Chapter 13
Today is the day of Leonard and Penny's first date. Bernadette and Linda went over to Penny's place to help her prepare. Penny was so nervous that she couldn't stop pacing around her apartment.
"Ugh….I'm so nervous Bernie!...what am I gonna do?…" Penny was almost freaking out.
"Would you just relax!?...It's just a date….It's gonna be fine!" Bernadette assured her.
"She's right….just breathe and it will be fine!...now show us what you're wearing tonight…" Linda added.
They heard a knock on the door. Penny opened it and saw Leonard.
"Uh...Leonard hi!...what's up?" she said nervously.
"Well...uh...Penny, I would like to ask you to go out with me to dinner tonight." he said smiling.
Penny was a little confused and raised her eyebrows at him. "Uh...what are you doing?"
"I just want to ask you out properly...you know?" he shrugged his shoulder.
"Oh?….ok…" Penny smiled at him.
"Wait...are you thinking of saying no?" he asked her.
"No!" she said
"So it's a yes?" he asked again.
"Yes!" Penny sighed with relief. Bernadette and Linda suddenly jumped behind Penny.
"Hi Leonard!" Bernadette greeted him.
"Oh...hi Bernadette!...Hi...uh…" Leonard said back looking at Linda.
"I'm Linda...I work at the restaurant too!" she smiled at him.
"So, what time are you picking up Penny!?" Bernadette asked him.
"Oh...uh...seven?" Leonard answered her.
"Great!...we'll see you then!" she said as she hurriedly closed the door while dragging Penny back inside.
Leonard turned around to his apartment then heard screaming and giggling inside Penny's apartment. He smiled, went inside and walked to Sarah sitting on the couch. He sat beside her.
"Sarah honey...I'm going out tonight with Penny and your Aunt Cathy is going to look after you...ok? He said as he looked at his daughter.
Sarah looked up to him. "What about me daddy? Am I going with you and Penny?" she asked.
"Well...it's going to be just me and Penny for now...ok honey?" he got nervous as to what his daughter's reaction might be.
"Ok daddy...me and Aunt Cathy will just play on my X-Box." she said as she hugged her father. Leonard hugged her back.
"Ugh...thank you honey...be a good girl ok?" Leonard kissed her cheek. Sarah just nodded.
Fifteen minutes to seven, Leonard came out to the living room all dressed up with his coat and tie. He went to his desk and made sure he had everything – wallet, phone, keys, inhaler and handkerchief. Sarah and Cathy are playing a video game. "Ok...I'm going out now...bye you two!" he said.
"Bye daddy!" Sarah yelled. "Bye" Cathy said to her brother.
Leonard walked up to Penny's door and knocked. Penny opened it. Leonard's jaw dropped when he saw Penny all made up and beautiful.
"Wow!...you look amazing Penny!" was all Leonard could say. Bernadette and Linda was standing by the door with their arms locked while looking at the couple.
"Thank you...you look so handsome as well!" Penny said smiling as she walked towards him and fixed Leonard's tie and suit. She saw Cathy and Sarah standing by the door looking at them. Penny walked up to Sarah and knelt in front of her.
"Sarah sweetie...is it ok if I borrow your dad for a little while?…" Penny asked the child a while touching her arms.
Sarah nodded "Ok!" She hugged Penny.
"Awww...thank you sweetie!" Penny hugged her back.
Leonard and Cathy couldn't help but smile at the tender moment they were witnessing. Bernadette and Linda hugged each other tighter trying hard not to cry.
Penny stood up and faced Leonard.
"Ok...let's go?" he said as he offered his arm to Penny to hold on to. Penny held on to his arm as Leonard pushed the elevator button.
"Hey...don't forget to lock my door when you leave ok?" she reminded Bernadette and Linda.
They got in and while the elevator door was closing, they heard a chorus of giggles and screams from both apartments.
"So where are you taking me?" Penny asked Leonard as she tugged on his arm while they exit their building.
"Well...we're going to a nice dinner a couple of blocks from here…but we need to swing by a store first." he said smiling at her.
"We're not going to our restaurant are we?" Penny inquired.
