II.
The rest of the summer went like this:
Penny was feeling a lot happier than she had been in the past few months. No, she hadn't been booked for a show, but she had been taking Sheldon's advice. Throwing commercials away, all she asked to be screened for were shows. No particular genre. It wasn't like commercials though; auditions were scarce and far between. She expected this and picked up a lot more hours at the cheesecake factory. Despite hating her waitressing job, she had to be honest with herself; it was a one in a million chance she'd get any type of role on a show.
Getting her out of her slump was fairly easy, Sheldon thought. Though he wasn't a believer in therapy and much of creative arts, he could respect them. Especially when it came to Penny. So, he told her about the 'Writing Therapy' he himself, once took part in. It was when he was feeling a lot less confident in himself and his research, he would take to pen and paper, or his laptop, and just write how he feels. He wouldn't send it to anybody, but he would just write all his emotions out and feel better by the end of it.
She wanted help though, she wanted someone to have an insight of her mind. When words failed her, she wanted someone to be able to read how she felt. So, writing she did, but after she'd also email them to Sheldon. He never did reply to them, but she knew he read them all.
He did.
Sheldon stepped out of CalTech, the sun blinding him as it beat down on his skin. Leonard wasn't able to drive him home today because he finished earlier than normal, being tenure, he was capable of leaving as he pleased -so as long he completed his work. Penny offered to pick him up because she was off from work today, he had no objections.
His eyes landed on the small car parked out in front of the building a few feet in front of him, she was laying on the hood of her car, her back against the windshield, sunglasses on her head as she blew bubbles with her bubble gum. Sheldon was aware of the stares she got, shorts so short it exposed all of her tanned legs, and tank-top so revealing if she moved wrong, he was sure the scientists from the anatomy lab would finally see their first real life body part.
He hurried to her.
"What are you doing?"
She glanced up at him once she heard his voice and slid off the car, "Tanning."
He narrowed his eyes, but just waited for her to unlock the door. She walked around towards the driver side and looked at him from over the roof of her car, she smiled sweetly, "Hey."
Slowly his face relaxed, "Hello."
This how Sheldon reacts when he found out Penny had a date:
He heard her door open and then like clock-work, theirs did too.
She was smiling.
He paid her no mind as he continued on his laptop, if he knew his roommate he'd be—
"Hey, Penny," Leonard smiled. He was still wary of her since his remark about her career, as he should be. Penny did forgive him, but she didn't forget.
She smiled, "Hey, you guys," she kissed each of their cheeks, and neither complained. She moved to their fridge and grabbed a water bottle, placing it on her neck and forehead. Summer was winding down, but damn it was still hot.
"Why are you so happy? Did you get a callback?" Leonard asked hesitantly. Penny gave him a look before carrying on, "No, I just came back from a date actually."
Sheldon's ears perked up at the sound and decided this conversation was worth his while after all. "A date?" Leonard repeated, "Oh."
She nodded, "It's been a long time, and honestly I felt like I wasn't ready…but he was a nice guy, a teacher, and he didn't want to take me to dinner like men usually do. He wanted an afternoon date; we went to the pier and then the fair. I actually had a pleasant time," she informed both men with a smile on her face, "I hope he calls."
Sheldon couldn't help the bitterness that raised in his throat. He didn't know why he felt this way, but he did. Was it justified? No. But for once he wasn't thinking rationally, he just wasn't. "He probably won't."
Both people turned to look at him, "Excuse me?" The taller scientist looked Penny in her eyes, he could see her euphoria dying as he spoke, and he couldn't help himself, "Knowing your rap sheet, statistically speaking he won't call back. I used to think it was the type of men you chose, the big meat heads with the large biceps and small brains. That would've been the logical thing to think anyways, because what do those men have to bring to the table besides protein powder and condoms? But, with much more thought, I realized the common denominator is you, Penny."
Penny felt her anger rising, what was his problem?
"What the hell, Sheldon?"
It was Leonard who said that.
Sheldon just shrugged, "I am nothing if not a man of science and facts, I won't lie."
Penny stood to her feet, she and Sheldon hadn't fought in such a long time and she was actually happy with that knowledge. She was glad their friendship was getting a lot better and more solid; she was confident in saying he was her best friend. So, she didn't know where any of this was coming from. She came here under the pretense they would be happy for her, for once she was feeling great and before Sheldon told her he was pleased over her news, he tore her down?
"Clearly you're barely a man if you feel the need to tear other people down for the heck of it," she spat at him in her own vicious tone.
Sheldon expected the rebuttal but sighed, "Penny you cannot be mad at me because of your lack of success when it comes to relationships. I'm only stating what's known, the probability of this man calling you back is slim to none, so I'm only informing you, so you don't spend your days waiting by the phone."
Scoffing at him, she stormed to the door, "You know what," she said before she left, "I actually thought we were becoming good friends and I'm sad to say I was wrong. You're nothing but a bully with a vast vocabulary."
She was slamming the door behind her.
He comes out of CalTech a week later feeling different. He's making big important steps in his research, but he can't be happy about it and he doesn't know why.
