Thank you all so much for your kind reviews. To quote Amy from last chapter: I missed this!
I hope the switching of POVs between chapters is not too confusing. This chapter will be mainly from Sheldon's POV and then from… surprise… Raj's POV. Why Raj? The easy answer would be because he is the only character from the main cast that has never played a bigger role in any of my stories, and I wanted to dive into his perspective a bit for a change. Also, I wanted to have an outside view on Sheldon and Amy from one character in Pasadena.
I was very busy this week, so I am really glad I had already decided to only update once a week. More really would not be possible right now, but I was still looking forward to posting this new chapter all week long and I hope you will enjoy it.
I guess they understand
How lonely life has been
But life began again
The day you took my hand
Balancing Heaven And Earth
Chapter 2 – "And I love you so"
Sheldon's POV
"Fifty percent? That does not sound plausible."
Sheldon shook his head as he swallowed down the last spoonful of his oatmeal.
"It's the truth, Sheldon.", Amy insisted. "Humans share more than fifty percent of their DNA with bananas. In fact, we share a lot of genetic similarities with various fruit."
"That is astounding. I wish I could be in the room today when you tell your students."
Amy smiled brightly at him as she finished drinking her tea.
"I'm thinking of starting out by telling them they're all bananas. And then, when they call me out on insulting them, I will show them the evidence."
He snickered. Amy just kept fascinating him with her brilliant ideas.
"It's a good thing you weren't my science teacher. I might have gone into biology because of your interesting facts."
"Oh no, that would be terrible. Sheldon Cooper the biologist!", she exclaimed.
"Right? Terrifying.", he agreed.
She did not answer and when he saw the way she grinned at him, he realized she had been using sarcasm again.
"Vixen.", he muttered, and she winked at him in response.
Sheldon got up to put the breakfast dishes into the dishwasher while Amy cleaned up the table.
He just loved these early mornings with her. Everything from waking up in their cozy bed to brushing their teeth next to each other but especially their riveting conversations at the breakfast table.
"So, tonight…", he started.
"Video gaming night. I know.", she said as she dried her hands.
"You are still okay with that, right?", he asked her.
This was a new addition to their routine. Online gaming night with his friends on Wednesday.
"Of course.", she assured him. "I already made plans with Missy. She agrees that weekly girls' nights are a great idea. We are going out for dinner and drinks and then maybe later, we'll be looking at bridal magazines together."
"That sounds like fun.", he nodded.
But not as much fun as playing a vintage computer game online, he added in his mind.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you, I am having a parent-teacher-meeting in the afternoon, so I will not be home until five.", she said as she put the last items into her school bag.
"Alright. Tea will be ready at five then.", he promised.
Amy slung her bag over her shoulder and made her way to the front door.
"Have a great day at work then.", she said and opened the door.
"Wait.", he exclaimed and grabbed her arm to pull her back to him. "Aren't you forgetting something?"
She giggled and stood on her tiptoes, pursing her lips.
That woman…
It had been her who had introduced him to good-bye kisses in the morning. A concept that was very new to him.
And now that he had integrated it into his routine, she just forgot about it? Or… did she just want him to ask for it?
"Vixen…", he muttered, before he kissed her sweetly and wrapped his arms around her back.
"You do realize I will be spending a good portion of my morning looking up how much DNA we share with other fruits?", he grumbled.
She caressed the back of his neck with her fingers.
"Don't waste your time, Sheldon. It does not get much more interesting than bananas. Fruit flies however…"
"Sixty percent. I knew that already.", he said and leaned in to kiss her once more. "Don't think you can tell me something I don't know twice in one day."
"Challenge accepted.", she said and beamed at him.
Oh, dear Lord, she was so beautiful.
"I love you.", she whispered and brushed her lips against his again.
Instead of answering, he tightened his grip around her body and kissed her fiercely.
He would definitely look up more interesting facts today and challenge her with them. Maybe they could resume this conversation later. In bed. With their clothes off.
Oh no. Bad thoughts. If he kept this up, he would have to take a cold shower before starting his workday.
"I need to leave now.", she told him breathlessly as she untangled herself from him. "Or I'll be late for work."
"We would not want that.", he agreed and gave her one last peck on the lips.
After all, they both valued timeliness.
He watched as she got into her car and drove away.
"Uncle Shelly!", he heard a voice just as he turned around to get inside again.
