A/N: Thank you for patiently waiting! I'm sorry again for the delay, I hope you'll continue to stick with this story despite of my irregular updates. Please enjoy and let me know what you think about it in the reviews.
CHAPTER FOUR: THE FRIENDSHIP COMMENCEMENT
Amy drove home at exactly 6:20 pm to freshen herself up before going to Los Robles. Growing up, she had never been invited to a casual lunch or dinner before (her lunches with colleagues about work doesn't count) so she didn't know the protocol on how this type of gathering works. All she knows is that she wanted the dinner to go well, for she was hoping to finally make friends with the people in her new workplace.
Given the time constraint, she took a much shorter shower than the one she usually has. After showering, she wore her white robe, wrapped her hair in a towel, and stood blankly in front of her closet. She didn't have a vast variety of formal clothes; she only had a few dresses, two pairs of jeans, and a whole bunch of blouses, cardigans, and skirts. She contemplated wearing her normal "cardigan and skirt combo" but she immediately dismissed the thought. Instead, she decided to wear something special for this occasion. Amy grabbed the black, knee-length dress she wore only during her doctoral graduation. A smile escaped her lips as her fingers ran through the fabric of the dress. She wasn't a fan of public speaking, but she can't help but feel giddy whenever she remembers the time when she delivered her speech in front of the people who mocked her and made fun of her in graduate school. The look of horror in their faces was something Amy wanted to commit to her memory for the rest of her life.
Despite of her excitement to wear the dress, Amy was worried that it might not fit her anymore since it has been years since the last time she wore it. Thankfully upon trying it, the dress still fit her perfectly. The black-dressed showcased her body's curves that were usually covered in a thick layer of clothing. When she was already satisfied with her look, she grabbed her coat and purse then left her apartment.
The drive to Los Robles only took a few minutes. Amy stopped in front of their apartment building and parked her car just as Sheldon instructed. As she was about to leave the car, her watch suddenly beeped and vibrated, signaling that it was time for her to take her medications.
"Damn!" Amy uttered. Because of the preparations for the dinner at 4A, she completely forgot to take her medicines. She tried to scan the area for a nearby pharmacy, but she wasn't able to find any. Amy glanced at her watch to check the time. 7:12.
With a heavy sigh, Amy decided not to go back to her apartment to fetch her medicines and just push through with the dinner. She walked inside the apartment building, hoping that an elevator would welcome her but alas, she was dismayed when she saw that the elevator was not working. Amy groaned in annoyance as she stared at the staircase. It was clear to her that she had no choice but to run hastily towards their apartment floor to make it in time. Feeling defeated, Amy ran towards 4A as if her life depended on it.
Amy reached the fourth floor in no time. She clutched her chest while she leaned on 4A's door.
She felt the continuous beeping of her watch as she tried to catch her breath. When she already gained her composure, she took all the courage she could muster to knock the door before her.
Amy waited a few seconds for a response, but there was no one who opened the door for her.
She was starting to get nervous. What if the address Sheldon gave her was wrong? Despite of her nervousness, Amy curled her fists and decided to knock again.
She felt her heart rate quicken as the door swung open, revealing a lanky, tall man wearing a red flash t-shirt. Sheldon finally met the emerald eyes that haunted him the entire day. He blinked, trying to see if this encounter was true. Amy Farrah Fowler was standing in front of his door, looking absolutely different from the last time they saw her. She wore a black knee-length dress and her cardigan was replaced by a brown coat. Her cheeks were flushed, her hair was slightly disheveled, and her breathing was erratic as if she ran before getting there. His curious eyes examined her as if she was something of great importance. When their eyes finally met, Amy smiled at Sheldon.
"Hello, I'm sorry I was late." she said in an apologetic voice. This was the first time anyone ever invited me to a dinner and I arrive a few minutes late? Way to go, Fowler.
Sheldon returned her smile and ushered her in. "Don't worry, it was no big deal."
"No big deal, huh." Leonard said under his breath, making Penny and Bernadette giggle.
As Amy entered the apartment, she was surprised to see a lot of unfamiliar faces gathered in the couch. "Forgive me, I wasn't able to inform you that my friends will be joining the dinner because they wanted to meet you."
Penny took it as a cue to finally introduce herself to Sheldon's new lady friend. She stood up and started walking towards Amy. "Hello Amy, it's so good to meet you! I'm Penny, by the way, Leonard's girlfriend." She said as she enveloped the confused brunette into a tight hug.
After Penny broke the hug, another blonde rose from her seat. "And I'm Bernadette, Howard's girlfriend." Bernadette stretched her arm to Amy and enthusiastically shook her hand.
Never did Amy consider being in the same social gathering with the likes of Penny and Bernadette. Those pretty girls were the kind of girls who picked on her in school, so it took her by surprise that they were completely different from the blondes she had encountered before.
"You've met the guys earlier, so no need to re-introduce them." Sheldon said as he sat down on his spot. Raj approached Amy and grabbed her left hand. "It's nice to meet you, Amy." Raj uttered seductively as he bent down to kiss Amy's hand.
