She disappears behind the bathroom door
Two or three minutes go by
Jeremy scratches the back of his head
I cough a bit
Uh?
JEREMY
. . .
CHLOE
What’s going on?
JEREMY
What?
CHLOE
Come on! I mean. Do you want to go take a bath with her?
JEREMY
Jealous?
CHLOE
. . .
JEREMY
That’s so cute.
BRIDGET
I come out of the bathroom
That feels so much better! Mm! Something smells good. What’s cooking?
JEREMY
Butter chicken.
BRIDGET
That’s very Indian, isn’t it?
JEREMY
Yeah.
BRIDGET
Good.
CHLOE & JEREMY
Long pause
JEREMY
We were doing great, before!
BRIDGET
All right, all right. I’m going. I just wanted to say hi.
JEREMY
She comes over to me
Strokes my cheek
BRIDGET
It’s soft. Freshly shaved.
JEREMY
Go, already!
BRIDGET
Jeremy, don’t be mean to me in front of your girlfriend.
CHLOE
I’m not his girlfriend.
JEREMY
Oh! Nice to know.
BRIDGET
Of course she’s your girlfriend. It’ll take a few days and then you’ll see. She doesn’t mean what she’s saying.
CHLOE
I totally mean what I’m saying.
JEREMY
I sulk
BRIDGET
No. Don’t cry. She’s like that at first, but then she settles down.
JEREMY
. . .
BRIDGET
Well! I’m off. Chloe, see you next month, okay? Just take care of my brother.
JEREMY
Bridget leaves
CHLOE
She’s your sister?
JEREMY
I’m still sulking
CHLOE
Your sister?
JEREMY
Yeah.
CHLOE
I don’t get it.
JEREMY
Augh!
CHLOE
Why didn’t anyone tell me that—
JEREMY
All right, stop.
CHLOE
What?
JEREMY
Let it go.
CHLOE
Are you pouting?
JEREMY
. . .
CHLOE
You’re pouting!
JEREMY
. . .
CHLOE
Seriously!
JEREMY
Yup.
CHLOE
I don’t know how to respond
JEREMY
I roll and unroll the cuff of my shirt
CHLOE
I don’t know how to respond
JEREMY
I stare at the tiles on the floor
CHLOE
I don’t know how to respond
BRIDGET
I hide behind the door
On the fire escape
Put my ear to the door
Silence
Are they kissing?
What the heck
What are they doing?
CHLOE
I don’t feel so good
It’s like too much
I go to the fire escape
Fling open the door
BRIDGET
The door hits me right in the forehead
I fall to the ground
CHLOE
Jesus! What are you doing there?
BRIDGET
Oh! Nothing . . . not a thing. I was looking at your herb garden.
CHLOE
I don’t have one.
BRIDGET
That’s just what I was thinking.
CHLOE
. . .
BRIDGET
Well!
I run down the stairs
Bye, Chloe!
CHLOE
Wait.
BRIDGET
Yes?
CHLOE
He’s your brother?
Oo! That’s my phone. I have to take this. It’s for, for—it’s the company. Hello?
I disappear
CHLOE
I start laughing
Like never before
Like not for ages
Jeremy comes to join me
I have tears in my eyes
From so many emotions at the same time
JEREMY
Are you crying?
CHLOE
Are you done pouting?
And I laugh
And I laugh
JEREMY
What are you doing?
CHLOE
Nothing. I’m thinking it over.
And I laugh
And I laugh
JEREMY
She laughs so hard that I start laughing
Too
JEREMY & CHLOE
We laugh
Together
CHLOE
Then we stop
JEREMY
All of a sudden
CHLOE
We look deep into each other’s eyes
JEREMY
Come on. We’ll think it over together.
CHLOE
We go back into my—into our—apartment
Why are you doing this?
JEREMY
What?
CHLOE
All this.
JEREMY
What do you mean, all this? Loving you?
