A/N: I changed the ending of chapter 3 for those of you who read it before I changed it^-^
Sheldon's POV
We continue our conversation as we slowly make our ascent up the stairs and much too quickly we're standing before her apartment door.
With key in hand she flashes me one of her smiles, "Well, thank you Sheldon. I had a lot of fun talking to you."
I open my mouth to thank her as well but stop. A strange feeling was beginning to over my insides. The tugging and the gnawing cause me to place a wary hand on my abdomen. Sophia must have seen worry cross my features for she suddenly reaches her small hand up to my face and gently places it on my forehead. I flinch away but her hand remains where she had placed it. After a few seconds she brings her hand down back to her side and gives me an apologetic smile sensing my disapproval of her actions.
"Sorry about that. It's just that you turned pale and looked sick so I just wanted to check whether you had a fever or not."
I nod but say nothing. I wasn't sick. I know what being sick feels like. What I felt was something that only took over me when I didn't get what I wanted but never surfaced in regards to a person much less a female. What I felt was disappointment. I was actually disappointed that we had to part ways for the night. Rarely did I find a person whose presence and company I tolerated or in this case, enjoyed. Then I feel something else that I rarely feel, surprise. Surprise that I enjoyed being in the presence of a woman that I had just met the day prior to tonight's meeting. And I was frightened because I didn't know what it all meant. What was it about this small woman that enthralled me so?
"Sheldon?" Her soft voice breaks through my thoughts and snaps my attention back to her, "Is something wrong? I could almost see smoke coming out of your ears from how hard you were thinking."
Instead of schooling her of how improbable that would be I give her a smile, something that I can tell surprises her. "I'm just tired. Well good night Sophia I must be going."
"Of course, good night Sheldon." With a final wave she enters her apartment leaving me to finish my ascent in deep thought about that night's events. In less than a couple of minutes I'm before my own apartment. Praying to my mother's God that Leonard was already asleep I unlock and open the door as stealthily as I can but since there is no such thing as God I find my roommate sitting in his chair, TV remote in hand.
"What took you so long Sheldon?" he asks in a seemily uninterested tone, not tearing his eyes away from the screen. I don't answer until I place my laundry basket on my computer chair.
"I don't see why it should concern you," I say curtly not really in the mood to have a conversation with a lesser mind.
Leonard sighs, (why does this man always sigh?), "Well since you have a specific routine I was just a bit worried about you, that's all."
I huff inwardly, worried my derrière! "Well I can assure you Leonard that there was absolutely no reason for you to have been worried about my well-being."
"I'm sure you were in good company buddy."
On any other given day I would have dropped a conversation as unintelligent as this one and headed to my bedroom but the smirk that Leonard accompanied his statement with awoke my curiosity.
"What Leonard?"
"Nothing," he shrugs nonchalantly but the smirk remains.
"Very well, I'm off to bed then," I grab my basket and begin to head off into the hallway but Leonard's voice speaks up.
"Wait Sheldon! No need to get mad."
This time I have a smirk of my own which I hide as I turn my attention back to him. Placing my basket on my computer once more, I wait patiently with crossed arms for him to say something worthwhile. He does (as expected).
"Penny told me that Sophia was with you," Leonard says with a small knowing smile.
As soon as Penny's name is mentioned I can practically feel the short hairs on the back of my neck begin to bristle. Now, dear readers please don't get the wrong idea. I don't dislike Penny; on the contrary I would choose her over many people in my life. For I consider her a decent friend but sometimes that woman just… I can't, I just can't…
"That woman really needs to put her time to good use by doing more productive activities that don't involve spreading gossip about my life," I say in a monotonous tone.
Leonard frowns, disapproval etched on his face, "Now Sheldon, leave Penny alone. And she wasn't 'spreading gossip'. You were with Sophia right?"
"Yes I was, but we did nothing more than make idle chatter while we waited for our loads to finish."
"Mmm," is his only response.
"Well if that's all… I'm off to bed, good night Leonard." I relieve my chair of its duty and pick up my basket ready for a good long sleep.
"Good night… Wait, Sheldon!"
With a deep and tired sigh I stop mid step and turn around again.
I place my basket against my thigh "Leonard?"
"Would you…?"
"Would I what Leonard? Would I like one million dollars, a time machine, a flying dolphin?"
"Would you ever consider being in a relationship?"
"I am in many relationships Leonard," I say not understanding why he was asking me this, "I'm friends with you, Raj, Howa-"
"That's not what I meant," he interrupts, "I meant, with a woman."
"I already do. I have relationships with four females. My mother, my sister, Mee-maw, and Penny."
Another frustrated sigh, "No Sheldon! I meant a ROMANTIC relationship."
"Oh."
"Yes, 'oh'. So would you?"
Now I sigh frustrated at his sudden questions, "Would I WHAT Leonard?"
"Be in a relationship Sheldon!"
"Oh of course not. Why would I waste my valuable time on something as trivial as a relationship? Like I've said in the past, I am a Homo Novus. A being far too superior to be interested in wooing a woman unlike my fellow man."
"So you would never consider dating, oh I don't know..." Leonard purses his lips in thought, "Sophia?"
My eyes dart from the floor to the ceiling and back again off their own accord.
"Of course not," I say a little too quickly, my voice cracking on the 'not'. I hope Leonard didn't notice but the twinkle in his eyes tells me otherwise.
"So you don't find yourself attracted to her in any way, shape, or form?"
I place my basket down again but this time on the computer desk, "Leonard why are you interrogating me? Did I do something to you? I'm tired and need my sleep you know that."
I hope these words will cease his sudden questioning but unfortunately he doesn't seem to get the hint.
He turns the television off and crosses his arms, "Yes, I know that you have a routine. I have to follow that routine as well because of the 'Roommate Agreement'. And I'm not angry with you or am I interrogating you, I'm just curious that's all."
