raise your hopeful voice, you have a choice

#of course they are friends

And so, on an otherwise unremarkable Friday afternoon…Colin Bridgerton kissed Penelope Featherington. And it was glorious.

His lips touched hers softly at first, not because he was trying to be gentle, although if he’d had the presence of mind to think about such thing, it probably would have occurred to him that this was her first kiss, and it ought to be reverent and beautiful and all the things a girl dreams about as she’s lying in bed at night.

But in all truth, none of that was on Colin’s mind. In fact, he was thinking of quite little. His kiss was soft and gentle because he was still so surprised that he was kissing her. He’d known her for years, had never even thought about touching his lips to hers. And now he couldn’t have let her go if the fires of hell were licking his toes. He could barely believe what he was doing-or that he wanted to do it so damned much.

It wasn’t the sort of kiss one initiates because one is overcome with passion or emotion or anger or desire. It was a slower thing, a learning experience-for Colin just as much as Penelope. And he was learning that everything he thought he’d known about kissing was rubbish. Everything else had been mere lips and tongue and softly murmured but meaningless words.

These past few weeks have been full of confounding feelings. Feelings like a total inability to stop thinking about you. About that kiss. Feelings like dreaming of you when I'm asleep. And in fact preferring sleep because that is where I might find you. A feeling that is like torture. But one which I cannot, will not, do not want to give up.

Literally one hot carriage hookup and five minutes later:

"You're coming in as well?" she asked.

He looked at her as if she'd suddenly gone daft. "Of course."

She didn't move, too perplexed by his actions to give her legs the orders to step down. There was certainly no reason he had to accompany her inside. Propriety didn't really demand it, and—

"For God's sake, Penelope," he said, grabbing her hand and yanking her down. "Are you going to marry me or not?"

Colin on literally the same night: Mother I broke up their proposal, fingered Penelope outside the house and now we are to be married

Violet probably:

More fun to miss (than to be with)…

Scandinavian apartment