Chapter 269: Straightarrow
"I was worried about you. The man who wants you is my First Brother, after all. That worries me."
A moment of silence fell on their table as the two women held each other’s gazes. Lola’s lips parted, but no words came out. All she could do was study the look in Penny’s calming smile.
"You see, my First Brother is like a straight arrow," Penny hummed, straightening her back. "He doesn’t like going around. He may, for a short while, but he’s not the most patient person when it comes to matters he deems relevant. So, I was worried that he might be a little overwhelming when it comes to you."
She leaned forward and added, "He’s inexperienced in this kind of situation, too, so I was worried he may come across differently than he intended."
Lola studied Penny quietly before a short chuckle escaped her. "I always tell your brother that I envy his relationship with his siblings just because of how he made it sound whenever he talked about family. But after hearing you, I envy him even more."
"If you envy his family, just be a part of it," Penny quipped. "It’s not that hard."
"Is it?"
Penny’s brows rose at Lola’s response.
"I do not mean to offend," Lola clarified. "And I apologize if I already did. However, you don’t have to worry about your brother or me. He’s doing perfectly fine—even I am surprised. He didn’t look like the type to care, after all. But..."
She trailed off, her eyes falling on the dish before her as her lips curled into a smile. "...but he cares, not just in words, but also in action. And I’m grateful for that."
"Is that so?" Penny raised her brows. "If so, then I’m glad to be worrying for nothing."
Yet, though Penny might be smiling, in her mind, she was already strangling Slater, who had said Lola and Atlas were going nowhere. This didn’t look like it was going anywhere to her. She could see it in Lola’s eyes whenever she talked about Atlas.
"Let’s eat then," Penny urged, and Lola nodded.
Lola didn’t think much of the amount of food on the table. Though she wasn’t the type to waste food, she didn’t want to impose that on Penny, who could eat as much as she wanted. Much to her dismay, there wasn’t a crumb wasted.
Penny ate it all—everything.
"Wow," Lola blurted. "You... you’re probably very hungry."
Penny chuckled as she wiped her mouth. "I told you I was. I always have a big appetite, but work doesn’t let me regain what I’ve lost—damn it!"
Her comment made Lola crinkle her brows, recalling the younger Penny in her memory. Now that Penny mentioned it, she remembered that the latter had been chubby as a child. Compared to Lola, who had been very petite and had only gained weight as she grew up.
"When I was pregnant, I was very round," Penny casually shared. "I looked like a ball! It would have been nice to roll if not for my belly being heavier than the rest of my body. I almost died giving birth to those four, and my husband swore never to manifest quadruplets again. He’ll stick to twins."
"Haha. It’s actually amazing. To think you had four... at once."
"Well, it is, but the pushing isn’t." Penny clicked her tongue. "I’m just glad my kids are cute."
Lola chuckled, tempted to ask what Penny would have done if her kids weren’t cute, but held back. Still, the more Penny talked, the more relaxed Lola felt. All the crazy scenarios in her head disappeared; it almost felt like she was talking to Slater—but the female version, and perhaps less crazy.
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On their way back to the building, Penny wanted to finish strong and got them some ice cream. Eating as they walked, Penny cleared her throat.
"By the way, although I know you and my brother are fine, why haven’t you agreed to his proposal?" Penny asked out of curiosity. "I mean, he told me he proposed to you a lot of times already. And it looks like you really like him."
Lola furrowed her brows. "Proposed? No, he hadn’t."
"That’s weird. He said he did quite a few times."
"I would’ve known if..." Lola trailed off, remembering some past events. During their first date, he asked if he could adopt her. Later, he told her to subscribe as a Bennet. There were also times Atlas had asked her to join their family.
Her face twitched. "Are those proposals, then?" she blurted quietly.
"So, he did??"
Lola turned to Penny. "Well, I guess he did... it just didn’t sound like it."
"Classic First Brother," Penny clicked her tongue and shrugged while continuing to eat. "Well, you’d agree with him the next time he asks, right?"
When Lola didn’t answer, Penny raised her brows and stared at her.
"What? You don’t like my First Brother?"
"No, I mean, it’s not like that." Conflict flickered in Lola’s eyes as she looked back at her. "It’s just... too early."
Penny blinked repeatedly, as if that didn’t make sense. "I married my husband at first sight."
Lola sighed, looking ahead. "Don’t get me wrong. I’m flattered, actually. Aside from his children, you and Slater... and how the two of you are so accepting of me. I didn’t expect that."
"Why not?" Penny chuckled. "Don’t tell me you expected us to get in between you and my brother? Have you lost your mind? First Brother’s gonna kill us. Besides, I like you!"
"And why do you like me?"
"Just say... I’m a good judge of character," Penny smirked. "And besides, my First Brother is finally showing interest in someone. You have no idea how many dates my dad forced him into and how he blew up most — I mean, all — every single one of them."
Lola chuckled. "I doubt it."
"Why would you doubt me? I’m telling the truth."
"Penny, your brother is Atlas Bennet," Lola shot her a knowing look. "Even if he doesn’t talk throughout the date, any woman would agree to a second date."
"But he opens his mouth, and that’s the problem," Penny shrugged, causing Lola to shake her head.
Silence fell briefly before Penny spoke again.
"Besides, he’s Atlas Bennet, like you said," she said, staring ahead, gathering her thoughts. "Not just any Bennet, but the firstborn. The perfect son, the responsible one, and everyone’s fallback."
Penny stopped, facing Lola. "Maybe I lied," she said, causing Lola’s brows to rise. "I was just as worried about him as I was about you. After all, my brother has always put everyone else’s needs before his. And he’s been protecting everyone’s happiness all these years, while we had to watch him raise two children all alone."
She reached out to hold Lola’s hand. "My brother might look perfect, but there are a lot of things he wouldn’t say, or things he would do without taking credit. And emotions he learned to suppress just because he didn’t want to worry anyone."
"I’m not actually sure what I really want to ask of you, but... please, just do not break his heart," she added with a wry smile. "Because if you do, he will not cry, he will not scream, he will not even make a fuss. And that always worries me, because no one would know he is hurting."