Crash

Proposals

On the other hand, maybe Charles was right. It could be fun, to do their first real interview as a couple. Penelope knew they couldn't hide away forever. At some point, she wanted to be open with her fans. They were a part of her, and she didn't want the to feel like she wasn't being authentic. She'd always been open with them, well, until it bit her in the ass. 

Penelope's last relationship had been very well publicised. She'd loved Harry, a singer she'd once fell for at a party, and although she knew it was stupid to think so now, she'd felt that maybe he was it for her. Her fans had loved them together, labelled them as Hollywood's hottest couple. He'd sang about her on an album, and it had driven the internet wild. Everyone thought they were perfect, until they weren't. 

Penelope didn't know about the affair until she saw the pictures. Her whole world had come crashing down. Everything she'd known to be true had turned out to be a lie, and it broke her. At the same time, Frankie overdosed, and Penelope was suddenly alone. The same internet that had loved Harry and her together began to take sides, and everyone knew every detail about the worst heartbreak of her life. 

The worst came when he released the album. The references to her were so obvious that it became impossibly painful to deal with. For months, every interview she did no matter the subject would involve her having to talk about it. People praised her ex for 'owning his mistakes', all while she was left with nothing but a broken heart and a few empty lyrics. To put it lightly, it fucking sucked. 

Now, she had to choose whether she wanted to risk putting herself through all that again. She wished she could say she was certain that Charles would be faithful to her and they would work through the long distance and be together forever. But the truth was, she knew better than to believe that. As much as she loved him, she refused to let herself get hurt the way she was with Harry. 

But what if Charles was worth taking that risk?

Penelope wanted nothing more than to be happy with him. Perhaps somewhere down the line he'd end up breaking her heart, or she'd end up breaking his but if she didn't let herself try to do this, then that future she'd dreamed of would never come to pass.

"We can do the interview," she said finally. "I'll have to clear it with Britney first, but it should be fine."

"You're serious? Ay, amore mio, you make my life so easy you know that?"

Penelope smiled, her eyes closing as she lent her head back against the sofa cushions. "Don't hang up-"

"Until you fall asleep. It's okay. I promise I'm not going anywhere."

****************

The next morning, Penelope made a lot of calls. 

It took a while for her to convince her manager, Britney, that the interview for Ferrari was a good idea. Apparently she felt uneasy about sending her into a situation where they weren't in control, but Penelope promised to be on her best behaviour and after a while, she got her to agree. 

"Just be careful, Penelope," Britney told her, typing furiously as she drafted the contract. "This guy is sweet, sure. He takes a good picture. But so did the last one."

"Okay Brit," Penelope sighed, pulling her hair up as she got herself ready to leave. "Listen, I gotta go. My appointment's in half an hour and I don't wanna be late."

Britney snapped her fingers, the sound so clear that Penelope could make it out from the other end of the line. "Right. This your last check up?"

"Yeah. If I get the all clear, I can go back to skating next week."

"Well, good luck. Bet you can't wait to get back out on the ice, hm? I know how much you love that stuff."

"Yeah," Penelope lied, grabbing her car keys. "I'm really excited."

"I bet. Listen, I'll finalise the contract and send it over to Ferrari for approval. I'll let you know when it goes through."

"Thanks, Brit. Talk to you later."

"Yep. Speak soon, bye."

Penelope opened her car door, dropping her phone on the passenger seat. The drive to the hospital wasn't far, which was good considering she was already late. She knew this appointment was important, Carlisle wouldn't let her skate unless she'd been signed off as physically fit. Skating was her life, as it had been since she'd been put into her first dance class as a little girl. Yet, the thought of stepping back into the rink, rehearsing routines, preparing for Nationals...it made her skin crawl. 

Either way, it didn't matter. Penelope never made it to the hospital, anyway. 

She made it five minutes into the drive before she had to pull over. Her phone had rang once, then twice. She felt okay ignoring it until it rang again, accompanied by a sinking feeling in her stomach that told her something wasn't right. 

One glance at the screen. It was Joe. Joe knew to wait if she didn't answer. He never rang again unless it was urgent. 

Her brother answered on the first ring. "Joe what's wrong?" she said quickly, appointment already forgotten. 

"Don't freak out."

"What the fuck, Joe? You can't call me eleven times and then tell me not to freak out! You better tell me what's going on or I swear to god I'll-"

"I just got engaged."

Penelope went silent. Her mouth was hanging open in a perfect 'O', so speechless she couldn't even think of anything to say. She'd been expecting bad news, something about Frankie or her Abuela. But this...this was good news. No, this was amazing news. 

"Nell, can you say something?" Joe said anxiously. "Because I know I told you not to freak out but I'm freaking out and I kind of need you to tell me I did the right thing."

Finally, Penelope found her voice. "Oh my god!" she squealed, her voice so loud that she probably deafened her brother in one ear. "Are you kidding me? I can't believe you didn't tell me before!"

Joe breathed a deep sigh of relief. "I got it right?"

"Are you fucking serious? Of course you did you dummy! Oh my god, I'm so happy for you Joey, I can't believe it. Did Sophie freak out? I bet she was going crazy, right?"

Penelope could almost sense her brother blush. "Yeah, she was. I surprised her, our two year anniversary. It just felt right.  was gonna tell you, but I just brought the ring yesterday and-"

"Have you told Abuela?" Penelope asked, too excited to wait for him to finish his sentence. 

"No, not yet. You're my baby sister, I wanted you to know first. I'm gonna stop by Abuela's now, take Sophie with me so she can see the ring."

Penelope clasped her hands together, tears brimming in her eyes. She was so purely and inexplicably happy, like a child on Christmas morning. "You're getting married."

"I know. Can you believe that?"

Penelope laughed, a sweet sound that could have lifted many a low mood. "Honestly? Maybe not. I'm so proud of you, Joey. Now go! Go tell Abuela."

"Thanks, Nell. I love you."

"I love you, too."

************************