Chapter 13
Leonard and Penny woke up early so he won't be late for his conference. Leonard took a quick shower and changed into some fresh clothes that he brought along with him. The couple went out of Penny's room to join Wyatt and Susan for a quick breakfast before going to the university.
"Here honey, I poured you some coffee." Penny said handing him a cup.
"Thanks." he said drinking his coffee.
"So are you gonna watch the conference at the university?" Susan asked her daughter.
"I'm gonna drop off Leonard and then I'll go to the restaurant to quit and get my money. I'll go to the university after that, maybe before lunch." Penny said.
"Leonard why don't you stay here for the entire week? You're more than welcome to stay." Susan said.
"Oh I don't want to impose. Besides, my hotel room is fully paid for by the university, including room service." he said.
"Well you're always welcome to visit anytime." Wyatt said.
After breakfast, Penny drove Leonard to the university. She parked the car on the side of the curb.
"Alright honey, I'll come right back after I'm done at the restaurant." Penny said.
"Okay. The conference will be at the same hall as yesterday." Leonard said.
Penny hugged Leonard and kissed him. "I still can't believe we are back together." she said smiling.
"Me too….it feels a little weird and satisfying at the same time." he said and continued. "don't worry, we have the whole week to ourselves….we can do whatever we want." he said.
"I know, that's why I brought along a few of my clothes with me so I could stay with you at the hotel." she said.
"And do what?" he teased her.
"You'll find out soon enough mister!" she said kissing him again.
"I think I better go now. I don't want to be late." he said as he opened the door of the car.
"Bye honey!….have fun!" she said waving goodbye to him.
Penny looked at Leonard as he walked towards the pathway leading into the building. She put the car in gear and started to drive away.
It didn't take long for her to reach the restaurant to talk to Randy, the restaurant manager.
"Well I hate to see you go Penny. You're one of my best employees and the regulars like you but I don't want to keep you from your plans." said Randy.
"Thank you Randy. I'm sorry if this is all too sudden but I don't think I would have another opportunity like this anymore." she said.
Randy nodded and pressed a button on his phone. After a minute, Dorothy, the restaurant accountant came in the office.
"Penny here is moving back to California and I want you to process her last check." said the manager. Dorothy nodded, saying that she needs an hour to compute her last pay and issue the check.
"It's alright, I can wait." Penny said.
"Okay, you can wait in the other room if you want." Randy stood and shook Penny's hand.
"Thank you. I really appreciate it." she smiled and went out of Randy's office.
Penny waited for almost an hour when Dorothy called her into her office to sign a few papers before giving her last check. Penny thanked her and went on her way back to the university.
Penny arrived at the university and parked her car on a vacant slot. She made her way inside to look for Leonard. She saw him on the hallway talking to a group of college students. He saw her approaching and smiled at her.
"Hi honey!….how was the conference?" she said kissing his cheek.
"It's alright I guess." he said as the students looked at the couple. Leonard saw them looking at Penny. "Oh by the way guys, this is my girlfriend Penny." he said. The student waved hello to her.
"Hi guys!" Penny greeted them back.
A male student with glasses decided to speak. "Uh, Dr. Hofstadter I'm sorry but if I'm not mistaken, you just met her yesterday right?" he asked.
"Yeah." said Leonard.
"And after one day, she's already your girlfriend?" asked another male student with dreadlocks.
"Yeah." Leonard nodded.
"But won't it be a problem, since she's from here and you're from California?" asked a female student with curly hair.
"Oh she's from California too….she's just visiting her family here." Leonard quickly answered.
The students looked at each other, visibly surprised. "Wow!" they said in unison.
"Guys...I saw his lecture yesterday and decided to introduce myself." Penny said.
"Wow!" they said again.
"I'm not a scientist or anything….I'm just interested in physics and when I found out about this conference, I decided to check it out….it won't hurt to learn something new right?" Penny said.
The students nodded their heads.
