Sheldon is beginning to learn things about himself he never knew, or even suspected.
Sweat dripped into Bo's right eye and he brushed it away without thinking about it. He looked across the counter at the lively brunette and sighed softly. She was becoming more and more of a distraction every day. He slid a tray of crescent rolls into the proofer and turned back to the dough station. He began prepping pepperoni rolls, his mind decidedly not on his work. He was on his second batch when slender hands slipped on latex gloves and began to help. He blushed furiously as Missy stood beside him quietly and helped.
After several minutes she cleared her throat. "Um, my brother loved the strawberry rhubarb strudel you made last week. It's his favorite dessert now and he's really picky. He said it was the best he ever had."
Bo smiled slightly. "I'm glad. It was my Nana's recipe."
They were silent for a few more minutes before Missy finally turned to him. "Okay, I'm just going to jump right in here. Would you like to have dinner with me? Or maybe go to a movie?"
Bo looked at the beautiful woman and sighed. "Look, I'm not sure what you are doing, but just because you saw me at a therapist's office doesn't mean I need your pity. I'm not a basket case, or a charity project."
Missy's jaw dropped and she turned pale before blood rushed to her face. "N…no! That's ,um, I mean…." Missy looked down at the dough in her hands. She was mangling it. "I don't pity you," she murmured. "I like you." She tossed down the dough and walked away quickly.
Becca walked by with a case of donut boxes. "Smooth, dumbass," she said softly. She placed the case on the shelf and headed toward Missy, voice suddenly several decibels louder. "Hey, chika! Let's grab some lunch so Mr. Tactless can here can beat some sense into himself with a breadstick."
Bo groaned with embarrassment as Becca towed Missy from the shop. He had just made a colossal asshat of himself. Why did he continually do that around Missy?
XTBBTX
Sheldon flinched every few minutes, but he was slowly becoming accustomed to sitting shoulder to shoulder with Penny. He made precise even stitches into the sampler he was working on, while still managing to follow the conversation. Penny had him tell her about growing up in Texas. He would tell her stories about fights with Junior, experiments he devised, fights his parents had. He found it increasingly easy to talk to her.
At precisely 6:55 the clock beside the door began to softly beep. Penny put away the sampler she was holding and stood up. Sheldon placed his in his messenger bag and stood also. For a month they had been doing exactly this. The first week he had ended up having a full blown panic attack after only 10 minutes. The third week he had managed almost 18 minutes.
Penny smiled slightly and faced him. "Almost 35 minutes, Sheldon. You are doing very well."
Sheldon fiddled with the strap on his bag. He was pleased with her praise, but knew that what came next was bound to push him again. For his group therapy she had made him rejoin the older women again. They had spent the hour sitting on those mats, practically hip to hip, while pinning together fabric scraps for a quilting bee. It had been dreadful!
Penny gave a small laugh. "Sheldon you look like you're about to be led off to the gallows."
He looked down at his shoes. "Please, just not the quilting bee again. Gladys keeps wanting to hug me."
Penny shook her head. "Not the quilting bee, I promise. No, instead you will be watching a movie." She held out an envelope and he took it tentatively. "Inside are two tickets to see Iron Man. You will ask someone to accompany you. Anyone at all, except Missy. The stipulations are that you must sit together, and you share a large bucket of popcorn."
Sheldon blanched and his jaw dropped. Before he could refuse outright, Penny raised a hand, palm out. "I will allow you to wear gloves. I will allow you to chose your own companion. But you have to try to share popcorn, and you MUST sit together."
He twitched and shook his head. "I…I do not know if I can do that."
Penny smiled softly. "I know you can. Sheldon, you have progressed beautifully in just five weeks. In all honesty, others who have gone through this treatment have nowhere near your determination. I will be there also in case you are overwhelmed. I won't make you do it for any longer than I feel you can."
Sheldon's shoulders slumped slightly. "Can't I just ask you, then?"
Penny shook her head. "No. I'll be there to observe, only."
Sheldon grimaced and headed to the door with Penny. "I know few people. Of that group, there are even fewer I would be willing to spend a significant amount of time with."
She nodded, her hand reaching for the doorknob. "I realize that, Sheldon. However, I must insist you follow through with it. The tickets are for Saturday night at 6pm. That gives you four days."
"Very well," Sheldon reluctantly agreed. "Have a pleasant evening." He stepped out of the apartment and headed to the elevators. Who on earth could he invite?
