Remember December

Chapter Two

It was a habit of Cuddy since she was a teenager to be up before the sun and running in the quiet company of the morning air. Classes started this week and Cuddy saw the lazy idle days of summer overrun by gathering books and schedules, working at the hospital, and mountains of reading each night. These morning runs were usually the only opportunity she afforded herself to clear her mind and just enjoy the moment. Except lately a clear mind afforded the opportunity to think about things she knew she shouldn't. People, men…a man that she knew in her better judgment she should keep as far away from as possible. House's obnoxious banter and witty assertiveness of their last night together at the poker game a few days before had left her feeling shamefully intoxicated. It was bridling. She knew full and well his reputation with women and his propensity for pushing things to their breaking point. She didn't have room for someone like that in her life right now.

So why was it, she wondered, that this morning's run, just like yesterday's, found her jogging past the apartments where she had learned that he lived? This is ridiculous, she thought to herself. You are so close to graduating, to moving forward and getting everything you have worked so hard for. You have a great boyfriend and a very respectable sex life. This is a momentary slip, you met someone who is challenging and brilliant and different and you got a little distracted, but now it the time to put that behind you and refocus.

No sooner than Cuddy had shaken him from her thoughts did she look up to see him standing in his entryway, half-dressed, kissing a blond girl in a wrinkled dress. She quickly looked away but not before he caught sight of her and called her name. She ignored him and kept running. House grabbed a pair of tennis shoes and pulled them onto his bare feet. Leaving the girl behind, he took off after Cuddy until he had caught up with her.

House grabbed her arm and she spun around to face him breathless and embarrassed. "I called you, you didn't hear me?" He asked. Cuddy pulled the headphones from her ears, and took another deep breath.

"Sorry," she said. "I guess I wasn't paying attention." She glanced up at House, who was standing before her, his hair messed and his shirt unbuttoned to loose fitting sweatpants barely hanging onto his lean waist. She realized she was staring when he quickly grabbed his shirt and started buttoning it. "What's up?" she asked him.

House shook his head. "I just saw you running. I was gonna go for a run here soon, you think maybe I could—"

"I'm about done," She said quickly. "I was just heading back."

"You run by here a lot?" He asked her, half grinning.

Cuddy ignored the question. "You friend left," she said instead. "She looked mad."

House shrugged. "She wasn't a friend, and she'll get over it I'm sure." He stared at her for a moment and she stared at the ground. "I've been thinking about you," he said.

Cuddy looked up; her face reddened betraying her racing heart. She hoped that House would mistake it for her being flushed from the run. "Wha-what about?"

"Somers is teaching a graduate seminar on diagnostics next semester," he said. "Some pretty basic stuff, but I'm assisting him in the class. If you want I could pull some strings and get you a spot. It would look great on your CV."

Cuddy smiled and let out a terse laugh. "Thanks but—"

"What? You'd pass this up because…why? You don't like me? You hardly know me—"

"House," Cuddy laughed again. His defensiveness cut through the cool exterior and betrayed his nervousness. "I already knew about the seminar and I spoke to Dr. Somers two months ago. He admitted me into the class already."

House laughed at his own foolishness. "Oh. So you're the cute pre-med student he told me about who charmed her way into the class. I should've known. Well good. At least I know I'll get to see more of you then."

"I suppose," she said.

"You never answered me about taking you to dinner."

"House…" Cuddy gestured toward his apartment, "I just saw you kissing a woman outside of your house at six o'clock in the morning. And, I'm dating Jack. You know that."

"Interesting how Jack is your #2 reason for turning me down." His cocky smirk infuriated her and she shook her head.

"I'll see you around House." She spun around and took off running. She was heading further away from her dorm but couldn't turn back because House was still staring at her from the middle of the road.

House showed up at Jack's house the next Friday to play poker and found Jack, Donald, and Jason smoking cigars around the table in the dining room. And Jason's roommate, some guy whose name House could never remember, but who as House recalled, liked to crush aluminum cans against his head as a show of his viral masculinity.

"House, where've you been? We said seven." Jason asked him.

"Where's Cuddy?" House asked.

"She said she was too busy to play tonight. Grab a seat," Jack said.

"Too busy? It's the weekend."

"I don't know what to tell you man, she's busy and she takes school seriously. I haven't even seen her in a couple of days." Jack told him. He had all but forgotten House's advances toward Cuddy the week before and any residual jealousy he felt was written off as House just being House. "I knew her last year before we started dating. She was never around because she was always working or in class or studying. And when I finally did talk her into coming out she was so fucking distracted it was like you might as well not even be there."

House frowned, but sat at the table anyway and took a beer from Donald. At least Jack wasn't getting to see her either. "And you're dating her anyways? What a looser."

Jack smiled and shrugged, "Nah. It's kind of nice having a girl who's not constantly demanding all my time and attention. And," Jacks smile widened as he dealt a round, "when she does find the time to give me a night to ourselves, it is totally worth it, if you know what I mean." The other guys at the table snickered.

