Ch 19: The Tale Tell Tie
House zipped up his trousers, still feeling the joy of orgasm Cuddy had just presented him with moments before. She was a bit curious about his hasty departure as he was usually up for a bit of foreplay after sex in hopes of getting a second go round. He informed her of an urgent patient matter and she sighed in resignation. She would be his wife and the love of his life forever, but he would always be a diagnostician, she realized. He left after kissing her lightly on the mouth and promising to do his duty to her more thoroughly that night.
House was nearly skipping as he made his way to Wilson's office. He could tell that his friend was in a good spirits by the sparkle in his eyes as House entered, unannounced of course. "Someone's in a good mood," he commented, settling himself down in the chair across from Wilson's desk and propping his feet up.
"Well someone has reason to be," Wilson replied. "Someone has a date tonight."
"Really?" House asked. He was a bit put off as it was usually more of a game of tug of war trying to get information out of the head of oncology, but he wanted to know who the lucky girl was nonetheless.
"Just a girl I met at a conference last week. She came in with a few guys from the Princeton General team and we just hit it off." Wilson grinned, apparently sharing everything on his mind, but House knew better. The tie was a dead giveaway that his best friend was doing something scandalous.
"Really. Great." He forced a smile and waited for Wilson to respond. Instead the oncologist simply signed a few more papers and stood up.
"I've got to go get my suit for tonight, so I'm off early," he explained to House. "I'm taking her to the ballet tonight."
"You hate the ballet," House pointed out.
"She loves it, so I'll suffer," Wilson replied.
"Planning on getting something more interesting later out of your arrangement?" House asked, a silly look on his face.
"Maybe. It's been a while. I'll respect whatever she wants though." He could tell Wilson was excited however, almost as if sex was guaranteed. He chose not to comment on that, however and stood as well.
"I guess I'll let you off. You really should try doing what you want for a change," House tried his best annoyed voice, hoping that he came off as arrogant as ever when it came to Wilson's nicely played exploits which usually meant spending lots of money on something he hated to get women into his bed. "More fun that way."
"I'll try to remember that," Wilson replied, taking the bait and rolling his eyes. House walked out of the office after his best friend and watched him down the hall, wondering whom he would really be boinking come nightfall.
Two weeks passed without further hint of Wilson's love life coming to light. House found himself frustrated and had searched the entirety of the log of female staff for Princeton General, noting that several women were acquainted with his best friend. None of them were seeing him, however, that was for sure. He was getting a bit obsessed and Cuddy ended up finding out after trying to lure him to bed one night and finding that he'd rather sit up and think about 'stuff.' She told him he was crazy and that he should just forget about it and let Wilson have his secret, but House couldn't let it rest.
Tired of trying to dissuade House from further prying into his friend's life, she offered to talk with Wilson and see if she could get any information out of him. She took him to lunch and returned home to her fiancé and baby that evening with no more information than House had already scrounged up.
"What is he hiding?" House asked himself aloud for the hundredth time. No answer came to him in epiphany form and he was left to brood while Cuddy fed Rachel.
"You really need to let it go, House. It's like all you care about is Wilson's love life and ours has gone out the window!"
"I have to know!" he returned heatedly. That had been their first fight as a couple. Cuddy had called him an obsessive pervert, hell bent on knowing everything about everybody and he had called her clingy, which had earned him a week without sex, after which he was even more frustrated about the Wilson situation.
"Please give it a rest," she begged him one night. She was wearing a very sheer night gown and he had been inclined to put of his brooding until the next morning.
A bit of enlightenment came to him the next day in the form of an argument between Thirteen and Foreman. House just happened to catch the end of their conversation.
"You were out all night again!" Foreman was saying when House recognized their voices from around the corner. "What am I supposed to think?"
"That I need some privacy, maybe?" Thirteen had thrown back.
"We move in together and now you need privacy?"
"I don't want to talk about this," Thirteen had said.
"Would he make you talk about it?" Foreman had demanded roughly.
"No!" Thirteen had said before quickly adding. "There is no he. And no she either. Just me needing some time."
"Fine," Foreman had practically spat. "I'll be visiting my parents this weekend. You can have your time then. Monday I want an answer." The conversation had ended there and House had gone back to his office to think about the exchange he had just witnessed. Apparently there had been something going on between Foreman and Thirteen that was causing problems. And she had been the one stepping out, he reasoned.
Suddenly an idea hit him and his mouth dropped open. "No…" he half gasped.