Hi lovely readers,
Thank you so much for all of the reviews on the last chapter. It means the world to me that so many of your read and reviews! Thank you!
This prompt was requested by ThatAwkwardPotato. I absolutely loved writing this one. I decided to write this during the very early days of Amy and Sheldon's relationship when things were slightly awkward and cute. I don't think I've written the early days of Amy and Sheldon before (if I have I don't remember) but I really liked playing around with the idea. Thank you so much for requesting. I really hope you like it!
Enjoy reading!
Amy never thought she'd be in this position, to be part of a genuine friendship group was something she'd always dreamed of. Not to mention having a boyfriend, she still had to pinch herself sometimes to believe it was all real. If only her teenage self could see her now, she was sure even then they wouldn't believe it was really her.
She was the first to admit that Sheldon Cooper was a unique character. His quirks, aversions, phobias and desire to adhere to a strict schedule were just a few of the things that made him noticeably different from others. However, to Amy although at times frustrating, it was one of the reasons that she made her fall for him. In a way, it was comfort to her for in many ways he was exactly like her.
When she had finally managed to convince Sheldon to be her boyfriend and when she had eventually managed to talk him round to monthly date nights, she told herself she would make them special at all costs. That regardless of a tough day at work or feeling down or simply like she couldn't be bothered, she would pull out all the stops to get Sheldon on board.
Although she knew that Sheldon was incredibly reluctant and probably at times wanted to be anywhere but at date night, she was determined for him to develop some enjoyment towards their time together. All she wanted was for him to look forward to spending time with her as much as she did with him.
She knew that maybe deep down, he cared about her, he'd never had a girlfriend before her and from what she had heard from those around her, he had never been as comfortable around another human being as he was with her but she just wished that he'd show it a little more.
—
Amy jumped when she heard the signature three knocks at her door. It took her a few moments to come to her senses, had she fallen asleep or had she just completely zoned out. She didn't know. Her day had been awful and dare she admit that date night had somewhat slipped her mind.
It took all of Amy's strength to haul herself up from the sofa and sluggishly drag herself to the door. The soft blanket that had been draped over her fell to the floor and she simply didn't feel like she had the energy to pick it up.
"Good evening Amy" Sheldon smiled as Amy opened the door to him. Instantly, she felt his eyes scanning over her, questioning her appearance as he held a bottle of red in his hand. He had never seen her like this before and even though she was in her pyjamas and dressing gown he found this all rather intimate. This is what she wore to bed and that thought alone made him feel somewhat uncomfortable.
"Hi" it was a half hearted hello and even though Sheldon wasn't the best at understanding when someone was upset, even he could tell something wasn't quiet right with her. Her whole demeanour was down and sad and in Sheldon's eyes that really wasn't Amy.
"I thought you were cooking" he asked, once he'd stepped into her apartment, closed the door behind him and noticed that the kitchen was still. Sheldon and Amy alternated their dates after their first year of dating. It had taken Amy that long to get him to enter her apartment after dark. One month, they would go out for dinner, the following month Amy would cook. It had taken Amy to meet Sheldon to understand that she really enjoyed taking care of people, she guessed before him, she never really had anyone to take care of.
"I'm sorry" Amy's back was to him as she walked back over to the couch. "I can order pizza if you want" she sighed, shrugging her shoulders as she resumed her previous position on the couch.
Standing and observing, Sheldon watched, his head cocked to one side as he tried to piece together what was going on. What had happened to her? Amy on date night was sickly sweet, often over bearing and far too enthusiastic for the events of the evening. What Sheldon was a witnessing right now was a complete contrast to all of these emotions, he wasn't sure he'd ever seen her like the before.
"Amy" he spoke slowly, dragging out her name as he lowered himself on to the couch. He sat as far away from her as was physically possible. "I don't know if I have this right but something is telling me that you're not okay" turning her head, she glared at him, Sheldon felt himself recoil, sinking into the couch under gaze. She was definitely not okay. "If you don't want to do date night, I could always go," he suggested.
