Archive of Our Own

Colin hadn’t needed to set his alarm for the past few days. 

Well, there was no need for any electronic devices to abruptly wake him with what he describes as some of the most annoying sounds he’s ever heard, not when his alarm currently has been a fluffy, four legged animal pushing open the door of Benedict and Sophie’s spare bedroom with his nose, climbing onto the bed with the duvet twisting under his paws, and lying across his chest with a thump.

Waking up with a confused groan, he lifts one hand to wipe the sleep out of his eyes before squinting sleepily down to the golden retriever who was staring up at him with its big, rounded brown eyes. His paws almost reaching the top of Colin’s shoulders as his front legs stretched out. 

“Good morning.” Colin murmurs, ruffling the dogs head, who happily pants and wriggles his body in response. The tag on the dog’s collar, the name Bertie engraved on the bone shaped metal, catches the light from the small gap in the curtains. 

He scrunches up his face as Bertie bounces up and licks his cheek. Letting out a chuckle, he glances over to the digital clock on the bedside table to see that it was only half seven in the morning. 

With a sigh, Colin turns to the dog with a pointed stare. “Have you ever heard of a lie in?” 

Bertie answers him with a small bark.

“Of course you haven’t.” Colin rubs the dogs head once more before pushing himself out of bed. “Come on then, lets get up.” 

Bertie jumps from the bed, his paws pounding the floor as he quickly makes his exit, eager to start the day.  

Colin trudges his way behind him, taking a bit longer to get going.

They head to same destination, the kitchen. Bertie ready and waiting for his breakfast to be made while Colin was making his way towards the coffee machine, topping up the coffee beans before making himself an americano. As the coffee oozes out of the machine into his cup, the sweet and bitter smell tickling his nose, he glances out of the window, and notices that the grey, murky skies that the middle of September had given them has cleared to end the month and welcome October in with something brighter. 

White clouds painted a light blue sky, a small part of the vibrant yellow sun peaking out from behind one of them. The bold colours were brushed by the colours of the leaves, a combination of amber and red, which danced in the air from the strong gusts of wind.

Colin turns to Bertie, who was sitting by his feet. “Looks like you don’t have to wear your coat today.” 

Bertie barks at him, and Colin doesn’t know whether it was a bark that said he was happy that he didn’t have to wear the tartan coat Sophie bought for him when she and Benedict visited Francesca in Scotland, or a demand for Colin to hurry up and give him his food. 

Colin thinks it’s more of the demand, so he reaches down for Bertie’s bowl. 

As a man who at this time of year would be on a plane travelling to a new destination across the world, Colin has never been home to say goodbye to the greenery of summer as it turns to something more warm and golden. Where the light creeps in later in the morning and gets snatched away much quicker in the evening. The breeze throughout the day having more of a bite that leaves the apples of your cheeks and the tips of your nose all rosy. Where the leaves crisp up and float away from its branches, creating a path of their own on the ground, which crunch under ones feet as one follows the trail of red, orange and yellow.

Colin missed the months of wearing woolly jumpers that wrap around your body like a warm hug, that were stuffed into one drawer in his apartment that never gets touched. Having his mothers comforting meals like soups and stews that bubble softly on the stove. Counting down the days to Halloween with his siblings by scaring them with the scary masks that were in the supermarkets or making sweet and sticky toffee apples in the family kitchen. Seeing pumpkins…well like everywhere…and only knowing when the pumpkin spiced drinks were back in season through Daphne on their family group chat rating all the pumpkin spiced lattes she has.

And she has a lot of the pumpkin spiced range every year, Colin doesn’t understand how she is not sick of it.

He missed London at this time of year, only seeing the change through photos, because for years he has never said goodbye to the warm sun, instead he chased it. Taking himself on an adventure to someplace new. At first, travelling was for an adventure of freedom, of finding a purpose. Lately, it’s been for his job as a travel journalist for a magazine company. He’s travelled to the most fascinating places, taking in the views, the lifestyles and the culture, writing all the little details in his journal which he would use in his articles. He would spend months away before coming home to spend time with his family and friends, and head to the office which was a half an hour tube ride from his apartment to make sure there was no mishaps in his work. 

But this return home had been planned, stepping back into London in the middle of August and immediately getting pulled into wedding preparations for his brother and his sister-in-law to be who were getting married at the start of September. Benedict and Sophie met five years ago at a masquerade party when Benedict was starting his masters degree, and it took him to the end of his degree to realise that the woman he met at that party was the person he laughed with every morning as she made his coffee at the cafe around the corner from the art studio. 

They have been inseparable ever since then, completely in love with one another, and Sophie became a part of the family quite quickly. 

So there was no surprise from any of them when Benedict got down on one knee and proposed. Actually, they were just surprised he didn’t do it sooner. 

(Colin when he was home had sat through many drunken conversations with Benedict, who told him that he wanted to propose to Sophie. That he had a plan and the ring stuffed in his sock drawer. So he was quite shocked that it took Benedict two and half years to actually pop the question.)

