Chapter 3
"Are you alright?" James asked as he and Rose walked hand in hand down a busy London street. "You've been quiet since we left your flat. I really am sorry about the toaster. And the oven. I get restless when I'm nervous and I …well I tend…to ah…well"
"Ramble pointlessly and destroy things?" Rose guessed giggling.
"Yes! I mean, no!" his ears pinked.
Bumping his arm with her shoulder, Rose relaxed as they walked. "'S alright, Doctor. I'm only kiddin'. You looked sorta cute, all geeky tinkering at the table."
Looking around at the kitschy neighborhood they'd wandered into, Rose wondered if James knew where he was going. Despite sounding like he'd dropped in from directly from Scotland, he maneuvered through London with ease, darting down narrow streets that even Rose herself hadn't bothered with.
"Where are we goin?"
"How do you feel about Indian for dinner? Somewhere we can sit for a bit?"
"I've had a bit of Indian takeaway, does that count?"
Widening his eyes, he pulled her to a stop in front of a set of brightly curtained windows. Steam fogged the lower portions and the smell of spice and cooking rice filled the air.
"Rose Tyler that is not a true experience. Thank goodness we met when we did." He opened the door and a puff a warm, richly scented air hit Rose in the face. Her stomach rumbled in response. Wrapping a hand over it, she threw the Doctor a sheepish grin. At this rate he was going to think she was incapable of feeding herself, when the truth was, he just took her to the most divine places.
They were seated at an intimate little table and immediately given menus. Having no idea what to try, Rose took a chance and deferred to the Doctor, with the only stipulation being that it wasn't overly spicy. While the Doctor chatted with their waitress, Rose looked around. It wasn't a place she would normally have looked twice at, not because it appeared expensive, but because it was tucked out of the way in an area that she usually assumed didn't welcome her type. It was decorated with an abundance of gold leaf and dangling jeweled sun catchers, statues of deities were draped with intricate tapestries. It was gorgeous and overdone and her Mum would have loved it.
"What's wrong?" he covered her hand on the table.
Rose shook her head and smiled. "Sorry. Here we are out on a date and I'm all in a funk. 'S nothing, really. Just look at how bright and overdone ever'thin' is." She waved her free hand around to indicate the cluttered walls.
To her surprise, the Doctor grinned. "Your Mum would love it here. Would want the name of the decorator."
"Yes!"
"Rose, it's okay to talk about your Mum to me. Especially about her…eclectic taste in decorating. That's all part of the getting to know you stage. We don't have to deal with any of the doctor/caregiver stuff when we're out together."
Letting out a breath, she smiled. "It's been a long time since I've been out on a date. At least one that I've agreed to and known in advance that it's a date."
James perked up. "Really? Gorgeous, smart girl like you? I'd think you'd have your choice of guys lining up to take you out."
"Ah, but most don't see past the bleached hair, hips, and East End accent. I've been set up a few times, gone out for drinks, but that's been it." She tilted her head. "You don' look at me like any of those blokes did. You don' even look at me like Mickey does and he's my oldest mate in the world."
They leaned back as water and some sort of creamy white drink with beads at the bottom was set on the table. James took a quick sip of the creamy drink and tilted his head.
"And how do those blokes look at you?"
Rose waved her hand. "Oh, ya know, not too bright but gotta be good in bed kinda look. Take her out a couple of times, show her a bit of fun an' she'll pay back in kind. Get used to it after a while. I don't like it, mind, but I got used to it. I figure that blokes don't 'spect much else. But you look at me like I'm gonna come up with some sorta revelation."
"Rose, I won't deny that I find you attractive but I do think you're intelligent. Just because you didn't get your A-levels or go on to University doesn't make you stupid. You ask the right kind of questions and that sometimes shows more brains than knowing all the answers."
He looked so sincere that Rose found herself blushing again. Indicating the drink in front of them, she asked, "Speaking of the right sort of questions, what, exactly, are we drinking?"
"Try it first."
"Doctor…" Her dark brow rose.
"No, really, try it first; if you don't like it, then you can get something else. If I tell you what it is, you might not drink it."
