Chapter 10

The waiter looked offended and turned his back on House, choosing instead to focus on Cuddy, who was...wow. Nick was only a college student nearby, but this random, dark haired older woman was enough to make him forget the college varsity cheerleaders. He left House and Cuddy alone for a moment to look over their menus, but returned too quickly, keen on refilling Cuddy's champagne glass, but missed as he lamely tried to keep eye contact while he poured.

"You're looking lovely this evening, Miss...?" he said, trying to sound suave. "Would you--"

"You're...missing," Cuddy pointed out sharply at the trickle of champagne running down the stem of her glass.'

House grinned. He raised his glass and tilted his head slightly as if to acknowledge her. Their eyes met, and an intense chemistry seemed to flow between them. The look on House's face seemed to take ages of of him. He seemed younger, the rugged features merely enhancing his looks. His grin- the one with dimples, outstandingly adorable.

But then all that was ruined by that over eager, nauseating...child.

Just a scrawny looking college kid. Stupid, snobby, too much testosterone, college kid. But still, and yet...this kid, Nate, Nick, Ned, Nigel, Noah.

Infuriated him.

Usually, he wouldn't have cared. He would have made fun of the kid, and would have made fun of Cuddy afterwards. But tonight was supposed to be special! He went through all this trouble, and he would NOT let a stupid child ruin this.

House's brow furrowed, his lips tightly pressed together. He opened his mouth to say a rude remark, (possibly something about his mother, or the kid's looks...something a long that line..). When he stopped. He heard Cuddy's tone, and saw the boy blush.

Cool.

His turn, it seemed like.

"Since when did New Jersey run out of horny teenage girls?"

The boy looked up, torn between embarrassment and anger. But it seemed, he would not get the hint.

Ah. Hmm. This was strange, very strange. Cuddy could feel that blasted college kid's eyes on her and it was terribly unnerving. He was, what, half her age? But clearly he wasn't going to let that difference get him down. He just...grinned broadly at her like he was pretty damn secure with himself, almost like he thought he was...

House.

Cuddy glanced up sharply, planning to give House a look that said 'save me', but when he let a typical rude comment fly, that plan was killed and Cuddy decided to have some fun.

"Easy on the poor guy!" Cuddy said with exaggerated patience before Nick could reply, and laid a hand softly on his forearm. "That's enough champagne for now. Someone's already drunk, from the sound of it." She looked at House significantly, and college boy Nick let out a very undignified snort of laughter.

"I wish we got more customers like you, ma'am," he said, blatantly sucking up. "It'd give me more of an incentive to come to work every day." He gave House a fleeting, dismissive glance. "I'll give you a few more moments to look over your menus." He smiled goofily and was off to another table.

House was very flustered. He was a lightweight, but he knew, as well as Cuddy knew, it wasn't the champagne that did him in. But House caught her look and immediately calmed himself. Cuddy was with him. Not with that kid.

Him.

Not kid. He kept reminding himself.

As the waiter walked away, House held back the urge to yell more obscenities, and settled for muttering darkly under his breath. Cuddy's hand from his arm hadn't moved, and House felt...stupidly reassured.

He was a grown man, and yet, here he was, getting angered by a mere, dimwit college boy.

"Stupid little..."

Cuddy watched House with an amused smirk playing across her lips. It was almost adorable how easily things irked him.

...Not at work, though. At work he was an absolute nightmare when the smallest of stressors presented itself. It was like being with House ouside of the hospital allowed Cuddy to see him in a whole new light. He was very nearly...nearly...lovable?

She shook herself internally, drew her hand back from House's arm, and played with the corner of her cloth napkin on the table. She found this side of House…this jealous side of House…very humorous.

"That waiter's a cute one," Cuddy said absently, just to see what House would fire back in response.

"Cute?!" House snapped, his blue eyes almost frantic like searching Cuddy's face. "Have you completely lost your mind? Just because he poured champagne and...commented..." House gestured wildly to Cuddy's general area. "On you. And how you look spectacular tonight, and-"

House stopped. He couldn't believe he said that to her so...truthfully. Sure, he had said it earlier, but that had a hint of a joke in it.

House tried to go on as if nothing happened, "And here that little son of a..." He stopped himself, "...and you, you, think he's adorable?!"

But then, of course. As he finished his last sentence, and saw Cuddy's ever widening smile. He realized she was joking.

...He couldn't believe it took him that long to figure it out.

Shaking her head and laughing silently to herself, Cuddy waited patiently until House's fit had subsided. Oh, the stories she could tell on Monday...well, if she were one to tell stories, anyway. Cuddy had never been the type to stand around the water cooler and gossip; she always had something better to do.

"Why can't I make a simple remark on a simple observation?" Cuddy asked, still laughing. "I've had to put up with you and all your comments on 'hot patients' all the time...do you remember--" she leaned forward across the table, ready to get into her story, "--the time that seventeen year-old girl started stalking you? And you actually...interrupted...my meeting to scream about your unstoppable love? Think about that, and then tell me if you can still act all offended by what I said."

House blinked. Cuddy had just moved closer to him, or rather, as close as you could get when you were sitting across from each other.

Having felt like he had some composure over himself, he began his...painfully obvious, not thought out argument.

"Because your radar for boys have obviously gone down hill. You should be getting the 'he's so cute' thing for...m-Wilson. Or something. NOT-" House shot a dark glare in the direction of the waiter who was coming back, "Sleazy teenage boys."

House turned his eyes back on Cuddy. "I meant it." He grinned. "Our love is definitely unstoppable." For, a sudden plan had suddenly formed inside House's mind, as his eyes had that playful, mischievous glint.