penelxpebradley

[penelxpebradley]

nora chen​:

    “Yet, now that is bound to happen. I’m certain their first words are the F word’s or something very inappropriate.” Nora jokingly stated, “But if you’re around I’m certain you would manage to have that happening less.” The brunette glanced at Abel to see his chubby small hands reaching out, part of her wanted to decline and make up some sort of shitty excuse but maybe she just needed that affection from a baby. “I don’t think you’d want to be held by a sweaty woman little boy,” Nora softly said as she reached out to shake the babies hand gently. 

“Well you can only fight the inevitable so much” she deadpanned, eyes rolling. There was no malice to her words of course, if anything she was in a better mood than she had been in weeks, or even months. If she was around to have any influence on Abel? Well that was simply all of her Christmas’s come at once. “Oh no I think he does” Penelope corrected Nora with a low chuckle, watching as Nora carefully shook hands with Abel, who let out a loud gurgle of appreciation. “See, though I gotta be honest he loves anyone with boobs -- sweaty or not, he doesn’t discriminate”

[penelxpebradley]

zachary covington, lenore fitzpatrick, owen fitzpatrick​:

As the front door open and the woman whose name was still escaping Zachary went to gather Owen’s son and stalk back off. Colleen. He reminded himself absently as his attention was snatched by Len’s approaching eldest cousin. A pressed smile was sent Owen’s way as he greeted them both, gaze stolen then by the red head hanging her coat. Owen’s words were like a buzzing in his ear for a moment before Zachary blinked, catching the end of Penelope’s response. “I don’t typically staff my office hours personally.” It was a white lie, the change only having been recent, but it was clear they were playing everything cool. A hand would land at the small of Lenore’s back, glancing over at the woman beside him with a smile. “I did, however sit on her interview panel. Certainly sad to see her leave the department.” @lenorefitzpatrick·

    Lenny wrapped her arms around Owen and gave him a quick hug, grinning like an idiot at the older Fitzpatrick, in her eyes Owen was practically like an older brother she always wished she had, sure she enjoyed being the oldest out of her own siblings but she wished she never carried that burden of being responsible. “That’s right, you two work or well, soon to be worked together.” The brunette pulled away and stood next to Zach, her eyes falling between all three. She didn’t want to dwell too much on the atmosphere between Zach and Penelope, she just figured since both groups were clearly on different levels at work things happen to just be weird. “What a small world after all, at least you can teach him the ropes Pen about dealing with the Fitzpatrick family shenanigans.” @owensfitzpatrick​

“Wouldn’t call a gal with a law degree ‘lowly admin’, but I guess I’m just better at gassin’ you up than you are,” he teased, allowing Penelope’s fingers to slip comfortably between his. He didn’t dwell on the awkwardness that seemed to arise between the two, having met Zach once before and figuring it was just a part of his personality. All the more reason to bust his balls, right? “Yeah, that’s right – and you thought Erin was fuckin’ crazy, just wait.” Owen remarked, not even a moment later receiving a swift thump on the back of his head as the aunt in question passed behind them, having heard the quip about her sanity. “Ow – shit, was that fuckin’ necessary?” he called to Erin, who was already escaping to the other room with a wine glass in hand. Grimacing, he used his free hand to rub his neck. “Yeah, well, stick around long enough and Fitzpatricks start gettin’ handsy, apparently,” he mumbled. “I’m gonna grab a beer before the vultures swoop in – anyone else want one?”

“Yes because that law degree is going to such use now” she fired back, though there was no real petulance in her words, merely a sort of exasperated fondness as she glanced up at Owen momentarily before Lenny spoke. “I dunno Len, it seems he’s been holding pretty well without my help so far”. After all, he had been invited back for round two and had gotten through the first one relatively unscathed, which was no mean feat given the ferocity of the Fitzpatrick’s. No sooner had the words escaped her lips though was Owen recoiling from the sharp swipe he received from Erin, and Penelope found herself ducking her head to try and smother the snigger that had escaped involuntarily. “I think that’s level of handsy is reserved purely for you” she pointed out, meeting Lenny’s eyes with a grin. Erin was certainly the most uninhibited member of the family after all. “I’ll have a wine babe” she informed him, before her gaze settled back on Lenny and Zach. “So, did you willingly come for round two or did Lenny resort to emotional blackmail? It’s very hard to say no to those doe eyes”

