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CO-STARS
TWENTY-FOUR
L. PARTRIDGE
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[ PRIVATE IMESSAGE CHAT ]
" my love 🤍 "
my love 🤍
Penelope can we talk?
Please..
delivered
my love 🤍
I'm sorry.
I have so much to explain to you,
I'd rather not do it over text
delivered
my love 🤍
Hope you're doing okay.
I'm here for a few more days,
please just 5 minutes to explain
delivered
my love 🤍
Penelope you have to understand that I am SO
SO sorry. I would never do anything to purposely
hurt you ❤️
delivered
my love 🤍
I'm still here if you're ready to talk.
I just need you to know that I never meant for any
of this to happen.
delivered
my love 🤍
I really wish you'd talk to me
delivered
my love 🤍
i miss you.
i know you need time. and that you're hurting right
now and if i could do anything to stop that i would
i swear. i am so so sorry. please i'm always here
when you're ready.
delivered
I love you
*deleted*
Louis deleted the last three words. They were true, he does love her.
But was there even a point in saying it if she was never going to see it? He sighed and shut off his phone.
He was staying with Millie for the week until his new flight. Louis explained everything to her, although she already knew her fair share of the story.
He didn't have the heart to end the friendship with Lizzie. But, he acknowledged that he was being naive to think that she would change.
Lizzie had tried contacting him numerous times since the 'break-up'. Even going as far as to asking his sisters and parents about him. But he wasn't concerned with her. Right now all he was concerned about was getting to Penelope.
Millie entered the kitchen where Louis was sitting. She pulled out a stool next to him at the island in the middle.
"Still no answer?" Millie gave him a hopeful smile.
Louis huffed defeatedly. "A week and still nothing." He pouted.
Millie shrugged, "Well, I mean you did break her heart." She pointed out.
"Uhm one: I didn't mean to! And two: not helping."
"Uhm three: just because you didn't mean to doesn't change the fact that you did. She has every right to be upset with you." Millie scolded Louis. "You just have to bare with her. It's not like you can just show up to her house..." Millie returned her focus back to her phone.
"Wait—that's it!" Louis jolted up from the island.
"Wait 'what's it'—Louis! Where are you going?" Millie followed after him.
He didn't stop walking and continued toward the door. "If she won't come to me, then I'll go to her."
"Lou... that's not how this works—"
"Mills, what else have I got to lose?" He turned and looked at his friend hopelessly.
"This is a terrible idea, I'll admit that, but I can't just give up. I love her too much—" Louis paused having realized what he said. Even Millie was left speechless.
"Love?" Millie repeated.
Louis flexed his hands nervously, "Y-yeah. I think so..." He said in an attempt to back track.
"I suppose I can't stand in the way of that then." She moved aside to allow him to pass by.
"Thank you."
"But I'm driving." Millie grabbed her keys and sunglasses off the table by the entrance. "I wouldn't trust you with my car."
"Good idea." He nodded.
Penelope sat at the kitchen counter dicing up veggies for a salad. Lily was stationed at the stove grilling chicken for dinner.
Penelope was in no way a good cook. The best she could fix up was ramen, and even that came out a little wonky sometimes. But how can anyone screw up a salad? It's just cutting lettuce.
She tossed the lettuce, along with: tomatoes, cucumbers, and carrots. They were eating dinner pretty early today. Penelope had plans for a movie date with her bed and a bag of sour patch kids.
"The salad looks very," Lily looked over her shoulder from the stove. "Green...?" She sounded unsure.
The leaves were now soggy and drenched in the dressing. It was the most depressing salad Lily had ever seen.
"It's still edible." Penelope offered.
"Is it?" Lily picked up a deflated piece of lettuce with her utensil.
Penelope lifted the bowl and dumped it into the trash. "Remind me to never cook again—"
Ding-Dong
"Oh no! The salad police have come to get you RUN." Lily smirked and waved the spatula in the air.
She raised a finger to flip Lily off. "Very funny." Penelope spun around and jogged to the front door to see who it was.
She swung the door open and was face to face with the last person on Earth she wanted to see right now. Penelope got one good glance before swinging the door closed.
"Nope." She took a deep breath and walked back to the kitchen.
"Who was it?" Lily asked as Penelope entered the kitchen.
Penelope's eyes widened. "A nightmare that's what IT was." She shuddered and took her place back at the counter.
"Huh?"
