Bubbles

Chapter 24

Lucy

I still don't know what happened.
All I know is that we're both dusted allover with fine beach sand - she sat on my lap the whole way back to the flat, tears dripping quietly. Mickey is feeling immensely uncomfortable because he wants to help but doesn't know how. He hasn't told me that; I can just tell. My forehead is creased up in the discomfort of another headache, and Penny hasn't made eye contact with either of us for about half an hour. She looks distraught. The Battle of Sparta is clearly taking place in her mind.
I'm not going to ask. I'll wait for her to decide whether or not she wants me knowing. I'm such a considerate little fucker, aren't I?
As soon as we got up the stairs and inside, Penny just collapsed onto the sofa and wouldn't get up. Now I'm sitting with her, and she's lying in my lap. Tears bloom like dark roses across the material of my jeans. Mickey brought us tea but I've only half-finished mine and Penny hasn't touched hers.
I pat her arm. "Come on, little baby."
She really needs a shower, to help her heat up a bit. The flat is cold and won't be warm again for ages.
Penny doesn't tell me not to call her that.
She doesn't say anything at all.

"You just need to get all that dirt off, honey. Then we can go to sleep and fix it all tomorrow, okay? It's not as bad as it seems, I promise."
Still, she doesn't reply. I shove her gently in the direction of the bathroom door. She sways on the spot, not moving.
"Come on, sweetheart. You look so tired."
Penny reaches for the door handle and twists it half-heartedly. As she steps onto the tiles of the floor, she leans back and laces her fingers through mine. Tugging me along with her.
"Penny, I can't shower with you."
She takes another few steps, still holding my hand. Then she stops and stares at the wall in a sort of indecisive way. Slowly, she turns around to face me. Her eyes capture mine, locking our gazes in a powerful connection.
Penny lifts her other arm, leaning over me, trying to get something. The light clicks on, flickering sleepily before entirely illuminating the pearly surfaces of the room.
She pulls back but stays perilously close. Her lips part.
"Scared of the dark," she mutters, voice soft. Her features melt into a small, wolfish grin. "Don't you want to shower with me?"
My face goes 0-100 real quick, blushing so fiercely I could bet all 8 pints of my blood were in my head.
"Uh... Um..." I search for something intelligent to say. "I... Uh..."
I swallow.
Penny hums a quiet laughter. Suddenly she's enveloping me and walking me backwards, into the door. She continues until it closes behind us.
I blink rapidly. Come on, brain! Fuck's sake!
"You know," she starts, nose brushing mine. "Ozzie thinks we're dating."
"D-does he?"
"Mhm."
"Is that bad?"
"Mm, oh yeah."
Everything slams into place at hyper-speed, like a jigsaw with superpowers. "So, is that what you're-?"
My sentence is sawn off as Penny closes the gap and kisses me, smiling against my lips.
An involuntary sound leaves my mouth.
Ew, I sound like such a girl.
What the fuck is going on?!
She relaxes, hooking her arms around my neck. At this moment I cannot ignore the rest of her body - soft, and pulsing with new heat.
Penny deepens the kiss, and I tell myself I will never forget how she tastes or how she feels. Even if it doesn't last.
Her mouth works gently with mine, extracting more of these weird girl noises.
Shit. Am I moaning? Again, what the fuck?!
I make girls moan! I am a top!
My arms hang limply by my sides as I fight the urge to tear her clothes from her. I have to go at her pace and let her do what she wants - not the other way round. Anyway, she's straight.
She breaks the contact of our lips. "You can touch me, if you want, Lucy. I don't mind."

I think of Greg.

I lose all arousal. I just grab her again and hold her tight. Her arms stay around my neck; her hands lace into my hair.

After a few minutes we pull apart. She shakes her head, running a hand through her hair.
She licks her lips, and I restrain myself. Penny seems to catch the look on my face, which makes her chuckle.
"Shut up," I mutter. "You're hot."
She shrugs. "Am I?"
I narrow my eyes at her. "Yes you are, God damn it. You are so fucking hot it burns. Now take your shower and get to bed!"
Before I can get out though, she taps my shoulder. I turn, huffing.
Her hands trail to the bottom corners of her hoodie, going to lift them.
My head tells me to stop her and my heart tells me to get some popcorn.
She has this damn suggestive smirk that makes me want to simultaneously kiss the shit out of her and also slap her across the face.
When the hell did Penelope get so confident?
My eyes are transfixed as she raises the hem of the hoodie, bringing it up over her stomach. My breath hitches as she takes it over her bra and above her head, leaving her hair looking tousled and so fucking desirable I could just -
"Could you wash this for me, Lucy?" She smiles sweetly, pressing the garment into my chest.
I stare at her.
She runs her tongue along her top row of teeth. "Please?"
Nodding mutely, I back out of the room and close the door with more force than intended. The pitter-patter of compressed water droplets commences, drumming softly behind the wall. I stand and look at the door for a minute, mulling over the taste of Penny. The crystal ringing of something that has stopped, but you want to continue with.
The caricature of a nervous virgin that Confident Penny extracts from me.
I am not a virgin. I like sex too much.