Since I cannot reply to guest reviewers directly, I want to leave a very big "Thank You" to every one of you. I appreciate your insights and comments so very much and it is very motivating to read them!
The last two weeks have been absolutely crazy. A lot of unexpected things have come up and I had barely any time to write anything. Had I known that before, I would have probably not started posting this story so soon, because I still have a lot of chapters to edit and a few side stories to wrap up, and quite frankly, it is starting to make me a bit nervous. Especially because it will be a few weeks, until I will have more time again.
I hope I can keep up with my schedule, but there is a chance I might have to skip an update or two.
But now to the next chapter. This one now includes the meeting between Sheldon and his bosses. It was not an easy one to write, because it contains a few interactions between characters that I usually don't write a lot for. There is hardly any Shamy in it. Also, I did not go through as many editing steps as I usually do. There was simply not enough time. I hope it still turned out okay.
The next one will start with Amy coming to Pasadena for the weekend, so be prepared for some Shamy romance in (hopefully) a week.
If you're through with life and all hope is lost,
Hold out your hand, cause friends will be friends
Right till the end
Balancing Heaven and Earth
Chapter 4 – "Friends will be friends"
Sheldon's POV
Sheldon shifted on the bed.
The alarm had not rung yet, and his whole body still felt heavy with sleep.
There was still some time for a few blissful moments of when he could snuggle up to Amy. Steal a little bit of the heat her bottom was radiating, rest his head in her neck, close his eyes again and enjoy feeling her body close to his.
It was his favorite time of the day, those few moments before waking up fully. Not thinking consciously but just… feeling. Comfort and love and companionship.
All things, she had brought into his life.
But – how strange – no matter how much he reached out and moved his body to her side of the bed, the desired feeling of warmth and softness did not come.
He stretched out his arm and reached for her pillow, but then – ouch – there was something unpleasant. His hand had hit the edge of something.
Something cold and hard. Lifeless.
He opened his eyes and at once was reminded of the harsh truth.
For the first time in months, Amy was not next to him when he woke up. Not in his bed and – as he realized – not in the apartment. Not even in the same state.
Instead, he was waking up next to his still opened laptop.
The video call had already been ended, which was disappointing but not surprising, since Amy had to leave for school an hour ago.
Sheldon's heart sank and he sighed deeply.
He was alone. Truly and utterly alone. And it felt as if – along with Amy – a part of himself was missing. The part that was responsible for joy and happiness.
All that was left was emptiness.
He was about to shut down his laptop, when he saw something blink.
A notification that he had received an E-Mail.
A soft smile spread on his face when he saw, it contained an attached video message.
It was from Amy, and – involuntarily – his eyes filled with tears when he hit play.
There she was, his lovely Amy, still lying in bed, dressed in her nightgown, looking at the screen sleepily. Just like she looked at him every morning. He had the urge to reach out and touch her face, but of course that was impossible.
"Hey, Sheldon. I did not want to wake you up. You looked so peaceful in your sleep. But I also did not want to leave without saying good-bye and wishing you a nice day. So here it is. Have a nice day at work. Good luck at the meeting. I love you! Bye."
Just like that, she had managed to make the start of his day much, much better.
Since his alarm had not gone off yet, Sheldon allowed himself to stay in bed a few minutes longer.
He replayed the video message several times with a smile on his face, taking in her sleepy yet sweet appearance.
How lucky he was to be loved by this wonderful woman.
But then, he felt an emotion well up inside of him. One he did not feel all that often.
"Everything feels empty without you."
"Do you think I should quit my job?"
There it was. Guilt.
He was putting Amy through so much. And for what? An office?
All the while she was willing to give up everything just so he could be happy.
Sure, if he was honest, this whole thing was about more than just an office.
It was about sustaining his life in Pasadena the way it was so he could return to it at some point.
It was the main reason for letting Raj stay in the apartment, so it was not empty, and he had a logical reason not to terminate the lease.
The thought of returning a few months or even years from now and everything being completely different made him feel unsettled.
But – as he realized – the way he was feeling right now made everything else pale in comparison.
And so, Sheldon came to a decision.
Under no circumstances would he be doing this every month.
For once, because he hated every minute of being so far away from Amy. But also, because he couldn't bear making her sad.