And while through the midsts of preparation and celebrations, Colin was going back and forth on the idea to stay longer on home soil than he usually would. His boss had already sent him his itinerary on where he needed to visit in the south of Italy, but he was debating on whether to delay the trip for a few more weeks. He still had plenty of material from his last visit to Croatia, so he wouldn’t be leaving the company empty handed if he did take a longer break from travelling the world. 

The whispers of his indecisiveness found Benedict and Sophie’s ears, and a few days before the wedding, they asked Colin if he would look after their dog while they were on their two week honeymoon in Mauritius. It was what Colin called the perfect reason to stay home for a bit longer.

Because the love that he had for his brother and new sister-in-law, trickled down to their five year old golden retriever, Bertie, too.

Actually, he was there with Benedict to pick up Bertie from the rescue centre three years ago. Two years old at the time, looking to be re-homed after his previous owners weren’t well enough to look after him anymore, Bertie was the dog Benedict and Sophie were looking for after making the decision to rescue a dog. Actually, it was more of Sophie’s influence. She had been hinting in conversations on how she pictured their future with a dog at their side. So for their second anniversary, they decided to add a new member to the family.

Bertie was in a rescue centre that was half an hour away from their home, and he immediately filled Sophie and Benedict’s heart with joy with his playful and happy behaviour, so much so they wanted to take him home straight away. But there was applications to fill, home visits to ensure the space was safe and secure, and multiple visits to the centre for Bertie to form a bond with his hopeful new owners. It took a few weeks before they had the official confirmation that they could take him home.

Sophie was working on that day, so Colin remembers Benedict dragging him out of bed early on a Saturday morning in spring to come along with him to the rescue centre to pick Bertie up. He waited in the car, not wanting to overwhelm the dog as Benedict signed the last few bits of paperwork. When he saw Bertie pulling Benedict excitedly out of the door, he stepped out of the car and crouched down to introduce himself to the delightful golden retriever. 

“Hello mate.” Colin spoke softly as he held out a hand for the dog to sniff and inspect. After a few seconds, Bertie licks the back of Colin’s hand, before happily wiggling his butt as Colin scratched his back. His paws were dancing on the pavement, telling the world he was excited to head to his new home. 

In that moment, Colin fell in love with Bertie too. So much so that throughout the years Colin would make so much attention of him when he was home, even giving him a few extra treats when nobody was looking. 

Why would he say no in looking after him?

So Colin called his boss the next day, and managed to delay his trip until the middle of October. 

Now his time at home wasn’t just for a wedding, it was now a small break from his work, and taking care of Bertie has been the perfect distraction from thinking about his work.

(Because if he was left sitting in the silence of his apartment. He would start to think about why the glamorous picture he has held over his lifetime of travel was now starting to wear and tear. Why being somewhere else in the world now felt so….lonely. 

That maybe he needed to decide if the next step on his grand adventure was to make a definitive stamp on homeland. And why was it an absolutely terrifying decision to make?)

Woof!

Colin kneels down and places the bowl of food in front of Bertie. “Now you eat this, I drink my coffee, and then we will go for a walk okay?”

And half an hour later, the crisp and cold wind hits Colin in the face as soon as he steps outside. Even when wrapped up in layers, even when the sun had managed to escape the clouds for a few seconds and shine down on them, he still felt a chill as him and Bertie walked down the driveway and onto the street. 

He pulls up the collar of his jacket, tightening his hand on the lead as he and Bertie take a right instead of turning left.

Going left takes them on their usual walk around the neighbouring blocks, but turning right takes them on a ten minute walk towards the park. Benedict told him they take Bertie there occasionally when the weather was nice. So with blue skies above them, Colin thought this would be a perfect route to take today. 

They get greeted by two large trees as they enter, welcoming them into the park with their warm colours. The green grass glistening at them from the dewy morning, and the flowers holding on to the last of their brightness from summer. The place was peaceful, everyone having their own moment of quiet before emerging into the rush of their day. Colin saw others taking their dogs for a walk, or strolling through the park by themselves. People on their morning run rushing past him and Bertie, while he passed people sitting on the benches around the area with a book in hand, or with headphones in their ears, blocking out the world around them. However some people were just taking in the nature that filled the space, looking at the life that was growing from the ground or that lived in the big pond that Colin could see in the distance. 

Sometimes there was no need to travel so many miles away to find such wonderful things. They could also be found on a ten minute walk from home, a place where Colin was starting to have more appreciation for. 

Bertie was exploring the space with such eagerness, he walked the path of the park beside Colin with a spring in his step, eagerly sniffing out new scents on every petal of a flower or tree stump he walked past. He lifted his head from time to time too and let the wind brush through his long, golden fur. When he felt like he was too far away from Colin, he turned back with a elated expression across his face. A soft open mouth that resembled a smile and eyes that appeared in an almond-shape that showed his happiness to be here.

