A tattoo artist was cleaning her new artwork on Eli. "Sweet. Thanks, Aurora. Tell Rico I said hey." He fist-bumped her. He decided to change the lipstick stain so that they were real lips.
"Wow, it's so realistic. It looks like you glue a picture of Lee's lip on your chest." He leaned in to get an up-close look at the lush lips.
"Yeah, Lee and I are in a more evolved relationship, so why not the tattoo too." He looked down at the irritated skin.
A loud sigh caught their attention. They turn to see Miguel staring at his phone. "Hey Miguel, you good?" Demetri watches him put his head in his hands.
"Yeah, I'm tired from the trip." He got up to join his friends.
"Right, you spent hours in a car with Robby." Hawk nods.
"You guys seem to have learned to get along from the beach pictures." Demetri pointed out that it couldn't be that miserable.
"For sensei's sake, I'm trying to get along with him. Robby said he was done with Cobra Kai. Lee seems to believe him. They were getting along well… too well." He didn't like one of his best friends getting along with the guy that almost killed him.
"What?" Eli narrows his eyes. "Do you think something romantic will happen between them?" When Lee texted him that Robby was there. He was livid. He thought the teen would be nothing but trouble. He would do what he could to derail them from finding Miguel or cause drama. He didn't think Lee would fall for his charm.
"No. Not like that. Someone thought they were a family on vacation." Miguel frowns when he remembers the tourist that commented what a good-looking family they were.
"All we can do is watch him closely." Demetri wouldn't turn down Robby being on their side but he would have to be under watch to make sure he wasn't a spy.
Miguel's phone going off made the conversation turn. "Is that Sam? She finally texts back?" Eli looks hopeful for him.
"Yeah, she says she wants to talk tonight." He looks down at his phone.
Eli and Demetri shared a worried look. "What did she say exactly?"
"We should talk tonight." He read it aloud.
"What?" He wonders why they were looking at him with such pity.
"It says we should talk. Oh, brother, you're in deep." Demetri didn't see why he wasn't freaking out.
"She's right. We should talk. Last time we spoke, we fought." He wanted to speak to her, to fully explain himself.
"But, we should talk is code for I want to break up." Demetri wonders what rock Miguel lived under.
"What? It is?" He looks at Eli.
"Not necessarily. Wherever Lee and I get into a disagreement, she wants a long conversation. I have to explain my full thought process and emotions. So, maybe Sam wants to talk." Eli shrugged, although he didn't look convinced.
"No, No, we need more information." He took Miguel's phone. "We should send a trial balloon. Something that puts the ball in her court… Can't wait to see you. How are you?" He texted her.
"That's good." He would like to know that.
"We're going to be fine." Demetri nods.
Eli's phone went off. "It's from Lee." He opens the message. "Tell Demetri to stop texting as Miguel."
"This is a good thing. If Lee's there, you know she's on your side." He was determined to stay positive.
When Sam sends her reply, the guys grimace. "Oh shit, no emoji or nothing." Eli stares at the general reply. I'm okay.
"She is not okay. You need to do something to turn this around." Demetri stares at the phone in his hands.
"Could this be the girls talking and not her? She's having brunch with them, right?" Miguel knew from the guy's girlfriends telling them.
"That's not Lee. She would be like don't ask stupid questions, you know what you did? I would have been at her house this morning." Eli had messed up enough to know how to get back on Lee's good side.
"Sam likes her space to be respected. I wasn't going over there when she wouldn't text me back." Miguel defends why he was hanging out with them.
"Maybe, this could be Yasmine's work." Demetri knew her passive aggression well. "But, she allowed it to happen. There isn't any that wasn't me text coming so she's not objecting."
"What do I do?" He asks.
"I have an idea." Demetri beams.
Sam showed the phone to the girls. "Desperate." Yasmine laughed. "But cute. He knows he's in deep shit."
