Once in a Valentine (2024) Movie Script
1
- No, no, no, no, no.
No, please, don't hurt me.
Please, please, please, please, don't.
No, no, no, please.
- Mommy?
Mommy?
Mommy, it's time to get up.
Mommy, mommy, mommy.
You wasn't breathing.
- I'm fine, baby.
Mommy's fine.
- You have to go to the store
and get my Krispie treats.
- Your Krispie treat?
Oh, yeah, for the party.
Okay.
- I'm gonna save something
for you, grandma, Papa.
- That's nice, Aila.
Yeah, that's really, it's really nice.
- My teacher said when
you have bad dreams,
tell God about it and
the bad dreams go away.
- Aila, I wasn't having a bad dream.
Yeah.
Yeah, your teacher's right.
- I know, now, get ready.
I'm too cute to be tardy for the party.
- Oh, you too cute?
- Mm-hmm.
- Uh uh.
You think you too cute?
I'm fine.
Mommy's fine.
Go get dressed.
I'm fine.
Jesus.
- All right, now, when
grandma picks you up,
you make sure them Krispie treats
are only things she gets outta you.
- I know, I know.
What happens in your
dreams, stay in your dreams.
- That's right.
- Even though
you talk about it in your sleep.
- I don't talk in my sleep.
- You don't be quiet either.
- All right.
Hi.
- Good morning.
- Love you, Mommy.
- Love you.
- Miss Doman, don't forget
about the Valentine's Day dance.
- I won't.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Good morning, Ms. Doman.
- Good morning.
- Look down, slow it down, slow it down.
What's the rush?
- Not now, Marquis, I have meetings.
- Okay, well, I'm here.
I am here.
Hmm.
Alright.
What you need me to do?
What you need help with?
You know, I'll do anything for you.
- I'm good.
- Come on, what do you need help with?
What you need me to do?
- I need you to get out my office.
- Well, I got you this job.
So, technically this is my office too.
- Seriously, we're going tit for tat?
- Mm.
- Like we're back in high school?
- Yeah, well, you know,
back in high school
you had a set of pompoms
and a lot more cheer.
Now, you just salty and
sexy at your old age.
- Old age?
- Yeah.
- Did you not notice that your
hair line's not in 12th grade
anymore?
- Oh, okay, so, we going
below the belt, huh?
God, what happened to you, girl?
You was a lot less rigid back in the day.
- I grew up.
- Yeah, I can see that.
Relax, C, relax, God.
You know, Valentine's
Day around the corner,
hey, let me take you out to dinner.
- I don't do Valentine's.
- Whoa, what?
Since when do you not like to be pampered
and catered to on Valentine's Day?
You do know Valentine's Day
is a woman's holiday, right?
- Don't care.
May I have my office?
- Uh uh, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no.
You've been here for a few months
and you got every man's head spinning.
But not one of us has gotten
you to let your hair down.
What's the real deal?
- There is no deal.
I'm just not interested.
Now, go.
Go, get out
- All right.
One day.
- Get out.
- One day.
- Sheila, I'm at work.
- Oh, hey girl, how's that going?
- Busy.
- Mm, well, we
gonna take care of that.
Get your g-string ready.
We're backing that thing up tonight.
- I'm not getting my g-string
and I'm not backing anything up.
- Of course you are.
Nine o'clock.
- No, I'm not.
- Cece, it's my birthday.
And you've missed the last five.
- No, I didn't, I spent
like half the day with you.
- Yes, in my house.
But this year will not be Uno
and stepping in the name
of love in my living room.
This year we are stepping out.
- Negative.
You know, I don't like parties.
- It's not a party.
Okay, well, it is a party,
but it's not a party, party.
- No, Sheila.
- Girl, it'll
be totally fun and safe.
You will be fine.
I'll text you the details later.
Trust and love me.
I said love me.
- You love me.
- You know I do.
See you tonight.
- Wait, I didn't say that I would.
- Hi mom, how are you?
- Oh, blessed and highly favored.
How is my big baby?
- Your big baby is not a big baby anymore.
In case you haven't noticed.
- Trust me, I notice everything.
Like, all that tension up
there in your shoulders
make you look like you walking around here
like a linebacker.
- Okay.
- I told you, Cece.
- Mom, I'm fine.
- I knew it was a mistake.
You have to quit the job.
- And do what?
Sit around all day and talk
about how I can't sit around
all day for the rest of my life?
