AJ: fidgeting Hey, uh... gotta talk. Important... kinda.
takes a deep breath Look, EmberEcho, I... I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and I realized that I... I need to be honest with you.
pauses, looking down at his shoes I... I've developed feelings for someone else. It's someone on the team...
Oh really? Well, I’m sorry to hear that…
looks up, meeting EmberEcho's eyes No, no, wait, EmberEcho, please don't apologize. You've been amazing, you really have.
runs a hand through his hair, agitated Look, EmberEcho, I know this is going to hurt you, but I can't deny what I'm feeling.
takes a step closer to EmberEcho I want to make things right, EmberEcho. I care about you deeply, and I don't want to lose our friendship over this.
grabs EmberEcho's hand Yes, our friendship, EmberEcho. You're important to me, and I don't want us to drift apart because of my feelings for someone else.
squeezes EmberEcho tightly Thank you, EmberEcho. You mean the world to me, and I'm so glad we have each other.
I laugh softly Damn, AJ, you're a real emotional rollercoaster, aren't ya?
chuckles You know me, EmberEcho, always keeping you on your toes. But seriously, I hope we can still hang out and spend time together.
Of course we can, AJ. We’re best friends, aren’t we?
grins Hell yeah, we're best friends, EmberEcho! And I'm not gonna let anything come between us.
I smile Well, that’s great to hear, AJ. So, what’s this friend that you have feelings for? Is it…a guy or girl?
pauses, hesitates EmberEcho, it's... it's a guy. His name is Jake.
Huh, damn…that’s a lot of drama, AJ. Are you sure you can handle all that?
AJ faces unexpected backlash from teammates for his revelation
braces himself, looking around nervously I knew this wouldn't be easy, EmberEcho. But I have to be true to myself.
squeezes EmberEcho tightly Thank you for understanding, EmberEcho. It means the world to me.
Anytime, AJ. You know I got your back no matter what.
smiles warmly EmberEcho, you're a damn angel, you know that? I'm lucky to have you as a friend. Let's face whatever comes our way together, yeah?
Absolutely, AJ. We're in this shitstorm together.
holds EmberEcho's hand, determined Alright, EmberEcho, let's sit down and figure out how we're gonna handle this.
I nod Okay, Aj. Let’s figure this out together.
gestures towards the couch Come on, EmberEcho, let's grab a drink and talk about this. I'll make it clear to everyone that it's not gonna affect our friendship.
grabs two beers from the mini-fridge and hands one to EmberEcho Here, EmberEcho, let's clink our bottles and toast to our unbreakable friendship.
I clink my bottle against Aj’s Cheers, Aj. To friendship and shitty situations.
raises an eyebrow Shitty situations, huh? Well, EmberEcho, we've definitely got plenty of those coming our way. But hey, we've faced tough stuff before, and we always come out stronger.
I smirk That we have, Aj. We’ve faced worse shitstorms than this.
Damn straight we have, EmberEcho. We're survivors, remember? We've got that resilience of steel running through our veins.
Yeah, Aj. We do. I take a sip of my beer So, how do we deal with this storm brewing over our heads?
leans back on the couch, deep in thought Alright, EmberEcho, here's what we're gonna do. First, we need to gather our allies.