Ow Nothing,
Eight o'clock rolled around and penny was ready to go. She was wearing a short dress that was not too revealing but showed off her figure just right. There weren't too many guys that wouldn't turn their head if she passed by. She put on a pair of heals, grabbed her purse and went out the door.
Leonard happened to be heading out the door of 4A at the same time. "Hey, you look nice….. going out"?
Penny didn't really want Leonard to know that she was going out much less out with Cole, so she told Cole to wait outside and she would come to his car. "Yeah,… it's just a school thing". She was not making any eye contact at all, fiddling with her keys. She suddenly felt terrible about going out, and especially for not going out with Leonard and then lying to him. It was like the trifecta of guilt.
Leonard could tell that there was something not quite right. "Well, I'm off to get Sheldon from the comic book store. He went with Howard earlier and I told them I would meet them there".
Penny looked up at him. "That sounds like fun, we should go again sometime. Well…. See ya". She wanted to get down the stairs so she could get into Cole's car before Leonard could see who she was going out with. She quickly went down the stairs.
Leonard looked after her, "Bye Penny, have a good time"…. He then went down slowly after her.
Penny got into Cole's car and as she closed the door, Leonard came out the front door. He thought it was her getting into the car down the street, but didn't recognize the car. He went to his car and noticed that Penny's car was parked in the lot just a few spots down from his.
Penny and Cole went up to the front of the line where the bouncer was checking the list of people to be admitted. Cole gave his name and they went in. The place was pretty full and it was loud. In order to have a conversation, you needed to get up close to the ear of the person you were talking to. Cole went to the bar to get some drinks and Penny stood back taking in the atmosphere. She had not been a club in a while and she thought that this would calm her down a little and she could sort out some things in her life.
Cole was having little luck getting the attention of the bar tender. Penny could see that he was getting a little annoyed so she came up beside him and smiled. "Let's see if I still have any of the magic left". She then went closer to the bar and two guys that were blocking Cole from getting anywhere near the bar just let her through like Moses parting the Red Sea. She then leaned over as the bartender was scooping ice into a couple of glassed and got his attention. He immediately took her order and Cole paid for the drinks.
After retreating to a corner, they started to talk about school and the new classes they were thinking of taking. The routine of getting drinks played out a couple of more times with Penny leading the way each time. Each time with the same results. The conversation had changed into more personal things such as what it was like growing up on a sheep farm in England and on a dairy farm in Nebraska. Cole was feeling his drinks as was Penny. Cole was getting an extreme high as Penny would talk into his ear. Her warm breath cascading down his neck.
The band started to play and Penny suddenly got excited. She hadn't gone out dancing in quite some time. She pulled Cole to the dance floor and they started to dance. Penny was having a great time. She loved dancing. The floor was crowded. There was just a little bit of room and that made dancing very close. As they danced, Penny's thighs would rub against Cole's. They were very close to each other, Penny's chest to his. Penny looked into Cole's eyes and could see what she thought was a little fire. She hadn't seen that in a man's eye since she would cuddle up with Leonard. And only then after she had said that she loved him. Leonard had become more self assured after he heard those words and he would initiate intimate close contact that led to some amazing sex. How could she do this to Leonard? Penny immediately turned away from Cole and went back to the table with their drinks. Cole followed a little dismayed at her actions.
When they got back to the table, Cole leaned in to ask her what was wrong. He put his hand in the small of her back and brought her close. When he went talk into her ear, he could smell her perfume mixed with her perspiration. It was intoxicating to him. He lent in closer and kissed her.
Penny's eyes went wide. She couldn't believe what had just happened. She pulled away and slapped Cole across the face and told him, "We're here just for the band, … REMEMBER"?
Cole looked shocked. "What was that for? Come on, what was I supposed to think? You flaunting yourself all night to get drinks. Getting close on the dance floor, pushing yourself up to me. Breathing in my ear?
Penny grabbed her purse and ran out of the club.
Penny didn't know what to do. She had no car, and she was not going to go back into the club. She decided to walk around to the campus. All she could think of was how stupid she could be. Leonard was right after all. Cole was hitting on her. He saw she was vulnerable and he moved right in. Just like all the other guys in her past. Was Cole right? Was she getting close on purpose? Why did she really decide to come out tonight? She sat down on a bench in the Quad and put her head in her hands. She took off her heels. They were killing her feet. She wore them because they were really cute with the dress she had on but were not the kind of shoes you really wanted to go dancing in. When she went dancing with Leonard, she always wore low shoes, they were always so much more comfortable. She thought back to Leonard. What was going on with her? Normally, if she had this kind of night, she would have easily gone with the guy she was with and had the time of her life. What was so different tonight? Why did she stop when she thought of Leonard?
As she sat there she could feel a presence. She thought, "Great, now what?" Penny grabbed for her purse. Leonard had given her a pepper spray to keep with her just in case. She could feel the person sit next to her. Her skin was beginning to crawl with the anticipation of a confrontation. The person turned and reached out to her, "Penny for your thoughts"?
Penny spun around and saw Leonard sitting next to her. She threw her arms around his neck. He just held her. She pulled him in tighter. Leonard just asked, "Does the lady need a ride"?
They walked back to his car in complete silence. When they pulled away from the curb and were on their way back to the apartment, Penny asked, "What were you doing at campus"?
Leonard looked a little like he got caught with his hand in the cookie jar. "After the comic book store, I was thinking about you. You said you had a school thing so I came over here to see if you wanted to go for a coffee after you got through, seeing as you usually hate these things and nod off during them. While I was waiting, I checked the calendar and saw there were no activities scheduled. I remembered what you were wearing and drove around and I saw a club. I thought I saw you get into one of the cars that were parked outside, so I was driving by when I saw you".
Penny went from feeling relieved that he was there to Angry, not just angry, Nebraska Angry. "You were spying on me"?
