Chapter 12 — Post-Event Syndrome
After leaving Max's apartment, Ethan's mood turned complicated.
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, he almost couldn't tell whether what he'd just experienced was real—or just a dream.
He stood outside the apartment for a few seconds, unmoving.
The air still carried the sweet scent of cupcakes… mixed with the faint trace of Max's warmth.
For a moment, he'd nearly stayed.
Even that impulse surprised him.
He wasn't someone who clung to the past—let alone someone who let a one-night slip of passion hijack his judgment.
In the quiet of his mind, he chuckled to himself.
"How strange… Has it really been that long since I've been close to a woman? Did hormones beat reason and take the wheel?"
The amusement faded quickly.
A moment later, that heat—like a tide—receded.
Reason returned to the high ground: calm, steady…
and a little empty.
Max, clearly, was far more clear-eyed than he was.
"Maybe this is the best outcome," he thought.
---
The city woke under the sunlight.
Breakfast carts were already set up on the street. People jogged past. Others walked their dogs.
Ethan lifted his head and glanced at the sky.
It was Saturday.
He didn't have a shift—and he didn't plan to go to the clinic either.
His was just a small private clinic, the kind that ran on regular hours:
Open around eight or nine in the morning, close around five or six in the afternoon.
Weekends were usually off—sometimes they opened for half a day on Saturday morning.
Holidays were closed entirely.
Every quiet weekend like this felt like a dream vacation to him.
Of course, Mary sometimes went to the clinic on weekends.
In fact, weekends without classes were often when she stayed the longest.
Ethan didn't mind.
Weekend patient traffic could be heavy. He'd even considered paying Mary double on holidays—
but she refused.
Sure enough, just as he reached the street corner to hail a cab, his phone rang.
On the screen flashed the name:
Mary Mason.
He picked up. "Morning, Mary."
Her voice on the other end was brisk and direct.
"Doctor. I'm already at the clinic. I just wanted to confirm—are you coming in today?"
"Today?" Ethan chuckled. "No, Mary. You can mess around all you want. I'm not coming."
"'Mess around'?" Mary's tone turned strange. "What exactly do you mean by that?"
"I mean it literally," Ethan said. "As long as you don't blow up the clinic."
"I won't."
"I know." His smile softened. "I'm joking."
There was a two-second silence.
Then Mary's voice lowered slightly.
"Are you okay?"
"You sound like something's… off."
"Me?" Ethan let out a small laugh. "I'm fine. It's just…"
He paused, then added in a dry tone:
"I slept a little too deeply last night."
Mary frowned. "You sound like you didn't sleep at all."
Ethan smoothly changed the subject.
"Oh—right. I transferred your pay for the past few weeks. Check your account."
"Finally!" Mary's voice stayed calm, but the happiness underneath was impossible to hide.
"Don't push yourself too hard," Ethan said, his tone gentler now. "If you're not in class this weekend, just hang out at the clinic. If anything comes up, call me anytime."
"Understood."
After hanging up, Ethan stared at his phone screen for a moment.
When the display dimmed, it reflected his own face back at him.
---
Downstairs — Apartment Building Lobby
Leonard and Sheldon were receiving a delivery.
Leonard signed the paperwork while giving instructions.
"Her apartment's on the fourth floor, but the elevator's broken, so you'll have to—"
He looked up.
The delivery guy had already walked off, pushing the cart away like he didn't want to be involved in whatever came next.
Leonard blinked. "You're just leaving? Okay. Thanks."
Leonard looked at the package—an enormous box, somehow even taller than Sheldon.
Then he turned to Sheldon. "Alright. We'll carry it up ourselves."
"I strongly disagree," Sheldon said instantly. "First, we have no dolly. No lifting straps. And no pectoral muscles."
"We don't need brute force," Leonard said confidently, preparing to hoist it. "We're physicists. We are the heirs of Archimedes!"
"Give me a lever long enough—" Leonard began.
Before he could finish, the box tilted and slammed directly onto his shoulder.
Leonard collapsed face-first onto the floor.
"I CAN'T MOVE IT! I CAN'T MOVE IT!!"
Sheldon hurried over to help him up, pushing the furniture upright again.
"Archimedes would be very proud."
The box was back in position. They stared at it like it was a natural disaster.
Leonard lowered his voice. "Do you have any ideas?"
"Yes," Sheldon said. "But all of them require either the Green Lantern ring or the One Ring."
---
With great effort, they laid the box flat along the stairs.
Leonard started explaining like he was teaching a lecture.
"Okay—now we have an inclined plane. The pulling force decreases due to the sine of the stair angle. Roughly thirty degrees, so it's reduced by almost half—"
"Thirty degrees is exactly half," Sheldon corrected.
