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Penelope startled awake her entire body feeling strange. Groaning, she sat up, rubbing her eyes, annoyed that the sun was already streaming into her bedroom and into her eyes. Rae hadn’t come to wake her up yet, so how were her curtains open? Letting her eyes adjust to the bright light, Penelope had to blink twice as she took in her surroundings. Where was she? This wasn’t her room that she’d fallen asleep in. Was this even her room? Rubbing her eyes again, she tried looking around again and while structurally it looked like her room, the decor was all wrong. Gone were her buttery yellow walls with green accents and in its place were blue walls with yellow accents and decor. She noticed that all her furniture was in the wrong place and most notably, the sofa in front of her window was gone. The one she had sat on for years as she’d gazed across the square at the house where her heart was. Instead, her desk was in front of the window.
“What on earth?” Came a voice from Penelope’s side.
Holding her blanket close to her chest, she turned her head to where the voice came from. To her right was her sofa that belonged in front of her window and sat on the sofa was… Herself? Rubbing her eyes more vigorously, Penelope blinked and opened her eyes once more. This time, the other Penelope had gotten to her feet and had stepped towards the bed. Both Penelope’s regarded each other for a moment, neither of them sure what to say.
“Am I dreaming?” Asked the Penelope that was in bed.
“I… If you are dreaming then I must be dreaming too.” Replied the Penelope that had been sat on the sofa.
The Penelope in bed threw the covers back, got out of bed and tentatively stepped towards the other Penelope. The Penelope that had been on the sofa regarded the other person, taking in the fact that the girl in front of her looked much like her younger self.
“Where am I?” Questioned the Penelope that had just gotten out of bed.
“You are in my bedchamber.”
“But this feels like my bedchamber but the decor is all wrong and the furniture is… And my walls are the wrong colour. Why are they not yellow?”
“The walls have not been yellow for quite some time now.”
“I don’t understand. I came to bed last night and everything was as it should be so… I… I don’t understand.” Cried the Penelope that had gotten out of bed as she began to pace the room.
Something strange was happening and she couldn’t understand what. As she went round to the desk, she saw papers and books all over the table. She looked up at the other Penelope who simply nodded, gesturing that it was okay for the her to have a look. Flicking through the papers, she quickly identified that she was looking at drafts of Whistledown sheets and while they were clearly in her handwriting, a short read of the top sheet revealed that she could not have written it herself because she didn’t recognise the story. Gently, she moved aside the sheets to look at the other papers on the desk and thats when she saw it, the date.
“1817? Why is this issue of Whistledown dated 1817?”
The Penelope that had been sat on the sofa gingerly made her way across the room and took the issue of Whistledown from the other Penelope’s hand.
“Ah, this is yesterday’s issue.”
Eyes wide, the younger Penelope looked at the slightly older Penelope, unable to understand what was happening.
“How can… How can this be yesterdays edition when it was still 1813 yesterday? It’s still 1813 for goodness sake!”
Brows furrowed, Penelope of 1817 regarded Penelope of 1813. How on earth… Placing a gentle hand on 1813 Penelope’s shoulder, the older Penelope gestured for her to sit down at the desk. Once sat, she poured her younger counterpart a glass of water and handed it to her. With a quiet “thank you,” 1813 Penelope drank the water while 1817 Penelope watched her, trying to make sense of what was going on. She now realised that the girl in front of her did look every bit like the girl she had been four years ago but how was it possible that she was here? Penelope had read about time travel but surely that was all fiction? But if it was fiction, then how was her former self sitting at her desk drinking water.
“I’m not sure what has happened here but… It is 1817 and the issue of Whistledown you read is from yesterday. And this indeed is how my bedchamber is now. But how are you here?” Present Penelope asked gently.
“I don’t understand what is happening. I went to bed as is usually do and I have woken up… Here? How is that possible?”
“I do not know. And I have no idea on how we can find out more.”