"Anyway, I was so impressed by Leonard's lecture yesterday. He was so smart and funny so I waited for him to finish his lecture and talk to him." said Penny.
The male students in the group then gave Leonard the congratulatory fist bump. "Good job sir!….you're our hero!" they said. Leonard returned their fist bumps.
"Guys come on...if you meet a girl you like, just tell them your corny science jokes and you'll be fine." said Leonard.
The guys nodded as if being given an important life lesson.
Leonard turned to Penny. "I think it's time to go back inside…..see you guys." he said as he held Penny's hand.
They were already a few feet away when the student with glasses ran after them.
"Uh excuse me Dr. Hofstadter….can I ask you a personal question?" said glasses guy.
"Uh yeah sure." said Leonard.
"Is it true that you got into an argument with Wil Wheaton and knocked him out cold?" He said.
Leonard was surprised by the question and just looked at the student. The student with dreadlocks decided to butt in. "Wil Wheaton?….Wesley Crusher from Star Trek Next Generation?….I read that in one of the chat rooms online...I thought it was only a rumor?" asked dreadlocks guy.
Leonard sighed. "You're right….those are only rumors." he said
"But the guy in the chat room said he saw what happened. He said that Wil was knocked out for like five minutes." said glasses guy.
"Five minutes?….I read it was more like ten." said the dreadlocks guy.
Leonard sighed and smiled at them. "Guys don't you think you have better things to do than believe rumors in an internet chat room from people you don't know?" said Leonard.
The students were quiet and didn't respond.
"Like you said, those are just rumors and I'm not gonna dignify that question with a response." Leonard said. "Now why don't you all go back to the conference hall before someone take your seats." he said.
The students nodded and turned away. Leonard held Penny's hand as they walked in the other direction.
"Honey….it's true what you did with Wil right?" Penny whispered to him.
"Yeah….but it's not right to discuss those things here….and I don't want them thinking that I'm some kind of bully or something." said Leonard. "That was a long time ago and I want to forget about it." he said.
"Okay." she said.
"And besides, Wil has already paid for what he did to us." Leonard said.
"Really? How?" Penny asked.
"Well after that incident, he kinda lost his 'street cred' with his friends and all the guys at the comic book store." said Leonard.
"Really?….Now I feel bad for him." Penny said.
"We heard he got offered a part in a movie but blew his audition. After that, he locked himself in his house and just orders his comic books by texting Stuart and having them delivered to his house." said Leonard. "Stuart mentioned once that he looked terrible, gained like sixty pounds and never leaves the house anymore." Leonard said.
"Now I feel terrible for him." Penny said.
"Don't be Penny. Remember, we lost almost four years because of him….and he does that to everyone….he even did it to Sheldon…exploiting his love for his Meemaw just to win a stupid card game." Leonard continued. "That's why Stuart put my picture on the 'wall of heroes' because of that." he said.
Penny smiled and looked at him. "Really? The comic book store has a 'wall of heroes'?" she asked.
"Yeah...Stuart said I was the one who vanquished the bully that was Wil." he said proudly. Penny laughed at his joke. "Enough about him and let's just focus on us alright?" he said.
Penny nodded. "Okay….what time does the conference end?" she asked.
"Well we take a short lunch break and come back at one in the afternoon. After that we wrap up around two or two-thirty." said Leonard.
"Great. Because we'll go straight to your hotel room and have our own conference." she teased him.
"Hmmm...I love it." he smiled at her. "Listen I gotta go and you just find a seat alright?" he said.
"Okay honey….have fun!" she said kissing his cheek. Leonard turned around and made his way to the panel on the stage while Penny found a seat at the back of the hall. The conference resumed and the panelist started their discussion with an occasional question from the students and other attendees. Penny was trying her best to keep up with the discussion until she noticed one of the students with glasses stood up and held the microphone to ask a question.