He would do anything else. Use his friends' information to discredit Kripke. Beg his bosses for a different solution. And – if push came to shove – give up his office as a last resort if there was no other choice, as painful as that was.
It was strange, but Sheldon felt better instantly after making up his mind. He felt a weight lifted from his shoulders. At least now he knew the worst thing that could happen.
With renewed energy, Sheldon got out of bed and did his morning routine before driving to work with Raj.
It was still early, so they were the first ones in the department's meeting room, which was good. This way his colleagues as well as his bosses would see how seriously he was taking this.
Surely more seriously than Kripke.
Dr. Gablehouser arrived about ten minutes later, greeting him much friendlier than he was used to.
Sheldon could not be sure, but it almost appeared, he was apologetic for him having to be here.
One by one, the other members of the department entered the room, many of them seemed surprised to see him here.
Greetings were exchanged and Sheldon had to shake a lot more hands than he was comfortable with.
Soon, Raj and Leonard were sitting next to him at the big meeting table and even Howard slipped inside a few minutes before the starting time.
"I thought you said I should just let Kripke win.", Sheldon whispered to his friend, surprised to see him here. As an engineer, Howard did not have to attend this meeting, so it was clear he could only be here for him.
"I still think it would be best for everyone.", Howard shrugged. "But if you choose to fight, then I am on your side."
"Really?", he asked, feeling slightly touched.
Howard shrugged again. "Sure. If only to get revenge for what he did to M.O.N.T.E."
Sheldon's mood changed again, once the last member of the department entered the room.
Kripke.
The person who was responsible for all of this.
Sheldon felt his whole body tense up with anger.
Leonard put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring look, which helped Sheldon calm down a bit. Both, Leonard and Amy had told him, this whole thing would work out better, if he managed to control himself and not snap at his arch-enemy.
For the next hour, Sheldon tapped his foot on the floor nervously, as he had to listen to the weekly department goals, remarkable publications, open positions and possible tasks for grad students.
He wasn't really paying attention to anything, until Dr. Gablehouser addressed him personally just when President Siebert came in through the back door and sat down.
"I would like to thank Dr. Cooper who was willing to fly in for this meeting from his home in Texas. Although as department head, I do not understand why our president insisted on your attendance. I would rather have you spend your time in your home office, keeping up the remarkable work you have been doing for the past weeks."
Even Sheldon could see the poignant look his direct boss gave the president of the University and the frown on Kripke's face.
He nodded slightly at Dr. Gablehouser. This was a good sign. Unexpectedly, he seemed to have people on his side here.
Little by little, the conference room emptied until there was only Kripke, himself, Dr. Gablehouser and his friends seated at the table.
President Siebert came up to him and after the obligatory hand-shaking ritual was finally over, and his friends refused to be sent away, the important part of the meeting finally started.
"As you all know, we are here to discuss the future occupation of office number 1708, currently used by Dr. Sheldon Cooper.", President Siebert began.
"It's not currently used by Dr. Cooper.", Kripke said bitterly. "That's the problem."
"Dr. Kripke, as I already told you, I don't really know why this should be any of your concern.", Dr. Gablehouser interrupted him. "This office has been Dr. Cooper's for years. Other scientists have gone on sabbaticals or worked from home for a while without us reassigning their offices. Also, you already have your own office, so, quite frankly, I don't understand, why you had to go over my head and involve the president of this university."
Sheldon couldn't help but notice a strange look between his two bosses.
"Well, Dr. Gablehouser there seems to be a special situation with this particular office.", President Siebert said, and raised his eyebrows at the lower-ranked man. "Back when Professor Rothman ehrm… was retired… these two gentlemen…", he pointed at Sheldon and Barry Kripke. "…both expressed interested in his office. I let them settle the issue, but now that Dr. Cooper is no longer using it, I do understand why Dr. Kripke wants to change the arrangement."
Kripke nodded and grinned smugly at Sheldon.
Sheldon's friends had advised him, not to let himself get provoked by Kripke and to say as little as possible, so he chose, not to say anything at this point. It was part of the plan to let his friends make a few good points first.
"If I understand correctly, you want to take away Sheldon's office because he does not use it frequently.", Leonard started. "But I would like you to look at this document before you make any rash decisions."
