Chapter Text
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“Please, Pen. It's the last time, I swear, I won't ever ask you anything again, I just need you to do this one itty bitty thing for me".
It's ironic how little effort Eloise puts into actually trying to sound believable. Ironic because there is no way in hell she doesn't know that this is the very last thing, save for being locked in a room with Philippa and her new husband, that Pen wants to do with her Saturday night. Her Saturday night that came after the week from hell, which Eloise knows because she was on the receiving end of a play by play of it all.
Penelope rolls her eyes, hand propped on her hip as she tries her best to give El a menacing stare, by the way Eloise squints back at her she guesses it comes off more akin to looking constipated.
"C'mon, Pen. I mean it, the very last time" El pleads, her brown eyes going impossibly wide as she holds her gaze from her place behind the refrigerator door.
The last time? How many last times had there been? Pen starts doing the mental calculations. There was the time El roped her into the Murder Mystery night for Mahogany tree mist, the time they did the 70's night to save the African Forest Elephant, the zombie party for the Aye-Aye, and who could forget the great bingo fiasco in honour of saving the whales. Really, how was she supposed to know that you couldn't just print multiple copies of the same bingo sheet, it was El and Philips fault for giving her the unwanted job in the first place.
" You do realise that saying 'it's the last time' loses its meaning after you use it five hundred times" Pen sighs, mentally trying to navigate the way out of it.
It's not that she doesn't want to help El, it's not even really that she can't be bothered going out, it's just... speed dating? Of all the things that Alfie could have chosen to save the great auk, why did it have to be speed dating?
"Pen, don't make me beg. Cressida pulled out at the last minute and now my numbers are a hot mess and If you don't come, some poor sod is going to be sitting at a table alone each round"
Penelope frowns. El and her freaking guilt trips. It never ceases to amaze her how easy it is for the brunette to get her to cave on these things, how easy it is for her to phrase her request in such a way that Pen can't say no. Tonight's tactic of choice, a clear emotional angle, but it lands, just like it always does.
"El..." the word fades out on her lips as she huffs out a sigh. She doesn't even know how to speed date, doesn't even know if it's something she wants to associate with herself. The question falls from her lips before she can stop it. "Isn't speed dating for like-" she feels like an ass even before the words come out "People who can't find anyone...?"
The suggestion feels more vulnerable than she expects it too, the unspoken question of Is that how you see me , lingering beyond the fringes of the words. It's not that she thinks she's above it, not at all, it's just that she's done a lot of self work to finally feel confident in her own skin, and the idea of her best friend thinking that-
El cuts her off before she can even finish the thought.
"God no, Pen! I promise, you're going to have so much fun. C'mon, when have I ever steered you wrong?" Penelope raises an eyebrow. "It was a rhetorical question, babes"
"What does the great Auk even do?" Penelope finally huffs running her fingers through her copper locks as she makes her way toward the kitchen. "I mean the whales I could understand, and the Aye-Aye? Who wouldn't want to cuddle those little guys, but the great Auk?"
Eloise's eyes light up as she passes Pen a bottle of raspberry flavoured vodka. "It's like a penguin”
Speed dating to save a sort-of-penguin? How can she say no? “Fine, but you owe me”
“Free drinks all night!” El bursts out
“You going to run that by Philip first?” Penelope snickers, pulling the cap off her drink. “Also, you should have started with that”
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The pub is in full swing by the time she gets there, the cozy atmosphere of ‘The Bridge’ welcoming her in instantly as she pushes open the heavy wooden door that sits against the towering exposed brick walls. When El had first told her that Philip and Alfie had bought the old rundown bar on Gilbert street, Pen hadn’t really known what to think, but now, as she runs her gaze over the mismatched wooden furniture and shelves filled with quirky knick-nacks, she can’t imagine a world without The Bridge or it’s ridiculous weekly attempts to save well, everything, in it.
