Sheldon's arms hung limply at his sides, as Leonard carried the last of his boxes across the hall.

His roommate returned to take one last look around the living room. "Well, I guess this is it."

"You guess? Does this mean there's a chance you're not moving?"

"I should know by now not to use words like 'guess,'" Leonard muttered. "No, Sheldon. I'm definitely moving in with Penny." He smiled at his fiancée standing in the doorway of his new home before facing his ex-roommate again. "I'll see you around, Buddy."

"I should hope so. You promised we will still get together for Ka'a night, new comic book day, and vintage video game night."

"And I intend to keep my promise."

As they stood staring at each other, flashbacks of their years together swirled through Sheldon's head. He still couldn't believe Leonard was really leaving. Even with the excitement of Amy moving in, this moment was much more difficult than he imagined. Without thinking, he stepped closer and wrapped his arms around his former roommate. Leonard didn't move a muscle, but then Sheldon felt him mimic the gesture.

Leonard was the first to pull away. "Bye, Buddy."

Unable to speak because of the lump in his throat, Sheldon only nodded. He stood in the doorway long after the door across the hall closed, swallowing his best friend.

"Sheldon, are you okay?"

He blinked at the sound of his girlfriend's voice. How had he missed hearing her footsteps on the stairs? "I'm okay. It's just… Leonard."

Amy set a cardboard box inside the apartment then squeezed his hand. "I know."

Sheldon squeezed back. He appreciated that she stood next to him without another word, as if she knew he needed a few minutes to collect himself. Finally he closed the door and slid the chain in the lock. "My apologies. I should have been more welcoming."

"You have nothing to be sorry for. You and Leonard share a lot of history. It's understandable that you're out of sorts."

"Thank you for understanding."

"Of course." She gave his hand another squeeze then quietly picked up the box and headed for the bedrooms.

Sheldon followed her down the hall and watched as she set the box in Leonard's old room. He swallowed hard. "Um, Amy, you can bring that into our room. I made some space in the closet and cleared out a drawer for you."

"I have four more boxes in the car. Is there enough room?"

Sheldon licked his lips. If the other boxes were anything like this one, his closet couldn't handle them, but he was hesitant to store anything in Leonard's room so soon. It would make his absence more real. "Do you have any valuables? Perhaps you can bring those in and leave the rest in the car for now."

Amy frowned as she scanned the empty room. "I have some old books and my winter clothes. There's nothing of value, but would-be thieves won't know until after they break into my car."

He hadn't thought of that. "I suppose we can store them in here."

"Are you sure? Maybe there's another place I can keep them."

Sheldon swallowed then nodded. "No, it's fine."

When her lips descended on his cheek, he relaxed. Once again, Amy was thinking about his feelings. "I don't deserve you," he admitted, when she took a half step back.

"Why would you say that?"

"You're so kind and caring and always know just what to say, while I'm emotionally unaware."

"It's okay that you struggle with interpreting others' emotions. Everyone has different strengths and weaknesses."

"I appreciate what you're saying, but…"

Amy tilted her head up and pressed her lips to his. "Don't ever change. I love you exactly the way you are."

She said it so matter of factly that he dropped the subject. If she was unbothered by his lack of social skills, then he wouldn't dwell on it.

"I suppose we should bring in the rest of your belongings."

Sheldon ushered her into the hall. Before following her down the stairs, he stared at the door of 4B. There were muffled voices coming from the apartment, but even his Vulcan-like hearing couldn't make out the words. It was just as well.

When he reached the lobby, Amy was already pulling a box from the backseat.

"Allow me." Sheldon hoisted the box from her arms. "Oof! What's in here?"

"All my books. I probably shouldn't have packed them in one box."

Sheldon stooped over, sweat dripping from his brow. "How did you get this to your car?"

In the glow of the street lamp, Amy blushed. "I pushed it to the elevator," she admitted. "When I got to the lobby, one of my downstairs neighbors offered to carry it."

He set the box on the sidewalk and attempted to pick it up again. "Is your neighbor a bodybuilder?"

"I don't think so. Here, let me help."

He watched helplessly as Amy unloaded half the box. "Now we'll need to make an extra trip."

"It's better than throwing your back out." She scooped up an armful of books, stuffed them into a reusable grocery bag, and slung it over her shoulder.

Three trips later, Amy's boxes graced the floor of Leonard's room. Sheldon closed the door behind them. Out of sight, out of mind.

"How was your day?" He asked, as they walked to the kitchen.

"Business was steady enough to bring in a profit but not so busy that Cody couldn't handle it while I worked on the budget."

"That's good."

She nodded. "I have some news."

"Did you find a sublet for your apartment?"

"Not yet."

"Did you enroll in the winter semester?"

"No."

