Lauren Bushnell is returning home.
Following her May split from Ben Higgins after getting engaged at the end of The Bachelor's 21st season, Lauren revealed to E! News that she has moved back to Los Angeles and is ready for "a new chapter" in her life.
"I just got an apartment in the Marina del Ray area, which is where I used to live before the show," she told us at SodaStream's celebration of National Hydration Day on Thursday. "It's nice to be back. It's still like starting over because I've been gone for two years but it's exciting. It's a new chapter."
But that doesn't mean she's completely turned the page from her last chapter, revealing she's still in contact with Ben.
"We touch base everyone once in a while. It's like, 'Hey you have some mail, can I ship it to you?' But we're really on good terms," Lauren, 27, said. "We check in with each other and say 'how are you doing?' but we try not to do it all the time because we want to give each other time to heal and give each other our space. But we're on good terms and I genuinely wish the best for him and I think he wishes the best of me. It's good, there's no bad blood there at all. I'm really excited for him and what he has going on."
Still, that doesn't mean Lauren is ready to date just yet.
"I'm not looking, but if something happens, great," she said. "I'm trying not to force anything. I'm not looking for anything necessarily but maybe that's when something good happens. I don't really have any expectations.
As for what's getting her through the break-up, Lauren credited, "friends, family, the beach and working out." And, in particular, Lauren highlighted doing pilates at The Studio in Marina Del Rey. "It's like Pilates on crack. It's really hard but I love it. It clears my mind when I do it."
Lauren has yet to return the $80,000 Neil Lane engagement ring Ben proposed to her with, but said, "I want to give it back, but I think [the producers] have had a lot of other stuff going on. I will give it back."
Of course, the producers' "other stuff" going on could have to do with the recent Bachelor in Paradise scandal, with the show set to resume production after being cleared of any misconduct after an investigation by Warner Bros.
"I've never been on Paradise, I've heard it's very different from The Bachelor so I don't really understand it," Lauren admitted of the controversy. "I've heard rumblings but have tried to not draw any conclusions or make any judgments because I truly don't know. But I do know that I'm excited it's coming back so I can watch it."