A/N: This chapter is dedicated to all the wonderful comments I got so far (and again, crypticnotions) !
Chapter four: Harold (the beginning of the storm)
Harold was looking forward to a relaxing Friday evening, and he waited impatiently for his last customer to leave the shop. He was anticipating a good meal - a take-away order from the Thai restaurant he passed on his way home - a good bottle of red wine, and an antiquarian book he had been expecting for over two months. Even Caroline had just come downstairs, ready for the evening and waiting for Tom to pick her up. Henry had taken Bear for a long evening walk, so everything was perfectly arranged for the next few hours.
The customer came back from the other room with a smile on his face.
"I made a decision - finally," he said.
"Of course, Mr. Miller. Which will it be then? The porcelain figure or the silver-plated platter?"
Harold emerged from behind the desk and followed Mr. Miller into the next room where the glass cabinets stood, and opened one of them with a key from his large key-ring.
Harold waited a minute, then he asked politely: "Well, which one do you think your wife would prefer?"
"I think I'll try the porcelain figure..." Mr. Miller answered.
"I am sure Mrs. Miller will be quite delighted," Harold encouraged. He picked up the fragile porcelain horse, closed and locked the glass cabinet again and returned to the big desk, where he carefully wrapped the present in lots of paper and put it into one of the shop's blue gift boxes adorned with a brightly-colored bow. He handed the box to Mr. Miller, who looked happily at the gift and placed his credit card on the table.
Mr. Miller left the shop at last - after once again thanking Harold for his wonderful help - and Harold changed the sign from "Yes, we're open" to "Sorry, we're closed". Flipping the metallic sign was one of his favorite moments as it signified the structure of his life nowadays: to begin with work in the morning and to end it in the evening. No more computer sessions throughout the night - he had stayed completely away from computers so far. No emails, no internet, no electronic devices - not even a mobile phone.
An ancient telephone in his house - that actually still worked - was the only thing that connected him to the outside world and he kept it only for Catherine to call him if Mary, the other senior employee, had one of her migraines and couldn't make it to work. Instead he spent his free time reading - which he enjoyed immensely - with a glass of good wine next to him. Of course he especially indulged in art books, since he needed that background knowledge for his job.
He often bought his groceries in a nearby shop on his way home, and it took barely a month before all of his special orders were known and promptly fulfilled - like Sencha-green tea leaves and a special dog food he wanted for Bear.
The daily walks had gotten him into better shape and made his limping a little bit easier, and the reduced pain spared him some of his painkillers. Although the past haunted him every night, he had time to breathe and recover during the day while working. And in keeping busy with the demands of his customers he had no time for dwelling on the past. He slipped into his role and tried to perform it as well as he could.
While taking a final inventory of the store's artwork, he missed a nearly hysterical Henry who entered the shop through the backdoor, leaving Bear and the other dogs outside with his friend.
"Henry, is everything all right?" Catherine asked quietly, seeing Henry in such a state.
"Catherine, I think I may have done something wrong. Bear…he didn't… he wouldn't even…it took me over five minutes..." Henry babbled, clearly agitated.
"Please calm down, Henry. What are you saying? Did something happen to the dog?"
Henry took a deep breath and shook his head. "No, Bear is fine. But something happened."
A questioning look was all Henry needed to continue.
"He is the most well-behaved dog I know, but when we passed this cafe on our walk he went crazy - he pulled at the leash and he barked like he has never done before. Then he whimpered and wanted to go into the cafe, but it was closed. I really yanked on the leash, but Bear obviously didn't want to leave. It was as if he had caught the scent of someone in there. Finally a woman came outside and asked me about him while I tried to calm him down and get him away. She told me she was the only person in there, that the staff gone home and that there was no dog inside. So it must be the scent of a person that got him so agitated? I don't know."
Henry finished his story with an unhappy look.