- Look, sometimes you have to
take the bull by the horns,
but when the ride gets too rough, baby,
you just gotta hop your little ass off.
- And land right back
here in my parents' house.
I think not.
- Well, I ain't ask about how you think.
- Of course not.
- But I do wanna know
about those bad dreams.
- Bad dream?
- Mm-hmm.
- Aila?
- Don't you said a word to my grand baby.
She's a smart girl and
she knows what's going on,
and she's worried about her mother.
I just wanna know about those nightmares.
I thought they were coming
a little less frequent.
- Well, they were, they are.
- You know, I think you need
to schedule another session.
- I don't need more therapy.
- Well, you know how you
get this time of year.
- Mom, please, for once in a Valentine,
I don't wanna think about my past
and just have some peace
of mind for a change.
Aila?
- Oh, don't yell at that girl like that.
She's going to think she's
in trouble or something.
- Okay, I'm ready.
- Hi, baby.
Here.
Here, baby.
- Oh, Jesus.
- Work?
- Sheila.
I almost forgot it was her birthday.
- Oh, well, let me go get the Uno cards.
- Well, actually, she wants to go out.
- Out?
- Do you mind if I bring Aila by later?
It should only be a few hours.
- What you mean, out?
I mean, really, out where?
- Hey, everybody.
How's my family?
- Hey.
- Papa.
- Hey, look at my little sugar plum.
Ah, come give your grandpa some sugar.
How was school today?
- Good.
- Good, you doing good?
Yes.
Hey, baby.
- Hey.
Good thing I didn't cook dinner.
- Well, it wouldn't change nothing.
- Hi, Dad.
- Hey, Cece.
- Papa.
- Yeah.
- Is that chicken wings?
- What else do papa eat?
Go get papa some hot sauce
and some bread.
- Oh, no.
Uh uh, because you know you
not supposed to have that.
- Wait a minute now.
Now, this is my granddaughter.
The food I eat is good for the soul.
That's why they call it soul food.
- Yeah.
- Okay?
She gonna grow and be big
and strong like her Papa.
Ain't that right?
Gimme a pound.
- Yeah, big all right.
- Whatever.
- All right, I need to go.
I'll bring Aila back in a few hours.
- Few hours?
- Yeah, go get your stuff, Aila, let's go.
- What's going on?
- I'll tell you.
We gonna talk about this.
- No, you need to give me-
- Come on here, come on.
You ain't getting this chicken though.
I'm gonna eat this.
- That's right, let's
keep this party popping
for Miss Sheila grand baby.
- Chris, can you tell her
to get down from there?
- Hell no.
We're married.
I wouldn't get to see all
of that like once a year.
I got to enjoy this while I can.
- All right, Sheila, Sheila,
honey, you're embarrassing us.
Come on down.
- Embarrassing who?
Can't you see we're the only ones in here?
- Exactly.
Who buys out an entire lounge
to throw a birthday party
and only invites two people?
- I do.
It's a new year for me, and
I'm not gonna let my BFF
spend another year stuck in her past.
It's been too long.
- And too expensive.
- And it's too many potentials in here
for you to be looking this
fine and still single.
- Potentials, where?
Sheila, we're literally
the only ones in here.
- Well, it looks like Mr.
Potential just crashed the party.
- Wait, is he?
Oh.
Oh God, no, no.
- Oh, baby, let's take the dance floor.
That's my song.
- No, no, no, yeah.
Let's hit the dance floor together
because you're not
leaving me here by myself.
- Potential, potential.
- Hi, this is hell of a party.
Is anybody sitting here?
- Yes.
- I'm Noah Robinson.
You are?
- Not interested.
- Not so nice.
Not so nice.
- Look, I'm really just
here for my friend.
- That's okay.
I'm sure your friend wouldn't mind
if you made another friend, right?
- I sure do not.
Ain't that right, Cece?
- Cece, that's nice.
- It's Celeste.
- Well, even better.
- How are you?
- I'm Noah Robinson, I own the place.
- Oh, so you're the one
stealing all of my money.
- Our money, and stop that.
- Okay, I'm sorry, I
didn't mean to oppose,
I just wanted to get to know
this beautiful young lady,
but I'll let y'all get back to it.
Enjoy your party, drinks are on me, okay?
- I mean, it's not, it's not a party.
The real party's at the live Lava Lounge.
You know, this fake party here?
- Fake party?
Wait, Sheila, is this not real?
- Of course it's real,
okay, well, you don't like people,
so, I'm just having a little after party
after I celebrate with my BFF
who likes to spend a life
in a cave, that's all.