This was where his brain, for all its brilliance, didn't quite work in the same way as other human beings. It was hard for him to understand that despite feeling down, she still wanted company, that she would have been quite happy just to have him sit near her in complete silence, because she didn't want to be alone.
"I don't want you to go" she told him gently. Even though she loved him, it was in moments like this where she wished he was a little different. Where he knew exactly what to do, where he would scoop her up in his arms and hold her for as long as her heart desired or where he would draw her a warm bath and pamper her. Amy knew that maybe her views were a little too idyllic but really, once in a while was it too much to ask.
"Can we order pizza then please?" Sheldon asked and of all the things he could have said it was that that caused the corners of her mouth to turn up into a small smile.
"Sure"
—
Whilst they waited for pizza, Sheldon rambled on about his day at work, talking with confidence about his research and theories. All Amy did was listen and nod every so often when she felt it was necessary. Although, this wasn't her vision of an ideal date night, she couldn't help but wonder whether this to Sheldon was absolute perfection. An evening where he could just talk about himself and his achievements with zero interruptions.
"Amy" he broke the silence that had fallen once he had run out of things to say. "I'm not very good at this, but have I done something wrong?" he asked. He always felt like he was doing things wrong, even though at the time he often didn't know it, he was still learning the ropes of being in a relationship, how to be a good boyfriend and Amy's expectations of him as her boyfriend. Reading emotions had been a sticking point in his life, he often couldn't decipher if someone was off with him because they were having a bad day or because of something he had done. Amy was no difference, although he hoped with time he would find her easier to read. She was his girlfriend after all.
Amy eyes were softer this time as she looked across to him, she pushed herself into a more upright position, tucking her legs underneath her as she let the blanket fall just a little. She shook her head.
"No, this isn't anything you've done. Don't worry, I'm just being silly" Sheldon found it odd that she was dismissing her feelings as being 'silly', considering she had pretty much given him the silent treatment all evening.
"Well, then what is it? Because if you're expecting me to guess or just know these things then we're going to be here for a very long time," he didn't think he was phased by Amy being down but now simply not knowing was annoying.
"It's probably just me being…I know once I say it out loud it'll just be nothing" she shrugged, surprised he had even bothered asking her.
"Can you please just tell me" he sounded desperate now, like he simply needed to know. Amy sighed, a deep long sigh to the point where Sheldon could hear the air entering her lungs. Sitting up straight, Sheldon watched as she rested her hands on her knees and twiddled with her fingers, he had seen her do this a few times and had concluded it happened when she was nervous.
"I just felt a little left out today" she explained. Sheldon stared at her waiting for more, he thought there had to be more. "Penny and Bernadette went wedding dress shopping and didn't invite me and I guess…" she sighed again. "I know I shouldn't feel like this, I've only known them for a year and Penny and Bernadette have been friends much longer but it still hurt" she glanced over at Sheldon whose eyes were on her, she couldn't read his emotions, was he concerned? Or did he think she was just as ridiculous as she thought she sounded.
The truth was today had really upset her, she had even shed a little when she saw their Instagram posts. She knew she was being over the top and that as a grown woman she shouldn't be phased by something like this but just like she'd never experienced having a boyfriend before, she'd also never experienced having a true, meaningful friendships.
Why hadn't she been invited? Had she just simply being forgotten or did they just not want her there? She wasn't entirely sure which option she wanted to be the answer, all she knew was that their actions, although Amy was sure not intentional had really upset her and hurt her feelings.
"I can understand that" Sheldon's response almost made Amy's eyes bulge from her head, she couldn't remember the last time he had shown empathy towards her or anybody. Yet, in the strangest way it made her heart feel so full, she felt so grateful that he hadn't dismissed her feelings or pushed them to one side, that instead he had made her feel completely valid for feeling the way she felt.
"You can?" she asked, her voice quiet, there was a part of her that almost felt like crying.
"If I found out that Leonard and Howard had spent time at the comic book store without inviting me, I think I would feel…" he struggled to find the word. "Disappointed," he tried, smiling when Amy nodded.
