Untitled

Colin said "I love you" over the phone. Penelope said he should’ve told her in person.

Guess what?

Love rekindled and the joy of realizing that after years apart, they are exactly where they were always meant to be - together.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83722196/chapters/224453521#workskin

Ten years apart couldn’t erase what Colin and Penelope meant to each other. Colin tried to stay angry, hoping it would protect him, but he knew he couldn’t because all those years, Penelope’s love was always the one he longed for.

When Penelope thought Colin only wanted to be friends, even after he kissed her again, she struggled to accept it.

With advices from their mothers and Eloise, will Colin and Penelope finally realize that friendship isn’t enough when love still burns?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83722196/chapters/222004551#workskin

Secrets don’t stay hidden for long - at least not when Felicity is around. Penelope and Colin's secret begins to unravel the moment their colleague uncovers a photo linking them.

Between Felicity’s schemes, Alfred’s lingering presence, and Colin’s own restless thoughts, Penelope finds herself pulled back into the orbit she once tried to avoid.

At an event, the silence between her and Colin grows heavy - again. The sunset painted the campus in gold and violet and the truth they’ve both buried threatens to break free.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83722196/chapters/221700141#workskin

Colin struggles with the unanswered question of why Penelope ended things, resorting to subtle mind games in his frustration. Penelope, meanwhile, learns the devastating cost of her choices when Eloise—caught between them—finally reveals the truth.

When Penelope shows up at Colin’s door, guilt and longing collide.

Is love waiting to be rediscovered along the way?

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83722196/chapters/221527016#workskin

Penelope found herself outside Colin’s door. She told herself she didn’t care anymore, yet pity made her stay when he pleaded. Colin, feverish and dazed, thought her presence was only a dream—until he realized it wasn’t. Confronting her, he asked if avoiding each other was really the right thing to do.

He wanted them to speak openly about their breakup, to ask each other how they were.

Penelope, however, wasn’t ready. Held back by guilt she's been carrying.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83722196/chapters/221490536#workskin

Colin’s first six months in Canada were anything but easy. Between the loneliness and the weight of his choices, he found a friend in Basi—who pushed him to write down all the things he hated about Penelope. But instead of easing the pain, the list only reminded him of how deeply he loved her.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83722196/chapters/221333436#workskin

Penelope endures the most awkward car ride of her life with Colin, only to arrive at Eloise’s flat and discover a surprise homecoming dinner with the entire Bridgerton family.

The evening is filled with laughter, warmth, and subtle tension as Penelope wrestles with her feelings toward Colin.

As the night winds down, Penelope becomes adorably drunk, sparking an emotional tug-of-war between Eloise and Colin over how to care for her.

Eloise fiercely protects Penelope—and Colin—from each other, leaving Colin quietly resigned to his place forcing him to remember thoughts he knew he shouldn’t entertain.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83722196/chapters/220826996#workskin

Under the quiet glow of the streetlamps, Colin bares his heart to Penelope, offering compromise—willing to delay his deployment, even abandon his dream of Canada—just to keep her. But Penelope chooses the crueler choice - to let him go.

To Colin, her words feel cold and final, yet Penelope is breaking apart, knowing she must protect his future even at the cost of her own happiness.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83722196/chapters/220827001#workskin

Colin struggles to adjust to the stiff, professional atmosphere of the office, where every interaction with Penelope feels guarded and distant. Her clipped responses and avoidance remind him of how much has changed between them. As he watches her work, memories of their carefree college days resurface—laughter echoing in libraries, whispered jokes during late-night study sessions, and the warmth of a bond that once felt unbreakable. The contrast between past joy and present coldness weighs heavily on him.

Yet beneath the surface, another memory stirs: the way Penelope had so easily chosen to end their relationship that summer night, closing the door on him without hesitation. The pain of that moment, long buried, begins to creep back into his chest, reminding him that her silence now is not new—it is the same wall she built years ago. He is hurting too. Is she the only one allowed to build a wall? Colin longs to reconnect, but the distance she maintains feels like a wound reopening, one he cannot yet heal.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83722196/chapters/220688451

Colin Bridgerton returns to the UK after 10 years abroad, stepping back into familiar surroundings with a new role as Project Manager.

Penelope Featherington, now working as an Executive Assistant, is stunned to discover she will be reporting directly to him.

Their first day together is marked by awkward silences, clipped exchanges, and unspoken tension that hangs heavy in the air.

This chapter sets the stage for their reunion, highlighting the unease of working side by side while unresolved emotions linger just out of reach.

https://archiveofourown.org/works/83722196/chapters/220645826