Colin manages to take a small video of him running back to him, Bertie bouncing back with a small yellow leaf staying firmly on the top of his nose. He sends it to the group chat he has with Sophie and Benedict, something Sophie set up incase there was any trouble.

Group chat: Bertie the Best 🐾

Colin: *Video attached* Someone is happy on their walk in the park this morning!

Sophie: Aww our boy! Look at him! 

Benedict: he loves that place! 

Sophie: Everything okay back at home?

Colin: All good here! Don’t worry about us in this cold and gloomy weather.

Benedict: We won’t! Life is beautifullll over ere! 

Sophie: Apologies Colin, he’s on his third cocktail already.

Colin lets out a laugh, three drinks in and his brother was already speaking more loosely? He can only imagine what Benedict will be like at the end of the day. 

Colin: Have fun you two!

He was about to put his phone away when another message comes through.

Sophie: Be careful if there’s ducks around Colin, Bertie sometimes has the tendency to chase them!

Colin lets out an amused chuckle, looking up and around the park with a small frown. “Ducks?”

Suddenly, Bertie barks.

And Colin’s right hand gets tugged, hard. Pulling him off of the path.

“Woah! Bertie slow down!”

But he could not stop the now very excited retriever who now had the urge to get closer to two ducks that were resting on the edge of the pond. Bertie was running fast, and Colin uses all his weight to stop himself from being dragged across the grass. He leans his body back and digs his heels into the ground in hope to get Bertie to stop. 

“Heel Bertie! Heel!”

However, his feet were moving quick to keep up with the pace of Bertie’s running, and with the weather they have had over the past few days he was almost slipping and sliding all over the place. The only option he had in the end was to let go of the lead before he injured himself.

Or worse, be a viral video on Facebook where he’s face down in the grass getting pulled across it by his brother and sister-in-laws dog. 

God, the teasing he would get from his family if that happened already fills him with dread. 

So he manages to pull his hand out of the loop of the lead, but his body doesn’t stop moving forward. He stumbles over his feet and his arms move in circles as he loses his balance, and he finds himself starting to fall.

The world starts moving slowly as his body reaches the ground, but there was no sudden impact. No wetness from the dewy grass. All Colin hears was a hollow rustle and a sharp crunch underneath him as he now lies face down on the ground. 

He stays there for a few seconds, his mind taking in the situation fully, his gut burying the embarrassment of the situation quickly, before he lifts his head with a small groan. His eyes squint as the vision in his left eye gets covered by something orange. Colin lifts his hand to remove whatever it was on his face, and looks down to see a rounded leaf now in the palm of his hand. 

Confused, he looks over his shoulder to see that his body was mostly covered in leaves in all different shapes, sizes and colours. They surrounded him on the ground, and were also floating in the air above him, falling down like confetti.

Colin realises then that he had tumbled into a pile of fallen leaves. 

Bertie had made him-wait, where was he?

“Bertie!” Colin quickly turns and sits up in panic, his head frantically looking in different directions of the park. “Bertie where are-”

He looks forward to see the golden retriever sitting a few feet away from him. His tongue sticking out as he pants from his recent burst of energy. His head was also tilted, almost like he was asking Colin what he was doing on the ground. 

Acting all innocent, as if he didn’t just pull Colin through the park to chase some birds.

Colin couldn’t help but glare, his eyebrows rising at the unbothered animal. “Really?” 

Bertie springs up then and starts jumping through the leaves, causing more to float in the air and go all over him. It breaks Colin’s glare as his lips spread into a smile and a laugh rumbles out of him from the back of his throat. 

“Okay okay stop it.” Colin chuckles as he starts to remove the blanket of leaves from his legs. 

“Oh my god, are you okay?!” 

Colin looks up at the sound of a frantic voice, and the world moves slowly again.

Not because he was fearful of falling to the ground once more. No, this was something different. It was something Colin has experienced before on his travels. Where something in front of him was so beautiful he wanted time to slow down so he could take in every little detail.

In this case, that something was a someone. A woman. 

A woman who’s eyes were a striking blue, a similar shade to the sky above them, but riddled with something deeper as she stares down at him with concern. Her pale complexion had been brushed by the cold wind, giving her a natural blush that filled the soft apples of her cheeks and spread across the bridge of her small nose, giving a rosiness to her lips which were spread into a kind smile.

But it was her hair, that took Colin aback. It was like the autumn leaves that surrounded him had sown together to create the curls that discarded down her body, the front pieces pushed back by a deep green headband. The colour was a mixture of a rich red with a hint of a warm brown, that moved wildly in the wind just like the leaves do when they come away from the branches, and when the sun escaped the mountain of clouds, shined with golden undertones under the light. 

Colin has never found himself to be so mesmerised by someone’s hair before. To stand, well sit, in front of a woman who has simply taken his breath away. It was like the confetti of leaves had fallen and shaped themselves to create someone who captures the whole beauty of the season. 

Which might be an over the top thought for someone he hasn’t uttered a word to yet. 

