#since she's popping i'm assuming the bf fiasco is public knowledge UNFORTUNATELY for her ;_;

[lightshcwer]

no matter how hard flora had tried to frame this whole visit as just a long-awaited return to roots, liam unfortunately knew better. he wasn't known for being particularly interested in showbiz and its inner machinations. but when it came to flora... oh, he could write the book on flora. everything she'd ever been in – from background work to leading star – liam had seen. he was conscious that flora had been attempting to maintain their friendship even if their paths had diverged so abruptly. he was doing his part, too. but when the distance was simply too much to bear, he found solace in keeping tabs on her from afar, however he could. which in and of itself spoke volumes to how highly he thought of flora; stan twitter wasn't his usual haunt, far from it. of course, he'd never tell her. yet because of his newfound 'hobby', he knew all too well what flora was truly running from.

all he could do is be there for her, as he always had... as he always would. she'd tell him herself when and if she wanted to. he wasn't about to scare her away by pressing the matter when she'd just gotten here. liam would simply enjoy whatever time he could get with flora. ever attentive to her, his gaze flickered down to her hands. "god, you must be freezing! c'mere, my car's parked right there! i can lend you my, uh... my driving gloves... don't laugh. i was influenced", his lips twitched with the urge to smile. liam moved closer, now standing by her side to guide her. one hand hovered behind her back and the other pointed ahead to his beat-up truck.

"i don't know, maybe you're more into, uh... what do fancy folk eat, caviar? midnight caviar and pinot noir, or somethin'. still a fan of blueberries, then?" he dared a peek down at her, only to catch her looking back. liam averted his gaze but couldn't conceal a surprised cough. soon enough, he felt the oh-so-familiar heat creep its way up his neck only to sit atop his cheeks. if flora asked, he could say it was autumn's chill having a bite. but in reality, he hadn't been so close to her in... he didn't even remember how long ago, now. how could he have forgotten how good she smelled? or how sparkly her brown eyes were? and what kind of monster would ever hurt someone as kind and as beautiful as flora?

liam started walking along with her to his car and shook his head lightly to try and regain his composure. just as he was about to speak again, his friend beat him to it, which saw him splutter again. "wh- me? shut up, hollywood. you look straight out of a magazine! i don't want your fans coming to my house with pitchforks if i get you sick, hop in! i'll grab your bag", he opened the passenger door for her before leaning down to pick up her bag right out of her hands. "your carriage awaits, princess. valet and all!" liam joked to try and lighten the mood.

flora had dreaded coming back to her hometown, but not as much as she dreaded staying in los angeles, especially after the party and the whole cheating-boyfriend fiasco. she needed to escape, and somehow, the place she’d left behind felt like the only option. laughing softly, she shoved her hands into her coat pockets, trying to hide just how much her fingers were trembling. “i could never turn down pancakes with you, you know that, liam.” her voice softened as she glanced up, meeting his gaze for a moment too long, letting herself really see him. “you look good.”