He smiled and waved at his young nephew across the street who was just about to get into Missy's car, carrying his school bag.
"Good morning, Joshua!"
"I'm going to school!", the little boy shouted proudly. "I'm a big boy now!"
Sheldon smirked. Joshua had told him the same thing every day for the last three weeks ever since he had returned from Pasadena.
Children really liked pointing out the obvious.
But it was kind of cute, how excited he was.
"Have fun and make sure to learn a lot!", he shouted back.
He greeted Missy as well before she climbed into the driver's seat and when they drove off, the little boy was practically glued to the window, waving at him enthusiastically.
Sheldon smiled fondly.
He loved this little boy so much.
And he could hardly wait to invite him over later this week, to show him the surprise he had been preparing for him in meemaw's garage.
But now it was time to refill his tea and then retreat into meemaw's former bedroom that he and Amy had turned into an office space a few weeks ago.
Most of the day, he would have the room to himself to work on his whiteboards and later, after school, Amy would sometimes sit at the second desk grading papers or preparing lesson plans.
Even though he missed being in Pasadena, Sheldon had come to love this new little routine he and Amy had formed over the past three weeks.
He loved finally feeling productive again and seriously working on his theories.
Of course he especially enjoyed looking at the little corner of the room they had decorated with pictures of meemaw. And he loved how much the room smelled like the fresh flowers Amy would put there in meemaw's memory.
But the thing he loved the most was their new weekly schedule.
Choir practice on Monday and Friday – he was conducting the choir again, but due to his work responsibilities, Jared had taken on the task of arranging the songs that Amy chose.
A quiet evening at home with Amy on Tuesday. Sometimes they would cook together. Sometimes Amy would convince him to have people from the choir over. But most of the time, it was just the two of them, enjoying a little peace and quiet together.
Date Night on Thursday. On most weeks a casual thing where they would only dress up a little and go out for dinner or a movie. And sometimes a special occasion where they would go see a concert or drive a little longer to go to a restaurant that offered more than the steak house or pizza place that were located in Medford.
Family time on the weekend. That included dinner on Saturday night as well as taking Joshua and sometimes little Ellis too on a trip somewhere. Sometimes with Missy and his mother and sometimes just Amy and him, so the two women would get a break from the kids once in a while.
And of course, online gaming night on Wednesday.
His friends had been kind enough to move comic book night to Friday for him, so they could start playing while it was still early in Pasadena. Which would be happening tonight after work.
When he had told Amy about it, he was not sure how she would like it. After all, they had hardly ever spent an evening apart since he had moved to Medford.
And – as he had learned over the summer – as much as Amy shared most of his interests, playing video games was not an activity she found particularly useful.
But to his relief, she had told him right away, that of course, he was entitled to having an evening to himself to pursue his hobbies. She would just find something else to do.
And that 'something else' seemed to be girls' night with his twin sister.
Sheldon sighed contently as he was looking forward to this evening.
Even though he could not say that he had consciously missed this part of his life during the past year, now that he had it back, it was just another thing that added to the happiness he had been feeling recently.
And then of course there was the fact that new ideas just seemed to be flowing out of him whenever he set up his whiteboard and started working.
He did not know exactly why, but he was sure it had to do with the fact he got to talk about his findings with both Leonard and Amy on a regular basis.
Or maybe it also had to do with this room and the fact that he sometimes heard his meemaw's voice in his ear. "You can do it moonpie." or "Pop-pop would be proud of you."
So, like on many other mornings, he spent the next few hours concentrating on the numbers and equations on his whiteboard only interrupted by getting the occasional glass of water from the kitchen, until it was time to get his pre-prepared lunch out of the fridge.
This was another of the many upsides of living with Amy. She had been meal-prepping for years, ever since she had started working at Medford High, something he had learned about her only recently. And since there was no cafeteria close by and he did not want to take his mother up on her offer to come over for lunch every day, Amy had offered to just prepare a little more food for him while she was at it.
He could feel his heart swell up in his chest as he thought of it. Amy was simply amazing. Some days, he still could not believe she was finally his. Living with her had happened so naturally. He loved waking up next to her every day and knowing he would get to be with her for the rest of his life.
Sheldon sat down at the kitchen table just in time for the expected Face-Time call – the main reason why he preferred having lunch here instead of at his mother's place.