- It's not about what I like.
And you know that.
- Well, I told you it
wasn't a party party.
- Sheila
- Look, Cece.
- This was a bad idea.
- Is the night ending so soon?
- Yes, party's over.
Now, excuse me.
- Wait, are are you sure I
can't get you another drink?
It's on the house.
- Thank you, but I really
wanna get outta here right now.
- That's not a problem.
Can I get your number at least?
- No.
- Yes, yes.
Excuse us for a minute.
Girl, just talk to him.
Feel him out.
- Feel him out?
- Yes.
- You invite me to your
fake birthday party.
Now, you wanted to play matchmaker?
- Look-
- Look what?
I'm not ready for this.
- Okay, it's not that serious.
Just let your hair down for once.
Talk to him.
If it's not all right,
then it's okay, okay?
- Okay.
- Okay.
Nice meeting you, Noah.
- It's nice to meet you.
- Yeah, have a good night.
And lower your rental fees.
I had to write a bad check
just to rent this place out.
- He's lying.
He's crazy, don't listen to him.
- I got you, it is nice
to meeting you both.
- Me and Chris
we'll wait for you outside
in the car.
- I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean
to make anything weird.
Can we try this again?
- Celeste Doman.
- Nice to meet you, Celeste Doman.
- Noah, I really didn't
expect to meet anyone tonight.
- Neither did I, but I'm
certainly glad I met you.
Are you okay?
- Yeah, sorry.
I don't know what this is,
but I believe in fate,
so, let's not exchange
contact information tonight
and just leave things the way they are now
and let fate decide what happens next.
- Fate?
- Mm-hmm.
- You kidding, right?
What does that even mean?
Fate.
Fate.
Okay.
- Look at the little sachet over here.
- What?
- So?
- Uh uh.
- Hold on, girl.
Girl, wait, wait, wait.
Okay, hold on.
Open the door, just open the window.
Thanks for taking the lead
tonight, I'm proud of you.
- Thanks for getting on my nerves.
It wasn't that bad.
- Mr. Noah, wasn't that bad either.
- Don't push it.
- Girl, seriously,
Valentine's Day is coming up and-
- I'm not looking for a Valentine.
Sheila, are you serious?
- I know, I just think that maybe-
- Sheila!
- Look what happened, happened.
It doesn't mean it's gonna happen again.
- You don't know that.
- What I do know is that
people get what they deserve
eventually.
He's probably a prison wife somewhere,
or in hell where he belongs.
He doesn't matter anymore,
but your life does.
Stop letting him win.
You hear me?
- Yeah, okay.
I hear you.
- Honk again,
honk again.
Girl, let me get outta here
before I become a guest star
in "First 48."
- Yes, please go.
- And you sleep well tonight, okay?
- I will.
- No bad dream.
- Right.
- Honk at me again and see what happens.
No, it's no,
I had a moment there.
You messed up the whole moment.
We was here.
- Mom, don't ask about
last night, I was fine.
I'm at work right now,
so I can't really talk.
Wait,
he what?
- So, we assumed that
our consumer line will...
- Mr. Carter, you okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine, thank you.
Yeah, so, we assumed that our
business line will supersede.
- I'm fine, told you, huh, doc.
Tell 'em, doc, I'm fine.
- Mom, mom, where is he?
- Celeste he's right here.
- Dad.
- Right here.
- Oh, Lord.
- He's okay though.
- Oh Lord, Diane.
- Well, I know you
told me not to call her,
but I had to tell her.
- Why?
- Because I'm your daughter.
I have the right to know
what's going on with you.
- We almost thought he had a heart attack.
- A heart attack?
- Yes.
- Don't worry, it's just
a little indigestion.
He just needs to relax and
cut out the fried foods.
- Yeah, yeah, I hear you, doc.
I'm gonna do better, I promise you.
- If anything comes up, gimme a call.
Otherwise, William,
you're gonna be just fine.
- See, I told you, I told y'all already.
I'm fine.
Celeste, please, please
don't look at me like that.
- Dad, how many times
do I have to tell you?
- Listen to me, Cece.
I'm 60 years old.
I know what I'm doing, okay?
- Not when you act like a little child.
- You know what, Diane?
Do me a favor.
Go get my belt.
- Daddy, please.
- William, come on.
You know she's right.
- So, what if she's right?
Look, there are a thousand ways to die.
You understand that?
Faith is the key.
God is the creator.
