The Game The Started the Change

Chapter 2: Sheldon's Epiphany and Change

Knock...knock..knock

"Penny!"

Knock… knock... Knock

"Penny!"

Knock… knock… knock

"Penny!"

"Come in, Sheldon!" Penny called out from her bedroom.

Sheldon walked in to see the place looked amazing. Penny had set out little nick nacks and photos around the room. Everything was just as organised as the last time he saw it. The photo by her laptop caught his eye.

In a silver engraved frame was a picture of Penny and Sheldon working on the Penny Blossoms together. He studied her face for any irritation from having to work with him. He saw none. Just her smiling as they sang together.

"That is one of my favourite pictures of you," Penny said as she walked over to him.

"Of me? Why?" Sheldon asked.

Penny pointed to Sheldon in the picture. He was smiling and laughing. His eyes twinkled with amusement. And his whole body was relaxed. Sheldon looked genuinely happy and enjoying himself.

"Oh…" Sheldon breathed. "I never noticed."

"You get that same look when you're talking about physics and your MeeMaw. I rarely get to see that side of you. I mostly get to see it when we're alone. That's rare of late." Penny shrugged her shoulders.

Sheldon looked up at her from where he was studying the picture of them. She was wearing a tight form fitting pair of light blue jeans. She had her Nebraska tank top on and her hair was swept up into a high ponytail. Her skin glowed from her recent tan.

"You look beautiful, Penny."

"Thank you, Sheldon. We should get going. We have a long day ahead." Penny slipped into a pair of open-toed wedges.

"We're just going clothes shopping, Penny." Sheldon straightened to his full height before following her out of the apartment.

"Au contraire, my friend. We have more than just clothes shopping to do today. First of all…" Penny locked up the apartment and headed down the stairs. "You need a haircut."

"Penny…" Sheldon tsked. "You know I get my haircut on a regular annual schedule."

Penny raised an eyebrow at him. "What's today, Sheldon?"

"Well, it's…" Sheldon quickly went over his mental list of events. "Oh bugger! You are right Penny. Thank you."

"No problem sweetie. You know, after all these stairs these last few years, I have amazing calves." Penny laughed at her own words.

Sheldon tilted his head to the side. "You have always had amazing calves. I don't see any difference."

Penny's mouth opened in shock. Sheldon just gave her a compliment and she wasn't sure he even realised it. Penny thought back over the years. He has always said she was aesthetically pleasing. She quickly googled the saying while wondering why she had never bothered before.

To call something aesthetically pleasing is, in essence, to call it beautiful, i.e. pleasing to the senses, but particularly the senses of sight and hearing— it would be unusual to describe a delicious meal or an aromatic perfume so.

"Huh" Penny's mind could not comprehend that this whole time Sheldon had been calling her beautiful in his own Sheldon way. For about three years now, she had thought he was insulting her. But now… she realised that he was complimenting her looks while basically saying that was not her best attributes. In layman terms, while he thinks she's beautiful, it doesn't need to be made a big deal. There is more to her than her looks.