[Meanwhile, Sheldon's Hotel]
Penny had been sitting with her laptop for nearly an hour, moving through casting websites while everyone else slowly packed for the trip home. Most of the listings were the same kind of thing she always found: student projects, unpaid work, commercials that wanted "fresh faces," and parts that sounded better than they actually were.
Then she stopped scrolling.
Her eyes moved back to a listing near the bottom of the page, and she clicked it before reading every line twice. "Guys, I just found an audition for tomorrow morning."
Leonard looked over from the chair beside her, where he had been half-reading an article and half-watching Penny work. "Is it a real audition, or one of those jobs where they promise exposure instead of money?"
Penny kept reading through the details as a smile slowly appeared on her face. "It looks real. They want headshots, a résumé, and they're paying for the role. The casting office is here in New York, and the audition starts at nine tomorrow."
Howard leaned over the back of the couch while Bernadette looked at the screen beside him. "What movie is it for?"
Penny frowned a little as she scanned the listing again. "They aren't saying. The role is called '406,' and there's no character description or plot summary. It just says it's a five-to-six-minute cameo role in a studio movie."
Raj moved closer with his coffee in hand and read the listing over Penny's shoulder. "That sounds secretive, which usually means the production thinks people will leak something."
Bernadette nodded as she checked the company name at the bottom of the page. "At least the casting office is real. They've handled actual projects before, so this isn't some creepy scam where they ask you to meet a director in his car."
Penny looked relieved. "That has happened to me before, so thank you for checking."
Leonard looked toward the luggage near the wall, then back at Penny. "What are you thinking?"
She rested both hands on the laptop and took a slow breath. "I think I should stay for two more days. I don't know what the part is, but it could be a real chance."
A soft smile appeared on Leonard's face as he reached over and held her hand. "Then I'm staying too."
Penny looked at him with surprise. "Leonard, you don't have to change your plans because I got an audition."
"I know I don't have to," Leonard said, squeezing her hand gently. "I want to. I'm leaving for that summer job with Stephen Hawking's research team soon, and I'll be on a ship in the North Sea for weeks. We're already going to have long-distance stuff to deal with."
Her expression softened as she looked at him. "You're really going to be on a research ship with Stephen Hawking all summer."
Leonard gave a small laugh, though his eyes stayed on hers. "That part is incredible. Being away from you for that long is the part I'm not excited about."
Penny closed her laptop partway and leaned over to kiss his cheek. "Then stay with me for two more days. We can pretend you're not about to become a smart ocean scientist."
Howard put an arm around Bernadette and looked at her with a hopeful grin. "Well, since everyone is extending the trip, maybe we should stay too."
Bernadette looked up at him with a smile that made him straighten his posture immediately. "We were already talking about it. Two extra days in New York sound nice, especially since we can actually go out and spend time together."
Howard nodded quickly, clearly pleased that she had agreed. "I have dinner ideas, a nightclub idea, and a very romantic plan involving a rooftop view."
Bernadette gave him a careful look. "As long as your romantic plan doesn't involve you singing in front of strangers, I'm willing to hear more."
Howard placed a hand over his chest like she had deeply hurt him. "You have no faith in my musical talents, and that is somehow still completely fair."
Raj raised his coffee cup and shrugged. "I don't have anything urgent waiting for me back home. Staying here sounds a lot better than sitting alone in my apartment for two days."
Penny smiled at him. "So you're staying because you support my acting dream?"
"I support your acting dream," Raj said warmly, "but I also support New York food, expensive coffee, and not being bored alone."
Across the room, Sheldon had been quietly checking their flight details on his laptop. The moment he realized everyone was changing plans, his face tightened like somebody had told him the airport had removed all seating.
"You're all making an extremely poor group decision," Sheldon said as he slowly closed the computer. "Our return flight is booked, my suitcase is packed, and I already planned tomorrow night's Thai food order."
Amy looked at him with calm patience. "Sheldon, I know changing travel plans makes you uncomfortable."
"Uncomfortable is too gentle of a word," Sheldon replied as he folded his arms. "This is chaos with luggage."
Amy reached into her tote bag without reacting to him. "I thought you might feel that way, so I got something that could help."
Sheldon turned toward her with suspicion as she pulled out two printed tickets and held them in front of him.
At first, he barely looked at them.
Then he read the title.
Nikola Tesla Walking Tour: New York City.
He froze for a moment.
"Nikola Tesla Walking Tour: New York City," he said, taking them from Amy with both hands. "This includes sites connected to where Tesla lived, worked, and spent his final years?"