“Y-yeah.” Colin stutters out once finding his voice, clearing his throat and blinking quickly with a shake of his head to float back into reality. To leave his thoughts buried in his mind for now. “Yeah I’m fine I was just…” Looking around, Colin reaches out for leaf to throw up in the air, and with a charming smile he tells her, “I was just reconnecting with nature, have you ever tried it?”

The woman seem surprised at his response, but does let out a giggle at his words. “No, I don’t believe I have.”

“Well,” Colin smile widens as he stands up, brushing off the leaves that were stuck on his jacket before grabbing Berties lead. The now calm golden retriever who sits by his side. “Dog sit one of your siblings dogs and take them to the park for a walk where you find out he has an obsession with ducks and likes to chase them. That will do the trick, trust me.”

“Sadly my siblings are all cat people.” She tells him with a much louder laugh. “So I might need to figure out another way to unexpectedly fall into a pile of leaves. Or as you call it, reconnect with nature.” 

Colin raises his eyebrows at her teasing. He liked that. He liked the sound of her laugh too, it was like the birds he hears sometimes in the morning singing the sweetest song. However her laugh was somehow sweeter.

He holds out his free hand for her to shake. “Colin Bridgerton.”

Her hand slides into his, and Colin tries to ignore the tingle that runs to his fingertips as their palms touch. “Penelope Featherington.” 

“Well, Penelope, I must thank you for checking up on me.”

“Are you sure you’re okay? You had quite the tumble.”

“I’m all good.” Colin waves off her concern, even though he had no doubt his body might ache tomorrow. He was no spring chicken anymore. Gesturing to the now blanket of leaves, he says, “I actually think I had a sort of pillow to land on, even though I wouldn’t put leaves in my top five of the most softest things I’ve fallen on.” 

“I guess number one is a bed.” 

“Yes, but it is tied with a beach in Australia called Whitehaven beach, it has the most softest sand ever.” 

“Oh.” Penelope eyes widen, “I didn’t think your list traveled so far.” 

“It’s kind of my job, to travel.” Colin tells her with a chuckle, moving a hand to brush the top of Bertie’s head, who was acting good for their new acquaintance. “So it means this guy has built some strength since I’ve been away.” 

“And what is this wonderful dogs name?” Penelope now directs her attention to the golden retriever, holding out a hand for him to sniff. After a couple of seconds, Bertie nuzzles the back of her hand with his nose, and she crouches down to scratch the fur around his face. “You are a very handsome fella aren’t you?” 

“Why thank you-”

“And your fur is so soft and golden” 

“oh, you’re talking to the dog. Got it.” 

Penelope snorts as she looks up at Colin with amusement, and he rubs the back of his neck sheepishly as his cheeks become warm.

My god, he was acting like a fool already. 

“This is Bertie.” 

“Well Bertie, you have certainly made this morning more entertaining.” Penelope giggles at Bertie as he lifts a paw and places it on her arm to tell her to continue petting him after she stops. Running her fingers through his fur once more, she looks up at Colin again with a playful smile. “You took someone on a very exciting trip.” 

Colin couldn’t help but chuckle. “Very funny.” He tells her, just as an alarm on her phone goes off. 

“Oh.” Penelope jumps as she reaches into her bag that was on her shoulder to turn the very jarring sound off. “Well that’s my sign to head into work.”

“Where do you work?” Colin asks her quickly. Eager to know, but also because he didn’t want to say goodbye to Penelope just yet. So he asks her quickly just to have a few more seconds with her.

“I work at a publishing company around the corner, sometimes I spend my morning here for some peace before I have to endure the chaos in there.”

“So maybe we will bump into each other again.” Colin speaks optimistically, “with me not covered in so many leaves next time.” 

Penelope smiles, and Colin doesn’t know if he was too high on his cloud of optimism, but he felt like it held a promise. “Maybe we will. It was nice to meet you Colin.” 

“You too.” 

Woof! 

“And Bertie says it was nice to meet you as well.”

Penelope lets out a giggle, petting Bertie head once more before starting to turn away.

But then her eyes move up to look at Colin’s hair, and she frowns.

“Let me just…”

Then, she steps closer.

Colin breath hitches, and he doesn’t know what makes him start to feel all warm inside. It could be the sweet, citrusy perfume that she was wearing that fills his nose now that she was close to him. It could be that now he could see every shade of blue that made Penelope’s eyes, every detail in her focused stare. Or it could be the feeling of her fingers softly travelling through his hair.

Or maybe, it could be all three, as she pulls back with a grin and a leaf between her fingers.

“Didn’t want you to be walking around with a giant leaf in your hair.” 

“Because that would be the most embarrassing thing to happen to me today.” Colin states jokingly, smiling when Penelope smile grows wider. “I be-leaf you deserve a big thank you for that.” 

Her laugh was bright as she walks away, Colin hearing it echo through the small gusts of wind in the air. 

Woof! 

Colin looks down at Bertie with a grin, “she was nice wasn’t she?” 

Bernie barks again, nudging Colin right leg with his head. 

“Okay okay let’s go. But we’re not going anywhere near the pond alright?”