He handed President Siebert a piece of paper.
"What's this?", their boss asked as he studied the information.
"It's a spreadsheet containing all of the times, Barry Kripke was not working in his office over the past two years. Times he has called in sick, times he signed off early and last not but least days when he was here at the University but did not show up in his office at all but instead hung out at the gym or at the park trying to pick up young students. Plus, once in the cafeteria we all heard him brag about using his grant money on liquor and broads. So even if you reassign the office, I would like to argue it won't be used much more than it is used right now."
"Lies!", Kripke shouted and tried to snatch away the piece of paper but president Siebert did not let it go.
"How can I be sure your information on that is accurate?", he asked instead.
Raj handed him another stash of documents.
"These are written statements from colleagues who noticed his empty office, grad students who worked with him, the receptionist at the gym and Mrs. Davis from HR who handled complaints from girls who have been hit on in a very inappropriate way. All with the dates and time of when these incidents occurred."
"That is… concerning.", Dr. Gablehouser said as he took the spreadsheet from President Siebert and looked it over. "We will be having another meeting about this, Dr. Kripke."
"See?", Raj asked. "If anyone should have Sheldon's beautiful office, it is certainly not Kripke."
"That's… outrageous.", Kripke exclaimed, but Siebert shushed him.
"I will have to check the evidence…", the tall man said and frowned at Kripke. "But even if this will turn out to be true, I have yet to hear an argument as of why I should not assign the office to anyone else. There are quite a few department members that have to share an office right now."
"What if Sheldon were to use the office virtually?", Howard chimed in.
"Virtually?", President Siebert asked, raising his eyebrow. "How would that look like?"
"Well, a few years ago, Sheldon built himself a Mobile Virtual Presence Device. He had it programmed so he could control it from anywhere. It even wore his shirts."
"Mobile Virtual Presence Device?", Siebert asked. "Are you serious?"
"I am.", Howard nodded. "I took a look at it this week and I am sure I could enhance it so it could open doors and walk stairs."
This was met with blank stares, which Sheldon found very disappointing.
"Well, Dr. Cooper.", President Siebert finally chose to address him. "I think we have heard enough for now. You clearly have a lot of friends who are willing to argue on your behalf. And a department head who wants you to keep working remotely. But I am yet to hear from you. What are you willing to do in order to keep your office?"
Kripke was muttering something under his breath, but Sheldon chose to ignore him.
"President Siebert.", he started as calmly as possible. "As Dr. Gablehouser already told you, I am very productive, working from home temporarily. As a matter of fact, I am more productive than I have been in years. When I talked to you during the summer, you said you have no problem with me working remotely. My office has never even come up then and quite frankly, I find it disturbing that you would go back on your word because of someone like Barry Kripke. I do wish to keep my office, but for now, my home is in Medford. And come what may, I refuse to be here every month for a whole week."
There was a short silence with Kripke already starting to grin again. But the grin was wiped off his face at President Siebert's next words.
"You keep saying 'temporarily' and 'for now'.", his boss said. "Does that mean, you and Dr. Fowler do in fact intend to move back in the foreseeable future?"
Sheldon blinked. He had not expected this question today.
"I don't know what mine and my fiancée's decision has to do with this meeting, but me working remotely was always meant to be temporary."
"I see."
Barry Kripke chose this as the right time to involve himself in the conversation again.
"He keeps saying that, but he's been living in Medford for over a year and his girlfriend has a steady job there. He owns a house. His whole family lives there. He is the conductor of the local church choir for Christ's sake. He's never coming back. He's just wasting everyone's time. As he always is."
"She's not just my girlfriend, she's my fiancée.", Sheldon all but shouted. Really, why did everyone always get that wrong?
President Siebert and Dr. Gablehouser exchanged looks again.
"Although I do not like to say this right now, Dr. Kripke does have a point.", Dr. Gablehouser said then. "It surely does look like you've settled in quite nicely in your new home. The current arrangement seems to work for you. How do we know you will ever come back to live in the area?"
"I… I…", Sheldon stammered. He did not have an answer on that. He had to admit, they had a point.
