Chapter 9: Temperatures Rising
First date jitters? Oh yeah.
I had spent the rest of the morning walking on air. Dr. Sheldon Cooper had not only protected me from Bert, he'd given me the first romantic kiss of my life! As hard as I tried, I could not stay focused on my work. A pair of deep blue eyes and a set of sensual lips kept invading my thoughts. Finally it was lunch time and I had headed out to the mall to find something appropriate to wear for tonight's dinner date. Yeah, you heard me right, I called it a date. And it was. Though at that point I had fully intended to keep helping Sheldon with his therapy, this had nothing to do with that. That night was all about the two of us exploring these wonderful new feelings that had developed between the two of us.
I had entered the mall with a little trepidation and looked around at all the fashions. Sheldon had challenged me to show more skin, but I was hardly ready to appear half naked like most of the mannequins in the store windows. Suddenly, my eye had caught the perfect outfit in a casual clothing boutique. I entered the store and asked the clerk there if I could try on an outfit like the one on the left side of the store window display. Thirty minutes later I left with my purchase. This outfit was far trendier than my usual clothing but still covered enough so that I felt like a lady. Like I said, perfect. I went back to the school and attempted to apply myself to my work, but for some reason my addiction studies held no interest for me. Could it have been because I was becoming addicted to one Sheldon Cooper? I decided to pursue that thought further with him tonight at dinner. Even when we disagreed, and we often did that, we always seemed to understand each other and were able to talk about anything together. That was almost as nice as the kissing. I said 'almost'.
Time seemed to slow to a crawl that day, but finally it was time to head home and get ready for my meeting with Sheldon. I took a quick shower, put on some light makeup, curled my hair, and put on my new outfit, along with the new perfume I had bought. I then looked at myself in the mirror when I was finished and I almost didn't recognize myself. Who was this pretty girl looking back at me from the mirror? It was me, of course, but the new me. The 'me' who was going to rock the world of one Sheldon Cooper.
It seemed I was almost floating as I headed back to my office, holding the key tightly in my hand. What a morning! Outside of some bruised knuckles it had been a most enjoyable day so far. I had defended the honor of a wonderful woman, gotten my job back, and had kissed Dr. Amy Farrah Fowler. That had been the first time I had kissed any woman, or had wanted to for that matter. And I had enjoyed it much more than I thought I would. As happy as I was to be back in my office, I found it extremely difficult to concentrate on my work. Amy's eyes, Amy's lips, and Amy's smile kept interfering. Eventually I gave up any pretense of work and caught the bus home. I had to do some shopping for an ensemble to impress Amy and I knew just who to ask to help me.
I had walked into the apartment I shared with Leonard and pulled out my phone. I called Leonard's girlfriend, Penny. It had been her day off from working at The Cheesecake Factory and I needed her help. She answered on the second ring.
"What's up, Buttercup?" she had asked me in her light, teasing, voice. Penny may not have had the intelligence of either me or Leonard, but she had street smarts and an uncanny taste for what looked good on me or anyone else for that matter. She had helped me pick out outfits for several occasions before this one. Her fashion sense was uncanny and I needed that right then.
"Penny, I need you for something."
"Not in this lifetime, Sheldon."
"Penny, be serious. I need you to help me pick out something to wear for a social engagement tonight."
"What kind of award are you getting this time, Shelly?"
"No, it's not that kind of social engagement, Penny. I am looking to dress to impress as they say."
Who are you trying to impress, anyway?
"A fellow scientist."
"Why would you need clothes to impress another geek? You guys all dress weird, Leonard included."
This is a female scientist.
"So, what does that…wait, Sheldon, do you have a date?"
"I suppose you could call it that, yes."
"I'll be right over. Don't you dare move."
"All right. I won't." Where did she think I would go? Sometimes Penny's brain fails to fire on all its cylinders.
Penny barged into the apartment; she always barged into our apartment, and asked me, "C'mon, tell me Sheldon. Who is this girl and where did you meet her?"
I sighed and decided I had to give her the requested details if I wanted her help. "Her name is Amy Farrah Fowler and I met her at work."
Penny kept probing, she was relentless, "Is she cute?"
I gave her as few details as possible without sounding too vague, "She's brilliant, funny, professional, and she is a neurobiologist."
At that answer, Penny rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, "I asked if she was cute, Sheldon."
