo, really, and he wasted no time at all uploading it to his story.
“Thanks,” he said with a grin, and she smiled and nodded.
“Least I can do to thank you for bringing me here,” she said softly as she sipped her drink.
“You don’t have to thank me for that,” he said. “I wanted to, I’ve really missed hanging out with you.”
“You have?” she asked and he furrowed his brow.
“Of course, Pen,” he said.
Did she really not know?
He admittedly hadn’t spent as much time with her the last few years as they had gotten older, but he still considered her one of his closest friends–his closest, really, if he thought about it. His friends from the football team were fine to hang out with–he got along with them, but Colin had always been able to get along with almost anyone. They didn’t actually have much in common to talk about outside of sports. He had been missing spending time with Pen, thought about it every time he saw her sitting in the crowd at one of his games or pulled through his house by one of his sisters.
She studied his face and he wondered what she was looking for, whether she found it.
“We should move along. Lots to see,” she said as she stood, tossing her now-empty cup in a nearby bin. After a moment, he did the same, breaking into a gentle jog to catch up to her. When he did, she had already made it to a fence up ahead and was leaning against it as she watched the flurry of activity on the other side. Following her gaze, he realized she was watching the face painter create a masterpiece on a child’s face as other recently-painted kids ran around nearby. The soft smile on Penelope’s face drew him in closer as he leaned against the fence beside her.
“Remember when we used to do this?” he asked her, and she turned to him with a big grin.
“Of course I do.” The sunlight seemed to dance in her pretty blue eyes as the memories washed over her. “You would always get a pirate sword and flag on your cheek, and I –”
“Would be a butterfly,” he finished as she looked up at him, nodding. “On your whole face, the wings stretched all the way across your cheeks.”
She laughed and it was the warmest he had felt in a long time.
“Yeah,” she whispered. “I loved it.”
“You should do it,” he said, nudging her shoulder with his own, biting his lip as he watched the cute way she scrunched her nose in protest.
“Colin,” she deadpanned and rolled her eyes. “I’m not getting my face painted.”
“Just a little? A little one.” He laughed and she seemingly couldn’t help but echo him. “You know you want to.”
“I kind of do,” she giggled. Wrapping his arm around her waist for just a moment, he pulled her gently from her spot on the fence.
“Do it, Pen,” he urged. “I’ll hold your purse.”
Penelope opened her mouth, then shut it again and nodded. He observed from their fence as she approached the face painter, looking at the book of choices and pointing at something before sitting on the stool. He took the chance to watch her while she sat with her eyes closed, chatting to the artist as she moved her hands while she spoke, the way she always did. He had always loved that about her. For as shy as some thought Penelope was, he never really saw it–she was one of the friendliest people he’d ever known. He watched as her little chosen butterfly stretched her temple, delicate lines replacing the bright, thick lines of their childhood, but just as whimsical nonetheless.
It suited her.
Time seemed to stand still as he watched her, though surely at least twenty minutes had passed before she was done, peeking in the mirror as she smiled broadly at the artwork on her face. He snapped a candid photo of her, posting it to his story before returning his phone to his pocket as she ran back over to him, taking her purse back and slinging it over her shoulder. He didn’t mean to, but he couldn’t help but stare at her, at the beautiful blue strokes against her creamy skin as she looked away from him until she made it known that she noticed him.
“What?” she asked, her voice betraying a nervousness he wished she knew she didn’t need to feel. “Do I look silly?”
“No,” he stammered out. “It’s really pretty.”
“Oh,” she exhaled, and he tried not to notice the blush that spread across her cheeks. “Thanks for making me do it.”
“Yeah, I really had to twist your arm,” he teased as he leaned against her, drawing a laugh from her as she seemed to loosen up once more. “Want to pick some apples?”
“Are you hungry, Colin?” Pen raised an eyebrow at him and he began to walk, slowly so that she would join him.
“Always, Pen,” he wiggled his own eyebrows back at her as she smiled and nodded. “It’s been hours since breakfast.”
