Engineering Love, Part Two: Karl/Eric fic
Title: Engineering Love, Part Two
Characters: Karl Urban/Eric Bana, Hugh Jackman, several of my own characters representing family and friends of Eric in Australia.
Rating: M
Beta: The always generous siluria
Word Count: 2497 words this part
Disclaimer: I've used real people's names to write this story, but just assume I am giving each of them an acting job using their own name; I have no knowledge of their real lives or family, and this story is a fiction I created for love not money.
Warnings: No warnings for this chapter. Let me know if anything seems bothersome and I’ll change this note.
Summary: This is a follow-up to The Mechanics of Love, set a few years later, when Eric and Karl, now well into their 20's, have been in an established relationship for some time. In this story, they go to Australia to visit Eric's family when his father turns sixty, and unexpectedly run into someone Eric knew years ago, before he was sent to NZ.
Author's Notes: In this chapter the boys talk about the party, and the following day they accidentally run into Hugh again.
Can also be read here on AO3
Previous chapters: Part One
Later, back at Terry's, in the room they were sharing, Eric pulled Karl into his arms and held on tight, relieved that the main event was over. He let out a long, slow breath and muttered, "Thank God."
Karl pulled back, still holding him loosely and smiled at him, one eyebrow cocked. "It's over, mate. We don't have to hang around if you don't want to. We can probably change the tickets and go home early if you've had enough."
Eric shook his head. "Nah, it'd cost extra. It's only another week, and now I've done my duty, I can show you around."
"Yeah? You sure?"
"Hey, it's a big place; we can sight-see and we'll probably never run into anyone from the family."
"There's no-one you want to spend time with?"
Eric shifted away to remove his watch and place it on the dresser. "Well, Terry, obviously, but no, there's no one else here that I can be bothered with… except you." He turned, holding out a hand.
Karl took it, his expression thoughtful as he nodded.
"What are you thinking?" Eric asked.
Karl looked at their joined hands, stepping closer, and met Eric's eyes as he threaded their fingers together. "You know, I had a talk with Hugh…"
Eric reclaimed his hand, and held it and his other hand up, stalling Karl mid-sentence. "Look, Karl, I told you; all that was a long time ago. It was weird seeing Hugh there tonight, but nothing he's got to say can change anything now. Just forget him; I have."
"That's not true."
Karl looked worried, and Eric hated seeing that in his eyes. Did he think their meeting was planned? "Seriously, love, I have no interest in him, and whatever he's told you, there's nothing going on between us, okay?"
"No, Eric, that's not it. I think you and Hugh-"
"Just let it go, Karl!" Eric could feel his anger rising and he tried to push it back down. "It's over now, and I don't want to hear anything more about it." He gestured at the wide double bed that they could now enjoy in peace - without the worry that had made him too keyed up to indulge in anything sexual last night. "Can we just go to bed?"
Karl looked as if he might say something for a moment, and then he nodded, moving into Eric's arms once more and holding on tight.
Eric closed his eyes, inhaling Karl's familiar and comforting scent.
All they had to do was get through the last few days here without seeing Hugh or talking about him again.
~//~
Of course, that wasn't to be. The next day, Eric decided to take Karl for a drive around some of his favourite places from when he was younger, and barely an hour had passed when he spotted a familiar figure across the market that he'd brought Karl to.
"It fucking can't be…" he muttered, turning towards Karl and trying to direct him in a whole other direction.
"Can't be what?" Karl was looking over Eric's shoulder, just in the direction Eric didn't need him to. "Is that Hugh?"
"No, I don't think so," Eric replied still attempting to divert him. "What about one of these scarves for your mum?"
"Mum doesn't wear scarves. That is him. He's looking over here. We can't ignore him, Eric." Karl took a step towards Hugh and held up a hand. At their height - a whole head above most of the crowd - it was impossible for them to escape now without it being obvious that Eric was avoiding Hugh.
Eric rolled his eyes and followed Karl as he led the way across to where Hugh stood behind a stall in the market, his lop-sided smile wide across his altogether too handsome face.
"Hey Eric, Karl. Didn't expect to see you here."
"The feeling's entirely mutual," Eric muttered. "Do you work here? What happened to acting?"
Last Eric remembered, Hugh had been at drama school and was thinking about TV and film acting.
"I still act," Hugh told them, his eyes resting all too familiarly on Karl's face for a few moments before he met Eric's eyes again. "But in between jobs, I sell educational toys at some of the markets around town."
