10:50 in the morning and Sheldon knocks on my door. He couldn't wait ten minutes apparently.
Nutbag wants me to sign a contract for our 'new paradigm'.
No.
Just, no.
I'm not trying to buy a car, or a house. I'm not merging multimillion dollar companies.
That means I don't need a contract.
But then I realize that he has never had a romantic relationship before. He needs something familiar. Something to make him feel safe.
I'm still not signing a contract though.
Expectations though, that's different. Things that we both want out of the relationship, keep us both on the same page.
That I can do.
Then he completely alters my world. Mind Blown. Blown out the window of a twenty story building.
How could no one know that he had been with someone?
It's kinda sad. I liked the idea of being his first. But...there is something to be said for a man who knows what he's doing...
Knock knock knock
"Penny." Ten before eleven. He should get punched in the throat for this.
Knock knock knock
"Penny" Penny hovered by the door, waiting for the final round.
Knock knock knock
"Penny" Ah, there it is. Penny opened the door, a sincere smile on her face.
"Hi Sheldon." She said sweetly, "Wanna come in?"
Nodding, he entered and sat in his spot. "I am given to understand that we have altered our social paradigm to include a romantic aspect. Is this true?"
Penny quickly ran that through her Sheldon translator, "Yeah. I mean, I thought so." Slowly so Sheldon could see what she was doing, she sat down next to him and held his hand. "Is that what you want?"
"Oh, indeed." Penny grinned and gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "Which brings me to the purpose of my visit." He excitedly handed her a large stack of paper that she didn't even notice he had.
She read the first page out loud, "The Penny-Sheldon romantic relationship agreement." She flipped through the pages, not really reading it, but trying to wrap her head around the fact that in under twenty four hours Sheldon had put this together. "Sheldon, you can't be serious."
"I assure you that I am. I even put your name first which should indicate my desire to have a successful relationship with you."
Penny just stared at him for a second.
"No, yeah I get that. I really want this to work too. And I'm really impressed with all the work that you put into this." She glanced down at the contract again. "This looks like you put a lot of thought and effort into our relationship and it's not even one day old."
"Is that wrong?" Sheldon looked worried.
"No, it's not wrong!" Penny was quick to assure him, "Just not what I'm used to is all."
"I tend to excel at whatever I attempt." Sheldon said with a smug voice, "Please read this at your leisure and sign at the indicated areas."
"No." Penny's voice was soft but firm.
"Penny, a contract is very beneficial to both parties. We each know what expectations there are, how to handle disputes..."
"Ties do not end in you making the final decision Sheldon!"
Sheldon had the nerve to look affronted, "I would never suggest such a thing. However, if that sentiment happened to cross your mind I would not object to adding it in."
"No contracts Sheldon." The softness in her voice was starting to leave.
"You didn't even read it Penny." He dropped his gaze to the contract she still read in her hands. "You didn't even read it yet." Penny had been around Sheldon long enough to hear the vague disappointment in his voice.
With over exaggerated care Penny placed the contract on her coffee table and took his hands. "Sweetie, I know that you enjoy control. You don't like surprises. I get that, I really do. But Sheldon, you can't do that to a relationship otherwise it will never be able to grow."
"My I suggest a framework contract then?" He asked hopefully.
"What is that?" Sheldon took a deep breath as his posture assumed lecture mode. "Just give me the cliffs notes version sweetie."
Obviously deflated Sheldon answered her, "A framework contract is much like what the United States Constitution is supposed to be. Ratified in 1788 it was meant to grow alongside society. We could have such a contract if you desire." He offered hopefully.
Penny blinked quickly. "Ok, why do you smile every time I blink?"
Sheldon's smile grew, "You do that when you are thinking." He tilted his head slightly, "For some reason I find it quite endearing." Penny blushed and gave him a quick peck on the lips.
"That's sweet, but I'm still not signing a contract."
"Penny, why not?" He practically whined.
"Because we don't need one Sheldon." She said firmly.
"I disagree. Our neighbor agreement has benefited both of us on numerous occasions." Sheldon pointed out. The smile on his face said that he thought he had won.
"We haven't been just neighbors for a long time. Your argument is invalid." Was the very smug response.
Sheldon looked upset and pleased all at the same time. "Very good Penny. I believe, however, that we are at a conundrum. I like to know what is going to happen, what is expected. I dislike just 'winging it'" Then he added almost absentmindedly, "I understand that to be the popular colloquialism."
Penny leaned away from him and rested her head on the back of her couch. Why was he painting himself in a corner? Did he really not want this? Was he forcing her to take an out? Did he not want this as badly as she did? Without realizing she gave a slight sigh.
"I know that it isn't normal, wanting contracts for relationships. I'm aware that I follow the beat to my own drummer as Meemaw says. I truly want this to work, however I cannot see me entering into a relationship with anyone without a contract." Sheldon said quietly with a trace of hurt in his voice. "I assumed you would understand." Quietly he stood and left.
