Scene: Jay's kitchen. It’s a little messy. Jay is looking at his phone. Liam is sitting at the table, looking a bit sad.
Jay: (Without looking up from his phone) Okay, so the plan for the weekend is amazing. We'll go hiking on Saturday, then a concert on Saturday night. I found tickets online. It's that band we like!
Liam: (Quietly) Jay, can we talk for a minute?
Jay: Sure, what’s up? (He finally puts his phone down.)
Liam: I just… I feel like we’re **drifting apart**. It's always you making the plans, and it's always something super active. We don’t just hang out and talk anymore.
Jay: What? No way. We're great! We see each other almost every weekend.
Liam: But do we? Or do we just do what you want to do? I feel like I'm a passenger in our friendship. I miss when we just used to sit and talk for hours. I just want to feel like we're still **on the same page**.
Jay: Oh. (He looks at Liam, understanding his friend's sadness.) I'm so sorry, man. I honestly didn't realize. I've been so busy with work and school, I just thought planning things was a way of making it easier. I didn't mean to make it feel one-sided.
The doorbell rings. Jay opens it to reveal Sophia, holding a bag of groceries.
Jay: Sophia! Hey. Come in.
Sophia: Hey, guys. Liam, you look like you just lost a pet. What’s going on?
Liam: We were just talking. I told Jay I feel like our friendship is changing, and not for the better.
Sophia: (Nods, understanding) I see. It's like a garden, you know? A friendship needs to be taken care of. You both have to **make an effort**. You can't just plant a seed and hope it grows forever.
Jay: That’s a good point. I guess I stopped tending the garden. So, how do we fix it?
Sophia: Well, first, we should make some food. Talking on an empty stomach never helps. I came over because I wanted to learn how to make your grandmother’s famous pasta sauce, Jay. You said you'd teach me.
Jay: Oh, right! I totally forgot.
Sophia: And Liam, you can help us! You're really good at chopping vegetables, remember?
Liam smiles a little for the first time.
Liam: I guess I am. I used to chop for my mom.
Jay: (Looks at Liam) That’s a great idea. We’ll make my sauce, and we can just talk. No phones, no hiking, no concerts. Just us. A new recipe for our friendship, maybe?
Sophia: Exactly. The first ingredient is honesty. The second is **communication**. And the rest is just time together.
Jay and Liam stand up and get ready to cook. Jay puts his arm around Liam's shoulder, a gesture of understanding. The three friends begin to chop vegetables and laugh as they work.
THE END