Chapter 76: The Healing Process
Tuesday. Day two post-Penny.
My phone won't stop buzzing.
Leonard: Game night tonight. Your place. 7 PM. Non-negotiable.
Howard: Bringing food. You're not cooking.
Raj: I made a playlist for heartbreak. It's very healing.
Bernadette: We're checking on you whether you like it or not.
I text back: I'm fine.
Leonard: That's exactly what someone not-fine says.
Me: Seriously. I'm okay.
Sheldon: Your okayness is statistically unlikely. We're coming anyway.
They show up at 7. With enough food for twelve people.
"We weren't sure what you'd want to eat," Bernadette explains.
"So we brought everything," Howard finishes.
Raj hands me his phone. "The playlist."
I press play. Adele. Lots of Adele.
"This is aggressively sad."
"That's the point. You feel the sadness, then you move past it."
"That's not how grief works."
"My therapist says it is."
We eat. Play Halo. Nobody mentions Penny directly.
But she's there. The empty space next to me. The missing voice in the conversation.
Around midnight, everyone leaves.
Leonard lingers.
"You doing okay? Actually?"
"I'm sad. But okay."
"Those can coexist?"
"Apparently."
"Good." He heads for the door. Stops. "You know—when Penny and I broke up the first time. Years ago. I thought I'd die. Literally die from sadness."
"But you didn't."
"But I didn't. And eventually, it stopped hurting. And I was better for having known her."
"This supposed to be inspiring?"
"This is supposed to be true."
Thursday. Day four.
I'm at the Pasadena shop. Reorganizing the manga section.
Jake finds me.
"Boss. You've been here since 6 AM."
"So?"
"It's 9 PM."
"I'm busy."
"You're avoiding."
"I'm working."
He leans against the counter. "When my girlfriend left me, I worked seventy-hour weeks. Thought I could bury the pain in inventory and spreadsheets."
"Did it work?"
"For about a week. Then I collapsed from exhaustion and cried in the stock room for two hours."
"Sounds healthy."
"It wasn't. But after that, I actually dealt with it. And recovered."
"What's your point?"
"My point is—work's fine. Distraction's fine. But eventually you gotta feel it."
"I'm feeling it."
"While reorganizing manga at 9 PM?"
"Multitasking."
He laughs. "Okay. Just—don't collapse, yeah? We need you functional."
Saturday. One week post-Penny.
I'm on my penthouse balcony. Morning coffee. The city's waking up.
My phone rings. Leonard.
"Yeah?"
"How you doing?"
"Better. Actually better."
"Really?"
"Really. Still sad. But—" I search for words. "—okay with being sad. Does that make sense?"
"Perfect sense."
"I loved her. She loved me. We had seven good months. It ended for the right reasons. Nobody's the villain."
"That's very evolved."
"Don't sound so surprised."
"Stuart Bloom, processing emotions like a functional adult. Who are you?"
"Shut up."
He's laughing. "Seriously though. Proud of you."
"For what? Breaking up?"
"For handling it right. No drama. No bitterness. Just—" He pauses. "—gratitude. That's rare."
"Penny deserved better than messy."
"You both did."
After we hang up, I think about that.
Seven months. One breakup. Zero regrets.
That's the win.
Not the relationship lasting forever.
The relationship mattering while it lasted.
And ending clean.
Sunday afternoon. Week one complete.
I'm at the shop. Sketching plans for the third location.
My phone buzzes. Text from Penny.
Penny: Made it through first week of rehearsals. NY is crazy. Miss you. Miss everyone.
I stare at the message.
First contact.
The rules said one week minimum silence. She waited exactly seven days.
I type: Glad you're surviving. We miss you too.
Simple. Friendly. No weight.
Three dots. She's typing.
Penny: Thank you. For making the breakup bearable.
Me: Thank you for seven good months.
Penny: They were really good.
Me: Yeah. They were.
Penny: Talk next week?
Me: Talk next week.
The conversation ends.
I set down my phone.
And realize I'm smiling.
Because this works.
We ended right.
We can be friends eventually.
That's enough.
Note:
Please give good reviews and power stones itrings more people and more people means more chapters?
My Patreon is all about exploring 'What If' timelines, and you can get instant access to chapters far ahead of the public release.
Choose your journey:
Timeline Viewer ($6): Get 10 chapters of early access + 5 new chapters weekly.
Timeline Explorer ($9): Jump 15-20 chapters ahead of everyone.
Timeline Keeper ($15): Get Instant Access to chapters the moment I finish writing them. No more waiting.
Read the raw, unfiltered story as it unfolds. Your support makes this possible!
👉 Find it all at patreon.com/Whatif0