Sheldon is stunned to find himself curious about Penny who has declared that she intends for them to be friends. After reading the reviews, I thought I better clear up some misconceptions. This Leonard is a guy with a crush on a pretty girl, not a perv or stalker. He'll get over it. So will Raj (who tried to call dibs, remember?). There is no angst here, folks.


Penny was looking at the university map carefully, tracing a route with one finger when someone cleared their throat behind her. She ignored the noise, her tongue sticking out slightly as she tried to navigate the halls toward the engineering department.

"Ahem," the person behind her said awkwardly.

Penny threw her free hand behind her. "Shhh!" She growled. "I have no idea where the frickin' hell I am and I'm not giving up the map until I get un-lost."

"Excuse me, Penny, but 'un-lost' is not a word. It would be grammatically correct to say "I am trying to find my bearings' instead."

Penny turned to grin at Sheldon. "Sugar! Sorry, I didn't realize it was you. Hey, where am I and how do I find Howard?"

"You are near the geology department. My office is around the corner from here." He pointed to a spot across campus on the map. "Howard's lab is located here."

She peered at the spot carefully. "Hmm. Guess I should have parked over on Hill Ave, instead of Catalina Ave, huh?" Penny sighed wearily. "Great, so, how do I get there from here?"

Sheldon looked at his watch with a long-suffering sigh. "I can lead you there. I wasn't particularly looking forward to the stew today anyway. It's always too peppery."

She tilted her head slightly. "Well, I was going to steal Howard away for some lunch. If you know a good burger place, I could take you instead."

"There's a Cheesecake Factory on Colorado Blvd. It's only 5 minutes away," Sheldon said indifferently.

"Good enough," Penny grinned as she linked her arm with Sheldon's and tugged him down the corridor.

Before Sheldon could decide whether to accept or decline her invitation, he was buckling up his seatbelt.


Sheldon sat down across from Penny and watched her look over the menu. The waitress appeared and nervously told him she already had his order written down. The wait staff here were used to him by now. He always ordered the same thing. He watched Penny look over the menu, wondering what it was about the chaotic woman that made it hard to say no to her.

"Okay," Penny murmured. "I think…I'll have…umm, okay. I'll have the bacon barbecue cheeseburger, just like Sheldon's, but I want sweet potato fries, coleslaw and a piece of the triple chocolate cheesecake."

Sheldon waited until the waitress walked away before speaking. "I will gladly admit that I am no expert on female behavior, but I find myself confused by you."

"How so?" Penny asked with a grin.

"You are undeniably a beautiful woman," he said blandly, "and you seem to be the type of woman people gravitate toward. You are boisterous and energetic, the type of woman who is popular. Yet from what I can discern you spend most of your time with Howard, who is not the type people gravitate to."

Anger flashed in her eyes and he flinched. "Okay, first of all, if you and I are going to be friends, and make no mistake, we are, you're going to have to stop making assumptions about me. My looks are a quirk of genetics. Yes, I like being pretty, because it makes me feel good, but my looks are not all I am."

Penny took a moment to calm herself. "I am very selective about who my friends are. Howard is the very best friend I have ever had. No one means more to me than him."

Sheldon watched the anger in her eyes fade and be replaced by disappointment.

"All my life people have judged me on my looks," she said softly. "Everyone thinks how I look determines who I am. I'm so damn tired of that." She looked up and met his eyes. "When I was 15 I snuck out and went to a party because this football player I was crushing on invited me. I thought he liked me. Instead, he just wanted an easy score. He spiked my drink and got me drunk. If Howard hadn't followed me…"

Sheldon's eyes went wide at the implications and he felt anger at this boy he had never met.

Penny shook herself out of her memories and smiled softly. "Howard got beaten up for me. He got me out of there, snuck me back into my bedroom and sat with me all night while I puked up all that booze. He covered for me the next day, telling my mom we had been on the phone when I got sick and he had come over to keep an eye on me. He told my mom his black eye was from tripping on the stairs trying not to wake anyone up. Mom never knew what really happened."