"Oh no...it's a different place.." Leonard offered. They continued to talk while walking. A few minutes later, they stopped by a flower shop. The middle-aged man who owns the place saw Leonard and went out to greet them.
"Dr. Hofstadter...so nice to see you!...let me get your flowers..." he offered. He came back with a big fancy bouquet of red roses. He handed it to Leonard.
Leonard took it and turned to Penny. "Penny...these are for you." he gave her the bouquet and kissed her on the cheek.
"Leonard!...these are wonderful! I love it!…" Penny said completely in awe of the flowers.
"So Frank..how much do I owe you?" Leonard asked as he pulled out his wallet.
"Oh! No, no, no Dr. Hofstadter...this one's on the house!" Frank raised his hands.
"Wow! Really!?" Penny asked the shop owner.
"Oh yes...you see Leonard here tutored my son in math and science a year ago so he could improve his grades and get a high score on his SATs. Now my son is in college taking up engineering!...All that thanks to Leonard here." Frank explained as he tapped Leonard's shoulder.
"Dylan's a pretty smart kid...all he needed was a little guidance that's all…" Leonard said casually.
"Well in any case..thank you Dr. Hofstadter...I'll let you go back to your date now." Frank said then turned back around to his store.
They continued walking. "Ok...I'm impressed now...let's see what else you got!" Penny complimented him.
"Well first..we are going to have a lovely dinner and then you'll see…" Leonard answered back smiling at her.
They arrived at the restaurant and was shown to their table by the window. The waiter served them red wine and took their orders.
"Leonard this is so nice...I'm really glad you asked me out!" Penny smiled at him.
"Well...you know I still have to thank that guy who slammed into you car…" he smiled back at her.
Penny laughed and took a sip of her wine.
"I better send him a 'thank you card'!" she winked at him.
"So you'll start shooting the commercial next week? That must be really exciting huh?" He leaned forward and rested his chin on his right hand.
Penny mirrored him. "I know." she looked deep into his eyes.
Leonard can't help but be mesmerized at how beautiful Penny was.
"Penny...I want to kiss you now…" he said in a low voice.
"So who's stopping you?" she teased him.
Leonard was surprised then moved closer to her. He kissed her lips and she kissed him back. Her lips tasted like cherries as she lightly touched his cheek as they continued to kiss. They stopped kissing and put their foreheads against each other.
"Penny." Leonard said.
"Hmmm?" said Penny.
"I think our food is here." he smiled.
"Oh...right." she smiled as she composed herself right before their food was served.
They started to eat while continued to talk and laugh and drink. Penny forked a piece of her food and served it to Leonard. Leonard did the same making sure not to spill it onto her dress. They finished dinner as Leonard looked at his watch. It was already eight-thirty so Leonard told Penny they had to leave if they want to make it to their next stop. He asked for the check and paid their bill. He took Penny by the hand and they walked out of the restaurant into the adjacent parking lot where he parked his car earlier. Penny was surprised that his car was already there.
"Oh, I parked it here earlier so we won't have to walk back." He opened the passenger door and let Penny take her seat. He reached over and secured Penny's seat belt. He turned to face Penny on his way out when she grabbed him by the neck and started kissing him. This time their kiss was more passionate and intense. After a few minutes, Leonard broke off and closed the passenger door and went around to the driver's seat. He smiled at her. "Well that was nice!" was all he could say as Penny was staring at him.
He started the car and drove away. They continued to talk in the car while driving to their destination. After about twenty minutes, they arrived at a gated subdivision and Leonard drove to the guard house. He told the guard his name and destination and was cleared to go ahead.
"Leonard, where are we going? This looks like the place where celebrities would live?" Penny got curious.
"You're right! Some of the houses here belong to some famous celebrities." Leonard said smugly.
"Ok now you're just showing off mister...where exactly are we going?" Penny insisted.
"Ok fine...we're going to a private birthday party. The celebrant is cousins with a grad student in the university that I am helping with her doctorate thesis….I told her about my plan to take you out on a date and she offered to invite us here after we checked out your Facebook page." Leonard explained.