"Hmph… Why the sudden curiosity in what I think of the opposite sex?" Or most importantly, Sophia?
"Wow Sheldon you are good at mind tricks you know that?"
"Whatever do you mean Leonard?" I ask as innocently as one would ask about the weather.
He smirks, "You're avoiding my question by asking a few of your own in order to steer the conversation in the direction you want."
Crossing my own arms I lift a brow in question, "Is that what you think I'm doing? Well, I can assure you I am doing no such thing. In fact, what was it that you asked me?"
"Are you attracted to Sophia in any way, shape, or form?"
I purse my lips in feigned thought, as if contemplating an answer to his question but I already know my answer, an answer that I was trying to push back into the dark depths of my brilliant mind.
"Of course not."
As if I was going to tell him the truth when I was trying to deny it to myself, "I will be honest though, she does have an aesthetically pleasing face, but I can assure you that I feel nothing for the woman. I barely met her. It would be preposterous if I was attracted to her in any 'way, shape, or form' believe you me."
A frown tugs at the sides of Leonard's mouth but he doesn't say anything for a while.
"Is that all Leonard?" I ask again hopeful that he'll drop the conversation that I so desperately wanted to end as soon as possible. His head moves to nod but pauses, a smile forming on his lips erasing his earlier frown.
"Raj is into her."
*Tug*
I move my crossed arms to my stomach where the tugging had started up again.
"So?"
"So, is it ok if he asks her out?"
Again, I answer too quickly, too forcibly, "Of course." And I think my eye twitched. Yes, it twitched. Hu'tegh… *
Leonard's smile grows but he shrugs as if he hadn't noticed, but he had, I know he noticed, "All right I'll tell him tomorrow then. Good night Sheldon." He turns his attention back to the television, which he had now turned back on.
"Night…" I quickly grab my basket and all but sprint to the safety of my bedroom. I place my basket on my bed as soon as I lock my bedroom door. A picture starts to form in my mind's eye. Sophia wrapped in the arms of my foreign friend. *TUG* *TUG* TUG*
What's happening to me?
*Smack* "Wake up Sheldon!" *SMACK* "Wake up!" My cheeks sting with each slap but I don't care, I have to wake up from this nightmare!
I'll read my comic books! Yes… my babies. My only comfort in this apartment… They'll have the answers, all the answers…
I don't bother taking off my clothes. I swan dive onto my bed, book in hand, ready to loose myself into its color-filled pages.
Narrator's POV
As soon as Leonard hears Sheldon lock his bedroom door the short man all but runs out of his apartment and to the room across the hall. Of course, he does all of this without making a single noise that would make Sheldon come out of his chambers. He's lived with Sheldon Lee Cooper for far too long to not have developed a few ninja-like abilities.
"Penny!" He yell-whispers as he knocks furiously on the white door hoping Penny was still up. A muffled "Coming!" pauses his knocking and Leonard stands patiently in the hall for a few seconds before Penny opens the door with a slight scowl on her face. She had been sleeping and was not that happy with the man in front of her for interrupting her peaceful dreaming.
"What?"
"Can I come in?" he asks with a puppy-eyed look.
With an eye roll she moves aside and closes the door as soon as Leonard steps inside. Too tired to stand Penny sits down on the couch and not wanting to look like an idiot Leonard does the same, trying very hard not to stare too long at her thin pajama top or her too short shorts…
"Leonard!"
Leonard's attention snaps back to his blonde neighbor's irritated face.
"Why'd you come over?" she demands roughly.
Leonard rubs his hands together, mumbling a "sorry" before getting into the reason why he'd come rushing over to his ex-girlfriend's apartment.
"I've got proof that Sheldon's human," he says with an eyebrow waggle.
Penny throws her head back in laughter, "Ha! I'll believe when I see it."
"No listen, you know how you told me that Sophia was doing laundry with Sheldon?"
"Yeah, so?"
"Soooo Sheldon barely got in about twenty minutes ago and when I asked him if he'd ever consider dating Sophia he showed all the signs of a nervous person. Avoiding eye contact, spoke too fast, and I think I saw his eye twitch a bit too now that I think about it…"
Penny's face lights up at Leonard's words.
"Leonard, I think I should let you in on my plan."
Leonard's brows come together in confusion, "What plan?"
"I'll tell you about it in detail tomorrow. Right now I need to sleep," Penny says with a stretch and a yawn.
"But…I want to know now," Leonard whines a bit lamely. Penny shakes her head no and starts to shoo Leonard off her couch and out the door.
"Penny! Why can't you just tell me now?"
Again Penny shakes her head, pushing the door close. Leonard grumbles at the closed door before quietly making his way back into his own apartment.
Inside Penny's apartment the young woman was furiously typing away on her laptop. She needed to write down her all of her ideas before she forgot them. Sleep could wait! She was on a mission to get her favorite whack-a-doodle a girlfriend whether he wanted one or not, and he did want one she could feel it. Yes, he wasn't the most caring or the most loving person but she knew that the tin man across the hall had a heart and she and (possibly Leonard) were going to find it with the help of Sophia of course.
*Hu'tegh-
Fuck! Damn! (excl! not v., a general invective) - "He's one Hu'tegh fine gunner!" SAREK
Found on klhemorex-klinzhai (dot) de
Ok, hopefully that lived up to your expectations :D.I'm finally out of high school (GO CLASS OF 2012! O ) so expect updates a bit more than usual :D.
Thank you to Jislane for leaving another wonderful review! And a thank you to Minx1993 for also taking the time to comment:D. For those of you who have favorited or put my story in your alerts thank you as well! Please keep your reviews coming, don't be shy! 3 you all!