After stopping along the way to check out booths of handmade goods from local vendors and watch some children working on their scarecrows to be judged for prizes, it was a long walk to reach the apple trees where others had seemed to have the same idea–enjoying apples that were free for picking during the festival. Standing back a little as he took in the scene, Colin bit his lip as he watched Penelope, trying not to laugh at the sight of her on her tiptoes reaching for apples she would surely never manage to grab. He snapped a photo, posting it to his Instagram stories with a note about his friend only being two apples tall before he glanced up to see her glaring at him.
She was cute when she was annoyed.
“Can you bring the ladder over?” she asked, her voice exasperated but her eyes still sparkling.
“Nope,” he said, popping the p with a smirk as he walked over to her, leaning down to wrap his arm around her thighs and lift her up in one fluid motion.
“Colin!” she shrieked before erupting in giggles. “Don’t drop me.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it, Pen,” he said, tightening his grip on her as she plucked an apple from the tree, then scratched his head, a feeling he took a few moments to enjoy before looking up at her.
“You can let me down.” Pen held onto him as he gently brought her feet to the ground, and he kept his hand on her hip, hoping she would want just a few more seconds of connection.
“You’re ridiculous,” she said as he leaned in, taking a bite out of the apple in her hand.
“Thanks,” he said as she rolled her eyes and took her own bite out of the other side before skipping away from him, smiling over her shoulder.
They wandered along the dirt road through the farm for another hour, Pen frequently stopping to look at every vendor’s booth and watch every contest that was happening around the festival, from pie eating for the adults to a costume contest for the children. Colin stayed back when he could, letting her lead them from place to place and enjoying seeing her in her element, joyfully soaking up every experience the day had to offer. He had always loved that about Penelope. As their hunger took over and she made her way toward the food trucks, both ready for some lunch after several hours walking around the festival, he watched her from his place several paces behind her and realized he was in trouble.
What he shared with Pen–and what he wanted to–wasn’t just friendship, and though Eloise bailing on her had been the catalyst this morning, this certainly wasn’t a favor on his part. He had jumped at the opportunity to take her today because he wanted to, because he missed spending time with her, and everything in him had screamed at him to take the chance to go with her alone, to be with the person whose company he most enjoyed, even if they hadn’t been together much lately. Maybe especially because they hadn’t.
They purchased their lunches and took them to a nearby picnic table, with Colin sliding in across the table from Penelope and having the perfect view of her. The way her hair shone in the autumn sun, the perfect red that fit right in with the warm colors of this season; the way her crystal blue eyes sparkled as she talked to him about the book she was reading. He wanted to pay attention–tried his best to–but he couldn’t stop his mind from racing down a path he surely had been on for some time and just hadn’t been alone with her long enough to realize.
Colin had never really been attracted to a girl before, never liked anyone the way he liked Pen.
As he wondered how he would even begin to tell her that, she asked if he was done and he realized he had been sitting and staring longer than he thought. He watched as she collected their trash to toss in a nearby bin before turning back and smiling at him, waiting for him to catch up to her this time so that they could walk together. As they rounded a bend and reached the corn maze, she grabbed his wrist excitedly and asked if they could go inside, surely also knowing there was nothing she could ask for that he would deny her. Happily, he let her pull him into the maze before she dropped his wrist and walked beside him.
After wandering the winding paths for the better part of an hour, they found themselves deep in the maze, turning this way and that with no idea which way they had come from, much less which way they were going. It turned out that while Pen loved the idea of the corn maze, she absolutely hated being lost and had no sense of direction.
“This is kind of scary,” she whispered as she moved closer to him, their arms brushing as they moved slowly through the same paths they had been down again and again, each time hoping for a different outcome.
“We’re okay, Pen,” he said, reaching for her shoulders and giving them a quick squeeze. “I promise.”
“I’m starting to get worried we’re not getting out of here,” she said and he laughed.
“Ever, you mean?” he teased and she huffed.
“Colin! What happens if we can’t find our way out?”
Grasping her elbow, he turned her to face him and found that she wasn’t kidding, or at least not entirely. Concern was etched on her features, her brow furrowed and her neck tense. He rested his forehead on hers and saw her eyes shoot up to his.
“Then I pick you up and toss you over the wall-”
“Colin!” she groaned as she dropped her head to his chest, though she couldn’t suppress her giggle. He decided he’d take that win as he massaged the back of her head. “What if that isn’t the edge and then we’re just lost separately?”
