It was strange, Penelope mused, that she would be nervous about seeing her boss and now lover. After all, being intimate with someone should erase those nerves, not heighten them. Yet, here she was, turning down Erin's street and feeling butterflies darting around in her stomach. She hadn't taken the time to follow Rossi's advice to get flowers, but she hoped that that wouldn't be a black mark against her.
Slowing to an almost crawl, she read the numbers on the mailboxes until she got to 7160, and then took a deep breath before turning into the drive. Looking at the large window that dominated the front of the house, she saw the curtains flutter with movement, telling her that Erin was indeed there, and she smiled widely as she parked.
Penelope didn't want to run right up to the door, since that would tell Erin that she was desperate, and that was the last thing she wanted. Instead, she chose a deliberate, sedate, pace, taking time to look around at the perfectly manicured lawn, the clean shutters, the sparkling windows, that spoke of the pride Erin took in her home. On the door, there was a large floral wreath, and Penelope smiled at the bit of whimsy shown there.
After another deep breath, she raised her hand and knocked firmly on the door. Silence was her only greeting, and slowly the smile slipped from her lips as she waited to hear Erin come and let her in. It seemed like an hour passed, yet when she looked at her cellphone, it was really only two minutes.
Frowning now, she raised her hand and knocked harder, hoping that Erin would take the hint and finally come to her. Again, she waited and waited, only to get no answer. Unlocking her phone, she quickly found Rossi's number and called it, feeling her mood slowly shift from desire to anger. And that was the last thing she wanted, because she really did want to see where things were headed with Erin. It took him only two rings to answer, and she took a deep breath, ready to just unload on him, only for him to speak first. "Kitten, try calling her. I'll text you her number."
"How did you know that was why I was calling you?"
"Call it a sixth sense for Erin. She's skittish, after everything that's happened to her lately, and I understand why she might not be the most open right now. You have to prove that you want to be in her life, so just call the number I give you. I think she'll answer."
"Thanks again, Rossi. I so owe you one."
"I'll remember that, Kitten. And give Erin my love when you finally get in to talk with her."
"I will."
They hung up, and within seconds, Penelope had Erin's number. Hesitantly, she touched it, feeling the nerves pick up once more as she brought the phone to her ear and listened to it ring. Erin was a little longer in answering, but her voice was all the sweeter to hear when she finally did. "Penelope, please, just go. I know that you don't really want me, you just want to be nice."
"If that were true, I would have left after the first time you refused to answer my knock. Let me in, Utena. Let me talk to you, and see if we can find our freedom together."
A low sigh tumbled from Erin's lips, and she could picture the older woman shaking her head a little. "Oh, Penny, if only I could be as free as you. Just go, you don't want to be with someone like me."
"Can't I decide that for myself? Please?"
"I'm not going to answer the door right now."
It was Penelope's turn to sigh and she pulled the phone away from her ear to look at the time. It was just turning ten, and she knew that the flower shops in the area had to just be opening. "I'm going to leave for a short time, but when I come back, I want you to let me in."
"We'll have to see, dearest Anthy." Those were the last words Penelope heard fall from her lips before the phone went dead. Frowning deeply, she leaned forward to rest her head against the cool wood of the door and let out a frustrated breath.
"All right, now to find the perfect flowers for Erin." Kissing her fingers, she then pressed them to the door before turning and quickly making her way back to her car. As she drove, she asked her phone to guide her to the nearest flower shop, and was soon parking in front of Nan's Flowers. The clerk was just putting up the open sign when she stepped in front of the door, and gave her a warm smile, beckoning her inside.
"Good morning! What can I help you with today?" the woman cheerfully asked and Penelope couldn't keep from smiling in return.
"I'm trying to make a bouquet that will tell the person I'm pursuing that I am faithful. She loves pink flowers, so I thought I'd go with a single pink rose surrounded by baby's breath."
"Not if you want to tell the woman your chasing after that you love her. Pink roses are more for friendship love, not romantic. Salmon roses indicate desire, while red roses are for love. Why did you want to do with pink?"
Penelope smiled as she thought about Erin's hair, and how pink it was. "Her favorite color, in life and flowers, is pink. I thought that that would make her happy."
"We'll leave roses out of the equation for the moment, dear. Have a seat at the counter and I will gather together all the pink flowers we currently have in stock, and we can start building you a bouquet from there."
Penelope nodded and did as told, pulling out her phone and playing a few rounds of Angry Birds as the clerk flitted about, bring her more and more flowers. Finally, though, she settled into the stool across from Penelope and they looked at the blossoms. "Wow."
"Yeah. So, I would go with a few dahlias, some hyacinth, carnations, two peonies, and a few tulips." As she spoke, she pointed out the flowers from the multitude, and Penelope nodded.
"That looks really nice," she murmured, watching the older woman pluck up individual flowers and arrange them in a beautiful vase. "You do amazing work, really. I could never see that like you do."
"It comes with years of experience, dear. Now, let's get you rung up and you can go woo your ladylove."
Penelope grinned as she nodded, following the woman up front and gladly handing over the amount requested before carrying it out to her car. All the way back to Erin's house, she kept glancing at the bouquet, murmuring quiet prayers to whichever deity was choosing to listen to her at the moment that Erin would open the door and let her in.
She found herself even more nervous than the first time she had pulled into Erin's driveway that morning, and it took her three deep, long, breaths before she stepped out of her car, bouquet in hand. With careful steps, she made her way up to the door and knocked firmly, waiting for Erin to come to the door once more.
Penelope brought the blooms to her nose, drawing the scent into her lungs as she felt tears prickle at her eyes. Erin really wasn't going to let her in. Somehow, she had blown what had promised to be the next, best, thing in her life. Her lower lip began to tremble as she crouched down to set the vase on the porch, only for Erin to wrench the door open and stare at her.
"You brought me flowers."
"I wanted to woo you. I want you to let me in. Please?"
Erin cocked her head to one side, the sunlight glinting off the darker pink streaks in her hair. To Penelope she looked so incredibly gorgeous, so desirable, that she fought the urge to rush forward and take her in her arms, kissing her passionately. "Fine. But we're going to talk." All Penelope could do in response was nod.