"Educational toys?" Karl actually sounded interested. To Eric's surprise, Karl started asking about some of the things laid out on the stall table between them, and Hugh began to demonstrate and explain a few of them.
"Jesus," Eric murmured, watching them. Anger beginning to buzz low inside his head had him taking a step backward, and he let out a breath, trying to calm himself.
"What time do you finish here?" Karl asked.
Eric blinked, not expecting Karl's question. Perhaps he should have, considering last night's conversation. Was Karl interested in Hugh?
"The market wraps up around noon, so about half an hour after that," Hugh answered before Eric had regained his wits enough to interrupt whatever Karl was trying to organise.
"Can we buy you lunch?"
"Karl…" Eric tried.
Hugh's lip quirked upwards at one side and he flicked a quick look at Eric. "I'd like that."
"I don't know." Eric put a hand on Karl's arm. Karl nodded at him, as if to reassure Eric that nothing bad was going to happen.
"Is there somewhere near here where we can meet you?" Karl asked.
"Yeah, there's a little café around the corner called 'Vinnie's'. How about 1pm?"
"Great," Karl agreed, wrapping a hand around Eric's arm and leading him away from Hugh.
Eric cast a look behind them as Karl kept him moving, feeling as curious as Hugh's expression aimed at them appeared to be. Karl didn't stop moving until they were out in the street.
"What was that about?" Eric asked, brows tightening. "I don't want to have lunch with Hugh."
"I know," Karl said, "but you should. He isn't the bad guy here, Eric, and I think you should listen to what he has to say."
"I never said he was the bad guy, but I don't need to hear anything he has to say. I keep telling you… I'm over what happened between us; I have you now. Unless… unless you're trying to tell me…" Eric paused, swallowing, scared to verbalise his greatest fear.
Karl was looking confused now. "Trying to tell you what?"
"I thought we had something good. What's going on with you and him?"
"What?" Karl gave him a stunned look. "What the hell, Eric? I try to help you reconnect with an old friend - someone who meant something to you once - and you think I'm dumping you for him? D'you really trust me so little? Jesus, mate; you've got the wrong end of the stick. Come on; think about it. It's you I love. I tried to tell you last night - Hugh was as much a victim of what happened when your dad sent you away as you were. You just never knew."
"What are you talking about?"
"He told me he didn't know you were being sent to New Zealand until after you'd gone. Your dad warned him against trying to see you."
"He didn't? My dad did? Hugh told you this?" Eric wasn't sure he believed what he was hearing. He'd been led to believe that Hugh had blamed the whole thing on him and didn't want to see him again. That had been half the reason why he'd gone along with his parents' plans for him so easily; because he thought Hugh had given up on him.
“What… why…” Eric was at a loss for what to say. He suddenly felt quite light-headed, and stopped dead, one hand gripping Karl’s arm tightly.
Karl turned back and gave Eric a worried look. “Are you okay, Eric? Jesus, you look like someone died.” Karl hovered uncertainly in front of him, pulling Eric's hand away from his arm, and holding it firmly in his own, like it didn’t matter who saw. “Come and sit down, mate. You need something to drink?”
Eric couldn’t think for a moment, but then he met Karl’s concerned expression and nodded. “I need a beer.” Straightening up, he looked around, spotting a pub across the street and headed toward it, Karl’s hand still in his so that he couldn’t help but go along with Eric.
~//~
After Karl told Eric what Hugh had said to him at the party about the whole 'sending Eric to New Zealand' fiasco, and Eric had swallowed a good proportion of the beer he'd suddenly needed, he shook his head in disbelief and looked hopelessly at Karl.
"My parents said he blamed the whole thing on me, and that he wasn't really interested in me that way."
Karl dropped his eyes away, swallowing hard. This had hit Eric harder than he'd realised it would, and while Karl didn't believe he had anything to worry about insofar as Hugh was concerned, he couldn't help wondering if Eric was looking at Hugh in a completely different way now.
"Well, Hugh said he didn't think it meant anything," he said, hoping the worry wasn't in his voice. "And he's moved on, so… you don't have to feel bad, but you guys should make up - you know; be friends again."
Eric looked at him sharply.
"Just friends," Karl reiterated. "I don't want… and I don't think he… well, he's got a girlfriend, hasn't he?"
"Has he?"
"Yeah, that's what he told me. I just think you should give him a chance. All this time you've been thinking he gave up on you, but he didn't. Not like you thought he did, anyway."
