I order a premium cold sake and tell Eva that I got the part in Flatliners II. Eva says she's very happy for me.
"So where's your boyfriend tonight?" I ask, smiling.
"A certain guy is out of town," Eva says evasively.
"Where is he?" I ask, teasing her.
"He's actually at the Fuji Rock Festival," she says, rolling her eyes, sipping the green tea.
"I know someone who went to that."
"Maybe they went together."
"Who knows?"
"Yes," she says, opening a menu. "Who knows?"
"The point is: you don't know."
"Yes, that is the point."
"You look beautiful."
She doesn't say anything.
"Did you hear me?" I ask.
"Nice suit," she says without looking up.
"Are we making shoptalk?"
"You're getting quite the press these days," Eva says, tapping the copy of the Observer. "Wherever you seem to go there's a paparazzi alert."
"It's not all sunglasses and autographs, baby."
"What does that mean?"
"Aren't these people ridiculous?" I ask, vaguely gesturing.
"Oh, I don't know," she says. "The simplicity is almost soothing. It's like being back in high school."
"Why is it like that?"
"Because you realize that hanging out with dumb people makes you feel much smarter," she says. "At least that's how I viewed high school."
"Where were you while we were getting high?" I murmur to myself, concentrating on avoiding eye contact with anyone in the room.
"Pardon?"
"My mind is definitely expanding," I say, clearing my throat.
"Without us this is all just trash," she agrees.
I'm reaching for the edamame.
"Speaking of," Eva starts. "How's Alison Poole?"
"I have a feeling I'm breaking her heart."
"I have a feeling you're good at breaking hearts," Eva says.
"She keeps asking questions about Chloe Byrnes," I murmur.
Eva doesn't say anything. Soon she's sipping a Stolichnaya Limonnaya vodka and I'm picking at a plate of hijiki.
"What did you do today?" I ask before realizing I'm not particularly interested, even though I'm squeezing Eva's thigh beneath the table.
"I had a photo shoot. I had lunch with Salt-n-Pepa. I avoided certain people. I contacted the people I didn't avoid." Eva breathes in. "My life right now is actually simpler than I thought it was going to be." She sighs, but not unhappily. "If there are some things I'm not used to yet, it's still sweet."
"I dig it," I say. "I hear where you're coming from, baby," I say, mimicking a robot.
Eva giggles, says my name, lets me squeeze her thigh harder.
But then I'm looking away and things get difficult. I down another cup of sake.
"You seem distracted," Eva says.
"Something happened last night," I murmur.
"What?"
I tell her, whispering.
"We need to be careful," Eva says.
Suddenly a couple is looming over us and I hear someone exclaim, "Victor? Hey man, what's up."
Breathing in, I look up with a practiced smile.
"Oh, hi," I say, reaching out a hand.
A fairly hip couple, our age. The guy-who I don't recognize-grabs my hand and shakes it with a firm grip that says "please remember me because you're so cool," and the girl he's with is bouncing up and down in the crush of the restaurant and she offers a little wave and Eva nods, offers a little wave back.
"Hey Corrine," the guy says, "this is Victor Ward-oh, sorry"-the guy catches himself-"I mean Victor Johnson. Victor, this is Corrine."
"Hey, nice to meet you," I say, taking Corrine's hand.
"And this is Lauren Hynde," the guy says, gesturing toward Eva, who keeps smiling, sitting perfectly still.
"Hi, Lauren, I think we met already," Corrine says. "At that Kevyn Aucoin benefit? At the Chelsea Piers? Alexander McQueen introduced us. You were being interviewed by MTV. It was a screening of that movie?"
"Oh, right, right, of course," Eva says. "Yeah. Right. Corrine."
Hey, Lauren," the guy says, a little too shyly.
"Hi, Maxwell," Eva says with an undercurrent of sexiness.
"How do you guys know each other?" I ask, looking first at Maxwell and then at Eva.