“Hmmm good point,” he conceded as she pulled back from him, and he rubbed his lip in mock-thought. “Glad you’re here, you’re the brains of this operation.”
She laughed, her face lighting up, and he couldn’t help but think about how much he wanted to hold her hand.
He wouldn’t, of course. But he wanted to.
“I’m frustrated,” she whispered, and he moved closer to her as they began to walk again.
“I know you are.”
“We’ve been walking in here so long.”
“I know. Here,” he crouched down and she giggled–he’d do anything to keep hearing that sound. “I’m serious, hop on. Piggyback ride the rest of the way.”
“Colin!”
“Pen! Let’s go!” Spurred on by his insistence, she wrapped her arms around his neck and he lifted her up, hiking her leg up over his hip before pulling his phone from his pocket. “To mark the occasion,” he said as he snapped a selfie–Pen sticking out her tongue as her face peeked out from over his shoulder while he laughed, his eyes sparkling. He quickly added it to his story, bracing her with the other hand, before returning his phone to his pocket and moving his spare hand to her other thigh.
“You comfy up there?” he teased as she hummed.
“If you boost me a little higher, I could see the way to the exit,” she offered.
“Penelope Featherington! That’s cheating,” he said with a smirk he knew she couldn’t see, but bet she could hear.
“Colin, it’s been so long and we still need to get pumpkins,” she whined.
“Alright,” he dropped her legs, crouching to let her hop off before squatting closer to the ground. “Up.”
“On your shoulders?” she shrieked.
“Just for a second so you can see,” he said and she sighed, then put a leg over each of his shoulders as he picked her up.
“Oh!” she said and started laughing so hard he struggled to hold on. “Put me down.”
Gently, he moved them closer to the ground and helped her off.
“Left, then right,” she said, her head thrown back in laughter, all the tension gone now while she tugged on the sleeve of his flannel to pull him along as she walked backwards toward the exit.
“We were almost there??” he said and she nodded.
“We’re cheaters.” Colin raised his eyebrows and shook his head.
“But we’re here,” she said as they reached the exit and sadly, let go of his sleeve. As he glanced around, desperate for the next bit of connection he could find with her, he saw the perfect opportunity.
“We can’t be here and not go to the pumpkin patch,” he said, gesturing to the hayride that was sitting just feet away, preparing to leave.
“You want to go on the hayride with me?” The surprise in her voice caught him off guard. He stared at her blankly until she rolled her eyes and continued. “You hate hayrides.”
“I do not!”
Penelope studied him, her eyes soft and curious.
“Last time you came with us, you said you hated them, you waited over there while I went with your mom and your sisters.”
His heart dropped, embarrassment flooding his veins as he took in her words. It was true that he had said that. It had been years since he had even been willing to attend the festival and the last time he had been there, he had refused to ride with them. Seeing the look on her face, he had never regretted his actions more. He didn’t know she even noticed, much less that it would have mattered enough for her to remember it so vividly years later.
“I don’t hate them,” he said softly. “I just... thought they weren’t cool.”
“And they are now?”
“Maybe.”
“We don’t have to,” she said as she bit her lip, looking away from him. That would never do. Not only did he want to make her happy, he desperately wanted to go on this hayride with her, to find pumpkins with her, to enjoy everything this day had to offer by her side.
“Penelope Featherington, get over here now,” he demanded as he stood by the door to the wagon and watched her eyes twinkle at him before she nodded and ran over. He took her hand, helping her up into the back before settling in beside her on a bale of hay.
He rested his arm behind her, badly wanting to just wrap it around her, but wasn’t sure that he should, not knowing if she felt what he was feeling–this pull, these butterflies, this desire to hold on just a little tighter to what they had. Taking out his camera as they rode, he held it up and glanced over at her.
“May I?” he asked, and she scrunched her nose and giggled at him.
“Yeah sure,” she said softly, and he put the phone up for a selfie, letting his arm wrap around her to pull her in close as they smiled. He opened his instagram, posting it to his story as she watched. When he turned to her, her eyes were locked on his as she blushed and bit back a smile. He put the phone back in his pocket and put his arm back behind her, relishing every hard bump of the wagon that breifly pressed her thigh against his and gave him a reason to grip her shoulder for just a moment each time.