"You checked out my Facebook page?" she asked.
"Well yeah. Since we became Facebook friends...but not in a creepy, stalker kind of way." he reassured her. "It's just to find out the things that you like...that's all…" he smiled at her.
"And what would my Facebook page have to do with this private party?" she demanded.
"Just relax and you'll see….but for now, we'll just have some drinks and do a little dancing…" he teased her.
"Ok….I'll play along for now...since you seemed very confident…" she leaned to him and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
They arrived a few minutes later and parked the car. The got out and went straight to the gate where two bouncers are standing guard. Leonard went up to them and whispered what seems to be a password. They let them in.
They went inside and saw that there are almost a hundred people already inside. It was an open air party and there was an open bar serving drinks and cocktails. A band was playing dance music which most of the people are dancing to. Leonard went straight to the bar and ordered their drinks and brought them back to where Penny was standing. A few minutes later a girl yelled Leonard's name.
"Dr. Hofstadter! So glad you could come! And you must be Penny huh? Wow you really are gorgeous!" she said to the couple.
Leonard spoke. "Lily this is Penny...Penny this is Lily, the grad student I was telling you about."
Penny offered her hand to Lily. "Hi I'm Penny, Leonard's girlfriend."
Leonard was surprised when Penny declared she was his girlfriend. They haven't even discussed their relationship and here was Penny telling people she was his girl. He displayed a big smile as he looked at Penny.
"Hi Penny...I think you'll really enjoy this party...let me introduce you both to my cousin..." Lily motioned at them to come with her. They followed her until they saw her talk to a guy wearing a really nice suit.
"This is my cousin Andrew….Andrew this is Dr. Leonard Hofstadter and his girlfriend Penny." Lily said.
Andrew gave them a hug. "Hi! Welcome to my party! Lily told me everything about you...thanks for helping her out on her thesis...when she told me she wanted to invite you here...I said sure...I'd like to meet this smart scientist!" Andrew then turned to Penny eyeing her from head to toe, took her hand and gave her a twirl. "And Penny...you are just perfect….tell me...who picked out this dress?" He raised his eyebrow at her.
Penny gave a weak smile. "Uh...just me….I bought it from the mall and made a few adjustments to it...you know so it would fit me better…" she shrugged her shoulder.
"Well I think you have a great fashion sense...tell me...do you have a job Penny?" Andrew inquired.
"Oh...I'm a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory." she smiled.
"Really?...well if you get bored at that...give me call and maybe you can work for me in one of my boutiques!" he smiled at her while handing her his business card. From what Leonard can tell, Andrew was a member of the LGBT community.
"Really!?….Oh my god...yes! Thank you so much!" Penny exclaimed jumping with excitement.
"Sure honey!...I could always use a fresh set of hands to handle my clientele." he said playfully.
"Wow….that is so generous Andrew...so this boutique is like a high-end dress shop?" Leonard asked.
"Dresses...bags...shoes...jewelry...you name it...we have it!" Andrew declared. "Anyway...if you'll excuse me...I have to make the rounds so to speak…" And with that Andrew walked away from them.
"That was unexpected….my cousin doesn't usually do things like that...you must have made quite an impression on him…" Lily said to Penny.
"I don't know what to say….I'm so excited!" she turned to Leonard. "Thank you so much honey! You're the best boyfriend ever!" she gave him a big hug. Leonard hugged her back.
"I didn't plan that one!" Leonard confessed.
"Well..I'll leave you two lovebirds alone now...you two enjoy the party alright!?" Lily said.
"Thank you Lily…" Leonard said as she squeezed her hand.
He turned to Penny. "I guess someone deserves a reward!" he smiled at Penny.
"Come here you stud!" she whispered to him as she gave him a big kiss on the lips. "Now I want you to take me dancing...we need to celebrate.." she said as she dragged him by the hand to the dance floor in front of the band.
Leonard told her he wasn't much of a dancer but Penny reassured him that she will teach him. They danced to whatever the band was playing whether it was dance or slow music. Leonard just let Penny enjoy her night. Penny for her part would always embrace and kiss Leonard. After about thirty minutes of dancing, they got tired and went to the bar to get drinks. Leonard also went to the buffet table and got them a plateful of finger foods to pair off with their drinks.
