A/N - Hello there! So I had this idea milling around in my mind for a while but I didn't know how to execute it. The other weekend I was on my way to work and it just came to me and I figured everything out. I'm publishing the prologue now to get the ball rolling, so updates will be when and where I have the time. Exams are over so it's just essays now which means a lot more writing time! Hope this piques your interests somewhat.

"Oh my God," Penny gushed, taking small quick strides toward Bernadette and grabbing her arm to stop her from walking away from her station. "Please let me seat those guys that just came into the restaurant in my section."

"Why?" Bernadette frowned, confused - usually Penny preferred to have as few people in her section as possible.

"See that one at the front there with the glasses?"

"Yeah... I see him."

"He's kinda cute." Penny whispered.

Bernadette looked leaned away slightly from the till to get a better look at the guys who had just come into the restaurant and after a moment she smiled. "The one in the turtle neck is kinda cute."

"Oh nuh-uh. I saw them first, that's my table." Penny snapped quickly before rushing off to greet them, leaving Bernadette no further room to comment. "Hey! I'm Penny, table for four?"

"Well, obviously, since there are four of us." said the tallest of the lot irritably, his expression one of disbelief.

"Okay..." Penny said slowly, looking at him curiously for a moment before shrugging it off. "Follow me." She led them to a table in the open section rather than the booths so she could keep her eye on the cute guy and then stood back to let them sit down. "Here you are! I'll leave you some time to look at the menu, can I get you started on drinks?"

"Four diet cokes and your phone number please." The short turtle-neck clad one said instantly.

Before Penny had time to scoff at his attempt to hit on her, the tall one spoke again. "Hang on! What if I want to drink something other than diet coke today?"

"Okay, three diet cokes, your number and whatever Sheldon wants."

The tall one - Sheldon, apparently - looked blankly at his friends for a moment before he looked at Penny with a blank expression. "I'll take a diet coke." He said, and his friends rolled their eyes.

"Okay so three diet cokes and a diet coke it is." Penny confirmed with a small giggle.

"And your number!" Turtle Neck Boy reminded her.

"Not for you." Penny stated blankly, before catching the cute ones eye and flashing him a grin. She thought she saw him grinning back but he quickly looked away so she turned and left to get their drinks.

Although she knew she technically shouldn't, Penny took the opportunity to speak to the cute guy on his way back from the restroom. So sue her it may come across as 'too much' - she was single, she enjoyed having the confidence to go up to guys she was interested in, and her manager wasn't on the floor to tell her off. Besides, she just wanted to talk to him. And perhaps get his number. Guys were always asking for her number, as the turtle-necked Howard had proved earlier, perhaps she could nudge this one in the right direction. She began walking as though she had a reason to be rushing, bumping into him accidentally-on-purpose. "Oh, sorry!"

"That's okay." He said with a shy smile, averting his eyes.

"Good thing I'm not carrying a tray of drinks, right?" Penny laughed, inwardly cursing herself for making such an awful attempt at conversation.

"Right. I've had that happen to me before... it wasn't so good. I had to get the bus home that time too."

"Once I got a tray of drinks all over me but it wasn't that bad - I got like, the biggest tip of my life." Penny grinned proudly, though she wished she had somewhat more of a filter. It wasn't a particularly impressive story to tell someone you had just met, but at least it was somewhat amusing. And the vision of her shirt soaking wet had to do something for the guy.

Leonard found himself chuckling. "Well, at least you made lemonade out of lemons."

"I did! There were even lemonades on that tray! With lemons in them!" Penny giggled, before biting her lip as Leonard gave a short, awkward laugh.

"That's a... great coincidence. Anyway, I should probably let you get back to work and return to my friends."

"Oh, right! Of course." Penny nodded vigorously, wishing she had tried to come across slightly less... well, less the way she had. Evidently it hadn't worked. "Sorry."

"That's okay. And I'm sorry about Howard; he's always asking for girls numbers. Hardly ever successful."

"Don't worry about it, I'm used to it. I wouldn't mind so much if it was the right person asking for my number." Penny hoped he would get her hint, deciding to then give him another nudge in the right direction. "But it wasn't him, so... yeah."

"Right, sure. Again, sorry about him." Leonard wasn't sure why she was looking at him so intently, but he simply shrugged it off. "Anyway, we're ready for our bill when you are."

Sighing, Penny nodded. "Okay, I'll be right over."

As she watched him walk away, Bernadette walked over with a wide grin. "Ooh, is someone trying to serve up some sexy?"

"Shut up."

"I'm guessing it didn't work."

"I just came out with all this lame crap. Why is it only the creeps and jerks who are interested me? The one cute guy who doesn't try to stare down my top when I bend forward to pick up plates doesn't even get my hint to ask for my number!" Penny scoffed. "What is up with that?"

"Relax, we'll have plenty of nerdy-looking guys to choose from come September."

"Bet they won't have hair like that." Penny pointed out. "Ugh, I can't believe I failed at picking up a guy. At the Cheesecake Factory."

"Maybe your research should be on why that is. Two hundred pages on the time Penny-"

"Okay, yeah, hilarious." Penny hit Bernadette's arm playfully with a menu. "I have to go give them their bill."

"You could always 'accidentally' drop the bill and bend over to pick it up right in front of him."

Rolling her eyes, Penny went over to the till to print the bill. "I'm not that desperate. I just thought he was cute."