New Neighbours
Sliding off his glasses, Leonard leaned back in his desk chair, sighing as he rubbed his eyes. Over two hours he had spent in front of his laptop putting the finishing touches to a lecture he was due to give in a few days time, and that time in front of a bright screen had taken its toll. The back of his eyes hurt with a pain he knew all too well to be the beginnings of a migraine, and his stomach was beginning to rumble with hunger. Sitting forward again, he quickly put his glasses back on and hit save on his document before closing the lid of the laptop and standing up, heading towards the bathroom to retrieve some painkillers from the medicine cabinet.
"Sheldon!" He shouted down the hall as he entered the bathroom, knowing that Sheldon was in his room. "What's the plans for dinner?"
Of course, Leonard already knew what Sheldon would say. It was Friday, which meant dinner consisted of Chinese food, but Leonard had other ideas for dinner tonight. It was getting Sheldon to go along with them that would prove difficult.
"What do you mean what are the plans for dinner?" Sheldon said as he exited his room and stood by the doorway of the bathroom. "It's Friday."
"Yeah I know and Friday means Chinese food," opening the cabinet, Leonard reached for the box of pills he needed, "but I was thinking we do something different for dinner tonight."
"Something different?"
"Yeah." Leonard gave a casual shrug as he closed the cabinet door and headed back down the hall and out into the kitchen, towards the fridge.
"And what do you suggest we do?" Sheldon asked, following him.
Leonard grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and kicked the door shut. "Umm, well," placing the bottle on the breakfast bar, he popped out two tablets from the packet, "I dunno, I was thinking we could maybe go to The Cheesecake Factory again." As soon as he said the words he threw the tablets into his mouth, washing them down quickly with his bottle of water as he gauged Sheldon's reaction.
"And may I ask how going to The Cheesecake Factory is 'doing something different for dinner' when we just ate out there two days ago?"
Swallowing down another gulp of water, Leonard shrugged once more. "It's different for a Friday."
With a deep sigh Sheldon turned away and headed towards the sofa. "Why do I have a feeling this sudden suggestion of change in our eating habits has something to do with the new waitress that forgot to put bacon on my BBQ bacon cheeseburger on Wednesday?"
"It doesn't." He lied. In fact, that waitress was exactly the reason he wanted to go back. She was the reason he would happily eat there for every evening of the week if he could.
Turning around, Sheldon gave him a knowing look before sitting down on his spot.
"Right, okay fine. Maybe it is a little bit about the waitress." Bottle of water in hand, Leonard walked over to sit on his chair. "But don't you think it might be kinda fun to do something different this Friday."
"Fun?" Sheldon looked at him as if he had just said the most ridiculous thing in the world.
"Yeah okay no." Shaking his head, Leonard slumped back against his chair in defeat. It was a stupid thing to do anyway. Trying to convince Sheldon to do something different with the promise that it would be 'fun' wouldn't get him anywhere.
Picking up the remote from the coffee table, Sheldon looked to Leonard, "So, are you going to get the Chinese food or…?"
Over an hour later Leonard stomped up the last few steps on to his floor, a bag of Chinese food in one hand and his keys in the other, his head tilted downward looking for the key he needed to open his apartment door.
"CRAP!"
Looking up, Leonard turned to see where the angry slur had come from, his eyes instantly meeting a woman at the apartment door across from his. A brown paper grocery bag was at her feet, toppled over with the groceries inside spilling out across the floor. Though he and Sheldon had known that someone had replaced Louis/Louise - their old transvestite neighbour - this was the first time that either of them had actually seen her. All he could actually see of her though was her wavy blonde hair and dark brown leather jacket as she fumbled with the lock of her door, her purse falling off her shoulder as she juggled another brown bag of groceries in her arm.
"Are you okay?" Leonard shyly asked, taking a step towards her.
"Do I look okay?!" Penny snapped. Turning around briefly to face whomever it was that had spoken before focusing her attention back on the lock.
His heart skipped a beat. Almost certain from that quick look he got of her that she was the waitress that had served him only a couple of days ago. "Uh, well… no." For a second he hesitated. Wondering if he should leave her alone because she really didn't seem in the mood to talk to him – or anyone for that matter - or whether he should continue to help her and find out if she really was who he thought she was.
"Oh my God what the hell is wrong with this key?!" Stamping her foot on the ground, Penny forced the key out of the lock and with a frustrated sigh ran her hand through her hair.
Cautiously, Leonard took another few steps closer to her, stepping over a few of the scattered pieces of fruit that had escaped her grocery bag. As he got nearer to her he realised her problem, "Um… you, uh…" He cleared his throat and she looked over to him. It was definitely her. Sure she looked a little more aggravated than she had the last time he had seen her. Eyes a little tired looking and that smile that he had admired before was gone, but it was definitely her. "You're using the wrong key."