God says when you go,
and if he wanted to take me,
he would've taken me already.
God moves in mysterious ways.
The God that I serve created the earth.
He created the universe, and
guess what else God created.
God created chicken.
- Oh.
- God created chicken.
And guess what else God did.
The creator of the universe,
he put it in our minds to do what?
Hmm?
To do what?
To fry it.
You can bake it.
You can saute it,
but it ain't nothing like a
good piece of fried chicken.
You understand?
So, if God did that,
I'm gonna be obedient.
So, I'm going to enjoy me
a piece of fried chicken
with some lemon pepper seasoning
and some good old hot sauce
tripping off of that thing.
- Dad, just because it's good
doesn't mean it's good for you.
- Man, y'all killing me.
Look, we all on the clock
and don't none of us know
when it's gonna stop ticking.
So, I'm not going to
spend every waking moment
walking around scared like
something gonna happen to me.
I've had a great life,
I got a great family.
Got a great job, I'm not gonna do that.
A scared man is a dead man.
So, you know what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna walk in them pearly gates.
I'm gonna have me a sweet tea.
And in this hand, I'm
gonna have a big piece
of fried chicken
with the hot sauce just dripping
off in the chicken grease
just going down my arm.
And I'm gonna, suck the,
- This man is gonna drive me,
- Chicken grease.
- To the loony bin.
I'm gonna go get my granddaughter.
- Actually, see, mom, if you don't mind,
can you keep her for
a little while longer?
- Why?
What's wrong?
- Nothing.
I just, I have some things at work
that I need to take care of.
Love you, dad.
- Love you too, baby.
- Okay, baby, be careful.
- Hey, Cece,
do me a favor.
Bring me back a ham hop,
one of the, not a big one,
a small one, and some beef jerky.
Couple of pork chops
and a thing of chitlins.
Like the little can of chitlins
and a Hennessy and Coke.
A bottle of.
Maybe.
- Alright, ma'am, there you go.
You be blessed on the day.
Thank you so much.
Alright, now, drive safe.
Why don't you just,
Why don't you just call her?
- I don't have her number.
She says she wants fate
to bring us back together.
- Fate?
Useless shit like you?
- What?
- I mean, I'm just saying,
it's not like she don't
know where you are.
- Okay, what's,
what's that supposed to mean?
- Not my job, boss,
but I can't make you one hell of a drink.
What's the point?
- I'll take a dirty martini with a twist.
- Well, damn.
- It's okay.
I got it.
- You got it?
Okay.
- All right, well, dirty
martini coming right up.
Would you like vodka or gin?
- Absolute.
- Absolute, okay.
Okay.
How is it?
- It's a start.
- A start?
I actually didn't think
I'd see you again so soon.
- Since when is fate that predictable?
Sorry about last night,
I was having a bad day.
- Oh, it's okay.
Well, hopefully coming in
here will make it better.
- That depends.
What do you want from me,
Mr. Noah Henry Robinson?
- So, you know my whole name?
- Originally from Washington, DC,
mother passed a few years back.
You moved to Atlanta
with your grandmother.
Dropped out of Georgia Tech University,
but still managed to open this restaurant.
No marriage, no arrests,
no baby mama drama.
- So, you've been spying on me.
- Google comes in handy
and you talk a lot on your social media.
- Okay, that's business purposes.
That's no fair, I couldn't find yours.
- I'm a private person.
So, what do you want?
A side piece?
A one night stand?
Friends with benefits?
Or you just looking have a little fun?
- Wow, wow, you just go straight
for the jugular, don't you?
- Why beat around the bush
when the bush is right in front of you?
- That's an interesting choice of words,
but no, I'm not, I'm not
interested in one night stands.
But I do like to have a little fun.
- Really?
- Yeah, of course.
What good is life if
you're not having fun?
- I see.
- Don't, Celeste, you don't
have to worry about me, okay?
I'm not one of those guys.
- And what kind of guy is that?
The kind Who drops outta college?
- The kind who had to take
care of his sick grandmother.
Okay, you know, college is cool and all,
but you know, life had a
different route for me.
Fortunately, my grandmother
taught me everything I needed
to know about food and drinks.
And when she passed,
she left me enough money
so I can start my own business.
- My condolences.
- It's been a while, but thank you.
- But no woman.
Are you on the DL?
Or you used to be one?
- God, are you serious?
- It's the new 20s and we're in Atlanta.
Yes, I'm very serious.
- Okay, trust me, I have
not, and never have been.
