Untitled Short Play Two

CHARACTERS:
JULIAN
NAOMI
ISABEL
OWEN

SCENE ONE


Lights up.

A modern living room. A desk with a typewriter sits fairly close to the audience. A big, comfortable couch, off to the right.

JULIAN sits at a table with a typewriter, typing.

NAOMI walks in and over to JULIAN. She puts her arms around him and kisses his cheek.

JULIAN doesn't react to her.

NAOMI lets go, whispers into his ear, then exits offstage.

JULIAN continues typing.

ISABEL walks into the room and comes up behind him, putting her hands on his shoulders.

JULIAN stops and looks up.

ISABEL:
Julian?

JULIAN gives her a side glance.

JULIAN:
Huh?

ISABEL:
I need to go out of town for the weekend.

JULIAN:
Where do you need to go?

ISABEL:
Chicago.

JULIAN nods.

(LONG PAUSE)

JULIAN.
What time do you have to wake up?

ISABEL runs one hand through his hair.

A smile comes over JULIAN's face, before he turns to her.

ISABEL leans down and kisses him.

ISABEL:
The plane takes off at six, so I have to leave early.

JULIAN:
Do you want me to give you a ride to the airport?

ISABEL:
No. I'll let you sleep.

ISABEL slowly pulls out JULIAN's chair, then turns it, so they face each other. She slowly gets on his lap.

They start kissing.

NAOMI walks back in. She leans against the wall, then opens her purse and takes a lipstick container.

She opens it, then slowly starts applying lipstick, using the mirror on the case.

ISABEL peers over at what JULIAN's typing, then stops kissing him.

ISABEL (CONT'D):
Is this what you're working on?

ISABEL looks at it, reads a few lines, then looks at him. She silently gets off his lap.

JULIAN:
It's happening again.

ISABEL:
You want our neighbor more than me.

JULIAN:
That's not true.

JULIAN reaches for her hand, but ISABEL won't give it to him.

NAOMI finishes putting on her lipstick, then puts both away. She walks offstage again.

JULIAN looks at ISABEL.

JULIAN reaches for her hand again.

This time, she slowly lets him hold it.

ISABEL:
I believe you.

JULIAN gets up and takes her by the hand, before they exit offstage .


Lights down.



SCENE TWO


Lights up.

JULIAN sits at the table, typing.

NAOMI walks onstage and goes over to the mirror. She turns her back to the audience, before opening her purse and taking out a brush. She starts brushing her hair.

JULIAN stops typing and looks over what he's typing.

NAOMI stops brushing her hair, then puts the brush back in her purse. She looks at her dress, then checks her stockings and starts adjusting one.

JULIAN:
I'm never going to get her out of my head, so I might as well give in.

NAOMI immediately stops.

JULIAN gets up and walks out of the room.

NAOMI turns toward the table, then goes over and vacates the seat JULIAN was at.

She opens the drawer and takes out a pair of scissors. She closes the drawer, then cuts one strap of her top, so it falls.

JULIAN walks back in, holding his watch.

NAOMI gets up from the seat with the scissors. She exits offstage.

JULIAN sits back down, then fixes his watch onto his wrist.

JULIAN sits there, then looks at the ceiling. He sighs and rubs his eyes. He goes back to typing.

NAOMI walks in and sits on the couch.

OWEN shows up in the doorway.

They look at each other.

NAOMI:
Hello.

OWEN moves over and sits next to her, then grabs her and starts kissing her passionately.

He breaks away and looks at her.

OWEN:
Have you told your husband that you're leaving him?

NAOMI shakes her head.

OWEN lets go of her.

NAOMI:
I need more time.

OWEN
I've left my wife for you. It's time you left your husband, so we can run off with each other.

They stop.

JULIAN sits at the table. He pulls the sheet from the typewriter, shakes his head, then crumples the paper and tosses it into the nearby trashcan.

He takes a fresh piece of paper from the pile, then puts it in the typewriter and starts typing again.

NAOMI still sits on the couch. She picks up the glass of wine from the table and starts drinking.

OWEN sits next to her and pulls out a long box from his pocket. He opens it and dangles an
antique-looking necklace in front of her.

NAOMI nods, before loosely gathering up her hair into a ponytail.

OWEN gingerly puts it on her. NAOMI touches it, then drops her hand.

OWEN takes her glass and sets it down on the table, before putting his arm around her. He kisses her cheek.

They stop again.

JULIAN sits at the table, shakes his head in disgust, then rips the paper from the typewriter and forms it into a ball.

He gets up and throws the ball into the trashcan, before exiting offstage.


Lights down.



SCENE THREE


Lights up.

Basically the same living room, except the desk is pushed to the side and covered with a tablecloth.

NAOMI sits with her head on her shoulder. Her attention is off to one side.

OWEN sits nearby, looking at her.

OWEN:
What's wrong?

NAOMI gets up and walks over in the direction of the window. She stands there, then turns to OWEN.

