Love Simplified
Walter sat alone in his loft, pencil scratching rhythmically across the page of his ever-present notebook. He wasn't consciously writing—his brain worked on autopilot, his fingers moving as his thoughts drifted elsewhere. Somewhere downstairs, the team was wrapping up for the day, but Walter remained tucked away in his space, absorbed in whatever had been occupying him for weeks now.
Toby had noticed. And Toby, being Toby, was determined to get answers. Poking his head into the loft, the behaviorist smirked at the sight before him. Walter was at his desk, eyes distant, lips barely twitching into a smile. The notebook in front of him held a string of equations. Equations that were complex, disjointed, and utterly meaningless to anyone but him. "Alright, 197, spill," Toby announced as he stepped inside.
Walter blinked, dragged from his thoughts. "What are you talking about?" His pencil stilled as he instinctively closed the notebook, but not before Toby caught a glimpse of the nonsense equations scrawled across the page.
"You've been acting weird lately," Toby continued, folding his arms. "Hiding up here unless we're on a case, carrying that," he gestured toward the notebook, "everywhere like it's the nuclear codes, and shutting it the second anyone gets close. Even Sly got a peek and said your equations don't make sense. And that guy can read numbers like you read code."
Walter covered the notebook with a stack of printouts, quantum entanglement stability data, an excuse for distraction. "I fail to see how that's your concern."
"It is when my best friend starts acting out of character. Personality shifts in high-functioning adults? Never a good sign."
Walter huffed. "I'm fine, Toby."
"Uh-huh. And I'm the Queen of England." Toby sat on the edge of the desk. "Look, I can crack this on my own, but I'm giving you a chance to make it easy on yourself. Just tell me what's up."
Walter stared at him, expression unreadable. Then, "Pass."
Toby sighed theatrically. "You know I'll figure it out eventually."
"I'll take my chances."
Toby narrowed his eyes but relented, for the moment. "Fine. But my shrink senses are tingling, and I don't like it." He turned to leave but hesitated at the stairs. "Oh, by the way, Paige and Ralph are still downstairs."
Walter brightened, his entire demeanor shifting in an instant. Toby caught it, of course.
"I figured," Walter said, glancing toward the notebook before meeting Toby's knowing gaze.
Toby smirked. "I'll let them know you'll be down soon."
Walter nodded. "I just need to finish one last equation."
Toby rolled his eyes but walked off, his ever-present hat the last thing to disappear as he descended the stairs.
Alone again, Walter exhaled, turning back to the notebook. He jotted down the final piece of the equation, his chest tightening, not with frustration, but with something else. Something he still didn't have the words for. With deliberate care, he closed the notebook, tucking it safely into his desk drawer before locking it.
Maybe one day, he'd figure out how to say it. For now, his equations would have to do. Until he could look at Paige Dineen and tell her, in words, what the numbers he had been scribbling had been trying to simplify to all along…
I love you.
1 April 2025