the unexpected call
385 Words
INT. AMELIA'S APARTMENT – NIGHT (A dimly lit room. A candle flickers beside AMELIA as she sits on her couch, curled up in a blanket, lost in her book. The city hums outside, distant car horns filling the silence.)
PHONE BUZZES.
(She furrows her brows, glancing at the unknown number. Hesitates. Answers.)
AMELIA (Hesitant) “Hello?”
ALEX (OVER PHONE) (Playful) “So… do you always accept calls from unknown numbers, or is this my lucky day?”
AMELIA (Smiling, recognizing the voice) “Well, I figured if it was a scam, I could at least get a good laugh.”
ALEX (Chuckles) “Fair enough. But no, it’s just me. I may or may not have stolen your number from the coffee shop receipt.”
AMELIA (Mock gasp) “So, you are stalking me.”
ALEX (Feigning innocence) “Or… I’m just someone who believes in keeping a good conversation going.”
AMELIA (Soft laugh) “So, what’s tonight’s topic? Coffee? Fate? Or are we moving on to the mysteries of the universe?”
(A pause. The static hum of the call fills the space between them.)
ALEX (Quietly) “What keeps you up at night, Amelia?”
(She exhales, caught off guard by the sudden depth of the question.)
AMELIA “Stories. Ones I’ve read. Ones I’ve written. Ones I don’t know how to end.”
ALEX (Softly) “I get that.”
AMELIA (Teasing) “What about you, Mr. Architect? What keeps you awake?”
ALEX (Smirks) “Lately? A certain girl who won’t stop running into me.”
(She rolls her eyes but smiles, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.)
AMELIA “Sounds like she’s got you thinking.”
ALEX (Serious now) “She does.”
(A silence lingers, warm and full. Two people on opposite ends of the city, connected by nothing but a phone call and an undeniable pull.)
ALEX “Tell me something real.”
AMELIA (Softly) “I don’t let people in easily.”
ALEX (Quiet understanding) “I won’t push.”
(A beat. The city hums on. The world feels smaller, just for a moment.)
AMELIA (Whispers, smiling) “Goodnight, Alex.”
ALEX (Softly) “Goodnight, Amelia.”
(As she hangs up, her lips curl into a smile she doesn’t quite understand yet.)
- Writer