@zachary-covington​

[penelxpebradley]

tyler redfield​:

“What if I don’t want to go back and order another fucking coffee?” Tyler argued back, still annoyed as he finished up his drink and slammed the cup on the table, only miraculously not smashing it in the process. Only then did he finally looked over at the woman that had spoken up, a light frown appearing on his face. Had he met her before? He could swear he did. Then again, for all he knew, he really was just too coffee deprived to really think anything else through. Even when it came to recognizing people. “It’s a fucking rip off, that’s all it is. Just because I can’t make any decent coffee myself, I shouldn’t be suffering.”

It was way too early for her to be dealing with whatever his bad temper was, and as Penelope’s gaze settled on the man sat opposite her, she found that her nose was wrinkling ever so slightly -- in disgust. Grown men shouldn’t be slamming coffee cups, at least not in public. What he did in the privacy of his own home was his business. But then what he was doing was also not her business, which was why she focussed instead on her laptop screen. “Well I don’t think it’s the law that you have to buy multiple cups” she murmured in a tone that could well have been seen as sarcastic. “Which barista did you go to?” she asked, eyes flicking back over to him briefly. “The blonde or the brunette?”

[penelxpebradley]

callum mckenzie​:

Cal chuckled. “To be fair, you’re usually serving other people who aren’t sober, either, so I think it all evens out,” he said with a smile. He laughed lightly as she spoke. “I am practically a mouse,” he said, as if he wasn’t six feet tall and muscular. 

“That’s true. At least when I was making the drinks everyone was too drunk to remember the poison I cooked up”. A wry chuckle escaped from her lips as she glanced up and down taking a one-two dismissive glance. She didn’t reckon he looked the most timid but hey, who was she to say. “Yeah well, so long as you look tough I guess”

[penelxpebradley]

penelxpebradley​:

It was undoubtedly true that when it came to self destructive spirals, both Penelope and Owen had done their fair share of damaging shit. She held her hands up to it most of the time, and Owen had a family far too big and loud to not get hauled out on his nonsense. So she could hardly be annoyed at his remark on self destructive benders, merely rolling her eyes at him, a hand flying out to slap lightly across his shoulder. “Hey, I can still drink you under the table any day of the week”. Actually that might have been true – she’d held her own with him well enough when they’d been together, but since their breakup she’d thrown herself down and poured her soul out into many a glass of wine. And, whilst Owen had not been averse to a drink or two, he’d smartened his game up when he’d found out that Abel was on the way – Penelope hadn’t. If anything she’d committed even harder to her quest for oblivion. So much so that she’d almost succeeded, once or terrifyingly twice. Even remembering how she’d been all but skin and bone and complete mess when she’d returned to Wilmington, tail between her legs was enough to make her cringe. Funny in a way, it had only been a few months since they’d ran into each other in the auto lot, but it felt like years had passed. No, if you’d have told Penelope that just a few months down the line she’d be sitting on a beach, celebrating Owen’s first fathers day with a cold beer and feeling genuinely optimistic for the future, she would have laughed. But life had a funny way of coming at you fast. 

“I like soft sappy Owen” she decided with a small nod, absently propping an elbow on his shoulder so she could lean and run a hand through his hair. “Makes for a nice change”. There had of course been good moments in their relationship before, but they’d been fleeting, and had always ended up bubbling over into some sort of argument. That was the marked difference though, any petty bickering they’d had recently had been resolved, both of them making grown up moves to diffuse as opposed to giving in and falling back into old habits of making mountains out of molehills. And perhaps that was just because Jamie was back, or because Abel was around…or maybe it was simply a fact that they were just that little bit more grown up than they had been the first time around. Worn out by the years, jaded from the relentless shit they’d both waded through, till finally they were waving white flags on both sides. Perhaps it really had been that simple – right people, wrong time. How simple that would have been. “So, as this is your day you get to set the agenda” she started, dropping her hand but moving her entire body to rest against him, interlocking her fingers between his “-but I was thinking, beach for the afternoon, then takeout this evening…? I think Jamie said they were going out on a date or something like that so it seems we have the place all to ourselves…” 