A few minutes later, the band stopped and announced they were taking a fifteen minute break. The band got off the stage after putting their instruments down and a few of the crew went onstage to fix or adjust something on the stage equipment. Some of them brought in new instruments and equipment and hooked them up with different cables.
After about fifteen minutes, The M.C. got on stage and announced that a new singer would be joining the band for their next set. The band members then got up and started to prepare their instruments. The stage lighting dimmed as the band started to play the first bars of the song. Smoke machines were activated and filled the stage. At the drop of a hat, lights suddenly filled the stage and Justin Timberlake magically appeared and began singing.
Penny screamed at the top of her lungs upon seeing Justin on stage. "Oh my god Leonard did you know this!" she gave him a big hug and kissed him hard on the lips. Leonard did nothing but accept his girlfriend's happiness.
"This is my surprise to you!" he said to her smiling. "you can thank Lily later..."
Penny got so excited that she pulled his hands to the dance floor to get closer to the stage. Almost all the people in the party started to converged at the stage as well.
Penny sang along, danced, screamed, jumped and cheered to every song. She was determined to enjoy every second of it. It was even more special since Leonard was with her. She gave him plenty of hugs and kisses as they danced along the music.
After an hour of performing, Justin thanked the audience and bid a happy birthday to his friend Andrew. The audience gave him a long applause and ear-shattering cheer of approval.
Penny hugged Leonard tightly. "Thank you so much honey...tonight is just perfect!" she kissed him again and again until Lily walked up to them.
Penny hugged Lily. "Thank you so much Lily...I'll never forget this!" she said as she held her hands.
"You're welcome Penny…" she came closer to her and whispered "hey...do you want to go backstage and meet him?" she winked at them.
Penny gasped and put her hand over her mouth. "Huh...really!?" she began to shake with excitement.
"Yeah sure….come with me…" Lily led the way as the couple followed her.
They came up to two bouncers standing by a large door. Lily whispered something to them and they opened the door and let them in. The room was large and there were about twenty to thirty people in it. Leonard guessed these people was probably Andrew's inner circle of friends and colleagues. Lily led the two towards the corner where Justin was sitting. He was drinking water from a bottle and wiping sweat from his neck with a towel. A few buttons on his shirt was undone.
"Uh excuse me Justin...sorry to bother you...I just want to introduce my friends to you..This is Dr. Leonard Hofstadter and his girlfriend Penny...guys...Justin Timberlake!" Lily said.
Justin got up and shook Leonard's hand. "Hi Leonard! I'm Justin. Are you a 'doctor' doctor or a different kind of doctor?" he asked Leonard.
"Hi...oh..I'm actually an experimental physicist at CalTech." Leonard answered. "Uh...by the way my girlfriend here is your biggest fan." he turned to Penny who was just staring at Justin. "Honey?" Leonard nudged Penny.
"Oh...Hi!" was all Penny could say as she stared at Justin.
"Hi Penny!" Justin greeted her.
"Hi!...I'm your biggest fan...I'm sorry...gosh I'm so nervous!" she said as she put her hands on her cheek.
"Hey don't freak out...you know what...why don't we take a picture ok?" Justin offered.
"Oh my god yes!" Penny giggled as she took out her phone and handed it to Lily.
Justin put his arm over Penny's shoulder and did the same with Leonard on the other side and smiled for the camera. Lily took many photos of the three. She also took a picture of Penny and Justin only. Leonard didn't mind as tonight was Penny's special night and want her to have a great time.
The couple thanked Justin for his time and left him to rest and enjoy the rest of the party. Leonard and Penny walked up to Andrew at the other side of the room to thank him and wish him a happy birthday.
"Thank you so much for having us at your party Andrew...we really had a great time…" Penny said smiling at him.
"Hey anytime...any friend of Lily's is a friend of mine…" he hugged Penny and Leonard.
"Well thank you again...we'll let you go back to your guests now…and happy birthday too!" Leonard said as he excused himself and Penny.
