The restaurant Victoria had chosen was exactly the kind of place Eric would have expected her to pick.
"This place screams 'I have excellent taste,'" Eric muttered to himself as he looked around.
The walls were lined with wine bottles and original artwork, creating an atmosphere of refined intimacy.
A waiter approached his table for the third time. "Sir, would you like to order an appetizer while you wait?"
"I'll wait a bit longer," Eric replied, checking his watch. "She should be here soon."
Victoria arrived ten minutes late, which Eric knew was calculated to make an entrance.
She wore a black dress that hugged her curves perfectly, her hair falling in loose waves around her shoulders.
Every eye in the restaurant turned to follow her as she made her way to their table, and Eric could see the recognition spreading on some faces as they realized who she was.
"Sorry I'm late," she said, kissing his cheek before settling into her chair. "Traffic was horrible."
"It's fine," Eric said, though he had been nursing his water glass and checking his watch for the past quarter hour. "You look beautiful."
Victoria smiled, the compliment lighting up her face in a way that reminded Eric of why he was so infatuated with her.
"Thank you," she said. "You clean up pretty well yourself."
The waiter appeared immediately, clearly starstruck by Victoria's presence.
"Good evening, Ms. Victoria," he said, stumbling slightly over his words. "What can I get you to drink?"
"I'll have the Chardonnay," Victoria said with practiced ease. "The 2018 vintage, if you have it."
"Of course, immediately," the waiter said, practically bowing as he left.
Eric watched the interaction with amusement. "You really do have that effect on people, don't you?"
"What effect?" Victoria asked innocently.
"The 'I must please the beautiful celebrity' effect," Eric said.
"Oh, that," Victoria laughed. "It's useful sometimes. Other times, not so much."
"When is it not useful?"
"When you want someone to see you as a person instead of a performance," Victoria said, her tone becoming more serious.
The waiter returned with the wine, clearly nervous as he poured it for Victoria to taste.
"It's perfect, thank you," Victoria said kindly, and the waiter beamed as if he had just won an award.
"So," Victoria said once the waiter had left. "Tell me about your mysterious woman."
Eric nearly choked on his water.
"I thought we were here to catch up," he said.
"We are," Victoria said, her smile widening. "And your love life is part of catching up."
"Since when do you care about my love life?" Eric asked.
"Since you started acting like a lovesick teenager," Victoria replied. "It's actually quite entertaining."
"I'm not acting like a lovesick teenager."
"You checked your phone three times while I was walking to the table," Victoria observed. "That's either teenage behavior or you're expecting news about a stock market crash."
Eric felt his cheeks warm. "You were counting?"
"I notice things," Victoria said. "It's part of being an actress."
"Observational skills?"
"Among other things," Victoria agreed. "So, who is she?"
Eric studied her face, trying to read her motivations.
"Why are you so interested?" he asked.
Victoria's expression grew more serious.
"Because I've known you for years, and I've never seen you look the way you looked this morning," she said.
"How did I look this morning?"
"Happy," Victoria said simply. "Genuinely happy. Usually when you're interested in someone, you can't stop talking about them. This time, you won't say a word."
Eric felt a pang of guilt at the accuracy of her observation.
"Maybe I'm just trying to be more private," he said.
"Or maybe she's different," Victoria said. "Maybe she's not someone you can treat like a conquest."
The word 'conquest' stung, partly because Eric was afraid it might be true.
"I don't treat women like conquests," he said, his voice defensive.
Victoria raised an eyebrow.
"Don't you?" she asked.
"What do you mean?" he asked.
"Think about it, Eric. How many relationships have you had that lasted more than a few months?"
Eric opened his mouth to argue, then closed it again. The truth was, Victoria was right.
"That's what I thought," Victoria said gently.
"This is different," he said quietly.
"Different how?" Victoria asked, leaning forward.
Eric was quiet for a moment, trying to find the words to explain feelings he didn't entirely understand himself.
"She's real," he said finally.
"As opposed to what? Imaginary?"
"As opposed to performed," Eric said. "She doesn't pretend to be something she's not to impress me."
"And that scares you?" Victoria asked.
Eric looked at her in surprise. "Why would it scare me?"
"Because real means consequences," Victoria said. "Real means that if you hurt her, it matters. If you lose her, it matters."
The waiter returned, hovering nervously. "Are you ready to order?"
"Give us a few more minutes," Victoria said kindly.
"Of course, take your time," the waiter said, retreating quickly.
"You think I'm afraid of commitment?" Eric asked once they were alone again.
"I think you're afraid of vulnerability," Victoria said. "Which is understandable, given your history."
Eric frowned. "What history?"
"Eric," Victoria said patiently. "I've watched you date for years. You have a pattern."
"What pattern?"
"Intense infatuation followed by equally intense loss of interest," Victoria said. "Usually right around the time things start to get serious."
Eric took a sip of wine, trying to process her words.
"Not every relationship has to end badly," he said.
"No," Victoria agreed. "But it's hard to believe in something when you've never really tried before."
"I've tried."
"Have you?" Victoria asked. "Really tried? Or have you just gone through the motions until you found an excuse to leave?"
The waiter approached again, looking increasingly nervous about interrupting them.
"Maybe we should order," Eric suggested.
"Good idea," Victoria said. "I'll have the salmon."
"Make that two," Eric said, not having looked at the menu properly.
"Excellent choice," the waiter said, relief obvious in his voice as he hurried away.
"So," Victoria said, refilling her wine glass. "Tell me more about this real woman."
"Why do you want to know?"
"Because I care about you," Victoria said. "And because I'm curious about what kind of woman finally managed to get under Eric Collins's skin."
"She hasn't gotten under my skin," Eric protested.
"Right," Victoria said with obvious doubt. "That's why you're sitting here having dinner with me instead of with her."
"You invited me to dinner."
"And you said yes," Victoria pointed out. "The old Eric would have canceled if he was really interested in someone else."
Eric considered this. "Maybe I'm being polite."
"Or maybe you're running scared," Victoria suggested.
"I'm not running scared," he replied, his tone defensive.
"Then why are you here?" Victoria asked.
Eric opened his mouth, then closed it again, realizing he didn't have a good answer.
"That's what I thought," Victoria said with a knowing smile.
"Do you remember the second time we met?" Victoria asked, changing the subject.
"You were so serious," Eric said, smiling at the memory. "You had just finished your first major film, and you were terrified that it was going to flop."
"It almost did," Victoria said. "If it hadn't been for that review in Variety, I might have ended up waiting tables again."
"I never would have let that happen," Eric said. "You were too talented to give up."
Victoria's expression softened.
"You were always so supportive," she said. "Even when I was being impossible."
"You were never impossible," Eric said. "Just passionate about your work."
"What about you?" Victoria asked. "Do you ever miss those days? When everything was simpler?"