Owen scoffed, a playful brow raised towards her. “Yeah, yeah, keep tellin’ yourself that, Red, ‘cause I think it’s ‘bout time we have ourselves a rematch.” As odd as it may have sounded, one of the things that had attracted him to Penelope in the first place was her ability to out drink him, something that few men or women seemed able to do. Maybe it was getting older, not being able to handle his liquor the way he used to in college, or maybe she really did have an iron-clad liver, but for a man in his early thirties looking to shack up with the local Irish cuisine, the redhead had definitely caught his eye. Still, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t attempt again and again to beat her at her own game.

“Mmh,” he groaned lightly, nose crinkled at the compliment which felt more that weird to be receiving. Owen Fitzpatrick wasn’t soft – Fitzpatricks weren’t soft – but considering everything surrounding his life right now, all the good in it, it felt like it would be wasted if he were to keep those walls he was oh so accustomed to all the way up. Letting them down, even just a tiny bit, didn’t feel like the worst thing in the world. “You can call me soft, but ain’t no way I’m a sap. I’ll deny it ‘til the day I die,” he teased, leaning into her delicate hand that ruffled his thick locks. He never expected that being with Penelope again would feel so easy, so right, and while he’d be lying if he said he wasn’t terrified that the other shoe would eventually drop, there was some hope inside of him that he hadn’t seen in quite some time. “All up to me, huh?” he reiterated, allowing their fingers to intertwine before giving Penelope’s palm a light squeeze. A small smile tugged at his lips at the suggestion, nodding then. “I think Jamie goin’ on a date guarantees that we got the place to ourselves for at least two nights,” he pointed out with a chuckle. “Don’t think I could come up with somethin’ better even if I tried.” And he couldn’t, because these days everything was beginning to feel so simple. No chasing thrills, no yearning for an adrenaline rush that would cause him to spiral face first into a world of trouble. Letting out a low hum, he planted a kiss on Penelope’s forehead, the sounds of waves and Abel playing in the sand enough to top off a day that almost felt too good to be true – and for Owen, that was surely saying something.

~ END ~

[penelxpebradley]

marianne zajac​:

Thailand she echoed that word within her mind, as her head would nod in understanding. The brunette having seen images, read stories—that place so exotically beautiful, and yet still not tempting enough to have her want to truly visit beyond what her imagination could conjure up. Foreign coasts, even those within other states were just not within her reach. Not because she didn’t have the means—no the Prince’s had ensured of that, and yet her will too. She had no want. Her thoughts on such a place were only confirmed when the other pulled out her phone. Marianne’s gaze flipping through the image she was shown. “It’s beautiful,” she said then, meaning the words for it was. Her thoughts hadn’t changed, yet she could’t deny—not when she’d seen it. “Though—” she paused for a moment eyes returning to where they were. “I can see what you mean, this is more…”

Marianne didn’t really have the words, and so she allowed them to die on her tongue, hopeful that the other would understand. A hope that was rewarded as the other woman agreed with her—if only a little. Pulled back to the conversation at hand, Mari’s eyes trailed back—watching as she recaptured her phone and slid it back into place. Despite the language the other used, Mari couldn’t help but laugh, “You could say that again,” she said playfully before adding, “Though at times i'ts welcomed more than some dreams. I’m Marianne—Mari,” she offered then, extending her hand.

A wry smile worked its way onto Penelope’s features as the other woman looked on the screen. It was funny, but neither of them seemed to quite be able to find the word they were looking for to describe the landscape around them. Perhaps that was what made it so very special, it was simply indescribable. Or perhaps that was down to the fact that it was so early in the morning, a time where fully formed thoughts were few and far between. There was simply quiet, and comfortable quiet broken only by the waves and the sounds of their own breathing, and in the distance the soft rumblings of the town slowly working its way to life. “Lived in” she settled on with a small nod. It was home. But she wasn’t so tired as to fully descend into early sunrise saccharine, even if the scene itself was out of a Hallmark movie.