Being bothered by his gesture, Howard finally stood up and separated Raj from Amy. "I'm sorry, Raj tends to get overwhelmed around women."
Penny scooted closer to Leonard to give space for Amy on the couch. She slowly tapped the foam, telling Amy to come and sit down with them.
"So, Amy…" Penny started. "Tell us more about yourself."
Amy had always deemed herself uninteresting enough to be a center of a conversation, that's why she didn't know where to start. Knowing that some of them are her colleagues at work, she decided to just fill them in about her academic career. "Well, I got my Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Harvard three years ago. I've been engrossed in the study of addiction, so I did a lot of post-doctoral research about it. At first, I don't intend to leave Harvard but President Siebert offered me to lead the newly formed Neurobiology team in Caltech so, here I am."
"President Siebert offered you the job personally? Wow, you must be really someone really big in that Neurobiology thing." Penny remarked, grinning. She felt blood rush through her cheeks because of her compliment.
"I don't know, but I have been featured in some scientific journals and magazines." Amy replied humbly.
"Have you, by any chance, been featured in Neuron, the Biology magazine?" Bernadette inquired.
"Yes, I have been on the cover twice."
The bespectacled blonde clapped her hands in realization. "Now that explains why your face was so familiar!"
Most of the people she knew who are blonde and beautiful only spent their time trying to make themselves appear more beautiful with the use of cosmetics, so Amy was surprised that a woman as beautiful as Bernadette enjoyed reading scientific magazines like Neutron. "You read Neutron?" she asked.
"Yup, I have a monthly subscription to it, sponsored by my company." Bernadette casually replied. "I forgot to tell you, I have a Ph.D. in Microbiology. I develop drugs and other medicine-related stuff."
Amy's mouth fell open about what Bernadette just said. If she didn't take up Neurobiology, she was certain that she'd end up being in the field of Microbiology. She wanted to ask a lot of questions about her work, but then she realized that tonight is not a great time to talk about it. Tonight was about socialization, not merely Science talk. She made up her mind to invite her for coffee some time to talk about their respective fields in Biology.
"Let's skip the pig Latin and focus on the juicy details." Penny interjected. "Can you share with us how you and our Shelly met each other?"
The memories of that day suddenly hit Amy. Amy looked at everyone, whose eyes were fixed on her. It was never meant to go this far, for it was supposed to be a one-time thing. She only made an account on that preposterous dating site to meet someone whom she can date so that her mom would stop pestering her. Never had she imagined that after two years, she would eventually meet the guy who ditched her on their date and that she would agree to have dinner at his apartment with his friends.
"I encountered Sheldon on a dating site. It is my obligation to my mother to attend to at least one date annually."
"So, that does mean that when Sheldon ditched you, you had to look for another guy to date?" Leonard questioned.
"Yes. I found another guy on the same dating site I used to match with Sheldon. Unfortunately, that date also ended badly." She narrated as she recalled the date she had after the one was supposed to have with Sheldon. The guy wasn't that bad, he worked as a Chemistry professor in a local high school. The only problem was instead of trying to get to know Amy, he spent their entire date talking about his thirteen dogs. Amy was fond of animals (especially monkeys) so she was initially thrilled to know that she and her date had something in common. However, when Amy tries to shift the topic, he only reverts the discussion back to his dogs and how adorably cute they are when they sleep. In the end, Amy stormed out of the café and indulged herself with books to quell her anger.
Sheldon stared at Amy as she told them about her unsuccessful date. This dinner was supposed to alleviate his guilt, not intensify it. Sheldon thought that if he just showed up at the café, then she wouldn't have to experience spending a few hours listening to a man who kept on blabbering about his dogs. Also, Sheldon can't help but wonder about the possibilities that might happen if he decided to push through with his supposed date with Amy Farrah Fowler. Would he enjoy spending time with her? Would they end up being friends?
Sheldon was snapped back to reality when he heard laughing sounds from his friends. Seems like Amy told them a few funny stories about her previous dates.
"During college, I hired someone to accompany me to a party and to act as my fake boyfriend. Little did I know that the guy I hired was the boyfriend of one of my classmates! When my classmate saw us, she drenched my white dress in plum juice." Amy said, laughing.
"That's unfortunate!" Howard commented, trying to suppress his laughter.
"Good thing I was living in a dormitory back then, or else my mom would kill me if she knew that I attended that party."
Penny placed her hand on Amy's lap. "I'm sorry you had to go through that, sweetie." She apologized with all sincerity. Amy shook her head in response. "No, no, I'm completely over it. I knew I was different that's why the people who didn't understand me did their best to make my life miserable." There was a faint sadness in Amy's voice. While she always boasted being unique from other people, there was also a part in her that wanted to be just like everyone else. If she was like everyone, then she wouldn't have to experience all the hardships that her classmates put her in throughout her life.
"I do agree with you, for I too have my own share hardships as a child. However, these hardships only helped me grow more as a person. Without it, I don't think I will be who I currently am." Sheldon remarked.
