Nearly 24 hours after Amy dropped Sheldon off at his apartment, he impatiently awaited her arrival. She warned him she would be late, but he hadn't expected a two-hour delay. At best, they would be able to play one round of Ka'a before bedtime.

Leonard, Howard, and Raj were all seated around the coffee table nibbling at their dinner. He would have preferred they wait for Amy, but the food was getting cold, so he couldn't really blame them.

He paced from his desk to the door, occasionally looking through the peephole. Finally he heard her footsteps climbing the stairs and raced over to his spot on the couch.

"Are you hiding from your girlfriend?" Leonard asked.

"No. I'm merely prepping our eating area."

Leonard smirked. "Really? Because all you're doing is sitting there."

Sheldon quickly began shifting the napkins on the coffee table. They were already perfectly perpendicular with the edge of the table, but he didn't want to admit he was nervous about this particular visit.

All weekend thoughts of Amy moving in invaded his mind. His heart was leaning toward that direction, but his mind still urged him to hold off until he examined every possible scenario. He almost slipped up when Amy mentioned spending more time together if Stuart helped run the store. The question was on the tip of his tongue, but somehow he managed to catch himself.

His need to weigh all the pros and cons wasn't the only thing to consider. Even if living with Amy was the logical choice, what if she rejected his offer? He planned to sneak in some casual questions tonight when they were alone to get a feel for her thoughts.

"Sheldon, aren't you going to answer the door?"

Sheldon stared blankly at Howard until he heard a knock. Ignoring his friends' snickers and whispers, he unlocked the chain and swung the door open.

"Hi, Sheldon." Amy tilted her head and frowned. "Is everything okay?"

"Why wouldn't it be?"

She bit her lip. "It took you longer than usual to answer the door, and you're sweating a little. Are you coming down with something?"

Now that she mentioned it, he did feel beads of sweat on his forehead. "I'm fine. If I were sick, I'd be in bed."

"Good." She peered around him. "May I come in?"

Sheldon stepped aside. While Amy slung her purse over his desk chair and greeted the guys, he discreetly wiped the sweat with his forearm. Arranging his face into what he hoped was a casual expression, he took his seat on the couch and picked up his container of mee krob. He waited until she settled in next to him before taking a bite.

"Sorry I was late," she apologized. "Today was my last day at the lab until the unforeseeable future, so I wanted to make the best of it."

"Why?" Raj asked around a mouthful of pad Thai.

Sheldon scrunched his nose. "Must you talk with food in your mouth?"

Raj swallowed and chased it down with a sip of water. "The one good thing about hanging out with Kripke is that he doesn't care."

"I expect that from him, but I thought you were more civilized." Sheldon felt Amy shift against him. Was she just as disgusted as he was, or was the conversation making her uncomfortable? He watched her dab her lips then address Raj.

"The fall semester starts next week. With classes in session, I won't have access to the lab."

"Amy has decided not to enroll this fall," Sheldon added.

"I'm so behind with my studies. If I can catch up before the second semester, I'll re-enroll."

"I know why you don't have time to study." Howard wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

The gesture wasn't lost on Sheldon. "If you're implying Amy doesn't have time to study because we're too busy having coitus…"

"I'm not implying. That's exactly what I'm saying."

Amy set her container on the table. "I'm going to use the restroom."

Sheldon watched her hips sway. When she was out of earshot, he turned to Howard. "Thanks for scaring my girlfriend," he muttered.

Before the engineer could respond, Sheldon strode to the bathroom door. Knocking three times while calling her name, he begged Amy to come back. There was no answer, so he knocked again.

"Amy, I'll ask him to leave if you promise to come out." The sound of the toilet flushing then running water filled his ears. Maybe she really did need to use the restroom.

A moment later, Amy poked her head out. "What's wrong?"

"I wanted to make sure you're okay after what Wolowitz said."

She pulled him toward his room, into the shadows, and spoke in a low voice. "I did need to use the restroom, but I admit Howard made me a little uncomfortable."

Sheldon narrowed his eyes. "I'll make sure he won't do it again." He turned on his heel and marched into the living room.

