[Todd stares at the door in front of him...at his means of escape. He avoids looking back at her, not wanting to be tempted by her.]
Todd: We already did that kissing thing. You couldn't control yourself, remember?
Tea: It's my birthday.
Todd: So?
Tea: So, it's a tradition. On someone's birthday, you're supposed to kiss them as many times as years they've been alive.
Todd: We did a lot of that earlier. We must have done more than your age already, even though you are really old.
Tea: I was having difficulty concentrating earlier. We need to do it now, while we're both able to focus and count each kiss.
Todd: Delgado...
[There's a long pause. When Tea speaks, her voice is full of emotion.]
Tea: I love you, Todd.
[Todd's head hits the door in front of him with a loud thud. His hand is on the doorknob. His instincts tell him to leave, to avoid the fallout of her words, at least for tonight.]
Tea: I've dived in, I might as well see if I can swim. I want you to stay. I want you to spend the night with me in my bed. I want us to make love all night, knowing that's what we're doing. Tomorrow, I want you to leave me only long enough to check out of your hotel. I want you to move in here with me.
Todd: You've got a long list.
Tea: Can you give me everything on it, without one second's hesitation.
Todd: I'm getting a sense of deja vu.
Tea: So am I.
[Todd turns toward her. She's still standing in the doorway of her bedroom. The distance between them isn't far physically but, to both of them, it seems an overwhelming distance to cross.]
Todd: What about my list?
Tea: Tell me. Come on, Todd. Don't be a coward. Tell me.
Todd: Number one...you can't mock me.
Tea: I was teasing.
Todd: You can't do that, either.
Tea: I enjoy that.
Todd: Okay, but only when it's just you and me. When other people are around, you call me sir and you never contradict me.
Tea (laughing): I don't think so.
Todd: I'm giving you everything on your list. You have to give me everything on mine.
[Tea's smile disappears, replaced by a serious expression.]
Todd: Are you ready for this?
Tea: No. Are you?
Todd: No. So, why are we doing this?
Tea: Because, we don't have a choice. We tried everything else. It's time to try this, without running.
Todd: Can you do that?
Tea: I don't know.
Todd: Tell me again.
Tea: I love you.
Todd: Like a friend?
Tea: Like a friend, like a lover, like someone who wants to wake up next to you every morning, who wants to spend the rest of my life with you.
Todd: When you decide to go diving, you jump from the highest board, don't you?
Tea: I had a husband once who taught me that anything worth doing was worth doing to excess.
Todd: If that's true, why do I have to live in a dump to prove I maybe, kind of, have some sort of feelings for you that aren't hatred?
Tea: You don't. I would like you to give this place a try for at least a couple of weeks. Maybe it'll grow on you, the way it has me.
Todd: It looks like the kind of place where disgusting stuff grows.
Tea: It does not! It's small. It's not rundown.
Todd: Aren't those the same things?
Tea: You've become a snob, Mr. Manning.
Todd: I'm allowed...I'm filthy rich.
Tea: Let's get through the explosion first, okay? Later, if we survive, together we can choose a place that feels right for both of us.
Todd: The most expensive place in the city?
Tea: We'll compromise.
Todd: You'll give in to what I want, and I'll let you?
Tea: How do you feel about me?
Todd: You already know that.
Tea: I said it, Todd. I said the words. I need you to say it to me, but only if you mean it.
Todd: If I needed you to wait, would you?
Tea: Yes.
Todd: But, you want me to spill my guts now?
Tea: Yes.
[Todd moves closer to her, but stops when there's still a few feet of distance between them.]
Todd: Will you always tell me the truth?
Tea: I'll try.
Todd: That's not good enough.
Tea: I won't knowingly lie to you. That's the best I can promise.
Todd: But, you promise that?
Tea: I promise, Todd. I'll be disgustingly honest with you. I'll tell you when you're being a jerk. I'll tell you when your socks don't match. I'll tell you when your eating habits are disgusting. I'll tell you...
Todd: Okay. I get it. You won't get dirt on me and use it against me?
Tea: You could hire me as your lawyer again. I would be required to keep all your secrets.
Todd: The same fee?
Tea: No fee.
Todd: Obviously, you need the money.
Tea: Pay me in kisses, and hugs, and all night expressions of love.
Todd: I think you need to get out of the pool.
Tea: It's too late. The dam has broken.
Todd: No, it hasn't.
Tea: You're right. It will take a while before it becomes more than words, more than surface feelings.
Todd (smiling): You told me the truth.
Tea: I want you to dig deeper and tap into those feelings that have been buried for so long, no matter how scary it may be.
Todd: We shouldn't risk it.
Tea: No, we shouldn't. But, I want to. Do you?
[Todd bridges the remaining physical gap between them as he steps into her personal space.]
Todd: If I do this, you have to stop talking for the rest of the night, except for sex talk. And, no smiling at me in that weird way you used to do sometimes, whenever you thought you caught me caring about you.
Tea: I'll take you into my bedroom, into my bed, and we'll distract ourselves for hours. We'll mask our feelings with pleasurable activities. We'll exhaust each other into sleep. We'll face the fallout tomorrow, if you don't run out on me in the middle of the night.
Todd: If you don't run out on me.
Tea: This is my apartment.
Todd: So? It's a dump. You probably want an excuse to get out of here.
Tea: You're stalling.
Todd: I was giving you time to change your mind. Have you?
Tea: I love you, Todd.
[Tea brings her hand to his face and lightly caresses his cheek.]
Tea: Someday, I want to be able to say that with my heart wide open. I want you to be the one who opens it.
[Todd recognizes the terror in her eyes, but he also sees determination, which pushes him to be just as determined to make it work this time.]
Todd: I'll make you happy, Tea. I'll make up for every time that I ever screwed things up between us. I'll make up for everything bad that's ever happened to you. I'll make up for all the times that you felt like no one gave a damn about you.
[He pauses for a moment as he continues to stare into her eyes with overwhelming intensity.]
Todd: I'll love you so much, you'll never have even a second of feeling unloved, for the rest of your life. I love you Tea.
Tea: Todd...
Todd: Don't talk.
[Slowly, Todd brings his lips to hers. They share a tender kiss, before he pulls away from her and looks into her eyes again.
Without hesitation, Todd takes her hand and leads her to the bed.]
