On Monday morning, Amy walked into her lab to find a crisp white envelope waiting for her on her lab table. A mixture of curiosity, excitement and just the slightest hint of panic hit her all at once. She set down her purse and picked up the envelope, seeing her name written on the front and nothing else. Her eyebrows twitched down as she flipped it over and tore it open, pulling out a single sheet of paper that was folded neatly in three. She unfolded it carefully, and as she read the contents, the look of confusion on her face slowly melted into one of surprise, before ultimately springing with utter happiness. As soon as she finished reading, she knew she just had to tell someone.
She wasted no time in rushing out of her lab, down the hallway, heading out of the biology department and making her way towards the English department. The glowing smile now plastered over her face grew wider and wider with each step. When she reached his office, she stopped, feeling slightly out of breath. She raised her knuckles to the door, only for it to fly open before she could knock, and she jerked back in surprise.
"Amy," David said in alarm. "What's going on?"
Amy opened her mouth to speak, but found herself still breathless, thanks to having walked here so fast combined with the lingering euphoria she was still feeling. She exhaled loudly, her jaw hanging open, and finally, she simply held up the letter to him. David took it, holding it out as he silently read, his eyebrows darting up.
"Your paper is being published?" he asked, and all Amy could do was nod her head in response. The next thing she knew, David's arms were around her, pulling her into a tight embrace. She felt the air knock out of her lungs, and it took her a moment to adjust before she finally wrapped her arms around him, too. "That's wonderful, sweetheart."
She froze at the term of endearment, a strange feeling washing over her, one that she couldn't quite pinpoint. Things were still a bit tense between them after she'd blatantly pushed him away when he'd gone in for a more daring, playful kiss. She'd thought about it all weekend, and when he called her on Saturday like he said he would, she tried to apologize again, only to be shut down with an unexpected apology from him instead. He didn't want to pressure her, he'd said. He understood that she still wasn't ready, and he'd be patient, he'd said. While it should have been reassuring, only one thought had truly crossed Amy's mind.
Will I ever be ready?
She wanted to be. After all, it was normal and healthy to explore a physical relationship with your significant other. He was her boyfriend. She was his girlfriend. They'd been dating exclusively for nearly a month now. It all made logical sense. She was fairly sure that normal couples would at least have gotten to second base by now, right?
And yet, there was still something holding her back.
Before she could mull it over any longer, David pulled back from her, though only slightly, as he captured her lips in a brief peck. When he pulled away, Amy blinked, her lips parted, her chest sinking as she let out a slow, soft sigh.
"I'm really proud of you," David said, grinning warmly. "We'll have to celebrate. What are you doing tonight?"
"Tonight?" Amy echoed. Her head was spinning, bogged down with too much stimulation, too many thoughts. "I suppose I'm free, but what about you? Don't you have work to do? What about your students?"
"Well, their research papers are due on Wednesday," David said. "So, if they really need me for any last minute questions, they can e-mail me. Of course, if they've waited this long to hound me with questions about a paper they've known about since the start of the semester, not to mention after I've tirelessly gone over the guidelines for the proper citations and format and whatnot, it's really out of my hands at this point."
Amy nodded slightly, her head still abuzz.
"Besides," he said, his grin sharpening into a smirk, "I've been neglecting you lately, and that isn't fair to you. I don't want to be selfish. What kind of boyfriend doesn't put the needs of his lady first?"
She sensed that it was a rhetorical question, so she merely gave him a smile in response, though a rather halfhearted one. She wished she could shake off this strange feeling. After all, this was what she had wanted all along, to simply spend more time with David. It was a good thing. She should be happy right now. Flattered, even. This was a prestigious career accomplishment for her, and it was clear that David was more than willing to show his support by wanting to celebrate with her.
Despite all of this, there was still an itch in the back of her mind, a thirst for something more, something different. She couldn't deny the feeling any longer. It was subconsciously pushing her away from David and pulling her towards…someone else.
Her hands slipped off of David, and he let go of her as well, as though picking up on her discomfort. He handed the paper back to her, which she took graciously.
"Well, anyway…I have to teach a class in twenty minutes," he said. "I'll meet you later for lunch?"
She nodded without a word, bringing up one hand and touching her glasses, only to promptly retract it.
"Perfect," he said. "Congratulations again, baby."
Baby? These terms of endearment were becoming increasingly sappy, and instead of embracing them, she found herself disliking them more and more. She wanted to bring it up to David, but now didn't seem like the appropriate time.
"Thank you…David," she said simply, and the distance in her voice and blatant lack of a pet name clearly did not go unnoticed by him.
"Amy, look, I don't want you to feel like you have to keep your guard up with me," he said, a sort of desperateness in his voice, like he was attempting to expose the truth behind her distant behavior, since she was clearly failing to be direct with him. "I hope you realize that you can tell me anything, especially if something's bothering you, even if it's from something I did, whether intentionally or not. That's what couples are supposed to do."
"I know," she said, quickly and defensively, an unintentional touch of abrasiveness in her tone. Just because he was her first real boyfriend didn't mean she didn't know anything about being in a romantic relationship.
On second thought, perhaps it did.