When they arrived in the field, he hopped down first and reached a hand back up to her, helping her climb out and holding on for a few extra seconds before letting go.
“There are so many,” she giggled, and it melted his heart. They wandered away from the other guests, far into the field to grab the pumpkin she wanted–petite, just like she was–and he found a matching one for himself. He had her hold up her pumpkin, and she grinned right at the camera as he took a picture and once again posted it to his stories.
“Maybe we could carve them together later,” he suggested as she looked at him curiously.
“You aren’t sick of me yet?” she asked as they walked along.
He grazed his pinky against hers, feeling energized by the small amount of contact as she looked down at their hands, then back up again.
“Of course not, Pen,” he said, desperately wanting to hold her hand, letting his flex at his side as he willed himself to stay calm, to avoid doing anything ridiculous like reach out for her. “I want more. Uh, time with you.”
“Oh,” she said softly. “I’d like that.”
Colin exhaled and lost control for a moment, his hand brushing against hers again, leaving it there a moment too long before he tried to find something to say, an excuse for his rogue limb.
But Penelope slid her hand into his, confidently lacing her fingers through his as she glanced up at him, her blush matching what was surely his own as he gave her hand a squeeze and bit his lip.
They didn’t let go as he pulled her back up into the hayride, sitting on a bale again, a more crowded ride this time. As the wagon bumped and he put his arm around her on the way back, he kept it there and she took his other hand, playing with it in her lap as he held her close. When they finally came to a stop near the festival entrance, he helped her down and they kept their hands joined, each holding their pumpkin in their other hand as they stared at one another.
“Ready to go home?” he asked, and the bittersweet feeling coursing through him seemed to be mirrored in Penelope’s face.
“Oh, I guess.”
Nudging her with his shoulder, he smiled down at her as they walked into the parking lot still hand in hand, filling him with the resolve to make sure she knew this wasn’t just today for him, that he hadn’t just had a good time–he had the best time and he didn’t want to go back to the way things were before.
After reaching his car and placing their pumpkins in the backseat–strapping them in like little children so they wouldn’t roll around in a move he thought she’d love–the giggle he expected from her never came as disappointment still flooded her features. His heart ached when she gave him a half smile that didn’t reach her eyes–he wasn’t any more ready than she was to leave this place and wasn’t going to let her feel disappointment if he had any say in it, not when he wanted her to know that he hoped this was just the beginning for them. Looking back up and glancing toward the gate they had just exited, he realized there was something left they hadn’t done, that maybe they could spend just a few more minutes here together before sunset and closing time forced them out.
“We haven’t had donuts yet. We always get donuts to bring home with us,” he said, pointing toward the food trucks they had visited for lunch and watching her eyes sparkle as she nodded in silent agreement with his plan.
“Come on,” he said softly, running his thumb across her wrist as he gently led her toward the trucks, his mind swirling with how to tell her all that he needed to say.
That today was perfect.
That he wanted more.
Penelope peered up at Colin as they stood in line at one of the food trucks. He was looking intently at the menu as his thumb rubbed circles into the back of her hand. His tongue was sticking out ever so slightly–the way it always did when he was concentrating on something, whether it was a tense game of Mario Kart with his siblings or a difficult problem on his math homework. She grinned, still hardly able to comprehend how they’d found themselves here, holding hands as they waited to get donuts after arguably the most perfect day of her life. When he noticed her attention on him, he shifted his gaze down at her, wearing the sheepish, crooked half-smile she’d adored for as long as she could remember.
“What is it?” he asked hesitantly, using his free hand to tuck one of her curls behind her ear. She shivered as his fingers ghosted down her neck before he pulled his hand away, and his eyes danced in response as he bit his lip.
