Notes: This is for Callie! I'm working on it! lol.
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-------Jake--------
I sit in my office, making sketches on promo ideas, and Penny pops into my head.
There is something going on with her, I know it, so why won't she tell me what it is? She just looks so sad today, unhappy.
But she always looks unhappy.
I wonder why that is. What does she have to be unhappy about? She's got lots of friends (I think); she's got a great apartment (I'm pretty sure anyway) and she works in a place where if she doesn't do any work, she still keeps her job and her paycheck. Plus, she has a boyfriend.
Doesn't she?
The more I think about it, the more I am unsure about my knowledge of her. It bothers me, too, because she always listens to my problems and I never even offer to listen to hers.
I decide to call her into my office.
------Penny-------
"Penny!" he calls from his office door.
"What?" I yell back.
"Can I see you in my office for a minute?"
I sigh. "Fine."
I get up from my desk and trudge towards his office. I know what this means. He's in another Dylan confusion.
"What?" I say as I plop down on the couch.
"I just wanted to talk to you about something."
"Okay, what is it?"
He sighs. "Look, Penny, I know there is something bothering you. And it bothers me that you feel like you can't tell me what it is."
"There is nothing bothering me Jake," I lie.
"Yes there is. I can tell there is. And, Penny, you always listen to my problems. I want you to be able to depend on me to listen to yours. So please, just tell me what it is."
"It's nothing!"
"Don't lie, Penny!" he says, his voice getting all high like it does when he's frustrated.
How can he always tell when something is wrong? It's like he knows me better than I know myself.
"Please, Penny, just tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help." His voice is back at normal pitch.
I sigh. "You can't help, Jake."
"Why not?"
"Because, you just, can't."
"Does it have something to do with your boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend?" I ask, surprised. I have a boyfriend?
"You don't have a boyfriend?"
"No, have you seen him come by to visit me?" I say, with that usual sarcastic tone.
"I'm sorry Penny, I just sort of assumed you did," he says, awkwardly.
"And why would you assume something like that?" I ask, curiously.
"I don't know, because, well, just look at you."
I look down and then back up at him. "What about me?"
"Just, nothing. Hey, do you want me to set you up with someone?"
"God, no." Where is all of this coming from? Why does he want to set me up with someone?
"Why not?"
"Just, because, okay? Who would wanna go out with me anyway?" As soon as I say it, I realize I shouldn't have. I've always acted really confident about myself and the way I look. Jake would definitely know something was up now.
"Penny, you're crazy! You're smart, you're funny, and you're attractive. I know some great guys that would kill to date you. Why won't you just give it a try?"
'Oh, they'd kill to date me, but you won't even give me a second look.' I just really don't like the fact that he wants to set me up with one of his friends. And it hurts that he thinks I'm so great, but he'll never be the one to kill to date me.
"I won't give it a try, because I can't," I finally answer.
"But why can't you?" he asks, confused.
"Because I have my eye set on someone else." Why did I just say that?!
"You do?" he asks surprised.
"Yeah, well, actually, I have my heart set on someone else."
He's shocked. "Wow, is that what's bothering you?"
"Um, yeah, sort of."
"Does he know that you're in love with him?"
"No, I, well, I can't tell him," I say sadly.
"Why can't you?"
"Because he has his heart set on someone else."
He frowns at me with pity. I feel like such a loser. Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut? Why did I have to tell him that I was in love?
"Anyways." I break the silence. There is this weird awkward feeling in the air and I hate it.
"Penny, do you want my advice?" he asks.
"Not really," I say. I'm not quite sure I want advice from him on how to get him to love me back. Only he doesn't know he's the one I love. I haven't gone that far. yet.
"Well, I think you should tell this guy how you feel."
"Um, no," I say shaking my head.
"But if you never tell him, he'll never know. And you'll be kicking yourself if you don't, because what if he gets that other girl? Then you will have missed your chance forever."
I know he's right, but I still can't tell him.
"No, I can't tell him."
"Penny, he'll pick you! And if he doesn't he's a loser!" he exclaims.
"How do you know that? What about the other girl? What about his feelings for her?" I shout. Well, half-shout.
"Penny, are you friends with this guy?"
"Yes."
"So he knows the real you?"
"Um, I guess so." I don't even know the real me. How could he know the real me?
"Penny, you are great. And this guy already knows it, if you're friends with him. When you love someone, you just say it. You say how you feel. You don't hide it, because then it's like you're ashamed of it."
Am I ashamed of it? Maybe I am. Jake is very different from all of the other guys I've dated. He's foolish and dorky, but he's also sweet and funny. I shouldn't be ashamed of it. I should definitely tell him.
But wait, if that's his rule of thumb, why hasn't he told Dylan?
"If that's what you really think, then why haven't you told Dylan?"
"Told Dylan what?"
"That you love her."
"Um, well because, uh." he trails off. Then he switches the subject. "Look, if you tell him, it will bring out even more of your good qualities for him to see. And like I said, if he doesn't pick you, then he doesn't deserve you anyway. I just think you should tell him. You will feel so much better and be way happier when you do, I know it."
I think about it. It would be nice to get it out in the open. But would it be worth it?
"Penny, just tell him!"
He keeps blabbering on with his advice about what I should do, and I stare blankly at him, my thoughts on a whole other planet. In a whole other universe.
As I ponder what I should do, I catch the end of his big spiel.
".love is precious and if you believe that it's real then you should tell him. He deserves to know about your feelings for him, so he can make an informed decision. And I know that when you tell him, a huge weight will be lifted off of your shoulders and you won't be wearing that unhappy face anymore. 'Cause you'll be in love."
I look at him and say, quite simply, "I love you."
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A/N: Next chapter. soon.