Amy released a frustrated sigh. She knew he was right, and she wanted to be honest with him, to be able to tell him anything without fear of being judged, but it wasn't that simple.
How could she tell him about the multiple bizarre encounters she'd had with another man, one who was consistently worming his way into her thoughts at the most inappropriate of times, like whenever David kissed her, or while she was in bed, trying to fall asleep?
How could she tell him that she'd spent the entire weekend replaying their latest encounter over and over in her mind, in which she nearly fell down a flight of stairs because she'd been so nervous simply from being in the mere presence of said man?
How could she tell him that she finally caved into temptation last night, disregarding every logical thought that told her it was a bad idea, by finally accepting that friend request of his that had been driving her up the wall and making her question her current relationship?
How could she tell him that she was, without a doubt, both mentally and physically attracted to Sheldon Cooper?
"Sheldon, I'm ordering Thai food, you want the usual?"
It was nearly six o'clock in the evening, and Sheldon sat at his desk, buried deep in his laptop. In fact, he was so wrapped up in what he was looking at that Leonard's question completely flew over his head.
"Sheldon!"
The lanky physicist jumped in his seat, throwing a hand to his chest.
"What?" he snapped, turning to his roommate. "Can't you see that I'm busy?"
"Doing what?" Leonard asked.
There was a pause, before Sheldon not so convincingly answered, "Research."
This time, instead of badgering him with annoying questions, Leonard walked right up to him and snatched his laptop right off of his desk. Sheldon's mouth fell open as his eyes snapped open as wide as they could go.
"Direct violation of the Roommate Agreement!" he said, standing up and crossing over to Leonard, who now had his back to him as he quickly carried his laptop over to the kitchen. "Roommates may not touch one another's personal belongings without requesting permission!"
Sheldon rounded the kitchen island and reached for his laptop, but Leonard held up his hand, warding off Sheldon's swatting, all the while never taking his eyes off the screen. Finally, he looked up at Sheldon and shook his head.
"Penny's right. You do got it bad."
Sheldon froze, his whole body tensing up. He slowly lowered his hand and looked down. Again, his tone was not very convincing at all as he muttered, "I haven't the slightest idea what you're talking about."
"Oh, come on, Sheldon," Leonard said impatiently. "I know you've convinced yourself that you're some kind of super human who's incapable of having any real feelings, but there's no way in hell you can be that naïve."
Sheldon glanced back up at him. "I've never said I was a super human. I have used the term Homo Novus before, but—"
"That's not the point, Sheldon!" Leonard shouted, startling Sheldon so much that his entire body flinched. Leonard held up a hand. "Sorry. I didn't mean to yell. All I'm trying to say is that you shouldn't deny your feelings. It's not healthy."
Sheldon stared at Leonard for a long moment, before bringing up his arms and folding them over his chest. "And just what sort of feelings are you implying I have?"
"Oh, I don't know, maybe some affectionate feelings for a certain woman by the name of Amy Farrah Fowler whose profile you're apparently stalking on Facebook."
Leonard turned the laptop to Sheldon, relinquishing it at last. Yet, all Sheldon did was stand there, looking from the screen, which was indeed open on Amy's Facebook page, and finally back at Leonard, who had now crossed his arms over his chest as well.
"She accepted my friend request, Leonard."
Leonard furrowed his brow. "So?"
"So, given today's society, in which social media reigns supreme as the most preferred method of communication, replacing old-fashioned speaking on the phone or actual face-to-face conversation, the fact that she accepted my friend request suggests that she's interested in partaking in casual, friendly conversation with me, which may or may not lead to a more intimate bond forming between us somewhere down the line, and if that were to happen, well, who am I to stop it?"
A long silence followed. Leonard simply stared at Sheldon, his eyebrows still wrinkled together, while Sheldon stared back, taking in the look of what he could only assume was confusion on Leonard's face. He didn't understand what could be so confusing, though, as it was straightforward information that even someone like Penny could comprehend.
"You look lost, Leonard," Sheldon said when he couldn't take the silence any longer. "Should I explain it to you again?"
"No, no, it's not that," Leonard said. "It's just weird, is all."
At that, Sheldon was admittedly perplexed. "What's weird?"
"Well, it's just that now I finally understand how I must've come across to you years ago when Penny first moved in. I remember how I used to go on rants all the time about how Penny and I could hypothetically become a couple one day." Leonard paused, bringing a hand up to his chin. "I never realized how ridiculous it was. It's like, you make up all this weird stuff in your head, but it makes perfect sense to you because you're just so enamored with the person. It's a little pathetic, actually. But it's also kind of endearing, in a way, like you're holding onto a tiny shred of hope for something that's probably never going to happen."
Sheldon furrowed his eyebrows now, unable to prevent himself from doing so. Just what on earth was he trying to suggest? That he was enamored with Amy Farrah Fowler? He wasn't enamored with her. He wasn't enamored with anyone. He'd never been interested in anyone romantically before, and he never would be. He wasn't a hippie. He was a scientist.
Consequently, the recent feelings he'd been experiencing lately didn't mean anything. It didn't mean anything that, no matter what he did, he couldn't get Amy off his mind at all. So what if he couldn't, though? His mind was constantly active. The fact that she was showing up in his thoughts every now and again was merely arbitrary.