He accepted the call and was met with the familiar view of the cafeteria at Caltech.
"Hey, Sheldon!", he was greeted by both, Leonard and Howard across the table while Raj, who was apparently seated next to the place where they had set up Leonard's iPad, bent over so he could see him as well.
Sheldon greeted them back and took a bite from his food, sighing contently.
"What are you having today?", he was asked by Leonard.
"Chicken salad.", he answered. "Amy's recipe. It's delicious."
"Aw, man, I wish my wife would prepare me lunches for work.", Howard complained, while poking around at his own food.
"Maybe she would if you would do your chores around the house once in a while.", he heard Raj speak.
A discussion over chore charts, stars, babysitting one's own children and Howard's laziness in general ensued.
Sheldon leaned back and grinned. He really had missed hearing his friends' banter.
"I bet Amy does not make Sheldon do chores, right Sheldon?", Howard suddenly addressed him again. "I bet this is why he looks so happy."
"Oh please, have you seen him this summer? His happiness has nothing to do with chores. If I didn't know better, I'd say some alien life form has taken over his body.", Leonard scoffed. "Besides, I have lived with him for years. He's such a neat freak. He would never be content with the way someone else cleans his stuff."
"I was never content with the way you cleaned our stuff, Leonard.", Sheldon protested. "Amy is as meticulous as I am. And Howard is right, she does not make me do chores."
He could see a smug look starting to form on his short friend's face, so he continued quickly.
He had always loved bragging about his superior knowledge about science or comic books or which superhero was the best. Getting to brag about his superior relationship was just the icing on the cake.
"Chores are for children.", he said, rolling his eyes. "Amy and I are two adults living together. We both do our share. And just for your information: She made fresh baguette too."
Howard groaned and pushed his plate away.
Having gloated enough for now, Sheldon was just about to change the subject to the new Star Wars movie, when he heard a voice that made him cringe.
"Cooper, I see you're gracing us with your virtual presence again today. Don't you think that is a little juvenile? Shouldn't you have convinced your woman to move here already? Or are you waiting for her to get sick of you anyway? I mean… it's only a matter of time, right?"
Kripke.
Sheldon clenched his fists.
"My fiancée and I are going to move back to Pasadena once we both want to. Not that it is any of your business, but she is very happy with our current arrangement and so am I. Besides, according to the last department meeting, I am currently the most productive theoretical physicist at this University. Something that should make you think long and hard about your purpose here, Kripke."
"Whatever Cooper.", the other physicist scoffed. "Hey, has President Siebert spoken to you already? I heard he has excellent news for you."
Before Sheldon had the opportunity to think about his nemesis' statement, Kripke was already gone, which usually would have put him into a better mood, but right now, he was trying to figure out what that statement meant.
Because he was no expert in reading between the lines, but something Kripke considered excellent news could really only mean unpleasant things for him.
"Ignore him.", Leonard said reassuringly, pulling him out of his thoughts. "He's just jealous because we would rather have you on Facetime at our table than let him sit here."
"Really? He wanted to sit with you?", Sheldon asked surprised. Barry Kripke had never tried to sit on their table as long as he had known the man.
"He did not say it in that many words.", Howard spoke up. "But when you stopped hanging out with us all those years ago, he used to come over here a lot, making snarky comments about you. With the way he lingered here, it was clear he was waiting for an invitation. Quite frankly, it was a little sad."
"And… you never even considered inviting him?", Sheldon asked, slightly touched. He had been gone for a long time after all.
"Kripke? Please.", Howard snorted in response. "He's even more annoying than you are. Now if that had been a hot chick…"
"Howard, you are married.", Leonard reminded him.
"What? I did not want a hot chick for me. But Raj has been complaining about being single ever since he was dumped by that woman from the planetarium. I'm just looking out for him."
A loud voice disrupted their conversation. A voice that did not allow to be ignored, coming from a man who was used to being listened to.
"Gentlemen."
Sheldon tried to catch a glimpse of the person who had entered the conversation, but he could only see part of a black business suit between Howard and Leonard's shoulders.
However, even without seeing him, he knew exactly who was standing in front of him, sending a shiver of uneasiness down his spine.
"President Siebert.", he said politely after the other guys had exchanged their greetings with their boss.
"Ah, Dr. Cooper. I was hoping to see you here, even if it is just in your virtual form."