And as they walk in the opposite direction of Penelope, Colin couldn’t help but look over his shoulder and watch as her vibrant curls disappear from his view. 

So maybe we will bump into each other again… 

Colin had a feeling that this wouldn’t be their only meeting.

***

He takes the same route to the park with Bertie the next morning. 

Turning right instead of left, walking past the cafe a couple of streets down where he got a coffee and the most delicious cinnamon bun on his way home yesterday, and walking across the zebra crossing that definitely needed to be repainted soon, he gets welcomed by the two trees again, where a pool of their warm leaves that surrounds their trunk had become bigger due to yesterdays breeze. 

But today he was not looking at the trail of fallen leaves, the colours of the flowers that sprouted from the ground, or the people that filled the space. Today his eyes wandered the park to see if he could see the curls of auburn hair that had a tight grip on his thoughts. 

Was he being a bit naive, to think that he would see her again?

She only comes her some days, the blue sky had returned to grey with something in the air that suggested rain was on its way. Doubts and excuses flickered through his mind as he doesn’t spot Penelope while him and Bertie walk through the park. And the thought of their interaction yesterday being a one-off was maybe becoming true. 

But Colin left the park yesterday with an excitement that he has not felt since he first took off on his first adventure across the world. It was like butterflies that were tickling his stomach, telling him that this could be something good. 

He remembers the smile he had when his plane took off on the runway of Heathrow airport, taking him to Greece.

He feels like it’s a similar smile to the one that spreads across his face when he thinks of his conversation with Penelope. 

So hope was what was taking him through the park, and it rewarded him when he turns the corner and spots Penelope sitting on a park bench reading a book. 

He stops, bringing Bertie, who was having a wonderful time sniffing every blade of grass, to a halt. 

Her hair was up today in a lose bun, glasses perched on the bridge of her nose as she focuses on the pages of her book. She had a small smile on her face, like something amused her as she read. 

She looked beautiful, sitting there so peaceful and still while the nature of the season moved around her. Colin was hesitant on disturbing the moment.

Should he shout her name? Move closer with a joke or a amusing remark? Ask what book she was reading in hope it would start a conversation?

While Colin was going back and forth on how to approach her, Bertie decides to say hello for the both of them. 

He barks once, then barks again, and before Colin has the time to scold Bertie for making such noise, Penelope lifts her head, and her face brightens at the sight of them.

“Hello you two.”

Bertie rushes towards her, pulling Colin along with him. Gentler than last time. 

“Penelope! It’s good to see you again.” Colin says as Penelope crouches down to greet Bertie, who sits obediently as his head gets patted. His tail was moving broadly back and forth across the path, brushing away the leaves that were there. 

“You look different without so many leaves on you.” Penelope teases Colin as she stands, smoothing out her dark purple maxi skirt that she was wearing today.

“Yeah, that fashion trend was so yesterday.” Colin jokes, making Penelope laugh. He was happy to hear it again. “I have kept well away from any ducks that are here today.” 

“Aww, he’s ruined your fun eh?” Penelope coos down with a pout to Bertie, who tilts his head towards her.  Turning back to Colin, she tells him, “well I’m sure the ducks are most grateful.” 

“They’ll be quacking at me with glee soon.” 

Penelope lets out another giggle as she takes her glasses off and places them and her book in her bag. 

“I’m sorry for disturbing your reading-”

“No it’s okay. I was at the end of my chapter anyway.” 

“Anything interesting?” Colin asks.

“It’s a rom-com story.” Penelope tells him, “I’m a sucker for anything romantic. But this is also research for the story I’m trying to write.”

Colin eyebrows move up in surprise. “You’re a writer?”

“Yes…kind of…well it’s-” Penelope after a mumbling of words, scrunches up her face and waves off the conversation with one hand. “I don’t want to delay you anymore on your walk. You probably don’t want to hear-”

“No I-I do want to hear it.” 

Penelope eyes widen, as does his. He didn’t mean to state it so bluntly, so loudly. But he didn’t want to see her again just for another brief conversation. He wanted to get to know her.

So he asks, 

“Would you like to join me and Bertie?”

And he watches as warmth spreads across her face, as she nods her head and joins him at his side.

“I would love to.” 

And so for a week, Colin’s mornings went a similar way. Bertie was his alarm clock that woke him up too early, Colin had his coffee while Bertie had his breakfast, and then they went for a walk in the park. The only difference was that now Penelope joined them on their walk. And their conversations wrapped around the branches of the trees, their laughter causing the water to ripple in the pond (which they walk past at a respectable distance).

Colin learnt about Penelope’s life. He learnt about her family, about her three sisters who were all unique in their own way. About her mother, about their relationship that was on the mend after many years of them bumping heads. He learnt about her work, about how she got her publishing job a few months after graduation university with a first honours. How her dream of being a writer stemmed from years as a teenager writing short stories in a journal which she would never show to the world. 