"Great," she muttered. Taking a tiny sip, she found it oddly sweet and a bit herby. Taking a bigger sip, she still couldn't quite place the flavor.
He chuckled. "It's called Falooda. It's made with milk or yogurt, rose syrup, basil, psyllium, and tapioca beads. A bit better for taming spicy foods on the tongue than plain water. Do you like it?"
"I don't know yet. I keep wantin' ta chew it." Setting her glass down, she looked at the Doctor. He was dressed impeccably again, this time in dark navy trousers, a light blue oxford open at the collar, and a navy jumper. His hair was rumpled and sticking up and he was wearing his glasses again.
"So, you know a lot about me already, just from talkin' with Mum. Tell me something about you. Where did you grow up?"
James flushed pink again. Rubbing the back of his neck he leaned back. He hated talking about himself, would much rather listen to other people. It was part of the reason he went into psychiatry. That and the trouble he'd been having with gaps in his memory the last two months wasn't helping him win any new friends here in London.
"I was actually born in Ireland, believe it or not, a little town called Gallifrey. Lived in Scotland though as long as I can remember." He took a deep breath. "My parents and older brother died when I was eight in a fire. I was the only one that escaped. I was sleeping in the barn with the horses that night. Got into a fight with my Da over a pony and refused to come in. Turned out that was the only reason I survived."
He kept his head down. He had no idea why he laid that on Rose, he hardly ever told anyone about his childhood, and on a second date, well a first official date. He wouldn't blame her if she decided to leave him right there. The waitress set up their dinner and they both murmured their thanks. There was a nudge against his ankle.
"Doctor…James… thank you for tellin' me. I can't imagine what that was like, to lose everyone at once like that. I was five when Dad died. I had Mum, for the most part, those first couple a years, before I had to start takin' care a her. Where did you go?"
Looking up, he saw understanding rather than pity in her eyes. Of course Rose would understand. Her childhood was similar in so many ways. Only he'd grown up with money and she hadn't. Didn't help with loneliness though.
"Boarding schools mostly. My grandparents on my father's side were older and didn't want a child underfoot and my parents had money. So off I went. Got in trouble quite a bit-"
"Blowing things up or taking them apart?" Rose teased, taking a bit of chicken and lentils.
Smiling, he felt lighter. "Both, actually. Set fire to the dorms once. But money talks so quite a bit was forgiven. Then onto University. Studied Physics, Astronomy, Engineering, and Psychology. Decided to go on in Medicine."
"Wow. You but you look young. Not that I think you're old now or anythin'." She sighed, blushing. "None of that's comin' out right, is it?"
Laughing, he held out a bit of Dal Makhani spread on Naan to her. She hesitated for a moment before taking it and biting in. He'd noticed that when he went to hold hands with her, too. He'd make the gesture and Rose would always pause a moment, as if she needed to think about the consequences of following through with the gesture. Or as though she was waiting for a blow. Yet another mystery to Rose Tyler.
"I'm thirty five, Rose."
Her eyes widened. "You don't think I'm too young?"
He stole a piece of her chicken and quirked a brow. "You don't think I'm too old? Age can be just a number if you have enough that interests you."
Dinner went better than James imagined it would, each of them sticking with lighter get to know you topics like 'what's your favorite color?' (pink and blue respectively) and 'who was better Elvis or the Beatles?' (Rose was die hard Beatles – though she had a thing for Elvis during his Vegas Era). Once finished, they headed towards Hendricks, where Rose worked, to get a new toaster with her shop discount.
The evening air had cooled enough they could see their breath and she'd wrapped her multicolored scarf tighter around the neck of her denim jacket. James tucked the hand he was holding with its fuchsia hand warmer into his overcoat pocket.
"You picked today to wear a skirt?"
"It's cute and you were rushing me! I had no idea if the friggie would be in one piece when I got done. 'Sides, the tights help."
She gave him a sidelong glance before continuing. "What made you come to London?"
For the first time, James seemed to close off. His eyes lost a bit of their manic sparkle and he hunched in on himself.
"I had nothing really left in Scotland. Finished school, wrote for a few research journals, drifted for a while, then I saw the posting for Wilf's job. Thought it was the perfect change of pace."
"Didn't you have friends you left behind?"