Lee Tiss. That wasn't something Miguel would do. He believed he would be able to explain himself and everything would be fine. While Miguel's head was cleared, it seemed that Sam's was foggy. She texted Eli, knowing the guys were together. "I've felt like things have been off lately. There is so much I want to say, should I just lay it out there." She was going to text him.
"No. Less is more." Yasmine snatched her phone.
"I'm with Yas. It's better to have this conversation in person." Moon nods.
"Keep it short, not sweet." She hands the phone back.
"I'm okay." She reads. "Should I add a smiley face or something?"
"No!" Yasmine yelled.
"Definitely." Moon didn't want him to freak out.
Sam looks at Lee for the tiebreaker. "I'm with Moon. You don't want him coming to you in a panic."
"That's what you would do if Eli did what Miguel did? If he skipped out on you on your biggest moment to disappear for days. Calls you from another country and gets into a fight with you." Yasmine knew Lee had a dark side.
"I'm saying what's right, not what I would do." Lee clarified.
"What would you do?" Sam asked.
She sat for a moment thinking. "I would text him, I'll talk to you in person. Eli should know better than to fuck up big time and not be at my doorstep the next morning to explain things. "
"He has been texting me since he got back but I only responded to him now." She reminds her.
"That's not a good enough excuse for me." She shook her head.
"I'll just send this." She thought it was the better of the two.
The girls in orange and blue tie-dye robes walked through the spa that was about healing the body and soul. "Oh, I love it." Lee looks at the hanging canopy that had comfy pillows in it. "I can lay there and watch anime."
"Is that all you think about?" Yasmine scoffs.
"Moon, this place is you." Sam stops them from bickering.
"Isn't it?" She cheered. "When I went through my first break up, there was a lot of negative energy. This place helps me cut through the noise. Which is why I brought you here. You got to find yourself. Figure out who you are." She put an arm around Sam.
"They also do facials. So…" Yasmine let her know it wasn't going to be all hippie. Moon led them into a room that had some pods that were filled with water.
"What is this exactly?" Sam looks at the cover.
"This is a self-actualization pod." She smiles at it fondly.
"So like a sensory deprivation tank?" She was concerned about going in it.
"Oh no, no, no. They don't call them that anymore. It's not about deprivation. It's about connecting with your innermost self." She explains.
"Thanks, but I'm going to pass." Sam wraps her arms around herself. "I have nightmares about drowning in shallow waters."
"Wow, that's dark." Yasmine gasps.
"Sam, you've been off balance since the tournament. There was tension with Miguel. The only thing you're going to find in this pod is yourself. That isn't so scary, right?" She knew it would be a good thing for her.
"Look, there is a button to open it, so if it gets too bad you have an exit." Lee took a closer look at it.
"Alright, I'll give it a try." She looked unsure of her decision.
They got into their pods and closed them. Lee floated in the shallow water. It was room temperature. She closed her eyes and felt the water spread out her hair and surround her. She wiggled her toe and fingers, letting the water flow through them. She thought of Silver invading her home and trying to destroy its peace. If her dad wasn't willing to let her explain, it might have worked. He won the war. The dojos were disbanded. So, why was he continuing to harass her? She wasn't a strong fighter so why was he trying to collect her? Was it because Kreese saw potential in her or was this a way to get under Johnny's skin?
Her being on his side would mean nothing. Johnny was focused on moving forward without karate. Daniel was trying to fight against Silver on his own. She opened her eyes and decided this pod was driving her in circles. She pushed the button to see Yasmine playing on her phone. She looked at the clock and was surprised that she was in there for half an hour. "I'm surprised you lasted that long." Yasmine hands her a robe.
"For a while it was peaceful." She got out and put the robe on. She wrapped her hair in a towel.
"Moon normally stays in there for at least an hour, so get comfortable." She nods to the cushion next to her.
She sat down. "How long were you in there for?"
"Not even five minutes. The water was freezing." She complains.
