'Cause there's too much to give, 'cause you'd rather live

After everything exploded in the middle of the date, Nick and Vivian were both left scrambling to pick up the pieces in the aftermath.

Maybe if Vivian had the opportunity to develop a concrete plan of what she wanted to do, they could have **** things back on track, but that was part of the problem. If she’d had the time to prepare, to get to know Nick better, she never would have made the mistake she had in the hospital and blown everything to kingdom come.

…She very likely would have made a completely different, horrible mistake at his expense, but she would have known better than to involve her ailing mother and pretend she was terminally ill. That had been the biggest problem, and if she’d known about his trauma, she could have avoided it.

But would that have been for the best? There was that old saying, “Things have to get worse before they get better” and maybe the fact that her prank was SO awful was actually a good thing- it had pushed Nick enough to explode at her and call her out for her actions, so she could finally, honestly try to correct her mistakes. If her prank had only been mildly hurtful, he might have just tried to bear with it, and **** a smile.

So maybe blowing it all up was actually a good thing! The calculating part of Vivian that successfully managed her brand with ruthless efficiency could definitely see the merit of that argument.

But the other side of her that hated upsetting people just saw it as a massive failure on her part.

It would have been better if I just did nothing at all. But Vivian wasn’t that kind of person. She couldn’t sit idly by, meekly playing the obedient girl who never ruffled feathers. If she let her fear of upsetting others control her behavior, she wouldn’t be where she was today.

So why was it so much stronger now? She shouldn’t care this much about what Nick, or any of the women in his harem thought about her. She had always been able to tamp down on those feelings before coming here.

Maybe because this time… I really could have had friends.

People not liking her was sadly nothing new. But this wasn’t a few spiteful trolls on social media or a rival designer she’d upstaged at a fashion show with her latest cutting-edge style. Those people she could filter out.

But the people here weren’t faceless nobodies. They were right in front of her. She had to see their disdain every time she looked them in the eye.

It was too much, too, too much.

The kind of thing that she forgot about, in the yawning empty corridors of her mansion.

And that had brought her to where she was now, having trouble even looking at Nick without being reminded of the awful thing she’d done to him.

To Nick’s credit, he never brought it up again. That wasn’t to say it was all in the past- like Vivian, he couldn’t help but think about the blowup and the resulting aftermath. But he knew that if they focused on it, Vivian might get even worse. She was teetering on the edge of being a better person, and one wrong move could push her over, and break her completely.

He didn’t want that. If his choice was reckless and insensitive heiress that hurt other people unwittingly or broken shell of a woman who couldn’t even smile, he’d take the first one in a heartbeat. He’d keep her at arms’ length and never trust her again, but it was still a better outcome for the heiress than the alternative.

But there was another option- the one he was really after. And the one he’d have to risk that first possibility to obtain.

He could make Vivian a better person.

That may have been the wrong terminology. He couldn’t “make” Vivian do anything- Amelia and Octavia could both attest to that in extensive detail. If she was going to change, it would have to be her choice, and no one else’s.

“I only do things I want to do.”

That was a frustratingly true statement. But he trusted her capabilities. Nick had faith that if Vivian wanted to change, she had the determination and willpower to do it.

Bringing it up, that was a different story.

So they found themselves stuck. The two sat on a park bench and stared out at the empty field in front of them, not saying a word. Not sure what they COULD say to each other, honestly.

Things were just way too complicated between them, and as much as Nick wanted Vivian to smile, he didn’t know how to bring that out of her.

Everything he thought about saying just felt like the wrong thing, that was the problem. And the fact that Vivian, who was normally so chatty, had fallen silent as well?

That made it feel so much more uncomfortable.

If only there was some way we could just reset the mood somehow! This has gotta be the most oppressive feeling I’ve ever had on a date! Nick had to dig his fingers into his knees to maintain his composure- it was all so uncomfortable.

He couldn’t take it anymore. How bad could it be to say her name?

“Vivian.”

“Awp!” Vivian reacted like someone had poured ice water down the back of her blouse. She stiffened like a board and nearly jumped off the bench, her eyes snapping open wide. That reaction was enough to leave Nick petrified, and any plans to follow up with his attempt at breaking the ice were immediately discarded.

“Don’t… don’t do that!” Vivian’s cheeks flushed and she placed her hand over her chest, feeling the wild, pounding thumps of her heart. “I thought I was going to die!”

“S-sorry?” Nick stammered. “I didn’t, I… I just… it was getting to be too much, just sitting here without talking, so I thought…” his voice trailed off as he realized he was probably just making things worse.

A sigh of relief escaped Vivian’s lips and she slumped her shoulders, relaxing back onto the bench. “…So it wasn’t just me…”

Nick looked at her in surprise. He didn’t expect Vivian would ever admit to being bored or uncomfortable, but…

“I hate this!” She loudly proclaimed, hopping to her feet. “I’m not someone who does bored and uncomfortable! That’s not me!”

Now it was Nick’s turned to feel relieved. That was more like it.

The heiress turned to him, projecting strength and confidence. But Nick could also see doubt and hesitation in her eyes, like she wasn’t quite up to this just yet.

