Taste.
Vincent Chase sat across the table from his best friend and some girl named Katie. They were perfect for each other in that squeaky-clean, All-American, sickeningly wholesome kind of way. Vince's girl (Sara? Willow? Casey?) was a little more risque, with her four-inch stilletos and plunging neckline and her hand making its way up his thigh. His breath was caught in his throat, though it wasn't because of the beautiful woman whose name he couldn't quite remember (Emily? Skye? Kara?). It was because of the patch of auburn hair peaking up from Eric's crisp white shirt, the crinkly lines he got when he smiled and the way that his blue eyes hadn't left Vince for more than a few seconds all night.
"So you guys grew up in Queens?" Katie asked. Her voice was tinged with a New England accent, the kind that came with a pedigree and trust fund. Eric's own voice was straight out of Queens. "That must have been interesting."
"It was great," Eric grinned, his eye catching Vince's again. Their childhood hadn't been one that most mothers would pick for their children, but Vince wouldn't trade it for anything. He had grown up the center of attention in a huge family and as the taller half of the tightest duo in all of New York. For his part, Eric had been the apple of both his mother and Vince's eye. "Even though we've been in LA for eight years, New York is always going to be home."
"You miss it then?"
Her question was directed to Eric, but Vince answered instead. They'd been like that their whole lives. What happened to one happened to the other. Very few people understood that. Even fewer were able to put up with it. "Oh, yeah, definitely, but we try to get back as much as we can. We spent last summer there when I was filming Gatsby. We'll probably go back next month for E's mom's birthday. Ma always counts on it, doesn't she, E?"
Eric nodded thoughtfully before glancing up at his date. Katie was a nice girl, exactly the type that Eric usually went for and precisely the kind he wanted to marry. He was determined to try to make this work. It was the only way he was ever going to get over... No, he told himself that he wouldn't think about it. Instead, he smiled at Katie again and reached for her hand on the table. "Do you want to share dessert?"
The question struck a peculiar chord in Vince. He knew immediately it was E's way of putting distance between them. If he wanted to play that way, Vince had to get his head in the game. He turned to his date (Veronica? Jessica? Ali?) and batted his long eyelashes at her. It was his go-to move, guaranteed to make all the girls swoon. It only took a few more moments before his hand was sliding in her hair to bring her in for a kiss. He still couldn't get used to flavored lip gloss again after the taste of Eric's mint chapstick.
Vince pulled back, making his eyes linger on the girl (Chasity? Maya? Lindsey?) a moment longer before looking back at Eric. He could see the hurt and anger in his best friend's blue eyes. He felt bad for a moment before remembering that Eric had insisted on this distance between them. "Do you want to get out of here?" he asked the girl. She (Amber? Jordana? Eliza?) nodded coyly before sliding out of the booth. Vince dropped a few large bills on the table. "It was nice meeting you, Katie. We'll have to do this again some time."
Katie smiled politely and nodded. Eric, on the other hand, frowned angrily. Vince's girl (Sage? Cassidy? Melody?) started toward the front door before Eric slid out of the booth to follow after them. "Vince, wait." It was a command, not a request. Vince stopped in the dim hallway, not even bothering to call out to his date. He thought briefly how he really needed to figure out her name (Jasmine? Anya? Hilary?) before Eric was pushing him back against the wall, just behind a door and out of the sight of anyone who happened to be walking by. "What the fuck do you think you're doing?"
"Going home with my date."
"What's her name?"
"Ummm...."
"That's what I thought," Eric shook his head sadly. "Don't use her to get back at me. I know you're mad that I asked you to come out with Katie and me. I just wanted you to meet her. Even if you and me are...look, I still care what you think."
Vince bent his head close to Eric's. "You more than care what I think. Why are you doing this?"
"Doing what?"
"Come home with me. You ditch Katie, I'll ditch whatsername, we could be in my bed in twenty minutes. C'mon, E, you know you want to come home with me."
Eric definitely wanted to go home with Vince, but that didn't mean that he was going to do it. "No, Vin, we've talked about this. It's over. It has to be."
"It doesn't have to be. You just want it to be."
"I never said that."
And that was precisely the moment Vince knew that he had an in. Eric didn't want it to be over, and as long as that remained true, he had a chance. Vince reached down and cupped Eric's waist before pulling him flush against his lanky body. "Come home with me. Make love to me. Be with me. Just me."
Forty-five minutes later, Eric laid next to Vince, staring up at the ceiling fan spinning over his bed. They had mostly just kissed since they'd gotten home, the exchanges interrupted by conversation and breathy promises. There would probably be another night and another girl for Eric, maybe even Vince, but they both wanted this to work. They needed for this to work. Vince didn't want to have to forget the taste of Eric's lips again.
"Andrea."
Vince turned on his side and looked at Eric. "Huh?"
"That girl's name was Andrea."