Lily set the spatula back down and decided to see for herself, against her younger sisters protests.
She opened the door and low and behold there he was. It was Louis. He had a mixture of fear and eagerness on his face. Lily's happy nature instantly dropped to 'angry protective sister' mode.
"Penelope was right, this is a nightmare."
"Wait, what?" Louis rubbed the back of his neck.
Lily shook her head profusely. "Nothing. Hi Louis, what do you want?" The older Depp sister replied in a polite but stern tone.
"Could I possibly speak with Penelope?" Louis croaked.
"She isn't here." Lily lied.
"But— she just opened the door a second ago?"
"Shit! I mean— ONE SEC!" Lily slammed the door shut and stormed back to the kitchen.
"I tried being 'mean older sister' but I suck at it. You gotta go talk to him."
Penelope buried her head in her arms. "Lils!! I can't." Her voice muffled.
"If he had the balls to come here face to face he must have something good to say."
"I wouldn't care if he came to tell me that Rihanna finally released an album! I don't want to hear anything he has to say." Penelope argued.
Lily rolled her eyes, drama queen. "Okay, well at least tell him to leave."
"Is this some kind of reverse psychology to get me to go to the door because I'll have to speak to him and will probably end up hearing him out?" Penelope popped her head up.
"What?"
"Nevermind." Penelope jumped up out of her seat and went back to the front door.
The blonde stood there for a few moments thinking of all the ways this could go wrong.
What would I even say? Her mind was racing. She took one final deep breath before opening the door again.
The two stared for a while with shocked expressions at the sight of the other. "Hi." Louis blurted.
"You've got some nerve showing up here." Penelope restrained herself.
"I know, but to be fair you weren't answering any of my calls or texts—"
"I don't know, maybe because you screwed me over?"
"Which is what I was getting to because this is just one big misunderstanding. Which is what I've been wanting to tell you..."
"I don't need you to tell me anything. I don't want to hear your excuses—"
"Lizzie and I are no longer friends. I immediately regret talking to you like that, when it was her who..."
"Right, right."
"Deserved it. I swear I wouldn't do something like that on purpose. And I'll be the first to admit I should've ended the friendship with her sooner—"
"Seriously, you're still going?"
"PENELOPE I'M SORRY." Louis shouted over her, ending their screaming match outside.
Penelope, slightly taken aback, went silent without further protest. Louis gulped in surprise of his own actions.
"I'm so sorry for everything I said. I'm sorry for ignoring the warning signs. Okay?" His tone was much quieter now. "I just didn't want to lose a good friend, but now I see that in the end, losing you was even worse."
"I love you." He breathed out the words like a sigh of relief.
They had never said the two word aloud to each other before. Penelope could've cried. She would've done it, right there and then in front of him.
"Do you really mean that? Please don't just say things like that without meaning it because I l—"
Louis smashed his lips into hers, silencing her protests. Penelope, caught by surprise, started to feel tempted to pull away. But naturally her arms had tangled around his neck, pulling him down towards her.
His hands snaked around her waist and held Penelope tight with no intention of letting go. She ran her hands through his hair, having missed the feeling.
She missed him.
"I'm sorry." Penelope spoke through their kiss.
"Don't be darling, you have nothing to be sorry for." Louis leaned in to kiss her again, but she pulled away.
"No, I do. I didn't trust you, I acted completely irrational and didn't even give you the chance to explain yourself. I was being selfish."
"You were acting how any normal person would react."
"I should've known better..." Penelope looked down.
Louis lifted her chin causing their eyes to meet. "We can argue about this all day. 'Who's fault is it' but right now all I really want to do is kiss you."
"Okay." Penelope whispered with a smile.
"Yeah?" Louis gave one to match hers.
Penelope nodded happily. Louis wasted no time resuming their kiss.
A/N: YALL- if you saw what was here before... I got self-conscious of my writing and deleted it 💔 LOL I mean I still saved it, but so many ppl started reading this and it made me anxious 😒
Also did this chapter seem really loonggg or was that just me? I was going to split it up, but I decided not to- y'all probably don't care 💀 anyywhoooo
don't forget to vote for this chapter! and PLEASE DON'T BE A GHOST READER :(( comments, vote, idk share with a friend or mutual ?? i love reading the comments and idc if you comment like 16 times in one chapter it makes me happy to see you guys interacting!
K BYEEEEE
(finished editing 3/21/22)