If I’m being honest with myself, the ride with Harper wasn’t bad at all. Although the offer may have been his attempt at an apology after I spoke to him about the parties. Regardless, I’m thankful not to have gotten soaked on the way to work.

And maybe Harper’s a wee bit amusing when he isn’t stumbling into my arms or throwing loud parties. If he acted like this more often, I wouldn’t be so keen to avoid him. The coffee, however, could have used a lot of work. It was far too sweet for my taste.

No one mentions my tardiness at work. I’m able to finger comb my hair and grab a snack from the vending machines prior to the first patient. Luckily, I don’t sleep past my alarm any of the following days, and running into Harper is brief and neighborly. Once or twice I saw him during my stretching in the morning or in the elevator where he said good morning and asked about my day. I typically answered in a short fashion seeing as I had somewhere to be. Then we went on our way.

Then the weekend arrives and I wait for the elevator in the lobby on Friday night when Harper saddles up next to me. He offers a friendly smile that I return, hopefully not too half-assed since I have been informed that I have what the kids call Resting Bitch Face.

“Just getting off work?” he asks.

“Yep.”

The elevator doors open. We step inside, where Harper slips his thumbs into the belt loops of his pants, like he isn’t sure what to do with them.

“Do you have any plans tonight?” he asks, nervously.

“Yes.” Not a total lie. I plan to eat, watch bad TV, and sleep. Which is the best plan anyone can have, in my expert opinion. Trust me, I’m a doctor. Well, a specific kind of doctor.

“Oh, um, well if you get done early, why don’t you come over?”

My hesitation to reply makes Harper start rambling, “It’s not a party! I’m having a small gathering of me, Mindy, and our friend Izzy. I’m going to order pizza and Izzy is bringing an amazing chicken dip, if you like spicy food!”

I do love spicy food, but I can make that on my own and not have to put up with strangers.

“I have a lot of options to drink and, if you are a late night coffee drinker, I will allow you to use my coffee maker to make the most bitter coffee you’ve ever had,” he adds, sounding eager, which I find odd.

“Why are you so insistent I come over?” I ask, startling Harper enough that he almost doesn’t follow me out of the elevator when we get to our floor.

Shuffling beside me, Harper’s mouth opens and closes like a fish out of water for a few moments. When his gaze meets mine, it happens again; that shiver. His silence is unnerving, more so because Harper has never seemed the type to know or appreciate silence. Then he speaks with a smile, “We’re neighbors. I want to be friendly.”

I hesitate at my door, glancing briefly at Harper. He slips his hands into his pockets, staring nervously at the floor.

“There’s really only going to be the four of us?” I ask.

Harper stands tall, nodding so fast I fear his head may pop off. “Yeah, just us four!”

“Fine, but I’m not staying long because I have… work to do.” And by work, I mean watching bad reality TV.

“Okay, totally understandable.”

Harper and I walk to his apartment that has relatively the same layout as my own. His is a bit bigger since he has an end unit. Pictures litter the walls, most of them of Harper with, what I presume to be, friends or followers. There’s an entire shelf in the living room filled with awards from NuTube, I’m guessing. Unlike my apartment, Harper’s actually looks lived in, and he’s only been here a few weeks.

“What would you like to drink?” Harper asks, opening the fridge.

“A beer is fine. Whatever you have.”

Nodding, Harper grabs us both a beer. He struggles popping the tops off, smiling shyly at me when the seconds tick into minutes.

“Do you need help?” I ask, mildly amused.

“No, no, I got it!” He goes red in the face before finally succeeding. The cap flies towards me, fast as a bullet. I catch it easily.

“Wow!” Harper gapes at the cap between my fingers. “Your reflexes are amazing. Are you a college athlete or an android sent from the future to destroy the human race? Although both could still be roughly accurate.”

“I have been told I lack a heart on a number of occasions, but I am sorry to disappoint you, I’m not Terminator. I, uh, did play some sports though.” I drop the cap on the kitchen island. I should have let it whack me in the head.

“Like what? Baseball? Football?” He walks over to me, offering one of the beers, then heads for the couch. I follow, taking a seat on the opposite end from him.

“A bit of everything.” I was in the Olympics way, way back… when you played them naked. Times were very different.

“I’ve never been very good at sports, although I have a mean swing in golf.”

“You play golf?”

“I’ve attempted to play golf.” Harper chuckles. “I didn’t say my swing earned me any points.”

“Makes sense. You are a klutz, so sports certainly aren’t your forte.”

I hide my chuckle behind taking a drink while Harper playfully glares at me.

“I’ll let that defamatory jab at my character slide considering that you may be partially correct,” he mumbles, smirking until there’s a knock at the door. He hops to his feet. “That must be Mindy and Izzy! Oh, or the pizza. I’d prefer the latter though.”

Harper swings the front door open to reveal Mindy and three others. I freeze on the couch, glancing between the four strangers entering. As if Harper senses my disappointment, he glances over his shoulder towards me, smiling apologetically when catching my gaze.

“Hey Harper, I hope it’s okay that I invited some friends,” says a girl I’m assuming is Izzy, since she’s carrying a tray of chicken dip. She walks around Harper, her friends trailing behind.

“Oh, were we not meant to invite anyone?” one of the other strangers asks. “I invited some people too. I thought you were throwing a party.”

“It wasn’t meant to be, but it’s okay!” Harper laughs nervously, rubbing the back of his neck while actively avoiding my gaze. “I’ll order more pizza.”

“You didn’t tell me either that you invited anyone, Izzy,” Mindy grumbles, shaking her head, then she notices me. “Hey, Adrian!”

I offer her a nod before she starts talking to the others in the kitchen. Rising from the couch, I head for the exit, brushing by Harper.

“Um, Adrian, I’m really sorry. I didn’t expect them to invite anyone,” he says, following me to my door.

“Yeah, I heard.”

“Won’t you stay a bit longer? I’ll make sure they keep it down!”

“No. Thanks for the beer.” I open my door, pretending not to see Harper’s disappointed frown. “Have a nice night.”