Chapter 9

Several days have passed since Sheldon's assistant Alex was introduced to the gang. Penny was entering their building when she saw Leonard getting his mail from the mailboxes.

"Hey…..you're home early." Penny said as she walked up to him.

"Well I just came from an interview and decided to go home early." Leonard said.

"Interview? Are you leaving the university?" Penny asked as they started walking upstairs.

"No I'm not leaving the university….it's for Wired Magazine." he said casually.

"Wow!...sounds like a big deal." Penny was surprised.

"I guess. They're doing an article about the latest scientific research being done in CalTech and the university recommended me to represent the Physics Department." he said looking at her.

"Wow….congratulations Leonard….I'm really happy for you." she smiled at him.

"Thanks…..so are you doing anything tonight?" he asked. This is it Penny thought.

"Well I was thinking of going to the movies. Do you want to go with me?" she asked.

Leonard was a little surprised. "Really?….can we do that?" he asked.

"Why not? We're just gonna watch a movie." she smiled at him hoping he'll say yes.

"Isn't it kinda weird?" Leonard was hesitant.

"Why would it be weird?' Penny asked.

"Well for starters, we've been broken up for more than a year now and we only hung out when our friends are around." Leonard said.

"It's not weird Leonard….and it's not a date, just two friends seeing a movie….come on…" she gave him a hopeful look.

Leonard hesitated. "I don't know Penny and to be honest, Alex and I are kinda seeing each other." he said looking at her.

Penny was shocked at Leonard's revelation. She couldn't believe that she missed her chance with him again. She tried to compose herself and not let Leonard see her disappointment. "Really?….that was fast." she said trying to keep it together.

"Yeah….remember the other day when she invited me to that lecture?" he continued while Penny looked at him. "...well we ended up spending the whole day together. After we had dinner I asked her if she wanted to hang out again….she said yes and we've kinda went out a few times already." Leonard said.

"Okay….how about this….we go and see a movie and I promise it won't be a date….no holding hands or romance….you can even pick the movie you want." she smiled at him.

"I don't know….it kinda feels like I'm cheating on her. I mean we're not yet a couple but still…." Leonard said. Penny realized that this was one of Leonard's traits that she loved – he was faithful and wouldn't cheat on a girl. "You of all people know that I'm not that kind of guy right?" he said to Penny.

Penny knew she was defeated. "I know. Well, do you like Alex?" she asked.

"I guess….I mean she's very nice…we have a lot in common and I enjoy being with her…." Leonard said and continued. "Oh and I almost forgot….I'm going to the gym tonight so even if I wanted to see a movie with you, I can't." he said.

"The gym?" Penny was surprised.

"Yeah. I've been going there for the past month now." he said.

"Uh why are you going to the gym? Wouldn't your asthma give you a hard time?" Penny asked.

"I consulted with my doctor about my asthma and instead of prescribing stronger medication, he suggested to take a different approach. He recommended this guy who specializes in handling people with asthma and for the past few weeks I've been experiencing fewer asthma attacks than before." he said.

"Wow Leonard….good for you." Penny smiled at him.

"Thanks….I'm feeling pretty good about these therapy sessions." he said as they reached their floor. "So I guess I'll see you around." he said as he opened his door.

Penny looked at him. "Yeah. See you around Leonard." she said as she went inside her apartment. Once inside, she went directly to her bedroom and fell on the bed. She buried her face in a pillow and started crying.

A couple of weeks have passed since Leonard last saw Penny. Even Bernadette and Amy didn't hear from her so they decided to visit her to have girls night at her place. They knocked on Penny's door and she opened it.

"Hi guys. What are you doing here?" Penny asked as the two went inside 4B.

"Well we haven't heard from you in two weeks and wanted to see how you were doing?" Amy said as they sat on the couch.

"Yeah and we brought some wine and chips." Bernadette said.

"I'm okay I guess. I've been putting more hours in the restaurant to keep myself busy." Penny said as she opened the bottle of wine.

"Penny, we heard about Leonard and Alex." Amy asked her.

"Yeah, I ran into him a couple of weeks back and I tried asking him out but he said he kinda feels like cheating on her." Penny drank her wine in one gulp.

"I'm so sorry Penny." Bernadette said as she rubbed her hand on her back.

Penny then grabbed a pillow and cried on it. "I'm so stupid!" she said.

"Don't say that bestie." Amy said.

"I am. It just hurts so much." she continued to cry.

"Give it time Penny and you'll find a way to move on." Bernadette said trying to console her.

"You think? It's been more than a year and I can't stop thinking about him!" Penny said.

"Do you want us to talk to him?" Amy offered.

"And say what? 'Hey Leonard you should ditch Alex and get back together with Penny who dumped and hurt you!' is that it?" Penny was becoming more hysterical.

Amy and Bernadette didn't say anything and sat quietly.

"Let go out Penny. Come on...get your mind off things." Bernadette said.

"No. I don't want to." Penny said and she took another drink of her wine. "Let's just stay here and get drunk." she said. The two girls agreed and chose to stay with her. A few hours later, they helped Penny get to her bed as she was too drunk to even stand. Penny thanked them for being there for her before passing out on the bed. Amy and Bernadette looked at each other and decided to leave her apartment.

"I'm beginning to worry about Penny." Amy said as they walked down the stairs.

"Me too. She really can't move on from Leonard. What do you think we should do?" Bernadette asked her.

"I don't know. It won't be appropriate for us to intervene between Alex and Leonard. I mean she didn't actually steal Leonard from Penny right?" Amy said.

"I know and I'm running out of ideas on how to cheer Penny up. The alcohol just seems to worsen her mood." Bernadette said.

"I'm not a psychiatrist or a psychology expert but I think I'm seeing the early signs of depression in Penny." Amy said.

"What are you talking about Amy? Penny's fine. She's always been strong. She's just in a bad place right now." Bernadette said.

"I don't know Bernie….it's been a year now and she still hasn't moved on….she's not hanging out with us as often as before..." Amy added. "I mean self-isolation is one of the indicators that a person is going thru depression. Not to mention she's stuck with her job as a waitress which she's not really excited about." Amy said.

"Amy don't talk like that. Penny's gonna be fine. We just have to be there for her." Bernadette said as they exit the building and go their separate ways.