"The way I see it, Dr. Cooper…", President Siebert said and looked at him sternly. "We cannot leave an office like yours empty while waiting for years until you decide where your permanent home will be. So maybe, regardless on who will get your office, it would be better if you'd share Dr. Koothrapali's office again, like you used to do. At least until you come up with a timeframe."
"Thank you.", Kripke sneered.
Sheldon had tried to remain calm through all of this.
And maybe, he told himself, it would not be that bad. From the looks of it, his bosses would not be giving his office to Kripke at least.
"Do you have anything else to say, Dr. Cooper?"
This was it.
He could just say no. No, he was happy with this solution. His office could go to anyone but Kripke and on the few occasions he would be in Pasadena, he could be in his old office with Raj. And maybe once he came back to Pasadena, he could ask to get an office for himself again.
He looked at the other people sitting around the table, that were looking at him expectantly.
And that's when he noticed, Kripke was still grinning at him smugly.
Why? He was not gaining anything from this.
Or maybe…
Sheldon's blood ran cold.
Was this not about him wanting to have the office but wanting him, Sheldon, to lose it, no matter to whom? How could that man be so petty? What had he ever done to him?
In that moment, every rational thought flew out of the window. His heart started beating almost out of his chest. Rage filled his heart and his ears started ringing as both his bosses and his enemy were staring him down.
Oh, he would wipe that smug grin from Kripke's face.
"I'll be back in my office at the end of the schoolyear.", he said before he could even think about it. "There. That's my timeframe. Is that sufficient for you?"
He could feel all his friends' eyes on him and as a consequence, his own right eye started twitching.
"Is that so?", President Siebert asked, his voice sounding much more pleasant than before. "Why did you not tell us that before?"
"Wasn't it obvious?", Sheldon lied through his teeth. "Amy will finish the schoolyear and then we will move back here. So, do I get to keep my office now? Without all the traveling back and forth?"
"Well, that's an unexpected development.", President Siebert said thoughtfully. "Does that mean, Dr. Fowler is going to take the very kind offer she has received from Dr. Gunderson?"
"But…", Sheldon furrowed his brows. What did that have to do with anything? "This has not been decided yet. As far as I understand, she has received the offer and has asked for time to consider it. This has nothing to do with me… or my office."
"You are right.", President Siebert said in a tone that Sheldon did not like. "It has nothing to do with you directly. However, as the president of this University, I believe in long-term investments."
Sheldon blinked.
"You… are you blackmailing me? Is that it? I get to keep my office if I get my fiancée to work here? Because if so, then… I am outraged."
"Not so fast, Dr. Cooper.", President Siebert tried to calm him down. "I am certainly not blackmailing you. But Dr. Fowler could be very valuable for the biology department and I am sure, should she choose to get back to her research, she will be receiving offers from more than one university. We do hope, the both of you will appreciate how generously we have been treating you here."
"What about me?", Kripke shouted. "Do I get a say in this?"
"You, Dr. Kripke…", President Siebert said in an unpleasant voice, directed at Kripke. "You should be happy if you get to keep the office you currently work in. We have heard enough about your work ethics today."
"But… you told me… you said…", Kripke stuttered, before his face hardened. "You were never going to give me that office. You just used me for your… 'longterm investment'."
"Well, you got me there.", Siebert said, clearly bored. "Now if you'll excuse me, I would like to settle this right now."
Kripke stormed off and Siebert turned back to Sheldon who was still speechless.
Had this been Siebert's plan all along? Had he played right into his hands?
"Dr. Cooper, I hope you are telling the truth about your plans to come back. Because if not… well, let's just say, I can be a very unpleasant boss if I want to."
Sheldon blinked nervously.
Now that Kripke was gone, he regretted his bold statement.
Just this morning he had decided on giving up the office if he had to. And now this?
But on the other hand… just yesterday, Amy had offered to quit her job. Maybe eight months from now, she would want this as much as he did.
"I assure you, I am telling you the truth.", he said as firmly as he could, trying to stop his right eye from twitching.
"Well, in that case… I'd like to call this a successful meeting.", Siebert exclaimed and extended his hand. "Good-bye, Dr. Cooper."
Sighing, Sheldon shook it and then walked back to his office, followed by his friends.
"Well, that's perfect.", Raj exclaimed. "Why did you not tell us about this sooner? This information could have spared you from having to come here this week."
