Amy took her seat and tried to fend off a nervous smile from dominating her lips. She sat in such a way in which she feared her emotions would be given to her ever-analytical boyfriend far quicker than she'd hoped. The two were normally very close and open- something Amy cherished fondly- but tonight, she sat towards the TV screen, legs crossed, eyes planted down, purse lying on her thighs, her hands folded neatly on top.
"What type of tea would you like?" Sheldon asked from the kitchen, his eyes focused on the number of perfectly organized tea bags in front of him.
"Green tea," Amy answered, her voice more reserved than usual. She had hoped Sheldon hadn't noticed it- although she knew Sheldon had some difficulty navigating human emotions well. She often had to help him on that note.
"Alright, give the water a minute to boil," he replied briskly. Sheldon always seemed focused, even on mundane tasks such as tea making. It was that sort of intensity that she enjoyed- she considered it the mark of an inquisitive mind. Indeed, Sheldon was a very inquisitive man.
She waited for a moment of silence to pass, and then she gathered the courage to ask the question that had been poised to spring on her tongue all morning.
"So," she began hesitantly. "I was thinking tonight, we could watch a movie together?" She turned to him, giving him a sheepish smile and a pair of eyes that paralleled a child's eyes after asking for a small toy.
Sheldon turned to her, giving her a quizzical eye as he prepared both cups of green tea. "I thought we would be attending a restaurant and exchanging evening pleasantries for the evening as per our usual date night arrangements?" Sheldon inquired with a touch of confusion creeping its way into his voice. He took both cups of tea to the couch and, after handing her one, took his seat in his usual spot- right next to her.
"I know, but I was thinking we could...maybe mix it up a little. I have a little something planned that I would like to put on the table tonight." She unconsciously shielded herself a little over her purse, and with a little boost of confidence, she reached for the zipper.
"Mix it up a little?" Sheldon scoffed, not quite rolling his eyes but getting close. "I don't understand what would compel anyone to change something that's working perfectly well thus far, and I especially can't see YOU doing so."
He's already riled and I haven't even gotten to the part where he's supposed to be riled up! Amy thought to herself in panic. She took a deep breath and unzipped her purse, exposing a particular movie she had picked out. She figured it was now or never.
"A-As you know, our date nights usually contain a certain element of intimacy which our neighboring tables could easily mistake to be a failed attempt at corralling a deeply-imbedded romantic relationship," she fumbled in between sips of her hot tea. "So, I was thinking we could do something a bit more romantic this evening- like watch a film pertaining toward the romantic genre?"
Sheldon had kept a dubious expression through the entire explanation, which fell into a look of contemptuousness. "You could at least give it a try!" Amy cut in before Sheldon could give his ever-so-predictable remark of disgust toward the new idea.
He sat in deep thought for a moment, and then he gave a tiny sigh before taking a big sip of his tea. "Alright, fine..." he grumbled in a half-sulk, "to what movie do I owe this great pleasure of mine?"
Amy smiled, a tiny shock of relief going through her. I'm going to watch a romantic movie with my boyfriend! She gushed inside her head, and not just any boyfriend- with Sheldon Cooper! She knew he was the best boyfriend for her- why, they synchronized as if they'd been twins separated at birth! They shared a deep passion for the pursuit of knowledge, respected each other's fields of work, they even had the same friends and co-workers.
"Great job- you did sarcasm correctly there!" Amy gave him a giant smile which was honestly much more dedicated to her enthusiasm on Sheldon agreeing rather than her enthusiasm on Sheldon's sarcasm skills. Sheldon immediately exchanged his sulking demeanor with a proud one. "Eight out of thirteen! I've improved since last week!" he chimed.
Amy leapt from her seat and inserted the disk into the receiver. "It's called 'Lonely Roses' and has been getting five star reviews! The last time I checked was yesterday, so the review scores are fairly recent," she chirped before rushing to shut the lights off, thus making the atmosphere movie-appropriate.