NAOMI:
Our neighbor is watching us again. Come here.

OWEN gets up and goes over to her.

OWEN:
Time to kiss you?

NAOMI nods.

OWEN runs his thumb over her lips.

NAOMI:
Is he still watching us?

OWEN quickly looks behind her, then leans down and kisses her on the mouth.

They kiss for a little bit, then stop and look at each other.

OWEN looks out the window.

OWEN:
He's still watching.

NAOMI nods.

OWEN kisses her shoulder, then runs his tongue up her neck.

NAOMI:
Let's speed things up a little.

NAOMI takes off OWEN's tshirt.

OWEN starts kissing her mouth, then starts kissing a trail around her neck.

NAOMI turns her attention towards the window.

OWEN:
Our neighbor must be getting an eyeful.

NAOMI:
He's gone.

NAOMI pushes him away, then starts walking away.

OWEN:
We could continue kissing.

NAOMI laughs, then goes back to the couch and sits down.

OWEN stands there, looking at her.

NAOMI looks at him and shakes her head.

OWEN nods, puts his tshirt back on, then goes back to the couch and sits down. He turns to her and smiles.

NAOMI still stares at him.

OWEN puts his hand on her thigh.

NAOMI looks at his hand.

NAOMI:
Hmmmmm.

OWEN
What's on your mind?

NAOMI turns to him and leans closer.

NAOMI:
You can never have me.

NAOMI pushes his hand off, then gets up and exits offstage.


Lights down.



SCENE FOUR


Lights up.

The living room is back to the way it was BEFORE SCENE THREE, with the desk downstage center and uncovered.

JULIAN sits at the table, typing.

The doorbell rings offstage.

He stops, then gets up and exits offstage.

A minute passes before JULIAN walks back in, but stops in the doorway and turns sideways.

JULIAN:
Come in here.

JULIAN turns away and goes back to the table, before sitting down.

NAOMI walks in the doorway, before stopping a few steps in front of it, looking at JULIAN.

JULIAN side glances her, before resuming his typing.

NAOMI:
What are you typing?

JULIAN finishes what he's typing, before stopping.

JULIAN:
Would you like to take a look?

NAOMI:
All right.

NAOMI slowly walks over to the table, standing behind him. She leans over, after setting her hands on the table. She's very close to JULIAN.

JULIAN becomes instantly aware of her closeness.

JULIAN:
Your perfume is quite nice.

NAOMI ignores him, before starting to read aloud what is typed.

NAOMI:
I found myself watching her from where I was. We were in two different places with the distance between us long enough to not be at arm's length. That meant, the inability for physical contact...

NAOMI quickly rips it from the typewriter, then moves over to the couch, reading it to herself.

JULIAN swings around to her, facing diagonal.

JULIAN:
Do you like it?

NAOMI motions for him to wait, then looks up from the paper.

A smile comes over her face.

NAOMI:
Was this inspired by someone?

JULIAN bites his lip, before turning his back to her again.

NAOMI sets the paper down, then gets up and goes over to JULIAN.

Trying to distract himself, he takes another paper off the desk and puts it in the typewriter.

JULIAN
(mainly to himself)
No.

NAOMI puts her arms around JULIAN.

JULIAN looks rather disturbed, but remains passive.

NAOMI leans down and nearly brushes her lips against his cheek.

NAOMI:
There must be someone.

JULIAN
(nervously laughing):
Just a figment of my imagination. She doesn't exist, this woman.

NAOMI runs her lower lip along his neck.

NAOMI:
You're a liar.

JULIAN:
I'm not.

NAOMI runs her lower lip over his ear.

NAOMI:
She's not someone you watch from time to time?

JULIAN bites his lip and looks at his typewriter, shaking his head.

JULIAN:
No.

NAOMI runs her tongue up his ear.

NAOMI:
Who is your muse? Tell me.

JULIAN:
I don't know what you're talking about.

NAOMI:
Don't play coy with me. I watch you, too.

JULIAN swings in her direction, so they're looking at each other.

JULIAN:
You've watched me?

NAOMI nods.

NAOMI:
I'm not blind. You're an attractive guy.

JULIAN turns back to the typewriter.

JULIAN:
My wife wants me to stop.

NAOMI lets go of him.

NAOMI:
Do you want to stop watching me?

JULIAN stares at the typewriter.

JULIAN:
Yes, because it's pointless, when I can't ask you to do things to me.

NAOMI laughs, then lets go of JULIAN.

NAOMI:
Desire makes everyone act stupid.

JULIAN:
That's not true.

NAOMI:
And, you've confused desire with inspiration.

JULIAN side glances her.

Both of them look as if they will say something.

JULIAN bites his lip and looks at his typewriter.

NAOMI turns away, then exits offstage.

JULIAN turns around.

(PAUSE)

JULIAN says nothing, shrugs it off and begins to type.


Black Out.