Minutes passed as they stayed joined in a tight hug, oblivious to the world around them. It had been months without each other's presence. Neither of them made a step to release the other. It was like they feared the other would disappear if they let go.

The sunset bathed them with a soft, warm light. A calmed pause after the spiraling chaos.

Eventually, Sheldon softened his grip. He didn't let her go, but he wanted to look at her. He was still in denial that she was here with him.

"Amy," He gazed at her eyes, they were still wet and looked tired. Sheldon had missed looking at her unique green orbs. "You came," He whispered. His voice didn't come out properly.

"I-I'm sorry I was late." Amy looked into his blue eyes, which were looking back at her with a mix of emotions, and he seemed to not believe she was really there. He looked thinner, pale. Even with the sunset light over his skin, the exhaustion was visible. Had he been crying?

He just nodded, not taking his eyes off her. Whatever reason she had for being late, it wasn't important now.

"I was afraid I wouldn't find you," Amy told him. "I came as soon as Bernadette gave me your package today."

Sheldon made a surprised face. Today?

"But…" He said with a hoarse voice. "She gave it to you on Thursday."

Amy shook her head. "She told me there was a...misunderstanding," Amy explained. "I've got it today, and I was already late when I read your letter. I drove here as soon as I could."

"A misunderstanding?" Sheldon was confused. "What kind of misunderstanding?"

"I..." Amy hesitated. She wasn't sure about what happened either. "I'm not sure, but I didn't see Bernadette until today. And that's when I got it."

Sheldon blinked, processing what Amy was saying. It didn't make sense to him. Why had Bernadette lied to him? At least Amy had received it, late, but she had it.

But that meant. "You didn't read my notebook?"

"I couldn't yet. I've only read the first page."

Sheldon looked at Amy, astonished. She didn't read his notebook, but she came to his date after months of avoiding him? What had changed? "And you came to meet me anyway?"

"Yes." Amy looked down, she felt his scrutinizing gaze on her, and it was too much to deal with.

"Why?" He tilted his head slightly, searching for her face. The movement made Amy's hands release his lower back and just rest her hands on his forearms. Sheldon didn't let go of her waist.

"You came." He insisted. "Even if you avoided communicating with me for months. But you didn't read the notebook. There is a lot in there I wanted to tell you."

I know, Amy thought. She felt ashamed for avoiding him for so long. She was scared before, and now too. She still kept her gaze low, looking at his buttoned shirt, unable to look up at him again. She wanted to avoid the topic of her communication block for now. She didn't feel prepared to talk about it. There was something she needed to know first.

"I didn't have to read your notebook to know what it contained." She finally looked up. Finding Sheldon's curious and confused expression, inspecting her face. "Sheldon, I know it might sound weird, but everything fits."

"I don't understand."

"You're 'Cowboy blue,' right?"

Sheldon had to process her words twice to get what she was saying. Cowboy blue? That was his supposed nickname on the dating site. How did Amy know about that?!

"How, why… Did Howard and Raj tell you anything?"

Amy saw his eyes twitch nervously. So he was him. That confirmed it! Amy still couldn't believe the odds of how that happened.

"No, they didn't." She shook her head side to side. "I'm…" she bit her lip, "I'm 'Emerald.'"

Sheldon's eyes widened. What? Amy is the woman from the dating site! That couldn't be true, could it? How? Why?

"I-I've been talking to you all this time?" He asked, dazed. "W-why didn't you tell me?" Sheldon let go of Amy's embrace and stepped back, shocked. What was happening?

"I didn't know it either!" Amy stepped closer to him but respecting his space. "I realized it today when I received your package. All the conversations, everything matched. The way you talked was familiar to me, but I didn't believe it could be you. But when I saw the notebook, I just knew."

Sheldon remained silent, still confused. He replayed quickly in his mind the chat conversations he had had with the anonymous woman. There was something familiar about the way she spoke, he had to admit it, but… it was her and he didn't even notice?

"We matched again on a dating site; can you believe it?" She half laughed.

Sheldon felt dizzy. This was too much new information at once. He had been talking to Amy all this week without knowing it. What were the odds of that happening? She was correct; they had matched again on a dating site. If he were a hippy, which he wasn't, he would say it was destiny.

"Sheldon?" Say something! Amy was getting nervous. He seemed overwhelmed. Maybe he needed time to process it, she understood. Realizing the coincidence had been shocking for her too. "I'm sorry I was late. I guess I ruined your date."

"It's okay." He just said.

The date. Sheldon had put so much effort into planning it. The schedule had been perfectly planned. First, he had booked a private visit to the telescope before the opening hours. That was thanks to some contacts from the university. They usually didn't agree to private visitors. Secondly, he had planned a walk, enjoying the Observatory's views, talking about their relationship and their future together. And finally, he had a restaurant reservation to finish their date.

