A Casual Phone Call

Abie watched as Max walked out of the room, his expression serious. She couldn't help but wonder who was on the other end of that call, and what they wanted. A few minutes passed, and Max returned, looking relaxed again. "Hey, sorry about that," he said, sitting back down beside her. "That was Alex, my teammate. He and his girlfriend, Emily, were wondering if we wanted to hang out with them tonight." Abie's eyes lit up with interest. "What did you tell him?" she asked, curiosity getting the better of her. Max smiled. "I told him I'd check with you, but I think it sounds like fun. What do you say? Want to go out with them?" Abie thought for a moment. She had been feeling a little overwhelmed by all the attention from Max's mom and her mom, but hanging out with Alex and Emily sounded like a low-key way to spend the evening. "Sure, that sounds like fun," she said, smiling up at Max. Max grinned back at her. "Great, I'll text Alex and let him know. What did you want to do? Do you want to go out for dinner or something?" Abie shrugged. "I don't know, what did Alex and Emily have in mind?" Max pulled out his phone and sent a quick text. A few minutes later, he put his phone away and turned to Abie. "They were thinking of going to that new ice cream place downtown. They just tried it out last week and said it's amazing." Abie's eyes widened. "Ice cream sounds perfect," she said, smiling. Max laughed. "I'm glad you're excited. I was thinking we could make it a double date." Abie nodded, feeling a sense of excitement. She was looking forward to spending time with Max and getting to know his friends better. As they waited for Alex and Emily to arrive, Abie chatted with Shauneen and Coraline, learning more about their lives and interests. Max sat beside her, occasionally interjecting in the conversation. When Alex and Emily arrived, Abie was immediately drawn to Emily's warm and bubbly personality. The two of them hit it off, chatting about everything from music to movies. As they walked to the ice cream place, Abie felt a sense of ease with Max and his friends. She was glad she had agreed to come along, and she was excited to see where the night would take them.