Kendra steps in with a spark that hits immediately. Mike greets her, and the way she answers — laughing about how long it’s been and whispering “look at this place” as her eyes move around — gives everything a warm jolt of recognition. He teases her about looking great, she fires it right back, and their ease feels rooted in real familiarity. Bits of his day spill in — the Dodgers winning, the upcoming AMD Financial Analyst Conference he mentions with that half-joking confidence — and she watches him talk with this mix of surprise and affection. For a moment it sounds like they’re catching up after years instead of minutes. Kendra settles in fast. She keeps brushing at her hair, keeps stealing glances at him, reacting big when something catches her off guard. Every time she swears softly under her breath, she grins a beat later, like she’s half-embarrassed and half-delighted. Mike lets her set the tempo, asking where she’s been, what she’s been doing, and she folds into it naturally. Those little comments — her whispering “oh my gosh,” laughing at how pretty everything is — make it easy to feel the ground between them closing up. That closeness turns into a kind of gravity. She follows his lead without hesitation, leaning in whenever he moves, steadying herself with a hand on his shoulder or a breath that slips out before she can catch it. The tension builds in a way that doesn’t need spelling out; her reactions do all the talking. She keeps giving him these quick, bright looks, and every time she does, something settles deeper between them. Nothing explicit is needed here — the shift is written right across her voice and the way she stays close. In the final stretch, she’s loose and glowing. Her words come softer, like she’s still catching up to herself. Mike checks in, and she answers with this small, tired laugh that carries more warmth than the words themselves. She straightens her hair again, wipes at her forehead, and jokes about how wild the whole thing felt. When he asks about seeing her again, she doesn’t shut it down; she just says she’ll need to look at her schedule… which leaves the door hanging open for more.