a/n: Hi! Sorry I havent updated in so long- I was away last week, but I felt like I owed you an extra long chapter, and there were also requests to write longer- so here it is. eeek, I didnt get the chance to proof read this AGAIN, because I'm going out and Chiara will kill me if it isn't up. (love you- sorry for taking so long :P) I tried to fit in m-rated here, but it just wouldnt have made sense- definitely soon tho! Bear with me, but I wanted them to wait- I'm sure they did irl anyway. But there will be smut in either the next or following chapters! I doubt this actually happened as their first date :L but it's kinda plausible- I've done something similar lol- just go with it! Enjoy and reviewwwwwww :3
Penn woke in the morning, feeling the most at home he'd felt in the uninviting hotel bed since he'd moved to New York. Just knowing that his girl was barely feet away, on the other side of the wall, in her equally empty bed, made the generic surroundings feel almost homely. As soon as his eyes opened, a blissful smile took over his face as he replayed the events of the night before; there wasn't an alarm in the world that could wake him up better than this. He prayed the memory would never erase, so he could relive it over and over, but it was then that it hit him: he didn't have to dream anymore; his dream had become his reality, and now, the hours he spent wishing he could be with her, he could now spend actually being with her.
He inhaled slowly but deeply as he brushed his fingers over his lips. Lips that had so recently touched hers. He wondered when they'd next meet. He knew that she wouldn't want anyone to know just yet, and while he respected that, he wanted more than anything just to be with her, with no restrictions. He worried that things may be awkward today; he hoped that she hadn't changed her mind or just gone along with it in the moment so not to hurt his feelings.
A few feet away, on the other side of the wall, Blake lay there worrying about similar things. She softly bit her lower lip; she could still taste him there. The taste formed dimples in her cheeks and triggered the memory of his scent, which made it feel as though he was always hers… Maybe he was? Maybe it just took this long for her to realise it.
She wondered whether it would be awkward around him for a while. Where did they stand? Were they 'dating'; 'seeing each other'; 'boyfriend and girlfriend'? The timeline of their relationship made it uncomfortably ambiguous as to where they went from here; they'd spoken those three sacred words before they were even a couple and before they'd even kissed, but they had been friend's years before that. Were they supposed to act as if they'd been together this entire time or did they go on dates and get to know each other as if it were all new?
Blake got out of bed and shrugged off her thoughts as she pulled on her clothes.
Que sera sera.
She knew last night was too special for nothing to come of this, so she decided to have faith in their natural chemistry and head to work as normal.
The night before:
The love-struck pair made their way back to the hotel- Penn's arm around Blake's shoulder and hers around his waist. It was more of a leisurely stroll than a purposeful walk, even though it was late and they had work in the morning. Either of them would happily trade the few hours' sleep for this feeling. Neither of them said anything for the rest of the way back; the touch of their hands and the peacefulness said it all. Words would only cheapen the moment.
The doorman at the hotel gave them a nod and greeted them inside. Penn stepped to the side to let Blake in first, following close behind, wanting so much to be nearer to her- to feel the warmth of her body, contrasting the cold outside- but he knows that this love is for them, and only them, and for that, Penn was willing to compromise anything.
Once they were inside the elevator, he slipped an arm around her waist and gently pulled her closer, resting his forehead against hers while her back was against the mirrored wall. Their noses brushed against each other and they both just gazed longingly into each other's eyes. Their grins became one when their lips joined and pressed together like leaves between pages in a book.
Penn caught a glimpse of his reflection in the mirror and interrupted the kiss with a soft chuckle. Blake thought it was something she'd done. "What is it?"
"My face," he replied, "do you have any idea how creepy that is, seeing yourself be all sappy 'n' shit?"
"No, but I know how cute it is to see you be all 'sappy 'n' shit', and I love it. I love you." She smiled sweetly and placed a delicate kiss on his lips before moving away from the mirror, ready for the elevator doors to open; the last thing they needed was to be caught together like that.
Penn rested against the mirror, just watching her, contently. "Wow… you know, it really doesn't suck as badly as I thought it would to hear you say that." He mused sarcastically.
Blake rolled her eyes. "I'm glad I surpassed your expectations, Cassanova."
"You always do…" he said genuinely as the doors opened.
She blushed a little as she made her way to her room with Penn following close behind.
"Can I, uhh, come in?" he asked hesitantly as he watched her swipe the key card.
Blake paused with the door slightly ajar, deciding what to do. If she lets him in, will he think that he can have his way with her? Because she definitely doesn't want him to think that, because he definitely can't. Not yet. She doesn't know what letting him in now will mean. Does it mean anything? Is she overthinking? She'd always let him in before… Should now be any different?
Blake was completely unaware that it was now a good ten seconds after he'd asked, and she still had an unsure look on her face.
"…you can say 'no' if you want… but I just wanna talk. Nothing more."
The reassurance put Blake at ease and she opened the door to let him in, knowing she should never have doubted him. This was Penn, after all. "Come in. I mean, why should tonight be any different, right?"
