His footsteps were heavy, slow, calculated. Normally, there would not be any hesitation in his movements or any real reason for him to not feel as though he wanted to go and see the good doctor this late at night. But that was the thing, wasn't it? He did still want to go, still wanted to as much as he would have at any other time, and yet, his feet dragged themselves of their own accord for the fear rising in him at just what was going to be said. It was clear that he'd put his foot into it multiple times without even realizing. Oh, he'd noticed that his words had been harsher than normal. He'd noticed that he'd been more pointed and prodded at things that he'd known had been a weak point. But as much as Julian had always been under the misapprehension, Garak had never claimed to be a good man, and he'd certainly never claimed to be a kind one. He could be a right bastard when he allowed himself the leeway, and it seems that that was what he'd done. Allowed himself the leeway to be a bastard without even realizing he had.
He wouldn't blame Julian for telling him exactly how much he never wanted to see him again.
Hesitating in front of the door, Garak stood there for a long moment, just staring. He could always turn back, pretend like he couldn't find it, like he hadn't already committed the number to memory lest he ever need to extract the good doctor quickly and efficiently in order to protect him from whatever dangers might befall them here. He could just pretend.
Or he could actually not be a coward for once and just... face his just desserts.
Raising a hand to knock on the door, Garak sighed to himself. He'd allowed himself the fantasy, the hope, that without the war and all of the intervening conflict inherent in it that he and Julian would get the opportunity to figure out how to piece things back together here. He'd been a fool to think he'd ever be truly considered anything more than an unnecessary distraction.