Leonard and Penny walked, hand in hand, as they entered the restaurant. It was dimly lit, with candles on every table. Along one side there was a huge window that framed the beautiful beach outside, as the sun began to set on the ocean. The room was decorated in dark shades of orange and red that made the room feel cosy despite its large size.
"Oh my God, this place is beautiful." Penny whispered as they made their way up to the maître d's table.
"Hello, can I take your name please?" The young man asked.
"Hofstadter." Leonard said with a smile.
The man looked down his list and then looked up and smiled when he found the name. "Okay, Mr Hofstadter, my name is Eric." He said as he grabbed two menus from his stand. "Just follow me and I will show you to your table." Eric began to walk up the few stairs into the main dining area. "You asked for a seat with a view is that correct?" He said cheerily as he turned to face them.
"Yeah, if it's possible." Leonard replied.
"Of course!" Eric said with a grin. He guided them past a few tables, and showed them to a table right beside the huge window. "Gorgeous night tonight, you definitely picked the perfect night for the view! Here are your menus." He said as he placed them on the table while Leonard and Penny sat down. Leonard instantly liked Eric. He had a constant smile plastered on his face and was incredibly enthusiastic, camp even. He was impeccably made up, not a single piece of his thick brown hair that hung by his face, in a style not dissimilar to that of a certain teenage heartthrob, was out of place, as was his clothing. His shirt seemed to be crisply ironed and his tie was done perfectly. "Can I get you some drinks?" He said as he leaned all of his weight onto his left leg and pulled a pen and pad out of his pocket.
"Yeah, one bottle of white wine please." Leonard said.
Eric nodded as he wrote down Leonard's order. "And for you miss?" He said. Penny opened her mouth in confusion, and Eric giggled. "Just kidding!" He said with a wink, as he placed a hand to her shoulder. "I'll bring that right over to you." He said as he walked away, flicking his hair dramatically to the side as he turned.
"I think he likes you." Leonard said with a giggle, and then raised his eyebrow. "I'll have to keep an eye on him"
"I don't know if I'm really his type." Penny laughed and raised an eyebrow in the same way as Leonard had. "I think it's me that has to keep an eye on him." They both giggled and then began to settle down into their seats. "This view really is lovely." She said dreamily as she looked out the window.
Eric returned to the table with a bucket of ice that held the bottle of wine. "Okay darlings, here you are." He said as he placed the bucket in the middle of the table, then popped the cork and began to pour wine into their glasses. "Now, I will be your waiter tonight. I can't remember if I already told you, so I'll tell you again, my name is Eric." He finished pouring the wine and placed it back in the bucket. "I will leave you two for a few minutes to look through the menus, before I come back and take your orders." He smiled politely again and headed off.
Penny and Leonard smiled over at each other after he had left. "I think we should come here more often, that guy is awesome!" Penny giggled.
Leonard agreed and they began to look through their menus, chatting away about what was on offer and deciding between them what to get. A few minutes passed and they had decided, Eric came back to take their orders, in the same cheery fashion as he had before, and they sat happily in one anothers company while they waited on their food coming.
Their food came, delivered by the ever happy Eric. They chatted and laughed as they ate, holding one anothers gaze on occasion and holding hands. He told her once again how beautiful she was and she gave him a quick kiss. Leonard almost forgot amongst the good time they were having, about the reason he had brought her here in the first place. He contemplated doing it now, as they waited on their empty plates to be taken away and replaced with their desserts. His knee began to bounce and he started to twiddle his fingers as he tried to bring up the courage to pull the ring out of his jacket. He was interrupted however, by Eric, who bounced over to their table and began to take their plates away. "You know?" He said as he collected their plates, "I would never have put you two together." He smiled, to let them know he meant no offence and that he was just making an observation. "But you make an incredibly cute couple." He grinned as he held the plates in his hands, "I'll be right back with your desserts."
Penny and Leonard smiled at each other as he left, "We have to give him an extra nice tip tonight." Penny giggled.
Leonard nodded and began to twiddle with his finger's once again.
"What's up sweetie?" She said as she took a hold of his hands. "You have been pretty quiet tonight. Is everything ok?"
