“Strangers to Lov
Scene 1: The Café Restaurant Encounter
*INT. Café Restaurant – SUNDAY MORNING*
(It was sunday morning. The weather seems to say that it will rain but it
didn’t bother Jess. Jess came to the Café after going to the church. JESS, is 18
years old, she’s a high school students, sits at a small table with her laptop,
headphones on, working on her project. She barely notices ALEX, who is also
18 years old, as he enter the Café, answering a phone call, and holding a
coffee that he ordered.)
JAMES (on the phone):
*Yeah, I’m here at the Café right now. No, I need to finish my project first
because tomorrow is the deadline.*
*As JAMES finishes his call, he bumps into a chair, spilling his coffee all over
the floor and himself. EMMA looks up, catching the commotion.*
**EMMA:**
*Careful there, looks like the coffee’s winning.*
**JAMES:**
*Yeah, well, coffee always seems to have the upper hand in these situations.*
*They both smile, breaking the tension. James tries to clean up, looking
flustered.*
**JAMES:**
*Sorry, I’m usually more put together than this. It’s just one of those days.*
**EMMA:**
*I get it. Happens to the best of us. Need a hand?*
**JAMES:**
*Nah, I think I’ve embarrassed myself enough already.*
*Emma chuckles and goes back to her work. James glances at her, noticing
how calm she seems in the middle of the chaos.*
**JAMES (curious):**
*You seem…unbothered by the madness. How do you do that?*
**EMMA:**
*Years of practice. I’m a writer. If I let chaos get to me, I’d never finish a
sentence.*
**JAMES:**
*A writer? That’s impressive. What do you write?*
**EMMA:**
*Mostly fiction, sometimes non-fiction. Depends on what the coffee tells me
to write that day.*
*They both laugh, a genuine connection starting to form.*
**JAMES:**
*I’m James, by the way.*
**EMMA:**
*Emma.*
*They shake hands, a small spark of something more than just politeness in
the air.*
**Scene 2: Chance Meeting at the Park**
*EXT. PARK – AFTERNOON.*
*Weeks later, EMMA is sitting on a bench, reading a book. JAMES jogs by,
doing a double take when he sees her.*
**JAMES (slowing down):**
*Emma?*
*Emma looks up, surprised but smiling.*
**EMMA:**
*James! The coffee warrior.*
**JAMES:**
*Still fighting the good fight. Didn’t expect to see you here.*
**EMMA:**
*I come here to clear my head sometimes. You?*
**JAMES:**
*Same, though running doesn’t always help me think straight. I mostly just
run from my problems, literally.*
**EMMA:**
*We all have our ways of coping.*
*They share a comfortable silence as James sits beside her. A few moments
pass before James speaks again.*
**JAMES:**
*You know, I’ve been thinking about that coffee shop encounter for a while
now.*
**EMMA:**
*Really?*
**JAMES:**
*Yeah. Something about how calm you were while everything else was a
mess. I don’t know, it stuck with me.*
*Emma looks at him, curious but guarded.*
**EMMA:**
*Life’s messy, James. We just…deal with it in our own ways.*
**JAMES:**
*You make it sound so simple.*
**EMMA:**
*It’s not. But it helps to have someone to talk to, even if they’re a stranger.*
**JAMES:**
*Well, I’d like to change that. How about dinner sometime?*
*Emma hesitates, caught off guard by the offer. She smiles softly, her guard
lowering a little.*
**EMMA:**
*Dinner sounds nice.*
**Scene 3: First Date**
*INT. COZY RESTAURANT – EVENING.*
*EMMA and JAMES sit across from each other, the conversation flowing
naturally. There’s a warmth between them now, something deeper than their
first encounters.*
**JAMES:**
*I never asked you, what’s your favorite part about writing?*
**EMMA:**
*I think it’s the way you can create something out of nothing. Just words, but
they can mean so much. They can change how someone feels, even if just
for a moment.*
**JAMES:**
*That’s…beautiful.*
*Emma looks at him, surprised by the sincerity in his voice.*
**EMMA:**
*What about you? What’s your favorite part about what you do?*
**JAMES (laughing):**
*Well, corporate finance isn’t exactly poetic. But I guess I like solving
problems. There’s a weird satisfaction in untangling a mess.*
**EMMA:**
*You must be good at it.*
**JAMES:**
*I try. But sometimes, life’s messes are a little harder to figure out.*
*They share a look, both understanding that they’re talking about more than
just their jobs. A moment of vulnerability passes between them.*
**EMMA:**
*Yeah. Some messes take time.*
**Scene 4: Falling for Each Other**
*EXT. CITY STREET – NIGHT.*
*EMMA and JAMES walk side by side, the night air crisp and cool. Their hands
brush against each other as they walk, the chemistry undeniable.*
**JAMES:**
*You know, I didn’t expect this.*
**EMMA:**
*What, spilling coffee on yourself?*
**JAMES (laughing):**
*No, I didn’t expect to meet someone like you. Someone who…makes me
think about things differently.*
*Emma pauses, turning to face him.*
**EMMA:**
*You’re not exactly what I expected either.*
**JAMES:**
*Is that a good thing?*
**EMMA:**
*Yeah. Yeah, it is.*
*They stand in the quiet of the night, the city moving around them but
feeling distant. James reaches out, gently taking her hand.*
**JAMES:**
*So, where do we go from here?*
*Emma looks at him, her eyes soft but determined.*
**EMMA:**
*Wherever this takes us. We’ll figure it out.*
*As they walk off into the night, hand in hand, the connection between them
now something much more than chance.*
**FADE OUT.**