"Right," Penn agreed, "it's not like we kissed or said 'I love you' to each other, so it's fine. Totally not awkward…"
The self-created awkwardness actually helped in this case, as it allowed them to laugh it off, the way they always did. Goofiness was their forte; in fact, it was one of the things Penn loved most about being with her and he definitely didn't want that to change just because they were together in a different way now. He didn't want anything about her to change. He loved her for exactly who she was, and he was going to make damn sure she knew it.
"Oh, here, I stole this from you the other day. You can have it back now." Blake threw one of Penn's cardigans at him from across the room. "It's gorgeous. When did you acquire a dress-sense?"
Thanks to Penn's worrying slow reactions, he caught the cardigan with his face and then sent back a muffled reply with it still over his head, "when you told me you could never date a guy without one…"
Blake was expecting a sarcastic response but was humbled by his honesty. She paused before replying, "You're telling me you only started to give a damn about what you looked like because you wanted to date me?"
Penn took the cardigan off his face and then instantly regretted it, realizing that it was much easier to say these things to her behind a cover. "I don't wanna date you, Blake."
"…"
Penn moved closer and took her hands in his. "I want more than that. I want to be with you. I wanna have all of you. I want to share all of myself with you. And I need you to know that the girl I fell in love with is the same girl who I was best friends with: The girl who can eat nine cupcakes in a row like it's nothing; the girl who cries at 'Finding Nemo'; the girl who can quote Shakespeare and from memory; the girl with the golden smile, and the girl with the golden heart. Funny, smart, charming, charismatic… goofy. I love it all, and I don't want anything about you to change. You hear me?"
Blake stood there with her modest, shy smile, feeling tears percolating in her eyes. She loved him. She always had and she always would. "I hear you, you big cheeseball." She giggled softly and Penn gingerly took the back of her head in his hand as he placed his lips on her forehead, wrapping his free arm around her, pulling her close. She did the same and locked both arms around him, just standing in his warmth, feeling everything fall into place.
"Come on, let's get you to sleep. You're a horror in the morning if you sleep badly."
"I am not!"
"You are… it's terrifying."
"You wanna see terrifying?" she threatened as she picked up a pillow and stared menacingly at him.
"Oh shit. See. Terrifying!" he yelped as he jumped on the bed, picking up the other pillow to defend himself as she took swings at him.
"What's so terrifying about me? I'm just your sweet Blake." She said as she delivered body and head blows.
"I take back my speech! What happened to your golden heart?" he decided to go easy on her and only hit below the waist.
"What heart? Muahaaha." She cackled as she swung recklessly at his legs whilst he was jumping up and down, sending him crashing down to the mattress in a heap and taking her down with him. She fell on top of him, marginally missing the corner of the bedside table as he caught her head to protect her.
"Woah…"
They both burst out in giggles, exhausted from all the jumping and swinging. Penn may be a guy with terrible reactions, but when Blake's safety was involved, his sharpness was unparalleled. He would do anything to protect that girl. His girl.
He carefully rolled her over, stroked her perfectly messy, blonde hair, laid a final kiss on her flushed cheek and whispered, "goodnight, pretty girl."
The sound was sweet and refreshing to Blake, but she could have sworn she'd heard it before, and she knew Kelly, her ex-boyfriend, never used to call her that. Nevertheless, she shrugged it off and replied, "'night, Penn." As she gazed up at him, leaving through the adjoining door. Ah, the adjoining door…
It was just gone twelve-thirty and the entire cast were let off to go to lunch at the same time. Penn and Blake hadn't seen each other at any point in the morning, so this was going to be the moment of truth where they found out just how awkward it was going to be.
Penn strolled up to Kraft service with Ed and Leighton, while Blake was on her way with Chace. Penn, Ed and Leighton were messing about with the red-vines, when Blake pounced on Penn's back, draping her arms over his shoulders. "Hey, guys!"
Penn spun around in all directions in a half-hearted attempt to get her off. "Hey, monkey." He gave Chace a nod. "Chace."
"Whats up, man?" Chace returned the nod before joining in on the red-vine fun. Blake jumped off Penn's back and started browsing the selection of food.
Penn joined her while he gnawed on a red-vine. "I'm starving. Someone ate my burger last night…" he raised an eyebrow at her with a smirk.
"Oh really? So that's how you feel about it, huh? Good to know. It wasn't that great anyway." She joked casually with a light laugh. Her eyes still on the food.
He dramatically clutched at his chest, "Ooft! That hurt. Take it back."
"Okay, I'll give you a second chance tonight…" she said coyly.
"What do you wanna do? Can we skip the burger bar, please?"
"Surprise me! Think of something fun. I finish at four. You finish early today, too, don't you?" She checked the call sheet to confirm.
"Yeah, I do. Alright, meet me at the hotel at five and I'll have a blindfold ready." He gave her a creepy, murderer smile and laughed as he grabbed a sandwich and went to join the others who were whispering and staring over at them.
"I fucking knew it. The lucky bastard." Ed muttered under his breath to Chace and Leighton.
"I wondered what that noise was last night, but I didn't think he had it in him." Chace subtly whispered, enviously.
