Sheldon sat at the table of the fancy Italian restaurant the following night, and checked his watch.
Six fifty-six; she should be here by now. He thought to himself.
He scanned the room, and at last, spotted Amy hurrying through the doorway, searching for Sheldon.
He stood up, and upon spotting him, Amy approached the table.
Sheldon pulled the seat opposite him out, for Amy to sit in.
"Thank you." She uttered, sitting down.
"Apologies for my tardiness. I left work late." Amy explained.
"Understood. Although, for a moment, I didn't think you would come." Sheldon replied.
"Why wouldn't I?" Amy frowned.
"Because of last night." Sheldon responded. "On that note, I would like to offer my apologies to you for the nature of my text upsetting you. It wasn't my intention, and I would like you to know that I am going to try harder to be the boyfriend you deserve."
Amy blushed crimson, and looked down at her lap, smiling.
"Thank you Sheldon." She whispered, looking back up.
They both opened their menus, scanning the choices and selecting their food.
After the waiter had taken their orders and set their drinks down on the table, Sheldon leaned forward slightly.
"So, how is work going?" He asked.
Amy smiled at Sheldon's thoughtfulness.
"It was great, thank you. There's some gossip going around and…You know what? Never mind, you don't like gossip." She was about to change the subject, when Sheldon spoke up.
"No, tell me. What's the 411?"
Amy smirked at Sheldon's attempted use of slang and bit back a laugh. "Ahem. Well, apparently someone in the neurobiology department is being offered a five month contract in Florida!"
Sheldon raised his eyebrows, taking a sip of his water. "What does the job entail?"
"It's a marine biology centre in Tampa, and the job is to discover whether dolphins and humans are similar in brain activity and thought patterns. The lucky candidate gets to study the dolphins in an animal-friendly way, which is much more appealing to me than testing out drugs on mice and primates." Amy's eyes danced.
"I see, that sounds fascinating! So, in order to be considered in the selection process, do you need to submit an application, or are you just offered the position based on seniority or your quality of work?" Sheldon asked.
"I don't know." Amy admitted. "I just hope the rumour is true. How cool would that be?"
"It does sound good. But I thought you liked testing drugs on animals?"
"Well…I do, but I always feel guilty. At least this way I can be rest assured that no harm will come to the dolphins."
Sheldon nodded in reply. "Well…I hope you get selected Amy."
Amy grinned. "Thank you Sheldon! It's an amazing opportunity. But I doubt I'll get selected to be honest. But enough about me... How is your work coming along?"
"It's okay thank you." Sheldon replied, "I'm currently working on string perturbation theory, namely its applications to phenomenological string models."
Amy nodded. "Sounds good."
When their food was delivered to the table, Amy tucked in daintily.
Sheldon bit his lip and pushed a tomato round his plate.
"Amy, may I ask you a question?"
Amy looked up and finished her mouthful. "Of course."
"It's quite personal." Sheldon warned.
"Um…Okay…"
Sheldon leaned forward again. "Amy…Is it true…I mean, do you…"
"Do I what, Sheldon?" Amy frowned.
"Do you love me?" He asked quietly.
Amy felt her heart pound in her chest, her mouth became dry and her head spun.
"Uh…I…" She stammered, searching for her voice. "Why?"
"I just wondered if a woman of your intellect really had romantic feelings for me." Sheldon replied. "I mean…Isn't it really just a biochemical reaction in the brain that less intelligent people refer to as 'falling in love'?"
Amy stared at him in disbelief. "It's much more than that…"
"An emotional, and sometimes sexual, attachment?" Sheldon queried.
"Well yes, but..."
"And is that what you feel for me?"
Amy squirmed uncomfortably. "Why are you asking me this?"
"I have been informed that…You may have those sorts of feelings towards me." Sheldon replied.
Amy sighed and covered her face with a hand. "Okay, okay…Look, I know your views on love are not the same as mine, but I can't help it. Despite your aversions to physical contact, I have been your girlfriend for almost three years now, and yes." She took a deep breath. "I do love you Sheldon."
Sheldon nodded, looking down at his plate shyly.
"But I know you don't feel the same for me." Amy breathed.
"Amy, honestly, I don't know what I feel." Sheldon confessed, "I am unfamiliar with romantic feelings and notions and what have you, so I can't tell you what I feel if I am unsure of it."
Amy pursed her lips and closed her eyes, nodding slowly.
"But what I am familiar with is my attraction to you, and I would like to one day be able to touch you… kiss you… without fear." Sheldon added.
Amy swallowed. "Thank you for being honest with me." She whispered.
Sensing Amy's sadness, Sheldon tentatively reached out his hand.
Amy frowned down at it, and looked back up into Sheldon's eyes, searching for an explanation.
"Take my hand." He said, sounding more confident than he felt.
"Really?"
"Yes…I'd like you to."
Amy gingerly put her hand in his, and felt his fingers curl around her own, slowly.
"I will try my best, Amy." He said, looking into her eyes. "I promise you."
..
That night as Sheldon walked Amy to her door, Amy turned around to face him.
"Would you like to come in? It's not too late." She offered.
"I was hoping you would ask." He smiled weakly.
Amy let them both into her apartment, and headed straight to the kitchen to pour Sheldon a glass of Yoohoo.
He thanked her and sat down in his favourite spot on Amy's couch, as she joined him.
"So…What shall we talk about?" Amy prompted.
Sheldon licked his lips. "Provided that I have your permission, I would like to try something."
"Uh…Sure." Amy shrugged. "What's that?"
Sheldon said nothing.
Taking a deep breath, he slowly and timidly scooted closer to Amy.
Amy's heart began to beat faster.
Sheldon's face inched closer to hers, and Amy swallowed hard, anticipating his next move.
His soft, slightly parted lips met hers, so lightly that Amy felt as if a feather had landed on her lips.
She closed her eyes, feeling overwhelmed with emotion.
He kissed her gently; it couldn't have lasted more than a second, and then he hurriedly moved back into his seat, flustered.
Amy gazed at him.
Sheldon was now breathing heavily, and his eyes were darting around the floor as he tried to come to terms with what he had just done.
"Sheldon," She whispered, and his eyes met hers. She noted that his eyes were wide, like a frightened deer, so she spoke softly. "Thank you Sheldon. That was lovely, and I'm proud of you for making a move like that."
Sheldon nodded. "Thank you for a wonderful evening Amy, I really must leave now." He smiled politely.
"Would you like me to drive you home?" She offered.
"No, I'll take a taxi, but thank you for the offer, I really must…I have to go." And then he all but ran out of Amy's apartment.
Well, he had done it.
He had finally initiated a kiss with Amy!
Sheldon began sweating and recognized that his symptoms were leading to a panic attack.
He had to get out of the building.
Racing up the hallway until he reached the elevator, Sheldon tried to calm himself.
Back in Amy's apartment, the neurobiologist still stood, staring at the door.
She sighed. "One step forward, three steps back." She muttered, a little sadly.
But then, she remembered the promise that Sheldon had made; he was going to try, and he had been true to his word tonight.
She had to hold on to that; For Sheldon, this was a huge leap!