SF Chapter 90: The Dumpling Paradox II
"Good news first!" Dani said, ignoring C-3PO.
"I got a role on One Tree Hill!" Penny revealed before giving him a deep kiss.
"But the bad news is that I need to move to another city..." she finished.
"What?"
"Excuse me, how is that good news to anyone besides you?" Sheldon cut into the conversation with his usual lack of social awareness.
"While the bad news is bad for all of us," he added.
Penny made a sarcastic face. "Whoa, I'm touched, Sheldon."
"I had already gotten used to having you around. Now there will be another neighbor," he said with a horrified expression.
"Sheldon!" Leonard called his roommate's attention.
"Okay, let's go to Lexi's place before you actually get annoyed," Dani suggested, already placing a hand on Penny's waist.
"Oh, congratulations, Penny," Leonard congratulated her before she left.
"Thanks!"
Raj also gave a small wave with his hand.
"Thanks, Raj. Always good talking to you," Penny added with a smile.
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The two of them went downstairs and rang the doorbell.
A short time later, Lexi opened the door. "Hey. I just got back. I was about to head upstairs in a few minutes," she commented.
But then she tilted her head. "If you two are here, why are there muffled sounds coming from your apartment, Penny?"
"A friend of mine, Christy, came with me from Nebraska. She's hooking up with Howard in my bed."
"Ew!" Alexandra simply exclaimed.
Daniel laughed. "That's a cute reaction, Lexi."
She ignored him and asked her friend, "Did you warn her about the kind of man Howard is?"
"Christy is worse," Penny said with a shrug.
"Wow." Lexi looked astonished. "And they're doing it in your bed?"
"Yeah, I think I'll need to burn the sheets. Anyway, I came here to share some news," Penny said excitedly. "I got the role on that TV show I auditioned for."
Lexi immediately pulled her into a tight hug, and the two stayed like that for a moment.
"But there is a catch. I'll have to move to Wilmington, North Carolina," Penny revealed.
"That really is bad news! You're going back to being a country bumpkin." Daniel winced, clearly not liking the idea.
Both girls deadpanned at him.
But then Alexandra added with a smirk. "Just when she was finally improving."
"Lexi!" Penny made a mock betrayed face.
Lexi turned and hugged her again. "I'm going to miss you, Penny."
But before Penny could respond, Dani joined in, hugging both of them and gently pushing them toward the door.
"Okay, we can only be sad when she actually moves. There's no reason to be sad while she's still here with us."
"Now, let's celebrate. Just pick any restaurant you want, Penny. It's all on me!" he proposed.
Then he grinned. "And after we come back, we need to make the most of the time we have left." Dani made a gesture with one finger entering a circle formed by the other hand, making the implication obvious.
"Penny, maybe we should do a girls' night today," Lexi mocked.
Penny just laughed. "Let me call my parents first and tell them the news, then we'll go."
While the blonde stepped outside, Lexi and Daniel stayed sitting on the couch waiting.
"Hey, Dani, can I ask you a question?"
He turned his head toward her. "What?"
"If you had known the role required her to move to another city, would that have changed anything?" Lexi asked, since he was the one who told Penny about the opportunity.
Dani answered with unusual seriousness. "If you have any doubts about my answer, then you don't need to be my friend, Lexi."
"It doesn't matter if I feel sad or lose some great nights together. I might not limit myself just so someone else won't feel bad, but I wouldn't put my selfish desires above a friend's dream," he replied.
"God, you can be really awesome sometimes." She rested her forehead against his.
"But..." Dani made an anguished face. "I'm going to miss the BJ, the cowgirl, the bouncing-"
Lexi immediately punched him in the stomach.
A short time later, Penny walked back into the apartment. "I thought we were going to dinner first." She smiled as she saw the two of them already half undressed.
"The order of the factors does not change the product," Daniel replied.
"Dani, you really have been spending too much time with the nerds," Penny laughed. "Well, works for me." She was already taking off her shirt as she joined the two of them.
Only a long while later did the trio finally go out for dinner.
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The next morning, Daniel, Lexi, and Penny were having breakfast at Leonard's apartment. Sheldon was sitting in his usual spot, eating cereal with milk.
"Hola, nerd-migos." Howard walked into the apartment.
Penny looked at the pink robe he was wearing. "Are you wearing my robe?"
"Oh, yeah. Sorry, I'll have it cleaned."
"That's okay, keep it." She made a face.
"By the way, where did you get that loofah mitt?" Howard asked. "Yours reaches places that mine just won't."
"You used my loofah?"
"More precisely, we used your loofah. I exfoliated her brains out," he smirked.
"Isn't much there to exfoliate in the first place, is there?" Lexi pointed out sarcastically, making Dani chuckled.
Then a female voice was heard from outside the apartment. "Howard?"
The Jewish man shouted back, "In here, milady!"
Soon, the blonde bimbo walked into the apartment. "Mm. There's my little engine that could."
Howard imitated a train before walking over and kissing her.
She approached the others and smiled. "Hi, I'm Christy."
"Hey, Leonard."
"Sheldon."
"Right. You're Howard's entourage," she remarked, making the two physicists exchange glances.
"And you?" She shook Daniel's hand, looking him up and down.
"No one special," Dani replied. "Just Howard's young assistant," he lied.
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