Chapter 174 164 - Do Whatever You Want

3rd POV

"Is that your brother, Sheldon?" Leonard's voice cut through the room. They were all watching Ellen's talk show, and even Sheldon blinked in surprise when Georgie appeared on screen.

Sheldon gave a short nod. "Yes. Apparently he's on the show to support Taylor." Then he turned toward Paige. "Am I correct?"

Paige shrugged with a sly smile, catching the hidden weight behind his question. "You know your brother best."

Sheldon let out a heavy sigh and leaned back into the sofa. "What could he possibly be thinking? He already escaped the darker side of entertainment, and now he returns… for a blonde pop singer." His mutter sounded bitter enough to make Paige laugh outright.

Howard glanced between them, lips curling into a tight grin, almost becoming a speeches grin. "So… what you're saying is right?"

"You'll need to be more specific, Howard," Sheldon replied sharply, his eyes narrowing.

Howard leaned in with a deadpan look. "About your brother having… unusual preferences."

Penny, still focused on the television, tilted her head slightly. To her, Georgie and Taylor looked inseparable. Not quite like lovers—but not strangers either. More like siblings who thrived on teasing, interrupting, and getting on each other's nerves.

So she wants to know more about this.

From his seat, Raj stayed silent, though his wide-eyed stare said enough. He didn't dare speak—not with women in the room.

"I've already said it, haven't I? You know I can't lie." Sheldon said with stupid face looking at Howard but before he could continue to insult Howard more, Paige—who had been laughing a moment ago—suddenly stopped. Her eyes shifted to Howard, sharp and cold.

"You'd better keep your mouth shut about this… little secret," Paige said with a sweet smile that carried the weight of a threat. "You don't want to end up unemployed just because you couldn't shut your mouth right?." Her gaze swept across the rest of the group Scientists. "And that goes for all of you."

Her voice was low, but the menace in it was impossible to miss. Even Penny, who hadn't been directly addressed, felt the sting of Paige's warning.

"Unemployed?" Sheldon snorted. "That would almost be a blessing." His bluntness drew every pair of eyes to him. Paige, however, caught the subtle double meaning but kept her silence.

Maybe just unemployed. Or maybe worse. Who could say?

"…Fair enough. I'll keep my mouth shut—unless there's another tongue in my mouth," Howard quipped, reckless or perhaps just stupid enough to push his luck.

"You can't do that," Sheldon cut in immediately. Paige turned toward him, intrigued.

"You can only speak with your own tongue. If there were another tongue in your mouth, how could you articulate words properly?" He'd blown it, of course. Paige had expected as much, but watching Sheldon slip back into his old literal self almost made her… amused.

Penny shot Sheldon a flat stare. "Sweetie, that's not what he means."

Sheldon returned the look with his own deadpan expression. "I know exactly what he means. He's implying he could make out with my Paige. As if he's capable of that."

Paige's eyes widened. Penny's did too. But the others—except Raj—missed the weight behind his words, brushing it off as just another Sheldon-ism.

Paige tilted her head, her smile sharp, pressing a little further. "What if I wanted to?"

The room froze. Every set of eyes landed on her.

Howard trembled, wiping his palms nervously against his pants. His voice came out barely above a whisper. "…You do?"

The question hung in the air, the one they were all too stunned to ask.

"No!" Sheldon barked, his voice cutting through the tension. He turned toward Paige, who only giggled at his outburst, clearly enjoying every second of it.

"Why?!" Howard shot at Sheldon, frustration written all over his face. No way was he about to miss out on a gorgeous woman practically dropped in his lap. Paige must've been an angel sent just for him.

Leonard adjusted his glasses, fixing Sheldon with a stern look. "Sheldon, you can't forbid Paige from dating whoever she wants. She has free will. Even if you see her as a sister or a childhood friend, she's still entitled to go out with anyone."

On the surface, it sounded reasonable. But to Sheldon, the logic rang hollow, and even Penny could see through it. Leonard wasn't fighting for fairness—he was angling for a green light of his own.

Penny kept quiet, uninterested in exposing him. She didn't care who Leonard dated. But Sheldon? He cared.

"That's the stupidest thing I've ever heard," Sheldon snapped, glaring right back. "Yes, Paige can date anyone, but not you guys. You don't go after your friend's ex, and you don't turn your brother's sister into your girlfriend. That's Bro Code. You were the one who said Paige was like my sister, so you can't date her too!"

Leonard and Howard exchanged a glance, ashamed that his intention was being read like that. "…But she isn't your sister, right?" Howard asked carefully and tried another shot at him.

"No," Sheldon shot back, eyes narrowing. Then he looked straight at Leonard. "But she is my ex."

Paige giggled at the stunned faces around her. She gave them a playful wave. "You heard him—my ex. Sorry, boys." With that, she strolled off toward the kitchen, leaving chaos in her wake again.

"You can't be serious," Leonard muttered, twitching with disbelief and a crooked smirk tugging at his lips. "Are we really supposed to believe Paige is your ex-girlfriend?"

Howard chimed in, shaking his head. "Yeah, come on. You've never shown interest in women….Or men. Half the university thinks you're asexual. You can't suddenly pull this 'ex' card to keep us from dating Paige."

They keep protesting that Sheldon is being ridiculous, but none of them notice Paige chatting casually with Penny by the counter kitchen.