"Oh, grow up, Raj.", Leonard said. "Sheldon, how could you lie to our bosses like that? This will cause you a lot of trouble."
"Maybe.", Sheldon said and sat down in his chair.
"What are you going to do now?", Leonard implored. "You need to call Amy and tell her about this."
Sheldon shook his head vehemently.
"Amy can never know of this agreement.", he said firmly. "Promise me. All of you."
"You can't keep this from her, Sheldon.", Raj said. "Be reasonable. Don't you think she'll notice once you start packing your things in May?"
Sheldon just rolled his eyes at his friends. Obviously, they did not understand the situation at all.
"Why don't you want her to know?", Howard asked.
"Because.", Sheldon started. "If I did, she would hand in her resignation and move here for me before she's ready."
He knew his friends still did not understand. But it did not matter.
The rest of the day was uneventful.
In the evening, Sheldon told Amy, the whole 'one week a month'-thing was off the table. She was elated, as expected and Sheldon's right eye only twitched a little bit when he left out the rest of the agreement.
He did feel guilty because he was keeping this from her, but he reminded himself, that he was doing this, so she would not feel pressured into making a decision.
On Wednesday, Sheldon almost felt like his old self again, as he sat in his spot surrounded by all his friends.
If Amy would have been there as well, it could have been the perfect evening.
Until his friends, backed up by the women in the group this time, insisted on bringing up the meeting again.
"Okay, Sheldon, now please explain to me, why you won't tell Amy about having to move here by the end of the schoolyear?", Penny asked him after they had finished dinner. "Because I am sure, if you did, she would be more than willing to prepare for just that."
"I know.", Sheldon admitted, slightly annoyed for having to talk about this again. "And that is exactly why none of you will tell you. It's bad enough that you ladies know about it now."
He shot Leonard a dirty look. Why did he have to tell Penny?
"Sheldon, I am sorry, but…", his best friend started. "I don't understand..."
"Stop it.", Sheldon insisted. "I have eight months to show Amy how great our life could be if we moved here. Eight months when we can visit, spend time with all of you, do all the things we cannot do in Medford, maybe even spend some time at the university. When I first brought her here, I made the mistake of springing this idea on her. Now, we can ease into it, and she can slowly figure out that she wants us to have this life here."
"And… if not?", Leonard asked warily. "If she won't figure that out? Are you going to come back without her?"
"Don't be ridiculous, Leonard. Of course not.", Sheldon snorted.
"But then… What are you going to…"
"If in eight months, Amy still does not want to move here…", Sheldon interrupted his friends. "Then I guess, the decision is made. We cannot keep living between two states forever. In that case, I will give up my office, terminate the lease to this apartment and we will stay in Medford forever."
Penny gasped. "No."
Sheldon gave his friends a weak smile. It was almost unthinkable.
"Did you not hear President Siebert's threat?", Howard asked. "Do you really think he will just accept the fact that you lied to him and let you work from home as if nothing happened?"
"He better will be doing just that.", Sheldon said firmly. "Because regardless of where I live or which university I will be working at, one day I will win the Noble Prize and he knows that. It is not in the university's interest to drive me away."
He could see Howard roll his eyes. "What if you're wrong about that? What if he… underestimates your great value to this university?"
Sheldon chose to ignore the obvious sarcasm in his friend's voice and just sighed.
"In that case… I guess I will just find another place to work."
It was painful to even say that.
He loved CalTech. He had been working there for so long. He did not want to start over anywhere else.
Again, he cursed himself. Why did he have to lose control like that? Was it too late to call his boss and confess?
But no, he had made up his mind. There was no turning back now.
"It was always going to be this decision. Medford or Pasadena. Working remotely was always meant to buy us more time to think about it. No matter how much we love both places, we will have to decide at some point. I think… President Siebert has actually done me a favor, forcing me to come up with a timeline for it."
"But… If you just told Amy about it…", Leonard tried again. "She wants you to be happy. She will move here in a heartbeat."
"I know.", Sheldon agreed and sighed.
The things Amy had said the night before the competition, when he had brought up moving here the first time still resonated in his mind. And so did horrible feelings he had afterwards when she wouldn't speak to him, and he felt their future together slip away from him.