Just then, the rustling of sheets caught the attentions of both Penelope’s. While past Penelope couldn’t work out where it came from, present Penelope’s head shot to the side. It was them that past Penelope noticed the crib on the other side of the bed and a little ginger baby boy was sat up, holding his blanket. Present Penelope walked over to the crib, plucking the baby out and holding him close to her chest, whispering good morning to him. With the baby in her arms, she came back over to the sofa and sat down. Past Penelope watched in awe while also confused as to what was going on.
“Who…”
“This is Thomas.”
Past Penelope got up and gingerly made her over to where present Penelope and Thomas were sitting and sat down beside them. Thomas looked between his mother and the younger version of his mother, unable to understand why there was two of them. Deciding it was too much for him, he burrowed his face into Penelope’s chest and stayed there. It was as present Penelope stroked Thomas’ back soothingly that past Penelope noticed the rings on both of Penelope’s hands.
“Are you… Are you married?”
“I am yes.”
“And is Thomas… Is Thomas your baby?” Past Penelope whispered, unable to believe what she was seeing and saying.
“He is, yes.”
“You got married and have a baby?”
Shifting Thomas in her arms and putting him over her shoulder, Penelope nodded.
“I know you said you’re from 1813, have you debuted yet?”
“Yes, I debuted a few weeks ago. It’s not going well.”
Chuckling, Penelope nodded because she remembered all too well how her first season out had gone.
“Did you… When did you start courting your husband?”
“Well, my husband and I, we never really courted.”
Part of present Penelope wanted to tell past Penelope not to worry about the social season, that everything would work out in its own time. She wanted to reassure her younger self she would get everything that she’d ever dreamed of, that Colin Bridgerton would love her back. But she wasn’t sure how time travel worked. Should she be telling her past self so much about her future? What if it changed the course of her life, of both their lives?
“Whistldown, you are still writing it?”
“I am.”
“Does… Does your husband know?”
“He does.”
“And he has no issue with it?”
Present Penelope paused, thinking about how things had been when Colin had initially found out about Whistledown, how he had reacted. But the reality of the situation was, they had overcome that. He had come to understand why she had started Whistledown and why it benefited her to keep it going. As much as she wanted to tell past Penelope about it, she decided not to. These were things her past counterpart was going to experience herself, things which would help her to grow as a person.
“I would not be leaving my things lying around the bedroom I share with my husband if he had an issue with it.” Penelope said finally.
Past Penelope took in the information, not sure what to do with it. She didn’t know what to think or how to feel about the fact that even years on, she would still be writing but the fact that she had someone in her life that knew about her writing and who supposedly accepted it, it was good to know.
Thomas wiggling in Penelope’s arms caused her and past Penelope to come out of their thoughts and she put her son down onto the floor. He looked up between both version of his mother again before turning his attention to his box of little wooden animals. As he crawled off, present Penelope turned her attention to past Penelope who was watching Thomas in awe.
“He looks just like me.” Past Penelope murmured quietly.
“He does. He looks everything like us. You cannot see his father in him at all. Except for the soft curls on his head.”
Looking at the little boy, past Penelope smiled as she watched Thomas playing, taking in his features. Present Penelope was correct, the baby did look exactly like her but his hair, while a darker red than her own, the curls looked like… Past Penelope shook her head, not willing to let her mind go there. It hurt too much, especially knowing that he was courting Marina. As much as she wanted to ask her future self, she couldn’t bring herself to ask if Colin and Marina had gotten married. Surely they would have?
“How does one come to be with child?” Past Penelope asked.
She and Eloise had wanted to find out after learning of Marina’s pregnancy but they hadn’t made much progress and even Marina’s response had been unhelpful. Maybe her future self would tell her, after all, she understood why she was asking the question. Present Penelope’s cheeks coloured as she looked between her past self and her son.
“Please tell me.” Past Penelope implored.
“Yes, of course I… Well I… A child comes to be when a man and a woman engage in the act of love.”
