EXT. NEW YORK CITY FLOWERSHOP – DAY.

GRAYSON CHASE, (18, bright-eyed, heart-on-his-sleeve, romantic) BURSTS through flower shop door BREATHLESS. NOISE of BACKGROUND TRAFFIC swells in background. Grayson frantically RINGS front desk BELL.

GRAYSON:
Mrs. J? Mrs. J?! Are you there? I know I'm here early, but I gotta flower emergency only you can fix!

GRAYSON (VOICE OVER):
When people ask me about what happened that day, they always lead off with the same question—

GRAYSON:
I know you're back there, Mrs. Jackson!

Grayson RINGS the bell multiple times until ADRIA JACKSON (67, stern, lovable elderly shop owner) SHUFFLES up to front desk.

MRS. JACKSON:
Do you see what time it is, Gray?

GRAYSON:
Aww, c'mon! It's important.

GRAYSON (VOICE OVER):
--'Grayson, what's the last thing you remember?'

MRS. JACKSON:
We open at 10:00.

GRAYSON:
I know but--

MRS. JACKSON:
--Did you see the "closed" sign on the door?

GRAYSON:
Yeah, but you always leave it open for me. I'm the best delivery boy you've got.

MRS. JACKSON:
And the most clingy. Come back at 10:00 and we'll talk.

GRAYSON:
I can't—I have a date.

MRS. JACKSON:
A date? You sure you're not getting gold-fished again?

GRAYSON:
It's catfished, Mrs. J.

MRS. JACKSON:
That's what I said.

GRAYSON:
(laughing)
Anyway, this new girl's the real deal. No more online dating for this guy. The last girl I dated gave off total stalker vibes, so I cut her off.

MRS. JACKSON:
What'd she do? Call you at all hours of the night? Show up unannounced like someone else I know?

GRAYSON:
Nah, I didn't let it get that far.

MRS. JACKSON:
How long were you "together"?

GRAYSON:
A month-ish? If you could even call it that. She started following all my friends and family online, so I bailed. It was nothing serious anyway. Ya' know, like a pre-college fling.

MRS. JACKSON:
Did she know that? A woman has the right to know when she's not wanted.

GRAYSON:
Not really, I kinda ghosted on her at the start of first semester, but it took her four months to get the message.

MRS. JACKSON:
See? The internet isn't doing your generation any favors.

GRAYSON:
Exactly! That's why I decided to ditch my digital life. No email, texting, or social media. Keeping it old school. Calls only.

MRS. JACKSON
And how's that been working out?

GRAYSON:
Great, actually! I met this new girl. She's down-to-earth, anti-digital, wicked smart, and I'm super into her. We've been talking every day for the last two months, and last night, I finally asked her to meet for coffee.

MRS. JACKSON:
It took you two months to ask her out?

GRAYSON:
Trust me, if it wasn't against the rules, I would've done it a long time ago.

MRS. JACKSON:
Rules?

GRAYSON:
Basically, we met through this dating hotline built around a trust system. You can't request a date until you've spent enough time genuinely getting to know someone.

MRS. JACKSON:
That's how the world used to be.

GRAYSON:
I know, and it's been a huge hit. Right before winter break, flyers started popping up around campus for this service that lets singles meet up the "old-fashioned" way.

MRS. JACKSON:
Old fashioned? You mean actually talking instead of texting 'til your fingers fall off?

GRAYSON:
Yeah. You call a number, and they connect you someone. If you like each other, the service sets up call times so you can talk. There's two-month trial period before you can request a meet-up. I requested to meet up with her as soon as I could.

MRS. JACKSON:
Why didn't they give you her phone number? You could've asked her out yourself.

GRAYSON:
I gave her mine. Now, it's all up to her to call me. I told her I'd wait for her at the coffee shop on 6th this morning—hence the need for flowers.

MRS. JACKSON:
(chuckles)
Alright. Let me see what I can do.

GRAYSON:
You're the best, Mrs. J!

Grayson's iPhone RINGS.

GRAYSON:
Hello?

Short romantic jingle plays. FEMALE AUTOMATED DATING SERVICE OPERATOR responds.

FEMALE DATING SERVICE OPERATOR:
Hello, Caller 442. This is Phonebooth Dating Service with an automated status update to your meet-up request. As of June 7th 8:53 A.M., there has been no reply to your meet-up request from Caller 29. To cancel your meet-up, press one. To send an additional request press—

Incoming unidentified call BEEPS on Grayson's phone. He answers.

GRAYSON:
Hello? Please tell me this isn't the student loan—

STATIC comes through phone. Poor reception. UNKNOWN GIRL, CALLER 29 (19, timid) speaks.

