Amy sat at a corner table in the coffee shop, sipping iced tea, and waiting for Sheldon. She had arrived a few minutes early in order to have time to think. She was sure of what she wanted to say, but unsure of how to say it. She had talked to Alice and Penny both and they had both been, surprisingly, in agreement about how they would handle someone like Sheldon, though not, necessarily how she should handle him. Still, the information would be useful.

The past few weeks had been interesting. She had learned a great deal about herself and about others. She was an introvert, she needed time alone, but she also needed friends, not many friends, but a few she could call good friends. She wanted, not needed, but wanted, a significant relationship. Sheldon was a viable candidate, but only if she could put the relationship on equal footing and she knew that he would want to control their interactions- given that he would even want to continue them.

She had taken care with her appearance. She had, as Penny suggested, purchased a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that morning. They were, as Penny would say, not earth-shaking, but the jeans did fit well and did justice to her figure while the vivid red of the t-shirt, with its three-quarter sleeves and modestly scooped neckline, went well with her complexion. She'd played with her hair for a good hour before finally just piling it on top of her head in a messy bun like the one she wore in the lab in order to keep her hair out of the way. She'd even put on a touch of lipstick. There was nothing to do about the glasses on short notice, but the salesperson at Old Navy had said something that felt like a compliment about "hipster glasses" and "geek chic". She looked, with those small changes, completely different from the Amy who had, a scant two and a half months ago, met Sheldon, for the first time, in this very coffee shop.

She looked at her phone and noted that it was 2:45 pm, the time she and Sheldon had agreed upon for their meeting. She looked up towards the door and there he was, punctual as usual. He was looking around and giving every indication of not seeing what he expected to see. She raised her hand and waved to him. She noted that Rajesh and Howard were in attendance, but had taken a table on the other side of the shop. They both smiled at her. Howard waggled his eyebrows and mouthed a "lookin' gooooood' at her.

He walked over to her table. "I see you've been taking 'look like a slut' lessons from Penny. Really, if…"

She stood and cut him off. "If that's how you're going to be, then this meeting is over. Good-bye." She started toward the door.

"Wait!" She kept walking. "Please! Wait!" She stopped and turned, looking at him expectantly.

"I … don't know what to say."

"You could start by apologizing for insulting both Penny and me."

He looked confused. "How did I insult either one of you?"

"For an intelligent man, you're remarkably dim. Think about it. You insulted Penny's mode of attire, calling it sluttish when it isn't. You insulted me twice when you implied that I had allowed Penny undue control over my choice of clothes and when you called those clothes sluttish. You're trying to impose your definition of what is appropriate on me and on everyone else in your life. You need to stop doing that. The only person you're allowed to criticize or control is you." She paused, astonished at herself for both the length and content of her speech. Then she continued. "You try to do it to everyone – Howard, Leonard, Rajesh… I don't know why they put up with you. And, if you want me to put up with you, you're going to have to make an effort to stop controlling every little thing." She took a deep breath. "And I'll put that in writing and have it signed and notarized if you like."

"Well, I … really! I had come here in order to propose an extension of our social interaction agreement, but if that's the way you feel, perhaps I won't."

"That's your choice. Personally, I think an agreement is so much … what's the word you use? Poppycock? If, and that's a big if, we want to continue to see each other socially, we don't need a written agreement. All we need to do is continue. If either one of us has doubts about continuing the relationship, then this meeting is pointless. That being the case, I'm leaving." She started out the door.

"You're being hasty."

"Hardly." She continued walking.

"Wait. Even if we don't continue seeing each other socially, we still need to discuss what went wrong, so you don't do it again with someone else."

She stopped and turned. "So I don't do it again!? How about so you don't do it again, you socially retarded toddler?" She left.

He sat, gaping at the door, for a full five minutes before what had happened registered with him.

Raj and Howard joined him. "What happened Sheldon? Looks like someone called you on your bullshit." Howard smirked

"She made a mistake. She'll soon realize her error and come back. Then we'll discuss how to continue."

"She's not coming back, dude." Raj said. "If you want to talk to her, you're going to have to go to her."

"That's preposterous. She made the error; she's the one who has to fix it. And that means she has to come to me."

"Oh, Sheldon," Howard shook his head. "And people think I'm clueless. Come on, let's get you home."

"No. We can't leave yet. I have to be here when she comes back to apologize."

"No, we don't. Because she's not coming back. If you want to talk to her, you're the one who has to make the first move. She's done.

"But …"

"No. This is like a game. She rolled the d-20 and demolished Sheldor. Now it's your turn. Figure out your response and hope the dice favor you. Right now, though, she's got it all – comeliness, charisma, and intelligence. I'm not sure, at this point, what you have."

He looked, wistfully, at the door. "Perhaps you're right. If I'm here when she comes back, it would make me look too eager. Whereas, if I'm not, it would serve to drive home the lesson that I'm not to be trifled with. Let's go." He gathered up his belongings. "If I play hard to get, that should force her to come around, right?"

The others just shook their heads.

Amy's car was parked in front of the apartment building when Sheldon, Howard, and Raj arrived.

"She's here! I knew she would realize her error and come to me." He started up the stairs, almost running.

He burst into his apartment. "Amy, I'm glad to see that you've realized … the … mistake …" He looked around, not seeing her anywhere. "Where is she? Her car is downstairs, so she must be here."

Leonard, who had been getting a soft drink, looked at Sheldon owlishly. "Where's who."

"Amy. Her car is downstairs. Where is she?"

"She's not here."

"She has to be. Where else would she be?"

"At Penny's?"

"Nonsense. I'm the one she mistreated. I'm the one she needs to talk to. Why would she need to see Penny?"

"Maybe because they're becoming friends?"

Sheldon sat down. "But she needs to talk to me."

Howard sat next to him. "No, Sheldon. You need to talk to her; she doesn't need to talk to you at all. This is all you, Shelly."