Eric had just finished leaving the voicemail message when he heard a click and a female's voice say, "Hi?". The young man breathed a sigh of relief when she answered the phone. He was usually accustomed to going out alone but tonight was special. He wanted to spend this night of celebrating with somebody. The male didn't have many friends except Seamus, the old barkeep. Eric's line of work kept him from having many friends. Victoria seemed different though, he knew she wasn't as fragile as she looked. The young male had a feeling she was way more able to handle herself than most give her credit for. He decided he would indeed, keep seeing her. He knew what to do. "Hey there! I was afraid you weren't going to answer. Would you like to join me tonight? Doesn't matter to me if you'd prefer going out somewhere instead of my place. I've got the bill either way haha." Eric got a warm feeling being able to laugh at the end of a sentence that, for once, wasn't cocky or insulting. He'd learned early the best way to keep people at bay was to be abrasive. The male was grateful he'd finally found someone he didn't have to... or want to... keep away.