“But what does that mean!” Penelope whined impatiently. Even Marina had said something of sort but then had equated it all to cake. She needed to know how it happened.
“You know the romance books that you read? Well, you know when the author says a man and a woman lie together, it means they are engaging in the act of love.”
“But how can lying beside someone result in a child?”
“The books do not describe what happens when two people lie together. But it is when… When the man inserts himself into the woman, repeatedly until his seed expels from him and into her.”
Present Penelope felt her cheeks heat and she hoped her younger self was understanding. Past Penelope looked between her older self and the little boy, still struggling to understand how it all happened.
“I don’t think I understand.”
Letting out an exasperated breath, present Penelope tucked her hair behind her ears as she gathered her thoughts.
“You know the statues and paintings of nude people, you have noticed how below the waist, men’s bodies are different to ours.”
Past Penelope nodded because yes, she had noticed that the male anatomy was different to that of a woman’s.
“When a man inserts that part of his body into a woman, the part of us that is different to theirs, that is known as the act of making love.”
“And he inserts that part of his body between our legs?” Past Penelope whispered in horror.
“Yes.” Present Penelope answered simply.
Shuddering, past Penelope shook her head, her thighs clamping together. Why would anyone want to do that? Surely it would hurt? And again, why? Why would one wish to do such a thing?
“Do you… Have to take your clothes off?”
“Well you do not have to. I suppose you could leave your nightgown on and simply shift it up over your hips but in the heat of the moment, one does like to undress their partner.”
“Do you?” Past Penelope asked present Penelope in horror.
Blushing furiously, present Penelope hid her face in her hands.
“You cannot ask that! That is immensely private.”
“But you are me! Only three years in the future! Anything you have already experienced, anything you have already done, I will do it too.”
“Yes I… I suppose that is true.”
“Then please tell me.”
“I… Well I suppose I… Yes, I… I do like to undress my husband and he me.”
“Your husband has seen you… Naked?” Past Penelope whispered the last word.
“Yes, many times. He has also seen me give birth to our child. I know it seems absurd now, but when you are married, undressing, being undressed in front of your husband, it is not as daunting as it seems now.”
“And he… You allow him to touch you? With his hands?”
“Yes.” Present Penelope answered simply.
Feeling as though her head would explode, past Penelope slumped back against the sofa. The concept of undressing in front of a man and letting him touch her felt so alien and yet her counterpart seemed completely at ease about it all.
“How long have you been married?”
“Almost two years.”
Nodding, past Penelope fell silent as she watched Thomas crawl along the floor, going from one side of the rug to the other with his animals. She wasn’t all too familiar with babies but looking at the little boy, he looked to be a year old. That would mean Penelope of 1817 would have conceived the baby shortly after marriage. The thought of being with a man in that manner so shortly after marriage felt unfathomable to Penelope of 1813.
“Do you… Love your husband?”
“Very much so.” Present Penelope replied without missing a beat.
“But… But what of Colin?” Past Penelope whispered.
She hadn’t wanted to mention him, didn’t know how to bring him up, but she couldn’t stop herself. At present, she couldn’t imagine ever loving someone else, wanted nothing more than to save Colin from Marina’s plan, but she had no idea how. How had this Penelope overcome that and found someone she truly loved?
Present Penelope reached across and took past Penelope’s hands into her own.
“Our love for Colin was always real and deep and true, but the way I feel for my husband, makes my feelings I had for Colin before, the feelings you have for him now, seem like child’s play. I know it will not make sense to you now, but when the time comes, you will understand you have never truly loved until you feel love for your husband.”
The idea that she could ever love someone more than Colin felt like a stretch, but she was willing to believe present Penelope. After all, she was the one that was living her life.
“And what of Colin?”
“He is well. Very well. His is a husband and father now.”
Unsure how to proceed, past Penelope simply smiled and nodded, doing her best to tamp down the sharp pain she was feeling knowing that Colin was married. He must have married Marina.
