Chapter Text
“Pen, where the fuck is the coffee?” Eloise shouted from the tiny kitchenette. Eloise had a voice appropriate for someone who grew up a middle child in a large country mansion. Pen winced for her neighbours who had probably never experienced such a, shall we say confident, voice in their small apartment complex before. She rushed from her bedroom to answer. It didn't take long. There was a lot less square footage in her new place than either of them had grown up expecting. To be frank, it was tiny but, and it was a big but, it was all hers.
“El! The walls are thin!”
“I'll be completely silent when I have a nice warm cup of caffeine”
“I only have an espresso maker. It's on the top shelf of the middle cupboard. The coffee's in the fridge.”
Eloise peered grumpily at the cupboard Pen had opened “I can't reach that. These cupboards are insanely tall.”
“I know. Here” said Pen presenting Eloise with a small fold up set of steps, as if from nowhere.
As Eloise rummaged, Pen returned to her bedroom to finish getting dressed and put away the camp bed El had slept on.
El appeared in the doorway, mug in hand, a few minutes later. “Pen, you have the smallest kitchen I've ever seen.”
“I'll have you know Real Estate Mogul Anthony Bridgerton approved of this flat. That's the gold standard. I will accept no criticism”
“Oh yes I bet he gave it 5 shining stars” said Eloise sarcastically
“No he gave it a grim nod with no smile” Pen responded with a laugh “but that was a lot better than the reaction he had to the other 10 places he insisted on viewing with me, so it might as well have been.”
“He's still not impressed you wouldn't accept a friends and family discount on his new development in Mayfair, so I suppose a grim nod is enthusiasm from him. No, what I mean is your kitchen is tiny, so why, dearest Pen, do you have a whole shelf, stuffed to the brim with things I know you don't like?”
“Hmm?' said Pen, distracted by trying to fold a fitted sheet, Eloise waved her mug to indicate the coffee. Pen was a tea drinker. She might have a cappuccino once a year on holiday just to check she hadn't changed her mind but she certainly wasn't a regular espresso drinker. She also didn't like wasabi peas or prawn cocktail crisps or any of the other things Eloise had found on the overstuffed shelf while getting the espresso maker down.
“Oh! That's the Colin shelf” said Pen cheerily, as if that explained things.
“The Colin shelf? As in my brother Colin? Colin Bridgerton?” Pen nodded as she folded in response to each of these clarifying questions but Eloise was no less confused.
“Yes. It's too high for me but he won't even have to stretch I'd say, so I put the Colin things up there. It's a sensible use of the space.”
Eloise didn't respond so Penelope continued her thoughts aloud. “I think I probably need to get a bean grinder. Once he's been to Sumatra I doubt he'll want pre-ground anymore. I wonder how expensive they are? They can't take up too much room, can they?”
“Can I just interrupt here for a moment. Are you saying you've given a whole shelf, of your tiny kitchen, to my brother, who has yet to even see your new flat and is on the other side of the world until God knows when?”
“Umm...yes.”
“Pen! We spent last night watching telly on ancient deck chairs because you don't have a sofa but Colin's bloody shelf is fully stocked! He's not even on the same continent!”
“Well yes, but that's because the Colin shelf cost £20 and if I found a sofa I liked for £20 I think we should assume it's haunted.”
“But we have no idea when he'll be back, meanwhile I, your best friend, spent my evening on poky deckchairs!”
“Eloise, are you jealous?” said Pen with a smirk. “Would you like to see the Eloise drawer?”
“There's an Eloise drawer?”
Pen stepped to the side and pulled a drawer out from under her bed. “These are your favourite type of fluffy slipper socks, so you can laze around here all day without your feet getting cold. This is your charger cable, bright blue so it's harder for you to misplace it and now I will put your Wonder Woman duvet cover that you saw last night back into its proper place, for when you next stay over. Are you feeling sufficiently loved yet, missy?”
Eloise tackled Pen into a rare hug. “I love my drawer” she said into Pen's shoulder.
“Look, I know it's a shoebox and will probably feel even smaller to my big, dramatic Bridgertons but for the first time ever I can have things the way I want them, so to me it's a palace. And any palace of mine needs to be attractive to my favourite people.”
“Honestly, it's not fair of you to use your words, there should be a successful writer penalty or something. Can I have some of Col's crisps for breakfast?”
“Of course! But if he asks to use the Wonder Woman duvet set I'll have to let him. Fair's fair.”
“You wouldn't!”
The only response Eloise got was laughter. Eloise wasn't willing to take the risk in the end, she took Penelope out for brunch.