Bolt & Penny 1: What Comes After
Bolt & Penny
Chapter 1: What Comes After
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A soft purr hummed from atop the window ledge. Mittens rolled over once more, naturally keeping up with the last spot of sunlight.
The typing stopped, if only for a minute. Bolt caught Penny's glance from the carpet. Her face wore a new expression, one that he might have seen once or twice before but couldn't remember when.
Lifting his head off the carpet, he stared into her eyes, trying to figure out what she was thinking. A smile began to form ever so slowly under her softening brown eyes. He cocked his head to get a better view.
_I know that face... What are you thinking? _Even after all these years, she could manage to keep him guessing.
Retaining her smile, Penny shifted back to her laptop. Bolt eventually gave up on his investigation, head returning to the floor. The muted TV flashed a range of colors on the nearby floor, turning it blue, then white, then blue again.
Another advertisement for the same insurance later, and the show was back on. Bolt had hopped up on the couch in that time, snuggling up close to his person. Instead of going to the remote, Penny's hand drifted to Bolt's chest. She eased it back and forth through the thin underfur, feeling around familiar territory.
"You'll never guess what happened today," she said to him softly, smile growing. "Kyle asked me to prom."
He asked you to do what?
A voice from the kitchen startled them both. "Oh, how nice! You said yes, right?" Mom appeared from around the corner. Her flimsy purple purse dangled from her shoulder as she proceeded to the door.
Penny's smile faded almost immediately as she fumbled for words. "Um, well no. I, uh, choked and said I'll get back to him." Her confidence found her with no trouble at all.
"Oh, well you'll tell him tomorrow, then."
"Mom, I really don't want you involved in my relationships, thanks."
"Then why'd you bring it up?"
A good point.
Penny just shrugged. "I don't know."
Mom had a hand on the front door. A short silence passed before she continued. "You have that very pretty dress from your Aunt Julia's wedding last year."
You are very pretty in it, Penny. Bolt smiled up at her.
"I don't even like Kyle. He's not my type," Penny said, elusively scratching Bolt's tummy a bit lower. His pure-white tail slapped against a pillow as his eyes lulled closed.
"I just think it's about time you got a boyfriend, is all."
Eyes popped open. A what now?
A dozen responses formed in Penny's crafty brain, but she'd rather drop the subject. She settled for a simple "I'm okay."
"Well you can't just skip your prom. Why don't you think about it? I'm meeting Suzy for dinner. You want to come?"
Penny flipped some hair away from her face, concentrated on her laptop. "No, I need to finish this. You have fun, though."
"Alright... Seriously, you should tell Kyle you'll go with him. Prom only comes once, you know."
"Yeah, maybe," she complied.
"Think about it. I'll be back around nine." She left, door creaking as it closed.
The all-knowing Mittens chimed in from the window ledge. They can't hear ya, Bolt!
I know, but I like to think they can, he replied, looking across the living room at her.
Yeah, well, unless you figure out how to talk, it ain't happening.
Bolt narrowed his eyes in thought, but was soon distracted by Penny's hand scratching under his chin.
"That was awkward, huh, buddy? Hee-hee, don't worry," Penny said softly. She leaned down to kiss him on the muzzle, strands of auburn hair tickling his nose. "Kyle's not getting anywhere," she whispered in an air reserved only for him. His heart raced and his tail patted the pillow.