"But…", he continued. "I fear that if she moves here for the wrong reasons, she will resent me for it in the end. And that it might ruin what we have. It is my greatest wish to live here with Amy. But I need her to be happy. She cannot feel like she sacrificed her happiness for me."
Sheldon saw his friends exchange looks.
"So, what's the plan then?", Howard asked. "You have a plan. Right?"
Sheldon smiled. His friends knew him so well.
"I do. But it's more a mission than a plan.", he admitted.
His friends kept looking at him expectantly, so he continued.
"When Amy and I went back to Medford, she said something strange to me that first night back in our home. She said – and I quote – 'I missed this'. I have been trying to figure out what she could have meant by that. What it is that she could be missing here in Pasadena."
"Well, have you asked her?", Bernadette asked. "Because, I am sorry Sheldon, but figuring this out on your own isn't really your strong suit."
He had.
"I did ask her.", he nodded. "She said, she missed being in meemaw's house with me. She also mentioned my family and spending time with our friends from the choir."
Penny scrunched up her nose. "Well, obviously, you cannot bring any of these things here.", she said.
"I know.", Sheldon sighed. "I will have to find another way to make her happy here."
Leonard got up and went over to Sheldon's empty white board by the kitchen area and wrote down these three things.
House. Family. Friends.
"I agree, you cannot bring your meemaw's house here.", he said then. "But if we take one step back and think about it, your family stands for companionship and so does the choir. She has told us all about how she grew up without any friends, so I can see where she's coming from."
"But she'll have us.", Penny protested. "I've been texting Amy every day for the past weeks. And Bernie and I call her on every girl's night to tell her how much we miss her."
"Yeah, we would be thrilled if she moved here.", Bernadette agreed. "She has to know that."
"Maybe she does.", Howard agreed. "But she has only known the both of you for a few weeks. And you've only become friends because she's with Sheldon. Maybe she needs to be sure that you like her for who she is and not just as Sheldon's future wife. Maybe she needs to know that about all of us."
Sheldon leaned back on his spot on the couch. The way his friends were trying to help him, warmed his heart.
He loved how much their friendship started to feel like it used to feel all these years ago. Maybe with time, Amy would feel the same way about them.
"Sheldon, I think we need more clues.", Leonard pulled him out of his thought. "Did she say anything more?"
Sheldon shook his head. He had an eidetic memory, so he would remember.
"Then tell us the situation. Where were you, when she said she missed this. What exactly were you doing that day?"
"Well…", Sheldon closed his eyes. "We had just come back to Medford. It was the day of our friends' wedding which we obviously went to. We spent time with our friends from the choir, then we walked home together and then…"
His felt his cheeks heat up. He could remember vividly what they had done then. He had no idea what had come over him that night. He hadn't even wanted to have tea with her. He just needed to have her.
"Oh, oh, oh, I know that face.", Howard told the others. "Although I never thought I would see it on Sheldon. I think we have another thing to add to the white board."
Sheldon opened his eyes again and saw his friends grinning at him.
He furrowed his eyebrows. Were they implying that Amy could have been unsatisfied over the summer?
It did not make sense.
"Sheldon, I am almost afraid to hear the answer.", Leonard said. "But… is it possible that you are more sexually active in Medford than you are here?"
Sheldon used his eidetic memory to go over the weeks they had spent in Pasadena and then he could not help but feel a little guilty.
He had to admit, they had not been intimate very often over the summer. And the few times they had sexual intercourse were all initiated by Amy.
He had enjoyed those nights thoroughly, but he had to admit, he could have shown her a bit more affection. He always did when they were in Medford. So why not in Pasadena? He would have to look into that.
Could it be? Was that what Amy had meant?
"It's… possible.", he admitted, even though he did not really like to talk about this with his friends. "I guess… I was so occupied over the summer. I just… did not think about it much."
Leonard turned back to the board and - to Sheldon's horror - wrote 'Intimacy' on it.
"You're a weird man.", Howard told him. "How can you not think about it? It's all I ever think about."
That gained him a slap on the shoulder from Bernadette.
"It makes sense though.", Bernadette then told the others. "I could never picture Sheldon having a physical relationship with anyone."