GIRL:
Hey, is this—Caller 442? It's me—

STATIC CRACKLES.

GIRL:
--Caller 29, from Phonebooth. I didn't know how to respond to your request so—I'm on my way to 6th Street now. Are you still free?

GRAYSON:
Yes! Yeah, I'll be right over! Thanks for calling! I thought I'd freaked you out by giving you my number--

GIRL:
Not at all. It'll be nice to finally meet the face behind the voice.

GRAYSON:
And put a name to a face. I mean I'm so stoked about everything I kinda wanna tell you mine right now, but it'll probably be—

GRAYSON & GIRL:
--better in person.

Grayson and Girl LAUGH SOFTLY into the phone.

GRAYSON:
How far are you from the shop?

GIRL:
A couple blocks. Traffic's terrible though. It'll probably take a little while to park.

GRAYSON:
I'll be there in ten.

GIRL:
You might pass me on the way. I'll keep an eye out for you.

GRAYSON:
Keep an ear out. I don't wanna lose you on the phone. We can talk on the way. Just gimme a sec', I gotta grab something from my boss.

Grayson covers the phone, MUFFLING THE SOUND as he calls out to Mrs. Jackson.

GRAYSON:
(yelling)
Mrs. J! I gotta go! Don't worry about the flowers, I'll just grab a rose from the front!

MRS. JACKSON:
You can't wait five minutes for my arrangement? I'm almost done!

GRAYSON:
She called! I'm sorry! I'll catch up with you later, okay?

Grayson's FOOTSTEPS beat against concrete floor as he runs out of flower shop. Front door bell RINGS as he exits.

GRAYSON (Voice Over):
That morning was full of details...

GRAYSON:
(out of breath)
Hey? You still there?

GIRL:
Yep! I might be wrong, but was that the famous Mrs. Jackson from Montgomery Flower shop?

GRAYSON:
How'd you know?

GIRL:
My mom's an event planner so I pick up her orders from time to time. I love it there.

GRAYSON:
Have we met before? I'm only part-time but wouldn't it be crazy if we brushed elbows?!

GIRL:
Maybe we have. The world's a lot smaller than you think.

GRAYSON (Voice Over):
...little signs I missed.

GRAYSON:
Thank God. That means I can get to you faster.

Grayson's bike chains RATTLE & CLANG as he releases his bike from the front of flower shop.

GIRL:
I'll never understand how people bike in this city.

GRAYSON:
Are you a superhero? Your ears are on point this morning. I thought I was being quiet with the chains.

GRAYSON (Voice Over):
Little warnings I should've paid attention to.

GIRL:
(laughing)
Not exactly.

GRAYSON:
Do you bike?

GIRL:
Too scared. I'm a car kinda girl.

GRAYSON:
Bet I can change your mind. New York's a whole different world on the back of a bike. I'll take you around sometime.

GIRL:
You sure about those future plans? You might not like me once you meet me.

GRAYSON:
Impossible.

GIRL:
I could be an ogre.

GRAYSON:
Who doesn't love Shrek?

Passing taxi HONKS HORN repeatedly. DRIVER SHOUTS at Grayson.

TAXI DRIVER:
Watch where you're going, moron! The hell you doing biking and talking on the phone?!

GRAYSON:
Flirting with the girl of my dreams! Give me a break!

GRAYSON (Voice Over):
Sometimes...

GIRL:
Be careful! I've heard NY drivers bite when provoked.

GRAYSON (Voice Over):
...I wonder if I'd taken my time to get to you that day...

GRAYSON:
They're alright. It's the out-of-town drivers you gotta watch out for.

GIRL:
Really?

GRAYSON:
They're unpredictable. Luckily, I'm a pro at spotting bad drivers from a distance.

GRAYSON (Voice Over):
...Or waited those five minutes for Mrs. Jackson's flowers...

GIRL:
What street are you on?

GRAYSON:
Coming down 9th.

Aggressive car horns HONK at Grayson.

GRAYSON (Voice Over):
...Or listened to that taxi driver...

GIRL:
Looks like we'll get there at the same time after all.

GRAYSON:
What makes you so sure?

GIRL:
I've been watching you the whole time, Grayson.

GRAYSON:
What? How do you know my—?

GIRL:
I never forgot it.

Tires SCREECH against asphalt until bone-crushing IMPACT of car crashing directly into Grayson. Phone line switches to DIAL TONE and slowly fades to silence.

GRAYSON (Voice Over):
I wonder if I would've seen you coming.

Heart monitor BEEPS at an increasingly rapid rate.

GRAYSON (Voice Over):
Or realized you were always there.