“Pen!” Philip's voice carries across the room, only just audible over the sound of the jukebox in the corner playing soft 90’s indie music, his short wave catching her eye as she makes her way to the bar. She smiles, noticing the fairy lights he and El must have spent the afternoon draping across the ceiling. They really were going all in on the romance tonight, and by the flirty smiles filling the room between the growing crowd of thirty-something year olds, they were clearly on to something. “Thanks for coming, El mentioned she practically cornered you”
Penelope shrugs, a soft grin fitting to her lips as she takes a seat on one of the bar stools. “I was expecting a night of chinese food and Bridget Jones's diary”
“That bad, huh?” He smirks, sliding a gin and tonic across the bar top. “Do I even want to know what she promised you in return?”
“Probably not,” Penelope laughs, a soft blush coming to rest on her cheeks as Alfie takes the seat beside her, wrapping his arm around her shoulder.
It’s not that she has feelings for Alfie anymore, no, that was one of those roads taken that you’re glad you venture down, enjoy the view but know without a doubt you’re never visiting again for fear you will lose your mind. Simply put, her and Aflie as romantic option? Complete cluster fuck. Her and Alfie as friends though? Strangely it really worked. Still, there is something about having the person who just six months ago was stripping off your shirt with his teeth, something about going back to their primal form after insisting they go to a symposium on veganism, that just makes a gal flush.
“Penny, you’re here!” The nickname rolls off his tongue, his lips tilting into a smile as he pulls her body closer to his, the scent of his mint aftershave making her nose tickle. “I thought for sure this was one event El was not going to be able to coerce you into, which seems, Philip, I owe you ten quid, should have known better than to bet against your bird”
“You made a bet on me?” Penelope grins, shooting Philip a look before she returns her attention back to Alfie. “If it makes you feel any better I was vehemently against coming tonight, the only thing that got me across the line was a guilt trip and the promise of free alcohol,”
Philip makes a sound from behind the bar that slightly resembles a groan. It feels strangely rewarding considering both men seem to have no issues using her hatred of these events as a gambling chip.
“Hey, you can’t complain, you just won ten quid off the back of my pain, the least you can do is ply me with alcohol so I can do a good job saving the penguins”
Aflie chuckles next to her. “Penguins? I mean yes, technically the Great Auk is one of the only modern species in the genus penguins, however it’s not closely related to the southern hemisphere birds that we would think of as Penguins. Those penguins were discovered by sailors and only named penguins because of their physical resemblance to the great auk, which were called penguins. So really, they’re two different things if you think about it.”
Penelope blinks.
“I personally think that it would have made a lot more sense to call the southern hemisphere birds something different, thus giving more weight to the conservation of the Great Auk instead of just lumping it in with, save the penguins, however I suppose that’s neither here nor there.”
Philip shoots her a look before his blue eyes drift behind her, the smile tugging on the corner of his lips the kind that is only reserved for El. Penelope might technically be a little cranky with her right now, but even she’s happy for the interruption.
“Babe, right on time. Alf was just telling us all about the penguins”
“It’s actually really interesting, because they’re technically not penguins at least not in the way that-”
Eloise cuts him off. “Alfie, babes, while I love your enthusiasm for the penguins, or not penguins, we have exactly five minutes before everyone needs to be seated which means we have five more minutes for the lot of them to come and grab a drink for liquid courage before we start. That being said, could you join Philip behind the bar because I have a feeling he’s going to need it” She turns back towards the crowd, her eyes squinting towards the door before her lips break into a smile. “Oh thank the Lord, he’s actually shown up. We good here?
Alfie leans further into Pen, his lips brushing her ear as he whispers against her skin. “For someone who doesn’t actually own the bar, she’s very bossy”
Penelope can’t stop the giggle that falls from her lips. While they definitely don’t agree on most things, there are some things they will always agree on.
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“Alright sexy people” Eloise yells before she clambers onto the small stage towards the back of the pub. The stage, if you can call it that, stands three feet above the ground, its wooden frame holding a medium sized podium and a 1950’s style jukebox that El and Pen had spent a whole day road tripping to get. They’d built the stage themselves, Eloise and Phlip, insisting that to fit the London aesthetic they were going for, there needed to be a place for buskers to play. As El had pointed out one night after a whole bottle of wine wine, without a stage there was no way they were going to get the next up and coming Ed Sheeran to be discovered in their pub, and thus publicity for conservation projects and endangered species. It was a fractured plan at best.
