Emily

I walked up to her making sure to not intimidate her. "Hey, my name's Shawn. You alright?" The woman seemed to startle slightly at the sound of my voice, her teary gaze lifting to meet yours. She looked taken aback by my sudden approach, but her expression softened and she nodded slightly in acknowledgment. "Uh, yeah... I'm fine, I guess." She replied, her voice cracking slightly as she spoke. I continued, "I know we just met but I would like to help you in some way you would like." The woman's expression flickered with surprise at my offer, her teary eyes searching my face for any sign of ill intent. She seemed hesitant for a moment, her shoulders hunching slightly as if trying to withdraw into herself. However, her eyes betrayed a hint of vulnerability and sadness that tugged at something within me. After a pause, she spoke quietly. "Why?" I looked into her eyes and responded. "I am having probably toughest week of my life. I think I can recognize that type of crying." The woman regarded me with a more thoughtful expression, her eyes studying my face. A flicker of understanding passed through her gaze as she seemed to process my words. She let out a soft, shaky sigh, the sound carrying a hint of pain and exhaustion. "Toughest week of your life, huh?" She repeated, her voice slightly hoarse from crying. The woman swallowed, her throat bobbing with the action. She took a deep, steadying breath before speaking. "It's just... everything. Work, family, life... it all just seems to be falling apart around me. I feel like I'm drowning and I can't catch a break. It's exhausting." She admitted, her voice quivering slightly as she spoke, the emotion evident in her tone. I looked down in response, thought about how similar her situation is compared to mine. The woman noticed my expression, my gaze drifting down as if in contemplation. A flicker of empathy passed through her eyes, a silent understanding that I was perhaps going through a similar struggle. She seemed to realize that I wasn't just offering generic words of comfort - I was relating to her. "I work at a local restaurant not too far from here. I would like to pay for your food and talk with you there. Hallway is not exactly the place for it." I offered to her. The woman looked at me, her expression a mix of surprise and uncertainty. However, the flicker of hope and relief in her eyes was unmistakable. She let out a shaky breath, her body trembling slightly as she nodded. "Yeah, that... that would be nice." She whispered, a hint of vulnerability in her voice. "Alright. We'll get you some napkins on the way. Can't have you crying all day." I said with a smile. The woman's lips quivered into a small, grateful smile at my attempt to lighten the mood. A faint hint of amusement flickered in her tear-filled eyes as she nodded. "Yeah, I guess I must look like a mess, huh?" She mumbled, her voice still shaky. "Not much different than me. I suppose we made a depressive pair already." A soft, weary chuckle escaped the woman's lips at my remark. "Yeah, I guess we do." She agreed, a hint of irony in her voice. "A couple of hot messes, that's us." I responded with a wink, "Damn right. Now let's go before I change my mind." The woman let out a soft huff of amused laughter as I winked at her, a small smile flickering across her face. She wiped at her teary eyes with the back of her hand, attempting to compose herself. "Yeah, let's go. Don't want you to welsh out on your promise." "Oh, I almost forgot. What's your name?" The woman's eyes widened slightly as she realized she had forgotten to introduce herself. She laughed awkwardly, a hint of embarrassment coloring her expression. "Oh, god, I'm sorry. I must be more out of it than I thought. My name's Emily." "All good. Nice to meet you too Emily. I am Shawn." Emily smiled at me, a weary but genuine expression on her face. "Nice to meet you too, Shawn." She said softly, her voice carrying a hint of appreciation. "And thanks... for this. I really could use a breather and someone to talk to." I looked down once again and looked back up at her. "Believe me, me too." Emily nodded in understanding, her eyes filled with a hint of empathy. The two of you walked in silence for a moment, the only sound being the soft tread of your footsteps and the occasional sniffle from Emily. She then spoke up softly, her voice filled with a mixture of vulnerability and hopefulness. "You said you're having a tough week too, right?" "I did. Are you on the same boat?" I asked. Emily nodded slowly in response to my question, her expression reflecting a mix of weariness and resignation. "Yeah, pretty much. It's just one thing after another, you know? Work stress, family drama, relationship issues... it feels like I can't catch a break." I smiled and spoke teasingly. "I knew someone would've dated you. You are over my league." Emily let out a soft scoff, shaking her head in mild amusement. "Oh, shut up. You don't even know me." She retorted, though the hint of a smile played on her lips, betraying a hint of genuine appreciation for my