Chapter 10

Ten minutes after discovering Cuddy and Wilson, House was lying on the floor with his leg propped up on the chair blaring rock music in his office as he usually did in deep thought. His eyes closed, he played an air guitar to the music.

Wilson walked in, laughing at the scene. "Isn't this Billy Idol?"

House didn't open his eyes. Still moving his fingers as if playing the guitar, he answered, "Specifically, it's the live acoustic version of Rebel Yell. Absolutely beautiful."

Wilson sat down in the chair by House's desk. "Why are you listening to it?"

House's face scrunched as if the answer was obvious. "I have angst. Duh."

His friend just stared at him, smirking. "Maybe you're thinking about a certain "little angel coming to your door."

House abruptly shut off the CD player and pulled himself up to rest his back on the sofa. His eyes darted around the room at anything but Wilson. He said, "She won't be coming to my door. She's with Chase now."

……………………………

It was a few minutes after noon. House had left Cameron's apartment about an hour ago. Chase went out to grab some lunch to bring back.

She needed time to think. She felt so stupid. If Cameron had just waited, House would have come to her and Chase wouldn't have gotten hurt as much as he would now. She had felt insecure and unwanted and she had run to Chase. Cameron desperately wished she was stronger, not as emotional. She was also angry not only at herself, but at House. If he would have come to his damn senses and not pushed her away, there wouldn't be a problem. She wasn't about to let him get away with toying with all of their emotions by rushing to his arms. Cameron had made her choice and she planned to stick to it. Needing to work out her tension, she turned on her cd player and put on some exercise clothes. Cameron started to run on her treadmill.

As Chase entered the apartment, he gave Cameron a funny look. "You realize it's no longer the '80s, right?" he shouted over the music. "Rebel Yell is as dead as Hamlet's father."

"Do you know how British you sound?" she asked as she kept running.

Chase frowned. "I'm Australian," he whined. She's been around House way too long, he thought.

She smiled. "Then you shouldn't allude to Shakespeare. Besides, the true classics never die."

He finally smiled back at her as he placed out the food on the table. "And you're revisiting the land of the acid-wash jeans why?" Chase teased.

Cameron joked, "What can I say, I have angst."

He laughed at her joke, but secretly worried that it might be true.

………………………

"What!" Wilson cried. He seemed to be doing that a lot lately, but recently surprises were coming in bushels.

House nodded at his friend. "I got there too late. Chase was there. With his shirt off."

Wilson wanted to stay positive, probably because his life had just hit a high note. "Well," he said, "maybe he spilled something on it and…"

"Cameron was wearing it." House closed his eyes again.

"Oh," Wilson said, the wind clearly out of his sails. He soon puffed back up. "Chase? Chase! You can take Chase, man."

House scoffed, "Have you met Chase? He's a kitten. Cameron eats that kitten stuff up."

Wilson's eyes warmed as he looked at his friend. For all his bluster, he had little confidence in himself and there was no reason for it. "If that were true, she wouldn't have pursued you for so long. She could have been with Chase for months now, but she wants you."

House dropped his head as his shoulders slumped. "Maybe she'll change her mind now that she's with him."

"Now that she's with Chase?" he exclaimed. "Please. He's nothing but pretty hair and big eyes. He must go through conditioner and toothpaste like mad."

House smirked at his friend's comment. His eyes down, he said quietly, "I miss her. I've never even had her and I miss her. Is that crazy?"

Wilson shook his head. "No," he said, "it's love. And you know it."

House nodded introspectively. He needed to figure out his next move. Another thought dragged him out of his reverie. "So what's it like to make out with Cuddy?" he asked. His face got serious. "Is it scary?"

TBC