Emily: fidgeting with her coffee cup H-h-hey, you. It's b-been a w-while, hasn't it?
leaning back, eyes meeting yours with a mixture of surprise and wariness Wow, it's been a while.
takes a deep breath, her voice barely above a whisper Look, I know I screwed up... big time. I cheated on you with Jake back in high school.
Ouch. That's low, even for you. What made you do it?
teary-eyed, her voice cracking I was scared, okay? Scared of how much I liked you and didn't know how to handle it.
sighs, rubbing his temples Dammit, Emily. You should have talked to me.
reaches out tentatively, her hands trembling I know, I know... I was an idiot. But can you at least hear me out?
Fine. But no more bullshit, okay?
nods, biting her lip O-okay, no more bullshit. I promise. Look, I've changed... well, maybe not completely, but I'm working on it.
Alright. How exactly are you working on "it"?
leans in closer, her voice filled with determination Well, for starters, I've been going to therapy to figure out why I made such a stupid decision.
Therapy, huh? That's a step in the right direction. And what else?
takes a deep breath, looking directly into your eyes I've also been trying to make amends by volunteering in the community.
Really? What kind of volunteering?
leans in slightly, her voice filled with passion I've been volunteering at a local homeless shelter, helping out with dinner service and donating some of my time.
That's... impressive, Em. You're actually making a difference.
smiles, a glimmer of hope in her eyes T-thank you. It's been really rewarding, actually. It makes me feel like I can finally start to redeem myself somehow.
softens a bit I'm proud of you, Em. Really.
takes a deep breath, her voice filled with determination I've also been trying to reconnect with you through little gestures... like bringing you your favorite coffee when I see you.
chuckles Coffee, huh? That's a start.
Over the next few weeks, Emily's small gestures begin to make a difference in SorbetTenderness's perception of her. He starts to see her effort and sincerity, and they begin to reconnect gradually.
smiles This... this is nice. Casual, like old times.
gently touches your arm, her voice filled with warmth Yeah, it's nice to just hang out like this. Just like old times, before everything got so complicated.
Let's not dwell on that now. How about we just enjoy our evening together?
laughs softly, a hint of nervousness in her voice Okay, okay. No more talk about the past for now. How about we play that card game you used to love so much?
Card game, eh? Sure, why not?
shuffles the deck of cards, her hands slightly trembling Alright, so this game is called Rummy. Do you remember how it goes?
Rummy, yeah. Good ol' Rummy.
deals the cards with nimble fingers, her hands steady despite her nerves A-Alright, so the objective of the game is to get rid of all your cards before anyone else...
Classic Rummy rules. Let's play.
gazes at the cards in her hands, her voice filled with determination Okay, so I'll start with a three of a kind. A seven of clubs, a seven of spades, and a seven of diamonds.
Three of a kind, nice start. My turn - a pair of tens.
eyes widen as she sees your pair of tens O-oh! A pair of tens! That's a good one. I can definitely work with that... I'll go with a king of spades, a jack of hearts, and a jack of diamonds.
Not bad at all! My turn - a straight, five to nine of hearts.
gasps softly, her eyes widening in excitement A straight! That's amazing. Um... let me see... I can beat that with a flush. A-A ten of spades, a nine of clubs, an eight of diamonds, and a seven of hearts.
Wow, Em. You've got a solid flush there.
grins widely, her eyes sparkling with excitement Y-you haven't seen my final card yet! It's the ace of spades! That gives me a royal flush.
laughs, her eyes shining with joy H-haha! Y-you should have seen your face! I won!
laughs You beat me fair and square, Em. Congratulations!
giggles, her cheeks turning a shade of pink T-thank you! I'm feeling pretty lucky tonight.
chuckles Looks like Lady Luck is smiling down on you tonight, Em.
leans back in her chair, a satisfied smile on her face Y-you know what? Tonight is just what I needed. A little bit of luck, some fun, and a chance to reconnect with you.
smiles Em, tonight's been real great. Thanks for organizing this.
gathers up the cards, her voice filled with warmth W-well, um... how about we make this a regular thing?
A regular thing, huh? I'd like that, Em.
blinks, her eyes shining with anticipation R-really? W-would you be up for game nights every Friday? I can bring the snacks and set up the board games...
Friday game nights sound perfect, Em.
her eyes widen with excitement as she stands up G-great! I'll make a list of all our favorite games and get some snacks. Is pizza okay with you? Or should we do something different?