Window Games

Chapter 4

A/N: I was hoping to have 5 up by now too, but this chapter needed a little more work. So...soon hopefully? Classes start again tomorrow, but I'm going to try to set aside more time to work on this (and hopefully more fics) this semester. It probably doesn't hurt that I'm about to start Rainbow Rowell's Carry On, since Fangirl helped me remember why I love writing these fics.

Thanks again to damtoti, meddlingmediator, and monsterinthelookingglass. I couldn't do it without you guys.

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Throughout the next week, Gilbert found it difficult to focus at work. His mind kept wandering back to the apartment across the street, wondering if he would see the other man that night. He hadn't seen him since the night of that mutual show—which, of course, he also couldn't get out of his head. The apartment had been dark since then; he hadn't seen so much as a fleeting sign of life.

He tried telling himself it wasn't any of his business, but at this point, that was nearly impossible. The guy haunted his thoughts, though the details often changed. After all, he'd never gotten a clear, close up look at him. Were his eyes green? Brown? Was he as toned as he looked from across the street, or did he have a cute little amount of pudge?

Gilbert dropped his head onto the desk with a groan, annoyed with himself for letting his mind wander again. Matthew glanced at him, but didn't interrupt—he'd learned a long time ago that it was better to leave Gilbert alone unless he initiated the conversation. This time, he stayed where he was, listening to Matthew's fingers clatter across his keyboard as he tried to get control of himself.

Would he get any better if he was actually with the guy, or would he just find himself thinking about all his cute little habits instead of wondering what they were?

"Maybe you should get out of here early," Matthew suggested suddenly, his quiet voice successfully breaking into Gilbert's thoughts. He looked up, confused, but Matthew just shrugged.

"You could say you're sick. I mean, you're kind of acting like it. I haven't seen you this distracted in a long time." He hesitated a moment, then seemed to muster his courage before asking, "Did something happen with...um, what's-his-name?"

Gilbert's cheeks colored a little at that, knowing Matthew could see right through him. They'd been friends and coworkers too long for him to be able to successfully hide anything.

"No, and that's just it. I haven't seen so much as a sign that he's home in a week," he huffed, looking a little dejected, "I mean, before he disappeared, I thought something was going to happen, but..." He trailed off, dropping his gaze to the desktop. He knew it was silly to be so upset, but he really wanted to be making progress. If he didn't know himself, he might have suspected that he was developing feelings for the guy...but that couldn't be right, could it? They'd never even spoken.

Matthew waited in silence for a few moments, apparently mulling over Gilbert's words. When it was clear that the other man wasn't going to say anything else, he started in again.

"Maybe he knew he was going to be gone, so he wanted to give you something to look forward to. I don't really understand it, but whatever you've got seems to be mutual," he offered, smiling slightly, "But seriously, go home. Take some time to clear your head. Pamper yourself."

Gilbert looked up at him, a brow raised in question. Matthew seemed to be serious though, so after a moment, he nodded and got ready to leave.

"Yeah, okay. Thanks dude."

He grinned and started to gather his things, then headed out with a jaunty little wave. Matthew rolled his eyes as if he found Gilbert's excitement a little silly, but wasn't really surprised by it. He'd let Matthew deal with Mathias and Alfred's questions as well, wanting to get out of the building as soon as possible.