Five minutes. How long Penny sat on the couch before starting her own pity party.
Two. How many glasses of her favorite red wine she had. The buzz kinda threw her off until she realized she hadn't had any alcohol since the boys left the Arctic.
One. The lone contract sitting on her coffee table. As if moving in slow motion, Penny moved to pick it up, grabbed her granny's blanket from the back of the couch, and then settled in her favorite chair.
For awhile she just stared at it, almost scared to open the cover. Penny ran her fingers over the title, noticing for the first time that she didn't use the font he always did for his contracts and papers for work. It was pretty, curly and loopy and everything that Penny loved when she would type up love letters to her boyfriends in high school from the family computer.
"Coward." She said to herself before she turned the page.
And saw a table of contents. Who the hell does that?
One, one, one. One dictionary, one thesaurus, and one pot of coffee later and Penny was starting to get a headache.
For someone who had never been in a relationship before, Sheldon had thought of everything. How to take turns picking movies, when it was acceptable to display affection, where to go for an appropriate date. He even had bookmarked when he would be comfortable having coitus. He probably thought that he was just being thorough.
Penny thought that he was sucking the romance out of everything.
But then again, just because Penny had a lot of relationships didn't mean she was an expert in them. It didn't mean she had more experience, it just meant she knew what not to do.
She still wasn't signing a contract though.
With that in mind she headed over to 4A.
Knock, knock, knock
"Sheldon." Penny gave a silent giggle.
Knock, knock, knock
"Sheldon." He was gonna be upset.
Knock, knock, knock
"Sheldon." Worth it.
Slowly he opened the door, eyebrow raised.
"May I come in?" Penny asked in a cheerful voice. Sheldon nodded and opened the door wider before stepping back. "Is Leonard here?" she asked, still maintaining her happy voice. Sheldon assumed what Penny privately called his thinking face, and shook his head no. "Good." Penny responded in an entirely different voice.
Before quickly pulling his head down to meet hers. She waited until his body relaxed and his head turned to a more comfortable angle before deepening their kiss. When she felt Sheldon's mouth open under hers and his large hands found their way to her hips Penny couldn't help but shiver happily. She felt herself moving and couldn't help the moan that came out of throat when she felt him push her against the door.
It seemed to break Sheldon out of it and he quickly pulled himself away, muttering apologies.
"I'm not sorry." Penny said defiantly.
"I was under the assumption that you no longer wish to change our social paradigm." Sheldon told her with a shaky voice.
Penny gave a smirk. Ha! She wasn't the only one affected by what just happened. "I never said that."
"You have read the contract?" Sheldon asked. Penny nodded in answer. "So you are willing to sign it?" Even if you had never met Sheldon you would have been able to detect the hope in his voice.
"I never said that either." Sheldon's face immediately went blank, waiting for the worst. "I do agree that we need to know what each of us expect though. Guidelines. It could be a verbal contract." Penny offered.
Sheldon moved and sat down in his spot. Penny sat on the opposite side of the couch, trying to give him the space he needed to think everything through.
"Why aren't you sitting in your spot? That is not your spot." Sheldon snapped.
With an obvious roll of her eyes, Penny scooted over to the middle. "Better?"
"Indeed." Sheldon said, satisfied. "Penny?" He asked, his voice much more uncertain. "Could we still make a list?" At Penny's look he rushed to explain. "Since you do not have an eidetic memory, unlike myself, it would be impossible for you to always retain the guidelines to our relationship. A written list of our expectations would be better. That way no one could assign blame to the other for not following the rules."
Penny blinked slowly, trying to comprehend what flowed out of his mouth. "Ok."
Sheldon looked shocked. "Ok? That's it? You're not gonna flip out and demand it your way or the highway? Your not gonna scream until you get your way?" The Texas drawl made her smile.
"Sheldon, we need to compromise. We are two very different people. I have a feeling we are gonna compromise a lot. You are over coming a lot to try to be in a relationship with me. I gotta meet you half way too. Besides," she added as an afterthought. "it's your first relationship. You need to be comfortable."
Sheldon looked affronted, "Penny. This isn't my first relationship. It would be my third of a romantic variety."
Penny looked shocked. "No shit. Really?" It was like being told that Santa didn't exist but you still got the presents because your little sister still believed. "Why do I not know that?"
Sheldon smiled and tapped her nose lightly. "You will learn that I keep my private life just that, private."
"When?" Penny asked. "When were you with someone?" Twice apparently, since this was his 'third romantic relationship.
"Penny." Sheldon acted like he was surprised that she didn't figure it out, "I was a teenage boy, by myself, in Germany. Do you really need a further explanation?"
A/N: Twofer time! This chapter and the next. No reason, just cause I love you guys.