Who: Liz Ortecho & Michael Guerin When: Backdated: Around April 13th. Where: Out of this World Mechanics What: Liz brings her car in as an excuse to catch up with Michael Rating/Warnings: Family Friendly Status: Complete
Liz usually took very good care of her car, always bringing it in at the right time for oil changes and annual maintenance checks so there wasn’t really anything wrong with her car when she decided to swing by Out of This World Mechanics, but since she’d found out that Michael was around, she had been wanting to catch up with him, but wasn’t sure if asking him to get together for drinks was strange or not since it had been some time since they had seen each other.
So instead she had decided to go by the shop under the guise needing her car checked, which she was sure Michael would see through very quickly. Either way, she still headed over to the shop and parking her car out front, she got out and headed inside.
Michael was finishing up his work on another car. He was just about to shut the hood when Liz Ortecho walked in. One of the last people Michael was expecting to see. Sure they had talked a bit on that network, but still. He hadn’t seen her since high school.
“Hey, Ortecho,” Michael said, shutting the hood of the car and making his way over to Liz. As usual he was covered in grease and his curls were falling in his eyes. “What’s up?”
Liz had been prepared to ask Michael if he could check on something in her car, but she had a feeling that he would figure out right away that she hadn’t actually come by for that reason so she decided to simply go with the trust, “Hey, not too much. I just wanted to come by and say hi.” She brushed her hair behind her ear, “I was going to lie and say I needed my car looked at, but one look at my car and you’d probably know that’s a lie.”
It would have made more sense for Liz to be there about her car than just stopping by to say hi. Though she was right one look and he would know her car was fine. It was how he made a living after all.
“So let me get this straight,” Michael said not even attempting to beat around then bush. “After years of not talking,” not that they were all that close in high school even. But then Michael wasn’t really close with anyone. “You see me on social media and want to come say hi? If I didn’t know any better I’d say you’re in love with me,” he joked. But he did know better. Or at least he knew Max had a thing for Liz back in highschool and probably still. Not that they really talked about it.
Liz laughed and nodded, “You’ve figured me out, Michael. I’ve been pining for you since high school, but I could never tell you my true feelings because I was with Kyle.” She was actually glad that she had gone with the truth and would have hugged Michael were he not covered in grease, “But seriously, had I known you were here the whole time I would have come by sooner.” She’d also figured that if her and Max were becoming a thing she would eventually reconnect with Michael and this way she got to do it on her own terms.
Michael’s brow furrowed at her last comment. He didn’t understand why she would want to come see him. He was just some foster kid that hadn’t even been around that long in high school. And now he was a mechanic that mostly kept to himself… with the occasional bar fight when his anger got the better of him. Even if there was something going on with her and Max he still didn’t understand the connection to him. It wasn’t as though Max or Isobel went around making friends with whoever Michael was seeing. Granted his ‘dating’ history mostly consisted of one night stands. Having never been loved by anyone Michael certainly didn’t believe he was capable of any sort of relationship.
Even with his confusion he still managed to crack a joke. “Didn’t realize I made that much of an impression on you,” he grinned. “But I guess it’s not every day you met someone smarter than you.” He didn’t make a big thing of his intelligence most of the time. He usually tried to hide it. But Liz had been the only one that was able to keep up with him, probably why they got stuck as lab partners back in the day. He couldn’t help but make a joke about it now.
If Michael were dreaming this would probably be a lot easier to explain than simply wanting to catch up, but she was sure that he would get there eventually. Michael may have thought that he hadn’t made much of an impression and even without the dreams Liz had remembered him. “I don’t know if I’d say smarter, but we certainly did make good competition for each other,” With how smart Michael was, Liz had thought he could go on to just about any college he wanted, but after he’d left she wasn’t entirely sure what he had done after that. “So how have you been?”
“I would,” Michael replied with a grin and a shrug of his shoulders. “I’ve been alright.” His adult life was a hell of a lot better than his childhood at least. He was in control now, no longer having to rely on the broken system and asshole foster parents. “Just working and drinking,” which pretty much summed up his life. “You?”
Liz nodded as she watched Michael, “More or less the same,” She probably didn’t drink quite as much as Michael, but that didn’t mean that she didn’t have a glass of wine after a crazy day at work, “I’m at Godfrey Industries doing biomedical engineering. To say that we were busy last month is an understatement.” She had never worked quite as hard and as long as she had the previous month.
