Reference to: The Launch Acceleration
XXX
Leonard couldn't decide if he was the hero or the sniveling coward. He sat on his bed looking at himself in the full length mirror on his closet door. What he was about to do was really stupid—and backstabbing—but on the other hand if he didn't try he'd be kicking himself for the rest of his life.
"Why can't I be happy?" Leonard said, with less confidence in his voice than he wanted. "I like her. She liked me. It could work."
All he had to do was not make the same mistakes as—
Leonard grimaced as he got off the bed and exited the room.
"I'm going out," he said to Sheldon as he entered the living room.
"All right," Sheldon replied as he typed on his computer.
"It's a date. Well, not a date, date. But it does involve a man and a woman. I mean—"
"Leonard, I don't care."
Leonard reddened. "Of course not. Did I say you did? Did I just say that now? Am I rambling?"
"To answer that would require me to pay attention to what you say." Sheldon closed his laptop and stood. "I'm not sure I'm willing to commit to such an endeavor."
"Of course," Leonard said with a slight frown as he grabbed his keys from the bowl by the door. Sheldon did likewise and the two men exited the apartment.
Sheldon crossed over to Amy's apartment just as the neurobiologist opened the door.
"Just in time," she said with a smile. She glanced at Leonard, who smiled nervously before dashing down the stairs. "Come on in. I'm just getting dinner ready." Amy stood aside for Sheldon to enter.
Sheldon was at a loss. He looked at the door and then Amy.
"Ah. Go right ahead," she said with a smirk and went to the kitchen.
Knock Knock Knock "Amy."
Knock Knock Knock "Amy."
Knock Knock Knock "Amy."
Relieved, Sheldon entered the apartment and closed the door.
"I'm afraid I haven't been out to the grocery store," Amy said as she added the spaghetti to the pot of boiling water. "I hope spaghetti with cut up hotdogs and Strawberry Quick will suffice?"
"And how," Sheldon said with a smile. "You know, my mother used to make that for me all the time."
"Fancy that." She took a bowl from the counter and went to Sheldon. "Have a seat—and a chocolate."
"Thank you," he said and took a piece of chocolate. His eyes widened in delight. "Dark chocolate. My favorite."
"Just make yourself at home while I get things ready."
As Sheldon settled himself on her couch Amy went over to her Bose music system and turned it on.
"It's funny. I heard this little ditty the other day and I can't get it out of my mind. I hope you don't mind me playing it," she said.
"That's the music for Super Mario Brothers," Sheldon said. "You know I spent many hours as a child playing that game."
"Never heard of it until yesterday. Have another chocolate."
"I don't want to ruin dinner."
"Consider it an appetiser." Amy smiled to herself as she watched him pop another chocolate into his mouth. "I was thinking that we don't really get out to do much in the line of physical activity."
"Our building doesn't have a working elevator. How much more activity do we have to do?"
"We could do something fun." Sheldon pished. "How about a trip to a putt-putt course?"
Sheldon sat back. "Now that would be fun."
"Then it's settled." Amy took out the bottle of Strawberry milk from the refrigerator and set it on the kitchen table. "Come have a drink as we go over tonight's song list. If we get this done fast enough we can slip in an episode of Star Trek before we begin singing."
"Yippee!" Sheldon bounced off the couch and went merrily to the table. "Have you a particular episode in mind? Perhaps in homage to tonight's singing activity we should look at 'The Way to Eden' as it had a traveling band of Space Hippies."
"An excellent suggestion," Amy said. "Now let me give the pasta a stir."
She wasn't the type to let out a girlish squeal, but if she were, this one would have been a doozey.
XXX
Leonard sat in the parking lot staring at the entrance to The Cheesecake Factory. This was Penny's shift time. He knew the seating area off by heart since up to three months ago he'd been eating there every Tuesday evening for over four years. Granted, this wasn't a Tuesday but he couldn't risk the possibility that he'd run into—
"Now I'm just being silly," Leonard said. He looked at himself in the rear view mirror. "Get a hold of yourself. A bird in the hand gathers no moss." He frowned. "Or something like that. "
He got out of the car and went into the restaurant. Leonard felt the flood of sweat in his armpits as he asked the hostess for a table he knew was in Penny's section.
"Hey you," Penny said cheerily as she set down his menu and a glass of water on the table. "Long time no see."
"You know me?" he stammered.
"Leonard, I was at Los Robles for four years. I'm not gonna pretend I don't know my ex-neighbour," she chuckled.
"Yeah. Of course." He smiled nervously. "So how've you been?"
"Pretty good until last week." She made a face. "My car broke down."
"That's too bad." Leonard's stomach muscles cramped.
"Yeah." Penny took out her pad and pen. "Good thing Sheldon was there."
"Sheldon?" he squeaked.
"Yeah. He's a customer. Called AAA and waited with me." She smiled. "Really sweet but kinda weird. But anyhoo, what can I getcha? The usual fajita without cheese or sour cream and a diet Coke?"
"Sounds good."
They smiled at each other before Penny departed to the ordering kiosk.
Leonard felt horrible. This had to be the stupidest idea he'd ever had. Still, as Penny walked towards him with his soda and a smile he knew he couldn't let things go.
"Here you are," she said as she set down his drink. "Your order shouldn't take long."
"Penny, just a sec." Leonard swallowed although his mouth felt terribly dry. "Listen, I realize that we don't see each other like we did and, well, I miss you." She made to speak. "I mean, I didn't think you'd notice me gone but since you have and you admit to knowing me I was wondering if you, I mean you don't have to, but it would be nice if maybe, sometime, you'd like to go out. Or something."
