Catfish

When Liam finally decided that he was going to kiss Penelope for the first time, he wasn’t sure if he was making the best or worst decision of his life. He was terrified to do it, but when he did, he knew it was what he was meant to do all along.

Kissing her felt like sunshine mixed with the perfect amount of a cool, crisp rain. It was like every confusing piece of his life suddenly melded into one, and it all put together a perfect picture that finally made sense to him.

Penelope was the one he was supposed to be with; he was certain of that. Now he just had to find a way to make it happen, and that terrified him almost as much as kissing her did.

Taking a series of long, deep breaths, Liam braced himself as he tapped his fist against Penelope’s door. He was hoping it would take a few moments for her to open the door, because he was still so nervous that he could barely breathe, but she opened it just a few seconds later with the brightest smile on her face.

Liam thought he could look at her perfect smile every day for the rest of his life, and it would never get old.

“Oh, you’re early,” Penelope said, opening the door wider so Liam could step inside.

He chuckled at her, nodding his head. “I guess I just couldn’t stay away.”

Penelope’s cheeks grew red as soon as Liam spoke, and Liam was thrilled that he had actually said something right. He wasn’t usually good at that sort of thing, especially around Penelope.

After her cheeks became a little less pink, Penelope guided Liam over to her sofa and the two sat right next to one another. Liam was so thankful that he could finally sit next to Penelope without hating himself for lying to her or worrying about what she was going to think of him, but he could think of one thing that would make the situation better.

He wanted to tell Penelope everything he felt about her and finally make her his. He planned on doing it, because he honestly wasn’t sure if he could keep himself calm without confessing everything, but his hands were shaking and his heart was beating at an unhealthy pace.

Penelope seemed to notice and she turned to him with her eyebrows raised. Liam loved the way she looked when she was curious like that, and it almost made him less afraid. Almost.

“Is everything alright?” she asked, causing Liam’s heart to beat faster.

He nodded his head, giving her a bright smile, before changing his mind. If there was ever a time to tell her, this was probably going to be it. “Actually, no it’s not.”

Penelope looked shocked at that, and Liam immediately wished he had phrased that better. He didn’t want her to think that something was wrong or that she’d done anything wrong, but it was obvious that he had.

“No, not like that,” he said quickly, attempting to correct himself. “Everything’s fine. It’s just – I just wanted to tell you something.”

“What is it?”

Just from the look on her face, Liam could tell that Penelope was dying to know what was going on. He had learned long ago that she was curious by nature.

Liam paused for a long moment, biting at his bottom lip. He was unhealthily terrified and it was becoming harder to speak with each passing second.

Next to him, Penelope noticed his increasing nervousness and reached out for his hand, giving him her perfectly sweet smile. “You can tell me, Li. You can tell me anything.”

Penelope’s words did a lot for Liam’s courage, but it still didn’t make telling her a walk in the park. He still had so many fears in his mind, and so many doubts that she would never really want to be with him after everything he had done.

At that moment, he wanted to walk away, so he could just stay with Penelope in limo forever, because at least when they were in limbo she was still next to him. He knew he couldn’t do that, though, so he took a deep breath, while looking into Penelope’s eyes.

“Penny, I – I,” Liam stuttered, his fear mounting with every word he said. It was all coming down to this moment and he just feel himself messing it up with each passing second. “Penelope, I know I messed up. A lot. But everything I feel for you is stronger than anything I’ve felt for anyone, and I’ve felt this way for as long as I can remember. You make me happier than anyone else does, and I don’t ever wanna lose that.”

The smile on Penelope’s face was bigger than Liam ever thought it could be, and every time he looked at her face, he got a little bit less nervous. He didn’t know exactly what she was thinking, but he couldn’t help but think that whatever it was had to be good.

“I don’t wanna lose it either,” she said, her smile giving him all the confidence in the world. It was that smile that let him finally ask the question he’d wanted to ask since the moment he’d met her.

Biting his lip, Liam leaned closer to Penelope, so his forehead was resting against hers. He could feel how quickly she was breathing, and he wondered if she was even more nervous than him.

“Penny, I –” Liam paused, letting the smile fall naturally to his face. “Will you be my girlfriend?”

Just when Liam thought Penelope couldn’t get any happier, she let out the most brilliant laugh, shaking her head wildly while she stared at him. It took her a few moments to process everything that was happening, but she finally leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Liam’s neck while her body inadvertently moved to his lap.

“I’d love to,” she whispered, another laugh falling from her lips as she clung onto him even more tightly.

Liam’s own smile widened to one that was even bigger than Penelope’s, and he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist as he pulled her as close to him as she could possibly get. He still couldn’t believe how perfectly she felt when she was touching him, and he never wanted to let her go.