While Amy seemed to gain more excitement from the mention of the movie, Sheldon seemed regretful from it. "We should watch classic movies... like movies about men of steel, or star ships..." he whined almost to himself. "Movies like that would be really cool..."
In order to avoid a reply, Amy pretended like she hadn't heard that side comment. Instead she decided to focus on her bubbling enthusiasm. Yes, she had already watched this movie- it was something she figured he might actually enjoy.
A series of commercials and the warm snap and crack of popcorn later- Sheldon had insisted the variable of popcorn was crucial to movie watching- the film began with a scene Amy had immediately resonated with.
The main protagonist, the broad-faced and abs-sporting Robert Kristopher Brown, was sitting aloofly by a dark corner. The scenario seemed very old-fashioned what with the chipping grey paint, the very noticeable pile of magazines dating back when shoulder pads were cool, the signed portraits of ladies hanging on the walls who boldly showed off the same shoulder pads as modeled on the magazine covers.
It was a small, quaint coffee shop- one which seemed to barely be surviving the modernizing of buildings all around it. Old folks would come into the shop, feeling warmth from the nostalgic times when all the buildings around them were this small and homey. It was just like that coffee shop that she had met Sheldon all those years ago- just as small, and homey, and unoriginal, and not unique in the slightest. Deep in her heart, she considered the moment legendary- a point in history where a series of coincidences lead to a result so grand that she had to consider a higher deity at work, spinning fate and chance together until he spun gold out of straw. It was just one of those points in your life that at the moment felt bland and forgettable, only to come up years later as being inspiring and monumental.
In comes the main heroine of the movie- the short-tempered yet has-her-heart-in-the-right-place Miss Georgia Grace. She enters the small establishment with the bark of her spitfire tongue finding its way just as sharp in the clap of her high heels. The two lovers ignore each other, passing the other with nary a second glance, unbeknownst of the adventure cultivating in a deep, passionate romance that would fill the next hour and twelve minutes of the movie's run time.
Having been enraptured in the beautiful love story of two people falling desperately in love with each other, Amy quickly found an ache in her heart which ripped her out of her fantasy world. This would be the last scene where the couple were cold and distant from each other, as well as the last scene Amy could confidently identify with. She remembered the many reviews about the movie- all the comments about how the reviewer had watched the movie with their significant other, and how they had cooed to each other that the female heroine reminded him of her, and that male hero had reminded her of him. They would wax poetry of how they remembered their own love story unfolding in quite the same way- and how their bond had knitted itself closer and closer together as years had passed.
Amy gave Sheldon a quick side glance, and noted the distance between them. They were seated close to one another, but not quite touching. Sheldon was poised and deeply involved with the action going on in front of him, completely unaware of her longing eyes and bitter-sweet smile. She really wanted him to put his arm around her, she really wanted him to allow her to cuddle close to him, she really wanted to place a blanket over them as they cuddled- confident with themselves as long as that confidence was between them alone. Almost beyond her own will, she drifted away from the movie and into her own fairytale-like daydreams.
This one took place at sunset- the sky alit with beautiful colors, the birds acting as the romantic violins during the dinner date. But this wasn't a dinner date; it was a lovely picnic on top of a hill overlooking the landscape. The day succumbing to the cold night made the air chilly, but Amy felt warm and peaceful. Sheldon had an arm around her waist, and she was taking advantage of the invite of closeness by leaning on him with her head resting on his shoulder. It felt so warm and sweet- like drinking hot tea with several spoonfuls of sugar and honey mixed in. It was wonderful.
A pair of turtle doves performed an aerial ballet before their eyes and landed safely on the ground, never straying more than a few feet from each other. Sheldon leaned down, his lips being just an inch from her ear. "They mate for life, you know?" he whispered smoothly. She could feel his warm breath in her ear, and the tingle made her quiver. "Guess who they remind me of?" he finished, his voice seductively low.
Amy felt like she was on top of the world- he was so romantic! How did she deserve such a man as this one?
