Author: Kouklitsa (amsterdam in other forums)
Pairing: Charlie and Amita (of course… me being a super shipper!)
Rating: Have no clue how to exactly rate this…. But it's pretty mild and fluffy
Summary: Charlie is ready to make is move. But the people that have been wanting him to make this so overdue move get in his way. Charlie is forced to take desperate measures….
Disclaimer: I am a mere mortal and therefore cannot own anything as divined as Numb3rs.
Feedback: Greatly appreciated!
Warning: Spoiler Better or Worse; season two…
The thing that separated Charlie from all the other was the fact that he was a genius professor with numerous degrees at the age of thirty. But that was all… in any other way he was just like any other man.
If he didn't eat, he would get hungry. If he didn't sleep he would get tired. And if he didn't have someone to call his own… he would be lonely… Just like any other man.
---
Larry was discussing a very delicate topic with Charlie in his office.
"Charles, a jiffy seriously has mathematical relations. A jiffy is an actual unit of time for 1/100th of a second, how can you not know that!
"Larry, I did know that! I never claimed I didn't… would you please give it a rest?
Larry laughed at Charlie's disgruntled face. Charlie never liked being corrected on math related matters.
While Charlie was still trying to convince Larry to drop the matter his cell phone beeped. He received a text message. Charlie flipped open his phone and smiled when reading the message. Larry glanced over Charlie's shoulder to see if he could read what was making Charlie smile.
"Park?" Larry asked with confusion. "Park what?"
"Larry! are you reading my text messages? Seriously… I never expected you to be a nosy snoop" Charlie said while grinning at his old friend who had turned scarlet.
Charles, I…"
But before he could finish Amita's head popped out the doorway.
"Well?" She asked
"Sure" Charlie answered seeming to know what she was referring to.
"When?" She asked again
"In ten" He answered again.
"Here? She asked
"Outside" He replied
"Whose turn is it? She asked
"My turn" He answered with a smile.
"Ok, Hey Larry, Bye!"
Amita disappeared as fast as she had appeared leaving a seriously confused Larry behind while Charlie had gotten up to gather his things.
"Ok… what on earth was that all about? That must have been the most concise conversation two people have ever had since man spoke its first words!" Larry said exclaimed.
Charlie chuckled and thought for a brief moment not to tell Larry and to leave him guessing but decided to go with giving his friend the explanation he so desperately was waiting for.
"That text message I received, was Amita asking if I wanted to join her for a walk in the park.
"Ok, that makes sense given the content of the message, although I really think for the money those phone companies charge you I would strongly advise Amita to use more words in her future messages."
"Larry, your drifting… focus. She must have been in a hurry, because when she popped in…"
"More like flashed by" Larry interrupted
"Larry! Do you want me to tell you or are you going to continue to interrupt me with pointless comments? Charlie argued.
"Sorry, sorry, please continue." Larry held his hands up as if Charlie pointed a gun at him realizing that Charlie really needed to get this off his chest.
"She must have been in a hurry asking for confirmation so soon after she had just sent the text message, but the essence of the conversation was that I confirmed I was going, I'd be ready in ten minutes, we would meet outside in front of the campus and it was my turn to buy coffee and muffins."
Charlie beamed while he spoke the words. Only he didn't realize he did, but Larry was no fool.
"So I take it that you and Amita go for a stroll in the park more often then, considering the few word that were needed for you two to arrange a rendezvous? Larry revealing he saw right through Charlie.
"Well… eh… yeah. N-not that often though. O-on occasion. Only w-when I'm not busy." Charlie stammered.
Larry knew he had hit a nerve because Charlie started to stutter. Which he always does when he had to confess to something private. And lately he had started to stutter as well whenever it involved Amita on a non-professional level.
"Well then I will not keep you from meeting with Amita any longer. I will see you tomorrow Charles. Happy strolling." Larry said with a smirk on his face while leaving Charlie's office.
---
Charlie decided to visit the men's room to clean up before going out to meet Amita. When he saw himself in the mirror he groaned.
"Wretched curls" He sighed while running his hands quickly through his hair.
He washed up and decided to head out to Amita who was sitting outside waiting for Charlie to meet her. He was really looking forwards to their walk in the park, he felt really happy that she had found time for him again today. Since she decided to go for another PHD he had come to really miss spending time with her. And as he now got to spend time with her not working on difficult mathematical problems made him enjoy the walks even more…
After the first date that had ended so disastrously he figured he had blown it with her though. But the first time they went for a walk through the park their conversation that always started out being about work had quickly taken on a more personal tone and to Charlie's own surprise it didn't take him much effort and no awkward silences had fallen even once. Talking with her had suddenly seemed as easy as working on numbers.
"There you are" Amita greeted him with a smile and jumped up.
Charlie just smiled back at her thinking she looked beautiful today.
---
As they walked through the park Charlie had a never failing smile on is face as they talked about nothing in particular.
"So there I was, in the supermarket with what seemed to be the rest of California waiting in line with only three items in my basket, a plumber in my apartment tearing my place completely apart realizing I was still wearing my pink fluffy slippers." Amita concluded her story with a slight embarrass smile.
"Oh ho ho, that must have felt so embarrassing!" Charlie snickered.
"Well yeah, but then again everything happened so fast. My whole apartment flooded and when the plumber came I was having a near panic attack. He must have noticed and wanted me out of the apartment so sent me off to the supermarket. Looking back on the things he wanted me to get him I realize I must have been in pretty bad shape" Amita replied.
"So what did you end up getting" Charlie asked curiously.
"Pampers, toilet cleaner and candles." She replied holding back her laughter.
Charlie burst out in laughter at her confession followed by Amita. When Charlie had finally calmed down he stopped and looked at Amita.
"I really enjoy our walks together you know. Charlie said in a soft voice.
"Me too" Amita tilted her head as she let Charlie gaze upon her.
"Perhaps we should have gone for a walk in the park instead of out for dinner. Maybe then…" But Charlie didn't finish his sentence and stared at the ground with a regretful face.
Amita who had been taken by surprise by Charlie's comment about their first date she quickly changed the subject not wanting the memory of their first bad date ruin their walk today. Thankfully Charlie responded well to the sudden change of subject, almost as if he was grateful she had rescued him from a painful 'what-if' chain of thoughts.
"I'm definitely up for a cup of coffee and a muffin, what about you? And Charlie, it's your turn to pay so no excuses this time that you forgot your wallet. I'm not falling for that I'm an absent-minded math professor twice you know…" Amita said with a playful warning tone.
"Me? Using the same excuse twice? Amita, you underestimate me." Charlie joked. "I might be an absent minded match professor at times, but refuse to be a not-original absent minded math professor. That just doesn't go with my image of being a young and vibrant absent minded math professor" Charlie finished with a grin while making himself ready for a sprint.
"Oh! You forgot conceited, Professor young and vibrant!" Amita exclaimed.
"Ha ha ha! Charlie laughed out loud as he made a sprint to get away from Amita ready to give him a playful corrective punch.
She quickly chased after him towards the coffee shop.
---