President Siebert shooed away Leonard so he could sit down. Then he took the tablet, so all Sheldon could see was his boss's face staring at him.
"You know you can always just call me if you want a word.", Sheldon said carefully. "I've been working at my office all morning."
"It's funny you are wording it this way.", President Siebert said, raising his eyebrows. "I just walked by your office and did not see you in there. So, I'm assuming you meant to say you were working at your home all morning."
"But…", Sheldon started, grasping for words. Why would this be an issue now? "We… we talked about this. You were okay with me working from my home for the time being."
"You are missing my point, Dr. Cooper. Believe me, no one is more thrilled about you working from your home in Texas than I am. But be that as it may, there have been complaints."
"Complaints?", Sheldon exclaimed. "Who would have complaints about me? At Monday's department meeting, which I attended virtually, Dr. Gablehouser had nothing but good things to say about my work."
"Which is wonderful.", President Siebert answered impatiently. "However, another theoretical physicist is claiming, he would be far more productive, could he have – and I quote – 'a supewiouw office'. Now I usually do not get involved in these things, but since you are not using your office, I am finding it hard to argue against reassigning it."
Sheldon's right eye started twitching.
"That office.", he said, trying to sound calm. "Was won by me fair and square. It has been mine for years. When I moved into it, it was barely inhabitable. There was a hole in the wall. I paid for the repair out of my own pocket. I bribed an ornithologist to rehome a bird that kept harassing me. And do not get me started on what I had to do to get the thermostat to an acceptable temperature. Kripke cannot just swoop in now and take it. I will not allow it."
"Dr. Cooper.", President Siebert said, waving his hand to calm Sheldon down. "You have to work with me here. Frankly, I do not care about this office situation. But Dr. Kripke keeps pestering me about it and I am getting tired of trying to argue against him. You will have to help me find a solution if you want to keep your office."
"I could threaten to quit my job.", Sheldon offered.
This situation was so infuriating, he was ready to do just that, but President Siebert only chuckled.
"Well, that would be a bit of an empty threat, now wouldn't it. We both know, there is no comparable University in East Texas. And I know you are quite full of yourself, but do you really think you can just start working at a different University and get the same option to work from home with hardly any strings attached as you got from here?"
Sheldon slumped back on his chair. He had not thought of that. Also, if he was honest, he did not want to start at a different university.
"So, what do you suggest then?", he asked defeated.
"Well…", President Siebert started, his face softening a little. "I really only see two options. Either you agree to be moved to a different office, or you come up with a reasonable explanation for me to tell your colleague as to why I let you keep yours."
"And what would that be?"
His boss shrugged.
"If I could tell you that, we would not be having this conversation. But just as a thought, you could start using it a little more often. Let's say one week a month."
Sheldon's gaze shifted to the bowl of fruit on the kitchen counter. One single banana was lying at the edge and his heart constricted painfully.
Having to spend one week a month without Amy? That was 12 weeks a year. Almost a quarter of his time.
"No…", he whispered. "There has to be a better option. I told you, I do not wish to live separately from Dr. Fowler. That is the whole point why we came to this arrangement."
"And I have a lot of sympathy for your situation.", President Siebert said, but even Sheldon could hear he was not being genuine. "The best solution would be if you convinced your girlfriend to finally take the job that Dr. Gunderson has been offering her repeatedly."
"Fiancée.", Sheldon interjected.
"Even better.", the tall man boomed. "Marry her, then bring her here. We could use a scientist of her caliber. But until then, I suggest, you come up with a solution. And maybe show up for the department meeting next Monday. I will be there too, so we can all sit at one table to discuss your situation."
"You mean… show up virtually?", Sheldon asked hopefully, although he guessed he already knew the answer.
"Not if you want to keep your office.", Siebert said firmly. "And maybe stay here for the rest of the week, to show some willingness to work on a solution."
Sheldon racked his brain to avoid this, but he wasn't able to come up with anything. Not when his boss was sitting in front of him, raising his eyebrows expectantly.
"Fine.", Sheldon conceded even though it hurt to say the words. He did not really see another choice. "I will be there."
"Good. See you there. Good-bye fellas."
After Siebert left, Leonard sat back down on his seat and took the tablet back.
"Ouch.", he said and looked at Sheldon apologetically. "That must have hurt."
"Yeah.", Sheldon mumbled defeated. "I cannot believe Kripke would do this to me."
