Break Bread

When Eve had gone back to the diner to meet Eric again, she had not been sure what to expect. But she had to admit that she did not regret coming. The minor hiccup when she had nearly just cut her losses and not come back, felt like something in the distant past.

Eric Fisher, once he put aside all of the stiffness that she had been met with that night at Chardays, was actually quite funny. The proper thing for them to do now that they had decided to give their arrangement a chance, would have been for them to be coming up with a game plan. To be deciding on key things like how long their arrangement would last. Whether it would be for a single night, or of it would be something long term.

They should have been plotting everything that they would be doing. Making sure that their stories aligned. That they would not be caught out simply because they did not know a few things about each other. But Eve was tired of constantly talking about her dating life.

It was draining. 

So she did not mind at all that the conversation, instead of going the expected route, was going in a direction that she never would have guessed in a million years. 

After sharing a laugh over how they had both named each other as their date when under stress. Things were going swimmingly, the two of them no longer as tense as they had been. They had gotten to the point where they were just making conversation. 

Not because they were being forced to, but because they wanted to. And with the two of them just talking for the sake of it, Eve found that she liked Eric's company, and he seemed to like hers as well. 

She had not expected for Eric to be a maths teacher and she told him as much. 

"You do not seem at all like you would be somebody teaching mathematics at a high school. You look more like you belong in an office somewhere crunching numbers, or in a lab running experiments," She told him, and he laughed softly. 

"Funny you should say that, before I was a maths teacher, I was actually a computer engineer," That had Eve's eyebrows raising.

"What?! You gave up computer engineering to become a maths teacher. Why? That must have been quite the pay cut," Personally, Eve did not care much for monetary things, other than buying all that she needed.

Her family had money, but they were poor in every other aspect. Even so, she knew that for a lot of people. The amount of money they made was something that was taken seriously. And engineers were one of those professions where money was raked in by the boatload. It was weird to be sitting across from a person who had walked away from it all. 

With the air of someone who had answered such a question multiple times, Eric shrugged.

"Engineering was great, but I found that as time went on I became more burnt out, and very rarely enjoyed it anymore. So I decided to quit, and try my hand at teaching. There was definitely more to the story, but Eric was not sharing, and Eve would not pry. When he switched the conversation, to focus on her, she went along with it.

"What about you? From your unique dress sense, I think you do something related to the arts. Are you a fashion designer or something?" There, Eve actually had to laugh. 

"Somewhat. I'm what you would call an art entrepreneur. From sculpting, painting, mosaics, photography...if it has a creative element I do it, and for the most part the pieces I produce are good enough to sell," She told him, and he nodded like it made all the sense in the world.

"A one-stop-shop, smart, and beautiful, is there anything that you cannot do?" He teased, and she could not help but beam at him.

"That depends, what else would you like me to be good at," She batted her eyelashes at him, and Eric froze up at the sudden turn their conversation had taken.

She should have felt bad, but he was making her head spin with all of the compliments that he was throwing around.

Eve was not one to brag. But just because she did not like to brag. That did not mean that she did not know of her own positive attributes. 

For example, she was a good businesswoman, an excellent artist. She was always willing to learn, to experiment, to keep going the extra mile until she produced a work of art, that just made people's faces light up when they saw it. She was also kind. She was generous. And she knew that her capacity to love was something that many people wished for. Eve knew those wonderful things about herself.

In addition to those positive attributes, Eve also was not shy about acknowledging the fact that she, like everybody else in the world, had her flaws. One of her flaws was vanity.

She would be the first to admit that she loved dressing up, loved taking hours in front of the mirror, just getting herself ready. And in addition to loving looking good, Eve loved when people stared as she passed, unable to help, but appreciate all of the work that she put into her appearance.

It was vanity that had made her soften towards Eric. By mentioning her attire on the first night they had seen each other. He had pierced right through her armor without even trying. Eric had remembered her outfit when he had only seen her for a few seconds that night. They had not exchanged words, no names, no nothing. But the man had paid so much attention to her that he had been able to describe not only what she had been wearing, but also the kind of hairstyle that she'd done her hair up in. Plus he also recalled the earrings that she'd had on. 

Tugging lightly at the strawberry-shaped earrings that she was currently wearing, Eve tried her best to control her smile. She could tell that her batting her eyelashes at him had made him uneasy. She did not want to scare him away, so she stopped making heart eyes at him. Dropping the act, she snorted in an unladylike manner.

"Relax, I was just messing with you. Anyway, I think that we have played around enough. Let's get back to why we are really here. So, fake dating.. I might have an idea?" In the next moment, Eric went from doing his best impression of a statue, to coming alive, his eyes sparking intelligently as he spoke.

"Alright, I am listening," And that was all the encouragement that Eve needed.

"As you know like your sister, my friend, believes that I have been single for way too long. But more than that, I think she just wants me to start showing interest in dating again. Is it the same for you?"

"Pretty much, she's worried that I don't date anymore," He agreed, but he was looking at Eve with furrowed brows, obviously trying to figure out what she was getting at.

Eve did not waste any time in filling him in.

"How about, we go on one date, take a few pictures as proof. And use that date to show them that we are fine. That they don't need to worry and set us up on dates anymore," 

One fake date. No feelings involved, just two people helping each other out and never having to see each other again afterwards. 

It was brilliant!

"This, as far as I can see, is the best of both worlds. The two of us get to remain single and our loved ones will rest easier thinking that we are once again looking for love,"

The entire time that she had been speaking, it had seemed as though an invisible weight were being lifted off Eric's shoulders and he seemed to relax more and more. His head bobbing up and down as he agreed with everything that she was saying.

"Thank you, thank you Evelyn. This... you have no idea how much this means to me," He breathed. 

"It means a lot to me as well, so I get the feeling that I can guess," She told him, unable to stop smiling at him. Suddenly, Eric held out his hand, and Eve found herself slipping her own into his on autopilot, and watching with wide eyes as he shook it.

"Evelyn Hale, thank you for agreeing to be my fake date for one night. I promise you that I will be the best fake date that I can be," His tone was so serious that she could not help but nod along, and copy him.

"Eric Fisher, I, Evelyn Hale, also promise to be the best fake date that I can be for you," She told him, sounding equally serious, but the effect was ruined seconds later when her stomach growled loudly. If he'd been her actual love interest she would have been embarrassed beyond reason. But since that was not the case, Eve was able to bear it, only blushing slightly when Eric laughed lightly.

It was a lovely laugh, not at all mean spirited, and something deep within her twinged at the sound of it. In future she hoped to hear more of it. Letting go of her hand Eric signalled for the waitress.

"The two of us might not be going on a real date, but let me buy you some food. It has been a while since I've shared a meal with someone who is not family. We'll eat, and then work out the details of our plan," And that was how Eve found herself eating with Eric Fisher.