The waitress appeared and they were both silent as she placed their food in front of them. Penny thanked her quietly and she walked away. Penny reached for her fork and paused. "I don't chose my friends based on how popular they are, Sheldon. I chose them based on their hearts."

He watched her carefully for several seconds. "You do not know me, so why are you so intent on us being friends?"

Penny's lips turned upwards slightly. "Over the years, Howard has told me quite a bit about you. You're honest, intelligent, and loyal. Howard says you are one of the most complicated men he has ever met." Penny shrugged her shoulders. "I like you, Sheldon. Long before I ever met you, I kind of liked you. I want to get to know you, because I'm curious about you."

Sheldon was surprised by her answer. No one had ever shown so much interest in him before. Interest not for his work, or his connections among academia, but just for who he is. He shyly smiled back at her. She really was a most entrancing woman. "I must admit, I am curious about you as well. You are not easy to compartmentalize."

"Is that a good or a bad thing?" Penny asked as she bit into her burger.

Sheldon considered it carefully. "I am not sure yet. I will have to think on it more and let you know."

Penny laughed with delight before turning her full attention to her meal. Sheldon was surprised by how peacefully the lunch hour passed. They didn't speak much until the food was all gone, and she insisted on paying since she had invited him out. On the ride back to the university, Penny asked him about his work, and even though it was obvious she did not understand it, she paid close attention. They parted company near his office, with Penny thanking him for keeping her company. Sheldon watched her walk away, although perhaps 'bounce' was a more apt term.


Howard grinned when he saw Penny walking toward him and Raj. She skipped the last few steps and flung her arms around his neck before placing a smacking kiss on his cheek. Several people in the hallway stared at them wide-eyed.

"What are you doing here?" Howard asked, preening a bit for two cute grad students.

Penny rolled her eyes and gave Raj a wave. "I was dropping Sheldon back off and decided to come see you."

Both men stared at her with surprise. "Sheldon?" Howard repeated. "What were you doing with him?"

"I came to steal you away for lunch, but I got lost," she said casually as they entered Howard's lab. "I ran into him over by his office and stole him instead." Penny threw herself down on a chair and rubbed her stomach. "Have you eaten at that cheesecake place? Oh. My. God! They have the best sweet potato fries! I could make a meal of those alone!"

Raj whispered into Howard's ear and Howard shrugged. "She's a mystery to me, too."

Penny stuck her tongue out at the two men and looked around the lab casually. "Howard, is Sheldon involved with anyone?"

Both men's jaws dropped and it took Howard a moment to answer. "Um, no. Sheldon doesn't date."

Penny smiled slightly. "So he's single," she mused.

Howard looked at Raj with concern before moving over to sit in front of Penny. "When we say Sheldon doesn't date, we mean ever. He's completely asexual. He's had dozens of grad students throw themselves at him this year alone, and he barely even notices they are present. He definitely doesn't notice they are women."

Penny shrugged and sat up straight. "Then I don't have to worry about a jealous girlfriend if I spend some time with him."

Raj hurried over and whispered into Howard's ear again. "Why would you want to?" Howard asked for him.

Penny grinned at the two men. "He's interesting." She glanced at her watch and jumped up. "Crap. I have to get going. See you at dinner?" she asked Howard.

"I'm supposed to play Halo with Leonard, Sheldon and Raj. Want to come?" he asked.

"That's okay," Penny said, walking to the door. "I'll see you when you get home. I have to get to the gym."

As soon as she was gone Raj turned to Howard. "Dude! Do you think she has a thing for Sheldon?"

Howard shrugged as he thought about it. "Penny's always been a bit unpredictable. But if she does? She's in for a heartbreak," he said softly.

Raj nodded in agreement. He thought Penny was sexy and appealing, but if she was crushing on Sheldon, he felt sorry for her.