#the one where she says part of penelope's antagonism toward luke was that she refused to replace morgan

[torturedpoetemotions]

I need a Morcia conversation about Luke where Morgan asks what's holding her back and Penelope bursts out that she wasn't going to do this again.

And when Morgan finally gets her to explain, she explains that she loves the way they are and their friendship just as it is, and she doesn't want to change it, but there was a moment, just one moment, when she realized she wanted more.

And she swore right then that she wouldn't do it again. She wasn't going to replace Morgan with some other unfairly pretty man who was good at bantering with her. And she wasn't going to fall in love with someone who was never going to love her back the same way.

And Morgan just looks at her for a moment, recalling her once saying to him that just because he wouldn't cross a crowded room to hit on her didn't mean everyone else was that shallow, and how they never really cleared that up...and finally says:

"You know I had a moment too?"

And Penelope just blinks at him, because WHAT?

"A few actually."

More confused blinking.

"I'd look over at you and you'd be doing something so you, and I'd think god...I am in love with this woman. But it was never the right time. I wasn't ready for that. Then I was, but you were with Phil, or Kevin. Or you were going on a date with some hot guy you rescued at a coffee shop."

"Derek," Penelope says, and she is stunned, totally stunned, because he's talking about years. YEARS of their friendship pining in silence. "Why didn't you ever say something?"

"Because like I said...it was never the right time. You were with other people. Then I was. And...truth be told, I was scared. What if it didn't work out? What if I lost what we had already? I was always too afraid to take that risk. I didn't want to fade out of your life."

"Never," Penelope says.

"Yeah, I know that now. But you know...sometimes I think there was another reason."

"Yeah?"

"I moved on. And you moved on, a few times. But do you see the way Alvez looks at you? After three years since your only date? He isn't gonna just move on, Penelope. That poor man is so gone over you."

Penelope laughs, like a sad watery crying laugh though.

"You wanna know a secret?"

"Always."

"I haven't dated anyone since then either."

Derek smiles.

And that's how Penelope finally lets herself love Luke back.