"Believe it or not, Rose Tyler, I have a difficult time making friends. Most people consider me an insufferable know it all."
She gazed up at the sky, blocked by clouds and obscured by the London lights. "Sometimes I wish I had the courage to just up and go. Start over. New name, new identity, not be plain old Rose Tyler with all her baggage."
Oh, Rose. If you only knew. James thought.
"ROSE!"
Spinning, Rose and James caught sight of a handsome dark skinned young man running towards them. He was dressed in oil stained coveralls and wearing heavy workboots.
"Mickey, hello! James this is Mickey Smith. Mickey, this is Dr. James McCrimmon or just the Doctor, if you want." Rose introduced when he caught up with them.
James couldn't help but feel like he was being utterly and completely ignored by the other man. Mickey hardly spared him a glance before he tried to step between them and James was rather chuffed when Rose kept her grip on his hand even if she did pull them out of his coat pocket.
"I've been trying to call you since you go off work. You didn't answer."
"I told you I was goin' out, Micks. Had my phone on silent." Rose shifted around a bit so that James wasn't left facing Mickey's back.
"You said you were goin' out. Nobody actually believed it," Mickey snorted.
James watched Rose's expression carefully. Her face fell when Mickey, her supposed oldest mate in the world, teased her. She scuffed her toe on the sidewalk before schooling her features.
"Said I met the Doctor a couple a days ago. Who'd ya think I'd been textin' at night?"
Mickey shrugged. "Keisha thought it was some 'text a boyfriend' site to get her off your back. Didn't think you'd actually gone out with someone. No offense, mate," he tacked on.
"Offense taken."
Startled, Mickey took a good look at the older man. Hard brown eyes stared down at him, eyes that softened considerably when they shifted to Rose.
"Rose speaks rather highly of you, calls you her oldest mate. I was under the impression you'd be something rather more…well, impressive. So far all you've managed to do is insult Rose and myself. You don't know me, so I don't really care, but I do mind you insulting Rose."
"I wasn't insulting Rose, tell 'im, babe. I tease Rose all the time about bein' a homebody. Never gets out for drinks or darts down at the pub so o' course we wasn't sure that you really existed! And a doctor to boot!" Mickey hooted.
Rose gave James hand a gentle squeeze and when he caught her eyes he could tell she just wanted to continue on with their date. He found that he couldn't agree more, though he didn't think Rose would appreciate it if he was flat out rude to her friend. Luck was on his side for once when she took care of things.
"We really need to get goin', Micks. Call ya later, yeah?"
Mickey scratched his cheek and frowned.
"Are you sure, babe? I could hang out with you guys for a bit."
That eyebrow rose again. "Micks, your in your work clothes and besides we're just goin' to Hendricks so this one here can buy me a new toaster. Or that new deluxe toaster oven we just got in, don't know which." She shot a tongue touched grin at James.
"What happened to your toaster? I just fixed it a few weeks ago. Don't tell me it's burnin' the toast on one side again?" Mickey groused.
It was the Doctor's turn to shrug. Rose answered before he could though and he wasn't sure if her answer was better or worse than anything he could come up with.
Laughing, she choked out, "This one here decided I was takin' too long in the shower and took it and the toaster oven apart. Came out and he had parts scattered all over the table. Anyway, I'll catch ya later, Micks."
Leaving a somewhat disgruntled Mickey Smith behind, they headed to look at appliances. James had never had the chance to shop for anything domestic with a woman, he'd had his share of relationships, even moved in with one (a disastrous affair for both of them that if he could avoid sharing he probably would) but the whole shared furniture and appliances experience was not for him. This was...well, fun. granted it was for Rose and not him but it was oddly couple-y. They laughed over the extravagent styles, James drooled over the stainless steel, digital models that Rose vetoed right off the top, concerned that it would end up taking over the rest of the electronics in the flat, and settled on a newer model of her old one.
They walked hand in hand on the way back, James carrying his purchase and Rose a hot chocolate. He pointed out the London Eye when Rose admitted she'd never been and promised to take her. It was getting late when they reached the door to number 48, and Rose turned to James, lower lip caught between her teeth, and asked,
"Would you like to come in?"