Amy smiled as she watched his expression change. "The ticket description lists several places connected to his time in New York, including the former hotel site tied to his electrical work and the New Yorker Hotel."
Sheldon read the itinerary again, much slower this time. His irritation about everyone changing the flight plans seemed to disappear completely.
"You bought these because you knew I'd be upset about staying longer," he said.
"I bought them because I thought you'd enjoy a date built around someone you admire," Amy replied. "I know how much Tesla means to you."
Howard leaned toward Bernadette. "That's actually terrifyingly thoughtful."
Bernadette smiled. "It's called paying attention, Howard."
Sheldon carefully placed the tickets inside his messenger bag. "Fine. I will remain in New York for two additional days." He looked really happy.
Penny grinned. "That's all it took?"
Sheldon looked offended. "This is Nikola Tesla, Penny. He changed the world."
Leonard whispered to Penny, "Please don't ask how."
...
[Next Day] [Preston Studios NY]
Penny arrived at Preston Studios at 8:14 in the morning, forty-six minutes before the audition was supposed to begin. She had picked a clean navy blouse, dark pants, and shoes that looked more professional than they felt. Her headshot and résumé sat inside a folder held tightly against her chest.
For most of the ride over, she had forced herself to stay hopeful.
This was a real studio audition. The listing had a real casting office, real pay, and a role that lasted long enough for an audience to remember her face. After years of tiny bystander parts, rejected tapes, awkward callbacks, and shifts at the Cheesecake Factory, that alone felt huge.
Then she saw the crowd outside the building.
Her hope took a hard hit.
The sidewalk was already packed with actresses holding folders, coffee cups, garment bags, and polished headshots. Some stood in small groups while talking about agents, recent roles, theater work, and casting directors they already knew. Others looked calm in the way Penny wished she could look calm.
She stopped near the entrance and stared at the line.
"Holy crap! There are so many people here," Penny muttered as she tightened her grip on the folder. "I thought getting here early would help me."
Leonard walked up beside her with two coffees in his hands and followed her gaze toward the crowd. "Getting here early did help," he said as he handed her one cup. "It gave you enough time to panic before the audition starts."
Penny took the coffee, though her hands were shaking enough that she had to steady the lid with her thumb. "I'm serious, Leonard. Look at them. Half these women probably have agents, acting coaches, and enough credits to fill a whole page."
Leonard looked toward the line, then back at her. "You have credits too. You've worked hard, taken acting lessons, you've kept trying, and you're finally here."
"I got an audition that probably has fifty women competing for one tiny role," Penny said as she glanced down at her résumé. "Maybe more than fifty."
Leonard moved closer and lowered his voice. "You don't need to beat every person in that line. You need to walk into that room and give them a reason to remember you."
Penny looked at him, and his calm expression softened something in her chest.
"I just want one real chance," she admitted quietly. "I want a scene where the camera stays on me long enough for somebody to see what I can do."
Leonard smiled and gently squeezed her hand. "Then go get that chance. You've spent enough time letting other people decide how good you are."
Penny took a breath, adjusted the folder under her arm, gave Leonard a quick kiss, and started walking toward the entrance.
Howard had to wait outside since he wasn't a part of the audition.
Inside, the studio lobby felt even busier than the sidewalk. A long line wrapped around the reception desk, and a large sign near the elevators read:
OPEN CASTING AUDITIONS
ROLE: 406
CHECK-IN: 8:00 A.M. TO 9:00 A.M.
Penny joined the line and tried not to stare at the actresses around her. One woman beside her had an agent standing nearby with a clipboard. Another was running lines into her phone camera. Someone behind Penny was quietly practicing a convincing scream.
The receptionist looked up when Penny reached the desk. "Good morning, and welcome to Preston Studios. Are you here for the 406 audition?"
"Yes, I'm Penny," she said as she handed over her headshot and résumé.
The receptionist typed her name into a laptop, then printed a small number sticker and handed it to her. "You're number forty-seven. The waiting room is through those doors, and someone will call you when we're ready."
Penny looked down at the number in her hand.
Forty-seven.
Her stomach dropped again.
She walked into the waiting room and found a seat near the wall.
The room was filled with low conversations, nervous tapping, deep breathing, and the sound of papers shifting.
A redhead woman seated across from Penny looked over with a polite smile. "You here for 406 too?"
Penny nodded. "Yeah. Do you know anything about the character?"
"Nothing useful," the woman said as she shrugged. "The listing was vague, which usually means they're trying to keep the movie secret."
Penny closed her eyes and decided to calm her nerves. The real test was about to begin.
.
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