I Told My Beautiful Neighbor I Was Done With Love… She Smiled and Said, “We’ll See About That.” — Transcript

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1. 0:00My name is Daniel Carter and at 32 I had
2. 0:03finally decided that love wasn't worth
3. 0:05the pain.
4. 0:06Three years ago I fell in love with a
5. 0:08woman I thought I'd spend the rest of my
6. 0:10life with.
7. 0:12Her name was Emily.
8. 0:14I gave her everything I had, my time, my
9. 0:17trust, and every dream I could imagine.
10. 0:20But one evening I came home early and
11. 0:22discovered she had been seeing someone
12. 0:24else.
13. 0:25That night something inside me broke.
14. 0:29I didn't scream.
15. 0:31I didn't fight.
16. 0:32I simply packed her things, placed them
17. 0:35outside the door, and watched the woman
18. 0:37I loved walk out of my life.
19. 0:39After that I buried myself in work.
20. 0:43I stopped dating, stopped believing in
21. 0:45promises, and stopped letting anyone get
22. 0:47close enough to hurt me again.
23. 0:50Then one Monday morning someone moved
24. 0:52into the apartment next door.
25. 0:55Her name was Sophia Bennett.
26. 0:57She was beautiful in a way that made
27. 0:59people turn their heads without
28. 1:00realizing it.
29. 1:02She had warm brown eyes, long dark hair,
30. 1:05and a smile that seemed to brighten even
31. 1:07the dullest hallway.
32. 1:09The first time we met she was struggling
33. 1:11with three cardboard boxes.
34. 1:13Need a hand?
35. 1:15I asked.
36. 1:17She looked up and smiled.
37. 1:19Only if you're offering.
38. 1:22I carried the boxes into her apartment.
39. 1:25She thanked me, offered me coffee, and
40. 1:27tried to start a conversation.
41. 1:29But I wasn't interested in making new
42. 1:31friends.
43. 1:33Welcome to the building, I said, heading
44. 1:35toward the door.
45. 1:37That's it? She asked playfully.
46. 1:40No questions about the mysterious new
47. 1:42neighbor?
48. 1:43I gave her a small smile.
49. 1:46I'm not very good at getting to know
50. 1:47people.
51. 1:49Maybe you just haven't met the right
52. 1:50people.
53. 1:51I didn't answer.
54. 1:53I simply walked away.
55. 1:56I thought that would be the end of it.
56. 1:58I was wrong.
57. 2:00Scene
58. 2:02two, the woman next door.
59. 2:05Over the next few weeks, Sophia somehow
60. 2:07became a regular part of my life.
61. 2:10She would wave at me in the hallway,
62. 2:12leave extra cookies outside my door, and
63. 2:14occasionally ask me to help her with
64. 2:16something small.
65. 2:18One evening, I returned from work and
66. 2:20found her sitting on the stairs outside
67. 2:22our apartments.
68. 2:23Long day? She asked.
69. 2:26The usual.
70. 2:28She moved aside to make room for me.
71. 2:31You know, Daniel, I've noticed something
72. 2:33about you.
73. 2:34Should I be worried?
74. 2:36She laughed.
75. 2:38You never smile.
76. 2:40Maybe I don't have anything to smile
77. 2:42about.
78. 2:43For a moment, her playful expression
79. 2:45softened.
80. 2:47That's a sad way to live.
81. 2:49I shrugged and unlocked my door.
82. 2:52Not everyone gets a happy ending,
83. 2:54Sophia.
84. 2:55She stood up, facing me.
85. 2:58Who told you that?
86. 3:00Life.
87. 3:01She studied my face as if she could see
88. 3:03every disappointment I had tried to
89. 3:05hide.
90. 3:06Then she said quietly, "Maybe life isn't
91. 3:09finished surprising you."
92. 3:11I went inside without answering.
93. 3:14But that night, for the first time in
94. 3:16years, I found myself thinking about
95. 3:18someone other than my past.
96. 3:20And that scared me more than I wanted to
97. 3:22admit.
98. 3:23Scene
99. 3:25three, I'm done with love.
100. 3:28A month later, Sophia invited me to
101. 3:30dinner.
102. 3:32She claimed she had cooked too much food
103. 3:34and needed someone to help her finish
104. 3:36it.
