INT. FRED'S BEDROOM – EARLY MORNING]
The pale morning light sharpens the edges of the room — exposing every crack, every secret.
Harriet clutches the sheet tighter around herself, her heart hammering painfully.
HARRIET
(quiet, brittle)
"It was a mistake."
"Last night... it didn't mean anything."
Fred stiffens.
For a moment, his expression is wide open — shattered, pleading.
But then — like a door slamming shut — he masks it.
Cold.
Controlled.
Fred lets out a low breath, tilting his head away from her.
When he speaks, his voice is sharp and hollow.
FRED
(flat)
"Yeah."
"It was just an accident."
Harriet's breath catches.
For a heartbeat, the whole world tilts under her.
She tries to nod — to pretend those words don't slice straight through her — but her hands tremble against the sheets.
Fred doesn't move closer.
He stays where he is, rigid, distant.
Inside, he's screaming.
He wants to take it back —
to tell her the truth —
that she's everything he never knew he needed.
But the fear inside him —
the fear that she's already slipping away —
chokes him into silence.
Harriet forces a hollow laugh, wiping at her eyes.
HARRIET
(whispers)
"Good. I'm glad we're... clear."
Fred watches her, his fists curling at his sides.
He wants to break.
He wants to fall to his knees and beg her to stay.
But all he does is nod once — curt, brutal — sealing the lie between them.
Harriet gathers her clothes with trembling fingers.
Fred sits frozen on the bed, every muscle locked, every word he should say trapped in his throat.
When Harriet stands, she won't look at him.
HARRIET
(voice breaking)
"I am going to class Today,Bye."
And she walks out —
barefoot, shaking —
leaving the door swinging behind her.
Fred doesn't follow.
He sits there, in the wreckage of what he just destroyed —
the taste of regret bitter and cold on his tongue.
His thoughts echo in the silence:
> "Coward."
"You let her walk away."
"You lied to the only thing that ever felt real."
The apartment feels like a tomb.
Empty.
Cold.
Silent.
Fred finally drags himself out of the bedroom — moving like a man haunted.
He finds Harriet's shoes still by the door.
Her scarf tossed over the back of the couch.
Little pieces of her everywhere — like ghosts he can't escape.
Fred sinks into the couch, elbows on his knees, head in his hands.
He doesn't know how long he sits there.
Minutes.
Hours.
An eternity.
Her last words keep replaying in his mind:
> "It was a mistake." "I'm glad we're clear."
But he heard the break in her voice.
He saw the way her hands shook.
She didn't mean it.
Not really.
And neither did he.
Fred grips the edge of the couch so hard his knuckles turn white.
FRED
(hoarse, broken)
"Idiot."
"You let her think you don't care."
The sound reminds him of that night six months ago.
The first time he saw her.
The first time he felt anything real in years.
And now he's thrown it away.
Because he was too afraid to tell her the truth.
[FLASHBACK – 6 MONTHS AGO – RAINY NIGHT]
Fred stumbles through a dark alley, bleeding from a knife wound, the cold rain soaking him. His vision blurs, and he collapses. He's sure he's going to die.
Out of nowhere, a voice cuts through the storm.
HARRIET
"Hey! Are you okay?"
Harriet kneels beside him, frantic. She presses her clothing against his wound, trying to stop the bleeding.
HARRIET
"Stay with me! Please!"
Fred can barely respond, but his heart races. Her touch is warm, comforting.
FRED
(weakly)
"Why... are you helping me?"
HARRIET
"I don't know. But I couldn't leave you."
As the rain falls around them, Fred's heart shifts. He feels something more — a pull he doesn't understand.
[After his 1 week of treatment]
He searched the girl everywhere..
Fred's footsteps are hurried. His eyes scan every passing face, every corner, as he searches for her — the girl who saved him. Days, weeks, months have passed, and he can't forget the feeling she ignited inside him.
Then, one day, as he walks down a crowded street, he sees her.
Harriet.
She's running, weaving through the crowd, her face focused as she moves toward the crosswalk.
