SIX

The next night had finally arrived, and Cuddy sat in her bedroom trying to decide what to wear. She really wasn't sure if this night was a date or just a formal business meeting. After pulling out multiple outfits, she eventually decided on a simple black dress with heels. She had just finished putting her pearl necklace around her neck when she heard the doorbell. She grabbed her purse and headed out to greet her... date?

"Lisa, you look amazing," Ethan said as she opened the door, scanning her up and down.

"Thank you," she replied with a gorgeous smile. "You look nice, too." He smiled at her with that perfect smile and guided her out to his car. After a few minutes of small talk in his car, he pulled into the parking lot of a bar she had been to a few times with some friends. Opening the doors for her on the way in, he led her to a small table not too far from the dance floor.

"What do you like to drink?" he asked as he waved down the bartender.

"A gin and tonic would be nice."

"Alright," he replied and then turned his gaze to the bartender. "Two gin and tonics, please," he said to the girl, who blushed when he smiled at her. Cuddy couldn't help but laugh to herself when she saw this.

"So... I guess we should start talking boring hospital business, then?" Cuddy asked as their drinks came.

"There's no business to talk about," he replied with a shrug.

"What do you mean?"

"I already sent the cheque to the hospital this afternoon. It's all been dealt with," he said casually. Cuddy just looked at him curiously, wondering what she was doing here then.

"Then why are we here?"

"You looked like you could use a nice night out," he replied. Cuddy smiled at him, thankful for his thoughtfulness, but that smile quickly disappeared as she felt his knee brush her thigh and she remembered her conversation with House earlier. She gulped the rest of her drink down and looked back up at him nervously, unsure of what to say.

"Do you want to dance?" he asked, breaking the awkward silence. Cuddy just nodded and took his hand as he offered it, following him out to the dance floor. Once they reached the dance floor, he pulled her against him much closer than she would have liked. She tried to gently push him away, but his hands, pulling her hips even closer to his, were much too strong for her. She eventually just gave in, realizing that it was probably better than spending the rest of the night alone in her empty house. A couple of songs had passed before Cuddy heard a familiar voice speaking to Ethan.

"Do you mind if I steal her for a dance?" he asked, with mocking politeness. Ethan, being the gentleman he is, agreed kindly and walked back to their table for another drink. House smirked at Cuddy, leaned his cane against the bar, and walked over to her.

"What are you doing here?" she asked through her teeth, clearly furious with him.

"Just came to have a few drinks," he shrugged, taking her hand in his and placing his other hand on the small of her back. The anger she was feeling quickly disappeared at his touch, replaced with a mix of emotions she couldn't explain. The gentleness with which he held her both shocked her and relaxed her after the force with which Ethan held her. Despite the million butterflies in her stomach that she couldn't ignore, she felt herself leaning into him as they danced. She was close enough that she could feel his heart beat rapidly in time with her own and they moved in perfect synch with each other. She knew it was wrong, but at the moment, nothing had ever felt so right. The sudden realization of the intimacy between them made her tense and she felt like she had to say something to return things to the way they had always been.

"You don't move too bad for a cripple," she joked, pulling back a bit to look at him.

"I hear that in bed all the time." Cuddy just laughed nervously, unsure of why she was suddenly wishing she could see if that was true.

"That's probably just part of their job description."

"Are you kidding? Sometimes they pay me," he replied. "By the way, don't you think that dress is a little too distracting for a business meeting?"

"Is that why you're here?" she replied, feeling the anger rise up in her again. "To see if this is a date or not?"

"Is it?"

"Does it matter?"

"Nope. Just curious," he shrugged. "But he is looking pretty jealous right now, so I'm going to assume it is."

"You're a jerk," Cuddy said, pulling away from him, suddenly missing the warmth of his body against hers. "And you really have to stop stalking me whenever I have a date, House. It's a little obsessive, don't you think?" She walked away from him quickly, stopping only briefly to pass him his cane from the bar

"Are you ready to get out of here?" she asked Ethan with a smile, as she picked up her purse. He nodded and placed his arm around her waist as they walked to the door. Cuddy turned over her shoulder and glared at House, feeling a little bit guilty as she saw the hint of regret and sadness in his eyes.