I’m in Hollywood

39;t leave work like everyone else.
Instead, she continued to shadow him.

“Not really.
It's just that there are a lot of things to do during this time,” replied Eric without lifting his head.

“Oh,” murmured Elisabeth.
She then opened the filing cabinet and randomly took out a document and began to look through it.

It was after seven when Eric finally put down the documents in front of him and leaned back on his chair as he stretched his back.
He soon noticed that Elisabeth was still curled up on the sofa nearby.

“Everyone else has gotten off work, so how come you're still here?”

She realized that Eric seemed to be done with his work, so she stood up and put the document back in the filing cabinet before she casually said, “I've nothing to do at home.”

Eric was about to habitually tease her, but since she had obediently followed him the whole day, he swallowed back his words.
However, Elisabeth noticed this.

She glared at him and asked, “You were definitely about to speak some nonsense, right?”

“Nope,” Eric shook his head before he got up and he said, “Let's go.”

Elisabeth quickly caught up to him and said, “You were about to say that I'm just a woman who has nothing to do, right?”

“I did think that,” replied Eric as he raised his hand in surrender.

Elisabeth berated, “I have been working all day, and I haven't even asked you for overtime yet you're thinking such things.
You should apologize to me.”

Eric was too tired to argue with her, so he rolled his eyes and nonchalantly said, “I'm sorry.”

Elisabeth smirked and quipped, “You're so insincere.
You should at least take me to dinner or something.”

Eric had just been thinking about dinner, so he casually said, “Okay.”

Elisabeth suddenly looked wary and asked, suspiciously, “You agreed so easily? You don't have ulterior motives towards me, right?”

Eric felt annoyed as he muttered, “Such a typical woman.”

Elisabeth asked, “What did you say?”

Eric decided to just ignore her and soon they arrived at the parking lot.
He looked around and asked, “Where's your car?”

She shrugged and said, “I didn't drive today.”

Eric got in his car and said, “Get in.”

**********

After the two had dinner, it was half past eight by the time they left the restaurant.

Eric looked at Elisabeth who was sitting beside him and asked, “How are you going to get back? Why don't you call your driver to pick you up?”

She looked at Eric and asked, incredulously, “How can you ask me that? Isn't it obvious that you should drop me home?”

Eric scoffed and said, “Spare me, Your Royal Highness; your home is in Malibu.
It takes two hours for a round trip!”

Elisabeth snorted and said, “Alright, then I will take a taxi.”

She walked out of the car with her hands in the pockets of her jeans as she took a few steps down the sidewalk.
She looked at the traffic on the road and said, “I've heard that there have been several taxi robberies in Los Angeles in recent days.
I heard that the victims are usually young women, but you don't have to worry.
Even if I have an accident, my father won't blame you.”

Eric watched Elisabeth's performance as he sighed and yelled, “Get in!”

Elisabeth cheerfully smiled and quickly pulled the door as she sat down beside Eric.
She noticed the annoyed expression on Eric's face when she laughed and said, “Don't worry, I lied to you; I've lived with Julia over the past few days.”

Eric snorted and stepped on the gas pedal.
Not long after the car started, Elisabeth suddenly pointed to the side and said, “There is a movie theater nearby.
Let's go watch a movie.
I haven't seen a movie in a long time.”

Eric parked the car on the side of the road, but kept his hands clasped over the steering wheel and asked, “Liz, what do you want?”

Elisabeth noticed Eric's annoyed expression and waved her hand as she said, “Forget I mentioned it.
We don't have to watch a movie if you don't want to.
Come on, just drop me at Julia's.”

Eric sighed and said, “Forget it, it's just a movie.”

“That's more like a gentleman,” said Elisabeth cheerily before she untied her seat belt and got out of the car.

Eric parked the car into the parking lot and walked into the nearby theater with Elisabeth.

In the ticket booth, she pulled out a small wallet from her large handbag and said, “I'll pay; which one?”

Eric glanced at the few posters on the wall before he pointed to one of them and said, “This one.”

“When Harry meets Sally?” mumbled Elisabeth before she narrated the words on the poster, “'Can two friends sleep together and still love each other in the morning?' It seems interesting!”

-TO BE CONTINUED-