The beginning of the end

How was your day, Dan?:

My friend and I were walking down the street the other day. "I asked him if he wants to move in with me," he said. And he looked at me, waiting for an answer.

"I'm sorry," I said. "I didn't understand what you said. I don't speak idiotic."

"He's always over anyway," he said, in his own defense. "And we still never get to see each other. We work opposite schedules, we're only together for a few hours a night in bed."

"You realize this is going to end your relationship," I said. "There will come a day when he will be there when you're not in the mood to see him, and you'll resent him forever."

"I don't think I will." He shook his head. "I want him there, so if I want to have sex with him, I won't be tempted to go find someone else."

"Sex by default does not a relationship make," I said as I rolled my eyes. He couldn't see me do it, we were both facing forward, but the emphasis was still palpable. "If you need him there to stop you from sleeping around..."

"No, I want him there, that's the thing." He paused. "He told me he loves me."

"And?"

"And..." he trailed off. "And, if it doesn't work out, I'll tell him to leave."

"How long have you two been together?"

"Two months." He thought about it. "But by the time he moves in at the end of the month, it will have been three."

"He will still like you even if he has his own place to live."

"I know."

"You don't need to keep a death grip on him to keep him here."

"I know!" He shot me a look. "It's partly his idea, he wants it too."

"It would be a shame to bring this relationship to an end over a bad choice like this," I said. "Just understand when people discourage you from doing this, it's not because we don't like him; it's because we do."

"I like him too. And I want him to live with me." He said it like he meant it. I wasn't sure who he was trying to convince; I got the impression it wasn't me.

I let him think about all the thoughts in his head. We didn't speak anymore. We just looked in front of us, as best as we could, although I tried to look at him at the same time. Sometimes it's hard to see those around you, there's no telling what makes us complete. Whatever it is, it's usually not what you think it should be. But then...what in life is? Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be. And we walked, a little slower now, walked together, down the street.