“You’re not wrong there” the redhead nodded slowly in agreement. After all she’d spent so many nights staring at the ceiling, but she’d also spent just as many trapped in her own imagination, feeling every demon flying loose and working its way into her dreams. Frankly she didn’t know which one was preferable, but it was probably sleeplessness. In the end sleep always caught up to her in the end, but by then it was usually a sleep of the dead -- vast and long and black, with no room for her imagination to run wild. “Penelope” she offered in return, hands meeting to shake, though it was an oddly formal gesture for such a setting. “You run the food truck right?” she asked, finally placing where she recognised the woman from. 

[penelxpebradley]

samuel dryden​:

“Many a time I’ve considered getting my ass kicked for your honor, sort of defeats the purpose when you’re together.” Sammy laughed at that, though they both knew it was only only a hop, skip and a jump away from present reality. Sammy wouldn’t ever be Mohammad Ali, but his moral fortitude was enough to risk reconstructing his face. There was evident wicked amusement as Penelope panicked over the very thought of she and Jamie, flinching then as a hand came swinging for him. “Sue me for making sure. I had to see how far the mighty may have fallen.” And just as Sammy was about to ask, he quieted down, though, there was a twinge of jealousy that there were other people in the world Penelope had a good platonic snuggle with, and it showed on the blonde’s face. “Moving departments. Huh. You steal someone’s lunch from the fridge? Or is the department just as boring as I’d told you it would be?”

“And every time I tell you, you really don’t need to”. Of course Penelope was very aware that Sam was her knight in shining Armani if she ever needed him to be -- hell he’d probably volunteer for the job without so much as even the lightest of nudges, but Penelope was fairly adept at holding her own, at least when it came to Owen. Sam might have gotten one hit in, but Penelope? She knew how to hit him where it really hurt. It was something they were both consciously aware of, though thus far it hadn’t reared its ugly head. “I may make many a bad error but that is one I will never fall foul of” she swore with a dramatic shake of the head. “But I have also seen the results of Jamie’s dalliances and I gotta say, they are never short for dates or people blowing up their phone so you gotta put two and two together...”. For a second Penelope contemplated being honest and telling Sam the actual reason for her decision to move departments, but she still felt the burn of her own shame. “The second one” she shrugged. “I will now be sharing a department with the most maniacal of the Fitzpatrick clan, a woman who is known for bringing in beer bongs on a Friday afternoon”. Shrugging, she raised her coffee cup to her lips and took a sip, leaving a muted plum coloured lip stain on the rim of the cup as she did. “Much more my scene than theology and religion, you know?”

[penelxpebradley]

khalil amari​:

Khalil huffed, pretty damn sure he was gonna end up knocking at her door too. “I don’t know. I’m weird like that. I always got my keys by the door and I never leave without it,” he admitted, a part of him being a control-freak, though it didn’t make much sense. Digging up his phone, he started scrolling through his list of contacts. Why he had all those flings and booty calls from NYC there, he had no idea. Maybe he liked knowing they existed still. “Found it,” he murmured, placing his phone on the countertop for her to see the number.

“Some people die of loneliness – maybe he figured that out and wanted to get out,” he shrugged. Sadly, he’d experienced that more than once, and it was a sight he was bound to remember for the rest of his life. Mr Peterson seemed to have been the grumpy neighbor most people eventually had to cross paths with. Kind of a classic within a block or neighborhood. “ABBA?” he frowned at her, letting out a chuckle. Thank God that was a joke, or else he’d end up lying down, foster position style, and rethink his life decisions. “No shit, you lived in New York?” No, he didn’t expect that, but NYC was big, so no surprise they’d never crossed paths. Like a damn labyrinth – Wilmington wasn’t like that. He could probably get used to this city in less than five months, mostly because he liked cruising around in his way too expensive Maserati. And work, of course. “Oh, really?” he chortled, hoping the coffee was alright. “I know, New York was crazy, but I loved it, ya know?”