“I’m getting hungry,” she said bluntly. “Do you… want to get something to eat?”

It was a thoughtful question. And one that hopefully meant she hadn’t given up on this date just yet. Nick had no idea if there was anything they could possibly salvage of the afternoon, but if Vivian wanted to try, he would go along with her whims.

He had to believe that she could be the kind of person she wanted to be- the kind of person who could think about the needs of others and act on them. And while Nick wasn’t going to let himself be a doormat, dragged along by the heiress’s whims, he had to make sure she could feel comfortable around him. If he stifled her or tried to **** her hand, that could have the opposite effect.

All those thoughts took up so much space in his head that he didn’t realize he hadn’t actually answered her question until he saw the anxious look on her face.

“I could eat,” he quickly agreed, nearly falling over as he got up off the bench. Vivian let out a single laugh before clasping her hand over her mouth, and a look of shame flickered momentarily across her face.

She was trying to be sensitive. That was a good sign.

“It’s fine,” Nick said, straightening himself out. “You can laugh, go ahead. We were sitting for so long, my feet must have fallen asleep.”

She visibly relaxed, much to his relief, and cracked a crooked smile. “Well, you managed to save yourself, at least,” she pointed out. “So I guess the judges can give you some points back for the recovery.”

“Ouch,” Nick winced.

“Don’t worry. If you fall off your horse in a competition, it’s only 8 faults. You’d be fine.”

“8?! You’re making that up!” What kind of bizarre scoring was that?

Vivian puffed up her cheeks, outraged. “Excuse me? Are you calling my equestrian knowledge into question?”

“…No, ma’am,” Nick said quickly, shaking his head.

The relaxed smile on Vivian’s lips was preferable to continuing a pointless debate he was probably wrong about anyway.

“Well, good,” Vivian said. “Maybe I’ll take you sometime, you can see me at my best…” She turned away from him, her hands clasped behind her back. “…Not today, though. I’m a little too stressed out right now, after… you know. Everything that happened.”

Nick was surprised to hear that. Not the stressed out part, he felt the same way, but the fact Vivian didn’t want to go riding. “Are you sure?” He asked. “I’d have thought you’d love to go spend time with horses. You know, to relax.”

He remembered how at ease Vivian had been on their horseback riding date in the previous round. He figured she was the kind of woman who would go out for a ride to relax and calm herself down all the time.

Vivian turned back to him, and this time, she wasn’t smiling. Her face was stern.

She opened her mouth as if she were about to chastise him, but then she hesitated.

“What is it?” Nick could guess what her expression meant. She was about to chew him out but she didn’t feel like she had the right to do so after what happened. Well, that wouldn’t do at all.

He wanted Vivian to be Vivian. Not someone afraid to speak her mind.

“…It’s nothing. Just, you don’t know anything about horses, do you?” Vivian relaxed once the words left her lips. It might take a bit before she was fully comfortable with him again, but this was a good start.

Nick, on the other hand, was concerned.

“Define ‘anything’,” he said, trying for some jokey banter. “I know they walk on four legs. That’s something.”

That got a smile out of her. Good.

Vivian bit her lip and shook her head slowly, rolling her eyes. “Unbelievable… Nick, we went over this last time. Riding a horse isn’t like riding a bicycle. You can’t just take one out for a spin to calm yourself down.”

She turned and looked wistfully off into the distance while brushing back a lock of her hair. Pinching her lips together tightly, she smiled.

“…A horse is a living being,” she pointed out. “They can sense when something is wrong. If your head isn’t in the right place, that’s dangerous. You can make your partner nervous, jumpy, because they won’t know how you’ll respond to them. It’s not like driving a car or riding a bike, it’s about working together with another living being towards a shared goal.”

Nick nodded, feeling his face heat up again. When she put it like that, he could see her point. When you were psyched out and nervous, getting on the back of a horse suddenly didn’t sound like the best idea. He remembered when he had started, how nervous he was. But he’d assumed like an idiot that Vivian’s experience would mitigate that.

“…See?” He said quietly. “You can do it if you try.”

“Huh?” Vivian blinked, not sure what he was talking about.

“Anticipating the needs of others, you’re doing it right now,” Nick pointed out. “Your concern and consideration for your horse’s mental state, that’s perfect. You know you could upset them, so you’re keeping your distance and making sure you’re only around them when they won’t be upset by it. That’s the kind of thing you need to do with other people, Vivian.”

“So… I should treat everybody like a horse, including you?” Vivian could point out how silly that sounded, but Nick seemed to understand it himself.

He laughed. “I think you’d be nicer to me if you did.”

She laughed right back. “Maybe.”

The two shared a look, and they realized that for the first time in hours, things felt just fine. They weren’t walking on eggshells around each other anymore.

“…I’m still hungry,” Vivian pointed out, placing her hand over her stomach. “What about you, Nick? Are you feeling like you could eat?”

If anything, Nick had only gotten hungrier. “You said before, you know some really fancy, expensive restaurant, right?”

