52Shy Kiss
Sheldon spent that night and much of the next day processing the experience. He'd been kissed before, by more than one person, and those times had all felt similarly. Amy's uncomfortably awkward accosting was only the most recent. She had 'surprised' him in an attempt to ascertain whether or not he was receptive to her advances, her words. Sheldon just thought she was temporarily insane. Thankfully, Amy also found it to be less than satisfactory and didn't repeat it. And Beverly Hofstadter's alcohol- and cheesecake-fueled ardour had also been an offensive invasion of his space. And then there had been the boy at Heidelberg when he was a guest professor, which was more uncomfortable than the others from sheer embarrassment. The German student had thought he was gay due to his constant rejection of his female students' attempts to get better grades and apologized when Sheldon told him in no uncertain terms that it was a good idea to ask these things before acting. And of course Missy's friends had also been dared to kiss him throughout his early years. So it was hardly his first kiss; it wasn't even his first dare kiss.
It was, however, the first kiss that didn't make him uncomfortable.
He wasn't sure if it was because Penny warned him ahead of time, or if it was just that she had a lot of experience with kissing and knew how to do it comfortably.
I wonder if it was a fluke, he thought. She has established a precedent of welcoming my physical presence. She kissed me first. It would not necessarily be weird for me to kiss her in an attempt to gather more data. She would understand.
At 8:15, approximately 23 hours after Penny was dared to kiss him, Sheldon and Penny met for their weekly laundry night.
"Hey Sheldon," Penny greeted.
"Good evening, Penny." Sheldon started loading his whites into the washer while Penny threw all of her clothes in without sorting colors. He had long ago given up on trying to get her to sort her clothes. If she wanted her whites to get dingy and her colors to fade, so be it. At least she knew not to wash her lingerie with her jeans.
A few minutes of comfortable silence passed while they each loaded their machines. When that was done he asked, "Penny, what does one do with one's hands when kissing?"
Penny frowned. "Well, there are lots of things you could do. Some of them are situational but for the most part if you stick to head, shoulders, and hips, you should be fine. Why, you thinkin' about kissing someone?" She couldn't resist teasing him.
"Yes. I have a theory that needs more data, and to obtain the data I need to kiss you again." That one threw her for a loop. She had expected Sheldon to never bring up their dare-kiss again and ignore it completely. Not that she was necessarily opposed to kissing him again. His lips were soft and she could tell he had real potential.
And if he could get her heart pounding with just a few seconds of one-sided kissing, she wondered what he could do if he actively participated. And it's not like she has anything better to do. She'd been single for weeks and it was starting to get boring.
"What's your theory?" she asked.
The washers finished filling and set to the wash cycle as Sheldon leaned against the folding table. "Well, I've been going over my past kissing experiences and I noticed that while they've all been similar in practice, id est someone invades my personal space and touches their lips to mine, the incident with you was the only one that didn't make me uncomfortable. My theory is that it was A. a fluke, or B. simply that you have vastly more experience than I or any others who've accosted me and know enough to make it a pleasant experience for both parties. But for both options I need more data, and as I just said, in order to obtain more data I need to kiss you again."
"Id est?" she asked, confused. She was used to Sheldon throwing in weird words she didn't understand but that didn't sound like English.
"It's latin for 'that is,'" he explained. "And it's commonly abbreviated ie. It precedes a rewording or clarification of a statement. In this case I was clarifying how exactly my experiences were similar."
Penny nodded, then processed the rest of his theory. "So you wanna know if you not being uncomfortable with me kissing you as a fluke or not?"
"That's a gross oversimplification," Sheldon frowned. "But ultimately yes."
She nodded again and mulled the idea over. "I don't see why not. Let's do it."
Sheldon pushed off the table and stepped closer to her, then hesitated. He'd been kissed many times before, but he'd never initiated one himself. Slowly, and reminiscent of their Christmas hug, he raised his arms to her face and tilted it slightly. Unconsciously, he licked his lips, drawing her gaze. Her lips parted just the slightest and she leaned into him. Just as slowly, he lowered his face to hers, their lips touching tentatively at first, then with more pressure, her bottom lip caught between his.
Their eyes fell closed and they each took a deep breath, each breating in the other. It wasn't in Penny's nature to be passive. Her hands went to his chest first, but slid up to his shoulders as she stepped closer to him. Sheldon felt every movement and point of contact acutely. It was unlike any kiss he'd endured before. His heartbeat accelerated and he heard his blood thumping in his ears. When Penny's hand slid into his hair he gasped and she touched her tongue to his quickly before retreating. That was a first for him, but it wasn't as repulsive as he'd imagined it'd be. In fact it was an intriguing sensation he was curious to experience again. But his neck was starting to stiffen. As he pulled away their noses brushed and he huffed a breath against her face. Penny's eyes remained closed for a moment longer, her hand falling back to his shoulder. Sheldon slid his hands down her neck, unaware that the delayed contact set her skin on fire.
One of the washing machines shuddered loudly and broke the atmosphere. Sheldon blinked and swallowed hard. "So. Not a fluke then. Good to know."
Penny hadn't known what to expect, but it was none of what had just occured and she didn't quite know how to process it. Holy crap on a cracker. What a kiss. She blinked and shook her head to clear it. "Hey do you mind watching my clothes for a sec? I'll be right back."
Sheldon nodded, still lost in his own head.
Scientific method dictates that I add variables, test multiple times and in multiple ways, which would constitue kissing other women to establish a control. However I find myself unwilling to do so. I don't want to kiss anyone else. Possible conclusions: 1. Penny's experience makes it enjoyable for everyone involved. 2. Initiating the kiss myself gave me more power over the act itself, therefore elevating my comfort level because since I started it on my own terms I could also end it on my own terms. 3. It's just because it was Penny.
No closer to a concrete answer, but unwilling to do anymore unbiased tests, Sheldon did something he rarely does; he let it go.
A/N: Reviews are good for the muse. Stay tuned for more.