Just want to say, I know I have been sort of neglecting the Shamy in this story lately, but don't worry, not only is this chapter dedicated to them, but I have a few things up my sleeve planned for them in the future. I am very conscious about not rushing the two of them, because I don't think it would sit right with me to have them just suddenly become very close, i'm trying to ease it in a little bit I guess! I have also been taking the time to explore all the different friendships in the story, like the three girls, S/P, and I really wanted to get a good bit in about Leonard's time on the ship and the people he meets there. I guess this has sort of turned from what was intended to be solely about L/P and S/A, and turned into an all round story. Anyway, like I said I have big plans for both S/A and L/P, it just might take me a while to get there! This, like I said before, has turned out much longer than I had anticipated it would be, although I'm sure most of you don't mind :P
Stay
Penny, Amy and Bernadette sat in Penny's apartment for a good hour or so after their shopping trip. They spent most of that time on the sofa, quietly talking through the day's events and slowly getting their energy back that they had lost walking through dozens of stores and then up those four flights of stairs.
Bernadette was the first to leave, stating that she had better get home before she spent the rest of the day on that sofa, and Amy left not long after, deciding to head over to see Sheldon and show him her purchases of the day, not that he would be entirely interested.
That left Penny alone as five o'clock crept up and her stomach began to rumble. She got up and put all her bags into her room, without even bothering to put her purchases away; she was too hungry to do that right now. She stripped off her jeans and top and threw on her sweat pants and Leonard's recycle t-shirt, figuring that she wouldn't be leaving the house again today anyway, before heading out to the kitchen to make some dinner for herself. She checked the time and smiled upon seeing that it was twenty-five past five, and she would have plenty of time to make something to eat before Skyping Leonard at the time they had agreed yesterday of six o'clock. Every talk they had had recently was cut off abruptly because of his motion sickness, so they agreed that they would have a proper, hopefully uninterrupted chat tonight and she couldn't wait.
She rummaged through her fridge with a smile on her face as she pulled out stuff to make herself a salad for dinner, as she counted down the minutes until six o'clock came.
Amy entered 4a with enthusiasm, dragging all her bags with her as Sheldon looked on in shock from his desk chair.
"Were you out shopping for a whole new wardrobe of clothes?" He asked as he studied the various bags on his floor.
"No. I actually only got a few new outfits. The rest are just what some might call 'impulse buys'!" Amy said with a smile.
Sheldon shook his head as he registered a slight difference in Amy's usual demeanour, and he knew exactly what had caused it. "Amy have you been drinking? Your pupils are more dilated than usual and you are acting quite excitable."
"The girls and I may have had a few alcoholic beverages with our lunch, but I can assure you that it had no influence on what I purchased." Amy said defiantly.
Sheldon sighed, "I wish I could believe that, however the inordinate amount of bags you have scattered around my floor tells me otherwise."
"Would you like to see what I got?" Amy asked with excitement, deciding to ignore his comment.
"If I say no are you going to show me anyway?" Sheldon asked as he got up and headed to the kitchen for a bottle of water.
"Yes, but I would appreciate some interest on your part."
Sheldon rolled his eyes. "Alright then." He sat down on his spot, put down his water and looked up at Amy with his best attempt at real curiosity over what she had bought. "Gosh Amy." He waved his hand in front of him, motioning to the bags on the floor. "This sure looks like an interesting collection of bags you have here. I would just love it if you would show me what you purchased today at the mall." He looked up at Amy and smiled.
Koala face. Amy knew it well, but instead of becoming annoyed that he was obviously faking his interest in her purchases, she smiled back and appreciated his attempt. "I was hoping you would say that Sheldon!" She said as she began to show him one by one, each thing she had bought that day, giving a long winded explanation behind each purchase.
She laughed at his puzzled expression when she pulled out her novelty sunglasses and modelled them for him, before taking them off again and pulling out her 'Bert' teddy.
"I was unaware that you are a fan 'Sesame Street'." He said with a frown as he looked over her teddy.
"Oh, I am not." She replied, shaking her head. "Penny was. Apparently the 'Bert and Ernie' characters represent you and Leonard in some way, in Penny's head anyway."
Sheldon shook his head, "Lord knows what goes on in that woman's head sometimes. Did you know that today, she actually tried to say that a windscreen was the same as a window." Sheldon sighed as he put the teddy down. "And you people say I'm the one that's crazy."
"Don't you like it?" Amy asked nodding towards the 'Bert' teddy on the table, with its little red t-shirt on.
"Not particularly." He shrugged. "I'm not overly keen on teddy bears. I am more of an action figure kinda guy."
"Oh," Amy said with a little disappointment. She had thought it would of given his already inflated ego a boost, having a little teddy that resembled him. Apparently not. "Well, maybe you will like this better then." She said as she picked up the bag of stuff she had purchased at the little nerdy store the girls had visited, and pulled out a boxed figurine.
Sheldon gasped, "Is that The Flash?!"
