Thankfully David had made Amy feel a lot better once she'd re-claimed her seat beside him. All it took was a flash of his warm smile and him wrapping an arm around her shoulders for Amy to put that unsettling altercation with Sheldon Cooper out of her mind.
For the time being, at least.
She allowed herself to relax against David's protective hold and, on sheer impulse, she titled her head down so that her ear could press against his shoulder. Even with the backdrop of ear-piercing screams, dramatic music and a lot of bloody images, Amy still felt very relaxed and calm. She'd never felt so comfortable with a member of the opposite sex before, and with David, it was like she could forget about all her troubles and simply enjoy being with him. He not only had a likable personality, a certain charm and amicability that was hard not to be attracted to, but he had a very calming effect on her that she knew she would only benefit from, especially right now.
Her brows wrinkled tightly as the memory of the conversation she'd had with Sheldon unwillingly returned to her mind. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had such an intense debate with anyone, let alone a complete stranger. Just thinking about it caused a hot blaze of frustration to zip all throughout her veins, leaving her feeling antsy, and frustrated, and a little—
Suddenly, she shuddered, as she felt a warm pressure fleetingly graze the top of her head. As quickly as it happened, a second later, it was gone. Amy blinked and stretched her eyes widely. She lifted her head from David's shoulder to look him straight in the eyes. The reality of what had just happened suddenly sank right through her, like an anvil plummeting to the ground, causing her heart to slam against her chest.
He'd just kissed the top of her head.
She silently thanked a deity she didn't believe in that they were in the safe darkness of a movie theater, for if the sudden burning feeling in her cheeks was any indication at all, her entire face must've been quite the bright shade of crimson right now.
In spite of her embarrassment, and the fact that she'd been totally caught off guard, she felt her mouth crick upward in a small, yet genuine grin. David's dark eyes gleamed behind the lenses of his glasses as he grinned back at her. It was a soft, handsome smile that made Amy's heart melt.
Her lips parted of their own accord, and then, before she could even process it, David leaned in towards her, closing the small distance between them by gently pressing his lips against hers. Her eyes automatically fluttered closed, but she kept her lips perfectly still, relishing the warmth and softness of his lips and the lovely pitter-patter of her heart beating against her chest.
She recalled the last time she'd been kissed, back in college, how horrific that had been. This kiss was the complete opposite of that. It was gentle, reflecting David's warm personality. She found the simplicity of the kiss all the more alluring, especially that there were no tongues involved, just lips pressing together softly. As far as she was concerned, this kiss was just about perfect.
By the time he pulled away from her, Amy was left with a dizzying grin on her face that lasted all the way through the remainder of the movie. She had given up on trying to follow the rest of the movie at this point, but it didn't matter. All that mattered was that the carefree feeling of giddiness that she'd originally been feeling while she was getting ready for their date had finally returned, and she didn't plan on it letting go away anytime soon. She'd hold onto it for as long as she could, and there wasn't anyone who could take it away from her, not herself, and especially not that unbelievably rude and pompous Sheldon Cooper.
When the credits began to roll, and the lights along the theater walls finally came up, Amy snapped back to reality and subsequently felt her grin shatter into pieces. Against her will, her gaze zeroed in on the vacant seat where Sheldon had been sitting. She hadn't noticed that he never returned to the theater after she did, and again, she couldn't help wondering where he could've gone. She watched as his friends stood up and started to leave. His friend with the glasses looked a bit paler than he had before the movie started, she noticed.
She hadn't realized that she was just sitting there, gawking, until David got up and cleared his throat to get her attention. She snapped her head up to look at him, her eyes widening. David held up his hands, as though to surrender.
"Sorry," he said. "Didn't mean to startle you."
Amy shook herself and finally rose to her feet. "No, I'm sorry. I must've zoned out there for a second."
David joined her as she began to walk toward the aisle and head out of the theater. As they exited, she felt something warm brush against her palm, and she looked down to see that David was reaching for her hand. He was surprising her with these little acts of affection all over the place tonight.
