The Screenplay

Ben pursed his lips together, convincing himself Eilla was just in shock and he should disregard what she said. But he couldn't help but be upset that Eilla wasn't on board. "What are you saying?" He asked softly.

Eilla didn't know what she was saying. She searched for the right words, but they weren't coming to her still. She could feel tears welling in her eyes, she tried her hardest to fight them back. "I want to marry you." Eilla sad, only a moment before her tears could no longer be held back. Her face became a mess of streaming, hot tears, which broke Ben's heart. He reached up to smear them away from her cheeks but only to find them instantly replaced by fresh trails.

"I want you to come with me, Eilla, please," he stammered, almost ignoring what Eilla had just said.

"I can't!" She screamed, pushing his hands from her cheeks. "I have worked my ass off to have a life here. I have worked my ass off to have a life, here, with you, here!"

Ben took a deep breath and debated whether or not to say what was on his mind. He knew it was going to cause an explosion, he knew it would hurt her feelings, but he also knew it might get her to change her mind. "You would have gone with Eazy," he said, falling back into the corner of the couch, pulling his arm from around Eilla. She sat frozen, not believing what he had just said, in so much shock that the tears immediately halted.

"You must be kidding." She said, feeling her face becoming red. "Tell me you're kidding."

Ben knew he had opened up a can of worms and he had to finish what he started. "You told me you wanted to move to Orlando. You were going to drop everything and move to be a NBA girlfriend, live in Florida and you would have left it all. The only thing stopping you was that you didn't think he would marry you. So I'm just not entirely sure why fucking Theo and the store are what's holding you back now."

"That was different," Eilla cried.

"No, it really wasn't, Eilla. You had just started a new job, you had just found an apartment, you still had all of your friends here... the only difference was you thouht Eazy didn't want to get married."

"Ben, we have never talked about our future like this. You have never said you wanted to marry me. You just assume I'm exactly the same as I was three years ago and that I know you want to marry me. I don't know that, Ben, you have never mentioned that ever!"

"I didn't think I needed to tell you I don't want to break up with you," Ben said. The argument was turning in directions he wasn't understanding. Eilla and him had very few fights, but when they did, they turned into arguments completely different from the initial maddening statement.

"If I didn't break up with Eazy we'd still be together. We would be in it for the long haul, he loved me too. You two are exactly the fucking same." Eilla had the logic in her head: Ben and Eazy were similar. Both sports nuts, both reserved, both hilarious, both great in bed... no, Eazy was much better in bed. Eilla suddendly found her mind wandering to a Florida beach where she could have been with Eazy, his dark skin glistening in the sun, lounging and laughing, he would rub lotion on her...

"Are you fucking serious?" Ben yelled, snapping Eilla out of her mind straying.

"Yes." She said, immediately regretting what she was about to say. "And I'd rather go live with a pro athlete in Florida than a part time radio host in fucking Connecticut."

Ben sat with a look on his face Eilla had never seen before. She wanted to say she was sorry, but she couldn't. Ben's eyes were rimmed with tears, which was a first. Eilla had never seen him even close to tears. As one fell from his wide open green eye and trailed slowly down his cheek, Eilla felt her own tears coming back, her lips open, wanted to say she was sorry. Ben turned his head and tried to laugh as if he couldn't believe what he was hearing. Eilla knew he was trying to hide his tears, he stood up and rubbed his eyes, heading for the door. Eilla stayed still on the couch, trying to force her arms to motion him back, but she was paralyzed from what she had just done. Ben turned slowly around as he grabbed the doorknob, pink in the face, and he startled Eilla in the silence.

"You know, I've been shopping for engagement rings for weeks," he said, looking beyond Eilla, unable to look her in the eyes. "I've been everywere. I took out a huge loan. I called your dad last week," He began pumping his fist at every point he made, his voice beginning to crack as he tried to force himself to remain calm. "I talked to Theo, I had it all planned out. But I haven't found the right one yet, and I have been kicking myself that I can't find anything good enough for you. I wanted it to be so unexpected, I wanted to surprise you so much, and every time I would see you, I'd have to stop myself from dragging you to a courthouse so we can just be married right now, becuase I want everything to be goddamned PERFECT for you." He let go of the door handle and walked over to Eilla who was beginning to sob uncontrollably. He took a deep breath, deciding whether what he would say next would be the biggest mistake of his life.