Betrayal of the Body
"Oh, Mark, what are you doing here?" Molly asked in surprise as her boyfriend walked into the laboratory.
He smiled at her and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. "Thought I'd say hi and bring you some lunch since you said you'd be working through break." He handed her a bag of food from her favorite deli.
She positively beamed, "Thank you. That's very sweet."
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close to him, "Anything for you. Are we still on for tonight?"
"Of course," she answered.
He smiled, "Good, I just wanted to make sure work wouldn't keep you late."
"It won't," she assured him.
"Well I suppose I'll see you later. Good luck on the case," he said before walking out.
Molly watched him leave with a silly smile on her face that was broken only by the sound of the smartest consulting detective saying, "Who was that?"
She turned to face him while John stayed on the other side of the room, looking up background information for the case. "My boyfriend," she replied.
He looked at her for a second longer before turning back to his microscope, moving it this way and that while muttering to himself. Molly shook her head and started filling out the necessary paperwork she had been neglecting lately.
"Hand me that petri dish," he ordered holding his hand out expectantly.
She obediently picked up the dish and placed it in his hand. He set it down next to the microscope and looked at her. "You know your boyfriend's…"
She cut him off, "Don't say it. Unless it's something horrific like a serial killer I don't care."
"But," he began to say.
"No," she interrupted him again. "Leave my boyfriend alone."
"You don't even like him," he said before turning back to his current work.
"Yes, I do," she protested.
"No, your voice, while happier, remained the same, no stuttering or breathlessness. You smiled but your eyes were normal, no dilation. And I couldn't check but I assume your pulse was average too. You don't like him."
"Yes," she began to say but Sherlock cut her off.
"Hand me my phone." He demanded as he peered more closely through the lenses.
She sighed, "Where is it?"
"In my jacket."
"Couldn't you just," she started to say.
"Now."
She moved closer to him and he leaned back as she reached into his jacket pocket. She rummaged around until his phone was safely in her hands and then she began to take it out. Her breath caught in her throat as she looked up to find him staring at her. Their faces were mere inches apart and his eyes were dazzling.
"Here," she breathed placing the phone into his open hand.
He grabbed her wrist with his other hand and smiled sweetly, "Thank you." Then he let go and she was left wondering what just happened.
"I'm not an expert in relationships, but I'm pretty sure you shouldn't be dating someone when you're in love with someone else." He announced while typing something into his phone.
"I… what?" She exclaimed.
"In love… with someone else… you." He repeated looking at her briefly before turning away once more.
"I'm not in love with anyone except Mark," she replied.
"Yes, you are. You're still in love with me. Just now, your voice got breathy, your eyes were dilated, and I checked your pulse, it was elevated." He rattled off these facts as if they were nothing more than the weather.
Her face heated up with embarrassment and maybe a bit of shame, ashamed at how her body could betray her like that. "I'm not in love with you," she announced more firmly.
He looked into the microscope again as if this whole thing was boring him, "Yes, you are. I told you, you should stop trying to have relationships."
"You know nothing about love or feelings or relationships," she spit out, anger at his nonchalant smugness getting to her. "Those things you said, about my body proving I like you don't mean anything. It just means I'm human. I can't control the way my body reacts to you but I can control my feelings." Her voice rose as she continued to talk, prompting Sherlock to stare at her.
"You say I like you because my heart races and my eyes dilate. I say I don't because you don't care about me as an actual human being. You say I don't like Mark because he can't affect me the way you can. I say I do," her voice became softer as she started to talk about Mark, "because he is the kindest, sweetest man I've ever known. He notices things about me."
Sherlock opened his mouth as if to say that he noticed things about her but it was like she could see those words in his eyes and she shot them down.
"Not the annoying belittling things you spit out. He notices when I'm happy and when I'm sad. He knows what my favorite ice cream is and how I like to sing loudly to the radio. He knows my favorite place to sit and people watch and he'll say things just because he knows it'll make me smile. That's why I like him and not you and that's why you are wrong."
She took a deep breath and calmed her voice so that it was cold and firm in her conclusion. "My body may say one thing to you, but let me assure you, my heart and my head feel an entirely different way." With that she grabbed her lunch and walked out of the laboratory leaving a slightly stunned Sherlock behind.
John just shook his head and continued typing, to anyone who asked: he didn't hear a word.