"Really?", Raj said and turned the tablet to him. "Dude, the guy is green with jealousy of you, it's almost sad. I guess taking your office is his way of trying to get to you."
"Well, he succeeded…", Sheldon said sadly. "Wait a minute."
He got up quickly and opened the fridge to find a serving of Amy's chocolate pudding. It had made him feel better before. He sat back down with the sweet treat and a spoon in his hands.
"Dude, she made you dessert too?", Raj exclaimed. "How did you get so lucky."
Sheldon smiled softly. He really was pretty lucky. Even though he did not feel like it in the moment.
"Amy likes making me happy. Just as much as I like making her happy."
"That's so romantic.", Raj swooned. "And probably the most un-Sheldon-like think I have ever heard you say."
Sheldon stuffed a big spoonful of pudding into his mouth and started chewing. It was delicious as always. Just like everything Amy made.
Still, he had trouble swallowing with the lump that was forming in his throat.
"You know, maybe it's not that bad.", Leonard told him finally. "We are celebrating Becky's first birthday next Saturday. If you are here the next week, you can attend too, and we can have a little godfather ceremony for both her and Lucas."
Sheldon considered it. He did like the prospect of coming back to Pasadena for a while. He would get to see his friends. Go to the comic book store. Play games with them. He should be looking forward to it.
But he wasn't. And the reason for that was not hard to guess.
He gave Leonard a weak smile.
"That's nice of you, Leonard. I would not mind coming to the party on the weekend. But… I don't want to fly out to California without Amy right now. We just got back here three weeks ago. And I absolutely refuse to spend one whole week every month here. This is not going according to plan."
"I know, buddy.", Leonard told him pitifully. "But I think you have no choice. At least not about that first thing. Maybe once you are here, you can convince our bosses to let you keep your office regardless of how much time you spend here."
"Or…", Howard said. "You could just let Kripke have this little win. I mean, after all, you don't even know if or when you'll be back in Pasadena permanently. And he's right, you're not using the space. I mean… hell… it's the parking spot all over again."
Sheldon felt his blood beginning to boil when he was reminded of how he lost his parking spot to Howard a few years ago. If only he had Amy by his side back then. She would have backed him up against both, Howard and Bernadette.
"If you'll excuse me now, I am going back to work.", he muttered.
"Did you have to bring that up right now, Howard?", he heard Raj say, just as he closed down his laptop and sighed.
While cleaning up his dishes, Sheldon tried to clear his thoughts to no avail.
Defeated, he went back to his whiteboards then.
One thing was for sure, if his bosses could see him right now, no one would consider him to be productive.
He was barely able to form even one coherent thought.
Instead, his head was filled with Kripke's sneering voice, Howard's dismissal of his problem and his bosses' unfortunate willingness to give in to his enemy's demand.
It was ridiculous. He was superior to Kripke in every way. Why should that man even be considered for his office? It was infuriating.
He had to come up with a plan. He just had to.
It was a few hours later, when Amy found him there huddled on his desk chair.
He could hear her stepping into the office before she gently put one hand on his shoulder.
"Sheldon? What's wrong? Are you having a bad day?", she asked.
"The worst.", he sighed and checked his watch. "Sorry, I did not prepare tea like I promised you I would. I did not realize it was already this late."
"Forget about the tea.", she told him, her voice laced with worry. "What's going on? You were in such a good mood when I left. What happened?"
It was embarrassing to be this emotional about it. He was a grown man. How could he get so upset about an office. And how could it feel so devastating, being away from her for only one short week.
But one thing he had learned over the past year was that he never had to be embarrassed in front of Amy and that every day without her felt excruciating.
He couldn't take it any longer, so he pulled her to him at her hips and buried his face into her chest, a sob escaping his throat.
"Sheldon…", Amy whispered and caressed his hair soothingly. "You're scaring me. Please tell me what I can do to help you."
"Theuniversityistakingawaymyoffice.", he muttered into her cardigan.
"I'm sorry, I did not catch that. The university is doing what?", she asked and lifted up his head.
"They want to take away my office, Amy. They already have my parking spot and now they want my office. They want to discuss this with me on Monday. In person. But my boss already pretty much told me, this was going to happen unless I… come work there one week a month or come up with a better solution myself."