"So… are you really Sheldon's ex?" Penny asked, curious.

Paige's smile curved wider. "Seems impossible, doesn't it?" she teased, her eyes drifting back to Sheldon, who stood firm and unshaken, determined not to let them touch her.

Penny held her gaze, then glanced back at Paige. "Yeah… you didn't really answer my question, though." Her voice was casual, but she knew how the game was played—dodge a question with another.

Paige smirked, leaning in with a glint in her eyes. "No." She paused, then whispered near Penny's ear, "But I was his first." A sly wink sealed the words.

"Re–really?" Penny asked, blinking in surprise. She couldn't detect a lie—unless Paige was an even better actress than she thought. "Wow…"

Paige's smirk deepened as she let her gaze run over Penny. "Yeah…" She tilted her head toward Sheldon. "...Too bad for you. By the time you knew him, he'd already turned into an asshole." Paige giggled at her own jab.

"Yeah, he's impossible," Penny agreed, though her tone carried the edge of sarcasm. She didn't want to fight because of Sheldon…

or did she?

"He tried to kiss me once," Penny admitted suddenly, chin lifting toward Paige, "but I slapped him."

"That's really bold…" Paige widened her eyes, then let a smirk creep back. "…Or really stupid."

Penny gritted her teeth. "Oh yeah? And how is not kissing Sheldon a stupid thing? I think I dodged a bullet. Besides, we're friends. Friends don't do that."

Paige chuckled softly, unfazed, sipping her drink with elegance before setting the glass down. "You're right. Friends don't date each other…" Her voice dropped low, dripping with sarcasm. "…Like you and Leonard, for example." She even tilted her head mockingly as she said it.

"That was just one time! We only went to dinner!" Penny blurted, her cheeks heating at her own hypocrisy.

Paige only shrugged and sauntered back to the sofa, ignoring Penny's gasp.

Of course Paige already knew about Penny's slap, about Sheldon's awkward attempts to get her roles to a movie, about everything. She had known about Sheldon and his friends from the start, but she played along, feigning ignorance just to stir the pot.

"Paige!" Sheldon blurted the moment Paige sat back beside him. "You must tell them you don't want to date them! That's the only way they'll stop hallucinating about such an absurd possibility!"

Penny, still fuming at Paige, slid back into the seat next to Leonard—Howard's old spot. "I don't know, Sheldon. I think the guys have a point. You can't exactly forbid people from dating each other." Her words were sharp, but her eyes were locked on Paige, her gaze more like a dagger than actual support for Howard or Leonard.

Sheldon's mouth dropped open. Penny… backing them up instead of him? That's gotta be hurt, and Paige sees that.

"Thank you!" Howard said dramatically, pointing toward Penny. "The corn goddess has spoken! Judgment is delivered to us, mere mortals!" He puffed himself up, leaned toward Paige, and gave her what he thought was a smoldering look. "So… should we have dinner, or go straight to my castle?" He dragged his tongue across his lower lip in a display so gross it could've emptied the room.

Sheldon shot him a flat, horrified stare. Every fiber of his being screamed to throw Howard out the window. But he held it in. Barely.

Now it was up to Paige. Everyone else had betrayed him. Even Penny, he thought bitterly.

"Sheldon?" Paige tilted her head, her eyes glittering with mischief. She expected him to rise to the chaos again. But instead, his shoulders sank.

She understands that what Penny said really matters to him. But of course, she is not gonna tell him that and wants to know what he will do about his feelings to Penny later.

"…Do what you want," Sheldon muttered, slumping against the sofa, his eyes turning back to the TV where Taylor sang.

The mood shifted instantly, the air growing heavier. But the guys didn't care—Sheldon had just surrendered.

Howard and Leonard leaned in, eyes full of hope.

Paige smirked wider. "Heh… sorry, boys. I was joking." Her words hit them brutally before she flicked her gaze to Penny with an extra smirk. Then, with practiced ease, she nestled against Sheldon's shoulder affectionately.

Sheldon didn't push her away. In fact, he pulled her closer, as though this had always been her place.

The others could only stare. None of them realized Sheldon had already grown used to Paige's clinginess—and somewhere along the line, he'd accepted it.

"What?" Howard sputtered, staring at the cozy scene unfolding right in front of him. Paige, sweet and smirking, choosing Sheldon over him—it was unthinkable.

Leonard felt the same. Part of him wanted to speak up, to put an end to Sheldon and Paige's little display. But then his eyes slid to Penny beside him, and the words died on his tongue. In the end, she mattered more than Paige, because she lived across the hall.

Raj, on the other hand, only shrugged. He had fought earlier, trying to get Sheldon's "green light" too, but watching Paige cling to Sheldon now told him everything. She was a cruel prankster—just like his sisters back in India.

So he sat back quietly, turning his gaze toward the TV again, letting the Ellen Show fill the silence while Taylor's song carried through the room with a small smile tugging at his lips.

Penny, who had sided with the guys earlier, suddenly snapped awake inside her own thoughts. Her eyes shifted toward Sheldon, a flicker of worry crossing her face.

But then she caught the smirk playing on Paige's lips, and Penny swallowed hard, saying nothing.

She felt awful. Like she'd just betrayed Sheldon in the worst way.

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