"This is for Dr. Hofstadter. It's not really a question but more like a statement." he paused and continued. "Dr. Hofstadter, I think I can speak for most nerds here and just say thank you for being here….you didn't just enlighten us with your knowledge but also with your important life lessons. You gave nerds like myself hope and you're our hero!" said glasses guy as the majority of students stood up and gave Leonard a standing ovation. "You're the man Dr. Hofstadter!" he yelled as the other students cheered. The rest of the panelist looked at Leonard in confusion as to what the students were thanking him for. Penny was touched and smiled as she saw Leonard humbled and grateful for the audience's adoration.
The conference continued until around twelve noon when the host announced the lunch break and the resumption of the conference at one o'clock. Penny stood up and waited for Leonard along the hallway. Leonard walked up to her and held her hand to go to the cafeteria to get lunch.
"Honey I'm so proud of you. I can't believe my boyfriend is a rock star." Penny said as they walked along the corridor.
"Now I know how it feels." Leonard smiled at her.
They reached the cafeteria and got their lunch, sitting on one of the vacant tables. After eating, they went back to the conference hall as the students began pouring into the hall as Leonard takes his place in the panel while Penny sat at the back. It was nearly two o'clock when the conference for the day finished and the audience began to leave the hall. Leonard walked out of the hall and found Penny waiting for him.
"Are you ready to go?" he asked taking her hand into his.
"Yeah." she said. "Do you need to be here early tomorrow?" she asked him.
"Uh huh….are you sure you want to watch again?….I know you'll just get bored with it." he said.
"Yeah...I was kinda getting sleepy when we got back after lunch." she said.
"Well you can stay at the hotel if you want." he said.
"No. I'll still come tomorrow….I want to be here in case another pretty girl flirts with you so I could scare them away." she smiled.
"Penny I'm not that kind of guy." he said.
"I know, but you're always clueless when a girl flirts with you." Penny said as they reached her car. "But for now…I want you to relax because I have a surprise for you." she teased him as they got inside the car.
"Now I'm nervous." he said smiling at her.
"Relax honey….I'm sure you'll love it." she winked at him. Penny started the car and drove back to the hotel.
They arrived at Leonard's room as he put his bag on the side table and laid on the bed to stretch out his arms and legs. Penny went to him to remove his shoes and loosen his shirt and tie.
"You're so tense honey….your shoulder is so stiff." she said as she massaged his shoulders and back.
"Ugh that's it…..that's the spot." he said feeling Penny's hands on his back.
"Just let me do all the work…..my baby is tired and I'm gonna make him feel better!" she said kissing his cheek.
"That feels good….if you keep it up, I'm gonna fall asleep in no time." he said as he buried his face on a pillow.
"Don't you want to see my surprise?" Penny whispered.
Leonard lifted his head. "Show me." he smiled. Penny giggled and helped Leonard sit up on the bed. She took off his tie and used it as a blindfold. "Penny what are you doing?" he asked nervously.
"Relax honey, I just don't want you to see my surprise…just sit here and I'll tell you when to remove it." she said.
"Okay." said Leonard as Penny picked up a paper bag and quickly went to the bathroom.
Almost ten minutes have passed when Penny opened the bathroom door. She popped her head through the door to make sure Leonard didn't remove the blindfold. She tip-toed towards Leonard. "Are you ready Dr. Hofstadter?" she said playfully.
Leonard nodded. "Uh huh."
Penny went to him and caressed his face and neck sending electricity all over Leonard's body. "Close your eyes." she said.
"But I'm already blindfolded." said Leonard.
"Just do as I say honey." she said. He nodded as Penny slowly removed the blindfold, slowly putting his glasses on and taking a step back. "Okay...open your eyes." she said. Leonard's jaw dropped when he saw Penny wearing a sexy black lingerie and stockings, posing in front of him. "Well?" she winked at him as Leonard didn't blinked his eyes. She then playfully walked towards him as Leonard stared at her. Penny then leaned on him and kissed him slowly on the lips. She could feel Leonard's goosebumps as she lightly touched his neck and shoulders. Leonard wrapped his arms around her waist as they locked lips while Penny sat on his lap. Penny slowly removed Leonard's shirt as his hands explored her body while they laid on the bed, making love under the sheets.