Amy started blinking rapidly. "Oh…", she said quietly. "Sheldon, I am sorry. This is all my fault."
He furrowed his eyebrows. It was Kripke's fault. And President Siebert's. Why would she think it was hers?
"Why would you say that?", he asked softly.
"Sheldon, if I had agreed to move to Pasadena right away, then you would not be in this situation.", she explained. "You would… see your friends every day and get to do all the things you love doing and… no one would try to take away your office. And now they want you to travel all the time? I know how much you detest flying. I am sorry."
"Forget about flying.", Sheldon told her. How could she even think about flying when their time together was at stake? "I don't want to spend one week a month without you. I don't even want to spend one day without you."
It seemed he had rendered her speechless. But why? It was confusing, so he just continued to tell her more of the bad news he had received.
"Regardless of the outcome of that meeting, they expect me to be in Pasadena for the whole next week. And I know you cannot take time off. Not so soon after the start of the schoolyear."
He thought about the plans he had with Amy for that week. He guessed she would be going to that new Mexican place a few miles south from here by herself then. Or maybe take Missy. And then she would return to their home by herself.
She would be doing all her routines without him. He would not get to have tea with her at the end of the day. He would not have her next to him when he woke up.
His stomach churned. He felt as if he was going to be sick.
"I am going to miss you so much.", she whispered into his ear.
He pulled her onto his lap and almost crushed her to his chest.
"I am going to miss you too.", he said sadly.
She kissed his cheek in response.
"Maybe it won't be that bad.", she said then. "You won't be alone. You'll have the guys at work and Raj at the apartment. You can do all the fun stuff you never get to do here. 'In person'-game night for example."
He shrugged. "I guess so. But… it would be so much better if you were there too."
"Yeah?", she asked and leaned her head against his shoulder. "In that case… why don't I fly to California on Thursday after work? I do have Fridays off this year, remember?"
His lower lips trembled. Four days without Amy still sounded terrible. But maybe it would work, at least for the coming week. He refused to even think about having to do that every month.
"You would do that?"
She kissed his lips softly.
"I would do anything if it means getting more time with you.", she whispered into his ear. "Also, you can still negotiate about how to proceed in the future. Nothing is lost yet. Whatever happens, just remember, we've been through worse."
He leaned in to kiss her back. She was right. As usual.
"I love you.", he told her. "You just always know what to say to make me feel better."
"Right back at ya.", she responded before she kissed him once more.
He grasped her thighs and then moved to take a firm hold of her posterior, eliciting a soft moan from her.
Even if it was only four days, how would he ever cope with not being with her? Not holding her? Not… doing this with her.
"We should stop this now.", Amy told him gently. "I think you wanted to set up that emulator on your computer to be able to play your Vintage game online. You specifically downloaded a mod for that yesterday. Did I get that right?"
Sheldon smiled. "You did.", he nodded.
"Yeah!", she exclaimed, looking very proud of herself. "So, go. Play with your friends. I'll go make tea and then meet my awesome maid of honor."
His heart burst over with pride and happiness. Maybe giving up his office really was a small price to pay if it meant not having to fly away from Amy only a few days from now.
But then his competitive side spoke again.
No. No, he could not let Kripke bully him into giving up something that was rightfully his. He would fight this. And he would win. Just like he had won back then at the gym. And this time, he would gloat even more.
He was about to let go of her, to set up his computer for his game night.
But then he reconsidered. He would not be seeing Amy for most of the following week. Did he really want to spend the evening with his friends tonight?
He tightened his hold of her hips and placed another gentle kiss on her lips.
"Amy? Did you know that our brains generate more electrical impulses in a single day than all the telephones in the world combined?"
She looked confused for a second.
"That's an… interesting change of topic.", she said, raising her eyebrows. "But yes, of course I knew that."
"Drats.", he mumbled.
"It's a fact about the brain, Sheldon." She smirked at him. "That just like me asking you if you knew that subatomic particles can exist in multiple places at one time."
"Which is called…", he challenged her.
"Superposition.", she answered without blinking, which caused his heart to beat rapidly in his chest.
"Correct.", he said and leaned in to kiss her again. "But did you also know that there are more possible iterations of a game of chess than there are atoms in the observable universe?"
Amy pulled her head an inch away and stared at him.
"Is that true?", she asked dumbfounded.
"It is.", he nodded, happy about finally having found something she hadn't known before.
