3.10
A small downtown apartment with easy warmth: soft light, low music, fogged up windows. People stand shoulder-close with drinks, conversations overlapping as a makeshift bar and open kitchen keep things moving. It feels freshly settled but already lived in and cozy. Will moves through the crowd trying to find any familiar face, alone in a sea of people. No sign of Hannah or even Julia anywhere, so he moves to the kitchen. Someone is standing at the fridge with the door open. When he closes it, we see it's JOSH holding a beer bottle.
My bad, I didn't see you. Beer?
Yeah, sure.
Josh throws him the beer, then opens the fridge to grab another one while Will opens his.
The two clink their bottles and drink.
Oh, I'm Josh.
Will.
Is that short for William?
No. Are you a friend of Hannah's or Julia's?
Julia's! How about you?
I... don't really know either of them. I'm a colleague of Hannah's, but we only just met.
Oh, she must really like you then.
Will takes this in.
Yeah, you too.
Josh walks off into the crowd. Will stands awkwardly in the kitchen corner for a moment, observing, when next to him, Hannah pops up.
Boo!
There she is.
Sorry, it's been a little hectic.
You're very popular!
Oh, these are mostly Julia's friends. I know, like, five people.
Am I one of them?
Sure, if we stretch the definition of 'knowing' a person to include 'knowing who they are'.
Well, we can change that.
It's nice you came. You looked a little lonely at that table. Are you?
It can't have been easy. How long were you together?
Years.
Yeah. You think you have a future with someone, and then it’s just taken away from you.
(a beat as she clocks Will's reaction)
Oh no, I'm bumming you out again!
It's fine. It was nice of you to invite me. I'd love to get to know you more.
Yeah! Same. I think there's a connection.
Definitely!
And if you're still up for it, we could have lunch sometimes.
I'd like that.
Hannah's about to speak but catches herself. Will notices.
What were you gonna say?
It was gonna sound stupid.
I'm sure it wasn't.
It's not my place to say, not after what you've been through.
Say it.
There's always hope for the future.
Will nods, smiles.
I believe you.
Hannah smiles.
I'm gonna mingle a bit, catch you later?
Yeah.
He watches her go off, then walks through the crowd at the party.
A bystander points him toward the bathroom. Will ends up in a hallway with several doors.