Crash

Happy Birthday

"You know what?" Penelope declared, turning away from the taxi cab window to look at Charles, who was sat beside her in full Ferrari gear. "I think this is gonna be the best weekend ever."

"Miss Jonas," Charles mused, sounding impressed. "That is very optimistic of you. Are you feeling okay?"

Penelope rolled her eyes, but she couldn't help but smile. The past few days had been nothing short of amazing. After the talk they'd had at his mom's house, Charles had moved back home and they'd gone back to normal. Penelope had never been so happy to live through a constant routine. She loved their quiet mornings, going to the gym together or running through the rocky terrain of the city, salads for lunch, a shitty movie before bed. It wasn't much, and it wasn't particularly glamourous, but it was everything she'd ever wanted. There wasn't a second with him that she took for granted. 

"Very funny," she said, her eyes drifting back to the London streets that were quickly whizzing past. "I mean it, though. I just have this feeling."

Charles broke into a coy smile, taking off his hat and placing it on her head, like he was marking her as his. "Does this 'feeling' involve me winning the race this weekend? Because that would make me very, very happy."

"Of course. If it were up to me, you'd win every race."

"Either way, this weekend is about you," Charles reminded her, taking her hand and planting a gentle kiss on her knuckles. I know it's not the same as spending it at home, but-"

"Are you serious? I love England. I'm happy to be back."

Charles frowned slightly, like he was trying to piece together what she was saying alongside what he already knew about her. "To be back? Like, you've been here before? For press or something?"

"I lived here for a while, actually," she told him, still engrossed with the view. "Few years ago. Jasper and I had a training camp here, lived in the city for about three months. I still miss it, sometimes. Well, maybe a lot of the time, though that stays between you and me. I don't want Carlisle getting any ideas about sending me back."

"I didn't know that about you," Charles said, his head tilted to the side like a puppy. "How come I didn't know that about you?"

Penelope felt her cheeks burn slightly, an awkward smile on her lips. "Well, I did a lot of growing up here. It's weird to talk about."

"Weird how?"

"It was my first time living away from home, first competition outside of America, I had my first kiss here-"

Charles's eyes went wide at that last part, his mouth falling open. Penelope could practically see him running through possible scenarios in his head as he tried to process what he was hearing. "Please tell me it wasn't with Jasper."

Penelope laughed so loud that even the taxi driver was startled. A look of relief ebbed across Charles face as he realised how stupid the suggestion was. "I'd rather be celibate than kiss Jasper," Penelope giggled, laughing so hard that her eyes watered. "I promise you, my first kiss was definitely not with Jasper."

"Two things," Charles said, "Number one: I'm very much against you being celibate, and number two: if your first kiss wasn't Jasper, thank god, who was it then? Come on, I'm curious."

Slowly, her hand shifted to rest on his leg, moving upwards inch by inch until she heard him catch his breath, leaning closer so her lips brushed against his ear. "I don't think you need to worry about that, baby," she whispered, dropping her advance as fast as she'd started it. She could feel his pulse racing, smiling to herself. "Oh, and my first kiss was with a guy from the French team," she added. "He was a few years older, had a little experience. Didn't go anywhere, but it was fun all the same."