Sheldon frowned as Amy tugged on her skirt. He knew from experience that meant she was agitated. The fact that she stopped talking was another indicator that something wasn't right. "Is it bad news? If you didn't bring the boxes, I would assume you changed your mind about moving in."

"No, nothing like that." She bit her lip. "I sold the vintage Spiderman issue on eBay today. The email came in just before closing."

"That's great news."

"Um hmmm."

"You don't seem happy about it. Was the buyer's offer subpar?"

She shook her head. "No. He's paying the asking price. It's just… On the one hand, I'm happy to have the extra income, but on the other… well, I'm still not keen on selling online when the online industry has taken business away from the family-owned shops. I feel like I'm letting my grandpa down."

Was that a tear in her eye? Sheldon wrapped his arms around her. "I wish I knew what to say to make you feel better. Perhaps I can interest you in a hot beverage?"

"That would be nice." While he warmed the milk in a saucepan, Amy perched on one of the island barstools. "I'm sorry you had to hear my complaints again."

He shrugged. "You had to hear about mine too."

"I guess we're even then." She laughed bitterly. "Look at us. A couple of sad sacks. This should be a happy time."

"Agreed. I propose that for the rest of the evening we forget our troubles and focus on the positives."

"I'll drink to that."

Sheldon carefully measured cocoa into a yellow and a blue mug and gently stirred in the milk. "Would you care for some whipped cream?"

"No thanks. I prefer my cocoa without any extras."

Smiling, he slid the yellow mug across the island. "A purist, like myself."

Amy took a sip and sighed. "Perfect." She took another sip then set the mug on the island. "Speaking of pure, we're moving in together soon, so at some point we need to discuss, um… well, sex."

Sheldon's mouthful of cocoa sprayed across the countertop. He cringed when Amy dabbed at a small brown spot on her t-shirt. "I'm sorry. Let me get that."

"Sheldon, it's okay…"

The rest of her sentence didn't reach his ears as he ran to the bedroom. If they had any chance of getting that cocoa off Amy's shirt, he needed to treat it with stain remover. The laundry basket sat where he left it an hour ago, only instead of sitting upright, it was tipped over on its side. In his haste to catch Leonard before he left, he must have dropped the basket. Now the stain remover was missing. He scanned the floor. Nothing. Perhaps it rolled under the bed.

Laying on his stomach, he peered under the mattress. Of course it rolled to the middle. Fortunately, his arms were long enough with a little stretching.

"Are you hiding from me?"

Sheldon poked his head out and held out the bottle. "I was looking for this."

"You're not upset with me? I'm not trying to push you into anything, I just think we need to discuss it so we both know that to expect."

He motioned her to sit on the bed. Kneeling on the floor, he unscrewed the cap and blotted the stain that was notably close to her left breast. "I agree. I was merely taken aback, considering we were talking about cocoa. I wasn't expecting the conversation to take on such a tangential quality. If the subject had turned to chocolate cake, I wouldn't have batted an eye."

He knew he was babbling, but it was impossible to act normally when his fingertips were nearly grazing such an intimate part of his girlfriend's anatomy.

"I should have chosen a better time to bring it up."

Amy's bosom was so close to his face that he couldn't help but stare. It was because of the stain, he kept telling himself. When he looked up, she was watching him. Her irises darkened as they stared at each other. He gulped. "Perhaps it's best if you change into something else. I don't imagine wearing a damp shirt would feel very comfortable."

Stretching her arms over her head, she pulled off the dirty garment. He couldn't help but peek at her violet-colored bra before rummaging through the closet for the Flash shirt she wore during their sleepovers. When he turned around, Amy sat demurely with her hands on her lap, not even attempting to cover the upper part of her body. As tempted as he was to peel back the tiny piece of fabric, the nagging voice in his brain wasn't telling him now wasn't the time. Should intimate activities progress, he didn't want their first time to occur on the same day as Leonard's move.

Amy slipped the red shirt over her head then consulted her watch. "It's getting late. If you don't mind, can you keep my shirt here overnight so it gets a proper soaking?"

"Instead of just your shirt, I propose that all of you spend the night."

"Sheldon, our deal was that I would stay here Sunday and Monday nights until I officially move in."

"Please? I don't want to be alone tonight."

She hesitated a moment before giving in. "Okay, but we can't make this a habit."

She made it sound as though it would be a long time before they would be living together. Now that he thought about it, it took several weeks before the ad he placed all those years ago brought Leonard here. Of course, his ad was placed on a bulletin board at the university to attract a specific type of roommate; Amy's was online, reaching a larger percentage of the population.

If only she'd placed it weeks ago before the fall semester when the student housing market was at its peak. Though surely someone was looking for a one-bedroom apartment in Glendale. People moved to the LA area all the time.

Satisfied with that thought, he kissed his girlfriend's cheek as they settled in for the night.