Chapter Twelve
The Roommate Consternation
Very early morning midweek, Leonard awoke to sounds out in the living room. Glancing at the clock and seeing it was nearly 3 a.m., he strained his ears. He heard feet running around and stifled laughter.
What in the world? Sheldon?
Leonard pulled on his robe and shuffled out to see what his roommate was up to now. Arriving in the living room, Leonard was greeted by a rather strange and alarming sight (which was saying a lot considering his years of living with Sheldon). Every dry erase board they owned sat in the living room, covered in words and diagrams. There were three different sections labeled Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C. Stacks of paper filled the coffee table and a blown up picture of Amy and Erik in mouse ears was taped to the door. Sheldon stood at the nearly full final board, writing frantically, laughing aloud maniacally from time to time. And was that a model of a catapult on the kitchen island?
It's happened, thought Leonard. Sheldon finally lost his mind completely.
"Oh, hello Leonard," said Sheldon, looking up from his writing. "Do you want to hear my plan? Or shall I say plans?"
Leonard stared at Sheldon, beginning to wonder if he still had that number for the local physiatrist he looked up years ago. The look on Sheldon's face revealed giddiness mixed with anger, a strange combination Leonard never saw on his friend. Leonard carefully sat down on the sofa, so he could fully see Sheldon's work.
"Um, plans for what?" he asked, trying to be casual.
"To destroy Erik Koster and get Amy back," Sheldon said.
"Okay, explain," said Leonard carefully.
"So here's Plan A," Sheldon began. "Erik Koster has a spotless criminal record. And he works for Disney. We purchase some illegal drugs, pay another Disney employee to hide them in his work locker, and call in an anonymous tip. Then he'll lose his job, get arrested, and Amy will come back to me."
Leonard sat, speechless. Was Sheldon really considering destroying a man's life?
"Sheldon," Leonard finally replied. "You cannot completely ruin someone's life because your girlfriend broke up with you. Not to mention you'll be committing a crime as well buying the drugs."
"Yes, but I won't get caught," Sheldon answered.
"You always get caught," Leonard said, raising his voice.
"Well, onto Plan B. Not as exciting, and I will need the assistance of Howard and Raj," said Sheldon. "They can be the moles, since they've established a relationship with Erik Koster already."
"I doubt they'll help you, Sheldon," Leonard said.
"Erik Koster owns a small terrier named Honeybee, very popular on #dogsofinstagram. We kidnap Honeybee and hold her hostage, until he gives me back Amy,"
"Do you even understand what you are saying?" asked Leonard, exasperated.
"Of course, Leonard. Amy is mine, and another man stole her from me. I need to get her back by any means necessary," Sheldon said matter-of-factly.
Leonard had enough. He jumped out of his seat and grabbed up an eraser. "Are you out of your mind?" He began erasing the boards as Sheldon jumped around him frantically.
"Stop that, Leonard," Sheldon yelled. "I have to destroy him! I have to get Amy back!"
"This isn't some game, Sheldon. You're talking about a man's life!" Leonard shouted back, moving on to erase Plan B. "And Amy's. Don't you care about Amy? Maybe you should be looking at why Amy asked for a break from you to begin with instead of focusing on Erik. She asked for a time out before she even met him. Now why was that, huh?"
Sheldon stared at his friend, turned his heels, and went to his room. He returned with a document resembling a script.
"This is the last conversation I had with Amy before she terminated the Relationship Agreement," he said quietly, handing the document to Leonard and taking a seat in his spot.
Leonard read through the transcript, on the verge of tears reading Amy's words. She'd truly poured her heart out to Sheldon, and he basically told her he wouldn't make any changes. The picture seemed quite clear to Leonard.
"Sheldon, Amy told you what she needed right here, and you told her you wouldn't make any concessions. It's all in writing, here in front of you. She really laid out her feelings, and you show her your latest research report."
Sheldon sat in silence, staring at the document.
"I went in with three plans," he said quietly. "Plan C was showing her the report."
"What were the other two plans?" asked Leonard hesitantly, eyeing the model catapult on the kitchen island.
"Plan A was proposing marriage," Sheldon said matter-of-factly.
Leonard's mouth dropped open as Sheldon continued.
"Plan B was to grab her and take her to the bedroom for coitus," said Sheldon, again his voice void of emotion. "Neither seemed like something I could do at that moment, so I went with Plan C, talking about my research."
