Haruki would have loved more than anything at that moment to simply ignore the question and talk about something else but knowing it would only make the moment awkward, he stopped and thought of the most casual response he could come up with.
Haruki found it so difficult to be emotionally intelligent, in fact, what was the need for that in his daily life when all he needed was rational thoughts without caring about the feelings of the person he was dealing with? It was even easier that way as he did not need to bother about useless things.
He was almost beginning to regret his decision to be in the presence of so many people. Even with his thoughts against being in this moment, he still had to respond to the question and after careful thought, he laughed hoping it was not too slow for the moment before I said, "Who wouldn't be? You are already an old bachelor."
That sounded so much like his past self and that was not something he wants he wants to show even before his best friend, especially with the doctor he wanted to keep his distance from. The very man he was trying to be as cold as possible to, just happened to witness him act that way.
"Well, I guess you are right but that is the same for you. You are not young either."
"I'm searching for one, I guess I am not half as lucky as you are."
"No, I must say you are just as lucky, the moment I walked in, I heard a lot about you and I bet you have it good with everyone talking about how much they find you attractive."
"Ask my exes, they definitely wouldn't want to come back to me. My luck disappears the moment I begin to date them, no one wants to marry me," Haruki found himself continuing the joke unable to back out regardless of how he felt about it.
"That is crazy coming from you, I have to acknowledge that I am indeed lucky. My brother is just as unlucky," Aki joked holding his girlfriend's hand. Without waiting for his words to sink in, he continued, "How have you been? It has been so long, you are the chairman now, right?"
"Yes, I barely have time for myself nowadays," Haruki complained with a slight furrow of his forehead despite the joke in his tone.
"You could also take a break whenever you desire."
"I wish it was that easy," Haruki laughed casually reaching for the glass of drink his doctor had stopped him from taking earlier. This time, Hiroshi did not stop him as he gulped down the whole content in the glass.
"Don't drink too much," it was Aki's turn to warn him about his alcohol intake.
Smiling, Haruki nodded and said, "I am not lightweight." When Aki gave up on trying to stop him from refilling his glass, he asked him, "So, what have you been up to since you left home?"
"I was busy trying to make money without taking my dad's money. I did not want to touch the money he made and returned it to him every time he sent me money. You could call me a fool but after living like a beggar for more than two years, I found a solid ground."
Haruki listened seriously causing it to be impossible for him to miss the slight accusative tone in Aki's voice. Aki must have refused to touch the money his father sent him because it came from him either directly or indirectly. He did not bother to ask what Aki did as long as he found his solid ground and he was fine now.
He gulped down the drink and when he placed the empty glass on the table reaching for the bottle for a refill, it came to his understanding of how he was behaving completely different from himself and it had to be because of the drink.
He checked around the bottle for the brand as the only time he can let lose is when he gets injured but this was giving him that nostalgia he needed so badly after a very busy month. He could not see the brand name so he continued to look around the bottle for it.
Deep down he knew it was not just the drink. The atmosphere and those present must have played a major role in why he had gotten drunk so easily but that did not stop him from searching for the name on the bottle as though to prove himself right.
"What are you doing?" a familiar deep voice asked as he lifted and tilted the bottle to different sides in sides of the brand name.
"I need to find the brand name," Haruki replied carelessly.
"I will check it for you but I need you to stop drinking," the doctor tried to make a deal with a drunk Haruki who looked composed aside from his search for the brand name. "You are drunk," he added when he took the bottle from Haruki.
"I am not drunk," Haruki told him firmly. When he turned to look at the doctor, he frowned and his fist clenched.
"Denying it just proves me right. You need to stop drinking," Hiroshi said as firmly as he could hoping Haruki would listen to him. When he stopped him the first time, he thought of how it was none of his business and how he had no right to stop him.
His heart had fought a battle with his brain and won. He should not but he did care, he did not want the younger man to feel the pain of a hangover even though the man had never been one to care about such things.
"He is so drunk," Aki laughed as he looked at Haruki who had completely dropped his guard against those around.
Hiroshi looked at the slight tint of pink on Haruki's cheeks and thought of how he had not seen this much when the guy had gotten drunk at his birthday party.
He cleared his throat as he snapped out of his thoughts and moved his gaze from Haruki's lips which seemed to have taken a deeper shade of pink than he had ever seen on them. "He is drunk, I don't think he should he should drink anymore."
Haruki turned to the man giving orders about whether he should keep drinking or not and the more he stared, the more he felt drawn to the light of color of his eyes.
His body swayed and before he could stop himself, he leaned towards the man and passed out as soon as his head touched the man's shoulder with the scent of the man filling his nose pleasantly.