Setting: A small café on Valentine’s Day evening. Emma and Sofia sit at a table.
SOFIA: I still can’t believe you agreed to meet Daniel tonight.
EMMA: It’s not a date. We’re just talking.
SOFIA: On Valentine’s Day? That sounds suspicious.
EMMA: I told him I don’t care about Valentine’s Day. It’s commercial and stressful.
SOFIA: Mm-hmm. And yet you look nervous.
EMMA: I am not nervous.
(Daniel enters, holding two envelopes.)
DANIEL: Hi. Sorry I’m late.
EMMA: It’s fine. We just got here.
SOFIA: “We”? I’ve been here twenty minutes.
DANIEL: Hi, Sofia.
SOFIA: Relax, Daniel. I’m leaving. I don’t want to interrupt this very “not a date.”
(Sofia stands.)
SOFIA: (to Emma, quietly) Be honest tonight.
(Sofia exits.)
DANIEL: She doesn’t like me very much, does she?
EMMA: She’s protective. It’s her hobby.
DANIEL: That’s fair.
(Awkward silence.)
DANIEL: So… I know you said you don’t like Valentine’s Day. But I wrote something. You don’t have to read it now.
EMMA: You wrote something?
DANIEL: Just a letter. Nothing dramatic.
(He accidentally drops one envelope. Emma picks it up.)
EMMA: Oh—this one says “Sofia.”
DANIEL: What? That’s impossible.
(They look at the envelopes. Daniel freezes.)
DANIEL: Oh no.
EMMA: Daniel… why do you have a letter for Sofia?
DANIEL: It’s not what you think.
EMMA: Then explain.
DANIEL: I asked Sofia for advice. I didn’t know what to write to you. So I wrote a practice letter to her first.
EMMA: A practice letter?
DANIEL: Yes. She told me to be honest. She said if I couldn’t write something real, I shouldn’t give you anything at all.
(Emma slowly relaxes.)
EMMA: So the letter for me is the real one?
DANIEL: Yes. The Sofia one just says, “Help me. I’m terrible at this.”
(Emma laughs for the first time.)
EMMA: That actually sounds like you.
DANIEL: I know you don’t like big romantic gestures. But I wanted to tell you that I admire how direct you are. You don’t pretend. You say what you feel. It makes me want to be braver.
(He hands her the correct envelope.)
EMMA: You’re very nervous right now.
DANIEL: Extremely.
(Emma opens the letter and reads silently. She looks up.)
EMMA: You wrote that I make ordinary days feel calm.
DANIEL: That’s true.
EMMA: That’s not dramatic.
DANIEL: No. Just honest.
(Pause.)
EMMA: Maybe I don’t hate Valentine’s Day. Maybe I just hate fake Valentine’s Day.
DANIEL: I can promise you this isn’t fake.
(Sofia suddenly appears in the doorway.)
SOFIA: So… should I leave you two alone again?
EMMA: Yes, Sofia.
DANIEL: Please.
(Sofia smiles and exits again.)
EMMA: Next time, just write one letter.
DANIEL: Deal.
— THE END —
Teacher Tip: Ask students to practice intonation for “awkward silence,” “Oh no,” and “That’s not dramatic.” These lines are great for natural rhythm.