As the phone was placed on the countertop, Penelope grasped it, taking out her own phone and noting down the number ( for future reference -- though she hardly planned on repeating the experience ). “Well okay, but even if you don’t need assistance on that particular issue, I’m only downstairs” she told him, not looking up at she typed in the number, painted nails tapping rhythmically agains the phone screen until she had saved the number away. It wasn’t like she could guarantee the times when she’d been in, but given that she was currently standing in his kitchen, drinking his coffee and borrowing the number he’d taken the time to find out, well...it seemed churlish not to at least offer the platitude. And Penelope Bradley wasn’t churlish -- at least, not with strangers. Her parents had taught her how to be a good host and guest...it was just later that it all tended to go downhill. Turning away for a brief second she dialled the number and when she hit voicemail, left a short but polite message. Phone call finished she slipped her phone back into her pocket and replaced the slim phone with the steaming mug of coffee which rested gently between her hands, warming her palms as she stood in his kitchen.

“Yeah” she nodded in agreement, thoughtful for a few seconds. She made a note to check out the obituaries for the next few weeks that little bit closer. It wasn’t likely but it was possible, after all her neighbour had been old. She wondered then for a moment what was the age where moving out like that, so suddenly and unexpectedly could become code for shuffling off into the next life -- or whatever was waiting for them. Owen had far more romantic ideas about that than she did. “Oh..?” she murmured, a brow raised as she noticed his laugh, “not an ABBA fan I take it?”. God he thought she was joking didn’t he? Well he was definitely going to get a rude awakening with that one. “I did indeed. For a good-” she tried to work out the numbers in her head, “about ten years”. A whole lifetime really. She’d been a very different person back then, far more unpleasant and bratty, even by teenager standards. “It’s an experience living in New York I’ll grant you” she nodded in agreement -- though she imagined they’d lived very different lives; hers in guilded ballrooms full of the elite and school halls where competition was fierce and barbed. “Long time ago -- though I went back for a bit a few years ago-” she took a sip from the coffee as she sat in the kitchen chair. “But I gotta say, I do not remember those months very well at all...it’s a different pace of life”

[penelxpebradley]

jack levy​:

“Don’t have to tell me twice.” Jack offered with a smirk, knowing that the girl couldn’t stand the cheesy stuff any more than he could. They never did anything to comfort him and instead he found himself feeling uncomfortable whenever someone went there. As Penelope continued Jack figured that if anyone in Wilmington could understand the internal struggle he was going through—at least this one—then it would have been her. She had lived in the city, she had ran in certain circles and understood the difference of New York to Wilmington better than anyone else he knew. Jack’s eye stayed glued to Penelope’s as she spoke and could see that she wasn’t holding anything back from him—not that he thought she would, he didn’t think that it was in her nature. “That’s a difference, I suppose,” a laugh slipped past his lips. “I guess if I play my cards right, don’t be a dick, I could avoid the gossip grape vine. The other stuff is just kinda something I’d have to get used to. I mean, it seems to have worked out for you, right?”

Don’t be a dick and avoid the gossip grapevine. Truly those were two rules that applied for just an easy life, but she understood his sentiment. Life was very different in the small fishbowl that Wilmington could be. Back in the city they could bounce from bar to bar and get kicked out of as many as they could and no one would so much as blink an eye. Here though it was a different game. Publicly aired breakdowns earned whispers and people never quite shook off the stain of it -- she was pretty certain that both the Taylor sisters would agree with her on that one. “I keep my head down” Penelope shrugged, taking another cautious sip from the mug. That didn’t mean that she hadn’t gained somewhat of a reputation around town, but that reputation was for hard drinking and it wasn’t like she could deny that -- there wasn’t a bar tender in town that hadn’t scraped her off the bar and put her in an Uber at least once. “Yeah I guess it has” the redhead conceded with a brief nod. “It’s nice though in its own way. Settling, putting down roots-” she paused, for a second, contemplating how much things had changed in those few years. “It’s not a death sentence I guess is what I’m trying to say. It’s different from the city yeah, but it’s got its own charm. And-” at her words, her lips quirked up into a small grin “-it’s nice to have you around here. I’d miss you if you went back”

[penelxpebradley]

owensfitzpatrick​:

lenorefitzpatrick​:

zachary-covington​:

