* pretty / 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦

mani: loriiiiii, are you back from japan because i have tea and it's hot. mani: also did you have fun? i'm still upset you didn't invite me but it's payback for fiji and i accept that lol @lorihcrveys

lori: maniiiii, i did leave japan but ended up in ibiza, so not quite back just yet. lori: you've got tea and it's hot ? 👀 spill it, girl. lori: yeah, japan was breathtaking. and full of surprises. can't wait to go back there one day. see, you get it. we're even now. next year we're doing all the vacays together, deal ?

once her eyes fell to her drink and words he'd never expected tumbled from her lips, michael clenched his jaw, his fingers itching to reach out to her chin and force her eyes to meet his own. he physically closed his hand into a fist to avoid it, as he took her in once again, not really believing she was actually there. "i know i should..." he started by admitting and swallowed harshly, before continuing, "but no matter how we ended, what came before meant more." michael begun wishing he had another drink in his hand, but didn't want to look away from her long enough to make eye-contact with the bartender to gesture for another. what if she disappeared? sometimes he wished he would put less pressure on himself to work as hard and as much as he did, to actually gather the nerve to open up and share how he was feeling with someone, but once the thought entered his mind, michael immediately shut it down. maybe it would've been nice to have the conversation with lori, knowing she knew him better than most, but he felt he had no right with as long as it had been since they'd actually spoken. he listened to her talk and praise the cities she'd visited, the food, the scenery, and unable to hold it back, a smile tugged at the corners of his lips. "i'll have to go to kyoto someday," he admitted, not daring to let her know was already on his bucket list, because what if it made her stop talking? the tone of her voice was comforting and the excitement laced within every word, had him naturally reaching out and placing his hand over hers on the bar-top, "i'm glad you've been enjoying your trip." realizing what he'd done, as though he had every right to touch her with so much familiarity, michael sucked in a soft breath, his eyes locked on the spot where they were connected. trying to keep her excitement going, he moved his gaze back to hers without removing his hand, hoping for all in the world she wouldn't immediately pull back. no matter how much she'd broken him, she was familiar and for a second he just wanted to be reminded of their before. "you and your 'sushi park'," he joked and playfully shook his head with a chuckle, although he was hyper-aware of her warmth beneath his palm.

his words settled between them with a weight lori hadn't been prepared for. for a long moment she said nothing. her eyes remained fixed on the liquid swirling lazily in her glass, watching it instead of him. because looking at michael had always made it harder to think clearly. and now, unexpectedly seeing each other face to face for the first time in years, looking at michael would make it harder to sit still with the guilt on how she had left him, erupting again inside of her like it had never left. and maybe it hadn't. maybe her brain had just been real good at avoiding the whole topic. "the before was magical," she eventually spoke, her voice so quiet, it was almost a whisper. she finally dared to meet his eyes again, a shy smile playing on her lips. "it was real. you don't find that too often in today's world." she swallowed around the sudden lump forming in her throat. "i'm sorry i ruined it. us." "a little more excitement please, because you would absolutely love kyoto," she said softly, the smile lingering for a moment longer. "not just because i'm telling you it's beautiful." she tilted her head, searching his face in the same way she used to when she knew there was something he wasn't saying. "but because it forces you to slow down. every little street, every temple deserves its own minute." if he wouldn't stop her soon, she could go on all night talking about how she fell in love with the city. typical lori ― always yapping about things or places or people she loved. only then did she notice it. his hand. warm and familiar, resting over hers. she sucked in a breath, her gaze instinctively dropping to where their fingers almost overlapped. for a heartbeat, she simply stared, surprised by how natural it felt and how easily her body was remembering him. slowly, her thumb shifted beneath his hand, not enough to move it, only enough to acknowledge it. "hey, don't judge me. a girl gets attached to her favorite places just like a guy gets attached to his favorite football team," she mused with a laugh. "and may i remind you, you've never once complained when i dragged you over there for date nights. if anything, you actually enjoyed it. because the light in your eyes when i told you i'm full and you could have the rest of mine ? you might be the greatest actor out there, but you could never fool me and 'sushi park." her voice was laced with a teasing tone, a soft smile forming on her lips at the memory. for a moment, all the bridges they needed to cross, seemingly disappeared. her thumb shifted a little more, brushing lightly over his.