She asked present Penelope about other things, like her sisters and Eloise and the ton, choosing not to ask anything more about Colin. While present Penelope may be content with her life and her husband, past Penelope wasn’t ready to hear what was happening in Colin’s life and who he was with. Thomas crawled back over to his mother and Penelope picked him up, holding him close to her chest as she carried on talking.
They spoke for ages, completely losing track of time and only realising how much time had passed when the door to the bedroom slowly started opening. Past Penelope began to panic because she shouldn’t be here! What would anyone think if they walked in to see two Penelope’s? And the person at the door didn’t knock, so it had to be Penelope’s husband right? Who else would enter the room without her permission. Before past Penelope could move, the door was fully open and someone stepped inside. A man. Her future selfs husband. Her future husband!
“What on earth?” Colin said as he looked between the two Penelope’s sitting on the sofa.
Past Penelope looked between present Penelope and Colin, her eyes wide as she noticed the smile emerging on her counterparts face. Colin rubbed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing. Two Penelopes? Thomas’ head snapped round at the sound of Colin’s voice and the largest of grins played on his face.
“Dada!”
Past Penelope watched as the little boy crawled over to a slightly older version of the man she knew and loved and watched as Colin scooped him up off the floor and kissed the top of his head.
“You’re married to Colin?” Past Penelope finally asked present Penelope.
“Yes.”
“Why didn’t you say?”
“I was unsure if I should tell you because I was unsure how this bit of information would impact your decision making and ultimately change our future.”
“You’re married to Colin.” Past Penelope whispered, feeling her heart lift with excitement.
Closing the distance between himself and both Penelope’s, he wrapped his arm around present Penelope and smiled kindly at past Penelope.
“Do either of you want to explain what’s going on because I am very, very confused. Do not misunderstand, nothing makes me happier than having two Penelope’s in my private quarters, but I am still immensely confused.”
Present Penelope explained to Colin that she had no idea what was going on but one moment the bed was empty and the next, past Penelope was in the bed, confused where she had come from and how. Past Penelope watched the way the Colin and Penelope interacted with one another, the way their hands grazed the others as they were speaking, as they naturally leaned in towards one another. There was an intimacy there that she and her Colin didn't have, no matter how close they were.
“But what happens now then, we can’t have two of you in the same place at the same time?” Colin asked his wife.
“I am unsure, but we must ensure that no one else happens across her.”
Nodding his agreement, Colin gave present Penelope’s hand a squeeze as he turned to past Penelope regarding her with admiration. Tentatively. He closed the distance between himself and her.
“Hello again Pen.” Colin beamed warmly, holding out his hand.
Past Penelope looked down at his hand, confused as to what he was doing. Was he offering his hand for her to shake? That was… Why, that was improper! She and Colin didn't do that regardless of how little attention they paid to what was actually proper. Noticing her hesitation, he dropped his hand. They all fell silent, present Penelope turning her attention to her son that was beginning to become unsettled and lifting him off the ground.
“I am going to go and find Thomas’ nanny so that she can feed him and I will be right back.” She turned to past Penelope. “Will you be alright here for a few minutes?”
“I will look after her.” Confirms Colin.
“Will that be alright?” Present Penelope asked her former self once more.
Past Penelope nodded, still in awe of the man in front of her. Grinning, present Penelope left the room, chatting quietly to Thomas as she went. Colin turned his attention back to past Penelope, equally in awe as the woman in front of him. He couldn’t help but notice how compared to his wife, it was unmissable how young this Penelope looked.
“What year did you say you have come from?”
“1813.”
“Ah, the year you debuted.”
“Indeed.”
“Gosh, that feels like a lifetime ago! Much has happened since then.”
“You didn’t marry Marina…” Penelope said quietly, more to herself than anything else.
“What? No, no of course not. Am I… Still courting her in your time?”
