what once was...; gwen 🥀 casey
GWEN: [knocks on casey’s door, biting her lip] you have every right to ignore me. especially after standing you up today. but i saw your car downstairs, so i know you’re here. [sighs] you’re allowed to ignore me knocking here, too.
LADY: [barks at the door]
CASEY: [stands to grab lady and opens the door a smidge] leave. right now.
GWEN: [holds the door open] would you at least take these? [holds out an envelope for him] you might not care about answers, but you still deserve them.
CASEY: the only thing i could possibly want from you is for you to go.
GWEN: that's fair. [nods] i deserve that. [lets out a shaky breath, blinking back tears] it's been good to see you anyway.
CASEY: my god, gwen. [shakes his head]
GWEN: thanks for your time. [slips the envelope back into her coat, turning to head out]
CASEY: [pinches the bridge of his nose with his free hand] wait.
GWEN: [stops, turning back around]
CASEY: you have five minutes. talk. no envelopes, no bullshit. you at the very least owe me that much.
GWEN: [nods, taking a step forward before stopping] the way i left was childish, i'll admit. you had just proposed to me and i had panicked, plain and simple. there was so much going on at the time that i was afraid of telling you, so i needed to leave to clear my head and make sense of it all. [pulls the envelope out again] things didn't pan out like i thought they would so i decided to get away from it all. spent the last couple of months touring places with my grandpa before i spread his ashes off a cliff in new zealand. it's what he wanted.
CASEY: what’s in the envelope?
GWEN: something that’s taken me a while to come to terms with. [holds out the envelope] but life made that decision for me. us, i guess.
CASEY: [furrows his brow, setting lady down behind him and taking the envelope] what are you... [opens it up, eyes going wide at what’s inside]
GWEN: i needed time to think. and i couldn’t talk to joey because of where she stands on this and i couldn’t talk to you because i didn’t know where i stood on this. and i knew how much you wanted a family. [looks down at the envelope] so i went back home and talked to my sister and set an appointment. i at least went home with those before it all went to hell, so i know it wasn’t a fever dream.
CASEY: [swallows hard] how... how long? [takes one out, studying the image]
GWEN: seven weeks. [stuffs her hands in her pockets] the pamphlets all said it’s more common around that time. and hey, according to the doctor, that’s good news for me, since i didn’t have enough time to form a bond.
CASEY: [slides the picture back inside and closes the envelope before handing it back to her]
GWEN: [shakes her head] those are for you to do as you wish.
CASEY: [nods slowly] thank you for telling me. [tracing the edge of the envelope] and i’m sorry for this loss.
GWEN: [nods, blinking back tears] listen. [takes a tentative step forward] any pain i caused you throughout our relationship—and even with the way things ended—i am sorry. about all of it. if i could take it back, i would.
CASEY: [nods, staring down at the envelope again] i forgive you. [glances over at her, blinking a few times] i’m sorry, too.
GWEN: you have nothing to apologize for. [shakes her head] you were just being your honest self and i was too childish to admit that i wasn't ready. and i was also too childish to let you go and find someone who is. [exhales, shrugging her shoulders] i should go. don't want to overstay my welcome.
CASEY: i do hope you’re able to be happy, and that you find someone who can make you happy.
GWEN: i already did, messed that up. [forces a smile on her face] but i’ll move on, in time, just like you did.
CASEY: it wasn’t moving on so much as it was making the most of what you left me with. i loved you. i still do, and i can say that honestly. but you... you left, and you pulled away from me. and i understand now you had immensely overwhelming reasons to do so, but i didn’t know that when you left. i thought you’d left me. and i had to figure out what that meant after everything.
GWEN: i’m sorry. about all of it. [nods] really. but you don’t need to be so understanding. after the way i left you, it’s the last thing i deserve. and you don’t...just...just don’t.
CASEY: i’ve been angry at you for the better part of the last six months. the constant back and forth between us, and never being entirely sure of where I stood with you... that took its toll on me. and then you left [shakes his head] and after what happened today, i never wanted to see you again because it wasn’t the first or even second time you’d done something like that... [sighs] but i’m tired of being angry at your decisions about me. i want to properly move on, and while things between us aren’t going to change, this conversation feels a lot like the kind of closure i didn’t know i needed. there’s no justifying what you did, but for my sake, I have to be understanding so i’m holding on anymore.
GWEN: closure. [nods] of course. i'm glad you can finally have that. [glances behind her, biting her lip] i really should get going.