105. 3:37I knew that was an excuse.
106. 3:39Still, I went.
107. 3:41Her apartment was warm and inviting,
108. 3:43filled with soft music and the smell of
109. 3:45freshly cooked pasta.
110. 3:48We talked about our jobs, our
111. 3:49childhoods, and the places we wanted to
112. 3:52visit someday.
113. 3:53For the first time in years, I laughed
114. 3:56without forcing it.
115. 3:57Then Sophia asked the question I'd been
116. 3:59avoiding.
117. 4:01Have you ever been in love?
118. 4:03I put my fork down.
119. 4:05Once.
120. 4:07What happened?
121. 4:08She left.
122. 4:10Sophia's smile faded.
123. 4:13I'm sorry.
124. 4:14You don't have to be.
125. 4:16It was a long time ago.
126. 4:18Does it still hurt?
127. 4:20I looked at her.
128. 4:22Every time I think about trusting
129. 4:24someone again.
130. 4:26She didn't interrupt.
131. 4:28She simply listened.
132. 4:30Finally, I leaned back in my chair and
133. 4:32said the words I'd repeated to myself a
134. 4:34thousand times.
135. 4:36I'm done with love, Sophia.
136. 4:39I don't want another relationship.
137. 4:41I don't want promises.
138. 4:44And I definitely don't want to give
139. 4:45someone the power to destroy me again.
140. 4:48She watched me for a few seconds.
141. 4:51Then, surprisingly, she smiled.
142. 4:55Not a mocking smile.
143. 4:57Not a careless one.
144. 4:59A smile full of confidence.
145. 5:02We'll see about that.
146. 5:04I frowned.
147. 5:05What does that mean?
148. 5:07She picked up her glass.
149. 5:09It means you're allowed to be afraid,
150. 5:11Daniel.
151. 5:13But you don't get to decide that every
152. 5:14woman in the world will hurt you just
153. 5:16because one did.
154. 5:18I had no answer.
155. 5:20Because deep down, I knew she was right.
156. 5:23And I hated how easily she had seen
157. 5:26through me.
158. 5:27### Scene
159. 5:294: The night everything changed.
160. 5:32Two weeks later, a terrible storm hit
161. 5:34our city.
162. 5:36The rain poured against my windows, and
163. 5:38the wind shook the trees outside.
164. 5:41Around midnight, I heard a knock at my
165. 5:43door.
166. 5:44When I I it, Sophia stood there, soaked
167. 5:47from head to toe, holding a broken
168. 5:49umbrella.
169. 5:50"Please tell me you have a working
170. 5:52umbrella," she said.
171. 5:54I couldn't help laughing.
172. 5:56"What happened to yours?"
173. 5:58"It lost a fight with the wind."
174. 6:01I stepped aside.
175. 6:03"Come in before you catch a cold."
176. 6:05I gave her a towel and made her a cup of
177. 6:07tea.
178. 6:09She sat on the couch, wrapping her hands
179. 6:11around the warm mug.
180. 6:13For once, she wasn't smiling.
181. 6:16"Everything okay?"
182. 6:18I asked.
183. 6:20She stared into her tea.
184. 6:22"My father called today.
185. 6:24He isn't doing well, and I might have to
186. 6:27travel home for a while."
187. 6:29"I'm sorry."
188. 6:31She nodded.
189. 6:32"I know everyone thinks I'm always
190. 6:34happy,
191. 6:35but sometimes I'm just good at
192. 6:37pretending."
193. 6:39Something about those words hit me hard.
194. 6:42I had spent years hiding my pain behind
195. 6:44silence.
196. 6:45Sofia hid hers behind a smile.
197. 6:48We weren't as different as I'd imagined.
198. 6:51Without thinking, I sat beside her.
199. 6:54"You don't have to pretend with me."
200. 6:57She looked up, her eyes shining.
201. 7:00"Neither do you."
202. 7:02For a long moment, neither of us spoke.
203. 7:05Then she rested her head gently against
204. 7:07my shoulder,
205. 7:09and I didn't move away.
206. 7:11For the first time in 3 years, I allowed
207. 7:13myself to feel something I had been
208. 7:15fighting with all my strength.
209. 7:17Hope.