"What are you doing?" Amy called after him.

He stood in front of the couch, hands on his hips. "Gentleman, due to Howard's vulgar behavior, I'm calling off tonight's game."

Coming up behind him, Amy placed her hand on his forearm. "Sheldon, that's not necessary."

"Yeah, Sheldon, come on. It was all in good fun," Howard claimed.

"Making my girlfriend uncomfortable is your idea of fun?"

"Sheldon, it's okay."

"No, Amy, it's not. Howard made you uncomfortable, and I can not sit idly while he does so."

"Come on. Let's go to Penny's," Leonard suggested.

"But Penny doesn't like Ka'a," Raj reminded him.

"It will be my home soon, so if we want to play Ka'a, she can't say no."

"Good luck with that," Sheldon called after them before the door shut in his face.

"Sheldon, you didn't have to kick them out."

He slid the chain lock in place and glared at the door before turning his attention to his girlfriend. "Like I said, Howard was making you uncomfortable. I wasn't going to put up with that kind of behavior. Besides, he did us a favor."

"How?"

"We barely had any alone time yesterday, so tonight we'll make up for it." Sheldon angled his head down and pressed his lips to hers.

"This is much better than Ka'a," Amy agreed.

He circled his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss. A soft moan escaped her lips, and he felt her press her breasts against his chest. With no worries about anyone walking in on them, he pulled her in even closer. Even through the layers of clothing, he could feel her nipples hardening. He turned his pants zipper away from her as his own body began to react.

Amy pulled away slightly, her brow furrowed. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. Umm… perhaps we should talk first."

"Oh. O…okay."

He noticed several expressions flicker over her face. Was she disappointed or relieved? He couldn't tell and wasn't sure he wanted to know. Each response was negative in its own way.

Seated on the couch, they watched each other. He scooched ever so slightly closer to her. When she didn't pull away, he moved closer.

"Sheldon?"

"Hmm?"

She smoothed her skirt, keeping her eyes on her lap. "Don't take this the wrong way, but sometimes I'm still getting mixed signals from you."

"What do you mean?"

She peeked up at him from lowered lashes. "Like just now. I thought we were both enjoying the moment, then you pulled away and wanted to talk. Now I get the feeling you want to continue making out."

Sheldon swallowed hard. Before meeting Amy, he was never at a loss for words. How could he tell her the real reason he put some distance between them? Sure, their dalliances had become more experimental, but were either of them ready to take their physical relationship to the highest level? His body said yes, but his logical side was terrified.

She was watching him closely. How long had it been since she last spoke? Seconds? Minutes? He licked his lips. "I'm sorry if my actions are confusing you. To be honest, I'm having a bit of a dilemma."

"About us?"

He squirmed in his seat. He couldn't lie to her, but he didn't feel comfortable telling her the truth. Sneaking a peek at his pants zipper, he relaxed slightly. Amy would have to look very closely to notice the bulge. Corduroy was a godsend. She was still eying him intensely. If he didn't say something soon, she might get the wrong idea and leave.

"I realize I'm not the best boyfriend material, but I'm trying. If I ever appear to be acting oddly, it has nothing to do with my feelings for you." Taking her hands in his, he ran his thumbs over her knuckles.

"I guess deep down I know that. Thank you for reassuring me."

They sat that way for several minutes, neither one speaking, just enjoying the other's touch. Social interactions weren't his strong suit, but he was pretty sure now wasn't the right time to put his plan in action.

Amy turned to face him. He anticipated her warm lips on his, but instead her hands reached up to cradle his face. From up close, Sheldon had the perfect view of her eyes. He leaned in to get a closer look at the tiny gold flecks against the emerald background.

"What's wrong?"

Leaning back slightly to see her whole face, he licked his lips. "Nothing's wrong. Can't a man admire his girlfriend's irises?"

Amy frowned. "Really? They're just a plain old green."

He shook his head. "On the contrary, they're quite magnificent. I'm aware that eye color can be described as green, but that word doesn't do yours justice."

"If they're not green, how would you describe them?"

"Their deep, rich color and the way they sparkle resemble emeralds. Even more mesmerizing are the gold flecks, like tiny stars in the vast universe."