Leonard woke up after a few hours. He looked to his side and saw Penny naked, lightly snoring. He leaned over and kissed her cheek as he pulled the blanket over her, she stirred a little then went back to sleep. He stood up and got dressed as he went to the bathroom to freshen up. Afterwards, he took a beer from the fridge to sit on the balcony looking down on the rush hour traffic on the freeway from a distance. He was almost finished with his beer when he saw Penny sat up on the bed rubbing her eyes. She went to the bathroom to wash up and compose herself. After about fifteen minutes, she joined Leonard on the balcony, sitting on his lap and putting her arms around his neck.
"How long have you been awake?" she asked Leonard while kissing him.
"Not long…..are you hungry?" he asked.
"Yeah…..let's just order room service later…" she said.
"Oh?…I thought you might want to go out to a nice restaurant or something?" he said.
"No…I want us to stay here…we can go out tomorrow or the next day." she said hugging him.
"Alright." said Leonard.
"Did you like my surprise?" she asked.
Leonard smiled. "I loved it." he said hugging her tight.
"I'm glad you liked it…I bought it this morning when I got my check from the restaurant." she said.
"Thank you…it was perfect." he smiled at her.
"Good! Because I'm not gonna let you go again." she said hugging him tight against her chest.
"Me too Penny." he said feeling Penny's warmth.
"You're mine Leonard...and no Priya or Alex is gonna take you away from me again." she said as she tightened her arms around him.
"Hmmm...I wonder what the guy's faces would look like when they see you again?" he said.
"I know….we should probably take a picture of them when we enter the apartment." said Penny.
"Yeah and I'm sure Amy will be the happiest to see you back….she was really sad when you left." said Leonard.
"I know….before I left, she told me I could stay at her place so she won't lose her bestie…but I didn't want to abuse my friendship with her." she said.
"Well you're with me now…I know you'll figure something out when we get to California." he said.
Penny kissed him. "Thank you honey…..now why don't we see what's on the menu…I'm starving." she stood up and pulled Leonard back inside the room as Penny picked up the phone and ordered their food. They sat on the bed watching TV when their food arrived. Leonard took the food so they could eat at the table by the window.
"You really worked up an appetite huh?" Leonard said, smiling at her.
"Yeah….you were so intense." she said winking at him.
"I didn't hurt you did I?" he asked.
"No honey. Don't worry, I'll tell you if you're hurting me." she smiled at him.
"Thank you." he said.
After eating and washing up, they went back to bed and snuggled to each other while watching TV. It didn't take long for them to start kissing and eventually making love under the sheets again.
They spent the whole week together with Penny tagging along with Leonard at the university for the rest of the conference. Penny made sure to show Leonard around town either by having a nice dinner, seeing a movie or just walking at a nearby park. On his last day before going back to California, Leonard spent the night in Penny's house to say his goodbyes to Wyatt and Susan while Penny prepares her stuff that she will bring with her to California. On the day of their trip back, Wyatt and Susan dropped the couple off at the airport to wish them a safe trip.
"You give us a call when you arrive in California alright?" Susan said as she hugged her daughter.
"I will mom and don't worry about me…I'll be alright." Penny said.
"Take care of my daughter Leonard." Wyatt said as he shook Leonard's hand.
"I will sir." said Leonard.
"Don't give Leonard a hard time." Wyatt said as he hugged his daughter for one last time.
"Don't worry daddy. I won't." Penny said wiping the tear from her cheek.
The couple took their luggage and went inside the airport as Penny's parents waved goodbye to them. Penny smiled at Leonard, making a promise to herself that she would not waste the second chance she's been given.