"I share a wall with you dude, I know what you mean," Donald said still laughing. House was horrified. In his fantasies Lisa Cuddy was nervous and reserved. Her other lovers demanded little from her because she was beautiful, and her shyness never allowed her to abandon her senses. In his fantasies it was he who was able unleash something inside her raw and primal; something that came to life under his touch and his alone. It sickened him to hear Jack talk about her like that. Or perhaps it sickened him to know that Jack knew her in a way that House did not. Knew what she was capable of and wasn't shy about making sure that everyone else got a second hand account.

The guys at the table were still laughing when Jack slapped House on the back. "You might as well give it up man. She's a level headed girl; she'd never get mixed up with you. And she's got a good thing with me. We make sense."

"Yeah," House said. "I know lots of girls who are attracted to the guy that 'makes sense.' Never do they end up leaving that boring tool for the emotionally unavailable prick that makes them want to tell him to go to hell while they are ripping their clothes off in front of him."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I told you. Lisa's not that kind of girl. She's smarter than that. It would take a hell of a lot more than you treating her like crap to get her to notice you. You'd have to be…" Jack smiled again. "You'd have to be me." The two of them stared each other down until House finally tossed his cards down on the table.

"I forgot," he said to Jack, "I have an appointment to go fuck you sister for a while." The guys around the table laughed as House stood up and walked out the door.

On the ride home House's insides raged. How was it possible that this girl had gotten to him so badly? She was young and stupid. Well obviously not stupid but a bad character judge to be involved with that…that…really charming, successful and good looking guy. More rage. He had even ironed his shirt tonight and combed his hair for her. House pushed his bike faster and farther down the dark winding road back to his apartment.

The next morning House was awake and out the door at five am. He ran over to the south end of the campus where Cuddy's dorm was and stood outside waiting for her. Twenty minutes later she stepped into the chilly autumn air and spotted him standing on the other side of the road. She shook her head and crossed the road to meet him.

"Good morning," he smiled at her.

"Stalking me now House? That's not flattering, it's just creepy."

"Hardly," he told her. "I just thought since you couldn't be bothered to come out and play last night, you might like some company this morning, then maybe some coffee."

"I have class at nine."

"On Saturday? God, you really are a geek. Just the run then, that's cool with me."

"I usually do this alone." Her voice was hard and she seemed tired.

"Yeah," he said, "me too. Come on Cuddy, you'll have to really work those buns to keep up with me." He reached out to smack her ass but she jumped out of the way. She laughed and her smile stopped him cold. How the hell does she do that? He wondered. She moved to hit him but he ducked and took off running. Cuddy fell in stride beside him and House smiled to himself.

They ran without a word for about a mile and then Cuddy felt herself start to relax. This was nice, to share the emptiness of the morning with someone. She hadn't felt a comfortable silence in quite some time. The fact that it was him and he was pursuing her seemed so unlikely, but it made her smile none the less.

"What are you thinking about?" House had slowed his pace to a jog as they got close to his apartment.

"What?" She slowed down too, and looked over to find him gazing at her.

"You were grinning. What's on your mind?" He asked her, with just a hint of self-satisfaction in his voice.

"I was just thinking about how ridiculous you look in those shorts," She lied.

House looked down at his red running shorts. They were, now that he thought about it, a little on the short side. He smiled and shrugged. "Just trying to give you a better view my dear." They were walking now as they approached his house. "You sure you don't want to come up and have some coffee before class?"

Cuddy nodded. "I have to get back and shower. Thanks for the company though. This was nice." She smiled at him the enigmatic grin that seemed to stir something in his heart; and of course something in his pants. "See you around House." She turned and started jogging back to her dorm. House watched her until she was completely out of view.

House clenched his jaw and went inside, slamming the door behind him. He walked into his bathroom and turned on the shower, then pulled his t-shirt over his head and tossed it on the bathroom floor. He imagined her standing before him. She was becoming more and more untouchable, though in his imagination when he did touch her she didn't recoil, she didn't rebuff him, and she didn't make him chase her. No longer did he think of her as a shy and repressed girl who needed to be coaxed out of her shell. No. House stepped under the water and let the steam engulf him as she invaded the forefront of his mind. Damp hair clung to her neck and sweat beaded her forehead, her breath ragged from the run. House tightened his hand around his shaft and braced himself on the tile wall as he let the images play. Her hands on his chest, him pressing her to the wall her breasts filling his hands, her mouth and tongue hot on his lips. He imagined sinking his fingers into her center and her desperate moans in his ear. He abused himself to the point of exquisite pain as he pictured her sweet pink lips wrapped around his cock and the lust in her eyes as she brought him to the brink. He cried out and tossed his head back on the shower wall as he came into his hand. Exhausted and still unsatisfied, House shampooed his hair and rubbed soap into a washcloth. He knew it for certain now, if there was ever any doubt. He was in trouble.