The next few weeks went fast. Madison and Ephram went into the studio with
the band and recorded the necessary songs for the soundtrack and the movie.
Then Ephram went into the studio and recorded with a symphony the
instrumental pieces for the movie. Before both Madison and Ephram knew it,
the project was just about complete. Ephram and Madison were working late
one night putting the finishing touches on the music before sending it to
the movie producers to merge the music with the movie. They were sitting
at the mixing board.
"Good grief, it's 8. I'm starving. Do you want me to order us some food?" Ephram said.
"That's okay. We're just about done anyway," Madison replied.
"Then let me take you out to dinner. I mean we're almost done with the project and we probably won't be working together on the next one so it's the least I can do."
"I better get home. Jake has seen very little of me the past few weeks and I need to spend time with him," Madison said.
"Okay, then. Let me take you out to dinner this weekend." Madison gave a quick look of shock. "Look, I'm not looking for a date, I-I mean, unless you want it to be a date, because I-I just.. I just want to say thanks for working with me," Ephram said nervously.
"I don't know, Ephram. I sort of already had plans to spend time with Jake. I promised him I would take him to the zoo. I'm sorry."
"I got it," Ephram said reluctantly.
"Look, its just Jake is my first priority," Madison said trying to smooth everything over.
"No, I get it. Its just I..." Ephram got up from sitting. "Look I'm just gonna say this because I've been holding this in for weeks now and I just can't take it anymore."
Madison stopped breathing. She turned to look at him and their eyes met. Ephram started to pace back and forth.
"Look, when I saw you a month ago, let alone found out I was going to be working with you, I almost went into cardiac arrest. These past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for me and I know it has been for you too. We have a past and we were a lot younger and I know that. You have Jake and he is your entire world. I, well, I just have me."
Madison interrupted him, "Would you stop pacing please?" Ephram stopped and sat down back in his chair. "What are you trying to say, Ephram? You're rambling."
"Okay, here goes. I think I still love you," Ephram finally said it.
Madison jumped up shocked from what Ephram just said. "You got to me kidding me. This isn't happening. Ephram, I know we've been working together a lot, but that doesn't constitute love. We're older now and we are completely different people from who we were 5 years ago. You don't love me. You can't. You don't even know who I am anymore."
Ephram got up from his chair and stopped Madison. They looked at each other. "You're right, I don't know you, but I want to. I have been kidding myself for weeks thinking that I could just suppress my feelings, but I can't do it anymore. I want to know what makes you tick. I want to take you out on dates. I mean, real dates, not like before. I thought for sure you felt the same way."
"Well, I don't. I can't," Madison turned away because she could feel herself giving in. She grabbed her purse as she was planning on leaving. Ephram started to laugh. "What are you laughing at?"
"I feel we've had this "don't" and "can't" discussion before," Ephram responded still laughing.
"You think this is funny," Madison started to get mad.
"No. Sorry. I just remember us going through the difference between them," Ephram stopped laughing and started to act serious. "But seriously, "don't" means you really have no feelings for me and "can't" means you might have feelings but you can't act on them for some reason or another. Which is it?"
"Both. I gotta go, Ephram. I'll see you tomorrow, okay."
Madison practically ran to her car leaving Ephram in the studio. When Madison got to her car, she got in and started to think about all of what Ephram had just said and started to cry.
"Good grief, it's 8. I'm starving. Do you want me to order us some food?" Ephram said.
"That's okay. We're just about done anyway," Madison replied.
"Then let me take you out to dinner. I mean we're almost done with the project and we probably won't be working together on the next one so it's the least I can do."
"I better get home. Jake has seen very little of me the past few weeks and I need to spend time with him," Madison said.
"Okay, then. Let me take you out to dinner this weekend." Madison gave a quick look of shock. "Look, I'm not looking for a date, I-I mean, unless you want it to be a date, because I-I just.. I just want to say thanks for working with me," Ephram said nervously.
"I don't know, Ephram. I sort of already had plans to spend time with Jake. I promised him I would take him to the zoo. I'm sorry."
"I got it," Ephram said reluctantly.
"Look, its just Jake is my first priority," Madison said trying to smooth everything over.
"No, I get it. Its just I..." Ephram got up from sitting. "Look I'm just gonna say this because I've been holding this in for weeks now and I just can't take it anymore."
Madison stopped breathing. She turned to look at him and their eyes met. Ephram started to pace back and forth.
"Look, when I saw you a month ago, let alone found out I was going to be working with you, I almost went into cardiac arrest. These past few weeks have been incredibly difficult for me and I know it has been for you too. We have a past and we were a lot younger and I know that. You have Jake and he is your entire world. I, well, I just have me."
Madison interrupted him, "Would you stop pacing please?" Ephram stopped and sat down back in his chair. "What are you trying to say, Ephram? You're rambling."
"Okay, here goes. I think I still love you," Ephram finally said it.
Madison jumped up shocked from what Ephram just said. "You got to me kidding me. This isn't happening. Ephram, I know we've been working together a lot, but that doesn't constitute love. We're older now and we are completely different people from who we were 5 years ago. You don't love me. You can't. You don't even know who I am anymore."
Ephram got up from his chair and stopped Madison. They looked at each other. "You're right, I don't know you, but I want to. I have been kidding myself for weeks thinking that I could just suppress my feelings, but I can't do it anymore. I want to know what makes you tick. I want to take you out on dates. I mean, real dates, not like before. I thought for sure you felt the same way."
"Well, I don't. I can't," Madison turned away because she could feel herself giving in. She grabbed her purse as she was planning on leaving. Ephram started to laugh. "What are you laughing at?"
"I feel we've had this "don't" and "can't" discussion before," Ephram responded still laughing.
"You think this is funny," Madison started to get mad.
"No. Sorry. I just remember us going through the difference between them," Ephram stopped laughing and started to act serious. "But seriously, "don't" means you really have no feelings for me and "can't" means you might have feelings but you can't act on them for some reason or another. Which is it?"
"Both. I gotta go, Ephram. I'll see you tomorrow, okay."
Madison practically ran to her car leaving Ephram in the studio. When Madison got to her car, she got in and started to think about all of what Ephram had just said and started to cry.
