Time passed smooth from that encounter on. A little bit of music, a little bit of socializing over a number of websites, a little bit of spreadsheet work here and there, a couple of cigarette breaks. Then Dan popped out of the blue at his cubicle.

“Ready for lunch mate?” Aaron looked at his watch, it was already 2 p.m. He then looked at Dan. He had the same eerie smile on his face. Too big and empty to convey any feeling of warmth.

“What the hell?” thought Aaron.

“You okay mate?” asked Dan.

“Yeah, yeah, let’s go.”

They decided to go to a pub down the street and have a hamburger. The walk there was pretty awkward for Aaron. Dan kept reminiscing and talking in a loud voice about all the memories he had from highschool and things kept getting more awkward as every event he told ended in him getting rejected by Aaron or someone in his gang.

The eating part was even more awkward, Aaron ordered a Big Boy burger with fixings and Dan only had a small order of fries. Aaron could see Dan’s shock when he looked at the prices in the menu but didn’t offer to pay or the meal or lend him money. That made him feel even more crummy about himself. The burger went down like a bunch of dried thorns held together by Tabasco sauce. The conversation dragged as well. Dan wasn’t his usual, expansive self and didn’t mention highschool even once.

Aaron felt so bad that on the way back that he suggested they should grab a beer after work. He even insisted he would pay. He saw Dan’s face light up like a little kid’s on Christmas morning when he discovers a fuckton of presents under the tree. His face then turned blue just like that kid who remembered that his parents were poor and probably had to spend all their earnings on those presents. It was a mixture of happiness and sadness.

...to be continued...