He learnt about the little things too. About how she makes the perfect carrot cake, how she could tell the whole plot of any romantic movie but nothing about a horror one because she hides behind a cushion, how she almost was a contestant on the quiz show The Chase but didn’t make it through the final round. 

In return, Colin told her about his siblings and his family. The adventures he had with them and the adventures he had taken on his own. He tells her about his favourite places, his favourite foods. The views he had the pleasure to gaze upon. 

They shared their love for reading, they debated their differences on comedy shows.

Bertie walked between them, glancing at the two of them like he was listening in. Curling up by their feet when Colin and Penelope decided to sit on a bench to discuss a topic of conversation. 

Penelope certainly became his best friend when she brought some small treats for him to have, and Bertie was always sad when he had to say goodbye to her. 

Colin was also a sad when they said goodbye too. 

Because the only downside of these walks was that he only had an hour. An hour was all he had to hear her sweet voice, to make her laugh, to be surprised by her witty comments. To learn more wonderful things about the woman who accompanies him and Bertie on their walk. The hour always went by so quickly, and Colin felt like he still had so much to say when they had to part ways, walking opposite directions. Penelope making her way to work while him and Bertie headed back home. 

But even with the sadness of saying goodbye, there was a small bubble of happiness knowing that they would have tomorrow. 

He just wish tomorrow gave them more time.

So when one day Penelope told him that she had a half day in work meaning she had the morning off, well Colin certainly wanted to make the most of it.

“Doesn’t that cloud look like a dinosaur riding a bike?”

“You have a very weird imagination.”

Colin lets out a laugh, turning his head towards Penelope as they both laid on the picnic blanket he managed to find in Benedict’s and Sophie store cupboard. He was also lucky to find a small picnic basket, which he filled with a flask of tea and cups for the two of them and two cinnamon buns from the cafe that he and Bertie pass every morning. 

He knew a picnic was a debatable idea due to the season, due to the bitter cold overriding the summer heat they had. Both of them wrapped up warm in thick coats and scarfs instead of them letting their skin be kissed by the sun. But with Penelope not heading into work until a lot later, they had more time to be surrounded by the scenery, to be in this peaceful environment with each other.

And Bertie too, who was curled up on the bottom of the blanket and chewing the head of his teddy Benedict and Sophie bought for him before they left on their honeymoon. 

They were chatting about anything and everything before they decided to gaze up at the clouds, their bodies inching closer as they laid together as their minds created images from the shapes and movements of the clouds above them. Being closer to Penelope now Colin could see the finer details of the woman next to him: her long eyelashes fluttering on her cheeks, her map of freckles that travelled across her nose. 

He didn’t think his heart could race so fast over someone before, but he feels like the way it was pacing as he stared at her he could win first place in any race. 

And when her head turns and he finds himself staring into the blue of her eyes. He realises that it was the prettiest shade of blue he has ever seen.

He has stared out across many oceans over the years, fascinated by the waves as they moved. Colin believes he wouldn’t mind getting lost in the waves of Penelope eyes.  

“Everything okay?”

“Hmm-oh yes.” Colin clears his throat as he turns back to the sky. “Clouds.” He states bluntly, pointing to them with a click of his fingers which makes Penelope giggle. 

“Ooo look!” Penelope points to not a cloud, but something moving across the sky that Colin was very familiar with. “A plane, not long before you’re back up there right?” 

It takes a few moments for Colin respond, a heavy sigh escaping him. “Yeah, not long now.” 

“You don’t seem too happy about it?”

Colin sighs again. He was still playing that game on how long he could ignore what was quite obviously happening to him and his career. The burnout he has been dreading. It’s not like he’s miserable, how can one be when seeing the world? But he has a feeling of wanting something a little bit different. 

Leaving home to travel was something he never thought would turn into a chore.

“What happens when the one thing that used to excite you is starting to make you feel empty?” Colin asks the question, the words easily rolling off the tongue. Which was strange with how hard his mind tried to avoid the questions when he was thinking about them. But he feels like with Penelope he can speak his mind so freely. “The one thing that has been driving you through life. What happens when you hit a crossroad?”

“You mean you’re thinking of not travelling anymore?”

“I don’t know.” Colin rushes out to say with a small shake to his head. Because really, he doesn’t. Travelling had been his purpose for a while. What else could he do that would make him feel so accomplished? “It’s just lately the glamour of travelling has not been there, and I can be surrounded by so many people, surrounded by the most beautiful views, and the only feeling I have is loneliness.” 

He turns to Penelope with a scrunch to his eyebrows. “Am I being ungrateful for feeling this way when I have the luxury of going anywhere in the world?”

“There are probably millionaires out there who are miserable. And I don’t think it’s because they are not appreciating what they have in life, I think it’s because having some sort of luxury doesn’t mean you feel fulfilled.” 

“But traveling has always made me feel content.” Colin sits up as he speaks, Penelope joining him. “I just feel lately that I’m too content and now in some stagnant cycle.”

“Then perhaps a change is needed.”

Colin doesn’t know if he likes the idea of change. “That sounds terrifying.”

