He Was a Friend

/30/ He's ready, too. /

"I saw you last night," Martha frowned, as she refilled her glass of wine.

They are at the hotel's open restaurant in the ground floor, just beside the lobby. The afternoon session of the second day of convention starts at 1PM, so they were eating lunch before they go.

"Where?" he asked.

"Did you forget we're at the same floor?"

Eric continued slicing his steak.

"I'm not particularly hiding it. But just to clear her name, nothing happened. She was drunk, that's all," he explained, without looking at her.

Martha chuckled.

"You're really her knight in shining armor are you?"

He put a slice of steak into his mouth.

"Sooo... that Art from Cardiac's also into her. What are you going to do then?" she asked, while drinking her wine.

He looked at her and responded, "I don't know. I'm still wrapping my head around that topic."

Martha put back her fork on her plate. She looked at him in disbelief.

"What's this? Since when has the 'high and mighty' Eric Sy lost confidence about something?" she chuckled, amusement all over her face.

He sighed as he drank a gulp of his coffee. He would've ordered wine since he's eating steak, but he need to perk up because he drank the night before.

No more alcohol today, Eric. Please.

"I'm pretty confident in almost everything, yes – except being a lover. I know I'm a jerk. You know that as well."

"Did you actually love me, Eric?" she asked, with a hint of loneliness in her eyes.

He didn't reply and instead, gave out a long sigh.

She then continued, "Because I don't think you did. You just went with the flow. Same for all your other ex-girlfriends."

He silently looked at her as he was drinking his coffee, analyzing what she was saying.

"So, you actually haven't been a proper 'lover'. It would be your first time if it works out now, and I don't know exactly why I'm helping you realize this. Maybe because deep inside I respected you, like, for work? And seeing you like this, all tame and looking down, frustrates the heck out of me," she explained, scowling.

He smirked after seeing her scowl.

Martha looked at him sharply when he did.

Grudgingly, she crossed her legs and pouted. "In short, man-up! What's wrong with your balls?! It was fine the last time I checked."

Surprised by the sudden outburst, and the context, he ended up laughing real hard.

"Thanks, Martha. I'd appreciate it more if you skipped that last part though. I think people around us looked at my... pants, just now," he chuckled. "In any case... Thanks for reminding who I am," he added, smirking.

And she just smirked back.

Meanwhile, a pair of glinting eyes were watching them not too far away.

It was Louise's.