While she was taken aback, she didn't flinch from his hand as his fingers slowly intertwined with hers. She smiled and gave his hand a small squeeze, finding that the gesture was just what she needed to take her mind off of that Sheldon Cooper once and for all. Aside from him, this had been an amazing date, and she was not going to let some stranger ruin the rest of her night.
They walked hand in hand in the lobby, moving with the flow of the crowd of people who were also exiting the theater. Even with all the people in the lobby chatting about, Amy was able to pick up on one distinct conversation, just as she and David were heading toward the door. And, although she knew she shouldn't have paid any mind to it, she couldn't stop herself from stealthily looking over her shoulder to observe.
"There you are, Sheldon," his friend with the glasses said. "What the hell happened to you? You said you were only going to be gone five minutes, and you wound up missing the rest of the movie."
"I'm well aware of that, Leonard. As I've mentioned to you on several occasions, there is no need to state the obvious," Sheldon began, pompous as ever. Amy noticed that he was still holding that bag of Twizzlers as well.
"Fine, whatever," Leonard said impatiently. "What I mean is, why are you still here? If anything, you could've taken the bus home instead of waiting around for over an hour. "
"How do you expect me to ride the bus without my bus pants?" Sheldon asked, then started to shake his head. "I swear, your lack of mere common sense never ceases to befuddle me."
"Well," his other friend, who was the shortest of all of them, spoke up, "if you didn't want to take the bus, why didn't you just come back inside to watch the rest of the movie?"
Sheldon hesitated a moment before shifting his gaze and answering, "I didn't particularly care for it, so I didn't find it necessary to watch the rest of it."
"Ha, you were freaked out. I knew it," his short friend said. "Which is sad because even this guy was able to sit through it without wetting himself." He pointed to the dark skinned man standing next to him.
"Hey, I'm no scaredy cat," the man said in a thick Indian accent.
"I didn't leave because I was freaked out," Sheldon interjected, while his friend, Leonard, just rolled his eyes.
"Sure, Sheldon. Let's just get going," he said.
"Fine by me," Sheldon said in a fully resolute tone. "This was undoubtedly the worst movie-going experience I've ever had."
As soon as he said that, he looked up and stared out at the sea of people leaving the theater. What was strange about it, though, was that, just as Amy and David were about to walk out the door, she could've sworn his blazing gaze fleetingly locked directly onto her. It happened so fast that she wasn't entirely sure, but that still didn't stop her from promptly snapping her head forward anyway. They walked outside, welcomed by the warm nighttime air, and as they walked down the sidewalk, heading towards the parking lot, Amy finally convinced herself that she was just being silly.
However, whether she really was simply over thinking things or not, that still didn't account for the very real shiver she felt race down the length of her spine.
"Did you enjoy yourself tonight?" David asked as they walked down the hallway that led to Amy's apartment. He'd stopped holding her hand, but he walked at a very close distance to her, which Amy somehow found comforting.
"I suppose so," she answered in a purposely non-committal tone. She knew that it wouldn't be the answer he wanted to hear, but she couldn't find it in her to be dishonest with him. They'd been so candid with each other all this time that it just didn't feel right to start lying now, or ever, really.
David let out a soft sigh, clearly showing his disappointment, just as Amy had suspected he would. "Was it something I did?" he asked, and for the first time since she met him, Amy could detect a hint of insecurity in his tone. "Was it because I…"
He trailed off just as they reached the door to Amy's apartment. He looked uneasy as he rubbed the back of his neck, and with all the silence, Amy realized what he was going to ask, and she couldn't help but smile gently at this newly vulnerable side to him.
"No," she said, hoping to ease his anxiety. "No, I…I very much enjoyed…that."
That, of course, was their first kiss. It was still fresh in her memory, and as David dropped his hand and smiled brightly again, just a touch of a mischievous smirk, his dimples becoming visible, Amy could see that he was relieved to learn that she liked it. His masculinity had healed again, and any last trace of insecurity was gone as he reached up and clasped his palm against her cheek.
She gasped for roughly the third time that evening, blinking rapidly as her heartbeat began to accelerate. Despite that, though, she held completely still, allowing herself to close her eyes as she felt a warm pair of lips meet her own for the second time tonight.