"Fascinating.", she mumbled. "Now did you know, that there are more bacterial cells in the human body than human cells?"
Sheldon scrunched up his nose. He did know that, but he did not like to think about it too much.
"Let me grab my phone.", he told her. "I need to cancel game night."
Her eyes widened in surprise.
"But Sheldon…", she whispered. "We agreed on this. This is your night. I won't keep you from your video game. Or your friends."
"I know.", he nodded. "And I love you for that. But I can play with them in Pasadena next week. Tonight, I have other plans."
Amy bit her lip. Several emotions seemed to be playing out on her face and her eyes seemed to be filling with tears.
He watched her, slightly confused. Did she not agree?
"Is that alright with you?", he asked sincerely. "Because if you'd rather go out with Missy…"
"No, that's not it.", she said quickly, and cupped his cheeks. "Sheldon, you know how much I love spending time with you. But I want to make sure, this is what you want. You looked so distraught earlier, and I want you to feel better."
Well, that was a relief.
"Hm…", he said and smiled cheekily. "But you always make me feel better."
It was nothing but the truth.
But even if it weren't, the way her eyes lit up alone would have more than made up for missing video game night.
She held his head and kissed him sweetly. He wrapped both his arms around her lower back and pulled her close before he deepened the kiss.
Yes. Definitely worth it.
"So… what do you want to do tonight?", he finally asked after the kiss ended. "I could make you the tea I promised you earlier. We could catch a movie. Or order dinner. Your choice."
She shook her head and caressed his shoulders.
"You're wrong.", she mumbled. "Your choice. I'm up for anything as long as it lifts your mood."
Well, he did not have to be told twice.
"In that case, why don't we order dinner and then go to bed early? I am sure there are a lot more interesting scientific facts to share."
She giggled. "You want to share facts in bed?"
He brushed his lips against hers again, before he trailed little kisses down her neck.
"I mean… if that's not foreplay, then I don't know what is.", he whispered against her skin. "Just don't kill the mood with your bacteria talk again, will you?"
Raj's POV
"Sure, I can pick you up from the airport Monday morning, Sheldon, that's no problem.", he said into the phone as he opened the door to apartment 4A.
His apartment. Well, a little bit at least.
"Yes, I will make sure to set the thermostat to 72 degrees before you arrive. No, I am not sitting in your spot. No, there is no Brobdingnagian desk in the living room. Yes, of course we will be having Thai Food on Monday, I already told everyone you'll be here."
Finally, Sheldon was content with the answers he got, and Raj was able to hang up the phone before he let himself drop down on the couch. Not in Sheldon's spot of course, he had signed a binding contract on that issue after all.
He sighed deeply.
It was so nice of Sheldon to let him stay here for the time being. But it was not quite what he had expected.
This apartment… he had always loved it, even if he still thought, the big one he used to live in was a much nicer place than this.
But here… here he had always been so happy.
He loved thinking about the crazy experiments he and his friends had conducted here. The fun games they had come up with. The endless discussions on which superhero was the best.
He had spent the happiest time of his life here in this apartment.
But somehow, right now, he did not feel happy.
Everything was so quiet.
A few days before, when Sheldon had backed out of game night, the others had cancelled too.
He had called his friends again today and asked them if they wanted to come over.
But ever since Sheldon had left for Medford again, his other friends seemed to be less than enthusiastic to be here.
Leonard and Penny were having date night again, apparently to make up for the fact that they had not had an evening to themselves over the summer.
And Howard and Bernadette were visiting Bernadette's parents and would be staying overnight.
He was not surprised. He had been getting the same kinds of answers for three weeks now.
It was as if Sheldon's reappearance in their life had disrupted everyone's routine so much so now that he was gone again, his friends were trying to catch up on all the things they had not gotten to do over the summer.
Not even Stuart was able to come over, because his new baby was suffering from colics, and he was taking over for Denise who had to deal with it all day while he was at work.
In a desperate attempt to find a new friend, he had even tried to knock at the apartment door across the hall. It had worked for Sheldon and Leonard all those years ago, so why should it not work for him?
For a split second, he had even imagined, there would be a woman opening the door. A beautiful woman living alone and just waiting for him to make her life whole.
But the new tenant next door was a grumpy old man who had made it abundantly clear that he did not wish for company. Ever.
