Chapitre 201: Chapter 201: Just Keep Flattering
[Chapter 201: Just Keep Flattering]
After dinner, John Landis planned to sit down with Eric and chat over coffee about various topics. However, noticing two ladies sitting not far behind Eric, John "understood" and made his exit. As he left, he winked at Eric and made a thumbs-up gesture, which left Eric both amused and exasperated. He realized that John had definitely misunderstood the situation, but there was no way to explain it without making things worse.
Once John was gone, Eric signaled to the waiter, settled the bill, and glanced over at Julia and Elisabeth. He realized that leaving would require him to pass by the two ladies, making it nearly impossible to go unnoticed. Remembering Julia's drunken ramblings from that night, Eric felt a twinge of helplessness. He could hardly differentiate Julia's feelings -- was she truly interested in him, or was it a case of Stockholm syndrome?
One thing was certain: Julia clearly wanted to rid herself of those emotions. As for Eric, he didn't lack for female attention. Though he would go to great lengths to keep women he liked close, Julia wasn't his typical type, and he didn't want any complications with her.
The waiter brought him his change and receipt. After leaving a tip, Eric stood up and walked over to Julia's table.
"Since I can't avoid this, might as well say hello," he thought.
...
As Eric approached, Elisabeth was the first to notice him. She paused for a moment, then casually lifted her coffee to hide the surprise on her face. Julia, engrossed, didn't notice Elisabeth's reaction and continued to chatter excitedly.
Julia was three years older than Eric, but when she was around him, she often acted shy and usually didn't talk so much. This piqued Eric's curiosity about what she was saying. He made a shushing gesture at Elisabeth and tiptoed behind Julia.
"...that producer told me, Julia, we'll shoot everything in studio, even for location scenes, I could use a stunt double. It'll be a breeze to wrap up the film. Plus, if I'm not satisfied with the script, I can personally make changes! I was thrilled! They came all the way to this little Southern town to seek me out, offering $5 million! I felt so important! So, I agreed to let them send over the script, but when I saw the female lead's name, I lost it. Can you imagine, Liz? They named her Vivian! My God, the trend-chasing is just too obvious! I suggested the producer change the name, but he insisted that while the plot could be modified, the name had to stay, giving me all sorts of reasons why. I remembered what he had said about following trends..."
Listening to Julia's rapid-fire monologue, Eric couldn't help but smile. Across from her, Elisabeth intercepted the girl's thoughts purposefully, asking, "Julia, who is this 'he' you're talking about?"
Julia seemed to need a sip of her juice to keep going. "Oh, you know who! That jerk! But I have to admit, he made some valid points."
"Oh..." Elisabeth tilted her chin slightly and glanced at Eric, who was standing behind the girls with his hands shoved in his pockets. "So, you've completely shaken off his shadow?"
"Of course," Julia waved her hand without hesitation, her voice a little louder, "I've yanked that jerk's shadow out of my head, crumpled it up, and flushed it down the toilet."
At that, Elisabeth couldn't hold it in anymore. She doubled over, trying to stifle her laughter, her shoulders shaking.
Nearby diners turned their attention toward the ruckus, some even glancing at Eric standing behind Julia. If Julia hadn't noticed the change in atmosphere, that would've been a bit silly on her part. Eric saw Julia straighten up, as if she might turn around, but her neck seemed stuck, frozen in place.
"Listening to you, it's quite sad," Eric shrugged and joked as he approached and took a seat in the empty spot between the two ladies.
Julia's face rapidly changed colors when she heard Eric's voice. As he sat next to her, her brief fantasy faded, and her eyes widened on Eric's face for a few seconds before she recoiled and slouched, as if trying to hide in her chair. Stammering, she said, "E-Eric, I-I didn't mean... that..."
Seeing her embarrassment, Eric planned to tease Julia a little more, but she suddenly shot up from her seat, exclaiming, "I-I have to go!"
With that, she dashed from the restaurant.
Eric stared at her retreating figure in disbelief. Was he really that intimidating?
...
He lightly patted Elisabeth, who was still bent over the table, "Hey, Liz, stop laughing, or you'll cramp."
Elisabeth looked up, her face flushed and dimples still showing. After glancing across the table, she asked, "Where did Julia go?"
"Looks like you scared her off," Eric replied, slightly pouting.
Elisabeth shot Eric an annoyed glare. "How can you blame me? You were the one who signaled me to keep quiet."
"I was just curious! I wanted to hear what Julia was saying, and you're the one who pushed her into this!"
Elisabeth turned to look at the door, not finding Julia's voice, and finally conceded, "Alright, I'll apologize later. But hey, this is all your fault. I took her halfway around the world, and just when she was starting to forget you, you had to pop up."
Dealing with a woman who's all over the place was frustrating for Eric, who finally shifted the topic. "Aren't you still in school? It's already September; school should be starting up again, right?"
"I finished all my required courses. This final year is just about writing my thesis and some practical work," Elisabeth explained briefly. "I previously mentioned that I'm analyzing your movies for my thesis. What do you say, big director? Can you help provide some 'insider' info?"
Eric didn't agree right away, instead asking, "You should have gotten plenty of material from Julia by now, right?"
Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "I seriously wonder what happened between you two. Julia is completely infatuated and seemingly lost. Though she'd like to bite your head off, she's only saying nice things, which feels unreal."
"Maybe that's just how it is with me," Eric chuckled.
"Not a chance," Elisabeth firmly shook her head.
Confused, Eric asked, "Hey, Liz, are you studying me, or my movies?"
"Both!" Elisabeth replied openly. "I'm interested in everything about you."
"I remember warning you..."
Before Eric could finish, Elisabeth interrupted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, her pretty eyes glaring, "Ugh, pervert!"
"Alright, alright," Eric threw up his hands in exasperation, "I've said my hello. If there's nothing else, I'll take off. Just remember to bring Julia back to L.A. soon; Kepler has been pulling his hair out because of her."
Elisabeth rolled her eyes. "What nonsense! As if I don't know that Julia's agent is bald and half gray already..."
"I was just making an analogy. Just keep that in mind," Eric shrugged, standing up.
Seeing Eric about to leave, Elisabeth pulled at his jacket. "Hey, wait! Why are you in such a hurry? Since we've run into each other, why not sit down and talk about your movies?"
Eric glanced at her as she gripped his jacket too tightly, so he reluctantly sat back down. "Liz, let me teach you something. What you should be doing is a reverse analysis of known results. It's simple. Just shower the movie with compliments, just like the newspapers do, listing the film's numerous virtues and flattery. That'll guarantee you an A."
After saying that, Eric recalled those treasure appraisal shows he'd seen in the past. The experts easily identified the value of antiques, building up excitement before revealing the truth. Often, true items received such praise, while fakes were quickly denigrated. Most of the time, they were just fooling the audience for show.
Listening to Eric's dismissive remarks, Elisabeth rolled her eyes in irritation. "Hey, do you think I'm that shallow?"
Raising an eyebrow, Eric shot her a 'Isn't that the case?' look, which almost made her want to slam her hand on the table.
"I warn you! If you don't help me, I'll take Julia to an Australian ranch so that you can't reach her for a movie!"
Hearing her somewhat childish statement, Eric couldn't help but laugh, "Go ahead! As long as Julia is willing, that's all that matters."
Not wanting to get hung up on that with Elisabeth, Eric simply stood up and moved toward the restaurant exit. Elisabeth immediately waved to the waiter to settle the bill and hurried out after him.
*****
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État de l’alimentation hebdomadaire
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