At his admission, her cheeks flushed a deep pink. "Wow. That's really beautiful. I guess I just never really noticed."

He stood and held out his hand.

"Where are we going?"

"To show you how magnificent you are."

Sheldon led Amy to the mirror hanging on his bedroom wall. Standing behind her, he coaxed her to not just look at her eyes but to study them. He watched as she stretched her neck until her face was nearly touching the glass. She squinted at her reflection and bit her lip.

"I don't know. I'm still seeing the same green eyes I've lived with all my life."

Sheldon rested his head on her shoulder. "I know you don't believe me, but I wouldn't say it if it wasn't true."

"Maybe I'm too hard on myself. I've never had anyone tell me any part of me is magnificent. I've always just been plain old Amy."

"You are anything but plain. You're intelligent, funny, kind, a shrewd business owner… Shall I go on?"

A smile crept onto his girlfriend's face. "No. You can save the rest for the next time I need to hear some wonderful things about myself."

Brushing her hair from her neck, he angled his head until his lips made contact with her skin. She shivered under his touch. "Is this making you uncomfortable?"

"No."

"Good."

His lips trailed down slowly to her collarbone. Feeling brave, he tugged her shirt down just enough to kiss the tender flesh. Amy's moans filled the room. Sheldon briefly wondered if the neighbors could hear then decided he didn't care. All these years of living in this apartment he'd had to listen to moans and bed springs adjacent, above, and below him.

Bed springs. Coitus. His baser urges were kicking in again, and he needed to calm them. There was still the matter of whether or not Amy should move in before he could even think about advancing their physical relationship. One step at a time.

He reluctantly peeled his lips away, kissed her cheek, and took a half step back. He wanted to ask her, but a quick look at his watch informed him it was almost 10 o'clock. "It's getting late."

Amy peered at her own watch. "I'm sorry I was so late tonight. Next week I promise I'll be on time."

"You had a valid reason." He unfolded the Flash shirt on his nightstand and held it out to her.

While Amy completed her nighttime ablutions, Sheldon put the food away and cleaned the coffee table. The simple act of organizing helped sort his thoughts. He only had five days until Leonard moved out and needed to decide his new living situation. The night wasn't over yet and Amy didn't appear sleepy, so perhaps he could still sneak his hypothetical questions in before they fell asleep.

As he was formulating the best approach, Amy emerged from the bathroom, the Flash shirt barely covering her upper thighs. His mouth went dry at the sight. It wasn't the first time he'd seen her in it, but for the third time that night, his baser urges were kicking in. He closed his eyes and silently recited pi to a thousand places, hoping to calm his hormones.

"Are you sleepwalking?"

Sheldon opened his eyes. Amy was watching him with the same expression she had when she arrived and thought he was sick. "No. I'm not very tired yet. In fact, I was hoping we could talk for a bit before we sleep."

"Sure." She padded over to the couch, but before she could sit, he shook his head and gestured to the bedroom. "I meant we should talk in bed."

"Oh. O...okay."

When she was snuggled under the covers, he slipped in beside her. Facing him, Amy propped her head on her hand. "What do you want to talk about?"

His original plan involved a lengthy speech, but there was no time for that now. He really should have had a plan B. She was watching him again with the same concerned look. It wasn't in his nature, but he would just have to improvise. "Amy?"

"Yes?"

"I…" Lost without his speech, he struggled to come up with the right words. As if sensing his discomfort, she caressed his cheek. That small gesture gave him the confidence he needed. "Hypothetically speaking, would you be opposed to… um… what are your thoughts about taking our relationship to the next level?"

Amy's hand dropped from his face. Her eyes went wide, and he noticed her chest rising and falling much more quickly than it had a moment ago. Her expression was unwavering. Unsure what to do and scared of making it worse, he waited for her to say something. Five Mississippi's later, she finally spoke.

"Tonight? Are you sure you're ready? I mean, I know about the condoms, but I thought you took them in preparation for the future."

Condoms? What did that have to do with...? Then it dawned on him. He should have chosen his words more carefully. Oh, dear Lord!