Leonard did not know how to respond to Sheldon. Marriage? Coitus? Did he really want Amy back?
"I failed. I lost," Sheldon said, his voice still emotionless.
"You cannot destroy Erik because Amy left you for him, Sheldon," Leonard said slowly, trying to choose the right words. "You need to focus on Amy. Her feelings. What she needs. What she wants. Relationships are all about compromise, doing things for each other. Supporting each other. You rarely did anything for Amy without some benefit to you. It sounds like she reached a breaking point. And unfortunately for you, Erik came in at the right place at the right time. And it sounds like he makes her happy. Maybe you should move on too."
Sheldon stared expressionless at Leonard. "So you're saying it's all my fault?"
"Well, no," Leonard hesitated, feeling he was headed to a dangerous place with Sheldon. "She says in your transcript she let the relationship continue like that for too long. You both are to blame. She just took the first steps to moving on." He stopped again, but mustered the courage to say the next words. "Despite you saying you had a near perfect relationship, it seems that personality compatibility might not be everything. There is more to a relationship than having similar interests, work, and intelligence. From my experience, there are things like trust, compassion, attraction, and well, love that come first."
Sheldon sat for a moment in silence, staring at the catapult model.
"Um, Sheldon," Leonard finally asked. "What's up with the catapult?"
"Plan C for destroying Erik Koster."
"Oh."
Suddenly, Sheldon leaped up and began grabbing papers off the table and taking them to the recycling bin in the kitchen.
"Well, I see where you stand now. Right alongside Howard and Raj. Well, I don't need any of you," he said, walking over to the picture of Amy and Erik. "But I will focus on Amy. And I will get her back. Maybe my other friends will help me, since I no longer have any in Pasadena."
"What are you talking about? I've been very supportive of you. I'm just trying to help," answered Leonard.
"You want me to move on, but I can't. It eats me up inside that I failed as a boyfriend and lost Amy to some undereducated bum who happens to take amazing pictures and makes my girlfriend smile in a way I never could," he ripped the picture off the door and threw it in the recycling bin with the rest of the papers. "Thanks for nothing, Leonard."
"That's it, Sheldon!" Leonard all but screamed. "I bend over backwards for you all the time. I reached out to you since Amy asked for time away. I'm officially giving up. Go ahead. Build a catapult. Buy illegal drugs. I'm not bailing you out of prison. I'm done!"
Leonard walked down to his room and slammed the door. He would begin moving more of his things over to Penny's after work tomorrow; he was officially done being Sheldon's whipping boy.
After their first official date (and amazing make out session), Amy and Erik both became quite busy at work, allowing them little time to spend together. Sure, they still had their walks and even began eating dinner at each other's apartments a couple times a week. One day at work, one of Amy's grad students contaminated a specimen and in her frustration, she'd yelled at the young man, telling him to go home. She immediately felt bad, and texted Erik for advice. He had her over for dinner that evening (a rather tasteless dish of chicken parmesan, but at least he tried), and helped her talk out a solution, role playing the student. Amy went into work the next day with a solid plan and resolved the issue with the student quickly. Having a boyfriend listen so intently and actually help with a problem not related to him marveled Amy to no end.
Amy also saw some of Erik's anxiety emerge. One day after work, as they walked Honeybee in the park, he rambled on and on about his difficulties with the new editing program the company changed to, bemoaning several lost projects and getting a day behind deadline. She took his hand and listened, providing reassurance he would get it. He finally turned towards her and pulled her into an embrace, kissing her with passion and whispering in her ear, "I'm so lucky to have you."
Finally, the duo had a chance to spend an entire weekend together for Independence Day. Neither worked, and with the fourth on a Saturday, they called it their second official date (although Amy began to suspect with all the personal intimate moments they'd achieved in the past several days, they were in full-relationship mode).
She took him to a small festival on the beach she read about online. There was a tiny amusement park set up with midway games; at dark, a ten-minute fireworks display accompanied by a marching band. As they returned home, their cheeks flushed from the cool, salty night air, their arms wrapped around each other, Amy knew she didn't want to leave his side any time soon.
Erik wordlessly approached his door, unlocked it, grabbed her by the arm, and pulled her quickly inside. Once in the darkened apartment, they were greeted by Honeybee, who they both ignored as they met in a frantic embrace, immediately kissing deeply right in the doorway. Their hands ran all over each other, and she could feel his fingers unbutton her cardigan. She didn't stop him.
