The karaoke bar is Howard's idea.
"Trust ," he insists over the noise. "This will be fun!"
"I don't sing," I tell him for the third ti.
"Nobody sings. That's the point."
Penny's already three drinks in. Happy drunk, giggly drunk, making friends with the bartender drunk.
"Stuart!" She grabs my arm. "We're doing a duet!"
"I really don't—"
"Don't Stop Believin'! It's perfect!"
"Penny, I'm genuinely terrible at singing."
"So am I! That's what makes it fun!"
Bernadette's trying not to laugh. "Stuart, just do it. You'll regret it more if you don't."
"I'll regret it more if I do."
"Nope! Co on!" Penny's pulling toward the signup sheet.
Leonard's watching from the booth. Drink untouched. Expression carefully neutral.
He's been doing better. Last week he actually joked with about the Marvel gig. Progress.
But tonight—tonight he looks tired.
"NEXT UP!" The host announces. "Penny and Stuart with Don't Stop Believin'!"
"Oh god."
"Co on!" Penny drags toward the small stage.
The music starts. That iconic piano intro.
Penny grabs the second microphone, grinning like this is the best idea anyone's ever had.
The crowd is generous. Drunk and generous.
"Just a small town girl—" Penny starts, off-key but enthusiastic.
My turn. "Living in a lonely world—"
I'm worse than off-key. I'm in a completely different musical universe.
Penny cracks up mid-verse. Doubles over laughing, still trying to sing.
I'm not even attempting to stay on lody. Just saying words near the rhythm.
"—STREETLIGHT, PEOPLE—"
We're both shouting now. Not singing. Just enthusiastically yelling Journey lyrics at a bar full of strangers.
Penny throws her arm around for the final chorus. We're swaying, off-balance, destroying what was probably a perfectly good song.
The crowd cheers anyway.
Howard's recording this. Phone up, grinning like Christmas ca early.
Raj is crying. Actual tears streaming down his face from laughing.
Bernadette's applauding, delighted.
Leonard—
Leonard's smiling. Small, but real.
Back at the booth, Penny's still giggling.
"That was amazing!"
"That was humiliating."
"Sa thing!"
Howard's already watched the video three tis. "This is going in the group chat imdiately."
"Please don't."
"Too late. Sent."
My phone buzzes. The group chat exploding with reactions.
Sheldon: This performance violated multiple musical principles.
Raj: MOST BEAUTIFUL THING I'VE EVER WITNESSED 😭😭😭
Amy: Fascinating display of pair bonding through synchronized humiliation.
"Make it stop," I tell Howard.
"Never. This is gold."
Penny leans against , warm and tipsy and happy.
"I love that you did that," she says.
"I had no choice. You literally dragged on stage."
"You could've said no."
"Could I though?"
"Nope!" She kisses my cheek. "But you did it anyway. That's what I love."
The word hangs.
Love.
She said love.
Drunk, sure. Casual, yeah. But—
"I should probably not drink more," Penny announces. "I'm saying words."
"Good words," I say quietly.
"Drunk words."
"Still good."
She looks at . Sothing soft in her expression.
"Yeah. They are."
I drive her ho—she's too drunk, I'm sober enough.
She sings Journey the entire way. Still off-key. Still enthusiastic.
"—DON'T STOP—"
"Please stop."
"—BELIEVIN'!"
"I'm begging."
"HOLD ON TO THAT FEELIN'!"
I'm laughing too hard to drive properly. Have to pull over for a minute to collect myself.
"You're ridiculous," I tell her.
"You love it."
"Unfortunately."
She leans across the center console. Kisses slow and tasting like vodka cranberry.
"Thank you for singing with ."
"I didn't really have a—"
"Thank you for being soone I can be ridiculous with. Dan hated when I got drunk. Said I was embarrassing."
"Dan remains an idiot."
"Confird idiot." She settles back in her seat. "You're not an idiot."
"High praise coming from drunk Penny."
"Drunk Penny is wise Penny."
"Debatable."
At her apartnt, I walk her up.
She fumbles with her keys. I take them gently, unlock the door.
"Want to stay?" I ask. "Make sure you're okay?"
"I'm fine. Just drunk." She leans in the doorway. "But you're sweet for asking."
"Text when you wake up tomorrow?"
"Will do." She touches my face. "Stuart?"
"Yeah?"
"I wasn't just drunk talking. Earlier. The—" She hesitates. "—the L-word thing."
My heart does sothing complicated.
"Penny—"
"I know. Too soon. Too fast. I'm just—" She's struggling to find words. "—I'm just saying. It's heading that direction. For . And I wanted you to know."
"It's heading that direction for too."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah."
She smiles. "Okay. Good. Now go ho before I say more drunk feelings at you."
"Goodnight, Penny."
"Goodnight, Stuart. Thanks for the worst karaoke performance of all ti."
"Anyti."
Driving ho, I think about the L-word said casually but aning everything.
About Leonard's small real smile watching us murder Journey.
About Howard recording our humiliation for posterity.
About Penny admitting she's falling for and not even being scared about it.
My phone buzzes at a red light.
Howard's made the video my ringtone.
When Sheldon calls, I'm greeted with my own terrible singing.
I should be mortified.
Instead, I'm grinning.
Dating Penny ans public embarrassnt and karaoke disasters and drunk confessions that might be too soon but feel exactly right.
And I wouldn't change any of it.
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