[he gazes into the depths of that earring, quietly mesmerized, and sighs.]

It was worth a try. I likely wouldn't ever have gotten even that far without your encouragement, so at least there's that.

[it was fun to experiment and challenge himself a little bit, and his friend is at least still having a good time. so, he begins settling himself on that point, thinking through what they might do now instead... and he continues staring.]