"That was brutal," Travis commented.
"No shit, Sherlock! Do you see why I'm so mixed up?" Tora said, "I love her, but I've hurt her so much that I don't deserve her."
"If only that's what she thought," Tora gave him an evil look, "sorry sorry, Tora. Not helping I get it."
"But you're right," he sighed in defeat, "if she thought that, her life would be so much easier."
"All of our lives would," Travis agreed.
Tora stuck his hands in his pockets, surprised to find it empty. He searched his other pockets, but they were empty as well. "Shit!"
"What?"
"I had an engagement ring in my pocket," he said.
"Why did you have an engagement ring?"
"It doesn't matter. All that matters is that I guess it fell out," Tora lied about dropping it on purpose.
"It does matter. Why did you have an engagement ring?"
He sighed, "It was the ring I bought for Ella a year or so ago. I had planned on proposing to her and taking her to Japan with me after the benefit."
"Why didn't you?"
"Because of my father," he wouldn't meet Travis' eyes.
"So why did you bring it now? When you were trying to help me?"
"I wanted to show that I had cared then. I don't know, call it an impulse. It makes no sense looking back now."
"You're right it doesn't."
"I know. And I would love to hear this lecture later, but right now we need to find that ring before she does."
Ariella's room...
She let the ring rest in her palm. A golden band with two hearts on either side of a small diamond. It was simple and elegant. It was perfect. There was an inscription on the inside of the band, it read: I'll follow you forever and always, my Ella.
She closed her hand around the ring and pressed her hand to her heart.
"Forever and always, my Igarashi," she whispered to herself before slipping it onto her ring finger.