210. 7:18But just as I began to believe that
211. 7:20maybe my heart wasn't completely broken,
212. 7:22Sofia whispered something that changed
213. 7:24everything.
214. 7:26"Daniel, there's something I need to
215. 7:28tell you."
216. 7:29I turned toward her.
217. 7:31"What is it?"
218. 7:33She took a deep breath.
219. 7:35"I didn't move into this building by
220. 7:36accident."
221. 7:38My smile disappeared.
222. 7:40"What do you mean?"
223. 7:42She looked down at her hands.
224. 7:45My older sister used to work with you.
225. 7:48She told me about what happened with
226. 7:49your ex.
227. 7:51She said you were a good man who'd been
228. 7:52hurt badly.
229. 7:54I pulled away slightly.
230. 7:56So, you came here because you felt sorry
231. 7:58for me?
232. 8:00No, she said quickly.
233. 8:02That's not what I mean.
234. 8:04Then what do you mean?
235. 8:06Her eyes met mine.
236. 8:08I moved here because I wanted a fresh
237. 8:10start.
238. 8:11But once I met you, I realized there was
239. 8:14something about you I wanted to
240. 8:15understand.
241. 8:17She paused.
242. 8:19And somewhere along the way, I started
243. 8:21falling for you.
244. 8:22My heart pounded.
245. 8:24I wanted to believe her.
246. 8:27But fear was stronger than hope.
247. 8:29I'm sorry, Sophia.
248. 8:32I can't give you what you want.
249. 8:34She nodded slowly, fighting back tears.
250. 8:38I know.
251. 8:39Then she stood, placed the empty mug on
252. 8:41the table, and walked toward the door.
253. 8:44Before leaving, she turned around.
254. 8:47But I hope one day you realize that
255. 8:49protecting your heart from pain can also
256. 8:51keep it from happiness.
257. 8:53And then she was gone.
258. 8:56###
259. 8:57Scene 5: The Empty Apartment.
260. 9:00The next morning, Sophia's door was
261. 9:03closed.
262. 9:04No cheerful greeting.
263. 9:06No cookies.
264. 9:08No knock asking for help with something
265. 9:10ridiculous.
266. 9:12For the first time since she moved in,
267. 9:14the hallway felt completely empty.
268. 9:17I told myself I was relieved.
269. 9:20But that evening, I found myself looking
270. 9:22at her door.
271. 9:24The following day, I did the same thing.
272. 9:27By Friday, I couldn't concentrate at
273. 9:29work.
274. 9:30I kept remembering the way she laughed,
275. 9:32how she listened when I spoke, and how
276. 9:34she never once treated my broken heart
277. 9:36like a weakness.
278. 9:38I finally understood something painful.
279. 9:41I wasn't afraid of love itself.
280. 9:44I was afraid of being vulnerable again.
281. 9:47And by running away from the possibility
282. 9:49of getting hurt, I was already hurting
283. 9:51myself.
284. 9:53That evening, I knocked on Sophia's
285. 9:55door.
286. 9:56No answer.
287. 9:58I knocked again.
288. 10:00Finally, a neighbor from across the hall
289. 10:02stepped outside.
290. 10:04"Looking for Sophia?" she asked.
291. 10:07"Yes."
292. 10:08"Have you seen her?"
293. 10:10"She left this afternoon.
294. 10:13She said she was going to stay with her
295. 10:14family for a while."
296. 10:16My stomach dropped.
297. 10:18"Did she say when she'd be back?"
298. 10:21The neighbor shook her head.
299. 10:23I returned to my apartment and sat alone
300. 10:25in the darkness.
301. 10:27For 3 years, I'd convinced myself that
302. 10:29losing love meant I had to stop
303. 10:31searching for it.
304. 10:33Now I was facing the possibility of
305. 10:35losing someone wonderful because I was
306. 10:37too afraid to try.
307. 10:39And for the first time, I knew exactly
308. 10:41what I had to do.
309. 10:43### Scene
310. 10:456: We'll see about that.
311. 10:48The next morning, I drove to the train
312. 10:50station.
313. 10:51I didn't know if Sophia would still be
314. 10:53there.
315. 10:55I didn't know if she would want to see
316. 10:56me.
317. 10:57But I knew I couldn't let her leave
318. 10:59without telling her the truth.
