Chapter 63: Missy's Charm
Ethan led Missy up the narrow stairwell to the apartment, their footsteps echoing in the cramped corridor.
He hesitated, then warned, "Missy, in a minute you'll meet Sheldon's friends—they all do research with him at Columbia."
"Mm-hmm," Missy answered absently, looking around with curiosity.
"They're… brilliant physicists," Ethan chose his words carefully, "but sometimes, especially around an attractive woman like you, they can… uh, be socially awkward and act inappropriately."
Missy stopped, turned, and flashed the confident, teasing smile of a Texas girl: "Ethan, are you worried I can't handle a few nerdy scientists?"
She patted his arm. "Relax, sugar. I grew up with Sheldon. What social awkwardness haven't I seen?"
Ethan gave a helpless chuckle at her certainty. "Fair enough. Just giving you a heads-up."
"Got it." Missy winked and kept climbing.
The moment Ethan ushered Missy through the door, three pairs of eyes snapped to her.
After Missy hugged Sheldon,
Sheldon began the ritual introduction: "This is Leonard, Raj, Howard."
Missy beamed. "Nice to meet y'all!"
The men answered almost in chorus, with varying degrees of nervousness: "You too."
Leonard spoke first. "So, how did you two meet?"
Missy grinned mischievously and slipped an arm around Sheldon. "His head spent nine months between my legs."
Instantly the living room fell silent except for Raj's sharp gasp.
Leonard and Howard gaped, eyes darting between Sheldon and Missy.
Sheldon broke the ice, deadpan: "She's my twin sister. She thinks she's funny."
He turned to her. "I, however, have yet to observe evidence of that."
"That's because you have no sense of humor, Shelly." Missy fired back.
Sheldon lapsed into thought. "How would one measure humor? A humorometer?"
Howard seized his chance, smoothing his hair and, in what he believed to be a sexy French accent, offered, "Je te trouve très amusante. Which, of course, is French for 'I find you very funny.'"
Missy laughed. "I'll try to remember that." She looked at each in turn. "Leonard, Howard, and…" Her gaze landed on Raj. "Sorry, what was your name?"
Raj froze, cheeks flaming, lips moving without producing sound.
Mortified, he spun away, strode to the kitchen, yanked a beer from the fridge and started chugging.
To ease the tension Leonard asked, "Missy, did you come to New York just for a friend's wedding?"
Missy settled onto the sofa. "I also came to get Shelly to sign Dad's estate papers."
Sheldon pointed out, "Those documents could have been mailed."
He paused, features sharpening. "Mom sent you to check on me, didn't she?"
Missy's smile never wavered. "And that's why they call you a genius."
"They call me a genius because I am one," Sheldon accepted matter-of-factly, then reported, "Tell Mom I'm currently 165 pounds and my digestive system is functioning normally."
He waved them off. "Enjoy the wedding with Ethan."
Leonard objected, "Come on, Sheldon, she's family. At least show some hospitality."
Missy rescued her brother. "Shelly doesn't like people hanging around. Even as a kid," she added with a grin, "he'd walk his imaginary friends to the door at bedtime."
Sheldon corrected solemnly, "They weren't friends, they were imaginary research colleagues."
Three guys hovered around Missy, hanging on her every childhood story, while Sheldon worked on his laptop and Ethan watched the trio fawn over her, thinking men really can be pathetic.
Right then the door swung open and Penny walked in holding a pair of men's boxer shorts. "Leonard, you left these in the dryer downstairs."
Leonard froze. "Those aren't mine!"
Penny raised an eyebrow. "Really? There's a name tag sewn inside."
Leonard stammered, "Y-yes… no, I… I use them to clean my archery equipment! I do archery! When I'm not rock climbing, I'm shooting arrows!"
Desperate to look impressive in front of Missy, he only made things worse.
He quickly changed the subject.
"Missy, this is our neighbor Penny!"
Missy waved. "Hi~"
Penny looked her up and down, grinning. "Wow, so you're Missy! When Ethan said you were coming to New York we wondered what you'd look like—you and Sheldon couldn't be more different."
Howard chimed in loudly, "Hallelujah—thank God for recombinant genetics."
Once Penny arrived, Leonard drifted to the kitchen, no longer orbiting Missy.
That left Howard and Raj to keep the awkward conversation limping along.
Watching them, Penny couldn't resist nudging Leonard. "Sheldon's sister is pretty cute, huh?"
Leonard jumped. "I wasn't staring!"
"I didn't say you were; I just said she's cute."
Leonard mumbled, "Maybe… if you like tall… and… gorgeous…" His voice trailed off as he realized what he'd admitted.
Penny rolled her eyes and turned to Sheldon. "Sheldon, why are you ignoring your sister?"
Without looking up, Sheldon kept typing. "I'm not ignoring my sister; I'm ignoring all of you equally."
Penny sighed, walked over to Ethan and whispered, "Isn't she your sort-of girlfriend? Aren't you going to rescue her?"
Ethan shrugged, unsure how to answer.
He and Missy had never put a label on anything; they simply had an understanding.
So he let it be.
Watching the "unmoved" Sheldon and Ethan, Penny decided to rescue Missy herself.
She raised her voice. "Missy! I'm getting my nails done at a salon down the street—want to come?"
Missy jumped up as if granted parole. "Yes! I'm in! Thank you!"
"No problem," Penny said, linking arms. She waved to the stunned guys. "See ya, boys!"
The two women left the apartment, leaving a roomful of men and thick awkwardness behind.
Ethan exhaled as the door shut and the living room finally quieted down.
As planned, Ethan gave Missy his room and took the couch for himself.
He tossed and turned for a while before finally drifting off.
Some time later a soft, warm sensation jolted him awake.
Instead of the ceiling, he found a face barely two inches away.
Missy knelt beside the sofa, hair loose, eyes sleepy yet bright.
If his senses were correct, she'd just kissed him.
Groggily he murmured, "Missy… what are you doing?"
His voice was thick with sleep; his brain still processing.
She didn't answer. She simply gazed at him with sparkling eyes and a faint, knowing smile—then leaned in again.
When they parted, Ethan caught his breath, confusion giving way to surprise and a flicker of desire.
Taking advantage of his dazed state, she caught the hand he'd rested against her back and tugged gently.
"Come to bed," she whispered, firm yet tender, leaving no room for refusal.
Ethan sat up, glancing toward Sheldon's door. "Okay, but keep it quiet—don't wake Sheldon."
"Please, you're the loud one."
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