Eloise taps the microphone a few times, her expectant gaze going over the crowd of people milling before her as she clears her throat. “Oi” The sound reverberates through the room, the feedback squealing slightly as she catches Pen’s gaze and winks.
“Well, now that I’ve got your attention, let me be the first to say, Welcome to the Bridge! Whether you’ve been here before, or this is your first time through the doors, we hope that the next few hours of your life will be filled with good times, good alcohol and a good promise to support the penguin-Great Auk, which for clarifications sake, is not exactly a penguin! Please see Alfie at the bar if you wish to discuss this in more detail, but for now, I, Eloise, will be your host for the evening. Think of me as your fairy godmother, but with less magic and more sarcasm, which means if you want a few extra minutes with the hottie at your table, I’m the one you need to persuade. I do take bribes”
Pen shoots a look at Alfie and Philip who look mildly horrified as the crowd cheers.
“Now, before we dive into the whirlwind of romance—or at least some mildly awkward small talk—let me explain how this is going to work. Each of you will have five minutes with each date. When you hear this-” she pulls a small gold bell off the podium giving it a shake “That means it’s time to move along. For men in the room, you’ll stay put, lest you have to ask for directions, and for our lovely ladies, you’ll be moving to the table on your right. Think of it like a game of musical chairs, just with less music and more pressure.”
The crowd laughs again and Penelope can’t help but grin. As much as El drives her crazy forcing her to attend all these events, there is never any question that she makes it fun. Really, it’s so clear as she watches Eloise commanding the room and leaving everyone on the edge of their seat that she has found her thing. How can she not support that?
Penelope slides off the bar stool, sending a mock salute to Philip and Alfie before she makes her way towards the crowd of single thirty-somethings, squishing her body into the throng of people as Eloise continues with her explanation.
“During your five minutes, feel free to ask anything you like. Just maybe steer clear of heavy topics like “How do you think you will die” or “How many cats do you think you need to have to become a spinster?” Let’s save those for the second date, yeah? The answer, however, is seven”
Pen rolls her eyes, shooting Eloise her own wink before she sticks out her tongue.
“Now! You’ve each got a scorecard. After each date, jot down the name of your partner and a quick note. At the end of the night, hand your scorecard to me, and I’ll do my best to match you up. No promises, though, I’m not a miracle worker, if you suck that’s not on me!”
The crowd breaks out into laughter again, the sound of whispers shooting through the room as a few of the girls giggle toward each other, pointing towards the boys. “I don’t know, I wish he would suck” she swears she hears, and well, the girls got a good point .
“Most of all though, please remember, tonight is not just about finding love. We’re also here to raise awareness for the conservation and safety of the Great Auk! So, if your date is Auk-ward, and isn’t quite Prince or Princess Charming, at least know that you can strike this off your bingo card as being your good deed for the week. Now, if there aren’t any questions-” she pauses to look out at the audience waiting a beat. “Let’s get this love train moving, and boys, take a seat. Ladies, once you’ve found a boy with his bum in a chair, feel free to take the one opposite to him. Also, I’ll just add, just in case any of you are logically challenged, there is no need to fight over the seats, all bums will sit in all seats with all boys. Alright stop looking at me like that you horny animals, Go on then!”
The crowd disperses quicker than Moses when he parted the red sea, or at least it feels that way. Penelope isn’t actually sure how long it took Moses to part the sea, but given it takes all of two minutes for the flock of girls infront of her to descend on the seats, and the well bums in those seats, it seems accurate. She shoots a look to El from her place on the ground, scrunching her nose in distaste as if to say Why do you rope me into these things, you’re lucky I still love you , Eloise only beams, seemingly completely unbothered as she points energetically to the free table towards the front of the room. Bloody platonic soulmates. Also, isn’t she supposed to be moving to the table after the guy sits down? How is it that she’s already somehow failing at this.
Penelope reluctantly makes her way to the empty table, hovering behind the chair for a second as she looks around the room for her aforementioned table host, it’s not hard to find him, a slightly nervous but friendly-looking guy in his mid-30s, holding up two glasses of white wine as he makes his way towards her. She takes a seat.