Leighton interrupted, "Guys, I don't think Blake would do that…"
Ed quickly corrected her, "Leight', did you hear them last night? I always knew Blake couldn't be that innocent, but I never took her for a freak in bed. What I wouldn't give to be Penn right now."
Chace clocked Penn getting closer and turned his back to warn them. "Guys, shut up, he's coming."
They all turned around in unison like they were about to perform a rehearsed dance routine. They were all far too eager and their smiles were faker than Italian black market Gucci. "Penn!" they all chirped together.
Penn wasn't stupid. He knew something was up. "Joke's up, guys. What are you lot up to?"
"That's the same question we wanted to ask you." Chace countered.
Penn inhaled deeply as he subtly glanced over at Blake to check she was still over by Kraft service. "I don't know what you're talking about."
Leighton rolled her eyes. "You know exactly what we're talking about…" she was right- He did. "Blake seems happy this morning…you wouldn't happen to have anything to do with that, would you?"
Penn stood his ground as best he could, "Blake's always happy."
Ed smirked. "Dude, you didn't answer the question. For some strange reason, you always manage to pull girls that are way out of your league, but I'll be honest: I didn't think you could pull this one off."
"Well, you are yet to be proved wrong. Nothing happened." Penn answered him dryly.
"What the hell was that noise last night then?" Chace pried, far too loudly.
Oh, well this is awkward. What were the chances they'd believe that they were just having a late-night pillow fight? He had the right mind to sue the hotel for this shit. If you stay at a five star hotel, you'd at least expect they could sound-proof the walls!
Only Penn would want sound-proofed walls so he could pillow fight in private.
"It's not what you think it was." He said bluntly, not wanting to have to explain it. "Seriously, guys can you just respect our privacy, please? I don't want her to feel uncomfortable."
"Our privacy! I knew it!" Ed interrupted annoyingly.
"Look, I'm working on it." Penn replied honestly. "But, please. Just help me out here and don't tease her about it." he pleaded.
Leighton decided she should step up and be the mature one for the boys. "Yeah, of course" she put a hand on his shoulder. "She'd be lucky to have you. I trust you'll treat her right…but, you know, if you don't…"
"Yeah, yeah, you'll cut my balls off and feed them to the dogs." Penn interjected.
"I was actually going to say I'd feed them to you, but I can work with that… be good to her."
"Don't worry, Leight', I will."
Once Blake was done choosing her lunch, the group all gathered round a table, eating their food and enjoying each other's company- laughing about the events of the morning. Much to Penn's relief, there was no further mention of the pillow fight.
Penn spent the day preoccupied with ideas for their date in the afternoon; he had to really think this through. It had to be perfect. She deserves the best, and he wanted to prove that he could be the one to give it to her.
Dinner was too impersonal- he's known Blake for years. He had to do something that she'd know he'd put thought into and above all, she had to have fun. The burger bar thing had been done, nights in had been done. Should he do something super-romantic and not necessarily just fun, or was that too much? He wanted it to be fun and light-hearted, but he also wanted it to be intimate too. He wanted to make sure she knew what page he was on. He wanted her attention in a different way than before. They'd been on tons of 'friend' dates, and so he wanted to be certain that she knew that this time was different.
It was a long day for Penn, and not his finest, acting-wise. He took a lot of shit from the director for not having his head in it, but he didn't care. Did he not realise that he had a life-changing decision to make? This was serious shit. He was okay with not doing Dan Humphrey justice if it meant he could make Blake Lively happy.
Five o'clock came and Penn was all set to go. He knocked on Blake's door, holding a blindfold. He wasn't joking.
Blake answered, looking casual in some jeans, converse and a plain, v-neck white t-shirt. Penn smirked to himself, wondering how she managed to make the simplest outfits look catwalk-worthy.
"Is what I'm wearing okay for what you have planned?" she asked, trying to figure out what he had in store.
"It's perfect. You look beautiful." He placed a soft kiss on her cheek before getting the blindfold ready.
Blake's eye catches the blindfold and she hesitates a little. "Oh, you really weren't kidding…"
"Do you trust me?"
"Of course I trust you."
"Okay, good. Just relax. I want it to be a surprise. I promise you'll love it." He stands behind her, carefully putting the blindfold over her eyes, making sure not to get any of her perfect blond hair tangled in the knot at the back. "That's not too tight is it?"
"No, it's fine. I'm excited!" she squeaks. "Can I have a clue?"
"If I tell you, I'm going to have to kill you…"
"Okay, Drama Queen. Have it your way. Let's go. The suspense is killing me."
"Alright, alright. We're going." He puts an arm around her waist, guiding her along the corridor and into the elevator. She puts an arm over his shoulder, just to make sure she doesn't lose him.
"Seriously, Penn, you couldn't have put the blindfold on downstairs?"
"What's the fun in that?" he says and pokes her side, making her jump as she squeals.
"You jerk! You know how badly I jump when you do that! It's like a hundred times scarier when you can't see anything!" she whined.
"It's cute. But okay, I'll lay off with the tickling and poking whilst you're blindfolded. You're in safe hands."
He got her outside the hotel safely, as promised and he ushered her into a black Audi A7 and sat beside her in the back seat.