I knew there was no getting out of this. Penny never gave up on these kinds of things. I sighed and replied, "I suppose so. I am more interested in her brain." That had been a lie, but Penny didn't have to know everything.
Penny's eyes then narrowed and she asked me in a determined voice, "What does she look like, Sheldon?"
I gave up the fight and replied, "She has long brown hair, green eyes, and stand somewhere around five and a half feet tall. She has a lovely voice that I find soothing and her eyes enchant me."
Penny's eyes went wide and her mouth flew open, "OMG! You're in love!"
I nodded and told her, "That is quite possible. Now, will you accompany me to the mall to find something to wear that will, as they say, 'turn her on'?"
Penny had suddenly grabbed me by the hand and pulled me towards the door, "Will I? Let's get going. I know just the thing and just the right store to find it at."
We arrived at the mall and Penny steered me straight to an Old Navy store where we were in and out in about thirty minutes. Penny was a girl who, when it came to shopping for clothes, knew exactly what she wanted and where to get it. This included shopping for others. Leonard was one of the few people I knew who didn't take fashion advice from her. I usually didn't care one way or another about what I wore unless it was for a professional event. This, however, was different. I cared very much about what I would wear. This outfit had to make Amy Farrah Fowler fall in love with me. It had to be perfect. When I got home, showered, shaved, dressed, and looked in the mirror at myself, I realized that perfect was what Penny had chosen. I could hardly wait to see Amy's reaction when she saw me in my new outfit.
I arrived at The Cheesecake Factory at our scheduled time, my heart in my throat. I had been truly scared and with good reason. I know this will sound ludicrous, but at that point in my life I was a thirty-year-old virgin on the brink of her very first love affair. I entered the restaurant and looked around. Sheldon hadn't arrived yet and I had been grateful. I needed a few minutes to compose myself. My new outfit had also made me nervous. I had been so used to dressing myself according to my mother's wishes that these new close made me feel a bit cheap. Now logically, I knew I was anything but, but try telling that to my head when I was dressed in a way that my mother would have disapproved of thoroughly. What would Sheldon think? Would he like it? And if he did, would it be for the right reasons? All of these thoughts were crashing around in my brain when I caught sight of him walking through the door. Good lord the man was hot!
I had gazed at myself in the mirror before I left the apartment. I looked different and I wasn't sure I liked that. I don't like change much at all, really. I never have and I still don't. So that night, I wasn't entirely comfortable with the man who stared back at me from the mirror. I didn't look like Sheldon Lee Cooper at all. I looked more like one of the many men who used to pass through Penny's life without leaving a mark. I didn't want to be like one of those men, but I still wanted to impress Amy. I looked again and decided even if I didn't care for the way I was dressed; Amy would most likely love it and that was what mattered most to me that night. Amy. Penny had very kindly offered to drive me to my date and I didn't turn her down. These were most definitely not bus pants I was wearing. After making her take an oath not to stick around or spy on me, I accepted her kind offer. I think Penny got a bigger thrill out of the entire event than even I did. She had dropped me off at the restaurant and I cautiously entered the establishment. I caught sight of Amy right away and quite literally, she took my breath away.
Sheldon Cooper had, indeed, been a sight to behold. Gone were the double t-shirts and boring khaki pants. In their place he had been wearing a fabulous pair of black skinny jeans with a blue jewel toned t-shirt, which brought out the deep blue of his eyes magnificently. Over this shirt he wore a stylish black bomber jacket. I swear, the man had looked good enough to eat. I greeted him with a quick hug and kiss and we were then led to our table. I couldn't stop looking at him; the change had been both dramatic and subtle at the same time. He certainly hadn't been wearing a suit or anything fancy; he was still dressed on the casual side. But, the black pants only accentuated his long, lean, legs and the t-shirt paired with the bomber jacket gave him an almost rakish air. I was useless. I could stop staring at this handsome hunk of a man sitting across the booth from me. How could one person change their look so slightly and have it make such a big difference? Before that night, I had thought of Sheldon as an average looking man with very above average eyes and intellect. As of the moment he walked through that restaurant door I had wanted nothing more than to jump his bones.
