Chapter 11 – Define relationship
House was getting lost in his music. It was one of the few escapes he had. He actually wished he had a case, he got into too much trouble when he didn't have medicine to distract him. In between the pieces he played he thought about the day's events. He felt like an idiot.
The phone began to ring but he didn't move. It was either Wilson or Cuddy and he didn't feel like talking to either at the moment. His machine picked up.
"House…pick-up the phone. It's Cuddy"
Silence
"House, I know your there. You have two friends and you just left them a few hours ago so I know you are home"
More Silence
"Seriously House, I am going to let Rachel use your jacket as a diaper if you don't pick up"
She waited.
House had already made his way over to his machine and was listening intently. He was trying to read her emotions through the phone. She sounded playful and he did fear slightly for his favorite jacket so finally he relented and picked up the phone.
"Ya know that is not entirely true. I have more than two friends. I play poker with the guy from the laundry mat and the guy from the bus stop and I have had a long standing relationship with Pamela Anderson, she is just completely unaware of the relationship." He responded.
"I'll give you the two guys who's names you can't remember but I won't give you any one-handed friendships, otherwise you'd have WAY more friends than me" she said.
So this is how they were going to play it, he thought. We will just pretend it never happened and move on. At least, he was hoping that until Cuddy interrupted his thoughts with "House, what are we doing?"
After a brief moment of silence, House deflected with "It's called a telephone, and we are talking on it, I think Alexander Grand Bell is who we have to thank for that. Of course, you're on your cell phone, which we have to thank" and then he was cut off with a very loud "House!"
So House responded "Cuddy!" with a slight 12 year old whine to his voice.
"House, do you want a relationship with me" she finally blurted out.
Crap! He wasn't prepared for that. He waited. Nothing came to him so he actually tried to be honest.
"Define relationship?" he asked
"I'm serious, House" she said
"So am I" he quickly responded. He didn't know what she meant. If she wanted a husband and a father to Rachel then the answer was no. If she wanted evenings of mind blowing sex then the answer was yes! If she wanted something in between, the answer was…he didn't know what the answer was.
"Define it and I'll answer it" he finished.
There was silence on both ends. It lasted a while. He didn't ever remember leaving her without words. Maybe she was just as confused as him. He decided to give her an out. He wasn't sure he was prepared for her answer so he pulled out his seductive voice and asked "So, what are you wearing?"
She didn't give him the usual "goodnight House" line. Instead, she almost floored him with "Well, you'll have to come over if you want to find out"