Once the waitress had moved out of the way, House could once again take in the mystery woman that sat across the room. He wondered if she was a professor at the विश्वविद्यालय या possibly a 'mature' student.
The woman looked up from her notebook and caught House staring. He barely bristled at being found out and instead unabashedly continued to stare.
"Hon, आप want anything else?" The waitress asked House once more. He kept his gaze on the mystery woman while answering.
"Another cup of coffee, but send it over to the woman at the end."
The waitress looked back and forth between House and the woman and sighed.
"Of course, sir."
The mystery woman rolled her eyes at the man from across the room and decided to simply ignore him and get back to work. She had a deadline to meet and she didn't need to be bitched out, once again, द्वारा her editor about the twenty pages.
"Miss?" The waitress asked.
The woman looked up slightly startled द्वारा the woman's sudden appearance.
"Here is the bagel and cream cheese that आप ordered...and the gentleman sends आप this coffee."
"That man?" She asked the waitress as she nodded in House's direction.
The waitress leaned in as if in a stage whisper.
"He's got a cane...just to let आप know."
The woman looked up at the waitress annoyed and took a swig of coffee.
"Thanks for the inside information." She कहा in a curt manner that let the waitress know she was no longer needed. The waitress left in a huff back to the kitchen.
The woman looked back in the direction of where the man had been sitting to find him gone.
"Thanks for the coffee." She कहा quietly to herself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
House knew he should have stayed and saw what could have come from his mild flirting, but he really wasn't in the mood for the inevitable rejection. He thought it better to do something आगे enough to get attention but still have the wherewithal to back out if need be. She was stunning and interesting. She had intriqued him and he hadn't even कहा two words to her. He sighed to himself as he drove down the block back to his apartment.
"I should have stayed." He कहा to himself.