Now that they were standing instead of sitting, and there was no loud movie playing in the background, Amy was able to fully enjoy the feeling of his lips against hers even more so this second time around. He was clearly much more experienced in this area than she was. She felt his free hand claim her waist, while she wasn't exactly sure what to do with her own hands.
Tentatively, she brought them up, and, with her fingers shaking a little bit, dancing about and trying to figure out where to go, she finally went with her instincts and placed her hands on top of his shoulders. The kiss lasted a few seconds longer, before he drew back from her. The sound of their lips softly tearing apart seemed to echo down the hallway.
As Amy's eyes fluttered back open, she found herself feeling completely lightheaded, and she could feel her face getting warm yet again. This man certainly knew how to turn her into a puddle of feminine hormones.
"I'm glad," David said as he gently ran his hand down her cheek before letting go.
Amy felt so weak in the knees and still a little dizzy that all she could do was nod like some kind of speechless, lovesick fool.
"Well," David said, taking a step back, as though to give Amy more room to breathe, which she knew she needed at that point. "I guess it's about time I wish you a goodnight, Amy. I'll be looking forward to having lunch with you at work tomorrow."
He started to walk away then, and Amy just stood there, struck with an undeniable feeling of disappointment. There he was, leaving, and all she could think was where they'd be going from here. She had thought that they would be taking the next step in their relationship by becoming an official couple, but instead, all that happened was a bit of physical affection but no direct, "Will you be my girlfriend?"
And if he wasn't going to ask, Amy decided, right then and there, that she would.
"David," her voice called out, just as he was about to round the corner and disappear. He halted in his tracks and turned around to face her again, his eyebrows wrinkling slightly. Amy took a breath, realizing that her heart was still pounding profusely. When he stopped in front of her, the words just poured out. "I know I informed you on our first date that I was hesitant to jump into a physical relationship too quickly, even if we were, hypothetically, in a monogamous relationship. And, while I appreciate that you've respected my boundaries by taking things slowly with me, I feel that, as we've been dating for three weeks now, I've reached a point where I need to stop for a moment and outwardly ask you if we will continue this relationship by exclusively becoming boyfriend and girlfriend. If not, I suppose I'll politely bid you adieu and be on my way."
David blinked, shaking his head a little. "Uh, wow." He brought up his hand and dragged it across his mouth before removing it to speak again. "I have to say, while I do like how direct you are, it's still taking me a little getting used to."
Amy wasn't sure if that was a compliment or not, but she decided not to comment on it. She just needed an answer, a simple yes or no. Though she really hoped the answer would be yes.
"I'm glad you're happy with the pace we've been going," he said, "and, to be honest, I've already kind of considered us as…exclusive." Amy raised her eyebrows at that, and David smiled at her reaction. "But, you're right. We should make it official."
He reached out and took her hand then, or just four of her fingers, rather. He held them up to his face, as though getting ready to kiss her hand. Amy's heart was beating so fast that she was sure it was going to explode from her chest, which would undoubtedly kill the mood.
"Amy, would you like to be exclusive?"
While he was apparently a fan of her direct way of speaking, she was just as much a fan of how formal he could be when he spoke, while at the same time having a hint of teasing playfulness. It was just the kind of personality she needed to further bring her out of her shell.
"Yes, David, I'd like to be exclusive," she answered directly, letting a grin spread over her face.
"Well, Amy, you've just made me the happiest guy in the world," he said, and finally, he brought her hand up to his mouth and placed a gentle kiss on her knuckles.
After he wished her another goodnight, and this time, really left, Amy took a step backward and slumped against her door. "I have a boyfriend," she whispered to herself, needing to say it aloud, for it seemed too good to be true, and she couldn't believe how happy she felt.
Author's Note: Well, believe it Amy, haha. So, they're officially a couple now. I'm sure you saw that coming.
And now, just as David and Amy's relationship will continue to develop, so will Sheldon and Amy's. I've got some fun Shamy stuff planned for later on in the story, so stay tuned.