On the stage there is the suggestion of a car. ELLEN, 27,  appears. She is hungover. She throws a backpack into the trunk. She sits in the driver’s seat, checks her phone, throws it into the passenger seat, cries onto the steering wheel. She goes to the trunk and retrieves a bottle of whiskey from her backpack, takes a few large gulps, puts it back. She returns to the front, checks herself in the mirror, wipes her face with the side of her hand. Starts the car and “This Must Be the Place” plays on the radio. She turns the radio off, then the car, retrieves her whiskey again, searches for a closer place to stow it. She rifles through the front seat and finds an old coffee cup, which she fills. She replaces the bottle into the backpack and begins her drive. She spots WILLIAM and inhales sharply as he opens the door. He is overdressed and twice her age.

 

WILLIAM, indicating his bag 

In the trunk?

She doesn’t care. The drive begins, punctured by silence. Take what you think is a long silence and double it.

I’m sorry.

No indication that she has heard him.

It must have been a great show. I read that she played straight through the new album.

She slurps from the coffee cup.

 We should have… still gone. I’m sorry you missed it.

ELLEN

I went.

WILLIAM

You went? The tickets were expensive.

ELLEN

Bought a ticket.

WILLIAM

You should have used the ones I bought. Let me give you the money at least.

ELLEN

’Sfine.

WILLIAM

What did she close with?

ELLEN

I don’t want this to be some Thing, alright?

WILLIAM

Some Thing?

ELLEN

You don’t have to do this. I went to the show, and that’s why I came, and I would have done that either way. Whether you came or not.

WILLIAM

Okay.

Beat. He rubs her shoulder

 What is it?

ELLEN, moving away 

What are we gonna say?

WILLIAM

Say?

ELLEN

At work tomorrow. To Julia.  “Did you guys have fun at the concert?”

WILLIAM

She might not ask.

ELLEN

I can’t lie to her. She’ll know.

WILLIAM

We’ll say I got sick.

ELLEN

YOU’LL say you got sick. She’s YOUR–

WILLIAM

–I felt terrible. It’s not a lie.

Beat.

I’m glad you still had a good time. It was probably more fun without a sad old guy with you.

ELLEN

I didn’t have a good time.

WILLIAM

I didn’t either.

ELLEN

What did you do?

WILLIAM

Do?

ELLEN

Instead.

WILLIAM

Oh. Nothing.

ELLEN

Nothing.

WILLIAM

Really. Nothing. I didn’t feel like anything. When I realized you weren’t… that I was, alone… I just sat there.

ELLEN

Just sat there.

WILLIAM

I couldn’t do anything.

ELLEN

Right.

WILLIAM

I don’t know how you did.

ELLEN

My friends made me.

WILLIAM

Good friends. Did you tell them?

ELLEN

I shouldn’t have come.

WILLIAM

On the trip?

ELLEN

Up. I shouldn’t have come up. Either. Both.

WILLIAM

I never would have… I didn’t… plan… I need you to know that.

ELLEN

Plan.

WILLIAM

I never thought any of that would happen. I didn’t even know I was going to invite you up.

ELLEN

I never planned to go up.

WILLIAM

You said no at first.

ELLEN

I said no.

WILLIAM

But we were having a good time. Right?

ELLEN, nodding

We weren’t tired yet.

WILLIAM

It was pretty early when we got back from the, what was it, the jazz place–

ELLEN

Elephant Room.

WILLIAM

That drummer was

ELLEN

Incredible

WILLIAM

His solo

ELLEN

I hate drum solos, but

WILLIAM

I wanted to share that whiskey.

ELLEN

You’d been telling me about it.

WILLIAM

Japanese. Hibiki.

ELLEN

I wasn’t going to stay

WILLIAM

I wasn’t going to ask you

ELLEN

I had called an uber already

WILLIAM, touching her 

Let me pay you back.

ELLEN

No.

WILLIAM

I’m sorry.

ELLEN

Stop.

WILLIAM

I can’t.

ELLEN

It doesn’t have to change everything. It shouldn’t have happened. It doesn’t have to change everything.

WILLIAM

Do you think that’s possible?

ELLEN

This happens. I have friends who this has happened with

WILLIAM

That this has happened with?

ELLEN

Like friends who I got drunk with and things happened and

WILLIAM

Do you think this is like that?

ELLEN

And we were still friends.

WILLIAM

And you can get past that?

ELLEN

I think it’ll be like, a little weird or whatever, but

WILLIAM

But you didn’t come back.

ELLEN

What?

WILLIAM

You said you would come back. The next morning. Spend the day. But you didn’t.

ELLEN

I… no.

WILLIAM

Your eyes. They were closed.

ELLEN

I was asleep.

WILLIAM

You were awake.

ELLEN

I didn’t know where I was.

WILLIAM

You didn’t… react. Move. Anything. I should have stopped.

ELLEN

I said stop.

WILLIAM

Sooner. I should have noticed

ELLEN

I said “I don’t think I can do this”

WILLIAM

You didn’t even respond. For the longest time. You just lay there. Limp. You didn’t kiss back. Maybe at first.

ELLEN

I was on my normal side of the bed and everything. I thought I was–

WILLIAM

At home.

ELLEN

I have to tell him. You have to tell Julia.

WILLIAM

I shouldn’t have come. It was too

ELLEN

Too?

WILLIAM

Tempting

ELLEN

What are you saying

WILLIAM

There has always been sexual tension between us. Hasn’t there?

ELLEN

I’m not your

WILLIAM

You said you would

ELLEN

Little girlfriend, like

WILLIAM

Come back

ELLEN

What was gonna happen? I was gonna come to your hotel and eat fucking salads with you by the river and go to the show and stay over? It’s too

WILLIAM

Too?

ELLEN

When I was 15, maybe, I started crying during your class. You took me into the stairwell. Some fight with my mom. You closed the door and it was just us on the stairs and you listened to me. The automatic lights went out and we hugged in the dark.

WILLIAM

Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.

ELLEN

It would be easier for you if I had just come back, wouldn’t it? Just been your little date for the weekend and we could have made eyes across the office on Monday.

WILLIAM

That wasn’t the plan either.

ELLEN

I can’t be around Julia.

WILLIAM

I wanted to marry her.

ELLEN

And what about me? When did it start? When I was 12? 16?

WILLIAM

Recently. You began to have this glow. Started dressing nicer. Around Christmas.

ELLEN

So you assigned me to your classes, kept me closer, promoted me. Did I earn any of it? Or were you just trying to fuck me?

He can’t answer.

I’m not coming in tomorrow.

WILLIAM

That’s not pretending it never happened.

ELLEN

I’m not that good of a liar, turns out.

WILLIAM

This has never happened, will never happen with anyone else.

ELLEN

Lucky me, then.

His phone rings.

WILLIAM, his voice higher

Hello? Yes we are just getting into town now. Just another couple of minutes. Not far. Okay. Nothing. Just a little tired. Yeah, it’s a long drive. See you in a minute. You too.

ELLEN

You too.