“Hi, sorry about that, I thought— well I thought you might be thirsty, not that I knew who you were, I mean I don’t really know anything about your hydration preferences— and oh, look there you go, you’ve already got a drink-” He pauses, the red flush of his cheeks moving down towards his neck as his brown eyes peer over his glasses. He’s cute, definitely a little nerdy and quite possibly a walking red flag given everybody should know that you don’t accept drinks from a stranger, but, if anyone were to not know it, everything about the way he sits nervously across from her states that it would be him. “Shit, forgot to tell you my name, what a right cock up, I’m Friedrich, uh-Freddie for short. My parents had a whole thing about naming their kids after 17th century European royalty”
Penelope’s eyes widen slightly as she takes in his words, the smile curving on her lips almost instantly. “Well, I suppose if you’re going to be named after anyone, a member of the royal family isn’t the worst you could do. At the very least they didn’t name you Charles.” It’s a dangerous joke given that while most of the country still held an animosity towards Charles for the whole Dianna thing, the other half were coming around to their new king. God, she needed to learn to keep her mouth shut. “Sorry, uh, Penelope. Erm, thank you– for the drink, it was a lovely gesture”
Freddie’s lips drop for a minute before he flushes an even brighter shade of pink, taking a sip of his wine. “That’s actually my dads name, and my grandfathers and his-”
Penelope cuts him off, her eyes widening once again as she grabs hold of her drink. Fuck, she’s going to need another one stat. “I am so sorry, I didn’t mean anything by it, I’m sure Charles is a really great guy, I’ve never actually met him, obviously, as he’s you know, the king so I—- I’m sure your fathers, and his fathers name sake is very, erm, good?”
She is going to kill El. It’s been not even thirty seconds and she’s already made a complete tit of herself.
“Oh no, don’t apologise, I think he’s a complete wanker. Thankfully though there are some great Charles in history who have done a lot better.” She breathes a slight sigh of relief. Okay, they can salvage this. It’s only five minutes. “My favourite–” he continues on, “Is King Charles the second, personally I feel he doesn’t get enough credit for the wonderful things that he did, I mean he legitimately restored the monarchy and brought us to the place we are today and yet all anyone seems to think about is the fact that he had seven mistresses and seventeen illegitimate children, he never did produce and heir though, poor guy”
“Wow, seventeen illegitimate children?” Pen repeats back before taking a sip of her drink. “That’s… a lot of children to be parenting. I bet he wished the ladies had a chastity belt then..” The joke sounds ridiculous even to her ears as she bypasses the sipping and throws back the rest of her drink.
“I think he was actually okay with it, though I imagine no one is particularly thrilled about not producing an heir. The chastity belt however, that’s a great point. Did you know-” Penelope looks over to the bar, sending a desperate look to Alfie who manages to catch her eye. At this point, she would gladly take hearing about not-penguins, over whatever was about to come out of Freddie’s mouth. “A lot of people actually think the chastity belt was a myth and not a historical reality in the middle ages. In fact, the concept of chastity belts was likely actually just a satirical invention by male writers and artists and the manufacture of the belt itself never even a thought until the 19th century where it was created for the purpose of museum displays”
What? Her gaze snaps back to Freddie, her brow furrowing as she takes in his words suddenly intrigued. “Wait, your saying that that the chastity belt and it’s implications of sexual control for women was actually just something a man thought up as a joke?”
Freddie nods, clearly oblivious to the confusion in her tone as he continues on. “And a good one at that, I mean for centuries now people have still continued to talk about them, even use them—-obviously not how they were meant to be used—-- but all it takes is looking at the sex industry and their use of sex related belts and you’ll see how the idea has evolved through out the years, it’s kind of glorious isn't it?”
Penelope frowns, her brows knitting together as she takes in his words. It’s hard to tell if he’s glorifying the fact that the joke was made by a male in the first place or if he’s simply proud that the underhanded joke meant to mock female pleasure, has in fact been the catalyst for giving them more. She decides to look at it as the latter, the alternative option futile if she wants to get through the next three minutes.
“Wow, yes.. That’s so interesting. I never really thought about it that way.”
“Most people don't” Freddie nods, and yes, most people also don’t use speed dating to talk about how chastity belts gave way to strap ons, but then again, most people don’t have Penelope's luck. “Did you want some wine?” he gestures to the full glass sitting on the table.