“How was I supposed to know that your entire family was going to hate me for bringing Scottish whiskey?” Zach asked quietly as he stood one step behind Lenny in the living room of Erin Fitzpatrick’s home, who was the very first to ask why the bottle he offered to the hostess wasn’t Irish made. Maybe the professor could have taken some more time to learn the intricacies of the two countries and how alcohol could possibly be offensive to a room full of heavy drinkers. It wasn’t like they all hadn’t passed the bottle of Macallan around eagerly, but it seemed everyone had a comment to make about it first. Finally managing a smile, Zachary would shoot Lenny a wink to know his nerves weren’t completely shot by the ordeal. “No Owen tonight?” He asked quietly, trying not to be entirely obvious that there was a bit of anxious anticipation to his arrival, and whether or not Penelope would be in tow. 

@lenorefitzpatrick​

      Lenore couldn’t help but to softly laugh at her boyfriend, “Don’t worry about it too hard, it’s alcohol they will drink it either way and besides…it’s the thought that counts right?” Although she knew her father would be doggin’ on Zachary about his taste in whiskey which she hoped that he would preoccupied to not come and harass him. Waving her hand towards her aunt and turned to attention back on Zach, reaching out to grasp his hand in hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Nah…he should be here soon, no one really misses out on family dinner unless they have a good excuse.” Her brown eyes looked away towards the sound of someone arriving to see none other than her cousin @owensfitzpatrick​

“Jesus, Ma, I don’t get a hello anymore?” Owen complained as he walked through the door after his mother, who had all but sprinted out of the house to snatch her grandchild out of her son’s arms before leading them all back inside. Rolling his eyes as Colleen continued to ignore him, the male instead waved a couple of family members hello before turning his attention to his younger cousin. “Hey Len, how are ya?” he greeted, wrapping an arm around the brunette’s shoulders and giving her a light squeeze. “Nice to see you brought Professor Zach ‘round for the sacrifice,” Owen joked, nodding at the other before glancing back at Penelope, who followed close behind. “Babe, you know Len’s boyfriend? Said he works at the university.” @penelxpebradley​

It took Colleen all of two seconds to spirit away Abel off somewhere deep into the realms of the family home. They’d see him again at some point, but the minute the door was shut, the chaos settled, family members turning their heads to see who had arrived for a few seconds of quiet before the noise started all over again. “Huh?” Penelope asked, slipping her jacket off from around her shoulders and hanging it off the banister. It wasn’t that she hadn’t expected to see Zach at the family dinner -- if anything she had spent much of the afternoon preparing for the event, but it still didn’t get rid of the slightly sick feeling that settled in her stomach as her eyes fell on Zach. “Oh, yeah sort of” she shrugged, slipping her hand into Owen’s. “Zach’s a professor so they don’t tend to hang out with us lowly admin staff” she added jokingly

@zachary-covington​

[penelxpebradley]

“She’s using you, honey.”

[penelxpebradley]

felix gatton hall​:

“ Thanks. I guess if I ask for the most expensive, it will be less like gasoline.” He responded and looked at the whiskey’s available. Felix pointed to the only one he knew that wasn’t cheap and sat down. He took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. trying to find his sister was harder than he first imagined. Felix scanned his phone to see if there was any indication of what part of town his sister lived in and then gave up. He had got to a dead end. “ Don’t suppose you know a Sirena Hall do you?”

She couldn’t help but think that this guy might have been getting his hopes up just a little too much. Even the more expensive alcohol on offer still had a pretty questionable aftertaste. Which was fine for the usual clientele that frequented the bar...it just happened to be that this guy didn’t look the type. But it wasn’t her business, and she reached over to tap her card, readying herself to grab the tray and carry the drinks over to her table when the guy spoke again. “Uh-”. The name sounded vaguely familiar, and her brows knitted together in thought as she tried to figure out where she knew the name from. And then she remembered. “Yeah, I don’t but she lives in my boyfriend’s building. You looking for her?”