Nodding, Penelope looked down at her feet unsure what to say. Colin took a tentative step towards her, his hands itching to reach out for her but unsure if it was appropriate. While she was his Penelope, she wasn’t. This version of her wasn’t his wife, nor was she the mother of his child. Could he touch her to comfort her or would that be the equivalent of touching another woman? Choosing to play it safe, he rest his hand on her arm, the way he had done many times during their childhood.
“I apologise on behalf of my former self for not realising my feelings for you sooner. I… I didn’t realise what was right in front of me and I carried on trying to find something more when all I needed was you. I have spent every day of my life since then trying to make it up to you but I… I still want to apologise.”
Shaking her head, Penelope gingerly covered Colin’s hand with her own.
“It’s quite alright. Even in our time, while you may not feel for me as I do you, I know you care for me and that is enough to sustain me. You make me feel seen when everyone else overlooks me…”
Blushing; Penelope’s voice trailed off as she dropped her hand away from Colin’s. Being here with Colin, even if it was a slightly older version of her Colin, it felt strange. She felt strange. She felt like she could say how she was truly feeling. Perhaps it was because she knew that this version of Colin was already married to another version of herself. If he already loved the future version of her then it must mean that he accepts her for all that she is?
When present Penelope quietly slides back into the room, she smiles as she takes in the shy smiles from her husband to her former self.
“Mama has taken Thomas so we have some time to work out what we can do to send Pen- little me home.”
As if suddenly being struck by lightening, past Penelope looked around herself, taking in the room. Her brows burrowed in confusion as new questions began to formulate in her mind.
“Before we can think about how to send me back to my time, may I ask you both some things about… Well about how I will become you.”
Nodding, present Penelope sat down on the sofa, Colin sitting down beside her and wrapping his arm around her. He gestured for Penelope to sit on one of the chairs at the desk.
“You can ask us anything you like.”
“Thank you, I think my first question is, if I… If you two are married, why are we living here? Do we not have our own home or can we not live at the Bridgerton house? Why are we here?”
Present Penelope and Colin nodded before turning to one another, a silent conversation passing between them before they turned back to past Penelope.
“We did have our own home, an apartment in one of our family’s Bloomsbury estate. I had secured it for us the night we got engaged and we lived there for the first months of our marriage and for the duration of the time we were expecting Thomas. However, once Thomas was born, as the first male heir of the Featherington family, he inherited your family’s title, thus resulting in this becoming our home.”
It took past Penelope a moment to take in what Colin had said and she felt her eyes widen as it all begun to sink in.
“Thomas is the Featherington heir?”
“Yes, both Philippa and Prudence gave birth to little girls while we had Thomas.” Present Penelope beamed, her fingers locking in with Colin’s.
“Philippa and Prudence have babies too?”
“They have a daughter each. The girls were born days apart and Thomas a few weeks after them. All three of them enjoy each others company very much.”
While past Penelope didn't vocalise it, from what present Penelope was saying, it sounded like she had a positive relationship with her sisters. How had that happened?
“Wait, if Thomas is the heir and has inherited the title does that mean… Papa…”
Crossing the short distance between them, present Penelope knelt down beside past Penelope, resting her hand on her knee.
“Papa… It has been a while since he passed.”
Feeling tears crawling up her throat, past Penelope did her best to swallow them back down.
“If it has been a while for you then for me… In my time?”
“Soon.” Is all present Penelope finds herself able to say.
“But if it is to happen soon, how is so much time able to pass between papa’s passing and Thomas’ birth? What I mean is, how does it not get passed to another relative in the meantime?”
“I do not wish to tell you the full extent of what happens during that time. However what I will say is, mama did what she needed to do to ensure that the title remains with us. She did what she needed to do to avoid our downfall.”
While past Penelope didn't quite understand what that meant, she was willing to take her present selfs word for it.
