Catfish

Liam was used to waking up with Penny on his mind, but this time it felt different. This time, when he woke up, he could still feel the linger of her sweet lips against his, though it had been hours since they had touched. If he closed his eyes, he swore he could picture her in front of him.

Letting out a deep breath, he brought his fingers to his lips, lightly grazing over the spot Penny had touched him. He wanted to kiss her again and again, and he hoped that when he saw her he’d be able to.

The cameras would be there at first, along with Nev and Max, but after that one last meeting at the café, they’d be able to move forward with their lives and figure out what to do from there.

Liam wasn’t sure exactly what would happen when it was just he and Penny for the rest of forever, without anything there to keep them apart aside from Liam’s music. They wouldn’t have the camera crew, or the distance, or the lies. It would just be them, and that was so terrifying yet so exciting at the same time.

With the weight of the new day resting on his shoulders, Liam forced himself out of bed and went on with his usual morning routine. He tried his best not to think about what lied ahead, because he didn’t want to get too nervous too fast, but his racing heart proved that he hardly succeeded.

Luckily, he was able to make it through his shower and get changed without throwing up all over himself, and it was just in time to head down to the café and meet everyone without much of a wait. He didn’t want to be the first one there, because he knew sitting at one of those tables waiting for everyone else to arrive would be a torture worse than death, so he was happy with his time of arrival.

Nev and Max already sat in their seats, fresh cups of coffee in front of them. They’d already picked up cups for him and Penelope as well, and they passed a mug to him as soon as he sat down.

“She’s not here yet?” Liam asked immediately, completely ignoring any hellos or good mornings that should have occurred. He was far too anxious to worry about mundane things like that.

“Nope,” Nev said, shaking his head. “You haven’t done anything to scare her away have you?”

Max shot Nev a look even though it was clear the man was joking, before clearing his throat and smiling at Liam. “All he means is that things looked a little rocky when we left the two of you. I’m sure she’ll be down soon though. I doubt she’d leave you hanging like that.”

To be honest, the thought had never occurred to Liam that Penny wouldn’t show up for their meeting, but now that Max had planted the thought in his mind, it was all he could think about. When he left her that night, after dropping her off at her room, they were on good terms. Not great, but good. They still had a ways to go before things would be great again, but it was something Liam was willing to work towards.

“Good morning.”

The moment Penny’s sweet voice hit Liam’s ears, a smile fell to his face and he whipped his head in her direction. Her blonde hair was curled around her face and her smile looked like magic. The freckles that dotted her nose traced a path down to her cheeks, and Liam’s eyes roved over them again and again, determined to capture every single one.

When Liam had spent far too long being wrapped up in Penny’s eyes, Max cleared his throat. “Good morning, Penny. Glad to have you join us.”

Penelope chuckled as she nodded her head before taking a seat next to Liam and across from Nev. Both men smiled at her and Liam used the time to shake himself back into reality. He wrapped his hand tightly around his mug in an effort to keep a firm grip on it.

“I’m sure the both of you are ready to get this interview over with,” Nev said, as Max flipped on his video camera. “So let’s get on with it.”

Both Penelope and Liam nodded, and Liam looked in her direction, hoping to capture her eyes again. They’d never decided what exactly they were going to say or collaborated on how much they were going to let on. He wasn’t sure if she was going to talk about them meeting up last night or mention that Liam had made a promise to her to stay in town for as long as it took. It was something they should have talked about, definitely, but it had slipped their minds when they were so wrapped up in everything else.

“First question,” Nev said, smiling at Penelope as if he was willing her to open up to him. “Penny, what was the first thing that crossed your mind when you saw Liam for the first time?”

Penny chuckled, biting her lip gently. “Well, I thought he was perfect, obviously. It took a minute for the whole thing to register, so I guess, for a few short moments, it was like pure bliss.”

“And then?”

“And then hurt. Because he had lied to me.” She sighed, looking down at the table before back up at Nev. “It still hurts, but not as much as it did then.”

Liam knew that Max wasn’t usually the type to step into the interviews, so when he spoke, it almost took Liam by surprise. Not only that, it was what he had asked that made Liam so nervous.

“Do you think you’ll be able to forgive him?”

Seconds felt like hours while Liam waited for Penny’s response. He was sure that it hadn’t taken her that long to speak, but to him, it felt like centuries. He was terrified to hear her answer, because he still wasn’t sure if she’d ever truly forgive him. He needed to know, and he needed to know bad.

Penelope chuckled, her cheeks going flush as she spoke. “Of course I’ll forgive him. I can’t imagine not forgiving him.”