Athrun finds himself alone in the room's bed while Cagalli goes to the bathroom. They are both having their space right now, alone; reflecting on what had just happened. In particular, she is thinking about what would had happened if she had just left him while they were dancing and returned to her room alone. "I would have ordered room service and watched television," she tells herself, "I would have fallen asleep. And, I wouldn't be feeling this confused right now."
In the other room, he busies himself by putting on his undershirt. As he's doing so, he notices the answering machine on her beside table with the flickering red light. He debates whether or not he wants to listen to the message she has received earlier on the room's telephone. On one hand, he knew listening to such a personal, private message was wrong. Yet, the irrational side of him was curious, so very curious. He wants to have at least an idea of what is her life at the moment. How she has managed to construct a semblance of a life again while he is still figuring how to glue the pieces of his life back together. He lets his curiosity win, picks up the phone, and starts listening.
"Hello, darling." A man's voice said. It was obviously her new partner, Athrun thought to himself. "Sorry, I missed your call. Everything's fine though. Just called to say I miss you and you can call back early and wake me up if you want. Alright? Love you."
And with that, the machine made a buzzing noise, and the message was over.
Athrun hangs the phone, and he really doesn't know what to think. He feels bitter and betrayed – of course, he knew what was he was getting himself into from the beginning. She was seeing someone else, he knew that. But it was only listening to his voice that this other man now felt real to Athrun. This man was a real, living, breathing person – not just a name referenced in some story or charming anecdote. And it was then, in that moment, he really understood that he had lost her to someone else. To this man.
Athrun hears a whisper in the bathroom and because he knows he has already begun to meddle in her business, he decides to continue doing so. He stands up, walks to the bathroom, and begins to eavesdrop through the door.
"Hey. Hi, it's me. I didn't wake you, did I?" Cagalli is speaking to someone, presumably her fiancé, on the phone, "No. Hum, it was… it was dull. Boring, boring, boring. Not much happened." She was now feeling guilty and confused lying to him. She shouldn't have done it, not only to her husband, but to Athrun as well. "I miss you."
"Would you mind if I use the bathroom?" Athrun asks from outside, partly because he does want to go to the bathroom to get cleaned up, and partly, because he wants her to know that he is still outside, and that he is listening.
"It's fine." She tells him in a loud voice, "Can you leave it by the door?"
Athrun is puzzled by her response, when she swings open the door suddenly and tells him with a look that he should stop talking.
"Oh, I'm sorry; I didn't knew you were on the phone." He whispers. He's not sure whether she believes him, but she closes the door again.
"Hi." She continued on with her phone conversation, "Oh, it was just room service. I know I shouldn't eat this late but, the food on the plane was horrible and then the food at the wedding was really off. Mhm? The tip? Oh the tip! Of course, thank you." She starts pretending to be looking for change in her purse, just to make a noise. "My mind is so gone. One second." She opens the bathroom door again and finds that he is still listening. "Have a good night."
"Thank you very much, madam. You look very nice by the way," Athun begins talking in a fake, high pitched voice, "Enjoy your stay-" He tries to say, but he doesn't even get to finish, because she shuts the door in his face one more
"Hi. Yeah, the waiter was friendly." She resumes talking on the cell phone, "Oh I'm, I'm having, you know, french fries, french onion soup, and french toast. And a pickle. What? Yeah, so very french except for the pickle. Uhm... I'm still thinking about it." She begins to whisper and looks under the door to see if her companion is still listening, "No, I'm still thinking. Yeah? Uhm, okay. I'll phone you before I get on the plane. All right, yes. I love you too. Ok. Yes love, bye."
She stands up and opens the door again, looking unimpressed.
"I didn't knew you were on the phone." He offers in defense.
"I saw your feet under the door."
He smiles, knowing he was caught. "Fine. But you recovered very well. That was good."
"It's quite easy to lie once you get started." She tells him and starts walking towards the mirror.
"Well, I'm sorry."
"You could have put me in a really awkward situation."
"Well," He walks towards her, "I knew you would be ingenious and you were." He sits in the chair next to the mirror.
"Yeah, but what was the point?"
"To see you squirm."
"That's not very nice."
"Or maybe, I just wanted him to know that I exist."
"Of course he knows you exist." She says, offended by the very suggestion that he was making. "How could he not? You were a big part of my life, once."
Athrun's surprised now. "You don't have any secrets?"
"No. Nothing significant. No."
"Ah, okay, so you'll tell him you fucked me tonight?" He is now bitterer. Angry.m
"Someday, maybe." She walks towards him and he manages to take the cell phone out of her hand.
"Somehow, I doubt that." He tells her, before flipping the phone open and placing it to his ear. "Doctor, hello?" He then looks at her. "Should I call him for real? What do you think?"
"No."
"Should I call him and tell him what we just did?"
"No!" She repeats, clearly annoyed now.
"Why, would that spoil things between you?"
"It might." She admits from the bed, where she is sitting now. "Why would you want to do that anyways?"