"Are we in a town car?" she asked, feeling around the interior. She trusted Penn, but it was definitely unnerving to not be able to see anything and have no idea where you were going.
"Nope." Penn replied plainly.
"So who's driving then…?"
"My friend, Vince." Penn nodded to Vince, signalling that it was okay to speak.
"Hey, Blake." Vince chirped happily.
"…hey." She replied awkwardly. Okay…this was weird. Why was there another guy on their date? It's okay, Blake. You trust him. It's fine. Just trust him.
Penn chuckled to himself. "Just relax. You said you trusted me?"
"Trusted. Past tense." She joked.
"I love you. Present tense." He replied casually, but with the utmost sincerity. Blake was only joking anyway, but it was enough to shut her up. Since when did Penn have the ability to make her feel this way? To leave her speechless with five words? To make her this nervous? It took all she had to not rip off her blindfold and just kiss him- even with Vince in the car. Instead, her hand searched for his, travelling across his thigh until she finally found it on his knee. She hadn't intended it to be sensual at all, but it sort of felt that way. She banished any unwelcome and inappropriate thoughts by sliding her fingers in between his and stroking his hand with her thumb, waiting patiently to arrive at the unknown destination.
Not ten minutes later, the car stops outside a deserted warehouse in the middle of nowhere... Blake is still blindfolded, and it's just as well, because she would shit herself if she could see where she was right now.
Penn helps her out of the car whilst Vince goes to unlock the warehouse door. The warehouse is Vince's studio- so that's where he comes into it. Again, Blake doesn't know this.
"Penn, seriously, I can't get one clue?" she pleads.
"Nah uh. Besides, we're here. You're blindfold will be off in like two minutes."
"Fineee." She whines playfully as she swats the air in a futile attempt to hit him.
Vince chucks Penn the keys as he goes to leave and get in his car. "My work here is done. Don't forget to lock up if you leave. Call me when you're done. Have a good one!"
Penn catches the keys with his left hand- his right arm busy holding Blake close. "Thanks again, man. I appreciate it."
"Happy to help. Blake, it's been a pleasure…even though I can't see your eyes." He laughs lightly as he starts up the engine. "Have a great time."
"Thanks, Vince. You too." She doesn't know what she's thanking him for yet, but she reckons it's a safe bet that she'll enjoy herself if Penn is involved.
Vince drives off, speedily, leaving Penn on his own from here on. They step inside the warehouse and Penn prepares to uncover Blake's eyes. He looks around, making sure everything is in order before he does. "You ready?"
"As I'll ever be!" she replies enthusiastically.
"Alright. Here we go. Please at least try and look excited, even if you think it's shit. I don't think my ego can take it." he says with a chuckle, although he's being deadly serious- he's petrified. He'd gone into excruciating detail when telling Vince how to set it all up, and he desperately hoped she'd like it.
At the same time as removing her blindfold, Penn hit 'play' on the remote for the sound-system. Suddenly, the sound of Ray Charles floods her ears- her favourite. She blinks as she looks around the colourful studio, taking it all in. She doesn't believe what she's seeing: in one corner, in front of a large, blank white wall, there is a table with a vast array of paint colours, brushes, rollers, spray-cans, and two white overalls. In another corner, a large TV hung from the wall, with a karaoke machine, a dance mat, and, of course, Guitar Hero. At the far end of the enormous studio, there was long bouncy castle, and she could make out some sort of obstacle course in it. In the corner closest to them, there was a makeshift room which was enclosed in white walls, matching the rest of the studio, with 'For The End Of The Night' written across it. Blake eyed it up, curiously, wondering what it could be. A cheesy disco ball hung from the ceiling, reflecting light throughout the studio as Penn dimmed the lights with the remote. He took Blake's hand, waking her up from her daze- her mouth was wide open in surprise. It all just felt like one crazy ecstasy flash-forward; one of those trippy dreams that seem like they could never manifest themselves. Well, here it was- right in front of her. She gripped Penn's hand tightly- her way of letting him know he'd done a good job, until she had found her equilibrium enough to speak. "Penn…" was all she could manage.
"Do you like it?" he asked nervously.
"Are you crazy? It's like all my favourite things in one massive room. How could I not love it?"
Penn laughed lightly in relief. "I thought you might. Come on, I'll show you around. There are a few hidden bits and bobs around here. Let's explore."
"Yeah, speaking of… what's in that room?"
"That's for later." He replied cryptically.
Oh, God… All sorts of thoughts were flying through Blake's head; if it was a bedroom, she would never speak to him again, regardless of all this other amazing stuff. She silenced her doubts, reminding herself that Penn wasn't like that. She was adamant that this worry wouldn't stop her from having fun until she found out what was in there.
"Come on," he took her other hand and led her into the middle of the studio, under the disco ball just as 'You Send Me' by Sam Cooke came on.
"I love this song!" she cried.
"I know…" he replied coolly as put his arms around her. "May I have this dance, Miss Lively?" he asked with a grin.
"Yes, you may." She put her arms around his neck and he held her close around her waist, swaying slowly to the music.
"Have I told you look beautiful tonight?" he whispered into her ear as they swayed.
