When It's Time to Move On

Door 3 - Chapter 33 - Finer Things in Life

"So tell me, man. How you been?" Auden asked eagerly.

"Well... you know," Harris replied gingerly, with a look around. He couldn't quite place how quickly he'd been dragged over to this bar. With its walls gilded with posters of different kinds of lager, pool tables in the corner and the boisterous customers conversing all around, this establishment was a locale he didn't feel home with.

"No, I don't. You're not exactly the staying-in-touch kind, you know."

"Yeah, sorry about that," Harris apologized, his mind still on Dr. Roslin.

"I didn't get you at a bad time, did I?" Auden asked, eyeing him closely.

"Oh, nothing like that," Harris brushed the notion off quickly, having no intention of sitting across someone sympathizing over his ailment. He'd had enough of that the previous time. "I've... well, I've been on sabbatical."

"Really? Then I'd think you'd have more time for us."

"Well... just doing a bit of soul-searching I suppose." He said. It wasn't as if he could lie about visiting his dad down in the suburbs, he thought ruefully. "Some time alone."

"Honestly, man. Don't take this the wrong way but I think you've had enough time with yourself." Auden went straight to the point. "That's basically all you've ever done."

"That's not completely true." Harris argued, not knowing why. "I went away with you guys for that weekend retreat in that forest, didn't I?"

"Yeah, and then you 'retreated' away to that beach house for a month without telling us all."

"I had a few reasons." He said truthfully – his mind flickering away to his second visit there – he rubbed his head absent-mindedly, mildly surprised that no hat rested on it. "Besides, you'd quit the office by then anyway."

Harris gestured to them sitting in the bar.

"Oh, that's right." Auden smirked. "Not your idea of home, this place."

Harris tapped his nose and pointed at Auden who laughed.

"Good to see some humor remains. And I know you don't, but I'll drink to that."

"By all means." Harris gestured for him to take a swig, somewhat surprised by the teasing tone found in his voice. It had been sometime since he'd been anything other than frantic or aversive.

"Really, though, what's up?" Auden pressed on.

"Honestly? Met a few people, saw a few things I didn't think I would, did things I never imagined doing, but all in all it's been an experience." Harris told him honestly.

"Do tell."

"Another time, I think. I wouldn't want to bore you."

"Dude, I was the one that dragged you here, and you think I wouldn't be interested?" Auden asked. Harris would've been hard-pressed to tell him but it was a valid point Auden made. They weren't brought together by circumstance, or at least a circumstance of Harris's choosing, this was a man who willingly wanted to be in his company. It was a strange feeling; he'd never thought about it this way.

"All right, then." He said with a whisker of a smile.

The words flowed between the two friends as they began conversing. Harris chose not to share his personal problems – not due to any distrust -- instead, he talked about the finer things in life. How he felt going on long walks was a better substitute for socializing with strangers or his experiences at work.

"I don't get how you can prefer to be alone." Auden pondered. "I'd go crazy."

"I guess I don't feel bored with myself." Harris joked.

"Nah, that's not it." Auden feigned contemplating the point. They laughed.

"Okay, how about if I took you to meet a couple of girls who are guaranteed to be interested in you, then will you forego your solitude?" They continued on to asking random questions.

"Please, as if boring one girl to sleep wouldn't be enough, you want me to double that?" Harris asked rhetorically.

Auden broke into laughter, slapping Harris's hand.

"Fine, fine, no girls then. How's everyone at work?"

"If I ever see them I'll ask." Harris joked again to another raucous response.

"I wanted to be reminded why I wanted to talk to you in the first place." Auden wiped his eye later on after hearing one of Harris's work stories. "Good thing, too, I forgot you could be funny when you wanted."

"I think I did as well." Harris spoke to himself, as Auden chortled. "Can't believe we've been here a couple of hours already." He recalled how slow the clock ticked the previous night as he'd sat by himself in his dark apartment.

"Yeah, time flies when you're with friends. Speaking of friends, don't think you'll get off this easy. Now that I've got you, you're going to be meeting the rest of the gang."

"Oh," the furtiveness returned to Harris's personality as he imagined being swarmed. "...I don't know, man."

"Come on, it'll be fun. You don't drink so we'll cover that while you cover the bill." Auden quipped, going 'Oh' as if accomplishing some huge comedic fit. Harris appreciatively went along with it.

"I guess it wouldn't be too bad." He conceded. "A little easy, though, you've been drinking more than breathing since we met."

Auden laughed, figuring it for a joke.

"So what're your plans for the next few days? I'm free for the time being."

"...Right." Harris lingered, still not opting to divulge about his condition. "I'll let you know."

"I'll hold you to that."

The two of them carried on with their talks for a few more hours, Auden told Harris about his happenings in life while Harris kept his information restricted to life away from the hospital. He found himself sincerely enjoying the time; he didn't remember how they'd bumped into each other but was glad they had. It was fun to be in the company of someone who didn't remind him of the problems in the world, personal or otherwise.

His phone rang as he got into telling a particularly amusing instance involving his father and him.

"Hold on a sec." He excused himself, and jauntily received the call. "Hello."

"I'm so glad I caught you, you have the wrong the meds. Please tell me you didn't have any yet." Dr. Roslin's terrified voice spoke. Harris took a moment to recollect the happenings of the day. They had been completely blanked away after his meeting with Auden.

"Huh? Oh, no. I haven't."

Dr. Roslin heaved a sigh of relief, and he heard her whisper. "Thank God."

"Wait... you gave me the wrong meds?" He comprehended it now.

"Please meet me now if you can and we'll sort it out." She pleaded.

Despite the fact that he'd been alerted over something that concerned life or death, Harris felt a kind of discontent at having to cut his meet up short. It was definitely more fun than philandering around Dr. Roslin. Still, he approached Auden.

"Sorry, man. Have to run. I'll meet you tomorrow." He added before Auden could object.

"Sure, but you better be here. Sorry for wasting your time today."

"Nah, you were a life saver." Harris called back. Auden had no idea how true those words were.