[penelxpebradley]

tessa sommers​:

It was obvious that there was something Penelope was hiding, something she clearly didn’t want to talk about for whatever reason. Maybe it was fear, or embarrassment, or maybe she just didn’t want to be judged. Whatever it was, Tessa thought it was a better subject than her own current situation and what she had recently been through. For that reason alone, she didn’t give up on her attempts at uncovering the truth. “It’s sort of why you need me, and you know that,” Tessa pointed out. Someone had to be the “good angel,” after all. “Come on, tell me what happened. You know I’m not going to judge, right?”

“I need you for more than that” Penelope protested, nose wrinkling up as she propped her head up to look over at Tessa. Still she sensed that Tessa was going to be a dog with a bone, and if she was honest having someone to vent to wasn’t the worst idea in the world. Besides it wasn’t like Tessa was going to run her mouth to half the town, she was one of the few people who was capable of holding onto personal information. “Yeah well, maybe you should” the redhead huffed, slumping back in the chair, lips jutting out into a small pout as her gaze wandered down to the table. “Okay so, there was this guy at work and...I don’t know, he was nice and maybe there could have been something there, I don’t know but-”. For a second, Penelope paused, before jumping to her feet and beginning to pace up and down across the kitchen. “I think he definitely thought there was something there and...”. Oooh, there it was. That discomforting sense of shame at how she’d handled the whole thing. “I don’t know we danced at prom and it was nice and then...I went home with Owen”. She shrugged, sighing to herself before she looked back over at the brunette. “And now he’s dating Owen’s cousin and it’s all got a bit weird I guess”

[penelxpebradley]

miles dalton​:

His first impulse was to say brunette, because that was what Sarah had been. But then, maybe he wanted something different, so as not to constantly draw reminders. Should he say blonde? Penelope was a blonde - would that be awkward? What if she got ideas? “I really don’t care,” he shook his head. “Height, either. Though, I dunno, maybe not someone drastically taller.” Miles wasn’t ashamed of his average stature at 5′8, though it had been cause for insecurity in his younger years. 

The movie in the background had clearly hit a lull, as Sophie’s attention seemed to have slipped to the two of them. She bounded over, plopping herself down between them on the couch. “Taller than what?” she asked, trying to catch up on the conversation before decided to overtake it entirely. “Did you know that I’m two inches taller than I was three months ago?” 

“God Miles you’re taking all the fun out of this” Penelope protested, eyes rolling as she glanced up from the phone in her hand. Her foot jutted out, poking him squarely in the thigh as she lounged back against the cushions. “This is the one time where you can be as shallow as you like and no one will hold it against you” the redhead added, forgetting almost entirely that just on the other side of the room was a small child -- and more importantly, a small child with working ears. So when Sophie stirred, suddenly appearing on the sofa between them, Penelope jumped, foot retracting so she was sat with her knees up to her chest on her side of the sofa.

It was Sophie’s question that threw her her though, if only for a second. But it didn’t take long for her to to pull herself together, and place the mug down on the coaster on the coffee table. “I didn’t know that” she said, in a tone entirely different to the one that she’d been using with Miles, this one far more careful and considered. “You keep going like that and you’re gonna tower over your dad” she added with a soft smile. 

[penelxpebradley]

jamie fitzpatrick​:

“Oh, man, would you? She’s tryin’ to guilt me into going to Mass for the foreseeable future, even, though, like, I’d probably catch on fire once I cross the threshold. Maybe if you tell her I was, like, a good person this week she’ll stop trying to get me to go to that shit-pot.” There was nothing Jamie disliked more than going to Catholic mass, something that even a woman as understanding and accepting as Colleen Fitzpatrick wouldn’t understand. Waggling their brows, Jamie would swoop in for another peck of a kiss, this one planted against Pen’s shoulder as they snuggled up beside her to play. “You’re peachy keen, Penelope Bradley. I think my brother should keep you around. But, I’m still going to obliterate you. Have you ever even played Fortnite?”

