No Chance in Hell

Hurt Like Hell

As soon as he heard the knock on his door, Colin swung it open to find Penelope standing right in front of him. He'd seen her in photos and from a distance when she was around his siblings, but to see her up close, to be able to smell her perfume and marvel at the sparkling blue of her eyes? God, it took everything in him not to just kiss her then and there. Especially when her perfectly plump pink lips formed a little o, just as she was about to speak. 

Before he could even spill out everything he wanted to say, about how much he missed her and loved her and needed her, Penelope said in a small voice, "Can I come in?"

Colin shook himself from his thoughts and stepped to the side, cursing himself for his thoughtlessness. "D-do you want a water or something?" He stammered. Penelope shook her head, circling the apartment as if she hadn't been there a million times before. 

"New chair?" She asked, just to fill the silence. He nodded. Then she stopped on a framed photo of them from years ago. 

They were perhaps twelve and fifteen, and Colin was trying to teach her how to shoot a basketball. The key word being trying. She had missed several times, even when he lifted her up on his shoulders in an effort to get closer to the hoop. That time, the ball bounced off the rim and hit Colin in the face, sending them both flying into the grass in a tangled heap. Penelope started rambling a string of apologies and inquiries about his health, but Colin just laughed. The sound brought her so much joy that she couldn't help but laugh too, and that was when Violet took the photo. She couldn't believe he still had it. 

"That might be my favorite photo of you," he said from beside her, and she hummed, prompting him to explain. She looked horrible back then, at least she thought so. Her hair was a frizzy mess as she hadn't yet learned a proper curl routine, and she had grass stains all over her ill fitting jeans. "I feel like it really captures your essense. Your smile, the way it reaches your eyes. You're just...glowing."

She looked up, expecting him to still be looking at the photo, but instead, his eyes were locked on her. She swallowed carefully. "Water would be good," she croaked.

Colin shot her an amused grin and made his way to the kitchen. He emerged a minute later with a glass for her and one for him. "Do you want to sit down?" He asked, starting to get dizzy from her pacing. Penelope stopped, took a deep breath, and sat carefully on one end of his couch. Realizing that she wasn't going to say anything, he asked, "How was the date?" It wasn't what he wanted to ask her, but he was hoping her answer was along the lines of 'awful', 'terrible', or 'I never want to go on another date with a man who isn't you.'

He certainly didn't want to hear her say, "Good." Penelope set her water down on the coffee table. "It was good. Reggie really is a nice guy, Colin. Which is why I think you should at least offer him an apology for your Mum's birthday, especially if you and I end up going back to being friends and he and I start dating. Not that I think we'll end up dating, but he seemed to like me and he asked me out again, even though I started acting really weird towards the end of the date, but I think this could go somewhere, and it would really mean a lot to me if you approved because you mean a lot to me and I miss you and I am so tired of trying to ignore you---"

"Pen, slow down!" Colin shouted, moving across the couch to put a hand on her thigh. Both of them tried to ignore the hot volts of electricity that it sent through them. 

They stared into each other's eyes and Penelope forced herself to take a deep breath. "I miss you, Colin. I miss my friend." Colin slowly removed his hand from her leg. Friend. Friends didn't touch each other like he was touching Penelope. Friends didn't love each other the way he loved Penelope. But that's what she wanted from him. "I'm sorry I've been shutting you out. I just didn't know how to be around you after everything. I was so embarrassed," she mumbled.