[ she's packing up and about to leave when mako mori comes up and calls her name. it's a little strange, and she feeezes in place a while, the strap of her bag not quite on her shoulder. miss mori is polite with a genuinely kind look in her eye and she tells naomi that she's read her work, and asks if she can have a moment of her time. when naomi agrees, she deliberately turns away from where raleigh and herc hansen are speaking with the secretary of state, following mako to one quiet corner of the room.
it does, truly surprise naomi when this beautiful, elegant japanese girl talks to her about her work your article circulated the shatterdome for about a week, it was a shame that sensei had not introduced us when you had come to see him in hawaii and she starts to relax after that, gets the gumption to inquire about mori-san's blue tipped bob and they're in the middle of discussing the mark 3 restoration project when movement catches on her periphery.
she doesn't breathe for a moment, her heart stuck in her throat because dammit raleigh, don't look at her like that, it's been far, far too long, and she just got engaged. ]
Hi, Raleigh. [ she can't help the way her left hand's fingers curl instinctively over the slim band sitting on her skin, a single emerald resting atop the glint of gold. ] You look good.
[ his eyes flick down to the movement of her fingers and his heart shatters. it looks like he was right. she did move on. it's a good thing, she deserves to be happy. he really wants her to be happy. but damn if it doesn't feel like a knife to the heart to see that there's someone else out there that's doing it. not him. ]
Yeah, you too. [ he swallows hard around the dryness of his throat and plasters on the same fake smile he was giving the cameras a little while earlier. ] I just--wanted to see how you were doing. Congrats, by the way. [ he nods towards the ring.
and he can pretty much hear mako's voice saying liar in his head. it takes a herculean effort to not look where she's standing a polite distance away. whether it's for a rescue or to see if she's really thinking that, he can't say. either one she'd probably be displeased with.
raleigh looks down and scratches at his nose nervously as he keeps going. he's talking about a mile a minute and it's a miracle he's not rocking back on his heels with how much he suddenly hates this conversation. ] And, uh. I wanted to apologize. For being a dick. You deserved so much better than what I did to you. So... I'm sorry. [ the smile he gives her is tremulous as his right shoulder comes up in a shrug that also makes him wince slightly. ] That's all.
[ in a public venue, with reporters around, it's probably the worst thing she could ever do because someone's going to take a picture and people are going to pry but naomi doesn't care, greg knows -- has always known, and raleigh called it quits between them years ago ( right? )
she hugs him. face pressed to his chest because she feels like she's nineteen again and rushing to his bedside. ] Don't apologize, [ it's so hard to get the words out but she tries. it's hard, not because she hasn't forgiven him because she has, wasn't even angry when he left, because she'd understood how much his brother had been his whole world. but it's hard because she hadn't missed the flash or jarred surprise in his eyes, and she wishes she weren't so certain that she is wearing the clear cause of that.
she lools up at him then, a hand lifting and then falling back down on his chest because the familiar gestures of affection that hum beneath her skin aren't theirs now, not the way they used to be. ] You did what you had to do. You don't need to apologize for that.
[ I'm sorry, babe she wishes she could say, because while the ring on her finger is not a hardship to bear, she doesn't know what else she can do to fix the look there in his eyes.
( it doesn't feel like congratulations. it feels lile her wanting to cry. ) ]
[ it takes him a minute to react to the hug. and when he does, it's just to rest shaking hands lightly on her shoulders. raleigh knows she probably means it as a comfort but it's anything but. it makes him miss her even more. the way she fits against him just sends all the memories of their time together rushing back and--
god, he loves her so much. he thought that maybe it would've faded over time, but, no. he still loves her just as much as he did the day he left and ripped what was left of his heart out to go work the wall.
she says you don't need to apologize, and he almost replies i do, because i thought about calling you so many times that i've lost count. but he can't say that. not when she's engaged. that would be so many different kinds of wrong that he doesn't even know where to begin. ] Thank you, [ he says instead. for being understanding.
he can't quite look her in the eye as he takes her hand off his chest. it almost physically pains him to do it, but he has to. he has to let her go. he has to get out of there before the fake smile drops and he says something stupid. ] I should go. It was good to see you again.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
it does, truly surprise naomi when this beautiful, elegant japanese girl talks to her about her work your article circulated the shatterdome for about a week, it was a shame that sensei had not introduced us when you had come to see him in hawaii and she starts to relax after that, gets the gumption to inquire about mori-san's blue tipped bob and they're in the middle of discussing the mark 3 restoration project when movement catches on her periphery.
she doesn't breathe for a moment, her heart stuck in her throat because dammit raleigh, don't look at her like that, it's been far, far too long, and she just got engaged. ]
Hi, Raleigh. [ she can't help the way her left hand's fingers curl instinctively over the slim band sitting on her skin, a single emerald resting atop the glint of gold. ] You look good.
no subject
Yeah, you too. [ he swallows hard around the dryness of his throat and plasters on the same fake smile he was giving the cameras a little while earlier. ] I just--wanted to see how you were doing. Congrats, by the way. [ he nods towards the ring.
and he can pretty much hear mako's voice saying liar in his head. it takes a herculean effort to not look where she's standing a polite distance away. whether it's for a rescue or to see if she's really thinking that, he can't say. either one she'd probably be displeased with.
raleigh looks down and scratches at his nose nervously as he keeps going. he's talking about a mile a minute and it's a miracle he's not rocking back on his heels with how much he suddenly hates this conversation. ] And, uh. I wanted to apologize. For being a dick. You deserved so much better than what I did to you. So... I'm sorry. [ the smile he gives her is tremulous as his right shoulder comes up in a shrug that also makes him wince slightly. ] That's all.
no subject
she hugs him. face pressed to his chest because she feels like she's nineteen again and rushing to his bedside. ] Don't apologize, [ it's so hard to get the words out but she tries. it's hard, not because she hasn't forgiven him because she has, wasn't even angry when he left, because she'd understood how much his brother had been his whole world. but it's hard because she hadn't missed the flash or jarred surprise in his eyes, and she wishes she weren't so certain that she is wearing the clear cause of that.
she lools up at him then, a hand lifting and then falling back down on his chest because the familiar gestures of affection that hum beneath her skin aren't theirs now, not the way they used to be. ] You did what you had to do. You don't need to apologize for that.
[ I'm sorry, babe she wishes she could say, because while the ring on her finger is not a hardship to bear, she doesn't know what else she can do to fix the look there in his eyes.
( it doesn't feel like congratulations. it feels lile her wanting to cry. ) ]
no subject
god, he loves her so much. he thought that maybe it would've faded over time, but, no. he still loves her just as much as he did the day he left and ripped what was left of his heart out to go work the wall.
she says you don't need to apologize, and he almost replies i do, because i thought about calling you so many times that i've lost count. but he can't say that. not when she's engaged. that would be so many different kinds of wrong that he doesn't even know where to begin. ] Thank you, [ he says instead. for being understanding.
he can't quite look her in the eye as he takes her hand off his chest. it almost physically pains him to do it, but he has to. he has to let her go. he has to get out of there before the fake smile drops and he says something stupid. ] I should go. It was good to see you again.