Penelope lets out a laugh, tucking her legs under her body was fully facing him. “That’s because you are stuck in this said cycle, meaning that when the world shifts, or you feel a shift, you feel resilient to take a different path.”

That was true, he was stuck. But why would he want to change the one path that he was so confident in walking on after so many years of feeling lost? 

Colin brings one knee to his chest. “what do you look for in life?” 

“My purpose?” Penelope questions, waiting for Colin to nod his head before continuing to speak. “I guess its something that challenges me, that makes me be brave and witty. That doesn’t confine me or raise expectations that feel like a weight on my shoulders. I guess it why I took the plunge in writing, because I feel free when I’m typing away on my laptop or writing down an idea in my notebook.” 

Her hand wraps around his arm, just above his wrist, and she gives him a gentle squeeze. 

“Just because at the minute travelling has not been as freeing as it used to be, doesn’t mean that it’s all over. Maybe you need to use your travelling in a different way, a new way that challenges you.” Penelope tells him, “a crossroad can take you in different directions.” 

Colin smiles warmly, placing his hand on top of hers.

And perhaps there was no need for them to hold hands in a conversation like this. To press his palm into the back of her hand, to cover her fingers with his. But he simply wanted to hold her hand.

And so, he did.

“And how do I decide which direction to take?”

“Well, I suppose you can start with asking the question of what brings you joy at the minute?”

Penelope looks forward to the view of the park, while Colin’s eyes remained on her.

You, He wants to say. You and Bertie and our walks in the park. An hour of the day which is an hour I always looked forward to. Where the bright blue of your eyes split open the murky skies above us, where your smile is like the sun that warms up these cool and crisp days. Just like the season, your beauty has travelled through my thoughts and my dreams every day and night. And your words and wisdom is starting to make me believe that change can be beautiful.

Maybe that’s the lesson this season gives us, that the transitions in our lives can be as graceful as the cycle of nature. 

But Colin does not say that, instead with a sigh he looks forward as well, and slightly jumps backwards when he feels Bertie’s cold snout pressing against his nose, his brown eyes boring into his. 

“Oh.” Colin leans back with a smile as he scratches the back of Bertie’s neck. And with the dogs tail wagging happily, decides to tell Penelope half of his answer. “Well this guy certainly lifts my spirits.”

Penelope smiles as Bertie comes over to her, letting out a squeal as Bertie presses a sloppy kiss on her cheek. “He’s a little ray of sunshine ain’t he?”

“Oh he has his days, trust me.” Colin watches as the golden retriever walks around in a circle a few times before finding a comfortable spot between then, resting his head on Penelope’s knee. “But he definitely likes you.” 

Just like I do, Colin thinks as his eyes meet Penelopes across the picnic blanket, across the mountain of golden fur. I really like you.

***

Group chat: Bertie the Best 🐾

Sophie: Just arrived at the airport! No delays on the flight at the moment. 

Benedict: See you and Bertie very soon! 😁

Colin sighs sadly, looking down at Bertie who was lying by his feet as he sits at the dining room table.

“One last walk with Penelope.” Colin tells him, cooing with a small laugh as Bertie lets out a whine and almost sulks as he rests his head on his front paws. Ruffling the the top of Berties head, Colin tells him. “I know, I’ll miss her too.” 

The course of the last few days had merged together, a long trail of park walks that Colin could continue on forever. But the day has come, Benedict and Sophie would return from their honeymoon this evening, Colin’s dog sitting duties would be over, and he would have a few days until he returned to work and he flew to the south of Italy. In a few hours Colin would be saying goodbye to Bertie, to their morning walks in the park, and he would be saying goodbye to Penelope. 

Well, Colin hopes that he wouldn’t be saying a permanent goodbye to her. 

He hopes for a see you later. He hopes for a maybe we can see each other when I’m back or a you give me this wonderful feeling that I have never felt before and I want to see where it goes kind of conversation. Because he may be unsure of what is ahead of him, uncertain whether staying home after this trip to Italy will be his grandest idea, and he is unsure of whether accepting change will be as beautiful as the leaves changing colour. But he is certain he wants Penelope to be a part of his life.

He hopes Penelope wants him in hers. That they could build something from their foundation of friendship and their one hour walks in the park. 

But he was slightly scared to confess his feelings for her. Because for over a week it has been him and Bertie, a package deal. What if he confesses that he likes her and she just stares at him like he’s some one-dimensional man? 

What if he wasn’t enough without his four legged friend by his side? He couldn’t really ask Benedict and Sophie to walk Bertie every morning could he? That would raise some suspicion. 

What if she never saw him, just him. And only saw him as a friendly man who was walking his brothers dog every morning?

Its questions that stay in his mind as he and Bertie leave to meet Penelope. 

Their walk in the park was more mellow than their previous ones which were electric with conversation. The nature around them moving with more confidence as the two of them nervously tip toe around the topic that they really wanted to discuss. 

Maybe they were both nervous of the outcome. Uncertain on what will happen next.

