SF Chapter 49: Before the Premiere II
After everyone had ordered - Raj only placing his order once the two girls went to the bathroom - the food finally arrived.
"Here you go. Kobe burger, double fries," Bernadette set Daniel's plate down after serving Sheldon and Leonard.
"Wow, you really like fries that much?" Penny asked, already stealing a few from his plate and popping them into her mouth.
"I do. Besides, you and Lexi seem like the type of girls who steal other people's fries," Daniel replied casually, receiving a smile from the blonde.
Right then, a familiar voice cut in.
"Hey, Leonard."
"Oh - hi, guys." She also nodded at Raj, Howard, and Sheldon.
Leonard looked up. "Hi, Leslie."
"I didn't know you ate here," she remarked.
"We don't," Sheldon corrected immediately. "This is a disturbing aberration."
Leonard interrupted him, introducing the rest she didn't know. "Leslie, that is Penny - she lives across the hall from Sheldon and me."
He gestured to the brunette. "That's Alexandra. She lives below Penny. And this is my cousin, Daniel."
"And Bernadette," Leonard added, pointing toward the waitress, "whom we just met today."
"Leslie and I work together at the university," he explained.
"Yep. Come for the breasts, stay for the brains," Leslie said dryly.
Bernadette, still standing there, spoke up as well, "I'm graduating from the University of California in microbiology. I'm only working here to pay tuition." She felt the need to explain.
The two women exchanged a brief look. Leslie dismissed it with a shrug and turned back to Leonard.
"Glad I ran into you. The Physics Department string quartet needs a new cellist."
"What happened to Elliot Wong?"
"He switched to high-energy radiation research. Had a minor accident. Now the others are... uncomfortable sitting next to him." She revelead. "So, you're in?"
"Uh, yeah. Sure, why not?" Leonard replied without much thought.
"Great. We rehearse Mondays. At your place. So see you tomorrow."
"Okay," he agreed again, receiving a silent look from Sheldon.
"Nice meeting you all," Leslie said before walking off.
After Leslie left, Bernadette turned back to Leonard. "So you play the cello?"
"Yeah. My parents figured naming me Leonard and putting me in Advanced Placement classes wasn't getting me beaten up enough," he joked, with mild self-deprecation.
"If you're into music," Howard jumped into the conversation, "I happen to be a human beatbox."
"Really?" Bernadette asked, politely curious.
Howard immediately started beatboxing. It was painfully awkward.
"I'm actually... not that into music," Bernadette said, already stepping away. "I should check on the other tables."
Daniel patted Leonard's shoulder. "Look at you, big dog. Two girls circling."
"What? No-" He frowned. "Leslie rejected me last month..."
Sheldon nodded. "It was an embarrassing failure."
"Thank you, Sheldon."
"Well, I doubt she'd reject you now..." his cousin commented. "It's called the 'other girl likes you' effect. When another girl shows interest in you, you suddenly become more desirable to the first one."
"Dani is not really wrong..." Penny chimed in.
"But Leonard, I think you should choose one, or you could end up screwed and lose both of them," Daniel added. "Don't be indecisive. That's what could kill your chances."
"Wow, surprisingly great advice..." Alexandra mocked him.
He ignored her sarcastic remark and asked, "And you, Miss Daddario? Any boys? ...or girls?"
"Please say girl... please, please..." he pleaded.
"No. And NO!" She crossed her arms.
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The next day, on Monday afternoon, Leslie, Leonard, and two other people were rehearsing a classical piece in Leonard's apartment.
Leslie, who was playing the violin, glanced at Leonard. "I admire your fingering."
"Thank you." He kept his eyes closed, focused on his cello.
She continued, "Maybe sometime you can try that on my instrument."
Leonard opened his eyes and looked at her oddly, trying to figure out if he had heard her correctly.
After a while, the rehearsal ended and the others said their goodbyes.
"Good evening, guys. Good job."
"Thanks."
"See you next week."
"That was fun. Thanks for including me," Leonard told Leslie, who remained in the apartment.