"Amy," he said breathlessly. It was so dark, she couldn't even see his eyes. "Do you mind if we, ah, go to the bedroom? It's more comfortable than the couch."
Amy could only nod. He took her by the hand and led her down the hall. Upon entering, he turned on one of the bedside lamps. His room was small, sparsely furnished. The neatly made queen bed beckoned as she sat down next to him. He continued his work on her cardigan as she kissed him, running her hands through his hair, boldly moving down to suck on his neck. He began to work on her blouse, finally pulling it off to reveal the lacey blue bra the girls helped her pick out. Amy became immediately self-conscious, but she remembered Penny's words about confidence. She looked at Erik, who had an almost drunken expression on his face.
"God, Amy, you are so beautiful," he said, his voice slow and deep.
He began to caress her breasts as he kissed down her neck into her cleavage, finally kissing the peaks of her nipples. The feeling sent her into a delirium, causing her to lie back on the bed. He crawled on top of her, straddling he right leg, his left knee coming dangerously close to her sensitive area between her legs, her skirt riding up. He continued to kiss her breasts over the bra, then backed away to study the piece.
"Do you mind if I take that off?" he asked, a delightful eagerness in his voice.
"It'll cost your shirt," she replied boldly, not believing those words came out of her mouth. She gave him her best playful smile.
Erik grinned and yanked the shirt over his head. He then lay back down, his chest against hers, his tongue entering her mouth in a long, slow kiss. Jesus, his body felt amazing pressed against hers. But suddenly he moved off of her again, and his hands went behind her back, trying to unclasp the bra. He struggled, so she sat up and unlatched it.
"Thanks," he laughed, pulling off the bra and throwing it to the side.
Erik dived down to her nipples and began to suck on one while caressing the other. Amy moaned, feeling the ecstasy begin to build within her. Holy Moses, she thought, I think I might have an orgasm. As a biologist, she knew the different pleasure centers could all be connected to the clitoral region, but to actually feel herself being stimulated to that point went beyond the textbooks.
She moaned his name, ran her hands along the muscles of his back, his shoulders, even down to his cute butt. Suddenly, she became aware of the growing hardness pressed against her leg. Goodness, he seemed quite large. She had the sudden desire to reach down and grasp him, although in their current position, it remained impossible. Instead, she found herself grinding against his knee, seeking to relieve the growing pressure in her clitoris. She felt she should be embarrassed by her physical reaction, but she enjoyed the feeling far too much. And Erik didn't mind at all. They both existed in a hot, primal, incredibly inelegant state.
Her moans grew louder as she started to reach her peak, and she arched her back, bringing her breasts up to Erik. He continued his feast for a moment before moving up to her lips again, lying on her, his breath ragged, his hardness thrusting against her leg.
Feeling their bare chests against each other, her wet vaginal area grinding against him, his erection grinding against her, and his head slip to the side as he moaned her name over and over brought Amy to a sudden orgasm, intense, all encompassing, beautiful. She grabbed his back, digging her nails in slightly, willing him not to stop moving as she rode out the amazing feeling. He seemed lost in the moment as well, because she heard him groan deeply into her neck. Suddenly, they both lay still, simply holding one another, trying to catch their breathes. Finally, Erik rolled off of her and lay next to her quietly, staring at the ceiling.
"Damn, Amy," he whispered.
Amy felt tears on her cheek and laughter starting to build. She felt so overwhelmed at the moment, she burst out in a fit of giggles. Erik turned to her with a giddy expression and began laughing as well. They both turned to face each other, and he lightly kissed her lips.
"That was awesome," he said. "Awkward, yes, but hella hot. Just, just, wow."
"Yes," was all Amy could get out, staring at Erik with what she knew was an incredibly goofy grin, her cheeks wet.
He glanced down slightly dismayed. "A little messy for me too. Um, I need to change."
Hoo, thought Amy.
Erik glanced back up at her, and suddenly pleaded, "Stay the night, Amy. Please. Tomorrow's Sunday. Just stay with me. No funny business. I just want to hold you."
"Yes," she said quietly. She couldn't imagine being any happier than that moment in time.
"Great," he said, leaping up and running over to his chest of drawers. He pulled out two pairs of pajama bottoms, two t-shirts, and a fresh pair of boxers. "They'll be a little big on you, but I think you'll be comfortable. I need, to ah, go change in the bathroom." He quickly ran off.