Penelope nervously looks to the glass shaking her head before quickly changing the subject, the last thing she needs is to involuntarily start a conversation about the history of 17th century drink spiking. “Have you been here before?”
“The bridge? No, this is actually my first time. A friend of mine owns the bar though and has been asking me to come to some of his conservation events for a while now. Reluctantly, I’ve been unable to come as I hold a small study group on a Saturday evening for my students, however now that final exams are finished I decided to venture into the wild and see what this whole speed dating thing is about.”
Alfie. She should have known. Of course they were friends.
“I didn’t realise you were a teacher, or that you knew Alfie, I know he lectures at the university every now and then, is that how you met?”
Freddie nods, a small smile coming to his lips before he tips his head inquisitively. “Wait. Are you by any chance Penny! Afie’s Penny?”
Penelope flushes, her blue eyes slipping from Freddie all the way over to Alfie who is watching them with a grin from behind the bar. Good God, he’s enjoying this. She looks back. “So you’re a teacher! That's so cool, I’ve always been interested in people who are passionate about something enough to devote their whole lives to sharing it with others. I think that’s why I myself love-”
The bell rings loudly from the stage, El shooting her a wink as she catches her gaze. Penelope sighs in relief, her focus moving back to her—date. “Wow! Well, I guess we have to cut this short. It was so lovely to meet you, and I-” she pauses, trying to think of words to accurately describe the last five minutes of her life. What was propper speed date etiquette anyway? Did you have to give them a compliment? Do you just wave and then move on to the next table? God, why wasn’t there a manual for this. She settles on, “I learned so much”
Freddie grins, his eyes sparkling with excitement as he takes her hand lifting it to his lips. “You are just as Alfie described you, I can’t believe I didn’t see it before, the red hair, the blue eyes, your stature” she narrows her eyes at him “Alfie says that you work for a publishing house. I am actually in the middle of writing a book on the bubonic plagues of London if you would like to catch up sometime. I would love to get your opinion-”
He’s cut off by the presence of his next date, a short blonde with pink cheeks and a pretty smile. Penelope takes the opportunity to escape, nodding to Freddie as she slides from the chair. “Oh, I better leave you with your next date. Great chatting with you!”
She doesn’t even hear his reply before she crosses the small gap to the available chair waiting for her.
“Well that looked like an escape if ever I saw one?” A warm voice welcomes her as she finally lifts her gaze to the male on the other side of the table. “Will” he nods, his eyes sliding down her body for a moment too long.
“Penelope”
If she thought Freddie was bad, the next two are spectacularly worse.
Will is nice at first, his expression kind and friendly as he asks her about her interests, her likes and dislikes. As far as speed dating goes, she assumes he’s saying all the right things. Nodding when she mentions her love for reading, asking questions when she talks about her job, in fact the uncomfortable feeling she experiences is nothing to do with the words coming out of his mouth or to do with the way he keeps ogling her chest, it’s his confession about his own career, or well, rival establishment which sits just a few streets over.
“I’m looking to make these kinds of social events a regular thing at my bar, Mondrich’s, down the road. Thought I’d see the turn out, figure out the logistics so I can make it a night people actually remember.” She can hear the unspoken not like this, an undercurrent against his words.
It takes everything in her not to kick him underneath the table.
Eloise had told her all about Will Monrich and his stupid fancy gentlemens club. Of course he’d choose to open it up to females only for the sake of getting the dickheads that enjoyed his establishment laid. It made total sense.
She maybe takes some satisfaction in playing with him.
“Oh, wow! I love bars and social events, and drinking. Maybe I could bring a few of my friends-” she points to Freddie and the blonde next to him hoping they don’t notice “to come have drinks after this”
Will’s eyes widen for a split second before he recovers with a grin. “Oh, no, you should definitely wait for our singles night. I’ve got big plans for it and I’d love to see your face when it’s all ready to go”
“You don’t want me to come back to your bar?” For all that she’s terrible at speed dating, she’s not terrible at putting stupid misogynistic geezers in their place, also the alcohol definitely helps. She’ll thank Philip later. Also, who vetted this thing? “Oh, that’s a shame… I thought-” she leans forward against the table top, bending her arms so that her chest juts forward, her cleavage visibly on show, “that you might want us to come and enjoy your space, seeing’s this place is so lame and all…”
Will licks his lips, his own forearms coming to rest against the table as he leans forward into her space. It takes everything in her not to pull back. “My club is a special kind of club, sweetheart. We take in a more male clientele” More male, she thinks. What does that even mean? The guy can’t even properly explain his own place.
