"Hannah!"
She kept moving - only another twenty feet and she could lock herself in her car and have a meltdown. Unfortunately Sheldon was quicker than her; grabbing her arm before she stepped into the parking lot. He spun her around so they were facing each other but let go when he saw the grief on her beautiful face. Grief he had caused.
He stared at her dumbfounded; unsure how to deal with a weepy woman. He opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself as she wiped the tears from her cheeks. "Please, just let me go." She whispered suddenly; her voice soft and heartbreaking.
This was why he had avoided emotional attachments and coitus for thirty years. Since meeting Hannah he had been on his own personal emotional roller coaster and now here she was, standing before him in The Cheesecake Factory's parking lot with tears in her eyes and it was breaking his heart.
"Hannah, I'm sorry."
She met his eyes, waiting for him elaborate - explain to her why he was out to dinner with his ex-girlfriend or why he treated her like the plaque all of a sudden but he couldn't find the words. He could only stare at her with a lost look on his handsome face.
After a moment she stepped on her toes and placed a soft kiss on Sheldon's jaw; frowning as she said goodbye and walked away. Leaving him alone in the parking lot.
x-x-x
Sheldon sat down at the empty table; idly wondering where Amy had went. He hadn't seen her in the parking lot but truth be known he was a little preoccupied. Why couldn't he just love Amy Farrah Fowler? She was smart and pretty, friendly - her only fault was loving him and wanting an intimacy that he just couldn't give her.
Kissing Hannah made his heart feel like it was going to burst in his chest; kissing Amy was just lips against lips. A sigh escaped him as Amy emerged from the lady's room and back to their table, smiling kindly.
"Thank you Sheldon for accompanying me to Dr. Jones seminar so I didn't lose my money. I do appreciate it and I hope that in the future we can be friends."
Sheldon looked up at Amy, forcing a smile. "Thank you for having me, Amy. I do look forward to your friendship." With that said she assured him it was getting late and offered to give him a ride home which he quickly declined. "Perhaps Penny could drive me or I'll take the bus." He assured quietly before Amy left.
Moments later Penny walked into the room glaring at Sheldon. "You're a real jerk. Sheldon." She growled, folding her arms in front of her chest. Sheldon began to protest but she stopped him quickly. "Hannah is a sweet girl and she doesn't deserve to be dumped like a bad habit just because you have a hard time processing emotional shit, okay? I know you care about her and you need to fix this!"
Sheldon looked down at the table, taking in Penny's words. He did care about Hannah but fixing emotional relationships was not his expertise.
"I don't know how."
Those words had never been uttered by the physicist before. He looked up at Penny with hurt in his eyes. More than anything he wanted to go back to Monday morning and wake up feeling relaxed and happy instead of dreadful.
"You need to tell her how you feel and stop worrying about losing who you are! Sure the first few months of a new relationship are passionate and consuming but eventually you both will find a comfortable place with each other and life will balance out."
Sheldon's gaze returned to his hands on the table; analyzing Penny's words. "Do you really think things will balance out?" He finally asked in a small voice. Penny's hard demeanor softened at the pain on her friend face. He really couldn't processed having a normal relationship with a girl he obviously cared about. "Oh, sweetie." She sat down across the table from him and smiled, reaching out to put her hand over his. To her surprise he didn't pull away.
"Hannah really cares about you, Sheldon. She's heartbroken that you've been avoiding her this week. Promise me you'll talk to her."
Sheldon agreed to speak with Hannah, if she would give him the chance and Penny assured him her shift was over in ten minutes and she'd give him a ride home.
x-x-x
Friday evening.
"Leonard, would you mind taking my bag into the apartment. I'm going to go upstairs and speak with Hannah." Sheldon assured quietly, handing his messenger bag over as they made it to their floor. "Sure thing, good luck." His friend said with a smile, watching as Sheldon continued up the many steps to the fifth floor.
He stopped at Hannah's door and lifted his arm; remembering all too well the last time he knocked on this very door. Please don't be in a red bikini. He swallowed the lump that formed in his throat and placed his fist to the wood.
Knock. Knock. Knock. "Hannah."
Knock. Knock. Knock. "Hannah."
Knock. Knock. Knock. "Hannah."
A moment passed before she opened the door; looking up at him slowly. She looked more breath taking than when she'd been half naked and he swallowed again cursing his urges. He dropped his hand and tried to smile at her, forcing himself not to kiss her.
I know your insides are feeling so hollow,
and it's a hard pill for you to swallow.
But if I, fall for you - I'll never recover.
If I, fall for you - I'll never be the same.
I really want to love somebody,
I really want to dance the night away.
I know were only half way there -
but take me all the way, take me all the way. Love Somebody - Maroon Five
Hannah stood before him in her usual Friday night attire, dark gray sweat pants that hung low on her hips and a white tank top, however tonight it was red, matching the lettering down her left leg. Her hair was down and in soft blond curls, falling into her face as she pulled the Xbox headphones off her ears and placed them around her neck.
It was the parking lot all over again and he was at a loss for words. Luckily, Hannah stepped aside smiling. "Would you like to come in and play some Black Ops? You can be on my team."
"Okay."
Sheldon followed her into the apartment and sat on the couch, taking the offered controller. "Hannah I need to apologize to you for my actions this week. I never wanted to hurt you or avoid you. I wish that I would have done things differently..." His voice trailed off at the thought, frowning when Hannah frowned.
"You regret what we did?" She asked suddenly, that perfect pink lip sticking out just enough to get his attention. "What? No!" A groan escaped him. "I can't seem to express myself the way I want too. I have avoided emotional situations my whole life but when I'm with you I feel like the world is spinning off its axes - you make me want to do things that I've never wanted to do before, Hannah. You make me feel alive for the first time in 30 years."
Hannah glanced up at him, surprised at his words and the look in his eyes. A sigh escaped her lips. She wanted to kiss him but knew it probably wasn't a good idea. A fool me once situation. "Sheldon..." His name came out a whisper on her lips and she was lost, closing her eyes once his mouth found hers and his fingers brushed her hair back slightly as the kiss deepened.
Fool me twice, shame on me. Hannah let the headphones fall to the carpet as she straddled Sheldon's lap and pushed him into the couch, breaking away from his mouth to kiss his jaw then his neck. His hands traveled down her spine to the hem of her shirt, touching her bare skin as he held her against his chest; her lips finding his again.
"Hannah," Sheldon mustered up all his strength, wrapping his hands around her slender arms and putting some space between them. They stared at each other with dilated, lustful eyes. "Yeah." She whispered, leaning forward to kiss him again; running her own fingers up his stomach - bringing his shirt with her. Once her icy fingertips touched his skin he let out a groan, breathing heavily as her surprisingly skillful fingers found his belt and began the agonizing process of unclasping it from his pants. "Hannah," He said again, more of a plea as his chest rose quickly. She stopped her task and looked at him, her own breathing labored and apparent.
"I told Penny I would come talk to you and fix this between us." He stated - matter of fact as if he was letting Penny down by having his way with Hannah instead of talking about their problems. Hannah processed his words for a moment before returning to the task at hand. "The only thing between us is this belt..." She assured quietly, pulling the strap from his pants. "I forgive you for avoiding me... just don't give up on me Sheldon. I promise I'm worth it.." Sheldon searched her face, nodding in agreement. She was definitely worth it. He had dedicated his life to string theory; he could give up a few months for Hannah.
x-x-x-x-x
A/N: Sad there haven't been any reviews in a few days. I hope the story doesn't disappoint but I'm having trouble finding a path for it to go. Every good story needs a little drama!
