Abby really knew she should've talked to Ziva long before things had even gotten to this point, but it was understandable why she hadn't. Like Ziva, Abby didn't do these kinds of conversations well. She really couldn't do the negative talks or talk about bad things because, well, she didn't like dwelling on the bad things in life. Life was supposed to be enjoyed, not spent bogged down in the horrible things that happened in it. Which was probably ironic given the line of work Abby was in, but she did genuinely help people in her job. She helped catch the bad guys and get them off the street so they couldn't hurt anyone else. Sometimes it was just a difficult thing to remember that aspect of her job, especially in a world like they were currently in.
That was the story of life, really, that sometimes you had to take the bad with the good. While the bad may sometimes outweigh the good, you still needed to hold onto the good lest you go insane and lose yourself. And Abby had been losing herself. That was brought to a screeching halt when Ziva had shown up in the bowling alley because Abby couldn't run any longer. But she didn't have to change herself, she didn't have to be okay with the bad that happened. Everything had overwhelmed her, that much was obvious, but she would certainly do her best to ensure things never got to this point again.
Ziva's response to her wasn't unexpected. It had always been something that was inferred and never truly spoken in their interactions. But Abby had come to hold Ziva as her best friend. It had taken both of them a long time to get to that point, but over the years, Abby had gained an understanding of Ziva both inside and out. She knew this wasn't the Israeli woman's strong point and she never knew how to respond in these situations. However, Abby knew Ziva felt the same about her otherwise Ziva wouldn't even be there at the present moment. So instead of throwing more of such emotional words and revelations at Ziva, Abby smiled and glanced over her shoulder at the pins that were awaiting the game to be continued.
"I did buy several games, so why don't you join me? Seeing you in bowling shoes is not a sight I get to see." And there was some levity. It would of course take a little more time for Abby to be okay again, but she was moving in the right direction. And after finally getting those things off her chest, she felt an immense sense of relief on the matter.
And the chocolate lover's cupcake was finally hers.