Episode 19

Emma: Thank you, I'm going up to my room.

Diogo: Okay, good night.

Emma: Good night.

Emma climbs the stairs and hears thunder; she pauses, taking deep breaths but doesn’t turn back. She finishes ascending and rushes to her bed, covering her entire body. She takes off her blood-stained clothes and lies down in her lingerie.

Diogo remains in the living room, thoughtful and a bit upset. He doesn't understand the difficulty Emma has in being with him; he wonders what is happening to him because, in the past, he wouldn’t have cared. The thunder rumbles again, and he thinks about her. He heads to his room to sleep, reminding himself that he will never touch her again and will try to forget her. After thinking so much, he falls asleep.

Emma tries to sleep, but the thunder won’t stop. She’s starting to feel suffocated and sweaty from the cold. A flash of lightning brightens the room, and Emma gets up, running to Diogo's room. She jumps on his bed, startling him awake.

Diogo: What’s wrong?

Emma: I’m scared.

Diogo: But you didn’t need to jump on me; I was sleeping.

Emma: I’m sorry.

Diogo: Do you want to sleep here?

Emma: Yes.

Diogo: Okay, lie down.

He turns on a bedside lamp, and she settles down. He notices that she is in lingerie, and as she lies down hugging him, his heart races, leaving him in shock.

Diogo: Damn.

Emma: What?

Diogo: You must be joking with me.

Emma: What are you talking about?

Diogo: Was this a plan to provoke me?

Emma: What?

Diogo: Have you seen how you look, Emma?

She finally realizes what he's talking about and processes that she’s only in lingerie. She pulls away and leaves the bed, feeling nervous.

Emma: I’m sorry, I didn’t realize—I just ran here without thinking.

Diogo: Okay, put on this shirt.

He says, taking off his shirt and throwing it to her. She puts it on and lies back down but this time doesn’t hug him, just stays close. He runs his fingers through her hair, and soon she falls asleep. When he sees that she’s asleep, he closes his eyes and drifts off too.

The next morning, Diogo wakes up feeling a weight on him. He opens his eyes and realizes Emma is sleeping next to him, with her leg over his. He tries to move, but she doesn’t budge. He strokes her hair, breathing in her scent, then closes his eyes as a whirlwind of thoughts fills his mind, leaving him confused. Until yesterday, she was a stranger, a nobody; now she wakes in his arms, in his bed. This creates a storm of confusion in his mind, leaving him dazed.

She stirs awake and looks at him. When she sees his face, she sits up abruptly, as if she doesn’t know where she is. She remembers the night before and blushes with embarrassment. She lowers her head, and he sits up, brushing her hair away to see her face.

Diogo: Good morning to you too.

Emma: Good morning.

Diogo: You don’t need to be scared or embarrassed.

Emma: I’m sorry; I broke a house rule.

Diogo: Relax, I’ll let this one pass.

Emma: I’m going to my room.

Diogo: You can stay here; it’s still early, and Isadora is still sleeping.

Emma: Then why are you already awake?

Diogo: I need to travel.

Emma: What do you mean?

Diogo: I have a business trip; I’ll be back in two days.

Emma: Wow.

Diogo: Will you miss me?.... he says, getting up

Emma: No.

Diogo: I’m going to go…. see Isadora.

Emma: Of course.

Diogo: Take good care of her; call me if you need anything.

Emma: Okay.

She lies back down, and he heads to the bathroom. He takes a shower and goes to the closet to get dressed; his suitcase is already packed, so he just gets ready. When he returns to the room, Emma is still asleep. He approaches her bed, looks at her, contemplating stroking her hair but hesitates and pulls back. He grabs his suitcase and leaves for the living room. He stops by Isadora's room to kiss her and heads straight to the car, driving away.