They missed the telescope visit, and it was too dark for walks. Sheldon had lost track of time. They were probably late for his dinner reservation too. But any of this didn't matter now, none of that mattered if Amy was here.

Amy looked at their surroundings, the city lights were more visible now, and it was getting darker. The ambient lights from the Observatory were on, creating a soft illumination around them. It was still crowded, with people admiring the city views. Whatever Sheldon had planned, it was probably ruined because she was late.

"Do you want to leave?" Amy turned to look at Sheldon. "I have my car parked here."

He nodded slightly but unconvinced. He was lost on what would happen between them now. If they left, would he lose his opportunity to get her back? He didn't want to leave her side now. He wanted to talk to her, to be with her. But she hadn't read his notebook. Sheldon was counting on that. He had trouble expressing himself out loud. Writing it down had been not easy either, but it had been more therapeutic than he expected.

Amy extended her hand to him. He looked at it, there was still a lot to talk about, but her invitation to join hands made him hopeful. Maybe it wasn't too late to fix their relationship.

He took her petite hand into his and he let her guide him downstairs.

Before Amy started the car, she hesitated on what to do. She knew the date was ruined already. Sheldon hadn't said anything at all, still shocked to discover they were the ones talking to each other on that chat. Would it be better to go home, let things cool a little, and meet another day?

"Do you want to go home?" Amy asked. She didn't want him to go, but she didn't know what he would want to do.

"I..." Sheldon hesitated. Did he want to go home and let her go again? Definitely not. There were so many unsolved issues between them. Even if she came to his date, even if she hugged him as she did… Did that mean they were together again? What could he expect from now on? Would Amy revert to avoiding him again after that? He couldn't leave now, not like this. Amy was waiting for his reply. He rubbed his hands nervously before speaking.

"Can we go to your apartment?" He looked at her, hoping she would agree. "I don't want to go home just now."

"O-okay." Amy agreed. Maybe it was better this way so that they could talk a little more. Even if she didn't feel prepared for a deep conversation, perhaps they could clarify where to go from this situation.

She turned on the engine and headed home.

They were silent during the ride, but it wasn't their usual comfortable silence. Amy wanted to break the silence so many times, but Sheldon seemed to be deep in thought. Which he was. His mind was still analyzing all the events he had learned in the last half an hour. He was upset with Bernadette and Howard. He still didn't understand why exactly, but he didn't have the strength to get angry at that moment anyway. He was still weak and recovering from his emotional torment, thinking Amy didn't want to come, that she didn't love him anymore.

She still loved him, right?

He needed to confirm that, but at least she was with him now. She hugged him, took his hand, and said that she had missed him. Those were good signs.

What still shocked him was the fact that she was the woman from the dating site chat. How did that happen? What were the odds? If he hadn't entered to delete his profile from the website, they wouldn't have talked. She wouldn't have met him again. Would she still be avoiding him if all of that hadn't happened?

He kept replaying in his mind the conversations they had in the chat. He realized he had shared a lot of information, including the engagement ring and his plans to give it to her. So Amy knew about that now. Was that the reason for her to come?

But he kept thinking about one detail in particular. He needed to ask her about that. From the beginning, she had said she was in a relationship. Why? Was she lying about that? Was she still considering him in the relationship? Or worse, was she considering anyone else? That rotten thought upset him more than anything. He didn't have the time to consider it further as Amy suddenly broke the silence.

"I don't have anything to eat at home." She casually said. "Are you hungry?"

Sheldon hadn't even thought about that, but in fact, he was a little hungry. "I could eat." He said, looking at her. She gazed briefly at him.

"We should stop and grab something, or order it," Amy said, focusing on the road.

"I can order something from here," Sheldon grabbed his phone and started browsing for food delivery. He didn't want to stop anywhere. He wanted to arrive at Amy's apartment and have a conversation with her as soon as they could.

"The usual?" Sheldon asked, looking again at her profile.

"The usual is fine." Amy smiled slightly. This brought her a comfortable and familiar feeling. She had missed this.

"Excellent," Sheldon ordered online and made sure they would deliver it after they arrived.

The rest of the car ride was silent.

To be continued…

Thanks for your reviews! I love to read them!

Note: I've chosen The Griffith Observatory for a simple reason: I've been there! I went to LA in 2019 for the S12E19 TBBT "The Inspiration Deprivation" taping, so I visited it and I loved the place. Since I was on the roof, looking at the sunset, I knew this place was special and I wanted to use it for a fanfiction. When writing, it was cool to remember the place and imagine them really there.

I have a drawing of this moment, which I wanted to post today. I drew it months ago when I was still pregnant and I still had the time to work lol, my patrons probably remember it. But it needs some final touches, edit it all, and prepare it to post, and unfortunately, I don't have the time now to do it. Maybe in a few days, keep your eyes on my social media so you can see it. Hope you like it!

Hugs, and thanks for the love! Keep reviewing!