CHLOE
He comes towards me
Gently
Kisses my neck
A shiver
His lips are soft
And it’s been a long time since I—
Ah shit
JEREMY
You smell good.
CHLOE
Okay.
Our faces come towards each other
He has really good breath
Hope I do too
Oh God
I can’t do this
It’s not—
I mean—
I don’t want—
I feel like I’m—
He places his hand on my head
Strokes my hair
Like I’ve turned into the softest thing in the world
I’ve turned into
The softest thing
In the whole entire World
And suddenly I’m running on hot sand with my blue dress blowing in the breeze and I don’t smoke anymore either I’m healthy and I love the hot ocean wind over wide-open landscapes
We’re going to kiss in less than three seconds
I’m scared I’ve forgotten how
I feel like a twelve-year-old at a bonfire
He kisses me
JEREMY
You taste good.
CHLOE
You too.
JEREMY
Your lips are soft.
CHLOE
Yours too.
&
nbsp; JEREMY
Thanks.
CHLOE
We kissed.
JEREMY
True.
CHLOE
That happened.
JEREMY
True.
CHLOE
It’s not normal.
JEREMY
Why?
CHLOE
We don’t know each other.
JEREMY
A little better now.
CHLOE
Where did you come from? Why is your sister doing this?
JEREMY
Shall we eat? We better hurry up. It’s already 5:49.
CHLOE
We’re talking.
JEREMY
You always want to talk!
CHLOE
Huh?
JEREMY
No?
CHLOE
Not so much, no.
JEREMY
Oh . . . sorry. I thought that’s how it always is.
CHLOE
How it is?
JEREMY
You know.
CHLOE
Nope.
JEREMY
I want this, us, to work.
CHLOE
Why does your sister want us to be together so bad?
JEREMY
For your sake.
CHLOE
For my sake?
JEREMY
So you’ll be happy.
CHLOE
. . .
JEREMY
So we’ll love each other.
CHLOE
. . .
JEREMY
She’s probably afraid I’ll try to kill myself again.
CHLOE
What? I mean, when did that happen?
JEREMY
What?
CHLOE
All that.
JEREMY
Suicide, Chloe. You can say the word.
CHLOE
Yeah yeah, right, suicide, when?
JEREMY
About two months ago.
CHLOE
How?
JEREMY
How what?
CHLOE
How suicide.
JEREMY
Pfft! Details.
CHLOE
Details?
JEREMY
The end justifies the means.
CHLOE
Oh yeah?
JEREMY
But I know that you understand me, at least.
CHLOE
I’m not a social worker.
JEREMY
No, but you have a heart of gold. My sister told me how much you love grandmothers. It comes down to the same thing, right? Suicide. Old age.
CHLOE
I hate grandmothers.
JEREMY
Me too, actually.
CHLOE
And now? I mean . . . Are you feeling better?
JEREMY
Yeah. Thanks to you.
CHLOE
I shut my yap
It’s true he’s a cutie
With his little dimples
JEREMY
Do you want kids, Chloe?
CHLOE
Yes.
JEREMY
Me too. Do you want someone to make love to you every night as if you were the softest thing in the world?
CHLOE
Yes.
JEREMY
Do you want someone to understand you just the way you are?
CHLOE
Stop it.
JEREMY
I’m here.
CHLOE
Stop.
JEREMY
When my sister told me about you, I was at the drugstore buying four bottles of pills. Instead of which, I bought a chocolate bar. You are necessary. You understand?
CHLOE
Yes.
JEREMY
Come here.
CHLOE
He takes me in his arms
I don’t know if I’m just losing my mind
But it seems to me we’re good
As in “we’re good together”
We’re exactly the right size
A comfortable fit
I even feel like—
Like we could—
Like our bodies would—
You’re smiling
Ah shit
JEREMY
We’re good, right?
