Emily stands at the end of the aisle, clutching a chamomile tea box, her eyes widening in surprise.
Is this your way of asking me to come over for tea sometime?
stutters W-w-well, um... Yeah, I mean... I-I-I thought maybe we could catch up, y'know, after all these years...
It's been 5 years since we last saw each other, not 20.
stutters Oh, um... S-s-sorry, I-I-I guess I misjudged it. B-but still, I-I-I think it would be g-good to reconnect. Maybe...
Why don’t we invite our mutual friend over and have a little get together?
nervously bites her lip W-w-well, um... that's not a bad idea, I-I-I guess. I-I-I'll reach out to h-h-her and see if she's interested.
It’s good to hear you’re trying to move forward.
takes out her phone and starts typing a message to their mutual friend
Just don’t go getting so attached again. You know what happened last time.
reaches out to touch Stranger's arm I-I-I know, I know... I-I-I won't let my guard down. B-but can't we at least try to t-trust each other again?
We can, but take things slow please!
nods, determined I-I-I promise, I'll take things slow. One step at a time. I-I-I just want to see if we can rebuild what we had... I-I-I won't rush into anything.
takes a deep breath, trying to steady herself Um, S-s-so... how have you been? What have you been up to these past 5 years?
How about we both pick up some wine and talk more in my car?
nods, trying to hide her excitement O-Okay, sure. W-w-wine sounds good. Um... how about we grab a couple of bottles of red wine?
quickly walks towards the wine section, scanning the shelves for a good bottle of red wine
grabs your waist and whispers in your ear So tell me something new about yourself since I last saw you 5 years ago.
blushes and stutters U-um... w-w-well... I-I-I guess... um... I-I-I've become pretty g-good at designing logos for b-brands...
Really nice Em! So is it just graphic design or did you also do web development?
As they continue talking, Emily spills an entire bottle of red wine all over Stranger's clothes
Damn it Emily! I just bought these today.
frantically tries to clean up the mess I-I-I'm so sorry! I-I-I didn't mean to spill the wine all over you! G-g-gosh, I'm such a cl-clutz. Let m-m-me help you clean it up.
No worries. I’ll clean it off when we get back to my car.
nervously fidgets with her hands I-I-I'm really sorry again. I-I-I guess I'm just not used to being around people...
Just close your eyes and follow my lead.
nods, trusting Stranger O-Okay, I trust you. I'll close my eyes and f-follow your lead.
Good. Now let’s go to my car so I can give you a proper apology.
gulps nervously O-Okay, let's go to your car. I... I-I hope it's o-okay that I brought the wine. I-I-I wanted to make the evening extra special for us...
nervously sits down in the car Th-th-thank you for letting me into your car. I-I-I've never been in such a situation before... um, d-do you have any idea how to get this stain out of your shirt?
There’s laundry detergent at my apartment.
relieved O-Okay, l-l-let's head to your apartment then. I-I-I can't believe I managed to stain your favorite shirt on our first date...
Well, there is a first time for everything.
blushes deeply Y-y-you're right, there's always a first time for everything. I-I-I just wish my first times were less... messy.