"Well, I could see how that could be frustrating for Amy.", Penny nodded. "Sheldon, you need to strap on a pair and make sure your lady is satisfied."
"Hang on.", Leonard chimed in. "Sheldon should not feel pressured into being something he is not. If he does not want to be intimate all that often, then Amy needs to accept that. I am sure she has ways to satisfy herself."
"Hey!", Sheldon protested.
He did not like the way his friends talked about him. As if he wasn't able to keep his woman satisfied.
And he did not know what kind of problems Leonard and Penny had, but he definitely did not have to strap on a pair of anything.
"Not that it is any of your business, but I enjoy being physical with Amy very much. I might not think about it as much as you do, Howard, but I do enjoy this aspect of our life together and so does Amy. I doubt that her reluctance to move here has anything to do with it, but if she wants to enjoy my genitals more frequently, then that is a problem that can be fixed easily."
He was serious. Keeping Amy sexually satisfied did not really feel like much of a chore.
Quite the opposite. He would enjoy that. Profusely. Especially if she did that thing, he liked so much…
He sighed. Oh, how he missed her.
"Ew, Sheldon, stop making this face. It's strange enough hearing you talk about sex. I don't want to picture it too."
Sheldon raised his eyebrows at Bernadette.
"Well, you guys started it. It's not my fault that I have coital activities on my mind now."
"Alright, I think we can let this go now.", Leonard said. "Sheldon, you said you went to a wedding before your… coital activities."
"We did.", he agreed. "But what does that have to do with all of this?"
"Well, you dressed up, probably danced, watched two people exchange vows… that sounds like a romantic date. Do you think, that is what she could have missed as well? I can't recall you two ever having an evening to yourself over the summer."
He had not thought about this before.
Amy loved date nights. And for some reason, they had never added them to their Pasadena schedule.
Maybe he would have to rectify that.
"So you are saying, Amy and I should go on dates, when we are here for the weekend? But we do that in Medford all the time. We come here to spend time with you guys."
"We could double date.", Penny suggested, just as Leonard wrote 'Romance' on the board. "And it does not have to be all the time. Just enough for her to realize that your relationship does not have to be too different once you move here."
Just that moment, Sheldon's phone went off.
It was Amy. Sheldon checked his watch.
Drats. It was already bedtime in Medford. He had completely lost track of time.
Sheldon nodded at the others.
"Thank you. You've given me a lot of things to think about."
With that, he took his phone and went to his bedroom.
He smiled as he saw Amy's face appear on the small screen of his phone. Just as the two nights before, she was in their bedroom, wearing her nightclothes.
"Hello, Sheldon. I just wanted to wish you a good night.", she told him.
"I'm sorry.", he blurted out. "Everyone's still in the living room. We were having dinner together and then there was so much to talk about. I completely forgot about the time. I can send them away and go change quickly and then we can go to sleep together."
But Amy shook her head, a soft smile on her face.
"That's okay. You can spend time with your friends. I'm glad you're having a good time."
"I am having a good time. But I am very much looking forward to having you here tomorrow.", he admitted.
"So am I.", she mumbled. "I really missed you these last days, Sheldon."
"I missed you too. But you already know that.", he said softly.
"I do. But it's always nice to hear.", she answered, grinning at him.
Vixen.
"So…", he asked and leaned back against his pillow. The conversation with his friends entered his mind as he asked the next question. "What did you miss the most while I was gone?"
She furrowed her eyebrows. "That's… hard to say. I missed everything, Sheldon."
Well, that wouldn't do.
"Could you be more specific?"
"Well…", she seemed to ponder it. "I missed all the conversations we have, especially in the early morning. I missed having tea with you when I come home. I missed you at choir practice. And… I am missing you right now."
Sheldon couldn't agree more. He missed all these things as well.
"Right now?", he said and grinned cheekily. "What are you missing right now?"
"Sheldon…", she blushed. "You know what I mean. We already talked about it. I miss… sleeping next to you. Holding you."
"Just… holding me?", he implored.
She bit her lip. It looked adorable.
"I have no idea what you mean, Dr. Cooper.", she replied huskily.
"I mean…", he said and raised his eyebrows at her. "If you were here next to me right now, what would you want me to do?"
"Sheldon…", she whispered. "Are you trying to… make me talk dirty? Over the phone?"