And so, Raj was sitting there on the brown leather couch on a Saturday Night, eating dinner by himself while thinking of the fun times he used to spend here with his friends.
And all of a sudden, he started wondering… Was this why Sheldon had pulled away a few years ago? Was this loneliness the reason for him leaving and starting a new life in his hometown?
Part of him wished, he could do the same thing as Sheldon did.
Just up and leave. Go to a place where everyone loved him. And just stumble into the love of his life, without so much as even trying to.
But there were several problems that came with that.
For once, his hometown was on the other side of the world.
And his family were not like the Coopers. All he would find there would be condescension and ridicule because he was the last of his siblings to get married or buy a house or show any kind of real success.
His mind took him to London. Part of him was still asking himself, if he had made the right choice when he had refused to move there with Anu.
Anu…
He still wasn't sure, if he had really been in love with her. They had not been together long enough to figure it out.
But he had been happy with her.
She was strong and fierce and knew what she wanted in life. And at the same time, she never looked down on him for being the hopeless romantic he was with his head full of unrealistic dreams.
Maybe because she was so down to earth, it was enough for the both of them.
He still talked to her sometimes, and for a while he had asked himself if there would ever be a way back to her.
That is, until she had come clean and told him about this new guy she was dating.
The new guy who she was now married to and expecting her first child with.
Somehow, everyone was getting married and having children.
Everyone but him.
He was the one who ended up planning everyone else's big events.
Birthday parties, weddings, engagement parties… and lately something that he had never seen coming.
During their long friendship, Sheldon Cooper's behaviors had surprised him very often.
Still. Nothing could have prepared him for the day when his tall friend asked for his opinion on his plan to propose.
Had it really been years ago that he had to bribe Sheldon with a 'green lantern'-lantern and 'The Hulk'-hands signed by Stan Lee, just to be his wing man to a date? And now he was getting engaged?
Of course, Raj had been happy to help out Sheldon. And boy had he needed this help.
If it weren't for him, Sheldon would have proposed to Amy on their trip to Wizarding World. In Hogsmeade over some butter beers. Dressed in Harry Potter robes. With a made-up spell to cast the ring on her finger.
Well, not on his watch.
Luckily, he had been able to shut that idea down and convince Sheldon to do it in a way that was worthy of the extraordinary love story that had unfolded during the past year.
And so, Raj had planned the perfect proposal.
The proposal to Amy Farrah Fowler. The woman, he and Howard had already found for Sheldon more than ten years ago. What a coincidence…
The woman who – as Sheldon had told him a few weeks ago, after Amy had apparently finally agreed to share this secret – had been mugged because of his actions.
Sometimes, Raj wondered, if Amy still held a grudge because of that, even after Sheldon assured him, this was absolutely not the case.
It was just that there was something about Amy, he could not quite grasp.
She was nice. Very nice. And polite. She never joined in when the others made fun of his accent or his habits or the fact that he was still looking for love.
But still, after so many weeks of spending almost every day with her and Sheldon, he did not feel as if he really knew her. She seemed to be holding back a lot and sometimes, especially after he had moved into 4A, he felt as if she was a bit annoyed at his presence.
Not that she would have ever said anything. No, she was much too nice for that. But it was in the looks she gave him at times. She did not seem to feel comfortable around him.
Which was a shame. Because – as his friends all agreed – being around Sheldon was much, much more comfortable since she was a part of his life.
It wasn't just that he was generally happier and more relaxed. No, over the summer, they had gotten to know a whole new Sheldon. A Sheldon that was still brilliant and never missed an opportunity to show that off. But he was much more considerate. More patient. He smiled more, especially when Amy was next to him. And he let down his guard more often and didn't seem to hold back his emotions as often as he used to.
Raj sighed again as he realized the sad truth. He was most definitely jealous of Sheldon Cooper.
That is, until, finally, it was Monday morning.
He drove to the airport to pick up Sheldon who – as Raj noticed right away – seemed to be carrying a dark cloud around his head.
"Missing your girlfriend?", he asked, which was answered by an eyeroll.
"Fiancée", Sheldon huffed. "And yes, obviously."
He did not wish for Sheldon to be unhappy. But part of him was glad that for the next few days, things would return to normal.
"So… what movie do you want to watch tonight?"
Raj smiled to himself slightly.
At least for a little while, he would not be the only one who was feeling lonely and miserable.