"The Up – Close and Personal Rectification" ( a simple continuation of 9.19)

"Well, it's late. Time for bed. Good night Amy," he said in a pleasantly satisfied tone.

"Good night Sheldon," she replied back a bit crestfallen yet managing to flash him a half smile before pressing that red button to cancel their call.

...

All in all, it had been quite a productive day, even by his standards. His laptop had died…there was a quiet memorial service on his desk for it.

His loving, caring and equally quirky girlfriend mourned with him in her own way but also gifted him with a new one, which of course he was hesitant to accept at first. Nevertheless, he knew his girlfriend had good intentions and even though he did not like change, he would eventually cave in and thank her for the gift.

The day continued by taking the deceased laptop to its final resting place… a storage room where it would be among ALL the things he had ever had. It turned out, he was quite a hoarder. He shared this deep, dark secret with her – which alone, was a miracle. She felt privileged to be told such an intimate detail of his life as he was not one to usually open up to others. They sat there and she listened to him explain the origins of some of the numerous objects he had obtained over the years, including some pine cones and a golf ball. They were bonding and deep down inside, they both felt a bit of relief, each for different reasons. She was relieved that he was opening up to her and he was relieved that she didn't think less of him. It was a win- win situation.

The afternoon ended with more friendly conversation and some tea back in his apartment; a ritual that had been on hold for many months as they were separated.

The afternoon turned to pre-evening and then evening and he was becoming restless. He was like a little kid waiting to play with his new toy the moment mommy left the room. He turned to his girlfriend and gave her the most flirtiest of glances which made her think that maybe… just maybe, something else would happen to perfect an already perfect day. Boy was she wrong about that one!

He asked her if they could continue their date via Skype so he could finally use his new laptop. Of course, who was she to say no to such a request? She could never resist his charm and even though she was hoping for more, this would have to suffice. After all, she knew that he was hers 100% and there was no doubt about his intentions towards her any more. She could wait for him… till her next birthday if need be.

She went home and he retreated to his room to get ready to inaugurate his new laptop with his significant other. He wanted her to be the first.

They chit-chatted for a bit about how wonderful the piece of machinery actually was. He commented on how amazing she looked and not just because of the 4K resolution being so clear but unfortunately, she wouldn't know that part. He also mentioned that he could just reach out and touch her but she answered solemnly that, in fact, he couldn't. This being said put a damper on the mood and soon the call ended. She had wanted him to touch her, in more ways than one.

Of course, all this was oblivious to him at that moment. He was a child in a candy store running rampant on a sugar rush. It was only a few short minutes after the call ended that he came down from his high and realized what she had implied. They had had no physical contact that day whatsoever, not even a brief good bye kiss. He was too wrapped up in the day's events and she didn't want to seem pushy. He instantly felt bad and somewhat guilty. He did not want things to revert back to their old ways. He needed to pay attention to the signals his girlfriend was sending him and cater to her needs as well. The day had been about him, just like his birthday had. Even then, all she got was a sweet kiss on the cheek before saying goodnight even though she had organized the whole thing for him and even stayed later than usual to help clean the apartment.

'How selfish of me,' he thought, shaking his head left and right in dismay. Determined not to let her feel disappointed or sad again, he knew he had to take immediate action. He closed the lid of his new laptop and let it sit there on the bed. Then he opened his closet and retrieved a small duffle bag in which he placed a change of clothes, some toiletries, his pajamas and, of course, his new laptop. He walked into the living room swiftly only to be greeted by the other two occupants of 4A who happened to be snuggling on the couch watching a movie.

"Don't wait up for me and don't worry about taking me to work in the morning either…" he said as he grabbed his wind breaker, keys and bag. And just like that, he was gone. The two occupants looked on with wonder at their tall roommate's declaration but decided to resume watching TV. After all, they both knew exactly where to find him if it were necessary this time (of course, they would track his phone just in case...old habits DO die hard).

A bus ride later, he was standing outside her front door. On the inside, she was just getting ready to climb into her bed…alone…as usual. She knew some things would never change and some others would take a long time to do so and even though a small part of her wished they would, she had resolved herself to that fact. She loved him for who he was, faults and all.

Just as she reached out her hand to fold back the covers, she heard it. A series of triple knocks that distinctively let her know who was at the door. Her heart starting racing at the prospect of seeing him on the other side of that door in the flesh, but then she considered the time. It was already an hour or so past her boyfriend's bed time. She started to panic, thinking that something terrible had happened. She put her glasses back on and hurriedly went to the front door. She heard her name in a soft whisper on the other side. With shaky hands, she unlocked the door and saw him standing there.

"Sheldon…" she managed to gasp.

"May I come in?" he asked politely.

"Oh… of course," and with that she opened the door completely and stepped to the side so he could enter. Being a gentleman, he closed the door behind him and put the dead bolt on. Amy couldn't help but stare in amazement at his actions. She continued watching as he put the duffle bag on the floor and took off his jacket. He didn't seem ill or injured and they had just spoken over an hour ago. 'What could have happened to bring him here at this time of night,' she wondered.

Just as she was about to open her mouth to speak, she saw him encroach on her space. She felt him place his warm hands firmly on her hips. She felt a subtle jerk as he pulled her flush to him. She felt his moistened lips ever so gently make contact with hers and then a slight chill as he stopped and backed his head away.

"Thank you again so much for the laptop and you were right," he whispered as he hooked his finger beneath her chin and tipped her gaze up to meet his.

"Right about what?" she asked cautiously, not knowing what he was up to.

"I couldn't touch you through the screen," he responded calmly with a hint of…what was that? Desire? Longing? Whatever that look was, it was making Amy weak at the knees.

"So…" he paused and Amy interrupted his train of thought.

"…you came here," she added almost in a whisper as she looked into his deep blue eyes trying to figure out where all this was heading.

"Yes," he said. And then he kissed her, his tongue teased at her lips before gently invading her mouth. This kiss was slow but sensuous, meant to melt all her resolve. Amy wrapped her arms around his neck and surrendered, enjoying the rush of heat that coursed through her body. His hands then circled to smooth over her back. Her mind whirled as she tried to remember every detail of the kiss, forcing herself not to slip into some hazy state of desire. This was to happen at his pace, if indeed that was the underlying reason he was at her door that night.

When he finally drew back, Amy was dizzy with excitement. Her breath was coming back in quick gasps,her head and heart still spinning and pounding from the wonderful sensation. This kiss brought back all the sweet memories from early December when he had come to claim her as his once more.

"I'm going to go get ready for bed," he whispered. He tapped the tip of her nose with his finger,gave her a wink and then took his bag and walked towards the bathroom, closing the door behind him. She stumbled back against the couch for support. Her trembling fingers touched her lips and she felt a smile growing there.

'It's so much better up close...so, so much better!' she exclaimed softly to herself.

-THE END-

He's sleeping over …obviously... and what happens in the bedroom…stays in the bedroom! Thanks for reading! :)