It also didn't mean anything that he'd felt a strange sensation in his chest when he discovered that Amy had accepted his friend request, like his heart had stuttered and ignited with a jolt of excitement. It didn't mean anything.
"Although," Leonard said, apparently still riding this train of thought and subsequently derailing Sheldon from his own, "I shouldn't actually say that it's never going to happen. I mean, just look at Penny and me now. She went through a lot of boyfriends before we finally ended up together. So, you know what, good for you, Sheldon. Don't give up hope."
He reached out and tapped Sheldon on the shoulder, offering him a grin. Sheldon clenched his teeth, a wave of heat hitting him in the face, launching him into a rant of his own.
"I do not have feelings for Amy. The mere notion of that is preposterous. I hardly even know the woman. And even if I did, for the sake of a ridiculously far-fetched argument, have feelings for her, it wouldn't make a difference, because she's already in a relationship with an English professor, of all things. Can you believe that, Leonard? A teacher in the field of liberal arts, the most worthless degree a person can have, next to what Wolowitz does for a living. I mean, what does Amy, a woman of science, see in a man like that? Seriously. That's not a rhetorical question. Go ahead, tell me, Leonard, because I can't figure it out, and it's driving me crazy."
Leonard stared at him. He blinked, his eyes round, while Sheldon released a heavy sigh, the heat spreading to his neck, making him feel itchy and uncomfortable. Finally, Leonard shook his head, any semblance of a grin completely gone.
"I really wish I could help you, buddy," he said. "All I can tell you is to be patient. Things will make sense soon enough. In the meantime, you can be friends with her and see where that goes."
Sheldon realized that Leonard was attempting to be helpful, but in fact, he was only doing the opposite. He'd never felt more confused and frustrated in his entire life. He didn't have time for this. Not even Kolinahr could help him, and he'd tried it, at various points throughout the day, but if anything, it made things worse. There was this overwhelming physical tension building up inside him, driving him absolutely crazy, and all he wanted to do was figure out a way to release it all at once so it could permanently be out of his system, and he could return to normal things, namely, uncovering the mysteries of the universe.
"All right," he said, and finally reached for his laptop. As his eyes traveled to the screen, he caught sight of Amy's latest update, and he drew in a breath and grasped either side of his laptop. All in one breath, he announced, "She's going to the science center tonight, Leonard."
"What?"
"It says, right here, 'Going to the science center with David to celebrate my paper publication,' and then she put one of those smiley face emoticons." He looked up at Leonard, who looked befuddled, as usual. "Do you realize what this means?"
"Oh, God, please don't tell me you're thinking about crashing their date."
He pondered Leonard's suggestion for a moment. "Well, actually, I was merely going to point out that it's further proof that Amy and I have more in common than she does with this David fellow, but now that I think about it, that may just be the most ingenious idea you've ever come up with, Leonard."
"What? Sheldon, no, listen to me, you can't just do something like that. If you want any shot with Amy, you'll take my original advice and just take things slowly and focus on establishing a friendship with her."
Again, Sheldon considered this for only a moment, only to shake his head. "To quote my father whenever my mother would deny him from having another beer that he'd wind up sneaking from the fridge anyway, 'Screw that.'"
He closed his laptop and scooped it up off the kitchen counter, walking over and returning it to his desk, before he grabbed his jacket from the back of his chair.
"Sheldon, I'm telling you, if you do this, you're going to scare her off," Leonard said. "You need to think this through. She's going to think you're desperate and weird. Trust me on that."
Sheldon paused after slinging on his jacket. He turned to Leonard. "So, in other words, you're saying that I need some sort of plan of action instead of simply intruding on their date unannounced?"
"No, I'm saying don't show up at all."
"I'm afraid I can't do that, Leonard." He headed straight for the door, taking his key out of the bowl. "Enjoy the several hours of solitude."
As he opened the door, he took one last look at Leonard, whose mouth was open, but he didn't say a word, not that it would've changed Sheldon's mind, anyway. By the time he closed the door and started heading down the stairs, his magnificent brain was already formulating a clever, fool-proof plan, and he didn't have a minute to lose.
Knock, knock, knock. "Howard and Bernadette."
Knock, knock, knock. "Howard and Bernadette."
Knock, knock, knock. "Howard and Bernadette."
The door opened a moment later, and there stood Howard, who didn't look at all pleased to see him.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked.
Sheldon cut right to the chase. "I need to borrow your wife."
There was a long pause as Howard stared up at Sheldon, who simply stared back, his hands cupped in front of him, waiting patiently for Howard's response. Howard scratched his head, looking down at the ground, then back up at him.
"Okay, I'm going to need some serious context," he said at last.
"I assumed you would, and I'll be happy to provide it to you, if you could so kindly let me in," Sheldon said.
A brief silence filled the air, when finally, Howard stepped aside, allowing Sheldon to enter. He was ready to get right down to the heart of the matter, knowing that when he was done, Bernadette would be more than willing to help him in execution of his all-around brilliant plan to get over his feelings for Amy once and for all.