Leonard squeezed her hand and smiled as he gazed at her. Do it now! His body screamed, but his mouth wouldn't let those words come out. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he didn't even have to look at it to know it was either Raj or Howard, probably getting impatient about their lack of news from him. "I'm fine." He said with a smile.
"Promise?" She asked with concern. Leonard nodded and she smiled before turning her head to look out of the window. The sun had set and the moon and stars were now shining against the sea.
Leonard noticed the look of wonderment on her face; she really did love the beach. "You wanna go for a walk on the beach after dessert?" He asked.
Penny took her focus off of the view and turned to him with a smile, their hands still clasped tightly together. "Really? But you hate walking on the beach. You always moan about how the sand gets into your shoes and sticks between your toes." She said with a giggle.
"Yeah, I know." He smiled and rubbed her hand with his thumb, "but you love walking on the beach." He leaned across the table so he was almost half way between them, "and I love you." He whispered.
Penny beamed as she took her hand away from his and held his cheek. "You're so sweet. I love you too." She closed the gap between them and placed a gentle kiss on his lips. The sound of a man clearing his throat could be heard and they both turned to see Eric, standing with a grin on his face and two plates in hand. Penny and Leonard parted, allowing their food to be sat on the table and wasted no time in digging in to their food.
Leonard managed to relax again as he decided he wouldn't ask her here. He had never been a big fan of making big declarations of love in public, and the way his nerves were, there was probably no way he would be able to do it the way he wanted to with so many eyes staring at him. He struck gold when he realized what a clear, beautiful night it was and how perfect it would be to ask her, when they were alone, as they walked across the seafront.
Not long after they had finished their desserts, Eric came over once again to take away their plates and give them the bill. They chatted for a while and they both told him how they had enjoyed being served by him. Leonard paid the bill and slipped Eric a healthy tip as he shook his hand good-bye, something he had learned from the television, but the first time he had actually executed it properly.
They exited the restaurant and headed straight down to the beach. It was a fairly chilly night and Leonard could see the little goose bumps appearing on Pennys skin. He immediately offered up his jacket, putting it around her before she even had the chance to answer, and they continued to walk along the beach.
"What do you have in here?" Penny asked as she went to put her hand up to the chest pocket of his jacket. Leonard frowned for a second, not really knowing what she was talking about, until it hit him that the ring was in there. He panicked and took a hold of her hand gently, so she didn't put it in the pocket.
"My inhaler." He said quickly.
Penny hesitated for a moment before accepting what he had said.
"Let's sit down." Leonard said after a few more minutes of walking.
"Fed up of walking already?" Penny giggled.
Leonard giggled in return, "No of course not!" He said as he sat down on the sand. "Now come here." He reached out his hand and Penny took a hold of it as she sat down in between his legs, with her back against his chest. Leonard put his arms around her and rested his head against hers as they sat in silence looking up at the stars.
"This has been a really great night Leonard, thank you." Penny said, turning her head slightly so she could look at him.
Leonard grinned at her but inside he began to freak out a little. The night was almost over and he still hadn't done what he came here to do. Penny kissed him amidst his panic and he calmed immediately, the soft touch of her lips erasing all thought from his head.
When Penny broke away from him, she held his gaze for a few moments. "Penny, can you pass me my inhaler?" He said, trying to sound as calm as he could.
Penny looked at him with concern. "Are you ok?"
Leonard nodded, "Can you get me it please?"
Penny nodded and put her hand into his pocket. Leonard sat his chin on her shoulder and quietly said, "Other pocket." Penny immediately changed sides and Leonards heart began to beat furiously as he waited on her to find what he knew to be in there.
"What's this?" Penny said as she grabbed onto the small box. She pulled the box out and Leonard smiled as he watched her face crinkle up in confusion. Slowly, some sort of realization spread across her face and she turned to look at him. "Leonard?" She said quietly.
"Open it."
Penny returned her focus to the little white box and Leonard saw her hands begin to shake a little. He wondered what she was thinking, if she was excited or terrified about what would be in there. Cautiously she opened the box, gasping when she saw the beautiful diamond staring up at her. "Penny, will you marry me?"