"Yes, you have… but only once. You need to step your game up, Badgley." She joked cutely.
"Well, I'll be sure to let you know more often…because you are…beautiful." He stared into her deep grey-blue eyes.
"Even in my t-shirt and converse?"
"Even in your t-shirt and converse…" he plants a chaste kiss on her forehead, holding his lips there, closing his eyes and inhaling her for what seems like an eternity.
Blake shuts her eyes, enjoying the peaceful silence against the hum of the music and the feeling of his lips against her skin. She's lost in the song and Penn's arms when she's startled by the sudden genre-change to up-tempo Britney- totally spoiling the moment.
"Uhh…" Penn feigned an awkward look, "I told him not to put it on shuffle."
Blake giggles and twirls out of his embrace and skips over to the paints. "Okay, so what are we doing over here?" she asks, running a hand over all the art supplies- checking out all the tools.
"Anything you want!" Penn beams. "The wall is totally ours to decorate. It's up to you. We might wanna put these on first, though." He hands her some overalls and slips into his own.
Once Blake is covered up, she picks up the largest paint brush, dips it into the red paint pot and predictably flicks it at him. "How about I decorate you?" she grins.
"Oh… Oh you are so gonna get it." He picks up the entire green paint pot and chases her around the studio. "I'm gonna get you eventually! We're locked in!" he snickers.
Blake is desperately running away, unarmed, weaving between the different activities that have been set up, before she manages to make her way back to the paint table, hiding behind it while she arms herself with the pink spray can. "Come and get me, Penny boy. I hear spray paint is pretty nasty in the eyes." She warns.
"Oooh, I'm so scared." He edges closer, knowing something that she hasn't figured out yet- daring her to attack first. "Come on then."
Blake fancies her chances and quickly pops up from behind the table, coming at him with the spray can, pressing down to spray him- standing only about a foot away. She quickly realises why he was so confident, because the nozzle is locked- it's a brand new can. Penn doubles over in laughter as he grabs her with one arm and tips the entire pot of paint over her.
She wriggles to get free, but he has her held tight, so she decides to transfer the paint that's on her, onto him instead- but he's laughing too hard to care. "I seriously thought you were smarter than that." He continues to laugh hysterically through his words.
"So not fair. I call foul play!" she moans petulantly and pouts at him.
Penn lets go of her puts his hands up in defence. "What is it they say? 'All is fair in love and war'?"
Blake raises an eyebrow. "Oh, so this is a war, huh?"
"This is love… the war is strictly for fun. The seriousness of our war goes no further than Guitar Hero." He smirks. "We all know you take no prisoners there."
She smiles back at him, dabbing green paint on his nose and brushing her nose against his. "In that case, I'll play fair until we get to Guitar Hero…I'll get you back then." She kisses him quickly before going back to the paints and starting on the wall. "How are we gonna this? Just throw paint at it, or…?"
The music switches to Justin Timberlake, and Blake loses her train of thought, laughing at Penn strutting towards the wall to 'Sexy Back'. "I'll let you whip me if I misbehave…it's just that no one makes me feel this way…" Penn fails to keep a straight face and cracks up laughing with her as he puts paint on his butt and proceeds to grind against the wall, smearing the paint all over it with his ass while he makes faces and sings along.
"Okay, Zoolander. Very sexy." She giggles.
"Do I hear a hint of sarcasm?"
She gasps, "Never! You're a total stud."
They fool around for a while longer with the paints- turning the mess of a wall into somewhat of a piece of art. They had fun with the base-coat of random splashes of colour but then Blake started to go into more detail, painting pretty flowers and printing sweet love quotes , and Penn followed suit. He wasn't as artistic as Blake was, but he took inspiration from her, just letting the brush do its thing.
Once they were done, Penn took pictures of the wall, so they'd still have it when Vince washed all the shit off and put his art studio back to normal. They washed their hands in the sink and took off their overalls before heading over to the next activity.
"So, if I just blow this picture up and frame it, you're ok with that being your birthday present, right?" Penn joked.
"Sure! If you want me to buy you a mouse mat for yours." She laughed and nudged him before rushing over to the TV area. "Shall we warm you up with the dance mat, Mr Sexy Back? Why don't you go first and show me your moves?"
"Oh, is that a challenge, Miss Lively?"
"You bet it is. Step up to the plate."
He promptly did as told and proceeds to make a giant dick of himself; only for her. Blake thoroughly enjoys herself at his expense before expertly showing him how it's done. Penn stands back and watches with a smirk. God, she's cute.
Once she was done schooling him on the dance mats, she did the same on Guitar Hero, rightfully boasting and rubbing her superiority in his face, somehow managing not to annoy him. It never did. He secretively loved it when she beat him at things; he loved seeing her smug face and how genuinely happy she got.
"Karaoke time!" Penn grabbed the mic, setting up the song so the lyrics came up on the TV. Penn could actually sing, but he was shy about it. Blake had only heard him sing for TV roles and he wasn't about to just seriously break into song now either. He was saving that for a more special time than karaoke.
