The Work-Life Balance Disruption
Chapter 32
Anticipations
"I came here to ask you out, actually," she said softly. "If you'll still have me."
She had to be blushing. Sheldon stared at her. Amy willed herself to hold his gaze.
"Is that so?" he said tonelessly.
Amy swallowed away the sudden lump in her throat. He was making her work for it. Fair enough. He had every right to be pissed at her right now, after the assumptions she had made about his intentions.
"Yes," she answered.
His jaw ticked and his eyes moved over her face rapidly, as if he was trying to read her.
"Why?" he asked. And Amy furrowed her brow in confusion. What did he mean 'why'? Wasn't it clear? But then Amy remembered the question Bernadette had asked her a couple of days ago; 'How do you feel about Sheldon?'
Maybe it wasn't all that clear to him either.
"Because, I…" she started, feeling uneasy with the way he was staring her down. The setting of this physics' party wasn't helping matters at all. They were surrounded by people. All their friends among them.
He raised his eyebrows, signalling her to continue. "Yes?"
Amy huffed out in frustration. She bit her lip and looked at him pleadingly.
"Could we not do this here?" she asked softly. He had to see how uncomfortable she felt right now. His eyes pierced her again. He sighed deeply.
"Fine," he mumbled.
Amy's heart was still beating way too hard in her chest, but she felt relieved that he was at least willing to talk to her; someplace private that is.
"Uhm…" Amy said, this was all so incredibly awkward. "Maybe we could go to your office or something?"
"I've locked my office for the Christmas break, Miss Fowler," he supplied, "moreover, the alarms are on this time of night."
He was still calling her 'Miss Fowler'. She bit her lip again. Would it be too forward to ask him to come to her house? Or his? It would, probably. She was wracking her brain for a possible location they could be having this conversation. It wasn't as if she knew any secret places here around campus.
Sheldon sighed again. "Come with me," he mumbled.
He walked ahead of her towards the hallway through which they had entered. Amy followed him quickly. He had such long legs, it was hard to keep up with him.
He had his phone in his hand, and seemed to be typing quickly. He stopped by the coatroom. He looked up at her. Amy didn't know what he was waiting for. Was she supposed to go in there? It didn't actually seem like a really private place to talk.
"Didn't you bring a coat?" he asked after what seemed like a minute of uncomfortable silence.
"Oh! Ehm, yes," Amy replied hastily making her way into the coatroom. Where they going somewhere? Maybe it wouldn't have been that presumptuous to suggest going to her place after all. She took a deep breath, trying to calm the nerves that had suddenly emerged when she realised she would be alone with him.
Amy pulled on her coat with trembling hands.
Sheldon looked up from his phone as she walked back out in the hallway. He turned around and held open the door for her. Amy bowed her head slightly as she walked ahead of him. It was quiet around campus. Amy had hardly spent any time outside at night – all the nights she had worked late, she had always left quickly, wanting to be home as soon as possible.
The campus looked nice now. It exuded a sort of calm, without all the students bustling around. She could hear the traffic faintly in the distance. The noise from the party going on inside was muted here.
Sheldon walked ahead of her again. She jogged up to him, walking beside him in silence. He was leading her some place, but none of the other buildings looked like they were open this time of night. The lanterns cast a glow around them. Sheldon turned at a corner, and they found themselves in a semi-secluded place.
A solitary bench faced a drained fountain. Bushes and trees surrounded it. It looked like a private garden of sorts.
Sheldon walked ahead of her again and sat down on the far right of the bench. Amy followed suit and sat next to him.
She fiddled her fingers. How was she supposed to start this conversation?
"Whenever I feel too overwhelmed with my workload, I go to this bench to get my head in order," Sheldon said, looking straight ahead.
"It's nice here," Amy mumbled.
"Yes," Sheldon agreed. "And I'd like to keep it that way."
He was subtly saying that she'd better not ruin his secret happy place. Amy was slowly learning to interpret his way of speaking; reading between the lines. In hindsight all his earlier behaviour made so much sense, now that she knew what to look for. She wasn't making that mistake again.
She scooted closer to him.
"Sheldon," she muttered, when she came to a halt next to him. Their legs were almost touching.
He turned his head to hers. Amy inhaled sharply when she saw the vulnerability in his eyes.
"What do you want from me, Amy?" he asked. "I've been honest with you about my intentions more than once, and you've left me in the dark for weeks. Frankly, I'm done waiting."
Amy licked her lips. She swallowed nervously.
