Look East | A Hozier Fanfiction |

16

Molly checked her phone as she waited in the lobby of The Line LA hotel. Andrew told her to meet him there and they'd have lunch at the hotel restaurant. The hotel itself was not a place she'd have pegged him at. It was all industrial concrete and stone with very little greenery. But then she reminded herself that he was technically still on tour and the organizers probably booked it for him. It was just up the street from The Wiltern in Koreatown. Besides, the Andrew she knew five years ago was just that: five years ago. For all she knew, he could have changed. She had.

A group of people walked past her having a raucous conversation. Her phone vibrated and she checked the message, hoping Andrew was canceling so she could go back to work. But it was just a reminder for a meeting the next morning.

"Hey, sorry," his voice met her ears as he rushed into the lobby. "I had an interview that ran over. I hope you weren't waiting long."

He stood in front of her looking much more like the Andrew she knew with his goofy glasses, wild hair, and well-worn boots. There were subtle differences though; his jeans were designer, his t-shirt actually looked washed and pressed, and his teeth were bright and even.

"No, it's fine. I had to cancel my afternoon appointments anyway," she said standing. She smoothed her dress down as she gathered her things.

"You didn't cancel for me, did you?" he asked, eyes going slightly wide, concern etched on his diamond shaped face.

Molly smiled politely. "No. My witness got sent to the infirmary after he was jumped by several gang members. He's unconscious, so not much help right now."

"Fuck, I hope he's okay," Andrew said, sliding his hands into his pockets, eyes still wide in surprise.

"Me too," she replied with a sigh.

She could feel him looking her over as she walked next to him and was glad she put a little bit more effort into her outfit choice that morning. She'd chosen a simple black sleeveless bodycon dress and paired it with bright red pumps. Her hair was gently curled and hung over her shoulders.

"Thanks for meeting me here," he said, holding the door to the restaurant open. "I have sound check in a couple hours and this was way easier than trying to navigate the city."

"No problem," she answered, forcing another smile.

Her heart was racing, and not because she was excited to see him. She had spent the entire night beforehand running through different scenarios for their lunch. Most of them included him pulling some sort of trick on her, trying to get back at her for leaving him like she did. And no matter how many times she told herself that Andrew was about as aggressive as a guinea pig and he would never do anything that badly to her - at least not in public - she also reminded herself that it had been five years and people changed.

The restaurant was a converted greenhouse, and felt much more like the Andrew she knew. The bright sunshine filled the room, coming in from all sides. A long bar filled one wall of the room and tables filled the rest of the space with greenery draping down everywhere. Exposed vents and air ducts pumped air conditioning in, which Molly was grateful for. She could already feel the nervous sweats starting.

The hostess took his name and took them to a table in the corner, partially hidden by a large shrub. Nobody took notice of them, but then in Los Angeles you couldn't walk more than five feet before running into a famous person. Andrew slid her chair out for her and she caught a whiff of aftershave from him, a new addition to his appearance that he never seemed to care about before. When he was settled across from her and the hostess had left their menus, he spoke again.

"I honestly didn't expect you to reach out," he admitted with a shy grin as he flipped through his menu.

"When Michelle told me how generous you were, I thought it was only fair to meet up with you," she replied, trying to keep her tone professional. "To thank you, obviously. But also to catch up. It seems like you've been doing really well," she rushed out.