Penn cleared his throat, preparing for the music to start… he begins dramatically: "If I should stay, I would only be in your way, so I'll go, but I know I'll think of you every step of the way…" before taking a breath and belting out, "and iiiiii eee iiiii will always love youuuu oooohhh."
Blake bursts into giggles, joining him on the mini stage, sharing the mic as she sings, "bittersweet memories, that is all I am taking with me eeeee… So goodbye. Please don't cry…" they look longingly into each other's eyes as if they were in Grease as they dove into the next chorus together: "and iiiiii eee iiii will always love youuuu oooh." Blake did her best to stifle her giggles while Penn held the note and took her under his arm, swaying as he sung. He pressed a tender kiss on her forehead at the end of the song, holding her still for a moment.
"I reckon our version would storm the charts. We need to get in a recording studio, asap."
"For sure. We'd hit the big bucks. Forget Gossip Girl." Penn agreed.
"Seriously though…when do I get to hear you sing?"
"You just did." He replied annoyingly- knowing full well what she was talking about.
"No, I mean singing properly, silly." she donned her most adorable puppy dog eyes.
"You didn't think I was singing properly?" he gasped, feigning offence. "Well that's awkward."
Blake huffed and rolled her eyes. "You just won't budge, will you?"
"Nope." He grinned and swiftly scooped her up and carefully threw her over his shoulder, holding her tight by her legs as she thumped his back with her fists.
"Penn! Let me down right now!"
Penn ignored her and made a run for the bouncy castle with her on his back, laughing uncontrollably.
"Penn Dayton Badgley, I am going to kill you." She squealed as the blood rushed to her head.
"Oh shit! Blake Christina Lively just used my whole name. Have mercy!" he mocked as he jumped into the bouncy castle, releasing her from his hold. She landed on her back but quickly got up and started bouncing over him. "Okay, that's fucking terrifying from down here. Seriously, Blake stop." He managed to say as he covered his face with his arms. He was laughing, but he was genuinely freaked out. This only gave her more power and made her bounce higher, laughing uncontrollably. Penn had no choice but to grab one of her legs, sending her crashing down on her front, giving him time to get to his feet.
"Oww! I have boobs, Penn, you jerk!" Blake whined as she lay on her chest.
"Another thing I love about you." He smirked cheekily and made a run for it out of the castle and down the bouncy obstacle course, picking up one of the SuperSoaker's which was lying in the doorway of the bouncy castle.
She laughed to herself and shook her head, watching him run away. "You better run! I'm lethal with a SuperSoaker."
"Come at me, Blakey!" he dared from the end of the obstacle course.
She accepted the challenge, picked up the SuperSoaker and started bounding down the inflatable obstacle course, clambering through the holes, climbing over the walls and under the nets. Just as she crawled under the final net, she didn't see Penn there waiting to open fire on her. He laughed out loud as he pumped the water gun, soaking her hair. Once she was out, she quickly got upright and started shooting at nothing in particular as Penn dodged and weaved, barely wetting the sleeve of his grey T-shirt. "Nice aim!"
Blake ignored him and focussed her aim on his shirt, partly because she wanted him to take it off. She may be a shy, reserved young lady, but she still had hormones.
The water fight continued for a good while longer until both were sufficiently soaked and exhausted, passing out on their backs inside the castle.
"I'm dead." Blake yawned.
"Don't die yet! There's still the secret room to go!"
Oh crap. The secret room. She'd forgotten about that and had actually managed to have a good time without worrying about it. The night had been perfect so far, she prayed this last 'activity' wouldn't spoil it…
"Do I get a clue?" she asked as he offered a hand to help her up and out of the bouncy castle.
"Well it can get pretty hot and steamy in there…"
Oh, for fuck sake. Blake looked around, planning her escape route and her angry parting speech. Did he seriously think he could get in her pants on their first official date? She kept quiet, holding onto the ever-diminishing sliver of hope that she was wrong as he led her to the room at the other end of the studio.
They get to the door and Penn lets go of her hand. "Wait here, I just need to make sure it's all ready." He quickly slips through the door so she's unable to see inside.
Brilliant, he's lighting the candles- that's if he's even bothered with candles, she thought to herself. Penn emerges from the room with a cheeky smile on his face… "It's ready…" he says coyly. He holds out his hand and she hesitantly places hers in his. She swallows hard with a nervous look on her face and he's confused as to why. He thought she was having fun. He hoped he hadn't done anything wrong or anything to upset her…
The door opened to Vince's small, kitchen area which the white walls were enclosing, filled with a selection of ingredients and utensils. "Hungry?" he grinned.
Blake's face stretched into an enormous smile- partly through relief, but mostly through genuine joy. He really did know her well and she really should learn to stop doubting him so much. He's one of the good ones. She stood still in the doorway, gazing at him in awe. "You really are amazing, you know?"
"Yeah, I know." He smirked. "But don't let it get to my head." Blake picked up the tea towel and whipped his leg with it. "Come on, I'm hungry. What's it gonna be, Chef Lively?"
"Hmm…" she scanned through the ingredients intensely. "How about butterflied chicken breast with creamy mushroom and white wine sauce?" she suggested excitedly.
"That sounds damn good to me. Plus, that's quick, right?"