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-------Jake--------
I sit in my office, making sketches on promo ideas, and Penny pops into my head.
There is something going on with her, I know it, so why won't she tell me what it is? She just looks so sad today, unhappy.
But she always looks unhappy.
I wonder why that is. What does she have to be unhappy about? She's got lots of friends (I think); she's got a great apartment (I'm pretty sure anyway) and she works in a place where if she doesn't do any work, she still keeps her job and her paycheck. Plus, she has a boyfriend.
Doesn't she?
The more I think about it, the more I am unsure about my knowledge of her. It bothers me, too, because she always listens to my problems and I never even offer to listen to hers.
I decide to call her into my office.
------Penny-------
"Penny!" he calls from his office door.
"What?" I yell back.
"Can I see you in my office for a minute?"
I sigh. "Fine."
I get up from my desk and trudge towards his office. I know what this means. He's in another Dylan confusion.
"What?" I say as I plop down on the couch.
"I just wanted to talk to you about something."
"Okay, what is it?"
He sighs. "Look, Penny, I know there is something bothering you. And it bothers me that you feel like you can't tell me what it is."
"There is nothing bothering me Jake," I lie.
"Yes there is. I can tell there is. And, Penny, you always listen to my problems. I want you to be able to depend on me to listen to yours. So please, just tell me what it is."
"It's nothing!"
"Don't lie, Penny!" he says, his voice getting all high like it does when he's frustrated.
How can he always tell when something is wrong? It's like he knows me better than I know myself.
"Please, Penny, just tell me what's wrong. Maybe I can help." His voice is back at normal pitch.
I sigh. "You can't help, Jake."
"Why not?"
"Because, you just, can't."
"Does it have something to do with your boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend?" I ask, surprised. I have a boyfriend?
"You don't have a boyfriend?"
"No, have you seen him come by to visit me?" I say, with that usual sarcastic tone.
"I'm sorry Penny, I just sort of assumed you did," he says, awkwardly.
"And why would you assume something like that?" I ask, curiously.
"I don't know, because, well, just look at you."
I look down and then back up at him. "What about me?"
"Just, nothing. Hey, do you want me to set you up with someone?"
"God, no." Where is all of this coming from? Why does he want to set me up with someone?
"Why not?"
"Just, because, okay? Who would wanna go out with me anyway?" As soon as I say it, I realize I shouldn't have. I've always acted really confident about myself and the way I look. Jake would definitely know something was up now.
"Penny, you're crazy! You're smart, you're funny, and you're attractive. I know some great guys that would kill to date you. Why won't you just give it a try?"
'Oh, they'd kill to date me, but you won't even give me a second look.' I just really don't like the fact that he wants to set me up with one of his friends. And it hurts that he thinks I'm so great, but he'll never be the one to kill to date me.
"I won't give it a try, because I can't," I finally answer.
"But why can't you?" he asks, confused.
"Because I have my eye set on someone else." Why did I just say that?!
"You do?" he asks surprised.
"Yeah, well, actually, I have my heart set on someone else."
He's shocked. "Wow, is that what's bothering you?"
"Um, yeah, sort of."
"Does he know that you're in love with him?"
"No, I, well, I can't tell him," I say sadly.
"Why can't you?"
"Because he has his heart set on someone else."
He frowns at me with pity. I feel like such a loser. Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut? Why did I have to tell him that I was in love?
"Anyways." I break the silence. There is this weird awkward feeling in the air and I hate it.
"Penny, do you want my advice?" he asks.
"Not really," I say. I'm not quite sure I want advice from him on how to get him to love me back. Only he doesn't know he's the one I love. I haven't gone that far. yet.
"Well, I think you should tell this guy how you feel."
"Um, no," I say shaking my head.
"But if you never tell him, he'll never know. And you'll be kicking yourself if you don't, because what if he gets that other girl? Then you will have missed your chance forever."
I know he's right, but I still can't tell him.
"No, I can't tell him."
"Penny, he'll pick you! And if he doesn't he's a loser!" he exclaims.
"How do you know that? What about the other girl? What about his feelings for her?" I shout. Well, half-shout.
"Penny, are you friends with this guy?"
"Yes."
"So he knows the real you?"
"Um, I guess so." I don't even know the real me. How could he know the real me?
"Penny, you are great. And this guy already knows it, if you're friends with him. When you love someone, you just say it. You say how you feel. You don't hide it, because then it's like you're ashamed of it."
Am I ashamed of it? Maybe I am. Jake is very different from all of the other guys I've dated. He's foolish and dorky, but he's also sweet and funny. I shouldn't be ashamed of it. I should definitely tell him.
But wait, if that's his rule of thumb, why hasn't he told Dylan?
"If that's what you really think, then why haven't you told Dylan?"
"Told Dylan what?"
"That you love her."
"Um, well because, uh." he trails off. Then he switches the subject. "Look, if you tell him, it will bring out even more of your good qualities for him to see. And like I said, if he doesn't pick you, then he doesn't deserve you anyway. I just think you should tell him. You will feel so much better and be way happier when you do, I know it."
I think about it. It would be nice to get it out in the open. But would it be worth it?
"Penny, just tell him!"
He keeps blabbering on with his advice about what I should do, and I stare blankly at him, my thoughts on a whole other planet. In a whole other universe.
As I ponder what I should do, I catch the end of his big spiel.
".love is precious and if you believe that it's real then you should tell him. He deserves to know about your feelings for him, so he can make an informed decision. And I know that when you tell him, a huge weight will be lifted off of your shoulders and you won't be wearing that unhappy face anymore. 'Cause you'll be in love."
I look at him and say, quite simply, "I love you."
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A/N: Next chapter. soon.