"What?" She scowled, "No I'm not, this is-" Holding up her keys her look softened, noticing the key she had been trying to open the door with was actually the one for her car. "Oh." Looking up at him she gave a small, slightly embarrassed smile. "Whoops…"
Certain that his heart had just melted in his chest, Leonard gave her a smile back. "Do you want a hand with all of this?" He asked, motioning to the fallen groceries.
"Uh, yeah, sure. If you don't mind. Thank you."
Nodding, Leonard instantly put down his plastic bag full of food and set about collecting the groceries from the floor and putting them back into the bag. As he did this, Penny opened her apartment door, which unsurprisingly opened with ease as soon as she switched to the correct key, before bending down to help pack up the mess in the hall. "So, how did all of this happen?"
"I dunno." Penny sighed, "I was carrying the two bags and trying to get my keys at the same time and then my phone started ringing so I tried to get into my purse to get that and that's when one of the bags fell," the words fell out of her mouth in a rush, "and instead of doing what any normal person would do and put the other one down before trying to get into the apartment, I just decided to be a smart ass and hold onto it and that's probably how I ended up trying to get into my home with my car key." She stopped and took a breath, "Then that's when you showed up."
Leonard looked up at her and smiled, holding her gaze for a moment before going back to what he was doing.
Before continuing to pick up the mess with him, Penny looked over at Leonard, frowning thoughtfully as a familiar feeling came over her. "Hey, I know you." She smiled, pointing at him with a packet of spaghetti pasta in her hand. "From The Cheesecake Factory. I served you and your friends a couple of days ago."
Leonard was a little take aback to say the least. Sure, he had remembered her – a woman as beautiful as her was hard to forget. He had even gone as far as to try and break his best friends rigid routine just on the off-chance he would get to see her again, but under no circumstances had he ever anticipated her remembering him. Especially considering he and his friends were probably only one of many tables that evening that she had waited on. "Um, yeah." After placing one last item into the large paper bag he stood and picked it up, only ever making eye contact with her for a split second before looking away again. "You uh, you remember me?"
"Well, yeah." Penny stood too, "You guys were my first ever table." She grinned, "Plus it's kinda hard to forget a group of guys over the age of twelve sitting at a table with a bunch of comic books." Her grin turned into a soft laugh as she headed into her apartment, picking up the grocery bag she had placed on her coffee table earlier, "And a guy in a turtleneck constantly asking me out with the cheesiest lines imaginable. That's pretty unforgettable too."
"Ah, yeah," He nodded, a little embarrassed, "that would be Howard." For a moment he stood hesitant at her doorway, unsure of whether to follow her into her apartment since she hadn't actually asked him too, but doing it anyway because he felt foolish just standing there with her groceries.
"So," Reaching the kitchen, Penny dropped her grocery bag down. "What's your name then?"
"Leonard." He quickly replied, his eyes on the floor as he navigated his way around her apartment, eventually making it safely to her kitchen and sitting his bag next to where she had put hers. "And you're Penny, right?"
"Yup!" She grinned again, holding eye contact with him for just a second before he broke it and looked awkwardly to his feet and around the apartment. "Yeah, uh, sorry about the mess. I really suck at unpacking and decorating, so there's kinda just stuff everywhere. I meant to clear it all up yesterday but I had to work so… yeah." She shrugged, "Anyway, thank you, Leonard. For helping me with all of this."
"Oh that's okay. And for the record the apartment isn't that bad it just needs… organizing. My roommate, Sheldon, would actually be a great help with that if you needed it." He chuckled.
"I'll keep that in mind." Penny grinned back at him, before her expression turned more serious and she bit on her lower lip, "And, uh… I'm sorry about earlier… for snapping at you and stuff."
"Oh, no, it's okay. I understand. We all have bad days."
Penny nodded, a small smile still on her lips. She liked this guy and she was pretty sure he liked her too, though probably in a different kind of way. She had a feeling that he had somewhat of a crush on her by the nervous way in which he spoke to her, how he refused to meet her eye for too long and the way he would look over at her when he thought she couldn't see him. It wasn't quite what she was used to though. Usually when men were attracted to her they would hit on her. It was what she had been used to back in Nebraska and a little since she had moved over here. The fact that she still wore her engagement ring obviously hadn't deterred those men from asking her out. Either they hadn't noticed it or they simply didn't care. Of course she had turned down every attempt that was sent her way, refusing to even consider the idea of dating again because in her eyes she wasn't available.
The fact that Leonard wasn't that forward with her was probably what endeared her to him more. That he was sweet, shy and reserved. She barely knew him yet she already felt strangely at ease with him. He wasn't asking anything from her, he was just there, helping her with her groceries.
"I should probably go." Leonard said reluctantly, just realising that he had left his and Sheldon's dinner out in the hallway in a plastic bag.