"I-I thought we could start with a date maybe? Now that you're not my teacher anymore?" she asked quietly.
Sheldon looked at her for a long time. She looked away from his prying eyes, and sighed softly in defeat. Amy was about to get up and leave; he had obviously changed his mind, and wasn't interested in her anymore.
"What are you doing tomorrow?" he asked right before she got up from the bench.
"N-nothing?" Amy stammered, swivelling back to face him, and willing her heart to calm down at the same time.
Sheldon bent forward and pressed his lips to hers. Amy's stomach constricted with nerves immediately. He pulled back from her before she had a chance to kiss him back.
"I'll pick you up at 7," he said, looking at her imploringly.
Amy's heart nearly burst out of her chest. "That'd be nice," she said breathlessly.
"Good," Sheldon replied, his voice low.
Amy's heart palpitated and she trembled under his gaze.
"Yes," she said quietly.
She didn't know what to do now. She really wanted to kiss him again. The air around them was charged with a sudden energy. Sheldon kept staring at her, his pupils blown wide. The earlier vulnerability in this eyes was replaced with the heated look he had given her many times before. Her body responded accordingly.
Her breathing quickened, as did her heartrate. Her tongue darted out to moisten her dry lips.
Sheldon's pupils dilated. He reached out, and his hand cupped her face.
"What did I tell you about licking your lips, Amy?" he mumbled. His fingers were touching her so softly, it was even more stimulating. Titillating. She recalled his words the last time she had licked her lips in his presence. It wasn't that far from here, the library.
"It makes you want to do unspeakable things to me?" she replied, hoping her voice came of as seductive.
"Exactly," he rasped.
She closed the distance between them; their lips met with surprising tenderness. Tingles moved through Amy immediately. She exhaled a breathy moan, and he deepened the kiss. Amy slowly moved her lips over his, opening her mouth in the process. Their tongues brushed against each other, in a slow and tantalizing rhythm.
They had kissed more times than she could count, but never like this.
In the past their kisses always had a certain urgency to them. They were always filled with heat and pent-up frustration.
How different it was to kiss him now. Now that they knew what they both wanted from the other. There was no need to rush to a certain climax or a need to make a rhetorical point about who was provoking who this time. There was just this. Them. A savouring of finally, finally having this moment of certainty between them.
It was just the two of them and the desire to kiss now. And how. Smouldering and breath-taking at the same time. Amy's entire body felt high strung, but not the kind of sexual tension she was used to feeling with him. Instead, it was as if her entire life she had been waiting for a moment like this. Where she felt a strange combination of being desired, being cherished and being loved all at once.
They kissed a kiss full of promises for what was to come. It made her whole body tremble and caused a fire of even bigger proportions to burn within her.
Sheldon pulled away from her, breathing deeply.
Amy's hands had made their way to the lapels of his jacket without her even realizing it. She panted softly and loosened her tight grip on him.
Sheldon cleared his throat softly. "Can I take you home?" he asked.
Amy blinked up at him. She took a shuddering breath. She felt overwhelmed with emotion all of a sudden. She had known for some time that she was a little more than just 'into him', but the feelings that washed over her just now where something entirely different. Overwhelming.
She could only nod at him in response. Somehow, she wasn't able to utter a single vowel.
Sheldon pulled her up by her hand and didn't let go as they walked around campus. He pulled out his phone with his other hand, and pressed the call button. He held up one of his fingers to Amy, signalling her he would just be a second.
"Yes, Amir," he said. "We're on our way right now. Thank you for waiting again."
Amy blinked at him. She wondered who he had been speaking to, but her thoughts drifted back to her sudden epiphany on that park bench. She was head of heels in love with him. Her heart beat rapidly still, and she hoped her palms weren't as sweaty as she felt all over; Sheldon was still holding her hand.
They had reached a parking lot now, and a car seemed to be waiting on them with the headlights on. Sheldon walked over to the door behind the shotgun seat, and opened it for Amy. She climbed in, and had half expected Sheldon to follow her like he had done a couple times before. Instead, he closed the door, and a couple of seconds later appeared at the other side of the backseat.
"Good evening, Amir," Sheldon said to the driver, who Amy now recognized as the driver who drove them that night when Sheldon had picked her up at the Cheesecake factory.
"Doctor Cooper," he greeted him back, "and your lady as well. Good evening, Miss."
Amy blushed. His lady. She liked the sound of that.
"Good evening," she said demurely. Sheldon looked at her sideways. Was he wondering why she didn't correct him?
"North Los Robles Ave., I presume?" Amir asked.