"You're welcome." She picked up her violin again. "If you're up for it, we could practice that middle section again."
"Sure, why not?"
As soon as they started playing, she said casually, "Just so we're clear, you understand that me staying back to practice with you is a pretext for letting you know that I'm sexually available."
Leonard played out of tune and dropped his cello bow.
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Meanwhile, in the apartment next door, Daniel was smiling.
"I'm just so glad you joined us, Lexi," he declared.
"It's Anna. Stop using my nickname," Alexandra scolded, grabbing the paper she was holding, rolling it up, and lightly hitting him on the head. They were rehearsing for her next audition.
"Yeah, I think you're better at writing and singing, Dani," Penny laughed, holding a glass of wine. She was the only one drinking.
"Hey, let's do some roleplay and I'll show you I can be a great actor," Daniel retorted, receiving another bonk from Lexi.
"Focus! Please. You said you would help me with this."
"Fine!"
Then they heard a knock on the door, followed by someone calling, "Penny!" It happened two more times.
Penny walked to the door and opened it. "Hey, Sheldon. What's going on?"
"I need your opinion on a matter of semiotics."
She tilted her head. "I'm sorry?"
"Semiotics," Sheldon repeated. "The study of signs and symbols. It's a branch of philosophy related to linguistics."
"Okay, sweetie, I know you think you're explaining yourself, but you're really not," Penny spoke, still very confused.
"Just come with me. You too, Alexandra and Daniel" He gestured with his hand.
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"Well?" Sheldon questioned. The four of them were standing in front of Leonard's door.
"Well, what?" Penny looked at him.
Alexandra whispered to Daniel, "Isn't it funny he knows about semiotics but not what a tie on the doorknob means?"
"Yeah, like I said, he's the most intelligent dumbass I've ever met," Daniel chuckled.
Sheldon ignored the two whispering and asked Penny again, "What does it mean?"
"Oh, come on, you went to college," Penny spoke exasperated.
"Yes, but I was eleven."
"All right, look, a tie on the doorknob usually means someone doesn't want to be disturbed because they're... you know... gettin' busy."
"So you're saying Leonard has a girl in there?" Sheldon made a surprised face.
"Well, either that or he's lost his tie rack and gotten really into Bryan Adams," she added, referring to the music playing from Leonard's bedroom.
Then they heard a feminine voice from inside, flatly in tone. "Oh, Leonard, you magnificent beast."
"That's my big dog cousin!" Daniel made a proud expression. "Not only did he get a date the day after, now this."
"Now, let's get out of here," he pulled Sheldon.
Back in the living room, Sheldon seemed unsure of what to do. "This is very awkward."
"Oh, come on, Leonard's had girls over before, right?" Penny commented.
"Yes, but there's usually planning, courtship, advance notice..."
Alexandra grew curious. "So, do you know who's in there?"
"Well, there's Leonard," Sheldon replied, receiving a deadpan glare from Lexi.
Daniel burst out laughing. "Man, I swear I'm going to use this interaction in one of my scripts. This is gold!"
Sheldon ignored him and picked up a violin case that was on the couch. "And he's either with Leslie Winkle or a 1930s gangster."
"Okay... good evening!" Penny was already heading toward the door.
"No, no, wait, hold on."
"What's the matter?"
"I don't know what the protocol is here. Do I stay? Do I leave? Do I wait to greet them with a refreshing beverage?"
"Hey, Lexi, could you answer Sheldon?" Daniel asked. "Penny and I are usually on the other side of the tie," he mocked.
Alexandra glared at him but replied, "Sheldon, just don't open the door and you'll be fine."
The trio left, heading back to the apartment next door.
Daniel commented to Penny, "Why don't you come back to Malibu with me today? We can enjoy the beach tomorrow," he suggested.
"You're like a pig, right?" Lexi rolled her eyes.
"Not a bad pig, though," Penny teased, leaning against him.
Alexandra groaned, "Can you at least help me with the audition? Before you two start acting like rabbits..."
"Fine!"
"Okay!"
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