Leonard sighed. "Fine. Exactly half. Push."
They shoved the box up to the first turn.
Leonard panted, positioned in front. "Okay, come up, help me pull it around the corner—"
Sheldon stepped forward—
and at that exact moment, he released his grip.
The box immediately slid backward like it had developed free will, all the way down to the bottom floor.
Sheldon stared after it.
"Gravity," he said quietly, "has no conscience."
After a brutal struggle, they finally pushed it up one full floor.
"You know," Sheldon said while pushing, voice dripping with sarcasm, "all this effort will not statistically increase your chances of having sex with that woman."
Leonard grunted. "Men don't do things for women just to have sex."
Sheldon replied immediately, "To quote Ethan: 'Only a man who just had sex would say he's moving furniture for a woman without expecting sex.' And you clearly have not."
"I'm doing this to be a good neighbor!" Leonard insisted. "Besides, it doesn't lower my chances!"
Sheldon glanced up toward the fourth floor.
"So the defining trait of a good neighbor… is a herniated disc."
Finally, they got the furniture into Penny's apartment and set it down carefully.
Leonard warned, "Watch your fingers!"
"OH MY GOD! MY FINGERS!"
"You okay?!" Leonard asked urgently.
"No. My hand—" Sheldon started to complain, then lifted his head and saw Penny's living room.
His entire face changed.
"Good LORD. Look at this place!"
Leonard forced a smile. "Penny… it's a little messy."
"A little?" Sheldon scanned the chaos. "The Mandelbrot set is a little messy. This is the peak of universal entropy."
"Sheldon," Leonard said carefully, "everyone has different living habits."
"Living habits?" Sheldon picked up a sock between two fingers. "This is biological warfare."
Leonard grabbed his arm. "Come on, we're leaving—"
Sheldon suddenly crouched. "Wait!"
Leonard groaned. "What are you doing?"
"I'm organizing," Sheldon said calmly, already picking things up.
"Sheldon! This isn't your house!"
"This belongs to no one," Sheldon snapped. "This is a caveman's cave!"
He looked like he was about to launch into a lecture titled The Collapse of Human Civilization—
when Penny walked in.
"Hi, guys!" she said brightly.
"Your furniture arrived," Leonard wiped sweat. "We brought it up."
"Awesome! Was it hard?"
"Not hard at all!" Leonard said instantly, cutting Sheldon off.
"Yes," Sheldon added in a dead tone. "Not hard at all. I only require a replacement spine."
Leonard immediately dragged Sheldon toward the door.
"We won't disturb you!"
"Okay," Penny said. "Thanks again!"
At the doorway, Sheldon turned back, deadly serious.
"Penny… you don't have to live like this. I'm willing to help you establish order."
Penny blinked. "…What is he talking about?"
"He's joking," Leonard said quickly.
Penny shook her head. "I don't get it."
"He said it badly," Leonard muttered.
At that moment, keys jingled outside.
Ethan came up with coffee in hand, inserted his key into the lock—then heard voices from Penny's apartment and wandered over.
"Morning," he greeted, taking in the scene.
"Hey, Ethan!" Leonard rushed over like he'd found a distraction. "You will NOT believe this—Penny gave me a key yesterday!"
"It's just for emergencies," Penny explained quickly. "You weren't home yesterday so… I figured, just in case."
Leonard scratched his head, trying to look casual. "Ethan… you didn't come home last night."
Sheldon instantly sharpened.
"Yes. Based on the wrinkles at his collar, the slight curl in his hair, the telltale muscle relaxation in his face, and overall bodily fatigue—"
He paused with clinical satisfaction.
"I conclude he experienced a mammalian bonding night."
"Sheldon!" Ethan shot him a glare.
Penny's hand slipped—her keys nearly fell.
She laughed lightly, voice bright and teasing.
"Wow. That sounds like… a very pleasant Friday. A doctor's nightlife really does prioritize mind-body wellness."
Then, casually—
"So… new girl?"
Ethan rubbed the back of his neck. "Uh… ex-girlfriend."
"Reconnecting. Of course." Penny nodded. "Sometimes I reconnect with ex-boyfriends too…"
She walked into the kitchen and lifted the coffee pot with perfect timing.
"Want some coffee? Hydration helps with… recovery."
Sheldon suddenly turned alarmed.
"Wait—was it Paige?! Please tell me Paige isn't in New York!"
Ethan snapped, "It wasn't Paige!"
"Oh." Sheldon visibly relaxed. "Then it's fine. Everyone else is irrelevant."
Ethan lifted the paper bag in his hand.
"No thanks, Penny." He smiled tiredly. "I'm going back to catch up on sleep. Later, everyone."
---