"A girlfriend, huh?" Eric shook his head again. He was clearly having a hard time with the whole idea of Hugh being as misled as he'd been. "I can't even imagine him with a girl."
Karl frowned. "You think he… isn't as straight as he's making out?"
Eric ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, Karl. I just… we were mates for ages; neither one of us had any girlfriends back then. And then we… fooled around together and I thought… but I must have been wrong, even if…" He looked blankly at Karl again. "A girlfriend. I guess there's no reason why he has to be gay just because I am. Lots of guys go through a phase, don't they?"
Shrugging, Karl replied, "They say they do, but… I only know what it was like for me."
"Yeah," Eric scowled at the remains of his beer and then downed it. "Anyway, I suppose I'll find out about Hugh. It's nearly one; we should head for that café."
"Eric?"
Eric had stood up, and he turned to look back at Karl questioningly. "Yeah?"
Karl didn't stand up yet. He bit his lip and swallowed. "Would you… have stayed with him? If he was gay and your dad hadn't caught you like that?"
"Jesus Karl, I don't bloody know! It happened, and I can't even speculate what we might've done if Dad hadn't walked in on us. I might still be here, and we might have gotten married for all I know!
"Probably not," he added, presumably at the shocked expression on Karl's face. "It's not even legal here. Besides… I wouldn't have met you and… Christ… can we just go get lunch?"
Eric was obviously still flustered by the news, and he charged out of the pub like Karl had thrown something at him. Karl frowned to himself but got up and followed him out.
~//~
By the time they'd ordered some food and sat down in the café, Eric had composed himself enough to feel up to facing Hugh.
Wrapping his head around the fact that his parents had lied to him wasn't easy, but they probably thought they were doing Eric a favour. The worst part of it was feeling so let down by the very people you were supposed to trust the most. Although he probably shouldn’t have been so surprised, considering their attitude towards the whole situation.
There wasn't time to think on that much longer before Hugh appeared in the doorway, flicking a look around the whole room before settling on them and smiling nervously as he headed towards Eric and Karl's table.
"Hey. Thanks for meeting me here," Hugh started as he sat down in the empty chair beside Karl and looked back at Eric.
Karl murmured something that sounded like 'no problem', but Eric just looked at Hugh, wondering how it was he'd ever believed his parents. He took a deep breath, unsure how to address the story Karl had told him.
"Look," Hugh said in the pause, "I know what you thought, and I'm sorry I didn't make more effort to see you back when all that stuff happened…"
"Karl told me you didn't know I'd gone until afterwards. That my dad threatened to tell your parents about us, but never actually went through with it."
"Yeah," Hugh nodded, dropping his eyes for a moment and then looking sadly into Eric's once more. "If I'd known that's what they were going to do to you, I would have come around and told them it wasn't your fault."
"Why would you do that?" Eric was genuinely confused. "It was my fault; you're not even gay."
Hugh squinted oddly, and then shook his head. "Even so, it would have been better than you being sent away."
"It doesn't matter now, anyway." Eric gave Hugh a small smile and then turned to offer a brighter one to Karl. "If I hadn't gone to New Zealand, I wouldn't have met Karl."
Karl gave him an embarrassed half-smile and looked at Hugh for a moment before reaching for Eric's hand under cover of the table and squeezing it. "I'm pretty pleased about that myself."
"I can see you're happy together, and I'm glad about that," Hugh offered hesitantly, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
Eric wasn't sure whether it was a sign that Hugh was having second thoughts about what had been between them, or whether it meant he wasn't altogether thrilled that Eric had turned out to be as gay as the incident between them had implied.
"And you've got a girlfriend now, so everything turned out pretty well all around," Eric managed, trying to be magnanimous.
"Yeah," Hugh said, looking away for a few seconds. He didn't sound that enthusiastic.
"What's her name?" Eric thought it seemed polite to show interest.
"Kate." Hugh shrugged. "We've been together a couple of years, but it's… it isn't that serious."
Eric exchanged a look with Karl. "But you like her, right? You wouldn't be together otherwise, would you?"
"I guess. You should meet her, though."
Eric nodded. "I'd like that." He looked at Karl, who smiled. "We'd like that."
"What are you doing this afternoon?"
"Today?" Eric looked at Karl again.
Karl shrugged. "Why not?"
"Great." Hugh smiled. "Then it's settled. Where are you parked?"