I had taken in Amy's ensemble with complete approval. She had pulled off a look that was all her own and yet completely different. Gone were the bulky cardigans and flowered shirts. In their place she had been wearing a deep jade-colored t-shirt, which brought out the lovely green of her eyes. This top was covered by an attractive, waist length, denim jacket. The knee length skirts and tights had been swapped out for a lovely pair of denim jeggings and black ankle boots. While her hair had always been worn long and straight, Amy now had it piled in gentle curls on the top of her head. Her new look was trendy, young, and playful, yet still classy and demure. I had taken one look at her and knew I had never seen a more beautiful creature in my life than Amy Farrah Fowler. We had exchanged the ordinary hug and kiss of a couple greeting each other. But this was no ordinary hug and kiss. It had been extremely special to me. I had never kissed a woman in a romantic manner before Amy and now all I could think of that evening was kissing her once more, again and again.
Once we had been seated, I decided to bring up a subject that was both neutral, yet conducive to conversation. So, I decided to return to the events of that morning. "Sheldon, I want to thank you again for you aid this morning."
He patiently explained to me, "Amy, the man was being overbearing the threatening to you. I only did what any gentleman would do under the circumstances."
I had decided to praise him for his actions, anyway, and I told him, "Well I considered it quite heroic. How is your hand, by the way?"
He had held it up and I saw that is was slightly bruised, but in one piece. He told me it was, "Sore, but nothing broken. I hope the same can be said for Bert's jaw."
My distaste for Bert's actions that morning had still been with me and I told Sheldon, "Yes. Well, he more than had it coming."
He looked like he had wanted to change the subject and he affirmed that by saying, "I suppose so. But enough about Bert. Let's talk about something different. Amy, do you have any hobbies besides reading?"
Oh, I have always enjoyed talking about my hobbies and I answered him with, "Of course. I love to knit and play the harp. Do you play any musical instruments?"
He had looked up from his menu and grinned at me, "Yes. I have played the keyboard, bongos, and the Theremin. Not all at once, of course."
I gave a little chuckle at that comment and replied, "I see. Can you sing?"
Sheldon merely shrugged and then replied, "I can hold a tune, but not much more than that. What made you take up the harp?"
I had not wanted to go into that in any great detail, so I have him the abridged version. "I don't know. My mother insisted I take music lessons when I was younger so I chose the harp. It was that or the violin and that instrument held little interest for me."
He then gave me the opening I had been waiting for by telling me, "I've never seen anyone play the harp except for pictures of angels in my mother's Bible."
I had smiled coyly, "Oh, are you comparing me to an angel?"
Sheldon had been very quick to refute that thought, "I wouldn't think so, unless you suddenly sprout wings and sail off to Heaven. I was just saying that the only beings I have seen play the harp were in a picture in a very old book."
I then made the decision to muster up all of my courage and I responded with, "Well, I could have you come over and watch me play sometime."
His grin had been a most welcome sight and he answered my invitation with, "That might prove interesting, Amy Farrah Fowler. I would enjoy that."
I had picked up my menu to hide my grinning face and added, "I could make us some dinner to go along with the music. What would you like me to make?"
The man almost jumped out his seat with excitement as he told me, "My favorite dinner of all is spaghetti with little hot dogs cut up in it."
That had sounded easy to do and I informed him of that with, "That sounds simple enough. Are you busy this Thursday?"
His had a disbelieving look on his face and he asked me, "Are you asking me over to your apartment?"
Silly man, I had reassured him with a simple, "Of course. How else are you going to see me play the harp? They aren't very portable you know." I had to give an internal chuckle at my own witticism.
A look of immense relief had filled his face as he gave an odd little laugh as he answered me, "Noted. Would you be agreeable to me bringing a game for us to play after dinner?"
Oh, that sounded like it could be fun and I responded with an excited and curious, "Absolutely. Parlor games are an American tradition. What sort of game is it?"
Now it had been his turn to grin in a teasing manner, "You will see when I get there."
I decided to muster up all of my courage once again made the following suggestion, "Sheldon, I do not want you to take the bus all the way to Glendale. Therefore, I making you an offer for me to pick you up and drive you to my place. Is that copacetic with you?"
At that point our waitress came over and we gave her our orders. After that, we immediately returned to our conversation. "Amy, that is a good idea. I thank you for your kind offer."
I had decided to continue with my request as I was now on a roll, "One thing I have to insist on, Sheldon."
He looked at me quizzically and asked, "What is that?"
I winked at him, "Wear that outfit, okay?"
He had winked back, "Only if you wear that."
