if_inconvenient | (no subject)

"It sounds to me like you're already assuming the lie," Bella says. "You don't want to, but you are."

She reaches into her backpack as she talks, pulling out the binder and textbook for the class.

"You're really just trying to decide whether your assumption is valid. What's the logic behind it?"

"I suppose that means I am not going to get away with pretending this is a hypothetical quandary," he says wryly. "The evidence is circumstantial at best, and it concerns a private matter. I would be happy to discuss it with you in greater detail after class."

If Bella were the type of person to believe that the universe is a benevolent entity eager to nudge its inhabitants into taking the wisest possible course of action, she'd be positive right now that it was giving her a sign.

She isn't, but she is able to recognize the best opening she's going to get when it's handed to her on a silver platter.

"Okay," she says after a few seconds' thought. "I have a similar matter I'd like to discuss. Should we meet after school?"

"By all means," Sherlock agrees. "How does the north door suit you? It's near the room you have English in, I believe."

Bella still isn't entirely familiar with the building's layout. She presumes, however, that Sherlock is. And that he appears to have memorized where at least one of her other classes is.

But then, maybe she doesn't have the highest ground when it comes to accusing others of vaguely stalkerish behavior.

So all she says is,

"I think I know the one you mean."

"And I will hardly have any trouble finding you if you get lost. North door it is, then."

"I'll meet you there."

She is not looking forward to this. There is no reason to think that alerting Sherlock to her search will do anything other than permanently cut off any other avenues she might have tried. Then she'll never know the answer, and she hates that.

But. It is a question of ethics. She's known that from the beginning, which is why her need for knowledge isn't the only reason why she doesn't want to ask him about it. She's also worried about how he'll react, because she likes him and wants him to like (to keep liking) her, and she wouldn't care about that if she didn't know perfectly well that he will have a very valid reason to be upset with her.

Which is probably the best reason of all to tell him before she finds herself caught in some ridiculous soap opera-esque feedback loop of lies. It was, when she started out, the best way to improve her odds of getting what she wanted, but those odds are rapidly dwindling, and Bella will not let herself be someone who refuses to adapt when a situation changes.

Sherlock gives her a thoughtful look.

He can tell there is something going on there, but in this case the best possible way to find out will be to wait and ask.

In the meantime, paying attention to class is always an option.

That it is.

With some effort, Bella is able to put aside her concerns and focus for the rest of the day. A lot of the material her classes are getting into now that the school year is truly underway is familiar, but she doesn't remember all of it clearly enough to get away with daydreaming too much, and some classes are more open to a teacher's interpretation of the curriculum. English is one of them.

When the school day is over, Bella heads right for the nearest door, which is the one Sherlock was most likely talking about.

It is.

He's waiting there for her, leaning against the wall just inside the door and reading a book.

"Hi," Bella says as she approaches him.

"Your house or mine?"

"Mine, by preference," he says, without looking up at first. "Unless you would find it distracting."

When he finishes the sentence, he closes the book and straightens.

"Not at all," she says.

Then,

"Or not enough to be a deterrent, anyway." Because a house that size is bound to be a little distracting to someone who's not used to it.

"All right, then."

Smiling, he starts for the door to lead the way towards her car.

Bella picks up just a little extra speed so that she's walking next to him instead of behind him. Just on principle. It's her truck.

Sherlock falls into step without appearing to notice.

Then again, he's Sherlock. The odds of him not noticing anything so relatively obvious are slim.

Bella remembers most of the route back to Sherlock's home, though she has to doublecheck with him on a couple of the turns.

The building is no less imposing for having seen it before, but she pays that fact less attention this time, concentrating more on parking instead.

He doesn't offer to let her into the garage. The garage is still Tony's even without Tony here; it wouldn't be right.

When they step up to the front door, it unlocks itself just before Sherlock's hand touches the handle. He smiles fondly.

Bella hears the lock click open. Interesting; she didn't see Sherlock do anything to trigger it. Hidden motion detector, maybe, or just a staff who plays attention. Maintaining a house this size must take some work.

There certainly isn't a staff of any kind, or if there is, they have all gone home. The inside of the house is perfectly quiet.

"Come in," he says, opening the door and stepping through. "Would you like a cup of tea?"

She looks around curiously.

"Yes," she says, "thank you."

Everything is clean and neat and tidy. A few living rooms are visible along the hall. A half-open door just off the foyer leads down to a presumable basement, and a staircase near the far end of the hall leads up to the second and third floors. Sherlock heads down the hall and past the stairs to the kitchen.

If Bella is paying particular attention, she might notice the cameras. They're fairly unobtrusive, but there are a lot of them.

Once she spots one of them, the rest become obvious. Bella doesn't know very much about private security, but thais seems pretty heavy for a residence. She's been in museums with fewer cameras.

Though it is entirely likely that the Stark family has more need of the heavy security, especially since Tony took over as CEO of Stark Industries.

"And here is the tea cupboard," he says, pulling open the cupboard nearest the hall door. "I'll put the kettle on. Do you want to bring up your ethical dilemma first, or shall I?"

Bella blinks, turning her attention to Sherlock.

"You can go first," she says, reasoning that if she did, it would probably derail any further conversation.

And no, the chance to put it off for a little while longer is not unwelcome.