บท 17: You Look Extra Beautiful Today
Penelope was struggling. Once the weekend hit tomorrow, Roman would be home all day instead of only a few hours in the evenings. Not only would she unable to keep researching in the journals, she would have to act around him 24/7.
This was never going to work. She barely made it through the rest of the evening and getting ready for bed since he insisted on spooning her to fall asleep.
She was incredibly uncomfortable with his closeness so sleep was impossible for her. As she lay there with her eyes closed, she counted to 853 before losing track and having to start over.
After losing count two more times, she gave up on that and wondered how her mom and brother were doing back home without her if this world's Percy's theory about another Penelope taking her place was wrong. If she up and disappeared so soon after losing their husband and father…
No. She had to believe that some alternate version of herself was there helping them. They were the same person; they had to share the same love for their family, right?
Still…Penelope couldn't help but worry. Everyone had struggled after Trevor Logan died. Iris become completely catatonic and Percy dove so deeply into his studies that he hardly ever came up for air.
She supposed it was his way of showing grief. He had never been the best at showing his emotions but he checked out emotionally 100% once their mother went off the deep end.
He did cry at the funeral but he wasn't sobbing like everyone else was. And when it was over he never spoke about his feelings regarding the matter again, simply saying that it was a good thing their father wasn't suffering anymore.
Whenever Penelope did see him after that, he was as enthusiastic and prone to chattering about his research or whatever new scientific article he was captivated by at the moment. It was both refreshing and concerning at the same time.
She had a sinking feeling that he was putting up a front. Percy had two modes: straightforward to the point of being rude or the king of evasiveness. Sometimes it gave her whiplash.
He was a good kid though, don't get her wrong, and she loved him fiercely. But he had always made her worry for one reason or another.
As his big sister, Penelope had always looked out for him, especially since their parents were frequently busy. That never changed when her life became more hectic and she had to go out of her way to carve out time in her schedule to hang out.
Percy had only been nineteen when their father died. He might have been a genius but he was still a teenager dealing with a major loss.
Thinking about this wouldn't help her now. Her Percy was worlds away and she would be talking to the other one tomorrow to try and figure out a plan. She really needed to try and get some sleep.
===
Penelope woke up the following morning to Roman happily spooning her while half-asleep. Her face flushed but at least he couldn't see it.
"…let me up, I have to go to the bathroom," she lied.
He unwillingly released her and she made her desperate escape, washing her face before grimacing at the state of her hair. It was naturally straight but still somehow got so tangled in the night.
She stayed in the bathroom as long as she could and didn't make eye contact when she came back out, hurrying to go get dressed so Percy could come fetch her. They agreed to meet for breakfast or brunch, whenever it was that she woke up.
"Where are you going?" Roman asked sleepily as he rubbed his eyes and saw her head toward the closet.
"Breakfast with Percy. Sorry, you aren't invited; he insists on sibling bonding time," Penelope made up on the spot.
He couldn't invite himself to this because the conversation wasn't one he was allowed to be a part of. She was plotting to leave him after all. That wouldn't go over well.
Roman shook his head with an indulgent smile. "I never know what that kid is thinking. He insisted that I come with you two last time because he was interested in how to conduct medical exams in space and wanted my professional opinion."
Penelope snorted. That sounded like something he would do. Though asking a hospital administrator instead of a doctor wasn't the most effective course of action.
He and Percy were ten years apart but he had been around for most of Percy's life in this world so it made sense they would get along. She was rather curious what their interactions looked like but that wasn't important right now.
Finding something to wear other than pajamas in this monstrosity of a closet was. She hadn't needed to know where everything else was before now because she had been lying around at home since being discharged.
Eventually she settled on an olive green skirt that flowed beneath her knees with a brown belt and a black and white striped top tucked into it. The clothes in this closet were super cute but she couldn't imagine how much it all cost.
Penelope had less than half this many clothes back home! Most of her finds came from thrift stores but she hadn't shopped at all unless something specifically needed replacing since quitting school.
She did love everything here though. Other her had great taste.
Moving back to the bathroom to brush out her hair and put on a bit of light makeup, she deemed herself ready and found a pair of sandals from a brand she didn't recognize. They looked hardly worn, as did most of the clothes she had sifted through. It must be nice to have money.
Penelope had to check several different fancy purses before finding the one that held her wallet. She grabbed it and was about to head downstairs when Roman called out to her.
He hadn't worn a shirt to bed but she had purposefully avoided looking at his chest then. Caught off guard, she couldn't help but notice that he had a perfectly sculpted six pack. Geez! A little warning would be nice!
Was there anything that wasn't absolutely perfect about this guy? He was gorgeous, rich, doted on his wife, and was fit. She sincerely hoped that his real wife appreciated him properly.
"What?" Penelope asked a bit more defensively than she meant to.
Roman gave her a heart-stopping smile. "Nothing. Just thought I'd tell you that you look extra beautiful today. That shade of green is great on you."
She did a double take at the compliment. A man who knew the effect of colors on skin tone? Impossible.
One of her ex-boyfriends bought her a pair of shoes in the most horrible shade of beige that washed her out once and she knew explaining that to him was hopeless so she simply smiled and thanked him. She only wore those shoes a couple of times when they spent time together and threw them out once they broke up.
"Thanks," Penelope managed to get out before fleeing down the stairs as quickly as she could.
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