He’d been doing that all day, finding little excuses to touch her, each time his cute, slightly pointed ears turning an even cuter pink. Somewhere along the way, she’d finally realized that he was just as nervous as she was. And though this morning, Colin returning her feelings had felt like an impossibility–a comment on her Instagram post being the most she’d dared to hope for from one of the most popular boys in school–now she was almost sure that he did. Because it hadn’t been Colin Bridgerton, the football player who was too cool for the hayride, that she’d spent the day with. Instead, it was her Colin, the boy she’d been pretty much in love with since kindergarten, the boy she’d tried hard not to miss so much over the past few years.
Penelope had never blamed him for the distance that had grown between them since he’d started high school; she’d known it was an inevitability that came with growing up. But that didn’t mean it hadn’t been difficult to watch him from her place on the sidelines of his life, only really spending time with him when she joined the Bridgertons for meals or movie nights he occasionally attended. Still, her feelings for him had never ebbed, not when he remained the kindest boy she’d ever known, not when he managed to make her feel special in the small moments they did find together before she was pulled away by one of his sisters.
So although it had taken her a couple of hours today to believe that he might have spent the past few years missing her, too, as the day went on, she trusted more and more that his words were in earnest–that he wanted to be here with her. And with every graze of his hand against hers, every picture he took of her and posted to his Instagram story without hesitation, every smile they shared as they navigated Mayfair’s, her nervousness had faded and confidence had taken its place. It was with that confidence that she’d slipped her hand into his while they waited for the ride back from the pumpkin patch, and it was also what helped her look up into his sparkly blue eyes now and tell him exactly what she was thinking.
“I was just enjoying your concentration face,” she said, demonstrating for him when he cocked his head and raised a brow. She giggled when his blush flooded his cheeks, and he poked her ribs. “You’ve done it since we were little. I’ve always thought it was very cute.”
Colin’s lips stretched into a wide grin across his handsome face, seemingly no longer embarrassed as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “You think I’m cute, Pen?”
Penelope’s own cheeks warmed and she bit her lip, rolling her eyes at him and refusing to answer as she started to face forward again. She felt his fingers gently cup her chin, guiding her gaze back to his and finding his navy eyes shining softly down at her. They stared at each other for a long moment as he brushed his thumb over her blush and she leaned into his touch.
“I think you’re cute, too,” he said, his voice as sweet as honey. “Pen, I–”
Before he could continue, someone cleared their throat loudly behind them. Penelope glanced around, quickly realizing the line had moved forward without them. Looking back over her shoulder, she offered an apologetic smile to the middle-aged couple who wore matching, knowing smiles as they waved her off. She was still blushing as she pulled on Colin’s hand and closed the gap with the people in front of him, smiling shyly up at him when he squeezed her hand. His thumb resumed its soothing circles and they settled into a comfortable silence as they waited for their turn to order.
Ten minutes later he led her toward a picnic table with their donuts in hand, but instead of sitting across from her as he’d done at lunch, he pulled her down onto the same bench as him, straddling it with a leg on each side so he could face her. When Penelope followed suit, Colin beamed at her, then grabbed one of the warm apple cider donuts from its box and offered her the first bite. She tried not to notice the way his eyes flicked down to her mouth as she swiped her tongue over her lips to catch the remnants of the cinnamon sugar while he took a bite of his own. They continued that way, alternating bites until their treat was gone, both of them pretending that the way her lips brushed against his fingers as he fed her the final bite was perfectly normal.
Colin cleaned his hands with a napkin but missed a bit of sugar left behind on his lips, and without thinking, Penelope reached up and wiped it away with her thumb. A soft gasp escaped him and she felt herself turn red all over again, rushing to pull her hand away, though she was stopped when he gently wrapped his large fingers around her wrist. Neither of them looked away as he brought her hand back to his mouth and placed a soft kiss on the pad of her thumb before lowering their hands to the bench between them and lacing their fingers together once more.
“I don’t want today to end,” Penelope admitted quietly, her eyes focused on their joined hands.
“Me either,” Colin whispered as he lifted her chin and searched her face, nodding just once to himself when he presumably found what he was looking for. He took a deep breath. “I really like you, Pen.”
“You do?”
He nodded and his eyes were shining as he looked down at her.
“Since-since when?” she asked.