"Hey," fairy-tale Sheldon cut off her prideful thoughts. "You know you are my world right? My angel, the beautiful angel everyone's always looking for throughout their lives. And I do mean that- everyone is always searching for angels in this world. I've found my angel, how have I never seen the wings until now?" He took her hand softly, caressing it with his thumb, and then lightly kissing her. He would have a distinctively gentle kiss- one that seemed unsure of himself and innocent, but the kiss grew more passionate. It became more urgent, more demanding, until it evolved into soul-kissing. He bowled her forcefully to the ground; locking her down as if afraid she would escape and run away, and deepened the kiss further. He lifted his hands and took her face warmly into his, and ran his thumb tenderly from her ear down her cheek to her chin and down her neck.
She nearly jumped back into reality when real-world Sheldon had actually touched his hand to hers. Sheldon didn't seem to notice- his eyes were glued to the movie. Amy smirked in amusement at this until she noticed what was actually on the screen. It wasn't a spaceship or a man of steel- it was the all-too-famous train scene where the two lovers fought the antagonists on top of the moving vessel.
She looked back up at Sheldon, who was smiling widely. It had taken him almost a full moment before noticing his hand was on top of hers, and much to Amy's dismay, he quickly removed it. "My apologies," he whispered formally (as if not to disturb others at the movie theatre even though it was just them) before placing it back on his lap.
Amy was amused at this- hey, she could dream couldn't she? Speaking of which, she had already slipped back into her dream world.
The scene was no longer a picnic overlooking the sunset, nor was it a surprise romantic dinner or an intimate Valentine's Day or any other of her most-used fantasy plotlines. Alright, she was willing to admit it. Her daydreams weren't exactly original, nor did they have a surprising twist. They were the oldest romantic moves in the book- the kissing in the rain, the running just in time to stop the proposal so he could confess his love to her, the romantic candle-lit dates complete with the Italian violinist singing 'Bella Notte.'
Instead, she found herself standing on top of a stage in front of a hundred envious yet politely resigned eyes. She held up a trophy clutched warmly in her hands, spoke a few excessively sentimental words, and then basked in the applause and praise of the crowd. She tried to follow the instructions her mother had given her as a child: when receiving your Nobel prize- which was all but predetermined by the likes of fate and statistics- one should share eye contact with the entire crowd, not just one person or a particular section. As much as she tried, however, Amy found her craving for approval to rest squarely on one particular man in the front row. Sheldon smiled at her- not to be mistaken for the "this is really cool and deserves my recognition" smile, which was very similar in appearance- but the "I'm proud of this and I'm happy I took part" smile. This smile was much more sincere and becoming.
She smiled back and walked backstage, where her family and colleagues gushed their congratulations and shook her hand, respectfully. As the announcer took her place on stage and gave her clearly pre-memorized speech, she eyed Sheldon making his way toward her. She blushed, and held the trophy protectively like a bride holding onto her wedding bouquet. Sheldon moved toward her, smiled, and mumbled in a restrained tone that didn't quite make the cut of being a whisper: "I must say I'm impressed, Amy Farrah Fowler. I'm happy we're colleagues."
The scene changed from a fantasy to a memory. It had been a week earlier, the two of them enjoying a quiet afternoon together. It was Sheldon's apartment, and they had been drinking tea in near silence at the kitchen table as per unspoken tradition. It wasn't quite under jurisdiction to be considered a tradition, as the time arrangements weren't recorded or even certain. Their silent afternoon teatime happened on Wednesdays, sometimes happened on Mondays, but God forbid it happen on a Friday, and one Saturday was a misfortunate substitution since, it seemed, the outside world had little to no appreciation or empathy for one's craftsmanship and hard work put toward organized schedule making.
The afternoon was just as blissful as their other teatime afternoons, and Amy didn't mind the silence so much since it seemed to be more peaceful than anything, although she did sometimes wish Sheldon would be a bit more social. Any conversation between then was started by her- although Sheldon was more than happy to converse freely afterwards.
