Chapter 9:

" Telling her"

A/N: Hello readers! For those of you still with me, I know it's been an incredible amount of time, but I switched schools and got so busy that I completely forgot about fanfiction. But here I am, and I'll be posting stuff again, sparingly, at least for now. In the meanwhile, here's a short chapter 9 to get people interested again. It's actually a one-shot type thing that I wrote when I was originally writing this story, but I decided you guys might like it, so it's now chapter nine. This chapter isn't beta-d by anyone, and it's kind of different than the other chapters, but keep in mind that I haven't written for this story in a long time, so it's going to sound a little different (I hope not too much to turn you away!). Anyways, I'll get on with the story now, so enjoy! Also, it takes place like 2 hours after the last chapter. Just so you have an idea.

Penelope and Adam walked through the streets, eager. They both had to work longer than usual, and Adam was sick of ordering chinese food all the time, so they decided to switch it up and get pizza. Since they worked together and they were best friends, they had ended up eating together more often than not.

They were really a mismatched pair: Penny, the beautiful chemistry genius with a wild streak, and Adam, the quirky awkward lab geek. Still, they had become good friends over the past few months. She had really been there for Adam when his apartment was flooded, even letting him sleep on her couch for a few days. Adam was by her side, watching romantic comedies with her and letting her cry on his shoulder, after her boyfriend left her for a college girl. They had become good friends. Which is why Adam decided to tell Penelope that he loved her.

They sat down with their greasy, cheesy New York classic pizza and diet Cokes for both of them when Adam pictured how their life could be together. He saw her moving in, boxes spread all over the floor while they laid together on the couch in exhaustion, as she blabbered on and on about some case she was instrumental in solving. He saw them on their honeymoon in Puerto Rico, laying on the beach together and drinking margaritas, as she threw a napkin at him, saying he had grease on his nose. He saw them growing old together, sitting in rocking chairs in front of their house with a white picket fence, as she sighed, rubbed her eyes and asked if he was ready to leave.

"There's something I have to tell you first," Adam whispered just loud enough for her to hear.

"Okay. Shoot." Penelope said, folding her hands in her lap, diligently listening.

"I..." Adam started.

Just then, both of their pagers went off, and they ran out the door back to work before Adam could say another word.

Hours later, long after the pizza, Mac finally released them both for a solid 12 hours, until the next days shift started. Penelope stepped onto the elevator and breathed a deep sigh of relief. She could finally go home and sleep like she had been desperate for so many hours ago during pizza. Speaking of pizza, she wondered, what did Adam want to tell me so badly?

Just as those thoughts formed in her mind, Adam came dashing out of the lab, obviously trying to leave quickly before Mac could chain him to his table to work for even longer. Penelope held the elevator door while Adam flew down the hall, down the stairs and straight into the elevator.

"Phew. Thanks for holding the door. I wasn't sure I could make it out of here fast enough." Adam said, smiling.

"Sure, anytime." Penelope said quietly. She looked at her feet, while Adam watched the numbers count down from 34, taking them to the lobby.

At level 25, Penelope thought she could handle the awkward silence of unspoken words that lay between them.

At level 17, she could feel her face getting hot and red with embarrassment.

Finally, at level 9, she couldn't take it any longer. "What did you want to tell me at the pizza store?"

Adam blushed and stammered. "oh, well it's not really important. We don't have to talk about it."

"You said you had to tell me," she pressed. "What is it? You can tell me anything."

Adam started to sweat. He watched the numbers go down quicker and quicker.

9,8,7. "Uh..."

6,5. "Well..."

4,3. "The thing is..."

2. "I..."

1. "I love you."

Penelope all but gasped as the doors to the elevator opened and the crowded noise of the lobby overtook their conversation. Before she could udder a response, Adam disappeared into the crowd, and she was left staring into the crowd, wondering what had just happened.