The love language

Deal

It's a nice evening night and somehow I was walking up the stairs with Bernie, Raj, Leonard, and Penny, freaking a little bit in my mind. Bernie insisted that I should be with them now that Anu was gone, to show Raj I blended in with the group nicely.

'I can't believe Raj and Anu broke up...' I kept repeatedly thinking, 'He seems fine, but maybe he is not feeling okay. I should wait."

And yes, I know that waiting meant I was freaking out inside and I didn't want to risk it all by confessing.  

Soon we arrive at Penny's apartment and, after hearing a strange loud noise from the neighbors, we enter and sit. Sitting down, Howard starts.

"Bernadette has some exciting news, I'm very proud of her." Which is pretty obvious from the way he looks at her.

"Come on Howard, I don't want to brag." She smiles shyly and then everybody starts eating. I try to do the same, but curiosity gets the better of me.

"What is it?" 

"Thank you!" She seems relieved and the others look at her with surprised faces "This is the reason why I like her better than all of you."

"Hey, I have been your friend for longer" Penny answers, though she seems more playful than mad.

"Then why didn't you ask about my news?"

"You said you didn't want us to talk about it!"

"Come on tell the truth" Bernie looks at her plate "You are too focused on pizza to ask. Careful, this piece of pizza is full of carbohydrates."

Penny then puts even more pizza in her mouth, which makes me laugh.

"Well, answering the question of my most attentive friend" She looks at me and then continues "The drug I have been working for the past five years just got approved by the FDA."

"Congrats!" The whole group cheers for her.

She then explains about the medicine that just got approved and asks Penny to be her head saleswoman. 

Before the conversation continued, Amy and Sheldon entered the room with more exciting news. Looks like the theory they have been working on got approved.

And with such a happy and lively environment, the dinner was over pretty quickly and then I saw myself in the streets, saying goodbye to Bernie and Howard.

"I'm always surprised to see you and Bernie together like this." Raj told me while he took me to my car "She doesn't make friends that easily."

"I guess it helps that I don't work with her" I laugh "I bet if we were in the same office she would think I wanted her job."

"Maybe" We arrive at my car "Our project is coming to an end, isn't it?"

"Yes," I say quietly, a little bit sad."I guess the last encounter will be our last."

He looks up to the sky and sighs.

"Do you have any other project do to after this?"

"In fact yes" I smile "A biology book will come out, and they already ask me if I could do it. Bernie is going to help me on this."

He looks at me with a happy face after hearing my news.

"I don't know if Bernie is nice to work with, but I'm happy that you are doing with someone you know." 

He looked like he wanted to say more, but my phone rang at the time.

"Who is it?"

"My sister. I better pick up or she is going to kill me. Is been a while since I spoke to her."

I watch him leave at the same time I answer my sister's questions.

________________________________________________________________________________

"So, he broke up with his fianceé?" My sister asks after I explain the situation to her.

"Well, yes."

She nods her head in understanding.

"Then why are you not asking him out now?"

I blush.

"Because I want to see if he is okay and ready to start something new." 

"You coward"

"This is what Bernie says to me all the time."

"And she is right."

"Look" I pass my fingers through my hair "I know I have to do something if I want this relationship to move forward, I know I do." I sigh "And I promise I will. My next encounter with him will be the last one needed to finish my translation and, once I don't have any job strings attached to him, I will make a move. I swear I will."

"If you don't you will have to take me out to the most expensive restaurant in town."

"Deal."