Lee played Obey Me while she waited. Sometime later, a pod opened and Moon popped out with dreamy eyes. She pouts to see her two friends were out of their pods but smiles when she sees Sam was in hers. "Oh, I hate to interrupt her but our time here is up." Moon looks at the clock. She got out to put on a robe and wrapped her hair up before opening Sam's pod. "Oh my gosh, I had the most incredible vision. I was a drop of dew glistening in the moonlight." She looks up in awe.
Lee moves to the side of the pod. "Are you okay?" She was concerned by Sam's scared face. She helped her get out of the pod. She was shivering.
"Was your pod broken too? My water was freezing." Yasmine passes her a towel.
"Wasn't it enlightening? What did you see?" Moon knew she had to see something for being in there that long.
"It was something." She wrapped the robe around her tightly.
"If you're not ready to share that's fine. My first vision was a little frightening. It's strange to go outer body." Moon knew that some people freak out after it.
"Let's get that facial and body wrap." Yasmine was ready for some real spa time.
Lee was meeting the guys in front of a jewelry store. "Eli." She ran to her boyfriend.
"Come to me, baby." He wraps his arm tightly around her. He dips his head to lay a kiss on her. She ran her nails along the back of his head to his neck while she sucked on his tongue.
"Jeez, let's wait in the store." Demetri walks into the store. Miguel follows him.
Eli pulled away to rest his forehead against hers. "I'd asked if you missed me but I think you proved that."
She giggled as she took a step back. "So… what do you think?" She spun around in the colorful bustier. She washed the clothes she got from Mexico this morning.
Eli took in the way the bustier and ripped jeans hugged her frame. "Fuck, if I didn't agree to help Miguel then I'd say we get out of here." He looks at her cleavage before looking at her face. "So, what was your feeling on Sam?" He hooked his arm around her waist to guide her into the store.
"She seems lost. She wants to find herself but who knows if she wants to do that alone or not." She couldn't get a read on Sam after she got out of the pod.
"So explain to me why I have to buy expensive jewelry." Miguel looks at Demetri to explain since the couple join them.
"I got Yasmine a charm bracelet, every time we fight I get her a charm. She can barely lift her arm." He explains how jewelry can fix a girl's heart.
"What if Sam is okay and you guys are reading too much into this?" Miguel thought a talk would be enough.
"This is a five-alarm fire, if anything we are not reading enough into this," Demetri argues.
"Miguel, Sam is going through something just like you were. Right now, she is debating if she needs to go through it alone or not." She felt like Miguel needed to know what he was up against.
"What does it say about us that we never thought to talk to each other?" Miguel looks down at the counter.
"Can I help you find anything?" A worker came up to them.
Miguel looked at her in a panic because he knew he couldn't afford anything here. "I'm looking for something special for my girlfriend."
"That's so sweet. Is it a birthday or an anniversary?" She admires the young man for being romantic.
"He left the country during the biggest karate fight of her life," Demetri explains.
"That's a new one." She frowned.
"We're looking for something that would seem personal to her, do you have any stars?" Lee remembers her love for astronomy.
"We got a nice pair of earrings." The worker informs them.
"Wait, how much is that?" He points down at the showcase necklace.
"The octopus?" She thought that was off from the star's idea. She took it out of the case for him to get a closer look.
"It's perfect, but I doubt I'll be able to afford it." He sighs, knowing the perfect gift wasn't in his price range.
"It's been reduced." She looks at the price tag.
"Great? How much is it?" He thought luck might be on his side.
"After tax, 182 dollars." She told him.
"Do you maybe have one with fewer tentacles?" Eli asks. They looked at him like he was an idiot.
"I suppose I could give you a loan." Lee didn't know if the gift would help but she was a sucker for those sad puppy eyes.
"I can't ask you to do that." He shook his head.
"I'm not buying it for you. I'm lending you the money. You'll pay me back." She passed the lady a credit card.
The lady took the card and the jewelry to wrap up. "So, did anything happen with Silver?" Miguel looks at Lee.