“Jamie, if she’s making me come to Mass this week, there’s no way you’re going to wriggle out of it”. She wasn’t going to argue with Colleen, even if she had pouted and found herself coming up with fifty different excuses to get her out of the Sunday rigmarole that was Mass. She also knew none of her elaborate excuses would wash. “At least we can burn together” she added with a thoughtful nod, lounging back on the couch with a lazy stretch before she slumped down to rest her head against their shoulder, long slender legs dangling over the arm of the sofa. “Funnily enough I think he should keep me around too” she agreed, eyes rolling as she got comfortable. “Jamie, do I look like I’m twelve years old? No? In which case you can assume that no, I have never played Fortnite in my life”

[penelxpebradley]

nora chen​:

     “Give or take, but they have me just sitting pretty in front of the cameras presenting some news at six o’clock, apparently more views when I am on the tv which is quite…interesting?” Nora shared, although she would rather write the stories instead of presenting, it did have a slight difference in pay. Nora’s eyes soften as she looked over at Abel, she wanted to have that one day but it seems that wasn’t in her future at all. Forcing out a laugh at Penelope’s response and shrugged, “I know…but I mean they are an attractive bunch so I’m not all that surprised, they grow like rabbits, multiplying.” 

“Well whatever keeps the bills paid I guess” Penelope offered with a sympathetic shrug. She had no idea of the pressures Nora was under, nor did she imagine she ever really would, given that she was already coming under heat for her decidedly not stressful job. “Besides you just got to wait for your story and then everything will change. You’ll be batting the offers away, I’m telling you” the redhead added with a knowing nod as she bounced Abel carefully. “True” she conceded “-and Irish so you know, that makes sense” she added jokingly, lips quirking up into a mischievous grin. “But thankfully this one hasn’t got his dad’s smart mouth. Yet”. As Penelope spoke, Abel’s eyes focussed in on Nora and he held his hands out making small grabby motions. “Oh, looks like he likes you” Penelope commented, following Abel’s gaze.

[penelxpebradley]

samuel dryden​:

“What was unkind about that? It was simply an observation.” Samuel corrected with a playful smile. “You don’t have to worry about me being nice to Owen, okay? I may still need to work on being nice about him, is all.” A foot would nudge her leg beneath the table, emphasizing that he was in fact joking. Sammy, by some stroke of luck, had evolved past the need to dread over his best friend and the man she chose to share her bed with. Whatever happened, would come whether or not he meddled or shared his opinion. And at the end of the day, he didn’t want to lose her, so he’d never speak ill of Owen again. “You disgust me. … Are you speaking from personal experience? How many Fitzpatricks have you been with, Pen? God.” He billowed out a sigh then, flashing a look of disgust her way before reaching over to snatch a piece of her torn bagel, plucking it into his mouth just to have something to do. “I’m sorry, cross a line with a colleague? I don’t believe we’ve broached that subject. Do I want to ask?” The blonde tilted his head to the side, eying Penelope queerly. “Because you used to seem quite confident in the role. That’s why I’m asking. At the end of the day you know there’s always a place for you in my office, I just thought…” He shrugged his shoulders. “I thought maybe you found something you enjoyed, regardless of it was better that being at Turner and West.”

“Good, because I really would hate for you to get your beanpole ass beaten” the redhead countered with her own wry grin. Actually that was a genuine concern. And sure her concerns had never played out before, but always at the back of her mind the option had been lurking -- it was why she never left the two of them alone if she could help it for more than five seconds; Owen with his notorious foot in mouth syndrome, and Sam being well...Sam. “No, oh my god no!” The wry grin dropped off her face immediately, as her features twisted into a grimace and her voice pitched up in disgust. A hand flew out to slap his arm lightly, “gross no, oh my god no that’s...” she couldn’t bear it. Even the idea was too much. As much as she adored Jamie there was no way the thought would even cross her mind. Okay no that wasn’t strictly true. Admittedly he had been the one she spotted first at the pub, but then Owen had stepped admirably up to the plate and any interest she’d had in Jamie had fizzled in the blink of an eye. “No, I only mean like a good night out” Penelope clarified, grimace still firmly on her features. “Though he is a very good spooner” she added a second later with a half hearted shrug. “No, no you don’t want to ask” she clarified, slapping his hand away as he stole a chunk of bagel. “Yeah I mean, I did. I do”. Or rather she had. For a few moments she was silent, simply staring at her torn bagel somewhat forlornly before she pulled herself together. “Don’t worry, I’m not quitting. Just moving departments, thats all”