They walked away. Penny couldn't stop smiling. She couldn't believe that Leonard pulled off a perfect date for both of them. She realized there was only one thing left to do.
Penny put her arm around Leonard's shoulder and whispered to his ear. "Honey, please take me home now…"
Leonard looked at her confused. "Why...are you ok? Are you feeling sick?" he was concerned.
Penny smiled at him. "You are so cute when you are clueless." she kissed him on the cheek.
Leonard understood what she meant. "Oh?...ok." he smiled at her.
They left the party after thanking Lily for inviting them.
Leonard opened the passenger door of his car. Penny turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. They kissed deep and hard. Leonard could feel the passion in Penny's kiss. They broke off and he helped Penny sit down and secure her seat belt. He got in the car and started to drive home.
Penny was turned to her side facing Leonard as he was driving the car. She was just staring at him.
Leonard glanced at her. "Honey are you alright?...do you want me to pull over?" thinking that Penny might get sick.
"Honey...what you need to do is drive faster.." she said softly as she rubbed her hand on his shoulder.
"Uh...I don't think that's a good idea...I've already had a few drinks…" Leonard said.
Penny didn't say anything while still looking at him. She then moved her hips slightly while her hands reached underneath her dress. She slipped off her underwear and playfully put it in Leonard's breast pocket. "Maybe this will help…" she teased him.
Leonard almost swerved the car and choked when Penny slipped her underwear into his breast pocket. He saw the desire in Penny's eyes. He gulped and pressed slightly harder on the gas pedal.
Leonard was relieved they arrived safely at their building. They walked fast as they entered the building and into the elevator. As soon as the elevator door closed, Penny jumped on him and started kissing him hard. Leonard returned her kisses as he grabbed her hips digging his fingers into her skin. Penny squirmed as she felt Leonard was getting more excited. They never broke their kiss as they got out of the elevator and into Penny's apartment. Penny slammed the door shut and locked it. She then dragged Leonard to her bedroom.
After a few hours, Leonard took a puff from his inhaler as Penny laid her head on his chest and her arms tightly wrapped around his body.
"Wow….that was even better than the first time…" Penny said softly with a big smile on her face. "Honey...you should leave your inhaler here...you know...for future use!"
"Yeah" was all Leonard could say as he waited for his inhaler to take effect.
Penny looked up to him. "Honey are you ok?" She said as she placed her hand on his face.
Leonard nodded. Penny returned to her original position and slipped her arm around his waist.
"Thank you honey….tonight was perfect…" she said.
"I'm glad you liked it...but what really surprised me was that Andrew gave you a chance for a new job…" Leonard replied.
"I know right!?….that was crazy….I'm so excited honey, I won't have to wait tables anymore...thank you so much!" she moved up to kiss him. He returned her kiss as he pulled her closer to him.
They broke off for some air. "Hmmm...someone's getting excited…" Penny teased him.
Leonard just smiled and pulled her back for another kiss. Penny moved on top of him as their kiss was becoming more passionate. They made love again.
Sometime around three in the morning, Penny got up and went to the bathroom to relieve herself. When she got to the side of the bed, she just stared at Leonard sleeping, snoring lightly. She can't believe that he just gave her an amazing night. She pulled the covers, slipped beside him and wrapped him in her arms. He stirred a little and sensed Penny snuggle up to him. He wrapped her in his arms tightly. Penny kissed him on the lips as she buried her face in his neck. Leonard was now half awake and felt Penny's advances. It didn't take long before they were passionately kissing again which led to making love for the third time. They slept tangled in each others arms.
Penny woke around six-thirty. She tried to get back to sleep but found it hard to do. She decided to get up and go to the bathroom to freshen up. Leonard was still asleep so she decided to get dressed. She thought she will go out to get some coffee and breakfast so they could eat. She quickly got her purse and went out of her apartment to a coffee shop within their block. She paid for her order and went back to her place. Leonard was still sleeping when she returned. She unpacked the food on the table and placed them on a tray so she could bring it to the bedroom. She carried the tray to the bedroom and put it on top of her nightstand. She leaned over Leonard and started to kiss him on his neck and ears. It didn't take long for him to wake up and return her affections.