She was weighing benefits and cons with starting a conversation again when Leonard made the choice for her, unlocking the door and disrupting the silence. He looked up with sadness which swiftly melted into mischief. "Having a date you two?" he asked casually while taking off his jacket and shoes. "Date night's next week, Leonard," he corrected him monotonously. "Speaking of which, didn't you inform me earlier today that you and Penny were going to be seeing a movie together? More specifically, you said you wouldn't be back from three pm until eight pm."
"Yeah," Leonard answered somewhat tentatively, "but Penny got a call about an acting audition for her and... well, that kind of cut things short." He seemed to have been pretty excited about seeing a movie with her only for it to be put off for another day, but what choice did they have? It was a great opportunity to be called directly for things like that- but then again, Amy wasn't in the acting business, so maybe it happened all the time.
"It's five thirty," Sheldon grumbled, having apparently missed the reasonable explanation. "You could have watched a movie on your own, couldn't you? Or went to a restaurant." Leonard merely shrugged. "Well, I didn't want to go alone- I wanted to go with Penny. What's the big deal?" he replied. Amy figured he knew Sheldon well enough to guess what the problem was, but he probably also knew Sheldon well enough not to try and convince him otherwise. "The 'big deal' is that you told me you would be home at eight pm. It is now five forty...two- I'm sorry, five thirty three! How am I supposed to establish trust and confidence with someone when that someone can't do something as simple as coming home at eight pm when he said he would come home at precisely eight pm."
Leonard was quick to give up on that one. "Gee, I don't know, I guess you're right," Leonard replied sarcastically before jumping right back into his usual optimistic self. "Hey, can I join you guys? Since my plans with Penny kind of got squashed, it'd be nice to have some company."
Amy perked up, remembering how much she dreamed of being invited to have coffee with her friends as a teen. Her friend was inviting himself to have tea with her, but she dubbed this close enough. In any case, she knew Leonard would be more open toward exchanging pleasantries. She was surprised, however, when Sheldon stopped him.
"Well, you will have to find company elsewhere. Amy and I are enjoying tea together, at the moment." He added. Leonard raised an eyebrow out of confusion. "Isn't date night next week?" he asked, and Sheldon nodded his confirmation.
"And you're having a date tonight? That's unusual for you two?" Leonard noted, seemingly confused whether he meant that jokingly or as a genuine statement needing support. "This isn't a date," Sheldon was quick to defend. But he turned his gaze away from Leonard, not meeting his eyes, and certainly not meeting Amy's. He looked down at his mug and moved it around a few times so that the small amount of liquid left rolled around the bottom of the cup. "But I would prefer we were alone," he mumbled. He seemed embarrassed to admit it, like it was such a foreign idea for girlfriend and boyfriend to want to be alone together. Perhaps he recognized that it was indeed a couple's thing, and that was what he was so sheepish to admit.
Amy thought about this for a moment. Was he shy? Did he want to avoid any remarks or snide comments from Leonard whether on accident or purposeful? Did he simply want to avoid this being discussed?
Leonard, too, seemed to have had his confusion further toiled with rather than remedied by any means. "Well, that makes sense," he offered before making his way toward his room, although Amy caught him making a side comment to himself "Although Sheldon making sense may be a good sign that the apocalypse is among us."
Upon shutting the door behind him, Sheldon finally stopped staring at his cup and looked at her again, apparently unphased. Amy had decided to put in a little joke to ease the tension, "so, you wanted us to be alone, huh?" The idea comforted her, but she immediately wondered if Sheldon would take slight offense to what was meant as a tension-easing joke, which resulted in a slightly nervous chuckle.
Sheldon merely shrugged it off the best he could. "Frankly," he sighed in what sounded like resignation, "I enjoy spending time with you, Amy. It makes me happy." He gave her a sort of half-smile for just a second before it disappeared, and he downed the last of his tea just as quick.