319. 11:01I found her near the departure platform,
320. 11:04sitting beside a suitcase and checking
321. 11:06her phone.
322. 11:07"Sophia."
323. 11:09She looked up.
324. 11:11Surprise crossed her face when she saw
325. 11:13me running toward her.
326. 11:15"Daniel?"
327. 11:16"What are you doing here?"
328. 11:18I stopped in front of her, struggling to
329. 11:20catch my breath.
330. 11:22"I'm here because I was wrong."
331. 11:24She stood slowly.
332. 11:26"About what?"
333. 11:28"About love.
334. 11:30About you.
335. 11:31About everything.
336. 11:33Her expression softened, but she didn't
337. 11:35speak.
338. 11:36I swallowed hard.
339. 11:39I told you I was done with love because
340. 11:41I thought it was the only way to protect
341. 11:42myself.
342. 11:44But the truth is, I was still letting
343. 11:46someone who hurt me 3 years ago control
344. 11:48my entire life.
345. 11:50I took a breath.
346. 11:52You showed up and you made me laugh
347. 11:54again.
348. 11:55You made me look forward to coming home.
349. 11:58And when you walked away, I realized how
350. 12:00much you had already come to mean to me.
351. 12:03My voice trembled.
352. 12:05I'm not going to promise that I'll never
353. 12:07be afraid.
354. 12:08I probably will be.
355. 12:11But I don't want to spend the rest of my
356. 12:12life running away from something
357. 12:14beautiful just because it might not last
358. 12:16forever.
359. 12:17Sophia's eyes filled with tears.
360. 12:20Daniel,
361. 12:22I know I can't ask you to wait for me.
362. 12:25And I know I hurt you.
363. 12:27But if there's even a small chance that
364. 12:29you feel the same way, I'd like to try.
365. 12:32Not because I'm no longer afraid, but
366. 12:34because you're worth taking that risk.
367. 12:37For a moment, the world seemed to stand
368. 12:39still.
369. 12:40Then Sophia smiled through her tears.
370. 12:43Do you remember what I told you at
371. 12:45dinner?
372. 12:46I nodded.
373. 12:48We'll see about that.
374. 12:50She laughed softly.
375. 12:52Exactly.
376. 12:54She stepped closer and took my hand.
377. 12:57Well, Daniel Carter, I suppose we should
378. 12:59see about that.
379. 13:01I smiled, a real smile, the kind I
380. 13:04hadn't felt in years.
381. 13:06Does that mean you'll give me a chance?
382. 13:08She pretended to think about it.
383. 13:11Maybe.
384. 13:12Maybe?
385. 13:14You'll have to take me on a proper date
386. 13:15first.
387. 13:17I laughed.
388. 13:18Deal.
389. 13:20She leaned forward and kissed my cheek.
390. 13:23And just like that, the man who had
391. 13:25sworn off love found himself looking
392. 13:27forward to tomorrow.
393. 13:29Not because he knew everything would
394. 13:31work out,
395. 13:32but because, for the first time in
396. 13:34years, he was willing to find out.
397. 13:37###
398. 13:39Ending, a new beginning.
399. 13:41Six months later, Sophia and I were
400. 13:43sitting on the balcony of our apartment
401. 13:46watching the sunset.
402. 13:48Yes, our apartment.
403. 13:50Somewhere between our first date, our
404. 13:52first argument, and our first kiss, we
405. 13:54had stopped being neighbors and started
406. 13:56building a life together.
407. 13:58I looked at her and smiled.
408. 14:01You know, I really thought I was done
409. 14:03with love.
410. 14:05Sophia rested her head on my shoulder.
411. 14:08And I really thought you were going to
412. 14:09make me work harder for that first date.
413. 14:12Was I worth the trouble?
414. 14:14She kissed me gently.
415. 14:16Ask me again in 50 years.
416. 14:19I laughed and wrapped my arms around
417. 14:21her.
418. 14:22Because I finally understood something
419. 14:24I'd spent years trying to avoid.
420. 14:26Sometimes, the heart doesn't need
421. 14:28someone to promise it will never break.
422. 14:31Sometimes, it just needs someone brave
423. 14:33enough to help it beat again.
424. 14:36And sometimes, the person who changes
425. 14:38your life is waiting right next door.
426. 14:41The end.