We both gave a chuckle and I affirmed our wardrobes, "Agreed. We will be dressed as we are tonight."
Our food soon arrived and we continued our pleasant conversation as we ate. I learned quite a bit about Sheldon and he learned much about me as well. We had both lost our fathers when young and had been mostly raised by our mothers, who were both religious to a fault. This made an even further bond between us and our dinner ended far too soon for my tastes.
But end it did and soon we were leaving The Cheesecake Factory and headed for my car. I decided the only polite thing to do was to give him a ride home so he wouldn't have to bother his friend, Penny. She had done enough by giving him a lift to the restaurant. I thought getting him back home was my responsibility. "Sheldon, would you be offended if I offered you a ride home?"
He looked over at me questioningly, "Why would I take offense? I appreciate your kind offer."
Once in my car, we had looked at each other and Sheldon leaned over and kissed me sweetly on the lips. "That will have to do for now," he had told me. "I don't want to distract you from your driving."
I then started my car, backed it up, and made my way out of the parking lot and headed for Sheldon's building. All too soon we were there. I hated to see this evening end, but we both had work in the morning. I turned to Sheldon and said, "Thank you for a most interesting evening, Sheldon. I truly enjoyed myself."
He had said nothing in response but leaned over and gently pulled me to him. Soon, I was lost in the deliciousness of his kiss. Soft and gentle, yet urging and probing, it was everything a kiss should be, or at least I felt that way. I hadn't had a lot of experience with kissing, but I was very eager to learn as long as my teacher was Dr. Sheldon Cooper.
All too soon he broke the kiss and told me in a hoarse voice, "I suppose I should go up to my apartment now. It's getting late and we both have to go in to work in the morning."
My disappointment must have shown because he followed that up with, "Would you care to join me for lunch tomorrow? I'd like you to meet my friends."
I managed to get out the words, "I'd love to." Before he pulled me to him once again and we kissed for a while longer. Finally, we reluctantly separated and Sheldon opened the door of the car to get out. Before he did, he turned to me and said, "You are a most fascinating woman, Amy Farrah Fowler."
I just stared at him for a moment before replying, "And you are a most intriguing man, Sheldon Lee Cooper."
He broke out into a big grin, waved, and told me, "I will pick you up at your lab for lunch and noon. Is that all right with you?"
I then nodded, waved, and drove off. I didn't sleep much after I got home that night. My mind was far too busy with thoughts of a man with a pair of deep blue eyes and soft, sensuous lips.
After we were seated in our booth we began the social ritual called 'chit chat'. Amy had started this by thanking me for protecting her from Bert that morning. I replied that, I only did what any gentleman would do under the circumstances."
Amy touched both my heart and my pride by calling my action 'heroic' and inquiring as to the status of my punching hand. I assured her that there was nothing broken and that I hoped Bert's jaw was in the same intact condition as my right hand.
To my surprise, soft, gentle, Amy had responded to that with, "Yes. Well, he more than had it coming."
I then decided that we had rehashed the events of the morning quite enough and that a change of subject was in order. I continued the conversation by inquiring as to whether Amy had any other hobbies besides reading. I didn't think I could handle another work by Chaucer to be honest.
She had smiled and informed me that she loved to knit and that she played the harp. Ahh, that gave us a new trajectory for our conversation that could possibly get me to my goal of another date with her. She added, "Do you play any musical instruments?"
I then told her I had played the keyboard, bongos, and the Theremin in my lifetime, though not all at the same time. She seemed to find this amusing and asked me if I could sing.
I grinned and answered her with, "I can hold a tune, but not much more than that. What made you take up the harp?"
She explained to me that her mother had forced music lessons upon her as a child, so she had chosen the harp. I rather liked her stance on that. No cookie cutter flute or violin for that young lady. She was her own person and chose her own path. I truly admired that and I then found that my feelings for her had begun to increase.
I decided to play my cards to my advantage and told her I had never seen anyone play the harp before except for the pictures of angels in my mother's Bible.
I didn't quite understand her comeback to that when she asked me if I were comparing her to an angel and I refuted it. I truly wasn't, but the more I thought about it, the more I liked that idea.
To my great delight she then gave a flirtatious grin and informed me that I would have to come over to her apartment sometime and watch her play the harp and that she would make us some dinner on that occasion. I had to admit, that sounded like a very interesting evening and I told her as much.