"Oh right, yeah." Walking around the kitchen counter, Penny headed towards the door and waited as Leonard walked out of the apartment. "I guess I'll see you around then."
"Yeah, I guess so." Giving a shy smile, Leonard picked up his takeout dinner from the floor.
"Okay well, thank you again." Walking forward a step or two, Penny pulled Leonard in for a quick hug.
Shocked, Leonard simply stood still as Penny held him for those brief seconds and when he did finally pull up the courage to lift a hand to hug her back, she pulled away, flashing a bright smile his way. He knew he was supposed to say goodbye now and leave for his own apartment, but that hug had sent his adrenaline pumping and the sweet vanilla scent that he had gotten a quick whiff of proved to be almost addictive. He wanted to have her around for longer. He wanted to know more about this girl that had moved across the hall from him. "I have Chinese food." He blurted out, holding the bag up. "Um, I mean, my roommate and I are having Chinese food tonight."
"O-kay." Penny replied slowly, frowning, but still a little amused.
"You could eat with us." He swiftly added, "If you like. We have plenty here for three. I'm sure Sheldon wouldn't mind." He said even though he knew that was a lie. Sheldon almost definitely would mind but he just didn't care. "If… if you want to."
Penny considered saying no, much of her wanting to just close the door so she could relax on her sofa for the night. But that Chinese food smelled good, and she was very aware that if she wanted to eat tonight she would either have to order something and wait for it or cook it herself. This was a much easier option. Plus she kind of wanted to spend a little more time with him, and meet this other neighbour of hers. And she had promised herself that she would socialise more.
"Okay, sure. I'll just put away this stuff that has to go in the fridgerator first."
Leonard nodded, his smile widening uncontrollably. Not for a second did he actually think she would agree to his offer. But she had, and now she was going to be spending part of her evening with him and Sheldon.
Suddenly his stomach dropped. She was going to be spending the evening with him and Sheldon. Sheldon. He was going to embarrass him - he knew it. He was going to bitch and moan, and rant and rave because of this unexpected house guest, and Penny was going to wish she had never agreed to eat with them. She probably won't ever eat with them again after this. He'd be lucky if she ever spoke to him again after inflicting the crazy world of Sheldon on her. He'd probably bring up his embarrassing middle name too, and there was always a chance that the bathroom schedule could come up as well, or that disgusting chart that hung on his fridge. That was the last thing that they needed while they ate.
As soon as her groceries were packed away however, and she turned to him with a smile, ready to leave, all his worries were forgotten. It would probably go much better than he anticipated. He hoped it did.
He should warn her though, he decided as they walked from her apartment and over to hers. "I, um… my roommate - Sheldon," He began as he stopped just outside his door, "he's a little…" Leonard searched for the appropriate word, "different."
"Different?"
"Yeah... He… he's a bit… out there." Leonard noticed the slightly worried look on Penny's face, "He's completely harmless of course," he added quickly, "but you probably haven't ever met someone like him before. So, I'm just warning you."
With that, Penny cautiously followed Leonard into his apartment, the toothy smile he gave her before opening the door helping somewhat in the way of calming her worry over the man she was about to meet.
The apartment she walked into was pretty much what she had expected. Walls and shelves were dedicated with action figures and posters. One wall had a bookshelf with more books than she had ever seen in one room that wasn't a library. There were so many gadgets too. A television, a Playstation, an Xbox, a Wii and at least two laptops. This was unmistakeably a home for nerds.
One thing that did surprise her though, was the two whiteboards standing near the centre of the apartment with a whole bunch of letters and numbers and signs that she could remember seeing in high school but never understood. She still didn't understand it now, but she could tell that whatever it was that was on that board made sense to them. They were nerds, she had assumed that they were smart, but this was a whole new kind of smart that she just hadn't anticipated.
"Nice place." She commented as she continued to take in her surroundings, suddenly feeling very aware of how bad her apartment must have looked in comparison to this one.
"Thanks. Have a seat, I'll just grab some plates and stuff."
"Have you read all of these books?" Penny asked as she walked to the sofa to sit down.
Leonard opened the door to one of the cupboards and pulled out a few plates. "Hm, most of them."
"Wow."
Looking over at her, Leonard smiled as he watched her continue to look over his apartment, a look of wonderment on her face, coupled with a hint of confusion as her eye caught certain objects in the room. His heart fluttered just a little. She really was adorable.
"Ah, you're back." Sheldon said as he appeared from the bathroom and walked down the hallway, just as Leonard was taking the pates and food over to the coffee table, "I was beginning to wonder what was taking you so long." Stepping down the step from the hallway, Sheldon spotted the blonde girl that he instantly recognised as the waitress from The Cheesecake Factory sitting in his spot. This was completely unacceptable. "Leonard," He said sternly, "may I speak with you for a moment."