- A handsome man.
A successful business owner.
No kids, no wife, almost 30.
- Okay, I know, I know.
Women get weird about it.
They wanna find a good man,
but when they find one that
seems a little too perfect,
they wanna find a flaw.
- So, you think you're perfect?
- No, okay?
I think I'm just like you.
You know, a little confused
about how I'm feeling
at the moment, but, but
brave enough to ask you
to spend some more time with me
and give me a chance to figure it out.
- Hello?
- Hello, beautiful.
I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time.
- No, no, no, it's fine.
I'm actually surprised you called.
- Why, we had such a
good time the other day.
- Yeah, yeah, but I was a little,
- Unsure?
I mean, so, it's okay to be
cautious and taking your time
and I don't mind waiting
for the right one.
- Oh, so, you think I'm the right one?
- I think you should let
me take you to lunch.
- To lunch?
- Yeah, I know this cute little place.
You know, we can hang out,
you can go back to work.
If you don't have any plans, of course.
- Yeah, well, I'm pretty busy,
so, I might have to get
back to you on that.
- Alright, well, you have my number.
- Yes, I do, don't I?
- Well, you enjoy your day, Ms. Doman?
- You too, Mr. Robinson.
- Hmm?
A new client.
- Do you ever knock?
- I did,
but obviously you were too
consumed by your client.
- What do you want?
- Oh, I don't know.
To drop off this paperwork
and maybe that dinner
I've been asking for.
A walk in the park.
A fair shot.
Or maybe even a nice little
cozy Netflix and chill
for Valentine's Day.
But I see you're already making plans.
- Okay, listen, you and I
are friends, we're coworkers,
and I thank you for hooking
me up with this job.
But there's a line you're trying to cross
and I'm not ready for it.
- You're not ready for it?
Yeah, you know what?
Maybe you right.
- You know, you haven't said much that,
did I make a bad choice?
- No, no,
this isn't quite what I was
expecting, but it's nice.
- But?
- Why do you think there's a but?
- I don't know.
Maybe the fact that you're on
your second bag of popcorn.
You barely open your mouth.
- I can't eat if I don't open my mouth.
- You also can't talk with
your mouth full either.
Come on, I was hoping we
can get to know each other
even better.
- Sorry, this is all just
really new for me right now.
- What's new?
You gonna say you've never
been on a date before?
Celeste, okay, can you just
open up, just let me in.
Okay, I could see you
have a lot of closed doors
and I keep knocking, but it's-
- I haven't been with a man in years.
- Whoa.
Did we, did we just skip some steps
or did I just like pass
out and miss something?
- I'm just getting straight to the point.
It's obvious you like me and I like you,
but some of those doors are closed forever
and for good reasons that
I'd rather not discuss.
- I see.
- Well, now, that I've
completely ruined this snack.
- Look, hey, look, you
don't always have to run
when things get uncomfortable.
- I'm not running.
I just know when to walk away.
- But do you know what
you're walking away from?
Look, listen, whatever
you've been through.
Nobody's perfect, trust
me, I mean, I know.
I mean, I've been through some things
I've had to overcome and
doors I never wanna see
reopened either.
But that doesn't mean I turn
my house into Fort Knox.
- Hmm.
And entrepreneur and a therapist.
I must have missed that in my research.
- All I'm saying is will
you just let your guard down
for just one second
and see that I'm just trying
to be here for you, okay?
No matter what happened in your past
has only made you better for me.
- For you?
That sounds like a problem.
- And why is that?
- I'm not yours.
- Well, I don't want you to be mine, okay?
I want us to be ours.
You never know, Valentine's
Day is just around the corner.
- I don't do corners.
I like to see what's coming.
- And what do you see?
What do you see right now?
Because no matter how much
you wanted to walk away,
you're still sitting
here looking in my eyes
and I'm looking into yours.
So, how's that popcorn?
- Wow.
Want some chips?
- Yeah.
- Just one.
I'm just playing.
- A good one there.
- Girl, it is been weeks
and you just now bringing him over here?
You know we have to vet him.
- I know, I know.
I just don't wanna rush things.
What do you think about him?
- I like him.
- Really?
- I mean, the jury's still out,
but so far he all right with me.
- Chris seems to be okay with him.
- Yeah, Chris will enjoy anybody
that'll talk sports with him.
- Yeah.
- So, it's getting serious?
- I think so.
I can't believe we're still
getting to know each other
and I'm already feeling things
I haven't felt in years.
