One last time for this story, thanks everyone for the reviews and the kind words, it means a lot to me :)
Here is the last chapter, with a happy Leonard who will FINALLY get the thank you he deserves :) I hope you'll enjoy it.
Chapter 9 : Thank You
LEONARD
We're on the way home, we're bringing Sheldon back to L.A and thankfully we had the chance to catch a plane quickly. I'll see Penny in a couple of hours, and if I admit I was anxious yesterday, or even this morning, I'm not anymore now. I'm impatient. That kiss she gave me before I leave... When I think of it, I still shiver. Sheldon doesn't realize the sacrifice I made just to bring him back... When she kissed me with her full mouth, I felt my knees weaken. Sure, we already kissed with passion by the past, when we were in bed together, but this time it was completely different. This time we were sober, for starters. And I felt like she really put all her heart into this kiss. I felt that she wanted me. It was a little bit like she was meaning : "Look (or taste...) what you'll have when you get back". It turned me on, I confess.
Suddenly, my mind goes back to the moment when I gave her the snowflake. How cute she was, wondering what it could be... I'm smiling, just remembering the confused look on her face. We didn't speak about it, but I think she was very surprised and loved my gift. Unfortunately, instead of saying something cool to her, like "Now you've got an unique souvenir from the North Pole", I rambled about the process to make the snowflake... I realized my mistake at the end of my sentence, but it was too late. Oddly, and luckily for me, she found that romantic. Oh, and then, I started speaking again, and she cut me off... by kissing me. I could easily get used to be cut off this way ! Unlike the kiss before I left (which was full of lust), this kiss was more tender. I felt love behind this kiss. Well, I'm not saying she's in love with me, but I clearly liked what I felt. It wasn't pure passion and need of physical contact like the night when I came back from the mission, it was another level. It was stronger.
And then I'm back thinking of the last kiss we had. Bbbrrr, seriously, I'm shivering ! Without realizing it, I must have shook my shoulders to get rid of this feeling, because Sheldon's turning to me and is saying : "Leonard ? Why did you do that ? Are you sick ?"
I'm answering that no, I'm not sick, but of course it's not enough : "Then why did you do that ? You shivered like you had some fiever !" Well, I guess it's a kind of fiever, yes... I'm not going to explain that to Sheldon, so I lie : "I felt some fresh air, but that's gone now, don't worry". He gives me a suspicious look, and I'm worried he's gonna keep asking me questions, but fortunately he lets it go. Good, I can think of Penny, of her kisses, again.
Soon (not soon enough for me, but we couldn't have gone faster), we're in our building. It's late but I don't care, I HAVE to see Penny. I let Sheldon in the living room : "I'm gonna see Penny, I might not come back before tomorrow, bye buddy !" and I storm out the apartment before he can say something that will force me to stay with him. I saw his mouth opening, but before any sound could go out, I've already shut the door. I'm confident (that's new !) when I knock on Penny's door. When she opens the door, she has a big smile (I'm getting used to it) : "Leonard ! I didn't expect you to come back so soon !" I smile : "It turns out scientific betrayal is a less serious crime than not believing in evolution as a fact to Sheldon's eyes."
Penny's eyes are shining, her smile is the biggest possible, and I know she didn't care about what I said. Fine by me, it's not why I'm here. There's a moment when we look at each other, smiling, not saying anything, and I break it : "So, where were we ?" I see a different expression in Penny's eyes, and I know what it means : she's going to kiss me. One second later, her lips are on mine : the kiss is soft and slow. When she pulls back, she says, still smiling : "I think we were there." I remember our last kiss, so bewitching, and play with her : "Weren't we a little bit further ?". She laughs – oh, I love hearing her and seeing her laugh because of something I've said ! – and replies : "You're right, but you'll have to come in to find out where we really were, then...". I loooooove it when she flirts with me like that... I follow her inside, and as soon as I close the door, she's all over me again. The kiss is deeper and longer this time. I try to slip my tongue inside her mouth, but she suddenly stops kissing me. Have I done something wrong ? Should have I waited for her to do that in first ?
She's still smiling (does she ever stop ? I'm the reason behind her smile, right ? It feels so good...), so I guess it's nothing big, but I'm confused. She grabs my jacket with her both hands and looks me in the eyes, starting : "Before we get to the next step, there's something I wanna say to you...". She pauses, stops smiling, and I'm a little bit anxious. What kind of confession does she have to make before sex ? "Okay..." I answer, a bit unsure. She resumes : "About your gift...". I see her gulping and looking at the ceiling. Did she break it ? I don't say anything, but I rub her lower back with my hands because I can feel she's being troubled. What happened ? She looks me in the eyes again : "I didn't get the chance to thank you properly yet. I love it, it's... It's..." Again, she looks at the ceiling and shrugs her shoulders : "I have no words..." She sighs before looking me in the eyes once more, her hands still firmly holding my jacket : "I really, really, REALLY love it. It's the best gift ever. I want you to know that : your snowflake is the best gift anyone has ever given to me. Thank you, Leonard." I certainly didn't expect that. Does she want to make me cry or what ? I don't know what to reply, I'm very affected by what she just said. She's back smiling and adds : "I'm gonna show you how much this means to me...". She opens her mouth, kisses me passionately, I feel her tongue making her way through my lips, and I forget everything else. I've wanted her for so long, it's finally happening. While her hands move to my neck and my hair, I kiss her back. I'm not gonna say anything now, I'm just going to show her how much I care about her, how much I need her in my life, how much I want her. Nothing else matters for now. We're together.
~~ THE END ~~