Amy came back to reality, remembering just where she was and how she got there. The movie was stalking the last few minutes it had left to tell its story, with the main couple looking back at the destruction and adventure that just went down. The big hero Robert Brown gazed into the eyes of Georgia Grace's, no doubt admiring the way they sparkled like a pair of precious gems. Her dusty matted hair somehow coming across as a medley of sexy, and his shirt managing to have been ripped off twenty minutes before the true chaos ensued. Tension rose with the silence as the two drew closer, inch by inch, to the point where only the flickering fire behind them gave it away to the viewer that the film had indeed not been using a slow motion effect. Finally, until both the heroes and the audience could no longer take any more hesitation, she pressed her lips into his, and he wrapped her arms around her neck and drew her body closer. The camera drew back so as to capture the kiss as well as the wreckage, and then the scene was thrown into the ending credits.
Amy thought back on her daydreams. She loved when she spiraled off into a deliciously romantic fantasy with her ideal mate- after all, what dream was better for a true romantic other than a romance? Be it a romance novel, a romance movie, or a romantic life. An actual romantic experience was what every romantic dreamt of- the one where the sexy male of choice swept her off her feet and ran her to the nearest church to marry her with the most expensive ring money could buy.
So why was she always drifting off to less romantic things, or simply things she already had? She would think about being successful, and simply getting a thumbs up from Sheldon. It didn't seem like much, but it was enough for her. It wasn't just enough- it was more than enough. It was exactly the type of thing that would melt her heart and give her that boost of confidence she needed. Heck, if Sheldon approved of it, you know you must have done something pretty great. Then there were times where she would just think about spending time with him. Just the silly things that they did- whether it be having tea, just the two of them and no one else was invited, or going off to science lectures or random stores. Sometimes they would just look around the town at random- driving down the streets and looking at items of interest. Or they might go to a museum, or the zoo, virtually on a whim. She knew Sheldon liked to have things scheduled, but Amy honestly enjoyed their little activities having an element of mystery to them- not quite knowing what's going to happen, but going along for the ride anyway knowing you will enjoy every minute of it regardless, if only for the good company.
Why would she daydream about these things though? The point of daydream fantasies, she insisted to herself, was to create a better reality than what she had. Sure, she loved what she had- she couldn't find herself asking for more than this- but she had too often yearned for a little romance. A lot of romance, she preferred, but a little romance was fine. That's why she found it easy to conjure it up in her daydreams, but she had to admit, it felt lacking to the real deal. If that was so, then why did she dream about the present when she figured she was trying to get away from it?
Sheldon turning the TV off cut her from her thoughts. She knew he enjoyed watching the credits- or perhaps he only felt obligated too, since the actual writers and producers of the film get the most recognition in the credits- so she figured the credits had finally ended.
"So?" Amy asked him, a smug smile on her face. She had still been questioning herself, but she brushed it aside for the sake of wanting to know Sheldon's opinion on the film.
"It was a good film," he granted her, and gave her a smile. Amy raised an eyebrow. Darn, how was she supposed to be smug about his enjoyment if he was admitting to it so carelessly?
"I knew you'd like the train scene. A lot of people said the acting, action, and effects were at its finest during that scene," she noted cheerfully. Sheldon smiled even wider. "It was quite the stunning locomotive," he mentioned dreamily, and then metaphorically sprinted back from fan boy land to California again. "The rest of the movie was lacking, considering it was a movie with a train in it."
Amy shrugged. "The train wasn't that important to the plot," she put in, although knowing it wasn't much solace. At least he had watched it with her, and if latching on to that one detail made him glad that he had watched it with her, then she was happy too.
She waited for him to give her further details, like saying having a train in the movie means the rest of the movie should be of heightened quality due to raising the expectations of the audience from that point on or something, but Sheldon surprised her by changing the subject.
"Oh, I just remembered there was something I wanted to ask you," he recalled, his voice adorably squeaking high on the 'oh' and 'ask' which made Amy smile. He covered the distance between the couch and his desk which, sitting neatly beside his laptop, laid his wallet. Inside revealed two lengthy rectangles of official-looking paper. Tickets? ...Movie tickets?
"I was going to go visit Texas, and I was curious if you wanted to join me?"