"Would it spoil things so much that you couldn't leave?"
"No. I still have a job up there, and a dog, and a house."
"And a fiancée," he says pointing at the cell phone.
"And a fiancée."
"Hey there," Athrun speaks into the phone again, pretending that he is speaking to her fiancée, "I'm Athrun. Supposedly you've heard of me. Anyways, I just wanted to yell my heart has been broken by your wife." He smiles a little, as if it's some joke, even though they both know it's not, and he finally closes her phone.
"You know two can play that game," Cagalli warns him. She stands from the bed, walks towards him and instead of doing what he was expecting, which was to try to get her cell phone away from him, she grabs his cell phone which is in the table next to where he is sitting. "I can call your new girlfriend.
"Go ahead."
"You don't care?"
"Not really."
"That's awful."
He shrugs. "It is what it is."
"Ugh. I hate that phrase." She says, closing his cell phone. "It's so…pessimistic."
He closes her cell phone as well. "So, what was your last serious relationship before your marriage like?"
"You know perfectly well how it was like."
"Refresh my memory."
"No."
"Honest, I can't remember. The memory starts failing around my age…"
She stands from the bed, walks towards him, and demands for her stuff back. "Athrun, give it back to me."
"Answer my question first." He retorts with a sly grin. She doesn't say anything, though, because she's never been one to bow down to a bully. He knows this too and he eventually hands her the cell phone in defeat. And she puts it on her night table along with his, and stands in front of him.
"I loved him." She answers his question and sees him wince at the past tense she uses. "I still love him," She corrects herself. "But sometimes, people who really love each other, well, they have an uncanny ability to make each other miserable. "
"We weren't always like that."
"No. We were happy, and I've never been as happy as when I was with you. But then we started fighting a lot. We'd have these awful, explosive fights. I know you remember them. And we'd make up after a few days, but the next fight was always worse. And I was so worried that one day you'd wake up, and realize you didn't love me like you used to and just walk away. And I couldn't live with those doubts. I couldn't live with being so utterly consumed and defenseless by a relationship, and so I left you before you could leave me.
I was so insecure back then, and I had been deceived so many times before that I felt I had to be careful. And I think maybe it was for the best. You don't need, don't deserve careful. You deserve someone who is willing to give everything to you, to embrace everything you have to offer. And it wasn't me, I couldn't, I was too hurt, and many mistakes were done before you. So I left."
"And now?" He asks her and looks at her, with teary eyes himself, but he controls himself.
"And now I'm happy." She answers him with teary eyes as well, "Of course I'm happy. I needed safe and safe is what I got. And yeah, sometimes, I do miss the passion and the banter. But you learn to move on and adapt. Life goes on."
"Well now I got the truth of you, do you want to know how my last serious relationship was like then? How the last woman involved with my life was like?"
"No. I have no interest in other women." She jokes, shaking her head, which gets them both smiling, despite the seriousness of the situation.
"She was the best sex of my life."
She's taken aback at the unexpected compliment directed towards her. "Wow. Really?"
"Yep," He continues, "And a great person. No, scratch that; she's the best person I know."
"Thank you."
And since he already made one confession, he thought he'd make another. "You know I have to be honest. I checked the message." She looks at him with bewilderment and shock, and he's hit with a sudden pang guilt. "I'm sorry. I knew it was wrong. It's just…He called you, you couldn't be bothered. The light was blinking. It was really annoying during sex."
She just asks, "Why?"
"I wanted to know how he sounded like."
"And how does he sound like?"
"Nice. Foreign, cool." He says. "And I hated him immediately."
"That's funny because if you met, I really think you'd get on."
"I disagree, I hated him with a passion that I didn't know I was capable of anymore."
She smiles at him. "For my sake?"
"Yes, for your sake." He confirmed before adding, "Don't you want to know what the message said?"
"No. Not particularly."
He tells her anyways. "It said - that he loves you and he misses you. And wants you to call before you leave. In fact, He'll be up early so don't be afraid to call." He starts walking across the room, and pacing back and forth. You know what? I… I… To tell you the truth, I just, I just expected more."
"Like what? A monologue from Romeo and Juliet?"
"No, obviously not. But it was all just so…so ordinary." He tells her, "I mean, the man, the man that marries you should be extraordinary."
"Athrun," She sighs, "I'm done with the extraordinary, remember? I'm too old and tired for extraordinary. I have been for some time."
"Because of me?"
"Because of you."
He's quiet for a few moments, before he finds the courage to speak up once more. "Fine. Would you at least indulge me with something? One last request?"
"It depends."
"It's just…there are some things that I would like to say. In fact, which I need to say."
"Okay, but it won't change anything."
"Maybe it won't. But that's not the point." He grabs her from behind, and wraps his arms around her. "I love you, for better or for worse. Always have and always will."
"I know." And she holds on to his arms, and closes her eyes, letting the back of her head comfortably rest on his sturdy chest. It's an incredibly sweet moment between the two.
"You should leave him," he whispers into her ear. "Leave him for me."