~//~//~
Part Three
Characters: Karl Urban/Eric Bana, Hugh Jackman, several of my own characters representing family and friends of Eric in Australia.
Rating: M
Beta: The always generous siluria
Word Count: 2497 words this part
Disclaimer: I've used real people's names to write this story, but just assume I am giving each of them an acting job using their own name; I have no knowledge of their real lives or family, and this story is a fiction I created for love not money.
Warnings: No warnings for this chapter. Let me know if anything seems bothersome and I’ll change this note.
Summary: This is a follow-up to The Mechanics of Love, set a few years later, when Eric and Karl, now well into their 20's, have been in an established relationship for some time. In this story, they go to Australia to visit Eric's family when his father turns sixty, and unexpectedly run into someone Eric knew years ago, before he was sent to NZ.
Author's Notes: In this chapter the boys talk about the party, and the following day they accidentally run into Hugh again.
Can also be read here on AO3
Previous chapters: Part One
Later, back at Terry's, in the room they were sharing, Eric pulled Karl into his arms and held on tight, relieved that the main event was over. He let out a long, slow breath and muttered, "Thank God."
Karl pulled back, still holding him loosely and smiled at him, one eyebrow cocked. "It's over, mate. We don't have to hang around if you don't want to. We can probably change the tickets and go home early if you've had enough."
Eric shook his head. "Nah, it'd cost extra. It's only another week, and now I've done my duty, I can show you around."
"Yeah? You sure?"
"Hey, it's a big place; we can sight-see and we'll probably never run into anyone from the family."
"There's no-one you want to spend time with?"
Eric shifted away to remove his watch and place it on the dresser. "Well, Terry, obviously, but no, there's no one else here that I can be bothered with… except you." He turned, holding out a hand.
Karl took it, his expression thoughtful as he nodded.
"What are you thinking?" Eric asked.
Karl looked at their joined hands, stepping closer, and met Eric's eyes as he threaded their fingers together. "You know, I had a talk with Hugh…"
Eric reclaimed his hand, and held it and his other hand up, stalling Karl mid-sentence. "Look, Karl, I told you; all that was a long time ago. It was weird seeing Hugh there tonight, but nothing he's got to say can change anything now. Just forget him; I have."
"That's not true."
Karl looked worried, and Eric hated seeing that in his eyes. Did he think their meeting was planned? "Seriously, love, I have no interest in him, and whatever he's told you, there's nothing going on between us, okay?"
"No, Eric, that's not it. I think you and Hugh-"
"Just let it go, Karl!" Eric could feel his anger rising and he tried to push it back down. "It's over now, and I don't want to hear anything more about it." He gestured at the wide double bed that they could now enjoy in peace - without the worry that had made him too keyed up to indulge in anything sexual last night. "Can we just go to bed?"
Karl looked as if he might say something for a moment, and then he nodded, moving into Eric's arms once more and holding on tight.
Eric closed his eyes, inhaling Karl's familiar and comforting scent.
All they had to do was get through the last few days here without seeing Hugh or talking about him again.
~//~
Of course, that wasn't to be. The next day, Eric decided to take Karl for a drive around some of his favourite places from when he was younger, and barely an hour had passed when he spotted a familiar figure across the market that he'd brought Karl to.
"It fucking can't be…" he muttered, turning towards Karl and trying to direct him in a whole other direction.
"Can't be what?" Karl was looking over Eric's shoulder, just in the direction Eric didn't need him to. "Is that Hugh?"
"No, I don't think so," Eric replied still attempting to divert him. "What about one of these scarves for your mum?"
"Mum doesn't wear scarves. That is him. He's looking over here. We can't ignore him, Eric." Karl took a step towards Hugh and held up a hand. At their height - a whole head above most of the crowd - it was impossible for them to escape now without it being obvious that Eric was avoiding Hugh.
Eric rolled his eyes and followed Karl as he led the way across to where Hugh stood behind a stall in the market, his lop-sided smile wide across his altogether too handsome face.
"Hey Eric, Karl. Didn't expect to see you here."
"The feeling's entirely mutual," Eric muttered. "Do you work here? What happened to acting?"
Last Eric remembered, Hugh had been at drama school and was thinking about TV and film acting.
"I still act," Hugh told them, his eyes resting all too familiarly on Karl's face for a few moments before he met Eric's eyes again. "But in between jobs, I sell educational toys at some of the markets around town."