Vivian’s eyes widened. “You remember that?” That had been hours ago. Right before the whole… thing happened.

Nick nodded.

“Hmm… well…” Vivian considered it for a moment, and then shook her head. “…Nope. Nah, no way,” she said, waving her hand. “Forget that place.”

“Really?” Nick was surprised by that. “The way you were talking about it-”

“I wanted to dazzle you with something fancy and expensive,” Vivian interrupted him. “Catch your attention that way. And it would have worked, too, that place… it’s really something, you know what I mean?”

She gave him a lopsided smile. “But that just doesn’t feel right anymore.”

Nick was curious where she was going with this. He looked at her, and shrugged, holding his palms out to show her that he was up for anything. “Whatever you’re thinking of, Vivian, I’m interested. Let’s do it.”

He could tell by the gleam in her eye that whatever was currently cooking in her head, it wasn’t going to be some showy event to sweep him off his feet. That was enough to intrigue him.

Maybe she’s finally taking this sincerely, he considered.

A man could hope.

Vivian looked deeply into his eyes, and her lips curled up into a grin. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not gonna be slumming it at some low-rent establishment,” she sniffed, shaking her head. “This is going to be nice and fancy, trust me.”

And real.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, picturing exactly what she wanted in her head. She filled in all the details she could, trying her hardest to give Nick the best experience he could ask for.

And as she did, the world filled in around them in a rumble as Dream Alley shook. Suddenly they weren’t in a park anymore, they were in a luxurious dining room, in a fancy restaurant. Sheets as white as snow covered the tables, and the way every napkin was folded up like some modern art piece was a testament to just how hoity-toity this establishment was. But Nick was surprised he even noticed, given how brilliantly every surface seemed to shine in the overhead light.

“Whoa, well… yeah, this is really something,” Nick said, looking around the fancy room. It was a little smaller than he’d expected given Vivian’s prior experience, but she had certainly pulled out all the stops in terms of décor.

Vivian opened her eyes and let out the breath she was holding. “You really like it?” She asked hopefully. “It’s not too much for you?”

Nick shook his head. “No, it’s great! Just… uh… one thing…”

He could still feel the ground rumbling beneath his feet. Was Dream Alley still changing things? “Are you sure this is it?”

She looked at him in confusion. “What do you mean? It’s not enough? Well, I must have really lifted your expectations too high, then…”

“No, it’s just… that shaking feeling, I just assumed you were still doing something, that’s all,” Nick said. He knew they were on solid ground, but he couldn’t help but feel something was off. Like the world around them was still in motion, even if he was still.

Vivian looked at him blankly, trying to make sense of his statement. Then her eyes widened, and a coy grin crossed her lips.

“Oh… Oh! Ohoho…” She smirked in amusement and sashayed around the tables, heading to the silk curtains on the wall. “You haven’t figured it out yet, then!”

“Huh?”

“This isn’t a fancy restaurant, Nick, this is something so much better.” She turned back to look at him, and pulled the curtain aside. The room was flooded with sunlight and Nick had to shield his eyes for a second.

When he saw what was behind the curtain, though, he gasped.

“Wait, is that-?” Unlike Vivian’s elegant movements, Nick almost knocked over a few chairs and tables to get to the window. He didn’t even notice as he gazed out at the scenery flashing by.

“Welcome to the Venice-Simplon Orient Express!” Vivian declared, her face glowing with joy as she joined Nick in gazing out the window. “Right now, we’re on an overnight trip to Berlin; but we shan’t be arriving, sadly,” she said with a playful giggle, shaking her head. “Tell me, is this your first time in a luxury train car?”

Nick blushed and looked around. Suddenly, things made a lot more sense. This wasn’t a slightly-cramped luxury restaurant, it was a very large luxury dining car on a fancy train!

“Well… it’s definitely not something I’ve ever done on Dream Alley before,” he admitted.

Vivian wasn’t going to let him get off that easily. “Or real life?”

“…Or real life,” he admitted again.

That answer was quite satisfactory and she smiled from ear to ear. “I thought not. Most people can’t afford something like this, you see. So I thought you’d just love the opportunity!” She pressed her fingers together. “And the cuisine is exquisite as well. It won’t lose out to any restaurant you’ve dined at before, I promise!”

Nick definitely believed that, but he was still a little surprised. With how vehemently Vivian had rejected her initial idea of dining at a fancy restaurant, he expected that she would defiantly pick some quaint café in the middle of nowhere. Did being on a train really make a difference?

…Apparently it did, according to the look on her face.

“I love trains,” Vivian revealed, unprompted. “If you wanted to know something real about me, Nick, then there’s that. I’ve loved trains ever since I was a little girl. In fact, I own stake in a couple of railways myself.”

Nick winced. “Oh, never do that. You realize if another player buys even one of the railroads, you’re just throwing away your money? Same with the utilities. Just buy Park Place and Boardwalk like a normal person.”

Vivian grabbed one of the elegantly-folded napkins off a table and flung it at him. Not at all the kind of high-class behavior an establishment like this demanded.

But Vivian had never been one for living up to the expectations of high society.