"It is." Amy replied. "Looking all tough in his little box!" She said with a laugh. "I also got you this." She said as she pulled out a green t-shirt.
"The Hulk!" Sheldon said excitedly.
"Yes, The Hulk. I thought the chest and abdominal muscle definition printed on the front of the shirt might boost your testosterone level a little."
"These are for me?" He said with surprise as he looked pointed to the things on the table.
Amy looked at him with a slight frown, "Yes. I wouldn't purchase such things for myself." She said, looking at him as if that was obvious.
"Well normally I would have thought the same thing, however I couldn't dismiss the possibility that you were following in Penny's footsteps with her sudden likeness for men's attire." He said before looking down at his gifts and picking up his t-shirt. "This will look just great with my Hulk hands!" He said excitedly, and then he smiled at her, a real smile, before putting down The Flash. "Thank you Amy."
"You're welcome." She replied with a smile, and there was a few seconds of pure silence as they looked one another in the eye. She had a love-hate relationship with these looks, because although she loved the fact that he was staring at her with such intent and almost wonderment, those looks always made her heart pound and she would constantly have to fight the urge to kiss him. It happened on that Dungeons and Dragons night, and it kept on happening.
When he eventually shifted his gaze from her, Amy's heart sunk. She wanted nothing more than to go over to him and pull him in for a warm, romantic embrace. She wanted to put her hands around his body and touch his soft lips against hers, but she had become a master at putting her own wants and needs second to his, and instead she gave him a smile and he picked up his toy and began to talk to it through the plastic.
Amy turned with a sigh and began to put her days shopping into their bags again, as she tried to calm her pounding heart, when Sheldon got her attention. "What are you doing?" He asked.
Amy frowned at the question, since to her it was fairly obvious. "I'm putting everything back into their bags, so it will be easier to carry them home."
"You are going home?"
"Well, yes." She shrugged.
"Oh." Sheldon said dejectedly, looking down at the floor. He didn't want her to go. He genuinely hated being in this apartment alone and he wanted nothing more than for her to stay and keep him company. "But…" He began, before trailing off, unsure if he wanted to actually tell her that, but then, how else would she know? If he didn't say it, she would leave, and he would be left alone.
"But what?" Amy pushed.
"Well…" Sheldon took a breath. There was nothing he could do, he just had to say it. "I was hoping you would stay." He said quietly.
Amy's heart flew out of her chest. "Really?" She wasn't quite used to such brutal honestly when it came to him, especially not concerning things like this.
Sheldon nodded. "I could order pizza for dinner, or Thai food if you would prefer it. You must be famished after your day out buying all of this."
What he failed to mention was that the reason he wanted her to stay was because he had missed her, even although he was sure that it wasn't even possible since he had only just seen her yesterday. He hadn't been in her presence since she had dropped him at work the previous morning. They had chatted briefly on Monday evening, but since then they hadn't spoken, or even texted, due to her plans with the girls, and he had missed interacting, and just being with her.
Sheldon sighed at the fact she was still simply staring blankly at him. It was his own fault that she was hesitant to believe him; he had spent so much of his time insisting that he never felt anything deep for her, and could drop her like that if he wanted to. Insisting to himself that he didn't need her in his life. He didn't need anyone. But that was untrue. He knew it and he was certain Amy was beginning to figure that out too.
Good. Maybe he wanted her to know that. Maybe he wanted her to know that he had missed her today, even although it made no sense to him. Maybe he wanted her to know that his feelings, as deep as they already were, were beginning to go deeper, into a place he had never even known existed inside himself.
Should he tell her he was enchanted by her that Saturday evening? Should he tell her she was making his heart beat faster when she sat close to him, and made it leap when she smiled? Should he tell her that he was beginning to crave the close contact she provided him with? Should he tell her those moments when she held his hand, or sat incredibly close to him, he found himself fighting a battle in his head? His well-trained, obsessively germ phobic tendencies, fighting against his primal, and emotional needs. Should he tell her about that day when he rested her head on his lap without her even knowing it, and found himself contemplating love, for the first time in his life?
Yes. He should tell her every word of it because she had a right to know, and deep down he wanted her to. Deep down he was still afraid that those words Penny once spoke would come to fruition, and Amy would get fed up of waiting on him and leave. It was a thought that got scarier as each day passed and his feelings for her grew, and he knew all he had to do was tell her this, and she would understand how much she meant to him. He knew he should tell her that these feelings he had for her, were beginning to bring out a need in him, an urge that he had never previously experienced. He wanted her beside him, he wanted her touch, and he wanted her kiss.
Yes, he knew he should tell her all of this, but as he opened his mouth to speak, his courage faded. His unwillingness to put himself out there, to lose control and be entirely vulnerable, took over and he simply asked her to stay once more.
"Will you stay for dinner?" He asked timidly.
Amy let her frown disappear and smiled. "Okay, but I refuse to watch Star Trek this time!"