She plays dumb. “Oooh, that’s okay! I love my gays! Your theme nights must be amazing, are you doing a rainbow speed dating event? You totally should!”
She watches as his face contorts in confusion, his mind clearly ticking over where he went wrong. She can’t really blame him, I mean he did invite her to the speed dating event and now she’s accused him of owning a gay bar, he’s probably mentally trying to do the math.
She smiles sweetly at him instead, waiting.
“No uh, I own a gentlemans club, so we only have male members, but uh— We’re going to open it up in a few weeks to give some of our more regulars a chance to find love” he pauses, his lips curling back into a sly smile before he cocks his head closer towards her. “Isn’t that what we’re all looking for anyway?”
Penelope watches from behind him as Eloise makes her way back up onto the small stage, the brunette picking up the bell before ringing it loudly.
Fuck, finally.
“Well, Penelope, it was truly a pleasure meeting you tonight, who knows, maybe we’ll see eachother again soon.”
She slides out of the chair before he’s finished the sentence, only turning back towards him at the last second. “You’re wrong for the record. I think all we’re looking for is people not to be condescending patriarchal assholes, did the Barbie movie not teach you anything?”
She darts to the next table before he can get a reply in, throwing herself down into the seat with what she can only imagine is the petulance of a small child.
It doesn’t take long for her to remember she’s not alone.
"Shit. I’m sorry, I—” she hesitates, lifting her eyes from her lap to meet the gaze of the beautiful chocolate skin man in front of her. His deep, brown eyes, the epitome of why writers like herself use the phrase, 'eyes I could drown in.' Her cheeks tinge pink.
He smiles at her gently, the way you would a restless puppy and then with the tilt of his head asks the last question she would ever expect to hear from someone who somehow manages to look so completely put together.
“Did you just use the barbie movie in the same sentence as patriarchal asshole? Because if you did, that’s one of the greatest insults I’ve ever heard.
Penelope cheeks flush an ever deeper shade of red. “You heard that?”
He simply nods, his smile still firmly in place.
“I swear I’m generally not that rude or forward, it’s just—” she pauses, looking back over to her last table, Wills figure once again leaning over as the short blonde from before seems to hang off his every word.
She turns back to her date. “He really pissed me off”
The brown eyed man laughs, his eyes dancing with amusement as he lifts his arm to roll up his sleeve before holding it out to her, the sight of a small tattoo along the inside of his arm exposed as she tilts her head to read it. ‘Fuck the patriachy’. Good gosh. He really was the kind of man women write about.
She can’t help the giggle that falls from her lips, wondering if they’re meant to be lyrics, a statement or both. “Wow, that was the very last thing I was expecting to see.”
“What did you think I was doing?” He asks amused, his head cocking to the side as he roams his gaze over her face. She shrinks slightly under his attention.
“I honestly don’t know” Penelope admits, grinning as she shrugs her shoulders slightly. “I’ve had an interesting first few dates, at this point nothing would surprise me”
The man laughs again, his chin tilting to look at the men to the side of them before he brings his focus back on to her again. “Well, let’s hope this one is interesting for a better reason. John Sterling” he reaches out his hand.
It’s the first time she’s heard someone state their first and last name in a long time. Strangely, it seems fitting.
“Penelope Featherington” she answers back, giving his hand a small shake.
They smile at each other for a moment, hands linked over the table before he gives her fingers a light squeeze.
“So Penelope Featherington, what do you do when you’re not pulling down the patriarchy with your witty remarks” It’s a sweet comment, but one that gives her way too much credit, the patriarchy pulling more suited to El or Cressida and the way they handle things. For all her forwardness with Will, when it comes to pulling down anything, she much prefers using the written word. Nothing like a perfectly timed buzzfeed article to highlight the injustices happening around the world.