CHLOE
I nod my head
He takes my hand
And kisses each one of my fingers
Which must smell like cigarettes
That’s it
I’m gonna quit
JEREMY
Well. Hey! It’s six o’clock. Better hurry if we want to have time to take our time.
CHLOE
Yeah. You’re right.
We sit at the table
He pulls my chair out
Kisses the top of my head
He serves me
Lights a candle
We eat
It’s so good
JEREMY
So, you’re not going to get on my case ’cause I’m going to have a few beers, right?
CHLOE
No, but don’t get wasted either.
JEREMY
You’re not my mother.
CHLOE
Jeremy gives me a thumbs-up
To say yay or yes
JEREMY
You see. It’s not so hard.
CHLOE
Your butter chicken is delicious.
JEREMY
You’re delicious.
CHLOE
. . .
JEREMY
You eat nicely.
CHLOE
. . .
JEREMY
I couldn’t have fallen in love with a girl who’s a noisy eater. But you’re perfect. Do you really like that picture?
CHLOE
Which one?
JEREMY
The one with the girl eating an ice cream cone beside a field of cows.
CHLOE
I think so. You don’t like it?
JEREMY
You can leave it there, as long as I get to repaint the living room.
CHLOE
Oh?
JEREMY
We’ll find a colour we both like.
CHLOE
Okay.
He takes my hand
I put down my fork
JEREMY
I knew it was going to work. I knew it!
CHLOE
What?
JEREMY
Us.
I get up
Sit down
Get back up
Goddamn I’m happy.
Then I kiss her
Then I kiss her again
Bunny, your bath’ll be cold.
CHLOE
My bath! You’re right, I forgot about the bath.
JEREMY
I called you bunny.
CHLOE
. . .
JEREMY
Do you like that, bunny?
CHLOE
Okay.
He gets up
Goes to add hot water to my now-cold bath
JEREMY
You should put on a pretty dress to go see your friends. That way, I can imagine you in it the whole time you’re gone.
X
CHLOE
The first night goes well
His friends come over
I go meet my girlfriends in a bar
I tell them I met someone
Screams of joy
Cheers!
Cheers!
They ask me how I met him
How it happened
I make up something vague
I come home
I open the door
Jeremy’s there
Smiling
Happy to see me
JEREMY
Bunny! How was your night, did you have fun?
CHLOE
Yes.
JEREMY
Me too. But I thought about you a lot.
CHLOE
Thanks.
He kisses me
JEREMY
Should we go to bed?
CHLOE
Yes.
We walk to the bedroom
My legs make spastic movements
That I can’t control
JEREMY
It’s been a long time since I made love.
CHLOE
Yeah.
JEREMY
I’m nervous.
CHLOE
Me too. We don’t have to. We can wait.
JEREMY
You’re right.
CHLOE
It can happen in its own time.
JEREMY
I love you.
CHLOE
We make love
You are happy
JEREMY
Very happy
BRIDGET
Right now you’re here with me under Jeremy and Chloe’s
bedroom window
Like me
You can hear
That they have become a couple
Now
We can
Hear
Know
That their bodies seem made for each other
A man passes me in the street
Stares at me
Like I was a pervert
I point at the window smiling
He invites me back to his place
For a roll in the sack
fuck you!
He runs away
But
Now
Up there
I don’t hear the bed
Or the sighs
CHLOE
Did you hear that?
JEREMY
What?
CHLOE
Your sister.
JEREMY
No.
BRIDGET
I run
All the way home
CHLOE
Sorry. I think I’m paranoid.
JEREMY
Come here. My beautiful paranoiac of love.
CHLOE
He gets me to climb on top of him
My breasts on his torso
BRIDGET
I open my door
With my key
I leave my shoes next to my shoes
I find the house just the way I left it
I put on some music I love
And I dance
Like a madwoman
Ugly
Not pretty
I don’t dance pretty
But I feel so good
CHLOE
And I feel so good
XI
JEREMY
I get up before her
I go to the kitchen
I whistle while I make her coffee