"Oh, geez, Leonard, I just broke up with Zack," Penny said gently.
"No pressure. I'd like to be friends first. You know, see each other sometime. Maybe something comes of it. Maybe not. But as Sophocles once said—"
"Friends is fine," Penny grinned. "Here." She wrote on her pad and handed him the sheet of paper. "Here's my number. Give me a call and we'll do something."
"Cool. I will."
They smiled at each other and then Penny was off to serve another table.
Leonard stared at the phone number. He was beyond happy.
And yet even in this moment he realized he was the lowest creature on the planet.
XXXTen Weeks AgoXXX
"So are you and Penny speaking yet?" Leonard asked as he took the mail out of the box.
"That woman is impossible," Sheldon said with pursed lips as he took his mail from Leonard. "She puts dirty tissues on my couch and yet refuses to apologize."
"And that's what your big fight was all about?" Leonard said absently as he looked at a peculiar letter addressed to him.
"More or less," Sheldon mumbled. He turned and went up the stairs.
Leonard tore open the envelope and read the enclosed letter. His face visibly paled and he took off up the stairs.
"Sheldon!" he called. "Sheldon wait!"
HIs asthma made him gasp as Leonard raced to the fourth floor. He found Sheldon standing stock still in the hallway looking across into apartment 4B.
An empty 4B.
"Sheldon, I'm sorry," Leonard wheezed as he pulled out his inhaler and used it.
"Damnation, woman!" Sheldon growled as he pulled out his phone. He dialed and his scowl became downright frightening to Leonard as he hung up. "She changed her number. Come, Leonard!"
"Sheldon, maybe we should leave Penny alone."
Sheldon gave his roommate an incredulous stare.
"Great, now you've gone loony tunes, too," he spat.
"I'm just saying, if Penny feels strongly enough that she's moved out and changed her number then maybe we should—"
"Leonard, she's impulsive. We don't have much time for her to reclaim her apartment. And yes, she's going to. Now are you going to drive me to The Cheesecake Factory?"
"No," Leonard said quietly.
Sheldon snorted, pushed past Leonard, and ventured down the stairs.
Leonard went back to the strange letter and read it again.
...
"Of all the incredibly stupid things she could do," Sheldon grumbled as the cab pulled into The Cheesecake Factory parking lot. "We had a disagreement not a dissolution."
Sheldon got out of the cab and entered the restaurant. He marched past Helen, the hostess, into the dining room.
"Sheldon, what are you doing here?" Helen said in a low but harsh voice as she grabbed his arm.
"Unhand me. I have no desire for games," Sheldon replied as he looked around the restaurant.
"If you make a scene the manager's going to kick you out."
"I'm not going to make a—" Sheldon saw Penny exit the kitchen with a tray of food. He marched halfway across the room only to stop dead in his tracks as he saw a brown-haired, muscular man at the corner of the bar lean over and kiss Penny. A moment, and Penny quickly kissed him back.
And then she turned towards the room—towards Sheldon standing there slack-jawed—with a smile on her face that she used to use on him and went to serve her customers.
"She replaced me?" he sputtered. "We have a disagreement and two weeks later she moves out and replaces me?"
"Well she wouldn't have replaced you if you weren't such a bad boyfriend," Helen said with a slight frown. She looked over to the bar and caught the eyes of her manager. "Look Sheldon, Greg's seen you. Please go before you get kicked out."
"I'll go when I damn well choose." Sheldon watched Penny as she went back to the kitchen. She smiled at the muscular man as she passed by. "And I choose right now." Sheldon stormed from the restaurant.
...
Leonard sat in his chair chewing on his lower lip. It had been well over two hours and he'd heard nothing from Sheldon. What if Sheldon was in jail? Or perhaps had run away? Maybe Penny put him in the hospital?
He heard the key being inserted into the lock and his stomach tightened. The door opened and a very stern Sheldon entered the apartment.
"How'd it go?" Leonard asked.
"I'll tell you how it went," Sheldon said icily as he delicately set his keys in the bowl by the door. "I found Penny at the restaurant ravishing another man."
"Really? I mean, leaving you is one thing, but going to another guy?" Leonard noted Sheldon's jaw stiffen as the lanky man sat in his spot on the couch. "Did you talk to her?"
"What was I supposed to say? Penny, how nice to see you. Perhaps if you'd quit sucking face with your boy-toy we could sit down like rational adults and talk things through," Sheldon said with a thick Texas accent.
"Yeah, I guess not." Leonard leaned forward and began nervously twiddling his thumbs. "So what are you going to do?"
"I'm an adult. Penny has chosen to act rashly and immaturely. That's her way, not mine." Sheldon got up off the couch.
"Where are you going?"
"To hack into her phone so I can track down her new apartment."
"Sheldon don't." Sheldon paused and looked at Leonard. "It's not what Penny wants."
"How would you know what Penny wants?" Sheldon said cooly.
"Well, you know, it's obvious that she wants this," Leonard stammered as Sheldon approached him with closed fists at his side. "So as the adult you should respect that she doesn't want—"
"Doesn't want what?" Sheldon said as he stood over Leonard.
"You." Leonard dug beside him into the seat and pulled out a letter and handed it to Sheldon.
Sheldon paused before he took it. As he opened it he expected a 'Dear John' letter.
"The Fowler Neurological Institute?" Sheldon raised an eyebrow as he read. A moment later and he gasped.
"What the hell was she thinking!?" he said, and dashed from the apartment.