this had to be staged, right? it couldn't be a mere coincidence that they ended up in the same hotel, halfway across the world and the exact same time. michael discreetly let his eyes wander the room, but nothing seemed amiss. it didn't seem like she had an entourage with her or that his agent or publicist were hiding somewhere in plain sight. clearing his throat, his eyes then found his drink again, deciding to take another small sip. they had never struggled with silence before, often sitting with each their own project at his place in los angeles in companionable silence. however, this moment? it was as though the silence engulfed him with uncomfortable awkwardness. but it still somehow raised up familiar feelings and michael was unable to keep from raising his dark eyes to connect with hers. his eyes moved down agin and found the olive in her martini floating around in the glass. as weird as it might sound, michael could somehow relate to it with his current state. floating around with no real aim at this current moment, until it would inevitably end at the bottom of the glass to gain foothold. was this a sign? no... michael didn't believe in that type of thing. "i could never hate you," he muttered, his gaze finding hers without really meaning to, attempting to keep a smile at bay as she knew him so well. at her following question the ball at the pit of his stomach doubled in size again. "nah..." he responded to her question and downed the remainder of his cocktail, not offering up any more information. the guilt would eat him alive if he didn't head back to los angeles soon, but he attempted to push the thought away. "what brings you here?" he asked and tilted his head ever so slightly in question, running a finger down the remaining condensation on his now empty glass. he'd always had dreams of traveling to japan with her, to immerse himself in the culture that he felt so connected to in a weird way. it hadn't happened, yet somehow... here they were.

it was so unlike michael to go somewhere just for the hell of it, but he'd begun experiencing a tiredness unlike any other in recent months since award season. it wasn't that he didn't love what he did for a living, feeling deep sense of gratitude every morning he woke up and got out of bed, but at times the pressure to succeed became too much, constantly forcing himself to push himself harder. insomnia had begun to hit him hard, so when a few days opened up in his schedule, he decided to take a few mental health days. what better remedy for burnout than to travel to a country where the culture had always appealed to him, where he'd enjoyed several trips to in the past? after spending the day wandering the streets of tokyo, visiting shops and neighborhoods he'd heard about but never had a chance to visit, michael was sitting at the hotel bar, a small smile lingering on his lips as he chatted animatedly with the bartender. these would be memories he'd have for life and he was getting recommendations for more places to visit in the city. however, as soon as the bartender turned to tend to other patrons, michael was hit with a feeling of guilt twisting around in his stomach. a feeling as though he had no right to days off to himself, when he was supposed to be working. supposed to be continuing to make his family proud. supposed to be living up to his reputation and building his legacy. he twisted his half-empty old fashioned on the coaster the bartender had placed it on, his previous smile now faded and he found himself clenching his jaw, deep in his own head. the familiar voice immediately cut through his spiral of thoughts that had turned sour and he whipped his head up, eyes wide in shock at seeing his ex-girlfriend... the woman he thought he'd marry. it took michael a few seconds to regain his wits, but once he did, he took her in from head to toe, as if making sure she was real. lori looked stunning as always, those familiar brown eyes that could cut through him and immediately send his heart into a tailspin, looking straight at him. he took another sip of his drink, knowing that if they were going to do this, sit together at the same bar, he would need some liquid courage. michael gestured towards the empty seat next to him as a response to lori's question, before he then took a deep breath to try and get his beating heart back under control. however the immediate regret hit him, when the scent of her familiar perfume settled around him and he cleared his throat, looking away as he tried to regain his control. fuck... it had been years, and yet he still had a visceral physical reaction when they were around each other. "how?" he asked the single-word question, still shocked and a thrown off, but his gaze finding hers again once he felt he'd composed himself a bit.

nothing about this was normal. except for the fact that it felt so familiar, stepping into his presence again. the way his eyes scanned her from head to toe didn't go unnoticed. but lori knew this wasn't the time or place to leave a sassy remark. not yet, anyway. their relationship had always been about supporting each other. hyping each other up. she couldn't remember a day where he didn't praise her before they went out for dinner or events. more so during the times when all the glam wasn't a thing and she could just be her natural self around him. she swallowed at the memories, sliding into the chair next to him at his gesture. no words, but still him inviting her to sit with him. in japan of all places. she shook her head over the absurdity, shooting the bartender a smile when he placed the martini in front of her, immediately grabbing it to take a sip. "how ?" his question hung between them, simple enough on the surface, but she knew what he meant. how was she here ? how were they here ? how had the universe managed to drop two people who had spent years avoiding one another into the exact same hotel bar on the other side of the world ? she put the glass down, shifting in the bar stool to face him. her brown eyes met his and for a moment the how seemed completely irrelevant. "coincidence, i suppose," she snapped out of it, slightly shrugging. "because you would hate me if i called it fate," she added with a low chuckle. "are you out here for filming ?"

lori: you're way too sweet to me, baby girl. lori: but please, continue to push my ego and sit as long as you'd like and gush over me. lori: but also tell me a life story while you're at it. like what's your favorite childhood memory ?