Heaven.

"So then my professor starts actually asking me what it's like to live with Vincent Chase!" Turtle exclaimed, his eyes as wide as saucers. "Can you believe it? It's fucking LA, you'd think she would be used to it. Anyway, so she says something about how I could get extra credit if you'd come in and talk about the business. I told her she had to be off her fuckin' rocker if she thought my boy had enough time to come talk to some class at UCLA."

"I could make time if you need me to come in, Turtle," Vince offers, throwing his arm across the back of the booth behind Eric. "It's no big deal. I just have some looping to do later in the week, but I'm sure that I could work around your class."

"It's bad enough that girls already want to play 20 Questions every time they find out you're my friend. I kind of like that not everyone at school knows I know you," Turtle shakes his head. Johnny snorts next to him, understanding what it's like to live in the shadow of his baby brother's career. "Thanks, though, I do appreciate the offer. Besides, I'm not sure the missus here would let you out of her sight for that long."

"Ha-fucking-ha," Eric deadpans, glaring at Turtle and then at Vince when he joins in on the laughter. A waitress appears with their dinners and Vince's hand finds its way back to his lap. While he is oblivious to the eyes the blonde is making at him, Eric is completely aware of the desire dancing in her green eyes. If only she knew that she had no chance, she'd probably be more focused on the kid from Gossip Girl at the next table. Once she's gone, he looks down at his fillet appreciatively and sighs. Being rich definitely has its perks.

Johnny groans happily as he cuts into his chicken. "This food is to die for. I gotta find out where they find their mushrooms," he praises before forking another bite into his mouth. Turtle shoots him a look of disgust. Johnny makes way too many inappropriate noises when he eats. "What? You wanna bite?"

Turtle ducks his head away as Johnny lifts up his fork in an innocent offer. "Stop trying to feed me at the fucking table, Drama," Turtle barks. "Looks, I know we don't want the paps figuring out that E and Vin are like, together or whatever, but I don't think it's gonna look all that great if they think we're gay either."

It's Eric's turn to laugh as Drama considers Turtle's comment for a moment. "Well, whatever, this coq au vin is a gift from God," he shrugs. Beside Eric, Vince takes a bite of his lobster and grins at his brother. His left hand is not-so-innocently making its way across his lap and toward Eric's thigh. An inaudible sigh escapes past Eric's lips, which he managed to cover up with a sip of scotch. "I wonder if they'll let me go back to visit the chef. What do you think, bro, help me out?"

Vince licks butter from his bottom lip, eliciting another gasp from Eric. This one isn't as quiet but only Turtle seems to notice. "Sure, why not?" he decides. "E, let me out." Eric holds a napkin over his lap as he slides from the booth. Turtle's face turns red as he tries not to laugh out loud and cause a scene. Vince seems nonplussed, simply patting Eric on the shoulder. "Be back soon, babe."

Eric blushes as he slides back into the booth and covers his face with his hands. "Babe?" Turtle ribs him, causing his friend to only bury his face even further into his hands. "Relax, E, it's fine. We're used to it. It's just funny to watch you squirm, that's all."

"It's getting harder, you know?" Eric says quietly. He and Turtle had always been close but had a different kind of relationship than the one they each shared with Vince. Vince and Turtle had always been about girls and smoking, drinking and partying. Vince and Eric were all about the depth. With E and Turtle, it had been about a united front in doing whatever it took to protect Vince. He rarely confided in Turtle but when he did, he knew that he could count on his other best friend to have his back until the end. When he really wanted to share a secret and have it kept, it was often Turtle that he turned to when he needed to talk it out. "Like, I know that people know or they think they know. It's like we're lying to the world."

"He loves ya, E, that's all that matters," Turtle reminds him. "Look, I'm not into dudes or whatever, but I want what you and Vince have...only with, like, a chick. You guys got the real stuff, ya know, the kind of thing that will go the distance. For once in your life, quit fucking worrying about what everyone else thinks and worry about what that guy thinks. 'Cause the way he looks at you, that shit doesn't come along every day."

"Yeah," Eric nods. Turtle can be surprisingly sensitive and incredibly insightful. "You're right. Thanks, man." He extends his hand across the table and bumps fists with Turtle. "Speaking of which..."

"Here comes your boy now," Turtle announces. Eric turns to watch Vince approach their table, that swagger telling Eric everything he needs to know about how the rest of the evening is going to go down. It's not just lust gazing back at him but love and friendship and the whole crazy ride. Turtle's right, he needs to worry less. And Eric can't help but think how right Johnny is when he said that the Coq au Vin was a gift from God. They just happened to be thinking about two very different pieces of meat.

E stays in place as Vince sits back down next to him. He reaches for Vince's hand under the table and squeezes before smiling up at him. Vince wants to reach up and stroke his cheek or something but instead opts for a promising wink. "So'd ya get the recipe, Johnny?"

"Nah," Drama shakes his head, "but he is going to let me come in next week and watch him cook. Who knows? I might teach him a trick or two."

"Sounds great, Drama," Turtle says as he rolls his eyes at Eric. "So what are we doing after this?"

"Beers by the pool?" Vince suggests and the other three guys agree. "Cool."

Eric leans back in the booth, content to just watch and listen. Drama starts talking about baseball and then Turtle turns the conversation toward some movie they'd seen last week and Vince brings up the obedience classes they were going to take Arnold to in a few weeks. He allows Vince to feed him a few bites of the crème brûlée at dessert and stands a little too close to him while they're waiting for the valet. He can't stop worrying completely, but it's a start.