attempt to lighten the mood. "That's the only way you are going to be above my league." I said teasingly. Emily rolled her eyes, a hint of mirth in her expression despite herself. "You're pretty forward, aren't you? Just met me and already flirting with me." She teased, her voice laced with a touch of playful sarcasm. "To be honest with you. I just kind of wanted to see you smiling more." I admitted. Emily's expression softened slightly at my remark, a flicker of sentiment in her eyes. She let out a soft, weary sigh, her shoulders slumping a bit. "Yeah, well, I haven't had much to smile about lately." She muttered, a hint of bitterness coloring her words. "Me neither. My plate is full with a little bit of everything. I cannot even make some time for myself." Emily nodded sympathetically, her expression filled with understanding. "Same here. It's like there's never enough hours in the day. By the time I get done with work and family stuff, I'm just exhausted. And even when I do try to relax, all the worries just keep creeping back in, you know?" I smiled and responded. "Or you just fall asleep like I do." Emily chuckled softly at my remark, appreciating the attempt at humor. "Yeah, that too. Falling asleep while trying to relax kinda defeats the point, doesn't it?" I slumped my shoulders in defeat. "Oh well, still gets the job done to be ready for the next to-do list." Emily nodded inagreement, a hint of grim humor in her expression. "Yeah, I guess it does. Gotta sleep so you can wake up and tackle the next day's mountain of problems, right?" I nodded and continued. "I just have to leave all that work for tomorrow's me sometimes." Emily huffed out a soft, weary laugh in agreement. "God, if that isn't the story of my life. I keep telling myself I'll deal with issues tomorrow, but then tomorrow comes, and suddenly there's even more to deal with. Tomorrow's me never gets a break." I looked into her eyes. "Can you stop being too relatable? I feel like I am looking at a mirror." Emily laughed again, the sound tinged with a hint of despair. "Trust me, I wish I wasn't so relatable right now. But hey, they say misery loves company, right? Maybe we can be mirrors of each other." I let out a slight chuckle and asked "Now who is flirting?" Emily gasped dramatically, feigning surprise at my words. "What? Me? Flirt? Never." She retorted, a hint of a playful smile on her face. "You're the one who started it." I smiled and let out another chuckle. "And you continued it." Emily raised an eyebrow in mock offense, her lips twitching with suppressed amusement. "Hey, I was just playing along. You started the whole flirtation game, I'm just matching your energy, buddy." "Oh, now I got 'buddied?" Emily chuckled at my reaction, her voice teasing. "Yep, you got 'buddied'. Can't blame me for calling it like I see it, buddy." "You are just going to drag this the entire day aren't you?" Emily huffed in feigned indignation. "Me? Drag this on the entire day? Would I do something like that, 'buddy'?" she said, emphasizing the last word with a cheeky tone. "Jesus. Aren't you a bundle of joy when you aren't swimming in sorrow?" Emily shrugged, a hint of a smirk playing on her lips. "What can I say? I have many layers, 'buddy'. I can go from brooding sad girl to cheeky flirt in a heartbeat." I laughed out loud and responded. "Very glamorous indeed." Emily chuckled, a hint of sarcasm and self-deprecation in her tone. "Oh yes, I'm the epitome of glamour. Nothing sexier than a woman on the brink of a breakdown, right?" I look at my surroundings and notice we had arrived. "Alright, Ms. Joyful Sorrow. We arrived. The family diner restaurant that I work for. Go take a seat meanwhile I get ready for work. As soon as I make some time for myself I'll come take a seat and talk to you." Emily flashed me a crooked smile, the weariness in her eyes still present but somewhat lightened. "Alright, 'buddy'. I'll go grab a seat. I'll try not to cry all over the table while you're gone." "I'll make sure to cover the table with napkins before that happens." I claimed. Emily let out a soft chuckle, a genuine hint of amusement in her voice. "I appreciate the thoughtfulness. I promise to try and control my tears so you don't have to bust open a whole pack of napkins, 'buddy'." I immediately replied, "Too late." Emily rolled her eyes playfully, a hint of warmth in her gaze. "You are relentless, aren't you? I haven't even sat down yet, and already you're predicting my tear-fest." "I will be serving you fresh fizzling tears water as soon as I am available." I said then put a menu in front of her. Emily chuckled weakly, shaking her head in mock despair. "Oh, how lovely. Fresh-pressed tears, my favorite." Her tone was laced with playful sarcasm as she looked at the menu I placed in front of her. As I finally managed to take a break and sat down in front of her, you noticed that she was already halfway through her meal. The other server had taken care of her, ensuring that she was served and attended to. Emily looked up as I sat down, a hint of amusement in her eyes.