Blake rolled her eyes. "Yes, you'll get your food quickly," she said as she poked his stomach. "But you're my sous chef, right? That'll make it quicker."
"Ehh…" Penn screwed up his face. "Too many cooks spoil the broth."
"Oh shut up." She laughed as she prepped her ingredients.
"I wanted to set up a sort of Masterchef thing where we'd race against the clock and have a cook off, but the kitchen's too small." Penn explained.
"Oh my gosh, that would have been incredible. But I wouldn't want you losing yet again tonight… can't be doing much for your ego." She teased.
"Trust me, you just being here with me is doing a lot for my ego…"
Blake blushed as she butterflied and washed the chicken breasts. "Hey, make yourself useful and chop the mushrooms." She nudged him playfully and they exchanged a sweet smile before he did as she asked.
"Yes, Chef."
Once Penn's job was done, he sat back on the stool, admiring Blake at work. Seeing the concentration but genuine enjoyment on her face as she precisely carried out each step.
Blake had finished prepping and all that was left to do was to wait for the chicken to cook. She turned around and caught Penn's gaze. "Oh, 'cause that's not creepy." She laughed lightly.
"I think I'm due to tell you that you're beautiful again... I recall you picking me up for slacking on that earlier." He replied charmingly.
Blake smiled modestly to herself, feeling overly shy in the cramped kitchen. Penn noticed her timidity and rid her of any of those feelings with an unexpected but gentle kiss on the lips. He rested one hand on her hip while the other cupped the side of her face. He cautiously deepened the kiss, reassured by her response that it was okay to do so.
Their tongues met for the first time. The meeting was brief, but it definitely happened, regardless of Blake's premature withdrawal.
It's not that she didn't want to- she did. And it felt good, but she was constantly conscious about not moving too fast. Although, she did surprise herself with her flirtatiousness to give him a taste but not let him all the way in. Penn didn't mind. It only added to his desire to uncover the mystery that she was. From the taste of her mouth, to her odd taste in music, she was an enigma to him. He knew her so well, yet there was so much to be discovered. The thought excited him and he couldn't wait to find out more.
He held onto her for a few more seconds before their lips parted and formed two separate, but mirrored smiles.
"Dinner's ready" Blake noted casually.
"Perfect. This calls for my final party trick."
"There's more?" Blake inquired, genuinely surprised.
"You bet. Plate up while I sort it out." Penn picked up the metal rod that was resting against the wall in the corner and hooked the end of it onto a latch on the ceiling, opening up the door and lowering down the ladder which was attached to it. "Dinner on the rooftop, underneath the stars?" he asked as if there was any chance she'd decline.
Blake's mouth was wide open in shock. "You're not serious…right?"
A smug smile appeared on Penn's face, mentally patting himself on the back for managing to leave the girl with so many words, speechless. "I'm serious."
"Wow…" was all she could manage in return. "Uhh, hang on, let me just plate up the food."
Once everything was plated up, Penn took the dishes and started up the ladder.
"Penn, if you drop that, you better be okay with eating it off the floor, because I will if I have to."
"Ew, gross." He laughed as he disappeared up onto the roof. He set the plates down at the table and came back for her. "Are you alright getting up yourself?" he called down to her.
"I'm pretty sure I can manage a ladder, Penn." She laughed softly as she made her way up.
"Just trying to be a gent."
Blake was a hopeless romantic, but she also wanted to make it clear that she could her hold her own, too. She wasn't the damsel in distress; she was a very capable, independent woman. This fact didn't skip Penn's attention either. He loved this about her. Normally, a guy (especially with his height) would feel emasculated by such statuesque beauty and confidence, but she didn't need him; she wanted him, and nothing could beat that feeling.
Blake stood up on the large rooftop, beside him, taking in the beautiful night air and staring up at the stars. The barriers around the edges of the rooftop were covered in white lights and there was a small, candle-lit table in the middle where their food was waiting. "Penn, this is… unbelievable… I can't even… I don't even know what to say."
"Say you're hungry, 'cause the food's getting cold!"
"Well, I am starving."
Penn pulls out her chair for her. (This time, the chair is actually movable.) They both sit down and he pours Blake a glass of soda before he pours himself a glass of red wine. Penn raises his glass, "cheers to-"
Blake cuts him off and carries on, "cheers to you bringing me on a date and making me cook you a candle-lit dinner." She smirked.
"Hey! I lit the candles! And I chopped the mushrooms. What more do you want from me?"
Blake giggles as they clink their glasses before taking a sip. "No, but seriously… this is beyond anything I could have imagined when I told you to surprise me."
Penn's eyes smiled warmly back at her. "I'm glad. I had an amazing time with you."
"Me too…I've honestly had the most magical night. Thank you…and thank you for not trying to sleep with me." She laughed awkwardly.
"Huh?" Penn blinked and nearly choked on his mouthful. "You're…welcome?"
"I dunno, I was just worried that's what you wanted… Especially with this 'for the end of the night' room… "Blake kept her eyes on her food, too embarrassed to look him in the eye.
Penn put his knife and fork down and gave her his full attention. It upset him to think that was in the back of her mind. "Blake…" he said softly.