“And mama, your relationship with mama? Is it…”
“It is amazing. It is better than it has ever been. And our relationship has not changed because of Thomas, even before Thomas was born and before he became the Featherington heir, my relationship with mama was changing. It is still a work in progress of course, but, what we do share with her is special.”
Of all the things past Penelope had hoped for her future, she had never thought that she and her mother would be able to repair their relationship. She had always been under the impression that once she married and left her family home, she would rarely see her mother or her sisters. She had never thought that they would all still be active parts of her life and that she would be happy to have them.
“I know we have not always seen eye to eye with mama, that we have struggled to understand her and why she is the way she is, but I can assure you, she has always wanted what’s best for us. She is not soft and nurturing the way mama Violet is, but one day, you will understand why she is the way she is, what she had to go through to get to where she is, to become who she is. So while I know it is hard, I implore you to try and give her some grace when you go home.”
Tilting her head to the side, past Penelope regarded what present Penelope was telling her. There was nothing more she could say to that, present Penelope knew more than she did and so she was inclined to take her word as gospel.
Present Penelope turned to Colin, a slight look of worry on her face.
“Mama reminded me that we are due over at Bridgerton house.”
“Ah, yes, I forgot about that.”
“Maybe… If you go with Thomas and let mama Violet know that I am not feeling too well…”
Looking between the two Penelope’s, Colin nodded in understanding.
“I will let mother know, but how do we…” Colin trailed off, unsure how to word what he wanted to say without coming across as being rude. He turned his attention to past Penelope. “I am still struggling to understand how you got here.”
“I don’t know, I can’t remember very much but I am sure I went to bed as normal but when I woke up, I was here instead of in my bed, in my time.”
A look of worry passed between Colin and Penelope and the gravity of the situation slowly began to creep in. They had absolutely no idea how past Penelope had arrived and they had no idea how to send her back. Neither of them was versed on how time travel worked, but they were sure that Penelope needed to go back to her own time to ensure everything carried on running smoothly.
“Also, please do not turn down an invitation on my account. If you leave me here, I will ensure that I stay within this room and make sure no one sees me.”
“I don’t know…” present Penelope started.
“I insist. You may lock me into this room so that I cannot get out and no one can get in. I am beginning to feel quite tired anyway so maybe I will take a nap.”
“I’m not sure…” Penelope began but then trailed off. “What if something happens and you need to get out? I…”
As present Penelope shook her head, not at all happy with the idea of locking her past self in and leaving her, past Penelope insisted that it was okay. They went back and forth for a little while, but ultimately, present Penelope gave in.
“I’m not comfortable with this in the slightest.”
Past Penelope took present Penelope’s hands into her own and squeezed.
“Please do not stop yourself from enjoying your life and your family because of me. I assure you, I will be fine.”
“But what if… What if you’re not here when we return?”
“Then I am so glad I had the opportunity to see you. Perhaps I was able to come here because the universe knew I needed this. I hope I am able to remember some of this when I go home so that I know things will get better and that I will one day have the life that I have always dreamt of.”
Knowing exactly what her past self meant, present day Penelope wrapped her arms around her younger self, holding her close.
“You are going to have a few challenging years, but follow your heart and believe in yourself and you will find yourself here in no time.”
“Meeting you has been so strange but I feel… I feel I needed this. So thank you.”
It was beyond strange for present Penelope to have a younger version of herself in her arms but she couldn’t help but feel tears prickling for the girl in her arms. She hoped that past Penelope would be able to go back to her own time but she knew that when she did, regardless of whether or not she would remember this encounter, she had a few tough years ahead of her. But everything would be okay and her younger self would get through it all, just as she had.
*****
As much as Penelope loved spending time with the Bridgertons, she couldn’t stop thinking about the young version of herself that was in her bedroom across the road. By the time they had left, past Penelope had looked exhausted, barely able to keep her eyes open. Penelope couldn’t help but wonder if her younger version had fallen asleep and if she was still asleep.