"Educational toys?" Karl actually sounded interested. To Eric's surprise, Karl started asking about some of the things laid out on the stall table between them, and Hugh began to demonstrate and explain a few of them.
"Jesus," Eric murmured, watching them. Anger beginning to buzz low inside his head had him taking a step backward, and he let out a breath, trying to calm himself.
"What time do you finish here?" Karl asked.
Eric blinked, not expecting Karl's question. Perhaps he should have, considering last night's conversation. Was Karl interested in Hugh?
"The market wraps up around noon, so about half an hour after that," Hugh answered before Eric had regained his wits enough to interrupt whatever Karl was trying to organise.
"Can we buy you lunch?"
"Karl…" Eric tried.
Hugh's lip quirked upwards at one side and he flicked a quick look at Eric. "I'd like that."
"I don't know." Eric put a hand on Karl's arm. Karl nodded at him, as if to reassure Eric that nothing bad was going to happen.
"Is there somewhere near here where we can meet you?" Karl asked.
"Yeah, there's a little café around the corner called 'Vinnie's'. How about 1pm?"
"Great," Karl agreed, wrapping a hand around Eric's arm and leading him away from Hugh.
Eric cast a look behind them as Karl kept him moving, feeling as curious as Hugh's expression aimed at them appeared to be. Karl didn't stop moving until they were out in the street.
"What was that about?" Eric asked, brows tightening. "I don't want to have lunch with Hugh."
"I know," Karl said, "but you should. He isn't the bad guy here, Eric, and I think you should listen to what he has to say."
"I never said he was the bad guy, but I don't need to hear anything he has to say. I keep telling you… I'm over what happened between us; I have you now. Unless… unless you're trying to tell me…" Eric paused, swallowing, scared to verbalise his greatest fear.
Karl was looking confused now. "Trying to tell you what?"
"I thought we had something good. What's going on with you and him?"
"What?" Karl gave him a stunned look. "What the hell, Eric? I try to help you reconnect with an old friend - someone who meant something to you once - and you think I'm dumping you for him? D'you really trust me so little? Jesus, mate; you've got the wrong end of the stick. Come on; think about it. It's you I love. I tried to tell you last night - Hugh was as much a victim of what happened when your dad sent you away as you were. You just never knew."
"What are you talking about?"
"He told me he didn't know you were being sent to New Zealand until after you'd gone. Your dad warned him against trying to see you."
"He didn't? My dad did? Hugh told you this?" Eric wasn't sure he believed what he was hearing. He'd been led to believe that Hugh had blamed the whole thing on him and didn't want to see him again. That had been half the reason why he'd gone along with his parents' plans for him so easily; because he thought Hugh had given up on him.
“What… why…” Eric was at a loss for what to say. He suddenly felt quite light-headed, and stopped dead, one hand gripping Karl’s arm tightly.
Karl turned back and gave Eric a worried look. “Are you okay, Eric? Jesus, you look like someone died.” Karl hovered uncertainly in front of him, pulling Eric's hand away from his arm, and holding it firmly in his own, like it didn’t matter who saw. “Come and sit down, mate. You need something to drink?”
Eric couldn’t think for a moment, but then he met Karl’s concerned expression and nodded. “I need a beer.” Straightening up, he looked around, spotting a pub across the street and headed toward it, Karl’s hand still in his so that he couldn’t help but go along with Eric.
~//~
After Karl told Eric what Hugh had said to him at the party about the whole 'sending Eric to New Zealand' fiasco, and Eric had swallowed a good proportion of the beer he'd suddenly needed, he shook his head in disbelief and looked hopelessly at Karl.
"My parents said he blamed the whole thing on me, and that he wasn't really interested in me that way."
Karl dropped his eyes away, swallowing hard. This had hit Eric harder than he'd realised it would, and while Karl didn't believe he had anything to worry about insofar as Hugh was concerned, he couldn't help wondering if Eric was looking at Hugh in a completely different way now.
"Well, Hugh said he didn't think it meant anything," he said, hoping the worry wasn't in his voice. "And he's moved on, so… you don't have to feel bad, but you guys should make up - you know; be friends again."
Eric looked at him sharply.
"Just friends," Karl reiterated. "I don't want… and I don't think he… well, he's got a girlfriend, hasn't he?"
"Has he?"
"Yeah, that's what he told me. I just think you should give him a chance. All this time you've been thinking he gave up on you, but he didn't. Not like you thought he did, anyway."