She looked up slowly. "Yeah…?"
"I love you, alright? You…not your body… okay, well your body's pretty amazing too, but-" Good start, dickhead. "my point is: I'm in love with you for you. I love spending time with you, talking, laughing, goofing around. We're just starting to get to know each other this way…I don't wanna spoil it by moving too fast. When the right time comes, and we're both ready- however long that takes- then, sure, I'm sure that wouldn't suck. But that's not important to me right now. You are. I'm sorry if I ever gave you that impression."
Blake smiled at the tablecloth, blushing and feeling stupid for ever questioning his motives. Penn moved his hand across the table and found hers, delicately playing with her fingers. "You didn't really do anything to give me that impression…I'm sorry I doubted you. I guess I'm just confused. This is all really new still. Like, what even are we…?"
"Well… I thought we were getting married next week…Vegas, right?" he joked.
Blake slapped his hand away. "Jerk." She laughed. "Can you just be serious for a second?"
"Sorry…" Penn composed himself and then continued seriously, "if it's okay with you, I'd love if you would be my girlfriend…" he asked hopefully. He didn't think she'd say no, but he was still nervous and he was pretty sure he sounded like the biggest loser on the planet.
"Me too…" she smiled shyly and then started giggling randomly.
"Oh great, I sound like a douchelord don't I?" Penn scratched the back of his neck, feeling horribly self-conscious.
Blake covered her mouth to muffle the giggles. "No, I'm sorry… you don't….nervous laughter. This isn't an every-day conversation."
"Well, I should hope not, seeing as I'm now your boyfriend." He reminded her smugly.
"Lucky me."
"Lucky me." He countered.
They continued eating, stealing a few glances when the other wasn't looking, wondering why it took them so long to get here. This felt so right.
"Babe, this chicken is amazing." Babe! She's been your girlfriend for three minutes exactly. Babe?
"Thank-a-you! I make it all the time. It's so easy to do. I'll show you some time."
"Uhh, how about I just leave that to you…I'll eat it, though!"
"Typical" she laughed lightly. "Are you finished?"
"Yup. All gone. Thank you- it was delicious."
"You're welcome. Thank you for tonight… I love you, you know that." She said softly.
"Say that again…"
"I love you." The grin on her face wasn't about to budge.
"Sorry, you're gonna have to speak a bit louder." He cupped his ear, pretending to try and hear her better.
"I love you!" she shouted.
"Woah, okay, jeez. Easy. I heard you the first time." He teased, standing up and going over to her chair.
She giggled and threw her napkin at him as she stood up and put her arms around his neck. He kissed her softly on the lips before she nuzzled her face into his chest and he held her close. "Hey, you know the expression, 'I wanna shout it from the rooftops'?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Let's do it."
Blake looked up at him, still in his arms. "Really?"
"Really! Why not? We're on a rooftop- let's make the most of it." Penn suggested eagerly.
"Thank you for being such a geek, because I really wanted to, but it's hardly normal." They both laughed together and he picked her up in a knight-in-shining-armour way and spun her around.
"Woah! Dizzy. Sick. Chicken. Not a great idea!" Blake warned as she was being spun.
Penn didn't wanna leave Vince with puke on his roof, so he carefully put her down before screaming from the edge of the rooftop, "I love my girlfriend!"
Blake joined in giddily, "I love my boyfriend!"
"We're in love, and I'm shouting it from the rooftops! Sue me!"
"Don't actually sue him, because I only want him for his money!"
"I only want her for her cooking!"
Blake gasped as if she were offended, but he silenced her with a quick kiss on the lips. "Mmm. I could get used to that."
"You're really gonna have to start warning me before you do that."
"No I don't. I'm your boyfriend now." He beamed and then walked off towards the ladder down to the kitchen.
Penn called Vince to pick them up while they cleared up a bit and the journey back was far more relaxed than the previous one. Vince was also being far too nosey and Penn scolded him in return.
Once they were back at the hotel, they stop outside their adjacent rooms, doing the awkward key-fiddle, except with key-cards instead of keys- not as effective.
"Goodnight, pretty girl." Penn spoke softly as he kissed her cheek. "Sleep well."
"Why don't you come in?" she asked innocently.
"Because I want to."
"Right…"
"No, I mean, I shouldn't, because I really want to and I don't want to spoil an amazing night. And, regarding our talk earlier…"
"Is it that hard for you to keep your hands off me?" she teased.
"Harder than you'll ever know. Believe me. But you're well worth it." Penn swiped his key-card and opened the door.
"'night, Penn….I had so much fun tonight. Thank you."
"You're welcome, angel. Sleep tight." He disappeared into his room, leaving Blake standing there, daydreaming about how perfect this all was. She still couldn't believe all the trouble he went to, just for her. How much thought he put into it all. She'd just had the most amazing night of her life, with the most amazing guy she'd ever known. Life was pretty good right now.
She got into bed, laying there counting her blessings. She got her phone out and texted Penn who was on the other side of the wall.
"I love you- B"
She waited for a reply and then heard three knocks on the wall before hearing a muffled response. "I love you too." He called out.