"Silver?" Demetri and Eli look at her concern.
"His car was in the driveway when we dropped her off last night." He told them.
"And this is only coming up now because…" Eli couldn't believe they were worried about Miguel's relationship when she could have been in danger. '
"He was showing my dad my match. I never told him about karate or the bullying." She knew that Silver figured that out somehow.
"I thought you told your dad everything." Eli was envious of their relationship.
"It seems perfect because he only knows the good things." She made sure to never worry him. "That bastard came in and tried to turn my dad against me. It's one thing to mess with me socially but to go into my home and try to take my family. It's insidious. He wanted my dad to force me into Cobra Kai." She grips tightly onto the glass case. She took a deep breath to center herself before opening her eyes.
"You said try twice so that means we're not losing you, right?" Miguel noticed that.
"He listened to me. We're good. I promise to not keep him in the dark about the bad. Just the attempt is too much." She wanted to destroy him.
"We'll find a way to take him down." They swear at each other.
Lee and Eli were cuddling together after a round of reunion sex. He was swiping through her pictures from the trip. He stops at the picture of her on Robby's shoulders. "So, your buddies now?" She stopped admiring the new tattoo to see what he was looking at.
"He's alright, a bit gloomy but he can joke around if you poke a little." She shrugged.
"His hands are on your thighs." He stares at the other man between her thighs. "His head is where only mine should go."
"Stop it. You're making it sound dirty and it's not." She sat up and grabbed her bra that was on the nightstand.
"What are you doing?" He grabbed her arm before she could get off the bed.
"Getting dressed so I can use the bathroom." She did have to go to the bathroom but she wanted to get away from him before an argument started.
"Seems to me like you're running away from the conversation. Is it out of guilt?" He let her go.
"Run away from what?" She got up to put on her underwear. "I have nothing to be guilty of. You know what they say about the person who is accusing is normally the guilty one. I wasn't going to bring it up but why didn't you tell me you went on a double date with Moon? How come I had to find out from her?" She stood at the foot of his bed.
"Because it wasn't a date. I went to hang out with Demetri, who was with Yasmine and Moon." He sat up.
"So, you told me everything including winning a mortal combat tournament with the guys, but not hanging out with your ex-girlfriend." She was bothered but she pushed it to the back of her mind. Now, she was mad that he was getting jealous.
"You hang out with her all the time. She was more into you than me." He pointed out.
"I'm not secretive about it." She crossed her arms.
"What are we doing?" Eli didn't know what was the point of this yelling.
"We're letting our jealousy get the best of us. How about we ask what we want to know?" She was proud of him for being the one to stop the escalation. "Did you not tell me about it because you felt something for her?"
"No, I didn't tell you because I know how it looked. I didn't want you to feel that when we were so far apart." He explained why he left it out. "I don't like to see a guy doing something for you that I can't. I can pick you up but I wouldn't be able to put you on my shoulders. Did you like it… like him?"
"I like him just fine. I don't like like him or anything." She sat on the bed in a hero pose. Eli scoffed at her wording, feeling like she was making fun of him. "It's just a silly picture, Eli."
"Looked sexy to me." He remembers her hands in Robby's hair. It pissed him off because she could no longer do that with him because of Robby.
"Why cause of Robby's abs?" She teases but gets serious seeing his unamused face. "Sorry, I promise nothing but friendship happened between us."
"I trust you. It's just that he stole someone's girlfriend before." Robby was a typical pretty boy that girls swoon over.
"Do I look like Sam? I'm not falling into the arms of any guy who shows me attention. I mean she fell for Kyler." She rolled her eyes.
Eli laughed at her disdain for the girl. "I thought you were becoming her friend. You guys had a spa day."
"She's my friend's girlfriend and my friend's friend so I tolerate her." She shrugs. "I do have to go to the bathroom, but when we get back more cuddling." She put on her clothes to go to the bathroom.
"Definitely." He nods.
