Bethany sits for a good twenty to thirty minutes listening to her friends talk about what jerks guys can be sometimes before she snaps out of the daze she has been in since just before the thump. She finally admits, "He didn't mean for it to happen... I don't think he even realized... He would never do anything to hurt me on purpose," she rambles on, thinking about what had happened at the table...how she noticed him drop his napkin and bend down to get it, and how his eyes changed when he saw Will and Chad hugging. How he had been so distracted...flustered...that he dropped the napkin again and the unfortunate incident had resulted.
"Hurt you?" her friend asks, confused, once again breaking her out of her deep thoughts.
Shaking her head, she clarifies, speaking quickly, frantically, "Not hurt... I mean, like, um, make me feel embarrassed. That's what I meant. I should get going. Thank for putting my shirt to soak, but I'll go ahead and take it home to wash it. I'll get this one I borrowed back to you soon! Thanks for everything, and it was good to see you! We should hang out soon! Text me, okay?" And with that, she heads to the rooftop to find Sonny. Opening the door to the patio, she sees that the area has cleared out, except one lone occupied table. Sonny and Will, sitting, laughing. They are startled when she clears her throat, interrupting their fun. She and Sonny are ready to leave when Will reminds him to get his jacket. She looks on as Sonny leans in to say something to Will, causing both to smile broadly. Witnessing their 'moment,' she swallows the lump in her throat.
The ride home is quiet. Bethany stares out the passenger's side window, as Sonny occasionally glances her way, trying to will her to talk to him. Yell at him. Anything…
Nothing. The whole ride home. Nothing. Finally, they arrive back at their apartment. Sonny unlocks and opens the door, his arm outstretched, motioning for her to go in first. Bethany says a quiet "Thank you," and slips inside. It is late, and they are both exhausted from the night's events. They head into the bedroom. She gently kicks her shoes onto the closet floor. He unbuttons his dress shirt and tosses it into the hamper. They go through these usual bedtime rituals, only tonight they seem more forced. Methodical. They glance at each other nervously across the bed, as if it is their first night together. Only the awkwardness isn't from not knowing each other well yet, but from the disillusionment of realizing they thought they knew each other…knew themselves…but tonight had proven them both wrong.
Their eyes drift down to the bed. They pull the covers down. Lying down, Sonny turns to say goodnight, but, her back turned to him, it is evident this is done for tonight. He reaches up and turns the light off, thankful for the night to be over.
It is 4 a.m. and Bethany is wide awake. She is sure that he slept for at least a little while, but she knows she might as well give in and get up. She rolls over to find the other side of the bed empty. An indescribable feeling passes through her. She isn't used to waking up alone. She wonders if Sonny is okay, where he is, what he is thinking, what she should be thinking. She gets up and looks out the window. Although she is no morning person, it is calming to be up this early. The usually buzzing city is still in bed. Calm. The day is full of possibilities. She just isn't sure she wants to face those possibilities.
She walks down the hall, finding Sonny sitting on the couch in the living room. She remembers the last time they sat there together, Sonny falling asleep during the movie, then the passionate night that followed. Those were the days...just days ago. The days of ignorant bliss. The days shortly before- Bethany has a fleeting thought that makes her gasp out loud. Startled, Sonny turns to see her standing a few feet behind him.
"Oh my-you scared me…Sorry, did I wake you?"
"No, I—I just couldn't sleep," Bethany answers, trying to focus.
"Yeah, me neither," Sonny says, pressing his lips together in a sympathetic slight smile.
"Whatcha doin'?" she asks, walking around the side of the couch.
"Oh, I was just reading over tomorrow's scenes," Sonny answers, glad to see they are at least on speaking terms in these early morning hours.
"Oh?" Bethany probes for details.
"Yeah, nothing too major going on though, so I don't really need to, if you want to talk," Sonny says, tossing the script aside. "Listen, I'm sorry about last night…"
Bethany sits down on the couch, but on the opposite end from Sonny. "It's okay," she says, shaking her head, "I know it was an accident. It's just…"
"It's just, what? What's wrong?" Sonny asks, turning, putting his leg up on the couch and facing her.
"Can I ask you something?"
Nervously, Sonny agrees, "Sure."
"When did you and Will shoot your love scenes?" she asks, staring down at the couch.
"What? What does…what does that even have to do with anything?" Sonny says, confused.
"I just wondered…when was it?"
"Um," Sonny shifts uncomfortably in his spot, "Well, yesterday…and…a couple of weeks before that I guess…on that Wednesday maybe?"
"So…that day I met you on set?"
Recalling the day, Sonny swallows his nerves and replies, "Yes."
"When you were all…you know…and we went home after and…"
"Yes," Sonny quickly says, now, too, staring at the couch.
"And the other time was the time that we were practicing lines for…and I told you that you had never told me you loved me like that…and then we…"
Sonny takes a deep breath, "Yes."
"So, is that how it works then?...When your character and Will's character have sex, we do too?"
"What? That's…that's…what do you even mean by that…that's…"
"True?"
Sonny has now lifted his eyes are no longer staring at the couch, but refuse to look at Bethany either. Instead, they dart around the room and roll to the ceiling, in anger and frustration and sheer panic.
"Sonny…" she says so gently that Sonny drops his defenses and finally looks at her. He says nothing, but she has his attention, so she continues, "I've seen the way you look at him."
Sonny shakes his head, and gives a slight laugh, "I don't know what you're talking about. You've seen us on tv. Acting, Bethany. Acting."
"I'm not talking about on tv. I'm talking about at the party."
Sonny panics, thinking about his jealousy that night, but presses on, defenses up, "At the party, we stopped and said hi to him, and that was it…I was with you all night until…"
"Until you were so distracted by him that you hit your head on the table and spilled the wine?" she said, without any anger, only numbness in her voice.
Sonny closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. "I don't know, Bethany. I don't know what's going on with me. First, he was just my cast mate…just a co-worker…" Sonny gets up and begins to pace, again unable to look in her eyes. "Then, I don't know…when we started getting closer on screen…then…then things started to change off screen."
Finally, he turns to face her. She has sadness, disappointment, in her eyes. He sits down close to her and takes her hands. She lets him, aware that this is not in any way a romantic gesture.
"I never meant to hurt you. I didn't even know myself. I'm still not sure I know—"
"You do…you know."
He looks down at her hands and shakes his head, "I guess I do…yeah."
She lets go, wiping the tears that have now begun.
"I am so sorry," Sonny says.
Bethany shakes her head, "I know. And, as much as I wanted this to work, I can't be this for you. I can't be Will, and I can't be the person that you come home to after your make-believe foreplay. I can't, and I won't."
"And you shouldn't. I don't want you to. If I would have realized before, I never would've—" Sonny says, cut off by her hand to his lips.
"I know you wouldn't have. You're not a bad guy, Sonny. You were just a confused one." She stands up, "and now…now you aren't."
He nods, tears now in his eyes too.
"I'll be packed up by the time you get home from work," she says, heading toward the bedroom.
Sonny is taken aback, but realizes that someone needs to go, "No, no, you shouldn't have to…I'll go. You can have the apartment."
"What? Are you sure? It was your place first," Bethany says, stunned.
"Yes, I'm sure…you take it. I will find a place to stay."