Tea enters the open room of the cabin. She's wrapped in a towel and her hair is neatly tucked away in a second one. She notices that Todd has laid out some clothes on the bed for her. She quickly puts them on and hears him rummaging around on the deck of the cabin. She finishes getting dressed and goes outside to see what he's doing.
Tea: What's going on? What are you doing?
Todd: Im bringing in a few more logs for the fire tonight. Its going to be a really cold night.
Tea: Well, I was nice and toasty inside, but Im getting cold quickly again out here.
Todd: Well, then, could you please go back inside and let me do the mans job?
Tea: Yes Mr. Manning. (play saluting at him)
Todd: You can call me Sir.
Tea: (mumbling) I don't think so.
Todd: What was that? Are we being snarky now?
Tea: Im going inside.
Todd: Ill be right there.
Todd looks up into the north sky. Tonight is going to be a very hard night. And not for the reasons he or she are hoping for. There's lots of talking that has to be done before anything else can happen. He's got to open himself up and that's just not easy. He'd almost rather have sex with her, than to open his mind or worse, his soul, to her. But tonight's the night that's going to the challenge of a lifetime. He's finally going to do it. It being the operative word. And this time, it means, opening himself up to her. Totally and completely. But for the first time in his life, he doesn't feel like anyone is making him do it. He wants to do it, for himself. He realizes that things are getting just a little too weird. But he's done weird before. Its all this sharing that's really getting to him. But h's come this far, turning back now is no longer an option.
He enters the cabin and sees Tea fiddling around aimlessly. He can feel her apprehension and her nervousness.
Todd: First of all, calm down. Im not going to bite you, well, not unless, not unless you want me to.
Tea: Will I turn into a vampire like you? Or are you more of a night owl? Harmless, yet free to prowl all hours of the night?
Todd: We living dead prefer night hawk. It gives us a stalking ability par none.
Tea: I know that's what you like to think, but its not healthy Todd. You'd end up dead by 40.
Todd: Ill end up dead by tomorrow if I have to think too much. I want to talk to you Tea. Really, really talk. Im not sure exactly what it is I want to say, have to say, but I just know we have to get the ground rules straight.
Tea: So there will be limits this time too?
Todd: That's what I want to talk to you about. We made deal after deal, pledge after pledge, promise after promise and still we broke all the deals, pledges, promises. We always break the rules. So what's the purpose of them, if were just going to throw them out the window anyway?
Tea: What are you trying to tell me Todd?
Todd: Im not sure if its as simple as HERE IT IS.
Tea: Lets try to keep it simple. I understand simple. Simple keeps things, uncomplicated.
Todd: But we've never been simple people, Delgado. Were extremely complicated. And sick and twisted to boot.
Tea: I've never thought of us as sick and twisted. Just different.
Todd: Whatever. It doesn't matter what we call it Tea, were just not normal.
Tea: Normal is whatever we want it to be.
Todd takes Teas hand in his. He brings her over to the bed.
Todd: Sit down.
Tea: All right. (sitting)
Todd: (yelling at her) Why did you do that? Why did you just trust that sitting there was the right thing to do?
Tea: Because it felt like the right thing to do.
Todd: Being with you feels right. When Im not with you it just feels so wrong. So how do I find a happy medium? How do I find happiness period?
Tea: You don't find it, Todd. IT finds YOU. (pausing) How do you feel with me right here, (moving her body closer to his, her hand still in his) right now?
Todd: Im not sure I know where you're going with this Delgado.
Tea: Just answer the question Todd.
Todd: I don't know how I feel. I cant always express how Im feeling at the exact moment that Im feeling it.
Tea: Well, how about this? How did you feel when I wasn't around?
Todd: That's easy. I felt at peace. I wasn't screwing up your life and I could tell that you were happy. So that made ME happy.
Tea: I don't believe you.
Todd: Okay, so I lied. I hated that you seemed happy. But I could tell the boy scout just wasn't cutting it and I watched you retreat from him, but RJ? I never understood that one. You used to be so afraid of him. How did that all change for you?
Tea: Do you really want to go here?
Todd: Yeah, I guess I do.
Tea: RJ had that element about him that I find attractive in men.
Todd: He had long hair?
Tea: You telling this story or am I?
Todd: Go ahead, you finish your thought.
Tea: Thank you. Now where was I?
Todd: Some THING about men that you love. I can guess what IT is.
Tea: He was a bad boy. He had that element of living on the edge.
Todd: So is that what you like about me?
Tea: Not at all. You, I loved for a lot of different reasons.
Todd: Past tense aye? I've been relegated to past tense.
Tea: I wasn't sure if you wanted me saying my honest feelings in this discussion.
Todd: That's something I've always liked about you. You're undying and relentless brutal honesty. I find it refreshing in a world full of liars.
Tea: The total truth?
Todd: (In a valley girl voice) Like Totally!
Tea: (giggling, but recovering quickly back to serious) No matter what?
Todd: No matter what!
Tea: No protecting of the heart? No hiding our souls?