She had excitedly leaned forward and asked me, "What would you like me to make?"
Well that one had been extremely easy to answer. I told her, "My favorite dinner of all is spaghetti with little hot dogs cut up in it." My mother had made this to perfection for me as a child, but I decided against dragging my mother any further into our discussion.
Amy agreed to that menu and invited me over to her home on the next Thursday, which met with complete approval by me. She even made a little joke about harps not being portable so I would have to come to her place to see her play. I gave a little laugh and asked if I could bring a game over that both of us could play.
She had replied in the affirmative. "Absolutely. Parlor games are an American tradition. What sort of game is it?"
I teased her with that by telling her she would find out when I got there, which seemed to pique her curiosity. She then offered to pick me up and drive me to her apartment in Glendale, which I found rather touching. Before I could answer her, however, our waitress came over and took our orders. We then resumed our talk. I agreed with Amy that her picking me up was a good idea and then I thanked her for the offer.
At that point we both decided to have some fun with this plan and we both promised the other that we would be dressed as we were that night on the coming Thursday.
After that had been agreed upon, our food arrived and we continued to talk. We discussed our paths and came to the realization that we had far more in common that being scientists working at Cal Tech. It seemed we had both grown up with our mothers as our main parent after our fathers had died. Both of our mothers were extremely religious as well. This new information led me to feel even closer to this lovely woman and when our dinner had ended, I found myself extremely reluctant to leave her. I had a strong suspicion that she felt the same way as well.
As we were leaving The Cheesecake Factory and heading for her car, Amy kindly offered me a ride home. I'm no fool; I had quickly accepted her offer before she could change her mind. When we were finally seated in her car I looked over at her beautiful face and kissed her lightly on the lips. No use going in for more right before the woman was going to be driving. I have always believed in safety first and this situation did not change that viewpoint.
All too quickly we arrived at my building and I knew I would have to tell Amy goodnight. I hated that thought, but the evening had come an end and that was that. Amy then turned to me and gave me the sweetest smile and she said, "Thank you for a most interesting evening, Sheldon. I truly enjoyed myself"
I couldn't leave her and I completely failed at a nonchalant good bye. I reached out and softly embraced her, she felt so good against my chest, even better than she had that morning. My mind was waging an internal war on whether to kiss her or not and I finally decided that I would. No, I had to. At that moment Amy Farrah Fowler was the most important thing in the world to me and I had to show her that. Kissing seemed the perfect vehicle for conveying my feelings to her.
I will never forget that kiss! My tongue gently opened her lips and began a tentative exploration of her mouth. Soon, it was no longer tentative and I could get enough of the taste and feel of her. She returned my kiss with equal ardor and soon we were both lost to the outside world, our new feelings for each other totally taking over our minds. Well, what was left of them, anyway. I seemed to have lost the power of logical thought the second our kiss began. I can only recall my mind screaming, 'more, more, more' to me. And I heartily complied.
Eventually I ceased kissing her, the reason being that I only too well realized that we both had to get up and go to work in the morning and it was getting late. It was almost ten o'clock and we both needed to get some rest. I informed Amy of this and a most disappointed and sad look came over her face, which touched me to no small degree. I decided I wanted to put a smile back on that face, so I invited her to go to lunch with me the following day. I wanted to show Amy off to all of my friends and I had decided that was the best way to accomplish that.
Yes, the smile did return to her face as she took me up on my offer. I couldn't resist, the words were barely out of her mouth when I reached out to hug her goodbye and found myself, once again, enthralled by Amy's kiss. I never wanted to stop kissing her. This was a new and very exciting experience for me and I wanted to savor it forever. But reality eventually prevailed and we separated and said our reluctant goodnights to each other. Before I left her car, I turned to her and out of nowhere told her, "You are a most fascinating woman, Amy Farrah Fowler."
Am replied in kind to me and I informed her that I would be picking her up at her lab at twelve o'clock, to which she seemed agreeable. I went up to the apartment, headed straight for my room, and tossed and turned the rest of the night. I couldn't get the thought of Amy Farrah Fowler and her dancing green eyes and soft, addictive, lips out of my mind. I couldn't wait for the next day to introduce the most wonderful woman in the world to my friends.
Well, well, well. Now our two lovebirds have kissed. Do you think Sheldon's friends will accept Amy? Do you think they are now truly in love? Looks that way, doesn't it?