"We'll make another stop first, Amir. You have her address already," Sheldon replied. "I'll have to ask you to wait some more when I see her home. I'm sure that won't be a problem?"
Amy let out a shuddering breath. She didn't know if she felt relieved or disappointed that he was only bringing home, without any funny business. She supposed it was better if he went home instead of staying with her. Especially after tonight, with the overwhelming feelings inside her and the silent promises between them.
She looked at him when she felt him grasp her hand.
"Tomorrow," he said, squeezing her hand in promise.
Amy smiled at him. "Tomorrow," she repeated.
They drove in silence, but the ride was fairly short from campus to Amy's modest studio. Sheldon let go of her hand when they reached her building. Amy unbuckled her seatbelt and bid Amir good night. He gave her a nod and a wink. What a different vibe there must have been between them this time than the last time he had driven them.
Amy walked up to her door while Sheldon exchanged some more words with Amir. Was he sending him away after all? Her heart raced with sudden nerves. Her apartment was a mess as well. She had left that morning planning to spend her last day of the semester in the lab, without ever considering the possibility that she would be bringing Sheldon home.
Sheldon walked up as Amir drove away. Amy's eyes widened.
"He's just parking around the corner," Sheldon said as he caught her shocked expression.
"O-Oh," Amy breathed out. She was so nervous all of a sudden.
Sheldon raised an eyebrow at her. Amy looked back at him. He looked incredible in his suit. Her mouth watered at the sight.
"The door, Amy," Sheldon said softly. Amy blushed and turned around, her hands shook as she tried to insert the key in the lock. Sheldon had the grace not to comment on her sudden clumsy behaviour.
She managed to get the door open, and walked ahead of him towards the elevator. She pressed the button and waited anxiously. What was she supposed to do? Invite him in for tea? Not invite him in for tea?
She was brought back to the first time he had seen her to her door. The nervousness she had felt back then were nothing compared to how she felt right now. The elevator dinged and they both entered. Amy pressed the button to her floor.
Sheldon grasped her hand from mid-air and turned her around. His eyes burned through her. He brought her hand up to his mouth and pressed his lips against her knuckles.
"I haven't even told you yet how beautiful you look tonight," he said quietly.
Amy felt that warmth beneath her chest again. "You think so?" she mumbled.
"Yes," he confirmed. "You're wearing Federation blue, Amy. We've never discussed Star Trek. Who set you up to this?"
"Bernadette thought you might appreciate this particular colour," Amy murmured. "I thought the tight-fit would be what you liked most."
She smiled at him devilishly. His lips curled into a smirk.
"The way it seems painted on your body certainly is a bonus," he said lowly, "But I already know what's underneath. And if you think for one second that I don't remember what every inch of your body looks like, I might need to teach you some more lessons about my eidetic memory."
The elevator came to a halt on her floor. That was probably a good thing, because she had come incredibly close to jumping him just now.
The tension between them had returned full-blast.
Amy walked to her front door, and she could feel Sheldon's eyes on her behind. She inserted the key in the door, and turned around to gage his reaction. Maybe he would invite himself in again, that wouldn't be the first time.
He was ahead of her, though.
"I'm not coming in, Amy," he said.
"I didn't ask you to," she rebutted, feeling slightly let down.
"You didn't need to, darlin'," he chuckled, "I can see it in your eyes. And if you were any random girl I would have followed you in a heartbeat. You have no idea how hard it is for me not to follow you right now…"
Amy swallowed thickly. She understood. Tonight was too loaded with everything that had still hung in the air between them. It also felt like he wanted to wait for her.
She felt that unfamiliar sensation again. Cherished.
"It's okay," she said breathlessly. "I'll see you tomorrow."
His eyes twinkled. "Yes," he said. "Tomorrow."
He bent down and Amy took a shuddering breath in anticipation. Their lips met briefly. It was enough to make her blush. Their foreheads touched. Amy had her eyes closed and tried to calm her racing heart.
Sheldon kissed her one last time.
"Sweet dreams, Amy," he whispered. "You'll need all the sleep you can get tonight. You won't be getting much tomorrow, if it's up to me."
To be continued
A/N Thank you thank you thank you for all your incredible reviews and your patience for this story.
I've been busy working on the companion piece for this story. It follows Work-Life Balance by the chapter, but then from Sheldon's point of view! It really explains a lot of his earlier behaviour, and also has new parts that aren't in this story.
Check it out, if you're not already reading it: The Professor Insights.
As always; let me know your thoughts and stay safe!