After they left, the room felt oddly empty.
Donald immediately turned to Hailey. "Well, that was..."
"Interesting?" Hailey supplied.
"I was going to say 'awkward,' but interesting works too," Donald said.
Hailey started getting dressed. "What do you mean awkward?"
"Oh, come on. The tension in here was thick enough to cut with a knife," he observed.
"What tension?" Hailey asked.
Donald gave her a look. "Hail, you were practically glaring at that cake."
"I was not glaring at anything," she replied, her tone defensive.
"You were glaring at the cake, at Victoria, at Eric feeding Victoria the cake..." Donald continued.
"I was just... observing," she replied, avoiding his eyes.
"Uh-huh. Observing with the intensity of a hawk watching a mouse," he said dryly.
Hailey pulled on her sweater. "You're imagining things."
"Am I? Because from where I was sitting, it looked like you were having some very complicated feelings about Eric being all romantic with Victoria," Donald pressed.
"Don't be ridiculous," she said.
"I'm not being ridiculous. I'm being observant. There's a difference," he replied.
"Even if that were true, which it's not, it wouldn't matter anyway," Hailey said.
"Why not?" Donald asked.
Hailey tied her hair back. "Because obviously Eric is with Victoria. They're clearly... whatever they are."
"And how does that make you feel?" Donald asked gently.
"It makes me feel like I need to finish getting ready so I can go home," she said curtly.
Donald studied her face. "You know, for someone who claims not to care, you're being very careful not to look in that mirror."
"I'm looking in the mirror," Hailey protested.
"You're looking at your hands in the mirror. There's a difference," he pointed out.
Hailey finally met his eyes in the reflection. "What do you want me to say, Donald?"
"I want you to be honest with me. And maybe with yourself," he said softly.
"Fine. Watching them together was... uncomfortable. Happy now?" she admitted.
"Why uncomfortable?" Donald pressed.
"Because..." She paused, struggling with the words. "Because Eric is always so kind to me, and protective, and I thought... I don't know what I thought."
"You thought maybe he felt something more?" Donald suggested.
"Maybe. But clearly I was wrong," she said.
"Were you?" he asked.
"Did you see the way he looked at her? The way he fed her that cake? That's not how you treat a friend, Donald," Hailey said.
"No, it's not," Donald agreed.
"So there you have it. Mystery solved," she said with finality.
Donald was quiet for a moment. "You know, Hail, people can care about more than one person."
"Not like that. Not romantically," Hailey replied.
"How do you know it's romantic with Victoria?" he challenged.
"Are you serious? The cake-feeding? The tender looks? The walking her to costume fitting because she needs "moral support"?" Hailey listed.
"Okay, fair points," Donald conceded.
Hailey grabbed her purse. "I should go. I have errands to run."
"What kind of errands?" Donald asked.
"The boring kind. Grocery store, dry cleaner, post office," she said.
"Thrilling Tuesday night plans," he commented.
"Some of us don't have dramatic love lives to occupy our evenings," Hailey replied.
"Hey, I don't have a dramatic love life either. Mary and I broke up six months ago," Donald pointed out.
"You called her last week," Hailey reminded him.
"That was business. She had my good hair straightener," Donald defended.
"Right. Business," Hailey said skeptically.
As Hailey finished gathering her things, her phone buzzed.
She glanced at the screen and froze.
"What?" Donald asked, noticing her expression.
"Text from Eric," she said.
"What does it say?" he pressed.
Hailey read aloud: "Meet me at your car. We need to talk."
Donald raised his eyebrows. "Well, well, well."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Hailey asked.
"It means maybe you weren't as wrong as you thought," he suggested.
"Or maybe he wants to tell me to stay away from his girlfriend," Hailey countered.
"Only one way to find out," Donald said.
Hailey stared at her phone. "I don't know if I want to find out."
"Of course you do. You're just scared," Donald observed.
"I'm not scared," she protested.
"You're terrified. But you're going anyway, because you're brave like that," he said encouragingly.
"When did you become a relationship counselor?" Hailey asked.
"I've always been wise about other people's love lives. It's my own that's a disaster," Donald replied.
Hailey slung her purse over her shoulder. "Wish me luck."
"You don't need luck, Hail. You need courage," Donald said.
"Same thing, isn't it?" she asked.
"Not even close," he replied. "Want me to come as backup?"
Hailey grinned. "Thanks, but I think I can handle one conversation."
He grinned back. "Famous last words, Hail. Text me if you need rescue!"
---
The parking lot stretched before her, late afternoon sun casting everything in golden light.
Her car sat in the far section, away from the main chaos of cast and crew vehicles.
She reached her car and looked around. No Eric in sight.
"Great. I'm early for my own mysterious summons," she muttered, sliding into the driver's seat.
She adjusted her rearview mirror and checked her phone. Nothing new.
After a few minutes, she spotted him walking across the lot. His stride was determined, his expression unreadable.
Dark jeans, black button-down, hair that looked like he had been running his hands through it.
He opened her passenger door and slid in without ceremony.
The silence stretched between them like a tight wire.
"So," Hailey said finally, "what's the emergency? Did someone die? Did the studio burn down? Did Victoria decide she actually wants to do her own stunts from now on?"
Eric looked at her for a long moment, his eyes searching her face.
"Do you like someone else?" he asked suddenly.
The question hit her like a slap.
"I'm sorry, what?"
"You heard me," he replied simply.
"No, I heard the words, but they made zero sense. What do you mean? Like someone else other than who?"
"Or do you always take care of every male lead like that?" Eric continued, his voice taking on an edge that she had never heard before.
His jaw tightened. "The way you were with that Samuel guy today. Very... attentive."
"Attentive? Eric, he was terrified. He was about to hyperventilate into the pool."
"You comforted him," Eric replied. "Helped him through the scene. You seemed very invested in his success."
Hailey stared at him. "Are you kidding me right now?"
"I'm asking a simple question."
"You're asking an insane question," Hailey retorted. "I was doing my job. Being professional."
"But you were so gentle with him. The way you spoke to him, the way you looked at him."
"The way I looked at him? What way was that?" she pressed.
"Like you cared."
"I did care!" Hailey exclaimed. "I cared that he didn't embarrass himself on his first day. I cared that he didn't drown from nerves. That's called being human, Eric."
"It seemed like more than just professional courtesy to me."
"I'm telling you. It's really not like that," Hailey insisted.
But Eric didn't seem satisfied with her answer.
"What about the makeup artist, Donald?" he pressed.
"What about him?" Hailey asked.
"Why are you so close with him? The way you talk to him, laugh together. It seems very... intimate."
Hailey couldn't help it. She burst out laughing.
"Donald? You think Donald and I are...?" She laughed harder. "Oh my God, Eric."
Eric shrugged. "You seem very close."
"We are close. He's my oldest friend. We went to school together. I got him this job."
"But the way he looks at you sometimes..." Eric trailed off.