Hey, it's me. This is just a teeny story because I really, really wanted to submit something for Valentine's and I wasn't confident enough in my Shamy works to post and all the other stuff I'd managed to produce... well... sucked.

It's not edited. I will edit it, but I felt it would mean I'd failed if I posted something, edited or no, on February fifteenth, instead of on the actual Valentine's Day.

Penny knocked three times on the door to apartment 4A, fidgeting in her spot.

"Good morning, Penny." The three words had barely passed Sheldon's lips before he frowned down at her. "You're not here to steal our milk, are you?"

"Don't worry," she said, flashing him a smile. "You're safe."

He nodded. "Good. Are you here for Leonard? Do you want me to get him?"

She shook her head. "No no, Sheldon. First I need you to tell me something," she'd lowered her voice, and he peered at her with narrowed blue eyes. She looked around. "Is Priya there?"

"No. She was called into the firm and had to leave early—" his brow furrowed, as if remembering something distasteful, "—she made quite the ruckus."

Her eyes flickered with something bright and happy, and she swung a little in her spot. "Oh, good! Then can I come in?"

He sighed. "Very well, but only if you swear not to steal our milk."

She rolled her eyes, replying in a flat tone, "God, Sheldon. Fine. I promise not to steal your milk."

He shuffled off to his room without another word.

She shrugged, thinking that she'd been meaning to steal his coffee and not his milk, but what he didn't know shouldn't kill him. And he didn't drink coffee, anyway.

She snuck over to the cupboards, since she wasn't quite sure the extent of his Vulcan hearing, and rummaged around for the packet of coffee.

"Penny?"

She spun around, clutching the bag in her hands, looking a little guilty. "Oh. Hey, Leonard."

"Hey." He frowned at her for a second, before his eyes set upon the bag clenched between her lilypad green nails. "Oh, right. You're here for coffee."

She tossed him a half-smile as he let out an equally small laugh. There was this strange air about them now, and she couldn't tell whether it was the result of Leonard finding happiness in Priya, or if was because that same woman had prevented Penny from seeing him as often as she used to.

"Don't tell Sheldon." She said, grabbing a mug out of the cupboard.

His eyebrows rose. "He doesn't drink coffee."

She cringed. "I kind of said I wouldn't steal anything."

He just laughed again.

She turned around, water steaming in a mug behind her. He was smiling at her, and she found herself smiling back, and she wondered if it was so bad to have missed him so much.

XXX

She put her mug down and strode closer to him. "So. Leonard. How have you been?"

He was still smiling. "I've been good."

She picked up her mug again, staring at him through a curtain of steam. "Good. That's good."

XXX

"How's acting been treating you?"

"Oh, you know," she said with a sigh, watching one of his hands tug at his dressing gown. "Crappy. Same old same old."

He shook his head and clucked his tongue in sympathy. "I don't know. I think you're a great actress."

Her eyes flashed onto him, and she took a step closer. "Really?"

"Mmm," he murmured, sounding a little off. He reached out and put a hand on her forearm, giving it a squeeze. She felt warmth hit her. "You're a... great actress,"

It was then she realised how close their bodies were.

XXX

He was looking at her. He just kept looking at her.

"Leonard," she whispered.

"Yeah?" he said, just as softly.

She closed her eyes for a moment, just revelling in the presence of him next to her. His dark eyes gliding over her. His breath hitting her collarbone. The fact that she could hear every second of every one of those breaths, every pause, every shaky intake.

"I—" her eyes opened, and his were fixed on her face, something shining in them that she couldn't quite identify, but wasn't sure she was necessarily afraid of.

She needed to step away from him. But it was like instead of slippers, it was cement clinging to her feet, rendering it impossible.

XXX

"Penny."

Just the way he said her name sent hits of warm and cold writhing through her body.

"Mmm?"

XXX

He was smiling at her again.

She didn't know what that meant.

XXX

"Penny? Leonard?"

Sheldon was staring at them from the hall, his brow furrowed. "What is the meaning of this?"

Leonard shifted away from her, his eyes casting over her one last time. "The meaning of what, Sheldon?"

He squinted at them, then huffed. "Oh, never mind."

XXX

She glanced down at a nonexistent watch. "Oh, Leonard, jeez, I have somewhere to be..."

His eyes flicked back to her, and off again just as quickly. Like she was acid to look at. She tried not to show how much that one, half-second action could hurt. "Yeah. I have somewhere to be, too," he said, in that fast, nervous manner he'd acquired when speaking to her while Priya was around. His eyes dove for the floor. "Dishes to wash."

She went for the door before he could say anything else. "Bye, Leonard," she said, offering him a small wave.

He followed her, his footsteps trudging after her. "Bye," he said. "Have a good day, Penny."

XXX

She nodded, scampering out as quickly as he could shut the door. She hopped over to her apartment, trying to burn away the last five minutes from her mind.

From her kitchen counter, her full coffee bag was glaring at her, accusing her.

She wanted it to shut up.

This will have more than one chapter. I don't know how many... just more than one.

Have a nice Valentine's.

P.S: This used to have song lyrics in it, but I've recently discovered it is major banned by the site because of copyright laws, and have since deleted all song lyrics from this story. Sorry if there's any inconvenience as a result of this.