"Do you think I should tell...? Nothing more happened after that, afterwards Bear was the well-behaved dog that he always is. But I'm not sure that I can keep walking Bear after this incident, even though I would love to…"
Normally Harold just minded his own business and stayed in the front of the shop when Catherine was talking about personal matters, either on the phone or face to face with her best friend Claudia, but this conversation had captured his attention and he walked back to where they were talking.
"Where?" was his simple - yet very determined - question.
Would there be a chance for him now to find John? It could only have been John that Bear had discovered, after all. John…all of his longing came to the surface. To see him again! To talk, to…
Harold stopped himself right there.
Catherine and Henry turned around, both puzzled by his sudden appearance.
"I said, where?" Harold repeated emphatically.
"The cafe?" Henry stammered, not sure exactly what Harold wanted from him.
"Yes, if that's where the incident happened?"
Henry just nodded, perplexed.
"The name of the cafe?" Harold insisted, ignoring Catherine's questioning look.
"Tilda's Café, in Brooklyn..."
Before he would have simply done a quick search on the internet, but that wasn't possible under the current situation so he pressed the subject.
"And the address?"
Henry shook his head. I was just walking by with Bear when it happened. I guess it must be somewhere around the park?"
Harold closed his eyes and tried to calm himself down. Over six months had passed since they had gone their separate ways, one or two days more wouldn't matter. He would find John himself, with Bear's help.
Catherine had watched his reaction and quickly realized how important this information was to Harold.
"Tom can look it up for you on his GPS when he arrives, okay?"
Harold was pleasantly touched by her offer - and extremely anxious for the information.
"Thank you so much, Catherine. It's greatly appreciated."
Tom arrived just in time to catch the last comment.
"Appreciated?" he said with a smirk when Catherine turned to him.
"We need your help to find Tilda's Café in Brooklyn. Would you mind checking the navigation system on your cell phone? It's urgent," she added.
Tom looked surprised but reached for the phone.
"Sure, if someone wouldn't mind telling me what's so special about this café?"
"That's where Bear..." Henry began, but was cut short by Catherine.
"I think there is someone important there."
Harold blushed a little, surprised by Catherine's quickly-drawn conclusion, but on the other hand happy that she understood his persistence. "Shall we take you there?" she asked.
Harold wanted to say yes with all of his heart, but it was Henry who answered instead.
"It's closed right now." He shrugged. "Sorry."
Harold forced a smile. "Never mind. Thank you."
For a moment he was so confused that he almost left without some very important items.
"Wait!" Catherine shouted after him. "You left your key on the table. And Bear is here too, if you'd like to take him with you."
She went after him, pushing the key into his hand and smiling.
"Go check the café out. I don't want to see you before lunch tomorrow…"
Harold was overwhelmed by her sympathy but simply shook his head.
"Thank you Catherine, but it is not as…romantic as you imagine. So please, leave it alone."
"It is not?"
Catherine raised an eyebrow but she let him go without any further comment, and Harold took Bear's leash and began walking away.
Harold was torn and he knew that he needed to think things through. It was perhaps a good thing that the café was closed, and that it had prevented him from acting on his first impulse.
To be honest, he wasn't quite sure how to face John again. Would it be too big of a risk to their new identities?
Moreover, he wasn't sure how to approach John's new life. What if he had found someone new to share it with? Working in a café included the opportunity to meet many, many new people. He was certainly aware of John's charming, gorgeous appearance and of the impact that he had on people.
Harold wasn't sure that he could be content with just friendship anymore. And there it was. The heart of it all. He had finally admitted to himself that his longing for John exceeded anything they had shared before. He wanted more.
Harold stopped right in the middle of his hasty walk and brought Bear to a halt as well, shaken to the core at how strong this longing inside of him had become.
At first he had recognized a true feeling of loss for a friend who had walked beside him through good times and bad. Over time of course he had realized that this feeling had grown into something deeper that wouldn't leave him alone. But when had longing become wanting - not just of the soul but also of the body?
He shook his head, unsure how to proceed - and that uncertainty left him frozen in his tracks.
