Title : Dinner With John

Genre : Friendship with Love

Summary : "Let's have dinner, John." Sherlock secretly smiled. Irene had been right: he had rejected her dinner's invitation because he already had John by his side, even though the doctor was still clueless about Sherlock's true feelings for him.

Disclaimer : Sherlock Holmes isn't mine.

.-.-.

Sherlock watched John in silence. It didn't need a genius to know that his best –and only—friend was troubled. John's usually bright eyes were gloom and dimmed. His nice face fell.

"You've been staring at the sky for quite some time, John," Sherlock broke the silence.

John averted his eyes. He moved from the window and sat heavily onto his usual chair.

"Whatever it is, you'll find no answers to your questions in the sky," Sherlock continued lightly.

John grunted.

Sherlock sighed. "Tell me, John."

"You remember Irene Adler? Ah, of course you won't forget her," John mumbled.

"Yes, I still remember her," Sherlock responded patiently.

"I know. You always call her The Woman."

Sherlock started to grasp what John was thinking. Just a couple of days ago the shorter man had told him about Irene Adler's whereabout: in America under disguise and protection. It's no doubt that Mycroft had informed him that the beautiful woman actually had been beheaded but let the rumors about her staying in America as a cover of her actual death. They believed that she was dead. Only Sherlock knew the truth. Irene was still alive, safe and sound somewhere.

"Why did you never respond to her dinner invitation?" John asked. He stared at Sherlock, hoping for answers.

"I was busy solving cases, you know that," Sherlock promptly answered. He noticed that John regretted Sherlock's rejection.

"You always reply everyone's messages, but you never replied hers," John stated. "I wonder why," he softly said.

"I did. Once."

Sherlock inwardly cursed John's soft nature. But it's also the thing that made John become the most important person in the whole world for him. The blond man was a nice person with warm personality. It's hard not to like him. It's no wonder why many were jealous at John: the fact that was still unknown to John himself.

John rubbed his face in grief. It's obvious that the death of someone who had been in John and Sherlock's lives for a short time affected the doctor very much. Even though Sherlock hated the sadness John was feeling right now, he wouldn't tell him the truth about Irene.

"Let's have dinner, John."

John stilled his movement. He gazed at his friend for a moment. "What?"

"You heard me," Sherlock flatly countered.

"I'm not hungry."

"Nonsense! Come on, let's go to Angelo's."

John reluctantly rose from his seat. "Of course it's Angelo's. You'll get free meal there," he mumbled.

Sherlock secretly smiled. Irene had been right: he had rejected her dinner's invitation because he already had John by his side, even though the doctor was still clueless about Sherlock's true feelings for him.

.-.-.

The End