Michael was pretty sure she didn’t drink as much as him. Most people didn’t. But he could see her having a drink or two after a long day. “Yeah I’m sure you were swamped.” Michael couldn’t even imagine. “I’m glad that’s all over with now,” he commented. “But congrats on the job. Sounds fancy.”
“Me too. I’ve never worked that much in my life. Some days I almost forgot what my apartment looked like.” And then there was the part where even when she wasn’t working she couldn’t even go and check on her parents or help them with any deliveries for the restaurant. “Thanks. It’s been almost a year now, which is actually a crazy thing to think about. I actually hadn’t realized I’d been back here for a year now.” Not that she thought about it, she came to the realization that she had actually spent her one year anniversary of being back in the OC as a thirteen year old.
Luckily for Michael, mechanics were still considered essential workers. He still got to go to his shop, but business had been slow and he had spent an awful lot of time in his trailer. Which he usually didn’t mind spending time in. It was the first place that was actually his. The only place that had ever felt like home. But even he had grown a bit sick of it during the lockdown.
“I saw what my trailer looked like a little too much,” Michael replied with his usual grin. Still it seemed like a better option as opposed to what Liz had to deal with. “Yeah?” he questioned. “Where have you been?” Even though Michael had left the high school Liz went to rather abruptly after his foster dad broke his hand, he had never left Orange County himself.
“Boston. I left California after high school and went to school in Boston and stayed there until last year.” A year ago moving and coming home was something that Liz hadn’t been sure if it was something she was ready for, but now she was happy that she had made the move; even with all the crazy things that happened and the dreams. “My parents were short on employees and Rosa wasn’t helping out, so I moved back to help while they hired some new employees.”
“And you decided to stay,” Michael concluded. He could only assume they hired new employees by now. Especially with Liz now working for Godfrey Industries. “Well belated welcome back,” Michael added. Not that he had even known she had left. Once he was sent to a different foster home he lost touch with almost everyone. Except Max and Isobel of course. And he had kept in touch with Maria a little before she left for New York.
Liz nodded, “I did. It was sort of the plan to begin with.” While she’d had reservations about moving back at first, after ten years away from her parents, she had really missed them and once she’d come back she really couldn’t see herself leaving them again. And now, with the dreams and the fact that her mother had left in them, she really didn’t see herself leaving again anytime soon, “I have no plans to move back to Boston or anywhere else any time soon.”
“Boston not as great as good ol’ Orange County?” Michael questioned. There was part of him that wanted to see other parts of the world, hell he’d even settle for the country. But there was another part of him that just couldn’t leave. He needed to stay connected to the place his parents had lived. Whoever the hell they were.
“I loved Boston, but the winters can be brutal. Give me sun and heat over cold and snow any day.” Sure, California had earthquakes which Boston rarely ever had and crazy things didn’t happen in Boston the way they did in Orange County, but she had grown up in Orange County so it held a special place in her heart and more importantly, she was done running.
“Ah so that’s why you’re back,” Michael replied with a smirk on his face. “The weather. Way to crush a guy’s heart Ortecho.” He was joking of course. He had nothing again Liz in high school, even if she did think she was smarter than him. But she wasn’t his type and he was pretty sure the feeling was mutual.
“Oh, I’m sure your heart will recover, Michael.” Liz smirked, brushing her hair off her shoulder, “I’m sure you’ve caught the eye of plenty of people.” Liz could definitely admit that Michael was attractive and would be surprised if he wasn’t seeing someone in some capacity, “No need to pine over me.”
“I guess I’ll just have to go on,” he continued to joke. “You give me no choice,” there was a brief pause. He wasn’t sure what else to say. “So did you want me to check your car or?” He was still having trouble believing she came by just to see him.
“Are you trying to get rid of me?” Liz asked, pretending to be offended, but only held it for a moment or two before she smiled at him, “No, my car is totally fine. Like I said, I wanted to come by and say hi. Now that I know for sure that we’re in the same area, it just seemed like it made sense.” While it had been years since she’d seen Michael, she was glad that he was around and that seeing him hadn’t felt awkward or forced.
“Never,” Michael said with a grin. Though it didn’t make sense to him. They had gone to high school together and maybe hung out in the same circles for a brief period of time. He didn’t get why she would want to see him over ten years later. “I’m glad you stopped by,” he added not sure how much he meant it. “It’s good to see you again.” That much was true though. It wasn’t like he expected to see anyone from high school (except for Max and Isobel) ever again.