From her place on the couch Penny watched with curiosity as Sheldon led Leonard over to the kitchen. She couldn't quite hear what they were saying, but she assumed it had something to do with her being there, and Sheldon didn't seem very happy. Chewing on her lower lip, Penny considered making up an excuse to leave just to save the friends arguing over her presence there, but just as she begun to think about it, they stopped talking and Sheldon walked over to her with Leonard in tow.
Arms behind his back, Sheldon stood between the couch and chair, looking at Penny. "You're in my spot."
Brow furrowed, Penny glanced briefly at the empty space beside her and vacant chair to her right, confused as to why he simply didn't just sit there. "Excuse me?"
"That spot you are sitting on. It's mine. If you wish to eat here with us then you must move. People don't sit on my spot. I sit on my spot."
"What difference does it make?"
"What difference does it-" Sheldon's hands dropped to his side and he looked at Leonard, his eyes wide in horror. Leonard simply put his hand to his forehead and shook his head, and Sheldon turned back to Penny, "The difference, Penny, is that in the winter that seat is close enough to the radiator to remain warm, and yet not so close as to cause perspiration. In the summer it's directly in the path of a cross breeze created by open windows there, and there." He pointed to said windows, before turning to the television, "It faces the television at an angle that is neither direct, thus discouraging conversation, nor so far wide to create a parallax distortion." With his point made, Sheldon looked expectantly at Penny.
"You don't have to move." Leonard assured her, ignoring the look Sheldon gave him.
"Um… no, it's okay. I can move down." She said as she shuffled down the couch, still not quite sure of why she even had to move in the first place.
With Sheldon happy in his spot, Leonard opened the takeout packets and picked up one of the three plates, handing one to Penny. "See, told you he was crazy." He muttered as Penny took the plate from him, smiling when his words elicited a small laugh from her. It was a sound he hoped to hear much more of. A sound he would happily hear for the rest of his life.
"I'm not crazy." Sheldon protested. "My mother had me tested."
Leonard and Penny shared a smile, before filling up their plates with food. Conversation flowed quite easily between them after that. For the majority of the time Leonard and Penny talked mainly to each other, with Sheldon adding his own two cents on what they were saying every so often.
Leonard learned that Penny was born and raised in Nebraska, and that she had come to Pasadena a few weeks ago with the hopes of becoming a movie star. He in turn told her about his job at Caltech, pointing it out to her from the window when she seemed confused as to what Caltech was. He explained that they were both physicists and Sheldon, of course, chose to add that they weren't just physicists, they were geniuses.
It was a fact that shocked Penny. She had expected them to be really smart. The utterly confusing numbers and symbols on their whiteboard and the abundance of books they owned making that quite obvious. But she hadn't expected them to be that smart, possibly because of their love of superheroes and comic books. When she pictured a genius, she thought of some older guy with grey hair and huge glasses wearing a horrible shirt tucked into a pair of high waisted slacks. She certainly didn't picture two guys wearing clothes that looked like they had come from the boys section of the department store and with more gaming gadgets and comic books than her nephew.
But they were interesting, and funny, and she felt incredibly comfortable around them for reasons she just didn't understand considering how different they were to her.
That comfort only stayed until Sheldon pointed out something she had hoped none of them would notice though. Something that in the time she had spent with them she had forgotten about. Her ring.
Reaching over the coffee table to pick up the fortune cookie Leonard had offered to her after she had commented on how much she loved them, Sheldon spotted the diamond sparkler on her finger. "Oh, I see you are engaged to be married Penny. Will we be meeting your fiance?"
Penny's face fell and her stomach churned.
Leonard almost choked on the sip of water he was taking. "You're engaged?" He asked when he could, unable to hide the disappointment in his tone.
Dropping the fortune cookie, Penny pulled her hand back to her lap, placing her other hand quickly over it. "Uh, um," she stuttered, unsure of where to look, unable to meet their eyes. Her heart rate increased, her palms sweating as she considered her answer. She couldn't tell them the truth. Not yet. She wasn't prepared to explain it or to hear their sympathy. She didn't want them to stop treating her as normal as they were. She didn't want them to take pity on her. She liked that they didn't know yet.
Sheldon looked to Leonard, confused by her reaction to what he thought was a simple yes or no question. But Leonard was just as confused as he was.
"I um, I have to go." Penny stood and walked towards the door.
Putting his plate down on the coffee table, Leonard stood up too. "Wait, no, Penny, you don't have to-"
"Sorry," Penny swung around just as she reached the door, her eyes brimming with tears, something that didn't escape Leonard's attention, "thanks for dinner and everything but I," her voice cracked and she shook her head, "I have to go."
And with that she left, leaving both Leonard and Sheldon looking at the door in confusion. Wondering why that question had resulted in such a reaction.
"Well that was unexpected."
"Yeah…" Leonard agreed, still frowning in the direction of his door, "It was."