“When do the happily married couple return?” Penelope asks him eventually as they pass a few bunches of chrysanthemums, all rich with their warm and rustic colour. Similar to Penelope’s lovely hair.

God, will Colin be haunted by the colours of the season? Colours that will remind him of her if they go separate ways?

“This evening.” Colin tells her with a small glance towards Bertie, who today decided to carry a large stick in his mouth. He walks proudly with it, and people have had to walk around him so they didn’t get poked. Shaking his head amusedly as Penelope laughs beside him, he carries on to say. “And this troublemaker can cause chaos for his owners.” 

“Oh come on, he hasn’t been that bad!”

“Um, do you remember me being covered in leaves because of him?” Colin raises his eyebrows as Penelope laughs harder. “And in a few days time I will finally get a decent night sleep and won’t be woken up so early.” 

Penelope squints her eyes at him, before nudging his side gently with her elbow. “You will miss him, won’t you?” 

Colin looks over to Bertie once more, and his face softens as he watches him.

He sighs, nodding his head a few moments later. “Yes I will. He’s been good company over the past two weeks.” He admits, rolling his eyes slightly at Penelope triumphant grin. “But there are other things that I will miss as well.”

Penelope hums. “Really? Like what?” 

Colin starts to list off things, not thinking before he speaks. “The cinnamon buns I indulge in almost every day when me and Bertie head home. The trees that welcome me into the park every morning. Our walks in the park, you-”

“Me?” 

Colin stops walking, realising what he had just said, and he stares into the wide eyes of Penelope with anxiety rising cause of his thoughtless projection of words. But as he stands in the park, in a season that takes away the distractions of summer and leaves everything more bare, and realises that maybe accepting change wasn’t autumn’s only lesson. 

Perhaps it showed how it was okay to be vulnerable, that he could let go of his fear of telling Penelope how he truly feels. Because while revealing all to Penelope was as chilling as the sharp breeze that whirls past them, perhaps when his words are in the air, it would turn into something warm and lovely. 

So with a deep breath, and his heart pounding against his chest, Colin begins to speak.

“Of course I will miss you, Pen. But,” he shrugs his shoulders with a tentative smile. “Does this have to be a goodbye? Because I don’t want it to be.”

A sigh of what Colin believes to be relief escapes Penelope, as a smile etches onto her face. “I don’t want it to be either.” 

“Good, I-I’m glad you feel the same. Because after the day we met all I wanted was to see you again. Because there was something about you that excited me.” He gestures his head to Bertie. “It was why we walked the same route the next day, because I was hoping I would see the beautiful woman with red hair who warmed my heart on a chilly day.” 

Penelope steps closer, her eyes soft and so so lovely. “Perhaps I came back the next day too in hope I would see the handsome man who charmed me while sitting in a pile of leaves.” She smiles down at Bertie. “And to see his wonderful friend again as well.”

Colin hand nervously tightens on the lead. “It will just be me now. Bertie won’t be around all the time.” 

Both of her hands finds his free one, wrapping around it like a warm embrace. “And I’m happy to explore whatever this will be with you. Just you.”

A small grin bursts on Colins face. The nerves he had of Penelope not feeling the same floating away with the wind. She sees him and Bertie, she enjoys being in one world with them. But Penelope wanted to see what a world would be like with just him. Just like he wanted to explore a world with just her. 

For the first time, Colin was experiencing the excitement that change can bring.

“After Italy, I’m planning to stay home for much longer.” Colin tells Penelope as they continue on their walk. Their hands remained intertwined, signifying this new beginning. “You’re right, I can use travel in a different way, and there’s many adventures to go on around here, I could drive to Wales or Scotland, take the ferry to Northern Ireland.” He smiles sweetly down at Penelope. “But when I get back, the first thing I want to do is take a certain someone on a date to the local pumpkin patch. Do you think she’ll be interested?”

“Ooh I don’t know.” Penelope hums playfully with a scrunch of her eyebrow. “Will I have to catch you if you fall into the pumpkin patch?”

“I promise you my feet will remain firmly on the ground.”

“Shame, you’re quite cute when you fall.” 

“Penelope!” Colin gasps with a shocked laugh as Penelope giggles and rests her head on his arm. 

“In fact, we should be thanking Bertie for the wonderful way we met.” 

Colin looks over at Bertie then, who was using his paws to bury his stick in the ground, and lets out a laugh. Of course, it was the excited golden retriever whose love for ducks caused Colin and Penelope to meet in the most unexpected way. His loud and happy presence in between them as they got to know each other. He observed quietly like his mother would when she would introduce him to someone at a family party. This time with less interjection and comments, which he deeply appreciated. In the end, Bertie was the catalyst that started something wonderful between him and Penelope.

After all the failures of his family’s attempts of helping him find his match throughout his life. Maybe all he needed was his four legged friend to give him the first push….or pull. 

“And yes Colin, I’d be very interested in going on a date with you.” 

Colin grins with a wide smile, squeezing her hand tighter in his.