Leonard walked in from behind, then stopped in his tracks. "Oh, right," he said, and backed out of the suite, pulling the door behind him.
Sheldon looked at Amy. "Okay, well," he said softly, "I got the products. And shoes," he added. "And I've long had a feminine hygiene drawer in the bathroom and a shelf of bowel-regulating yogurt, if you need either."
"Uh, no thank you."
Sheldon nodded, setting the supplies on the coffee table as he sat in his Spot. Looking at Amy, his girlfriend and roommate, he suddenly felt shy and didn't know what to say. So he said the first thing that came to mind: "Koothrappali's birthday is coming up soon. What do you think he wants?"
Amy tried not to show her disappointment at discussing something besides their living arrangement. "I think the greatest gift we could give him would be to take away his new dog."
Sheldon considered her words. "Not going well, is it?"
Amy shook her head. "Little rascal tried to bite him. Sugar she may be called, but sweet she is not."
Sheldon tapped his fingers on the arm of the couch, looking at the store bag across from him.
"You okay, Sheldon?"
"Yes...I'm just..." Here he paused, then shook his head. "I don't know. How are you?"
She blinked, obviously surprised by the question. "Me? I'm-I'm good."
He nodded and gave her the shadow of a smile.
She studied him. "You want some tea?"
He nodded and she got up and went to the kitchen. As she prepared the tea Sheldon's Skype began to ring, and he stood and went to his computer. Opening Skype he saw the serious, grumpy-looking face of Beverly Hofstadter. "Ah, Beverly. What a pleasant surprise."
"Not for me," came the cynical answer.
"What's wrong?"
"I just heard from your mother what you think of therapists."
Sheldon stilled in his seat.
"I must say, I am deeply offended," Beverly continued, sounding deceptively calm, aside from a slight tremor in her voice.
"I only said that to defend my relationship with Amy!"
"Sheldon, let's not waste time trying to mitigate the truth. You think my profession is...Well, I don't even want to hear myself say it. It was too painful the first time."
Sheldon felt a sudden weight on his heart. "I'm sorry."
"Your apology is trifling. I thought we were intellectual equals, but clearly my entire life is parallel to yours. Though I might never again find an individual like yourself, I believe I am better off without you in my life. I am deleting you off my phone, and cutting up the picture of us at Disneyland. From this moment on we are not friends."
The Skype window dissipated, leaving Sheldon to stare at his wallpaper.
"I'm sorry, Sheldon," Amy said, bringing him his tea.
He sighed and closed his laptop. "No...It's my fault. When will I learn to keep my big mouth shut?"
Amy didn't know what else to do, so she bent and draped her arms around his neck. He lay a hand on her arm.