She took off her skirt and slipped into the red plaid pajama bottoms and pulled on the Seattle Mariners t-shirt. She looked down at the floor to see their shirts scattered, her bra discarded across the room. Amy placed her hands on her flushed cheeks, again inundated with emotions. Yes, it was awkward. But so amazing. She put her head back on the pillow, suddenly flooded with his scent. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, still in a state of bliss.
Erik returned quickly, dressed similar to Amy, and pulled back the covers, allowing them both to slide in. He turned off the light, and wrapped his arms around her as she sunk into him.
"Thank you, sweet Amy," he whispered in her ear.
"Thank you, Prince Erik," Amy whispered back.
She thought that if she did ever spend the night with Erik, she would be too nervous to sleep; however, their recent amorous activities made her feel completely at peace. She heard his breath start to become more regular as she drifted off.
Sometime in the very early morning, she awoke to see him pulling on jeans in the dark.
"Sorry, Amy," he said. "Forgot to let out Honeybee earlier. Be right back."
She smiled and began to drift off again. Not long after, she felt him crawl back into bed and move his body around to embrace her. She sighed softly, in that sweet place right before sleep. She felt him nuzzle into her hair and whisper, barely audibly, "I love you, Amy Fowler."
Or had he? She could be dreaming.
Amy awoke to sunlight streaming in through the blinds. She glanced over to see Erik lying on his back, still asleep, a light snore escaping his lips. Glancing at the clock, she saw it was about 7:30; she could rarely sleep later, even on the weekends. She slipped out of bed quietly to use the restroom and returned, beginning to look at the bookshelf in his bedroom. A whole shelf dedicated to the works of Charles Dickens, complete with a rather old, leather-bound copy of Great Expectations. Interesting. A shelf down was his collection of Iain M. Banks books; while science fiction wasn't her thing, she began to read the dust covers, finally choosing Look to Windward. Crawling back into bed, she propped up her pillow and began to read.
About an hour later, she was startled out of her reading by Erik's sleepy voice, "Well, this has to be the most beautiful thing to wake up to. A sexy woman wearing my favorite baseball team's shirt reading one of my favorite novels."
She smiled and sunk down next to him so their faces were side by side.
"Good morning," she said, kissing him softly on the lips.
"Good morning," he said, giving her a sleepy grin. "How long have you been awake?"
"A little over an hour."
"Sorry, I tend to sleep later on my days off. Think it's the erratic work schedule," he yawned.
"I'm enjoying this book a lot. Banks is an incredible writer. The world he creates is so vivid and strange," Amy said. "May I borrow this?"
"Hell yeah. I think it's funny you chose my favorite one," he grinned. "Why don't you choose a book for me?"
Amy smiled, her mind already starting to turn. "Hmmm. I need to look at my shelf."
"No," he said suddenly, a melodramatic look of sadness on his face. "You cannot leave now. We need to have a lounge day."
"A lounge day?"
"Yes, a day where we stay in our pajamas and watch movies and play video games or cards or something. We eat junk food and just exist," he said. "You in?"
"Sounds perfect," said Amy.
The duo didn't get up for another hour and a half. Erik explained some background on Banks' universe, and Amy thought of the book she wanted to give him for their exchange – Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott. He pulled his Kindle out of the bedside drawer and downloaded the novel immediately. She asked about his collection of Dickens, and he explained how his mother would read them A Christmas Carol every year, and they would always watch the Mickey Mouse version on Christmas Eve. He began to read Dickens' other books when he got old enough. Amy talked about her love for everything medieval, and he quoted Monty Python. The two lay together in bed laughing, talking, kissing, and cuddling until hunger finally made them emerge.
"So, we've talked books. How about we each pick one of our favorite movies," said Amy, munching on a bowl of cereal. "You first."
Erik's choice was Bullitt. Amy found the movie okay, but the famous car chase was quite good. After the film, Erik turned to her.
"So you have to say it," he said. "My parents raised Jessica and me on old movies, and whenever we'd watch something with Steve McQueen, my mom would turn to my dad and say, 'now that Steve McQueen is one fine male specimen,' to which my dad would reply 'not as fine as me, baby.' Then they would kiss, and Jess and I would say 'ew, stop it.' It was kind of a family tradition."
Amy's choice was Grease, which she had only seen more recently with Penny and Bernadette (her own mother wasn't in favor of Amy watching a lot of television and movies growing up). Erik had seen it but not for several years. Amy found herself laying on Erik, he slouched down, his feet up on his coffee table, both occasionally singing along.
