The Cupid Complication (A Shamy Fanfiction)

Chapter 2

"I do like trains."

Sheldon gazed at the large 1980s Steam Train in front of him. He and Amy were at the Model Train Centre for Date Night. To a bystander, it probably looked like more of a family day trip, mainly consisting of Sheldon running around shouting, "Amy! Amy, look at this one! Isn't it simply remarkable? We should come here more often," with Amy replying "Yes. Remarkable. Do you want to come to my apartment for coffee or something?" Sheldon would then give a long speech about how he doesn't drink coffee.

"Sheldon, we've looked at these trains for 3 hours, can we go home now? It's 9pm!" Amy pleaded.

"Amy, five more minutes!"

Amy groaned, giving in to Sheldon's demands once more. Amy and Bernadette constantly badgered her to stop letting Sheldon get his way all the time, but it was hard. Amy just wanted to see Sheldon happy.

~<>~<>~<>~

Exactly 27 minutes later, Sheldon and Amy were seated opposite each other in Amy's apartment, discussing particle physics between bites of spaghetti with cut-up hot dogs.

Sheldon interrupted their discussion:

"Thank you for taking me to the Train Centre. I had a wonderful time with you this evening."

Amy looked pleasantly surprised.

"You're welcome, Sheldon. It's nice to be appreciated. I had a wonderful time too."

Silence filled the room. Sheldon was just staring at her. No emotion, just blankly staring.

Sheldon reached his hand across the table and held Amy's gently. A small smile flickered at the corners of his mouth.

"You know," Sheldon whispered, "You never cease to amaze me, Amy Farrah Fowler. You possess not only an intelligent mind, but captivating beauty. I've tried to ignore it, but my feelings for you have undoubtedly grown stronger, and I don't want to ignore that any more. I'm so proud of you, Amy, for being the strong, insightful woman, that I fall more in love with every single day."

It was Amy's turn to stare, her eyes filling with tears. Minutes of silence went by, until Amy broke out into loud sobs. She wasn't crying because she was upset; quite the opposite. She was crying because she loved Sheldon so much that it hurt - he was all she ever wanted. She had been rejected so many times in her life that for someone to love her and appreciate her made her feel like someone very special.

Sheldon wrapped Amy in his strong arms, squeezing her tightly. This made her cry harder. Sheldon pulled back and held Amy's face with one hand, stroking her jawline with his thumb. He wiped a tear from her cheek and leaned in, pressing his soft lips to hers in a long, lingering sad kiss that tasted of sea salt.

"Maybe," Sheldon whispered, "I should stay with you tonight."

Amy's eyes widened.

"With me as in, in my apartment, with me, or with me as in, in my bed, with me?..."

Sheldon pulled back from Amy a little, looking down.

"I love you, Amy, but I'm not sure I'm ready yet. Maybe soon, just...not right now."

Amy smiled a small smile. Though she was a little disappointed that Sheldon wouldn't sleep next to her, he was going to stay with her. She respected his personal space. Besides, he would only be in the next room on the sofa.

"I understand. Come on, let's clear up and then find a blanket and a cushion for you."

Amy cleared the dishes and, after putting on latex gloves, Sheldon helped stack them up in the sink.

Then, Amy took Sheldon's hand, squeezing it tight, and pulled him to the closet. It took nearly ten minutes for Sheldon to choose a blanket, finally settling for a dark blue one with little silver stars.

"It's like the one my Meemaw used to tuck me up in, every time I stayed over at her house," Sheldon said, by way of explanation of his choosing. He smiled to himself and, or a moment, Amy saw the little boy in him that she didn't see very often. Whilst he was so adult in his work, he was still young at heart, though he would never admit it. It made Amy love him even more.

After Sheldon performed his 20-minute bathroom ritual, Amy settled Sheldon on the sofa. He was already falling asleep. Amy slowly pulled the blanket over him, smiling; he looked so angelic when he was sleeping. Amy leaned down and planted a small kiss on his forehead, and if she wasn't mistaken, she could see a flicker of a smile on Sheldon's face.

"Goodnight Sheldon," Amy whispered, "Sweet dreams."