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"Well, I for once, think that the movie did a fair work with the book. We cannot expect that they would put on all of the trips they made." Francesca said, sipping her iced tea. Hyacinth's head turned her way abruptly, the expression on the youngest girl puzzled. She had just finished setting the Korean PDRN face mask on Colin's face, who could not make an expression, but his eyes told he was just as baffled as Hyacinth.
Colin had always been the sisters favourite. Granted, Gregory was the favourite because he spent more time around and was basically raised by sisters, but Colin was his favourite too, so he had an honorary first place.
Every month since they were very young, the Bridgertons Colin, Daphne, Eloise and Francesca would have a sleepover together. When Hyacinth and Gregory were old enough, they were invited to join them as well. They would reunite in Daphne's room —the biggest besides the master suite— and spend the night talking, stealing snacks from the kitchen and watching movies or TV shows.
They did it every month, but in the last few years, with Colin traveling the world, Daphne getting married and Gregory at uni, they had a few spots left from time to time.
Like now, when it was just Colin, Eloise, Francesca and Hyacinth's in Colin's living room. He was the only one who had a space big enough for their girl's night.
God, he hated that it was called that.
That evening they chose to watch People We Meet on Vacation, since Colin, Francesca and Hyacinth read the book. Eloise was not the biggest fan of romance books, but was still along for the ride. Now, the discussion between the differences between the book and the show were starting to grow heated, like all discussions in the Bridgerton family.
"How can you say that?! Poppy and Alex didn't even share the Airbnb! They were supposed to be dying in the heat together." Hyacinth argued, ever the loving fan of romances.
"Well, the aircon served it's purpose anyway, didn't it? So I think that it was enough." Francesca shrugged, chewing on a biscuit.
"I don't know why you guys were talking about this thing with so much devotion. I thought there would me more friendship development. It doesn't seem like Poppy loves Alex like that." Eloise chimed in, also with a face mask on her face, looking at Colin beside her.
"In my opinion they just left so much unsaid. In the book, we can see more of how much they love each other as friends and then as lovers, like when Alex says he didn't know he was lonely until he met Poppy. The movie lacked telling us how strong their friendship was. You can love someone as a friend without necessarily having feelings of romantic love since the beginning." Colin shrugged, trying to fit a chip into his mouth without moving the face mask.
"You would know." Hyacith murmured under hear breath, making Francesca choke on her iced tea from laughing.
It was clear as the day to everyone that Colin was in love with his and Eloise's best friend, Penelope. Well, to everyone but Colin.
"What do you mean by that?" He asked, tilting his head to the side.
"Never mind. You'll figure it out one day and pay me a hundred quid for it." His youngest sister dismissed him, waving her hand. "Fran, you're not in the place to laugh either, you know? For a year you couldn't ever refer to Michaela as anything else but 'John's cousin.'"
Ah, yes. Francesca had recently admitted she had feelings for her ex-boyfriend's cousin, and now her and Michaela were going steady, which was a relief to everyone. John didn't seem to mind, either.
"Well, at least now I am with the person I love, unlike other people too blind to see what's right in front of them." Fran shrugged, making Eloise look at her.
"I hate when you guys are making fun of Colin and I don't know why." She complained, with a frown they couldn't see through the pink face mask on her face.
"One day you will, dear sister." Hyacinth waved her hand dismissively. The pizza delivery they had ordered arrived before anyone could say anything else, and of course they made Colin pick it up, even if he was still with the face mask on.
The look on the delivery man's face was comical, to say the least. Colin made sure to tip him well in the hopes of the embarrassment being minimized. He didn't think it was possible, however.
As he turned around to set the pizza on the table, Colin took a moment to observe his younger sisters laughing and chatting, spread on his expensive Italian sofa, without a care in the world. He thought that it was nice to be home, with his family.
He was tired of traveling and had resigned from his job as a travel journalist. He just didn't tell them that yet.
He would eventually. But for now, he only wanted to enjoy his girl's night with some of his favourite people in the world.
"Hey! If you guys don't hurry I'm eating all of this by myself." He called, receiving shrieks and yells about how he had a bottomless pit of a stomach, and his sisters ran to the table.
Home, indeed.