He grinned. She had just given herself away.
"So, the thing you would want us to do is indeed something that could be classified as 'dirty'?"
She blushed profusely. .
"What if it was?", she murmured.
"I'd say I could definitely agree on that.", he said and winked at her.
"Yeah?", she asked.
Did she not believe him? Did she not know how much he desired her?
"I missed you so much, Amy. Going to sleep without you is torture. So is waking up in an empty bed. I cannot wait to show you how much exactly I have missed you."
"Yeah? How will that look like?", she asked suggestively.
It was his turn to blush.
He could not say these things over the phone.
"Vixen…", he muttered. "You'll see soon enough."
"Is that a promise, Dr. Cooper?", she said, looking at him longingly.
Dear Lord, if only she were here right now…
"It is.", he nodded. He couldn't wait to get his hands on her again.
They shared a smile like they so often did.
"You should go back to your friends now.", she told him after a few moments. "And I should get some sleep."
He took a deep breath.
"I guess you're right.", he agreed. "Call me before your flight tomorrow.", he told her. "I'll be picking you up with one of our friends."
"I can hardly wait.", she said softly. "Good night, Sheldon. I love you."
"I love you too.", he answered before ending the call.
Sheldon clutched his phone to his chest for a second, already missing Amy's voice.
But he took comfort in the fact that this would be the last night to spend without her for a very long time.
No more travelling back and forth. No more missing each other.
Even if it meant having to keep a secret for a while. That alone was worth it.
Raj's POV:
"Alright, do we all agree on what we think about Sheldon's plan?", Bernadette asked as soon as Sheldon had left the living room.
"Yeah. He won't be able to pull it off.", Howard agreed with her. "This will be a disaster. He'll probably be losing his job and his fiancée."
"Unless…", Penny interjected. "We all work together to help him."
Raj looked up surprised.
It was nice, to have all their friends in one place again. But did they not realize how rare this was? How little time they had together nowadays?
"How do you suggest we do that?", he asked, trying not to sound too discouraging. "It's not like you guys have a lot of free time on your hands."
"Easy.", Penny dismissed him. "We love Amy. And as I said, Bernadette and I have been texting her all the time anyway. We will make sure she knows we are just as much her friends as the people from the choir. Hey, maybe we could even take the kids to Texas once or twice and hang with her there."
Bernadette nodded in agreement. "It would be so nice to have another woman in this group. A smart one at that."
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?", Penny protested.
"We could ask her to be the kids' godmother.", Leonard suggested. "With Sheldon being their godfather and them getting married, it would make sense. And she has been great with them over the summer."
"Great idea!", Penny exclaimed. "I knew having children would come in handy one day. I mean, if it's okay with you, Bernadette. I know it never came up before, but…"
"Are you kidding me? I have enough on my plate with my own two kids. If Amy wants to take on godmother responsibilities, that's fine by me."
Raj watched his friends' exchange. It all sounded crazy to him.
"Really?", he asked. "You would ask a woman you have only met a few months ago to be your kids' godmother? Isn't that a little… unusual? And manipulative?"
"We are not manipulating her. We are including her.", Leonard disagreed. "The kids love her. Also, she and Sheldon are getting married, so she will be in their life regardless. It makes sense."
"Yeah, and apart from all that…", Penny added. "We all agree that we really want Sheldon to come back, don't we?"
The others nodded. Even Howard.
Raj sighed. "Alright. What can I do to help?"
"You are their roommate.", Bernadette answered. "Keep an eye on them. Make sure to tell us if Amy ever seems unhappy."
"Also, you can help Sheldon plan his date nights. You already did a great job with his proposal.", Penny added.
Great. There went his plan to make himself scarce on the weekends when Amy was here. He still did not know if that woman even liked him.
Also, he would be planning romantic dates for someone other than himself, the thought of which made his stomach ache.
But his friends all looked at him as if there was only one right answer.
So, he sighed defeated.
"I guess I can do that."
A few minutes later, Sheldon came back to the living room, a dreamy expression on his face.
Raj couldn't help but envy him.
He wanted what Sheldon had. A loving girlfriend. A wedding to plan.
And – he couldn't help but feel bitter about that – a group of friends that valued him and went to great lengths to help him.