Title: We Need to Talk
Summary: The four most dreaded words in a relationship.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own /scorpion. This story is for entertainment purposes only. I make no profit and no infringement of copyrights is intended.
Chapter 2
Walter was beginning to despair of ever understanding his role as "the boyfriend". Playing Romeo while posing as a theater professor was as easy as repartitioning his hard drive by comparison. In the past month, he had formulated and discarded at least a dozen theories about how this was supposed to be handled. Despite what he said to Paige, he felt he needed some sort of plan or guide to follow. But nothing he came up with fit all the rules and expectations. There was one thing, however, that he was beginning to realize was the root of many of his problems.
Subtext.
Often, Paige would say something to him in what was apparently a lover's code to which he didn't have the key. It was fun learning all the curious phrases and cues she used to let him know she wanted physical intimacy. Well, except for the times Toby picked up too quickly on something she said or did and pointed it out to him – loudly and embarrassingly - before Paige could clue him in.
It frustrated him when he couldn't pick up on Paige's non-sexual hints. What did that say about him as a boyfriend, or as a man, for that matter? He knew in his heart that, as much as he enjoyed their physical relationship, his feelings for Paige were deeper than that. But if the only time he could catch what she was getting at was when she wanted sex, what was she supposed to think?
The week before he'd failed to discern her hint that she wanted him to take her to dinner. Failed miserably, in fact. The week was slow for the geniuses – just some boring security upgrades for a couple of stuffy corporations that left Paige with a pile of paperwork to get through. It didn't occur to him that his slow week was grueling and mind-numbing for her. Instead of treating her to a relaxing dinner at one of their favorite neighborhood restaurants, he'd suggested that since they'd stayed home all week with a light case load, maybe she could make her famous fried chicken.
That was the weekend he learned the meaning of the phrase "in the doghouse."
Instead of Paige's wickedly unhealthy but undeniably delicious fried chicken, their dinner consisted of a bucket of something soggy and quite possibly undercooked that she must have ordered from one of the many delivery companies. Which meant that it was also barely lukewarm. For Ralph, Paige made a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and sliced up an apple. Walter was hardly surprised. The delivery company might just as well have advertised "Ptomaine – delivered right to your door!"
Just before his bedtime, while they were sharing Ralph's allotted hour of video game time, the youngster explained the situation to Walter.
"You're going to need to apologize, you know," Ralph said while maneuvering his Ferrari past Walter's Mazerati. "Mom was really tired tonight. She usually doesn't like cooking on Friday night, anyway; but especially not when she's been catching up on paper work all week. It's really exhausting for her, you know?"
Walter's hand stilled on the controller, causing his vehicle to careen into the stands, scattering animated spectators and their rather gruesome body parts all over the game's fictional race track. The screen returned to a view of Ralph's car, which continued around the track several times, periodically passing the scene of Walter's carnage.
"I… I really blew it, didn't I?"
"Yep. You did. Even Tim knew better than to ask mom to cook on a Friday night," Ralph brought his car to a halt and turned in his seat. "But then, Tim never had mom's fried chicken, so…"
"Your mom didn't make dinner for Tim?" Walter couldn't help his curiosity about the man to whom he nearly lost Paige. On the surface, anyone would say that his predecessor was the better boyfriend. Walter was confident enough in Paige's feelings for him that he normally dismissed any comparisons. But having made yet another blunder, he was wondering if perhaps he should pay more attention to what made people think the Navy Seal was so perfect for Paige.
"Tim wasn't here much. I mean, he would come by and pick mom up some evenings, and they would go out somewhere. But he didn't hang out with us on weekends much like you do. He had dinner with us a couple of times, but mom just pulled one of her casseroles out of the freezer. She didn't make any of her special stuff for Tim."
"Oh… oh, that's… that's too bad. For… for Tim, I mean." Walter couldn't help the smile on his face. He might not be the best at this boyfriend business, but he apparently rated fried chicken and pot roast while the interloper just got frozen casseroles.
Walter realized it would probably be a while before he enjoyed Paige's fried chicken again. But when it happened, he would savor it even more.
June 3 - 17, 2017