Almost Love

A modern-day love story that dances between what was and what never fully became.

CHARACTERS
ZURI - Early 20s. Witty, guarded, emotionally
deep. She's afraid of loving loud
MALIK - Mid 20s. Charming, emotionally
inconsistent, but madly in love with Zuri.
SANDRA - Zuri's best friend. Bold, honest, the
voice Zuri tries to ignore but can't.

ACT ONE

Scene 1
Setting: Zuri & Malik's apartment - small, cozy,
cluttered with signs of a shared life.

(Lights up. ZURI is on the couch scrolling her
phone. There's a long pause. The apartment is
quiet except for the distant hum of traffic. The
door creaks open - MALIK walks in holding a
wilted flower.)

MALIK
(softly)
Before you roll your eyes - hear me out.

ZURI
Not in the mood for a TED Talk tonight, Malik.

MALIK
Then let me freestyle. I missed you.

ZURI
(smirks, still scrolling)
You miss me in circles. Always come back to
say the same thing.

(He sits beside her, flower still in hand)

MALIK
It's not that I don't love you--

ZURI
(still not looking)
It's that you don't love me enough.

(Pause. He puts the flower on the table.)

MALIK
You know that thing people say- "right person,
wrong time"?

ZURI
Yeah. It's what cowards say when they don't
want to grow.

(SANDRA enters with a key, sees them frozen in
awkward silence.)

SANDRA
(raising an eyebrow)
....Should I come back or grab popcorn?

[End of Scene 1]