"Wake up honey...I brought you breakfast.." she whispered to him.
"Hmmm...that's so sweet honey….but you're the breakfast that I need" he said teasing her.
"You know I can't say no to that but we need to eat...I'm starving" she pulled his arm "come on honey…" she said playfully.
Leonard slowly sat up, rubbed his eyes and put on his glasses. Penny took the tray and put it on the bed. They started to eat.
"So what are you gonna do today?" Leonard asked.
"Oh...I have the night shift today…" she replied.
"Oh ok. I probably have to go back as well...Sarah would get curious…" he said.
"Don't worry honey...we have plenty of time to hang out." Penny said as she touched his face.
"I'm glad you enjoyed our first date." he said smiling at her.
"Ugh...it's perfect honey...I'll never forget it.." she said back.
Penny took the tray out after they ate and Leonard started to get dressed. He went to the living room as Penny came up to hug him. He hugged her back as they kissed again.
"Bye honey...get some rest ok...I'll text you when I get to the restaurant…" Penny said.
"Bye Penny…." he kissed her once more then turned around to leave. Penny smiled and waved goodbye to him as he went out the hall and into his apartment.
Sarah and Cathy were having breakfast when Leonard returned. He gave his daughter a kiss and went straight to the bathroom to freshen up. He went to his bedroom to change his clothes. As he undressed, he found Penny's underwear in his suit's pocket and put it in his drawer. He got dressed and went back to the living room.
"So...Sarah and me are going to the park this morning...you're welcome to come or do you want to sleep more?" Cathy asked him.
"Uh...Sarah honey is it ok if I stay here and sleep?" he said as he sat on the couch.
"It's ok daddy…" Sarah answered.
"Thank you honey...I love you!" Leonard said to his daughter.
"I love you too daddy!" she said as she continued to eat.
Leonard stood up and kissed her daughter's forehead and went back to his bedroom to sleep. Sleep came fast as he knew he would be dreaming of Penny.
It was around four in the afternoon when Penny heard a knock on her door. She slept after Leonard left and just woke up about thirty minutes ago. She opened her door and saw Bernadette and Linda with big smiles on their faces. They went in her apartment.
"Guys... what are you doing here?" Penny asked them.
"Are you kidding me Penny...you are going to tell us everything…" Bernadette said as she and Linda sat on the couch looking intently at her.
Penny's face immediately lit up and displayed the goofiest smile ever.
"Oh my god Penny!...please tell us…." Linda begged her.
Penny giggled as she sat on her chair. She told them everything...the florist...the restaurant...the private party...Justin Timberlake and also the job offer she got from Andrew.
Bernadette and Linda's eyes were wide with excitement as Penny told them everything about their date. She also showed them the pictures of her and Justin in her phone.
"Oh my god Penny! We're so happy for you!" Bernadette said.
"Yeah...looks like Leonard pulled out all the stops huh?" Linda added.
Bernadette leaned towards Penny. "So Penny….did he spend the night?"
Penny blushed and just smiled at them. Bernadette and Linda screamed and giggled. "Oh my god Penny! We're so happy for you!" said Linda.
Penny just sat curled up on the chair and pressed her hands against her cheeks.
"What's wrong Penny?" Bernadette asked.
"I don't know...what if we're making a mistake?...I don't want to hurt his daughter…" Penny was worried.
"Are you kidding me? Did you see how that kid bonds with you...that kid likes you!" Linda said.
"I know...but what if we screw it up?...what am I gonna do?" Penny said.
"Penny...you need to relax….Leonard likes you very much, otherwise he wouldn't have gone to great lengths to give you a great night!" Bernadette added. "Are you happy with him?"
"Are you kidding me Bernie...he's so great!...he's perfect….I'm so happy with him…" Penny said.
"Then just relax and enjoy the moment...you deserve to be happy!" Linda butted in.
They continued to talk until it was time for them to go to the restaurant for their shift. Penny took a deep breath and just thought of Leonard knowing that he is thinking of her too.