"A girlfriend, huh?" Eric shook his head again. He was clearly having a hard time with the whole idea of Hugh being as misled as he'd been. "I can't even imagine him with a girl."
Karl frowned. "You think he… isn't as straight as he's making out?"
Eric ran a hand through his hair. "I don't know, Karl. I just… we were mates for ages; neither one of us had any girlfriends back then. And then we… fooled around together and I thought… but I must have been wrong, even if…" He looked blankly at Karl again. "A girlfriend. I guess there's no reason why he has to be gay just because I am. Lots of guys go through a phase, don't they?"
Shrugging, Karl replied, "They say they do, but… I only know what it was like for me."
"Yeah," Eric scowled at the remains of his beer and then downed it. "Anyway, I suppose I'll find out about Hugh. It's nearly one; we should head for that café."
"Eric?"
Eric had stood up, and he turned to look back at Karl questioningly. "Yeah?"
Karl didn't stand up yet. He bit his lip and swallowed. "Would you… have stayed with him? If he was gay and your dad hadn't caught you like that?"
"Jesus Karl, I don't bloody know! It happened, and I can't even speculate what we might've done if Dad hadn't walked in on us. I might still be here, and we might have gotten married for all I know!
"Probably not," he added, presumably at the shocked expression on Karl's face. "It's not even legal here. Besides… I wouldn't have met you and… Christ… can we just go get lunch?"
Eric was obviously still flustered by the news, and he charged out of the pub like Karl had thrown something at him. Karl frowned to himself but got up and followed him out.
~//~
By the time they'd ordered some food and sat down in the café, Eric had composed himself enough to feel up to facing Hugh.
Wrapping his head around the fact that his parents had lied to him wasn't easy, but they probably thought they were doing Eric a favour. The worst part of it was feeling so let down by the very people you were supposed to trust the most. Although he probably shouldn’t have been so surprised, considering their attitude towards the whole situation.
There wasn't time to think on that much longer before Hugh appeared in the doorway, flicking a look around the whole room before settling on them and smiling nervously as he headed towards Eric and Karl's table.
"Hey. Thanks for meeting me here," Hugh started as he sat down in the empty chair beside Karl and looked back at Eric.
Karl murmured something that sounded like 'no problem', but Eric just looked at Hugh, wondering how it was he'd ever believed his parents. He took a deep breath, unsure how to address the story Karl had told him.
"Look," Hugh said in the pause, "I know what you thought, and I'm sorry I didn't make more effort to see you back when all that stuff happened…"
"Karl told me you didn't know I'd gone until afterwards. That my dad threatened to tell your parents about us, but never actually went through with it."
"Yeah," Hugh nodded, dropping his eyes for a moment and then looking sadly into Eric's once more. "If I'd known that's what they were going to do to you, I would have come around and told them it wasn't your fault."
"Why would you do that?" Eric was genuinely confused. "It was my fault; you're not even gay."
Hugh squinted oddly, and then shook his head. "Even so, it would have been better than you being sent away."
"It doesn't matter now, anyway." Eric gave Hugh a small smile and then turned to offer a brighter one to Karl. "If I hadn't gone to New Zealand, I wouldn't have met Karl."
Karl gave him an embarrassed half-smile and looked at Hugh for a moment before reaching for Eric's hand under cover of the table and squeezing it. "I'm pretty pleased about that myself."
"I can see you're happy together, and I'm glad about that," Hugh offered hesitantly, his smile not quite reaching his eyes.
Eric wasn't sure whether it was a sign that Hugh was having second thoughts about what had been between them, or whether it meant he wasn't altogether thrilled that Eric had turned out to be as gay as the incident between them had implied.
"And you've got a girlfriend now, so everything turned out pretty well all around," Eric managed, trying to be magnanimous.
"Yeah," Hugh said, looking away for a few seconds. He didn't sound that enthusiastic.
"What's her name?" Eric thought it seemed polite to show interest.
"Kate." Hugh shrugged. "We've been together a couple of years, but it's… it isn't that serious."
Eric exchanged a look with Karl. "But you like her, right? You wouldn't be together otherwise, would you?"
"I guess. You should meet her, though."
Eric nodded. "I'd like that." He looked at Karl, who smiled. "We'd like that."
"What are you doing this afternoon?"
"Today?" Eric looked at Karl again.
Karl shrugged. "Why not?"
"Great." Hugh smiled. "Then it's settled. Where are you parked?"
~//~//~
Part Three