When they finally bid farewell to the Bridgertons, Colin slipped his hand into Penelope’s as he held a sleeping Thomas over his shoulder. While he knew that his wife had enjoyed her afternoon with their family, it was evident to him that she was distracted. As they made their way across the square and Penelope leaned into Colin’s side, her fingers gently stroked Thomas’ soft locks. She found herself thinking about her younger self once more. The year she had debuted, she would never have imagined that a few short years later, she would be married to the love of her love and the mother of his child. She wondered if this new information would change the trajectory of her life.
“You’re thinking about the other Penelope again aren’t you?”
“It’s hard not to think about her. This whole day, this whole situation has been so strange. I did not even think it was possible for something like that to happen but it did. She really was there. I touched her and spoke to her, she was real.”
“I did too, and yes, she was absolutely real.”
“Do you think she will still be there?”
“I guess we will find out.” Colin said as they began to climb the steps to their front door.
Once inside, they began making their way straight up to their bedroom, not wanting to waste any time. Approaching their door, Penelope turned the doorknob but found the door was still locked, the way that they had left it. Taking the key out of his pocket, Colin unlocked the door and allowed Penelope to do the honours of going inside first. She was unsure what to expect, but part of her hoped that the other Penelope would still be there. The moment they stepped into their room though, Penelope knew her younger self was gone. There was a stillness to the room that wouldn’t be there if she still was. Looking around, Penelope quietly called out for her younger self as Colin shut the door and placed Thomas into his crib.
“Penelope?”
When there was no response, present Penelope sat down on the edge of the bed, noticing the way that the sheets were crinkled, conformation that the other version of herself had been in bed but she was gone now.
Sitting down beside her, Colin wrapped his arm around her, drawing her into himself.
“Are you alright?”
“I hoped she would still be here.”
“Perhaps she has gone back to her own timeline.”
“I hope so.”
Gently, he ran his hand up and down her back, tucking his face into her neck and pressing gentle kisses to the sensitive skin there.
“I just hope that she is able to remember some of what we talked to her about today. Remembering back to that time in my life, I think it would have been really helpful to know that things get better.”
“When exactly from 1813 did she say she was from?”
“Shortly after she debuted and after you started…” Penelope trailed off but Colin’s raised eyebrow caused her to carry on. “Started courting Marina.”
“Oh.” Colin replies simply, his cheeks turning slightly red.
They regarded one another, letting the silence settle between them. When Penelope felt Colin’s shoulders drop, she knew that he had put to bed anything that may have been playing on his mind.
“I just hope she has gone back knowing that while it took us a while to find each other, that it took me a while to wake up to my feelings, she, you, have been the only one that I have ever truly wanted.”
Locking her fingers with his, Penelope grinned.
“I think she does. And I just know that she is going to be okay.”
*****
As the sun peaked through the curtains and hit Penelope’s eyes, she groaned in annoyance and rubbed at her eyes. Her entire body felt sore and she was exhausted, but she slowly pushed herself up, looking around her room. Everything was as it should be, everything in its place, her walls the colour they always had been.
Running her fingers through her hair, Penelope shook her head, trying to recall the dream she had had. It was all very strange but it had felt so real. But surely it had just been a dream, there was no way she could have actually travelled in time to go and meet her future self. Things like that didnt happen, it wasn’t possible. Shaking her head, Penelope sighed as she began to get out of bed. But as she scooted to the edge of her bed, something poked her in the ribs. Confused, Penelope reached for it, her fingers closing around a hard object. Pulling it out, her eyes widened as she realised what it was. A wooden horse. Much like the little toys the baby in her dream was playing with.
What was his name? Why couldn’t she remember now? Choosing not to stress herself out over the fact that she couldn’t remember the child’s name; she held the little horse close to her chest. The details of her dream were now becoming progressively fuzzy, but this toy horse was proof that it hadn’t been just a dream. It was proof that she had actually travelled into the future ahd she had met herself.
It was proof that everything was going to be okay.