"Yeah, disappointed is a really good way of describing how I feel" she suddenly felt really proud of him, proud that he was able to take her experience and relate it to himself. She had to resist the urge to reach out and touch him, she wanted to give his knee a reassuring squeeze but she was worried he would recoil and their moment would be ruined. "Thank you for understanding," she smiled.
"That's okay" he shrugged like it was nothing but to Amy it was everything, it was steps and strides in the right direction, a direction that she had been desperate for them to head in for a really long time. Again, she felt compelled to reach out and touch him, to hold him, for him to hold her. She took another deep breath, it was now or never.
"Sheldon" he knew from her tone of voice that she wanted something. "Can I suggest something?" Amy continued when he nodded. "I know this might be something you're not one hundred percent comfortable with so I'd like you to keep an open mind," when he didn't respond she continued, she found it promising that despite not knowing he wasn't already protesting. "Right now, I find myself craving physical human contact, as a comfort almost," she explained, watching his face for a flicker of change.
"Amy, where is this going?" he didn't like the sound of this. She was right, things like this didn't make him feel comfortable at all.
"All I'm suggesting is a cuddle. Nothing more. Just a cuddle" she wanted to be held, more than anything she wanted someone to hold her in their arms and make her feel safe and secure.
"Amy, cuddling is a big step" to other couples cuddling would happen rather flippant, probably even on the first date for most, but for Sheldon in particular, holding someone close, having any one that close to him was completely new territory.
"I know" she nodded. This was huge for him. "We have been dating for almost eighteen months now and…" she shook her head. "I really don't want you to do anything that would make you feel uncomfortable. I want you to want this too" she didn't want to be held out of pity, maybe that drove why she was asking but she wanted him to want her, she wanted that so much.
"Okay" he nodded. In some way he knew he had to move their relationship forward. He knew that it was natural for relationships to progress and move, this for them, he thought was a nice gentle step. In the grand scheme of it all she really wasn't asking for a lot. "Very well, we can cuddle," he tried to say it again but this time with a little more confidence.
"Really? We can"
"Yes, now quickly before I change my mind" when Amy shuffled closer to him, Sheldon pushed himself back as far as he could on the couch. Neither one of them really knew how this was going to work, it was completely unfamiliar territory.
Out of fear of him changing his mind, Amy moved quickly, tucking her legs underneath and curling into his side as her head rested rather perfectly on his chest. The sudden movements forced Sheldon to move his arms out of the way and once Amy was in place he found that they wrapped around her rather nicely.
It took a few moments for both of them to relax but after a while Sheldon realised this wasn't as bad as he thought. Never once did he think he would enjoy being this close to someone but low and be hold here he was actually enjoying being cuddled and cuddling Amy Farrah Fowler.
This to Amy was everything, it probably shouldn't
have meant so much to her, a cuddle with your boyfriend after eighteen months was nothing new for most couples but for Amy this was everything and exactly what she needed. She could feel his heart hammering from the inside of his chest, she could feel his breathing that had once been heavy now become even and steady. She could smell the baby powder, the scent of him, this was it. This was her comfort. As soon as his arms wrapped themselves around her, she felt all her worries melt away.
"This is nice" she whispered. She really could have stayed like this forever. "I could fall asleep like this" she sighed.
"Please don't, I won't be able to move otherwise" Sheldon responded, giving Amy no indication of how he felt about all of this. This was a huge deal for him and she found herself feeling strangely proud of him.
"Would you like to do this more?" she asked.
Sheldon thought about his answer carefully. "I wouldn't be averse to it" Amy's heart fluttered at his little confession that he was actually enjoying this and would maybe, just maybe, want to do this again.
They stayed like this for a few moments longer until they heard a knock at Amy's door. Their pizza had arrived and Sheldon couldn't have moved quicker.
"Oh, saved by the bell" he exclaimed almost throwing Amy off of him as he leaped up to answer the door. Despite this, she couldn't have been happier, they had cuddled, really and properly cuddled for the very first time. She was beyond happy and now could finally enjoy their date night.
Thank you all so much reading. As always reviews are always welcome and so appreciated! I always loved reading your thoughts.
Stay safe!
Lots of love!