After a few days, Nick Dalton arrived at the company with the answer they had been longing for. The project would be theirs. They would work together. They talked for a bit, said goodbye with a brief handshake. "Before you go, wouldn't you like to have a coffee?" Penne asked. "Yes, why not? I still have a few minutes before the next meeting." They left the office, leaving Liz with a beautiful smile on her face.
Penne entered the room smiling and hugged her friend. "I think I'm in love. I can't get Nick out of my head, it was love at first sight. And now I don't know what to do, I've never felt like this before. After work, we're going out to dinner to celebrate. Now it's just the two of us. Let's talk about everything, like we used to do and haven't had much time for lately. Are we going to talk about matters of the heart too?" "Yes, why not?" Liz said smiling. "Let's talk about whatever you want. But, now, let's get to work."
The partners arrived at their usual restaurant near the company, where the owner and they were already friends. Upon seeing them, he greeted them and escorted them to the table they had reserved. "Welcome, enjoy your evening. Will it just be the two of you? Or will someone else be joining?" "No, it will just be us girls tonight," Penne said with a smile. They promptly ordered their favorite wine.
The night was very pleasant, and suddenly a group of acquaintances arrived, including Piter, who greeted them upon seeing them. "My night just got perfect," he said, looking at Liz who smiled and replied, "Good evening to you too!" "Sorry, you make me react like this, I see you and forget my manners. Good evening, Penne. Good evening." "Would you lovely ladies like to join us?" Piter asked. "No," Penne replied. "It's just us girls tonight. Perhaps another day, who knows?" "Alright. I don't want to disturb your evening. But, let's plan to go out sometime." "Okay," Liz replied. "Then have a lovely evening." He waved to Penne and kissed Liz on the cheek. "See you."
"Wow, it's already late, we didn't even notice the time. Let's pay the bill and go home. Tomorrow will be a long day, and we'll have a lot of work." "Yes, let's go home. It was a perfect night. We need to do this more often. Lately, all we've talked about is work; we breathe work. We need to have fun too. And I need to get to know Nick better; he's the man of my life. And you need to go out with someone too; you already have two suitors. But neither has asked me out yet," Penne said, laughing together.
It was Saturday, Piter sent a message to Liz saying they would spend the weekend at his family's country house, going to the pool because it was a hot summer, and he would love for her and Penne to come along. "I won't take no for an answer," Penne immediately insisted they should go. Liz replied they would come and asked him to send the address. "I'll be there in an hour to pick you up. Okay."
"What a beautiful place, Piter! Should bring your girlfriends here, right? Why have you never brought your friends?" Penne said with a hint of irony. "No. Only special friends come here, and the girlfriend I'm trying to win over," he said, looking at Liz who blushed. "Come, let me show you your room to change. We'll meet at the pool. Make yourselves at home." He left the friends alone.
Soon they left the room towards the pool. They spotted a beautiful table with flowers and lots of fruits and snacks to enjoy while waiting for lunch, which would take a while.
Arriving at the pool, Liz spotted Zoe, Piter's cousin, Henry, and another young woman she didn't know. She called Penne to go greet them. Zoe didn't like seeing Liz but disguised it by greeting her. Henry stood up with a smile, looking at Liz, and greeted them, saying, "Glad you both came too. Are you going to swim now?" "Yes," Penne said. "I'll join later," Liz said, looking at Penne. "I'll take a walk first." "I'll accompany you," Henry said, and they left chatting while Zoe kept her eyes on them. She excused herself to her friend who was with her and went to talk to Piter.
"Henry is walking with Liz, aren't you going to call her?" "You know he likes her, right?" "But they're just good friends, don't worry. She's focused on work right now; I'm waiting for the right moment to win her over. I really like her. She's the right woman for me." "Do you think you can fool me? You never take anything seriously." "This time is different." He left her alone.
"What a beautiful garden! I'm enchanted. You're the most beautiful rose. Liz, I need to talk to you. It's very important. I can't wait any longer." "But what happened? Is everything okay?" "You know I'm a bit shy about talking about feelings. But I've been harboring this love inside me. We've been friends for a long time, but my feelings for you have only grown stronger... Liz... I love you! Will you be my girlfriend?"