When the credits rolled, Erik said, "Hmmm… I totally get it now."
"What?"
"You know Jess teaches high school theatre. Well, I once asked why she never did a production of Grease, and she said she hates the message. In the end, Sandy completely changes herself to be with Danny. Every aspect, and he changes nothing. I just didn't see it until now. Interesting." He disengaged himself from Amy and cleaned up the food mess they'd made. "Still, the music is awesome. I would love to see her direct a number like the dance competition. She's a really good choreographer. I can't wait for you to meet her and Benji."
As Erik cleaned up, Amy sat and thought about Erik's analysis. She couldn't help but think of Sheldon. Had she asked him to change too much, beyond his capability? Yet she needed more. She needed to grow; had she outgrown him?
"Hey, you wanna order a pizza?" Erik called from the kitchen.
"Okay," Amy answered, back in the moment.
Erik called for delivery and grabbed a deck of cards.
"How about a game of war while we wait?" he asked.
The two sat on the living room floor, crouched down, the cards flying. They played best of three, and Amy beat the tie at the third game.
"Hey, you won because you were cheating," Erik mockingly accused. "Keeping cards up your sleeve."
"I'm wearing short sleeves," Amy laughed.
"You're a dirty cheat," he said, leaning toward her. "You know what happens to cheaters."
He pounced on her, grabbing her around the waist and tickling her until she laughed so hard she cried. She rolled him over and pinned him beneath her, tickling his sides, relishing in his uncontrollable laughter.
"Damn, lady, you're strong," he laughed, gaining ground over her again.
They rolled on the floor for several moments, and before Amy knew what was happening, her hands were up his shirt, and they were kissing passionately, right there on the living room floor. Erik batted the curious Honeybee away before sliding his hand under Amy's shirt. Suddenly, a knock at the door sounded.
"Of course," said Erik, grinning and getting up. "The ill-timed pizza delivery guy. So cliché."
They ate their pizza at the kitchen table, talking about their plans for the work week. Erik planned on spending three days at the park to work on some publicity for the Diamond Anniversary. He would definitely be running at least ten miles this week to work off the Pooh Corner cookies. Amy planned on focusing more on educating her grad students on proper lab procedures as well as reading the almost final draft of a dissertation. She currently sat on three doctoral candidate committees and chaired two.
"Next month, I'm taking four of my students to a small neurobiology conference in San Francisco," Amy said. "For some of them, it's their first time at a research conference. It's exciting to be the one to introduce them to that world."
"San Francisco is one of my favorite cities," said Erik. "Perhaps I can tag along and photograph the city while you're working." He hesitated. "I mean, not to invite myself. I mean, well…"
"I'd like that," Amy said, excited about the prospect of going out of town with her new boyfriend. "My grad students already think you're some kind of rock star anyway."
About mid-afternoon, Amy felt she did need to return to the real world and prepare for the week. She had some articles to read and a curriculum scope and sequence for her fall course to develop to share with her department chair by Wednesday. She reluctantly changed into her clothes from the previous evening. Erik walked her to her door before taking Honeybee out.
"Thank you so much for the lounge day. And last night," said Erik, kissing her. "I really like you, Amy. I look forward to more adventures with you."
Amy watched him walk Honeybee down the hall, her heart knocking in her chest, her head light, suddenly remembering his dream words from the previous evening. Did he really say he loved her? Was she falling in love with him?
Later that evening, Amy was working when Penny texted.
How was your fourth?
Amy smiled. Amazing. The last two days have been the best ever.
Penny responded quickly. Two days? Ohhhh….
I have a question, Penny. How come I paid so much for items that come off so quickly?
She blushed at the thought of her and Erik the previous evening.
OMG, Amy. Can't wait for more details. Let's have dinner sometime this week.
Amy smiled as she returned to her work. Great friends, excellent job, a wonderful boyfriend. Life was good.
Author's Note: Next time…Erik gets to know the group, and Sheldon sees Amy with her new man and finally gets some helpful advice on how to move forward.
Thanks for reading. I really appreciate your engagement with and kind words about my story. Lots more to come. I'm having so much fun writing this and sharing with you all. Special appreciation to the husband once again for his editing and support.
Also, I know a lot of TBBT fans love science fiction. Read some Iain M. Banks. I'm completely obsessed with him right now.