Fred's heart skips a beat.
In that moment, time slows down.
Harriet looks up just as she steps onto the road, unaware of the approaching car. Fred's instincts kick in. He rushes forward, calling her name.
FRED
(urgent)
"Hey!"
They collide — not with a violent crash, but in an almost surreal slow-motion. Their bodies twist, the impact sending them spinning, before they both stumble to a stop.
They both catch their breath, staring at each other, eyes wide.
FRED
(slowly, breathless)
"Sorry."
HARRIET
(also breathless)
"No, my fault... I wasn't looking."
Before Fred can say more, a voice calls out from behind them.
VOICE
"Harriet! Are you okay?"
Fred turns, seeing a man coming toward them, concern in his eyes.
Harriet's eyes flick to him, and she waves a little, a soft smile crossing her face.
HARRIET
"Yeah, I'm fine! Just a little... distracted."
Fred's heart stutters when he hears her name. Harriet.
The moment feels surreal, and he's left standing there, trying to process the realization.
---
[BACK TO PRESENT – INT. FRED'S APARTMENT]
Fred opens his eyes slowly, the memory leaving him raw and aching.
He's still sitting on the couch, the weight of the morning's events sinking deeper into his chest with each passing second. The apartment feels suffocating, like it's closing in on him. He runs a hand through his hair, eyes unfocused.
Every thought pulls him back to her.
To Harriet.
The woman who saved him. The woman who still haunts his every step.
He has to fix this. He can't let her walk away believing that what happened between them was just a mistake.
Fred stands abruptly, his heart pounding as he moves to grab his coat, his shoes. But before he can step outside, he stops. His gaze lingers on the door.
[FLASHBACK – 3 MONTHS AGO – AFTER THE COLLISION]
Fred steps out of his car, his hand clutching a bouquet of flowers, the vivid colors a stark contrast to the grey sky overhead. He's been planning this moment for weeks, ever since he first laid eyes on Harriet after that fateful night. He knows it's risky, knows it could be a mistake, but he can't deny the pull he feels toward her.
He walks with purpose, every step heavy with anticipation and uncertainty. As he rounds the corner to the café where he knows Harriet will be, his heart races. He's ready to finally take a chance.
But when he reaches the door and peers through the glass, the sight that greets him makes his heart drop to the pit of his stomach.
In the crowd ,Rufei is confessing love to Harriet and they are kissing, smiling at each other, their laughter easy and effortless. The tension in Fred's chest tightens further when he notices Rufei's hand on the back of Harriet.,close but intimate.
Fred can't look away, his chest constricting as he watches Rufei lean in and kiss Harriet.
Fred feels like the world has just tilted under him.
His fingers curl around the flowers, but he doesn't have the strength to bring them inside. Fred turns and walks away, every step heavier than the last.
[BACK TO PRESENT – INT. FRED'S APARTMENT]
Fred shakes his head, forcing himself to snap out of the reverie. He grabs his jacket again, this time with determination. He can't just sit here, lost in memories. He needs to see her.
---
[EXT. CITY STREETS – DAY]
Fred's footsteps are steady now, his mind focused. He knows what he has to do.
The city streets are bustling, and yet, he feels like he's walking through a fog. He passes by cafes, shops, and crowded corners, but his eyes are scanning the crowds — searching.
Then, he sees her.
Harriet.
She's standing outside a café, talking to a friend, laughing.
The sight of her, so alive, so free, makes Fred's chest tighten. He takes a breath, his heart pounding in his throat.
He's come too far to turn back now.
---
Fred steps forward, slowly at first, until he's standing just a few feet behind her. He doesn't know what he's going to say, but he knows he can't leave this moment unspoken.
Just as Harriet turns around, she freezes when she sees him.
Her smile falters.
Fred watches her expression change, uncertainty flickering in her eyes.
HARRIET
(softly)
"You..."
FRED
(cutting in, hurried)
"Harriet."
They stood distant in silence...
To be continued...