She’s not quite sure how to explain that though, so she settles on the easy answer.
“I work for a publisher, so most of my time is spent reading, which is perfectly suited to me, because while we’ve been instructed not to talk about cats, I rather think that if I were to be any animal it would be a cat, nothing sounds better to me than curling up in a cozy spot.”
John nods thoughtfully, his brown eyes fixed on hers as he lifts his glass up to take a sip of his beer. “I believe the instruction was not to talk about how many cats made you a spinster, the admission that you believe yourself to want to be a cat if you had to be an animal is definitely on the safe list. That being said, If our host has an issue with it, I promise to back you up”
Penelope laughs, looking over to where El is busy talking to Philip.
“I appreciate the notion, but our host over there is actually my flatmate so if she were to punish me for speaking about cats, I’d have to throw out all of her ice cream which she definitely wouldn't like. You think she’s bossy on the microphone, you just wait until there is food involved.”
John nod’s conspiratorially before waving as El lifts her head to look in their direction. Goodness, he’s cute, the kind of guy who would make an excellent addition to their friend group.
“Thank you though, and they say chivalry is dead” Pen grins. “What about you, what do you do for a living? What do you enjoy?”
“You’ve got to promise not to laugh” He answers after a moment, a sheepish smile falling against his lips.
“I can’t promise that” Pen begins, her hand reaching across to gently pat the top of his. “Any time anyone starts a sentence with that it’s basically a guarantee that they’re going to laugh. So how about this?” she meets his gaze, schooling her face into a serious expression. “John Sterling, I promise–” she pauses for dramatic effect “to back you up in whatever you’re about to say.”
“And if I tell you I’m secretly an axe murderer?” he chuckles
She doesn’t miss a beat.
“Then I’ll back you up all the way to the police station”
“That would be fair” he muses, before leaning forward bringing his hand up to his mouth to whisper conspiratorially. “I am a piano player— In a coldplay cover band—- We do.. Weddings.”
Pen’s eyes widen, her mouth dropping open as she pulls back for a moment to inspect his face, her eyes darting around his features for confirmation of what he’s just said. He gives nothing away, his lips still tilted up into a half smile as he waits for her to react.
“Are you actually?” she asks with a bemused smile, eyes twinkling as she takes in the man infront of her.
He nods, giving her another grin before he rolls the sleeve covering his other arm up exposing a whole sleeve of woven tattoos, the lyrics to the song ‘Yellow’ etched in black ink in the middle of his forearm.
“Wow, Taylor swift and Coldplay lyrics, you really are a man of mystery aren't you?”
John grins, his eyes twinkling as he shakes his head slightly before smirking. “Is this you backing me up? Because you made it sound like it was going to be so much more… encouraging”
Penelope barks out a laugh, the sound escaping before she flushes at the eyes that turn her way. “Shit” she mumbles softly, rolling her own good naturedly at him. “You’re right, erm.. Coldplay, great band! Lots of hits! Fix you, wonderful, paradise, so good, and Yellow? Who can go wrong with yellow? If I were going to have an English coverband do my wedding it would be— Well it would probably be U2—-” she smirks “But Coldplay would be a close second!”
“Wow, Penelope. The encouragement there was just next level” he laughs.
“I’m great at it aren't I?” she quips back, giggling as she watches Eloise get back on the stage. “Oh dear, I think our time is-”
The bell rings again, this time too soon as John squeezes her hand again.
“Well, damn. That flew by a lot quicker than expected.” Pen nods. “If it isn’t too forward of me, I’ve had a great time chatting with you tonight, and if you’d like to sequester my contact details from your flat mate, I wouldn’t be against it.” he winks. “I could use some new people to spend time with. Maybe get you to rethink U2 for your wedding”
“Right” Pen laughs, a flush falling over her cheeks as she slides out of the chair, her focus still fixed on him. “I don’t know, I’m now thinking maybe Coldplay is third, I totally forgot about Oasis”
John fakes a gasp, his hand slipping up to rest against his cheek as she backs away from the table, her eyes still fixed on his silly expression as she reaches behind her before turning to take a seat.
It takes all of three seconds for the smile to fall off her lips.
“Colin?”