Chapter 6
Penny felt warmth near her and immediately snuggled towards it, her hand pulling away from the soft warmth it had been encased in. She felt a hand against her back and sat up suddenly, blinking in confusion.
Sheldon's room?
Her heart was beating wildly in absolute panic. He was going to kill her. What was she doing in here? People couldn't be in his room! She reached to pull the covers off so she could make her escape, when she felt her fingers brush against warm skin. She had forgotten the hand on her back. She slowly turned her head, her eyes freezing in shock when she found Sheldon sitting on the bed and calmly watching her.
"Oh, Sheldon, I'm sorry! Why am I? What was that? How did you? Did you TAZE me?"
Sheldon blinked at her. "Penny, I most certainly did nothing of the sort." He paused and she waited for some sort of explanation. "Penny…" He was gazing at the floor, but suddenly squared his shoulders and looked her in the eyes. "Penny, I wish to change the paradigm of our relationship."
Her heart dropped. "Sheldon, I don't want to lose you as a friend. I already said that-" Her words were turning incomprehensible when Sheldon suddenly leaned forward and kissed her quickly on the lips, closed-mouthed. She stilled, quiet as a mouse as she tried to make sense of the new information.
"Penny, I request we add a romantic component to our relationship." His bravado suddenly dropped and his gaze shifted. "If you meant what you said before." His voice was much quieter at the last statement.
Penny slowly reached out and touched Sheldon's arm, watching as his eyes briefly jumped to look at hers and then dropped again to his lap. "Sheldon, do you want to date me? I'm so lost. You don't have to force yourself to do this, sweetie. I'm not going to ask something of you that I know you aren't willing to give." She sighed. "That was the whole point of what I was trying to say. Now you probably think I'm going to collapse into hysterics if you don't love me back." She dropped back down onto her back, staring at the ceiling and bemoaning the sudden fainting spell that had so unnerved Sheldon.
"Penny, I never realized you had any sort of inclination toward me in a romantic sense. I distanced myself due to my own feelings for you. Please give me some credit; while I may not be incredibly adept at social situations, even I would not think it necessary to cut you from my life for such a reason. I merely wished to gain the space required to excise the emotions that caught me unawares." He cleared his throat. "If you share these hippy-dippy feelings, I would like to enter into a relationship agreement with you."
Penny tilted her head. "Are you sure this isn't you trying to save me from my own "emotional dramatics"? I don't know why I passed out, but I promise you it wasn't because I just can't go on without you. I may very well be in love, but I'll survive it, sweetie."
"Penny, I am sure your sudden brush with unconsciousness was in no way caused by my perceived refusal of your feelings. The reason, whatever it may be," he added quickly, "does still concern me, however." He rested his hand on her cheek. "In that vein, I further request, firmly, that you stay nearby so I can look after your health… regardless as to your decision on entering a relationship with me."
Penny felt a grin forming on her face. "You do know I'm not signing any papers, right?"
Sheldon gave her a sharp look. "Penny, a relationship agreement is even more necessary than a roommate agreement. We cannot simply-"
Penny cut him off with a loud, but chaste, kiss on his lips. "No way, you'd ban me from doing stuff like that if I let you write a contract." She grinned mischievously.
Sheldon's eyes crinkled and he let out a breathy laugh. "I'd do no such thing." Then, his expression suddenly serious again, he placed a lingering kiss on her lips.