Amy was relieved that there was someone she could relate to, someone who shared almost the same experiences she had as a child. She was sure that at some point in his life, he was also subjected to the ridicule of his peers because of his intelligence.
"Who's starving? Let's dig in and continue this conversation while we're eating." Raj said as he flipped the pizza box open. The group munched their pizzas as they talked about things about their lives. Penny shared her distress about not getting the part she auditioned for in a play, Raj talked about his plans on adopting a dog and naming it Cinnamon, Leonard and Howard disclosed their plans for a new satellite, Bernadette whined about her boss who didn't give her office its own coffee maker, and Sheldon expressed his annoyance regarding the jello in the cafeteria earlier.
Amy couldn't help but observe the group in awe since everyone seemed to be so comfortable with each other. Is this what having friends looked like? A part of her somehow envied Sheldon for having this wonderful group of friends. She wanted to have friends too, friends with whom she can share her worries and thoughts, friends who will stay with her when times are tough, and friends whom she can be comfortable with.
"Hey Ames, you okay?" Penny asked as she noticed Amy suddenly spacing out.
"No—I meant yes, I'm fine. I'm sorry for spacing out like that." Amy replied. "And, Ames? Was that supposed to be me?"
Penny let out a small laugh as she looked at Amy's confused face. "I'm sorry sweetie, I just like making up nicknames for my friends. But if you don't like it, I can always revert it back to Amy."
Friend.
Penny considers her as her friend.
She wanted to scream and jump out of joy. It was the very first time that someone acknowledged her as their friend.
"No worries, Penny." She said as she tried to hide her grin. "Ames is fine."
Indeed, time flies when you are having fun. It was already 11 pm, and Amy lost track of time because she enjoyed the conversations she shared with the group throughout their dinner. As much as she wanted to stay longer, she knew she had to go home because she had work tomorrow.
"I had a great time tonight, thank you for inviting me to dinner."
"We enjoyed hanging out with you, Amy. Would you mind if we invite you again sometime soon?" Leonard asked.
"Of course, that works for me."
Amy stood up from her place on the couch, Penny and Bernadette encased her into a hug before she reached for her coat and purse. "It was lovely meeting all of you." she remarked as she stepped out of the group's circle and walked towards the door.
"Wait." Sheldon's plead stopped Amy from opening the door. "Let me walk you to your car."
Amy just nodded and smiled at his kind gesture. Sheldon took her nod as a yes and went to follow her outside. Amy looked at him intently as he shut the door of 4A.
"You have wonderful friends, Sheldon. Thank you for inviting them, I really had a wonderful time." Amy remarked as Sheldon walked alongside her.
"Yes, they are indeed a delightful group of peers." Sheldon commented.
"I hope I could find friends like that too." she whispered to herself, but Sheldon was able to hear her. Sheldon wasn't good at deciphering emotions, but he was sure that he heard pain and sadness in her voice. Sheldon then remembered the stories Amy told about her childhood. Her experiences mirrored Sheldon's own, so he knew firsthand how tough it must've been for her, living her entire life inside the four walls of her home.
Before they could even reach the door of the lobby, Sheldon ceased walking. The seriousness in his face made Amy wonder if she did something wrong to upset him.
"What's the matter, Sheldon?" she asked.
"I won't object to the idea of being your friend."
"I beg your pardon?"
"You have told us stories about your terrible childhood, how you were never allowed to interact with other people and that you never had any friends." Sheldon firmly narrated. "So, I'm telling you that if you're interested, I'm willing to be your friend."
Amy couldn't believe what she was hearing. Someone actually wanted to be friends with her? What kind of dream is this?
"L-Let me make this clear, a-are you proposing that we engage in a friendly relationship?"
Given his fear of rejection, Sheldon wanted to convince Amy he was serious about intentions of being her friend. He didn't respond quickly to Amy's question and instead, he tried to articulate a good reason that would make Amy accept his proposal.
"I am. With the short amount of time I've spent with you, I have seen that you're a person worthy of being a friend of someone as brilliant as I am. For starters, we can have a vast variety of topics to talk about since both are in the field of Science. Also, you seem to enjoy learning new things so befriending me would enable you to befriend a walking and talking encyclopedia. Lastly," his voice trailed off. "I have enjoyed your company for the past three hours and forty-five minutes."
Amy was taken aback by the sincerity of Sheldon's words. She couldn't help but give him the warmest smile she could offer. "I'd love that." Amy responded.
Sheldon started walking once again. He opened the door of the lobby for Amy as a Texan gentleman would. "Very well, I will be emailing you all my social media accounts so that we can keep in touch."
"I couldn't thank you enough, Sheldon. Have a great night ahead." Amy said after opening the door of her car.
"Consider yourself lucky Amy Farrah Fowler, not all people are friends with the great Sheldon Cooper." Sheldon whispered to himself as he watched Amy drive away from Los Robles.
A/N: Thank you for reading! Please tell me what you think about this chapter on the reviews.
