The Wallflower

Terms

A/N: OMG y'all another long one!! I'm sorry 😭😭 FFS I do not have the ability to write a straightforward chapter. More heavy dialogue. I know, I know, I'm sorry but I just love writing these characters in convos. However, I think I make up for it with some extra steamy stuff at the end!! Hope that helps balance it out. Enjoy my lovelies!!

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The following day, all of Penelope's belongings had been moved from her mother's home on Mount St, to her new home with the Bridgertons on Bruton St. Benedict had moved into his Bachelor lodgings and his old bedchambers were vacant so they had set her up nicely in them. The room was spacious and had beautiful blue wallpaper. There was a four poster bed set on one side and a sofa for sitting near the fireplace. Penelope smiled as she looked around her new room.

She ran her fingers along the many books on poetry and art that Benedict had left behind. She was about to pull one off the shelf to examine it when a pair of strong arms wrapped around her waist and pulled her close. She smiled and closed her eyes as she leaned against Colin.

He leaned down and nibbled her ear before whispering, "You look beautiful today." Penelope blushed. He always knew how to make her feel better. She spun around and wrapped her arms around his waist as she tilted her head up to look at him.

"I love you, Colin." He smiled brightly. "I'll never get tired of hearing you say that. I love you, too." He kissed her nose and she giggled.

She placed her chin on his chest and just stared up at him. Taking in every little feature. The way his jaw flexed as looked down at her , the way his lips were ever so slightly uneven when he smiled, the slight curve of his perfect nose, the crinkles by his eyes from laughing all these years, the thin creases in his forehead from moments of concern or confusion, his hair fraying every which way as it culminated into meticulous peaks that he, or his valet, had formed.

He was beautiful, absolutely breathtakingly beautiful. But it wasn't just his good looks that made him beautiful to her. It was the softness in his eyes when he looked at her, the way his laugh lit up things inside of her, the way calmness washed over her simply by being in his presence. Her heart ached with all the love it held for him and she couldn't believe he felt the same about her. She had dreamed he would for years but she never truly thought it would ever happen.

Colin took a deep breath as they held each other and just...existed with one another. It was so peaceful. These were the moments, Colin thought, that mattered. Sure he desired her more and more every day and wanted to do things to her body for hours and hours but that wasn't what had captured him. It was the small things he realized. The way her face lit up at the sight of him, the way her eyes filled with joy when he discussed his travels, the way her lips lifted into a smile when he would say something, the way her laughter sent jolts into his soul. He simply loved her, that was it. That was all that mattered and all that would ever matter.

They were brought back to reality when someone cleared their throat. Colin looked towards the door and saw Benedict leaning against the frame. He pulled back from Penelope, but only slightly. "What are you doing?" Benedict asked, crossing his arms. "You just stood there staring at each other for five minutes without saying a single word."

Colin chuckled and Penelope blushed. "We were having a moment, brother. Staring into her eyes fills me with a calmness I could never achieve on my own, especially with you nearby."

Benedict laughed and shook his head. "You really do love each other, huh?" Penelope smiled and nodded her head. "Yes we do. Are you surprised?" She asked teasingly. Benedict paused and thought for a moment before shaking his head.