Knock knock knock.
"Penny?"
Knock knock knock.
"Penny?"
Knock knock knock.
"Penny?"
The door swung open, but Penny didn't stay to greet him. She was already walking back to the sofa, where the materials for Penny Blossoms were laid out.
"Hey, Sheldon." She said, sitting back down and picking up a glue gun.
Getting no response, she looked up to see him staring at the materials.
"Oh, one of the waitresses is getting married, and she wants a few of these for her bridesmaids." She explained.
Sheldon sat down next to her. Picking up a completed blossom, he said, "#FFE0E3"
"Huh?"
"The hex code for this shade of pink." Seeing her look confused, he adds,
"It's a hexadecimal way for representing colors digitally."
"And why do you know this particular shade of pink? A favorite of yours?"
"Hardly. Once when I was 7, I was bored and decided to arrange all of Missy's clothes according to their hex codes. She wasn't pleased by that."
"Huh, and I thought my brother was bothersome." Penny snorted.
"Bothersome?" His voice took on a high - pitched tone. "I was my parent's most well - behaved child." He said primly.
"Didn't you once build a nuclear reactor or something in your garage?"
"Yes well..."
Penny laughed as he floundered.
Knock - knock.
"It's open." Penny called out.
"Hey now! What if that's a burglar or a mad axe murderer?"
Leonard rolled his eyes as he entered. "Glad to know you think so highly of me."
He looked at them, sitting side by side, surrounded by Penny Blossoms.
"You're making these again?" He asked.
"Yes, one of the waitresses wants them for her wedding."
"Are you coming?"
Penny is confused. "Where?"
Leonard looks at Sheldon quizzically. "We're having a picnic dinner on the roof. Sheldon came over to invite you and Natasha."
"Oh, she's out, but I'm starving." She puts down the blossom in her hand and gets up. "Let's go, Sheldon."
Raj has been busy in the kitchen. Arrabbiata pasta, goat cheese croquettes and apple pie.
"Why on earth do you eat take out if you can cook so well?" Penny asks through a mouthful of pasta.
"Too tired after work." He says.
Ever since Natasha moved in, he has become more and more comfortable talking to girls. It started out with one- or two-word replies. Now he can manage short sentences.
Penny smiled at him. "Makes sense. I have been meaning to start cooking more regularly, but at the end of the day, I just end up microwaving a frozen meal."
"It is a Sunday tomorrow; you have an off. You can cook tomorrow." Sheldon says.
"Um...okay, sounds good."
"You don't sound too sure."
"I said okay, didn't I Sheldon?"
Raj, Howard and Leonard focus on the food and tune out the pair as they bicker throughout dinner. The picnic had been Howard's idea, backed by his therapist.
Do something that doesn't lead to or involve validation. He had said.
And although Howard didn't understand why, it did feel pretty good to just sit here surrounded by friends, eating good food and staring at the stars. No telescope, no comics, no video games. Nothing competitive, no matter how friendly it is. He can just sit here and eat the apple pie made by his best friend and not worry about looking like an idiot.
"Hah!" Sheldon crows as they're finishing up.
"All of you are invited to my place for lunch tomorrow, courtesy of Sheldon being a hard ass." Penny says, rolling her eyes.
"I'm just trying to make sure you follow through on this. Practice leads to good habits, you know." He says sagely.
Howards pushes the empty pie dish into his hand. "Let's practice clearing up then."
A/N: Reviews will make this girl very happy!