“I think I have for a long time, I just…didn’t realize that’s what I was feeling. Pen, you’ve always been the person I’ve liked the most. I always have more fun when I’m with you, I always feel warmer when I’m with you. And I know we haven’t spent as much time together these past couple of years, but I still wait for the doorbell every Saturday morning so I can be the one to let you in for breakfast. I stay in the living room way after my homework is done to spend a little extra time with you when you’re studying with Eloise. And the rare minutes that she leaves us alone, I find myself wishing for more. I’ve always felt like-like myself when I’m with you. Like the version of me that I am with you is the best one. That probably sounds silly.”
“No, Colin.” Penelope shook her head adamantly. “That’s not silly.”
Colin smiled softly at her as he brushed away the single tear that had started tracing a path down her cheek. He took a moment to wrap one of her curls around his finger, pulling on the tendril and watching it spring back into place.
“Have I ever told you how much I love your hair?” he asked, tugging on the curl again as she shook her head again.
“I don’t think anyone has prettier hair than you, Pen,” he mused. “It makes it so easy to find you in the stands at my games.”
“You look for me at your games?”
Colin’s gaze snapped to hers again, his navy eyes clear and bright. “Always, Pen. I know you only come because Eloise drags you along, but–”
“That’s not true,” she interrupted.
“It’s not?”
“It’s the other way around. Eloise only goes because I beg her to.”
“Why?”
“I like to watch you play,” she told him honestly. “Because I like you, Colin. I’ve always liked you.”
“You have?”
She nodded, smiling at the surprise written on his face. She was certain he was the only one–besides Eloise of course–who had no idea. “For what seems like forever.”
“I didn’t know,” he said, the apology evident in his eyes.
“I know,” Penelope assured him, squeezing his hand.
“Pen, can I–” Colin started then stopped, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. She thought she might know what he was going to ask and decided to take a risk one more time, surging up from the bench and pressing her lips to his, just for a moment. She sat back down, giggling at his awestruck expression. He opened his eyes, leaning down and stopping just an inch away. Her breath caught and she nodded just before he captured her lips once more. This second kiss–her second kiss ever–was softer, slower, sweeter, and when they separated, he rested his forehead against hers.
“That was…” Penelope sighed, trailing off, unable to find the proper words for how she was feeling.
“Perfect,” Colin finished for her as he pulled back, kissing her nose and laughing when she scrunched it up in response. He traced a finger lightly over her lips and smiled when she kissed it. “It’s getting late.”
“It is,” she agreed.
“We should head home,” he said, not bothering to hide the disappointment from his tone.
“We should.”
“I don’t want to say goodnight.”
“Me either,” she said, squeezing his hand.
“Maybe we can watch a Halloween movie while we carve our pumpkins before you have to go home?” he suggested tentatively.
Penelope nodded excitedly. “I’d love to.”
They stared at each other for another moment before they begrudgingly started to stand and gather their things. Penelope hiked her purse over her shoulder and slipped her hand back into his as he grabbed their extra donuts with his other hand. His thumb brushed over her wrist as he led her back toward the parking lot, both of them walking slowly, neither quite ready to leave behind their perfect day.
“Hey,” Colin said, tugging gently on her arm to stop her as they neared the sign for Mayfair’s. “Let’s take one more picture before we go.”
Penelope giggled. “You haven’t taken enough already today?”
He shrugged, that sheepish grin taking over his face once more. “Well I thought it might be nice to take one with my girlfriend.”
Her mouth dropped open and Colin tapped the bottom of her chin, grinning at her as his cheeks flushed, visible even in the fading light of the evening.
“You want me to be your girlfriend?”
“Only if you–”
“I do,” she cut him off. “I really do.”
Colin’s smile was brighter than she’d ever seen it as he guided her over to the hay bale near the sign, sitting and pulling her onto his lap. She laughed as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing her cheek to his as he lifted his phone up to snap the photo. At the last second, Penelope turned her head and kissed his cheek, grinning when Colin laughed in surprise as he took the picture. She watched as he traced his thumb over the screen, smiling at the photo in which they both looked happier than ever before. He opened Instagram, just as he’d been doing all day, but instead of posting to his story, he added the photo to his grid, tagging her and adding a heart to the caption. He looked up to see her watching him and she pressed her lips to his once more.
Because she wanted to, because she could.