So, he's shocked when he sees her leaning against the hood of her car, much like the last time. This time, she sees him and comes off first. She doesn't really know what to say to him, because it was Leonard who asked her to pick him, he had a date with Leslie Winkle or something. She wanted to say no, because it had been a week since their fight, but something inside of her couldn't pass up the chance of having Sheldon rely on her, he needed her to bring him home. She had the leverage.
So, she says, "You were wrong."
"Excuse me?"
She shrugs her shoulders and walks towards him, "You were wrong. He did call me back, the same night actually. We went on a second date." Sheldon's eyes darkened, but his face didn't change. Was there a reason to her telling him all of this?
"I'm glad."
"He was actually really boring. He admitted he wasn't really a teacher, so that was a disappointment." Sheldon raised an eyebrow, "So it won't work out because he's not a teacher?"
She shook her head, "No. It won't work out because he lied to me, I don't like false pretenses."
He searches her eyes, and she's being honest, he could tell. Her eyes are large and green, and there's another emotion behind them, he just can't place it. "I'm sorry it didn't work out then."
She smiles at him, and it's the first time he's seen her smile in a week, and it does something to him. "Well, I guess I just wasn't ready for dating again. My own fault, I guess."
He doesn't believe her, "Perhaps," it's him that's not ready for relationships. Penny was always ready to commit fully and completely. Maybe he should take a page out of her book.
"So, are we going home or are we going to dilly-dally further?" He looks at the watch on his wrist, breaking whatever moment they were having.
She chuckles lightly and he feels the dark cloud surrounding him, lift. He could finally breathe again.
This is the sound of the foundation building:
Everyone is sitting around during Pizza Night. Amy, and Bernadette as well. However, she came late and when she entered, she saw Amy sitting beside Sheldon, in her usual seat. Rather than tell her to get up, she sat beside Raj on the floor by the front door. Everything was going well, until Bernadette spoke up, "So, Penny, I heard you had a date," Sheldon stuttered for a moment.
Penny nods, "Yeah," she looks at Sheldon.
"How was it, Bestie?"
"It was good," she shrugs.
"Just good?" Howard tries to hide his chuckle. Penny nods again, "Yeah, just good."
"Well will you two be seeing each other again?" Bernadette pushes.
Penny tilts her head slightly as she thinks about it, "We never discussed it, but he has my number and knows where I live, so maybe…" she says honestly as she takes another bite of her pizza. Sheldon is staring into his plate, frustration radiating off of him.
"Is he cute?" Amy grins.
"Yeah, I think so."
"Is he into you?" It was Raj who asked this time, having downed a beer already.
She sighs, "He's really shy and nervous though, but I think he's into me."
Bernadette, Raj, and Amy squeal excitedly, "Are you into him?"
Penny could barely hide her grin now, "Yeah."
Sheldon swallows the last of his pizza, his heart falls into his stomach and he swears he could barely breathe.
"What did you do on your first date?" Howard asked, now drawn into the conversation.
"We went to dinner, he was having something special at work," she trailed off, "A black tie-event."
Sheldon looks up surprised, but Penny's kind of winking at him…in a weird, discreet, Penny-type of way.
"I wish he'd tell me he was into me though, instead of being rude all the time." She sighs as she plays with a piece of pepperoni.
"Rude?" Leonard questioned.
"No. Not rude. I just feel like he feels he's being pulled into two different directions. I think he's scared, but I don't know why. Maybe he's scared because it would be his first committed relationship, it would be real. Or maybe he's scared because he thinks I'm not ready and he's waiting," she stated simply, "I would tell him that I was though, if he wasn't so closed off."
"He's probably a wimp," Howard offered with a grin.
Penny shook her head, "No. Not a wimp," she says softly. Sheldon doesn't look her in the eye, but suddenly he can't stop smiling at his plate.
Everyone had left, and Penny felt like she needed air. She did a lot more talking than she thought she would, and she needed to get out. So, she found herself on the roof looking at the stars in the sky. Maybe she could hide out here and no one would find her, she probably just ruined her friendship with Sheldon and things would be awkward for—
"I'm not a wimp."
She feels him walk up beside her, and she leans her head against his arm because he was too tall for her to reach his shoulder, "No, you're not."
He's afraid to move, because was this real?
"I want to hear you say it first, I need you to."
She doesn't move, because maybe she's unsure if this was real too and maybe they're both afraid that if they move it would wake them up. Maybe they're still fighting.
"I'm not ready to date anyone, but whatever this is…I want it," she told him honestly.
He nods, but then realizes she can't see him, "Ok."
It's quiet, but then she says, "I like you."
He doesn't know how to respond, because he's never been in a situation like this before but when it came to Penny usually the gut feeling was the correct one, so he turns his head slightly and kisses the top of her head, "I like you."
They stay up on the roof for an hour more, content with their lives and the way it was going. Maybe things would get better.
But Sheldon can't help but think somehow the universe was testing him, he was never granted the privilege of having more than one thing in his life that made him happy. He couldn't help but fear how it would all come crashing down.
She noticed his face fall.
"It'll be okay. We'll find a way," she sounds confident and he believes her.
Because he couldn't handle it if she was wrong.