XTBBTX
Sheldon was looking through the boxes on back issue comics when he saw her. He watched her curiously as she edged around a rack of anime DVDs. She looked nervous and timid. When she got closer, he cleared his throat and she jumped 2.8 inches into the air.
She looked at with startled eyes and he blushed. "Please forgive me. I did not mean to alarm you. You are a patient of Penny Queen, are you not?"
If anything the young woman looked even more scared. "How do you know that?" she asked quietly.
"I, also, am a patient," he admitted. "My name is Sheldon Cooper." He took a deep breath and went for it. "Penny has given me a task of inviting someone to see a movie and sharing popcorn. Would you be available on Saturday at 6pm?"
The young woman's mouth popped open and she edged back a foot. "What?"
Sheldon huffed, hating to repeat himself. "I am undergoing aversion therapy. I have an aversion to people in general and touch specifically. My next session involves sitting through a movie while sharing a bucket of popcorn. Penny will be there, but she said I have to invite someone. I don't know many people. Will you attend with me?"
"A date?" she asked timidly.
Sheldon cringed back. "Good lord, no! I am not attempting a romantic entanglement. I am merely trying to fulfill the task set to me."
The woman stared at him for several long moments. She finally relaxed slightly and nodded. "My name is Sandy. Sandy Hawthorn. If Ms. Queen will be there, I will attend."
Sheldon nodded with relief. Step one accomplished. He exchanged phone numbers with her and walked over to the counter to purchase the items he had selected. Sandy seemed non-aggressive and shy. She would not present much of a threat during the outing. He headed for home feeling quite pleased with how quickly he had complied with Penny's first requirement.
XTBBTX
Sheldon entered the theater cautiously. Everywhere he looked people were laughing, joking, and generally acting outrageous. He drew his elbows in tight as man in a spandex Iron Man suit sauntered past him. He finally found himself beside Penny near the counter. She was dressed in a t-shirt and jeans, looking more casual than he had ever seen her look before. Penny looked over from her conversation with the kid behind the counter.
"Hello, Sheldon." She looked around curiously. ""Sheldon, you are supposed to bring a friend. Do not tell me you came alone."
He shook his head and looked around the lobby. Finally he spotted Sandy coming through the entrance. He lifted an arm and attracted her attention. She pushed her way through the crowds with more aggression that he would have assumed she could. Foreboding settled in his stomach. Maybe it was the smirk on her face, or the way her eyes raked down him, but he suddenly felt like he had made a huge mistake.
"Oh lord, no," Penny whispered. She turned quickly to Sheldon. "Please tell me Sandy Hawthorn is not your date!" she begged in a hushed tone.
Sheldon looked down at Penny worriedly. "I ran into her at the comic book store. I recognized her from your office. I asked her to accompany me because she would understand that this was a therapy session."
A second later Sandy sidled up to Sheldon and linked her arm through his. She pressed her body against his side and placed her free hand on his abdomen just above his belt. "Hey, sexy. Ready for the show?"
Sheldon froze up. He couldn't move, speak or even think. His mind kept screaming at him about germs, dead skin cells, and how this woman was breathing into his face.
Penny quickly took action. She placed a hand on Sandy's shoulder and turned the young woman to face her. "Sandy, you need to release Dr. Cooper. You are too close to him and he is not comfortable."
Sandy frowned slightly. "But he asked me on a date. He wants me."
Penny nodded. "Yes. He did ask you to come to the movies with him. But he is scared now. You know about fear, Sandy. Look at him closely."
Sandy looked up at the tall man and frowned. He was staring straight ahead, his body stiff and unyielding. Slowly she pulled her arm away from his and stepped back. She looked over her shoulder at Penny. "But we didn't do anything yet."
Penny turned Sandy to face her fully. "Sandy, what triggered you?"
The woman frowned and tilted her head. She thought back over her day. She looked at Penny with confusion. "I…I didn't know I was triggered," she mumbled. Penny watched sorrowfully as Sandy changed from a sexually aggressive femme fatale to a timid, mousy woman.
Penny drew her in close and gently hugged her. Over Sandy's shoulder she could see Sheldon begin to recover a bit. He was watching Sandy with fear and anger. After a few seconds she maneuvered Sandy and Sheldon from the theater. What a disaster this night had been!