- Okay, so, you feeling things?
You two been?
- No.
And that's the thing.
I don't know if he wants to.
- Girl, he gay?
- No, he's a gentleman.
A gentleman and everything
feels so genuine.
It makes me nervous that
there are no red flags.
- Maybe you need to stop looking for one.
- Sheila.
- Well, I'm just saying,
if you keep looking,
eventually you're gonna find something
even if it's not there.
- Yeah, you're right.
- I know I'm right.
I know how to pick 'em.
- You what?
- Huh?
- What'd you say?
- I didn't say nothing.
- Yes, you did.
You said, you said you
know how to pick 'em.
- I said that?
- Sheila?
- Okay, okay, okay.
I couldn't keep this
from you for too long.
Look, I have a confession.
- A confession?
- Yeah.
I kind of knew him already.
- What do you mean you knew him already?
Like, like you two used to date?
- No, nothing like that.
- Then what was it?
- Okay, first of all, calm down.
Second of all, no matter what I say,
just remember we're best friends.
- The jury is still out on that.
- Okay, so, when he needed
help looking for a location
to open his restaurant a few months ago,
I kind of was his realtor.
- You were?
Why are you just telling me this now?
- Well, I had to see if
it was gonna work first.
- I can't believe this.
- Shh.
- Everything okay in here?
- Yeah, everything's good, baby.
You know, we good.
We good, we good, we good.
- Y'all missing a good game.
- Yeah, yeah, it's good.
Okay, all right, bye.
I'll see you later.
- I get it.
You set this whole thing up.
- Okay, yes, but it was for your own good.
So, don't get upset about it.
- Oh my.
So, all that, this year
is not gonna be Uno
and stepping in the name of love,
that was just a ploy?
- Yes.
- To get me to meet him.
- Yes, yes, okay?
But that was only because
I knew he was single,
extremely motivated, professional,
and just a really good guy.
- Sheila.
- Huh?
- Why would you do something like this?
- Because every year
around Valentine's Day,
you are always emotionally
depressed and unavailable.
I mean, last year you were so depressed,
you had me in my own house
crying over a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich.
And I'm on no carb diet.
You know how much weight I
gained stressing over you?
- That's not my fault.
- Okay.
- You know why?
- Lower your voice.
- This time I think I'm
stepping out on faith
and you're secretly
manipulating the universe.
- But, girl, it worked.
I mean, look at you.
You are more excited and alive
than I've seen you in years.
- Sheila, I wasn't dead.
- Yeah, but you wasn't living either.
Look, I'm sorry, I didn't tell you,
but if there was any chance
this was gonna actually work for you,
then that's what I wanted.
So, you to put your little
attitude with me away
and let this very nice guy
just bring back that, that
feisty and rambunctious Celeste
that we all used to know and love.
Okay?
Now, tell me you love me.
- You know you make me sick, right?
- Yeah, I know, I love you too, girl.
Lets do this together.
- You did okay.
- Oh God, I know.
- Finally.
I thought we were gonna
have to call Uber Eats
with all that gossip going on in there.
- Oh, hush, we were not gossiping.
We are being perfect little ladies
serving our perfectly handsome, lazy men.
So, what are you two lovebirds
doing for Valentine's Day?
- I don't know.
That depends.
- On what?
- Will you be mine?
- Noah and I are taking it slow.
- We're taking it slow.
- Taking it slow.
- We still got some time.
I'll have something special planned.
- Hey, how does your dad feel about this?
- About what?
- My daughter told me you
dropped outta college.
- William.
- I'm just asking a question, Diane,
the boy dropped outta college.
I want to find out why he's so stupid.
That's all I'm trying to find out.
Hey, hey, hey, it's, it's not funny.
Stop.
- I'm sorry about, Papa.
- I've had some difficult
situations in my life, sir.
- Like what?
- Dad, don't you think you're
being a little forward?
- No, I don't, Celeste,
I don't at all.
This young man is sitting in my house,
one of my chairs, at my
table, eating my food
and fornicating with my daughter.
- Dad.
- Don't you
think that's too forward?
- We are not fornicating.
- You are, you are.
- What does fornicating mean?
- Nothing, baby, just.
- Hey, hey, hey.
- Stop.
- That's enough.
Cut it out.
- Respectfully, sir, I respect
and really care for your daughter.
- Really?
- Yes.
Yes, sir.
- Do you love her?
- Dad?
- I'm asking-
- Okay, William,
that's enough.
- I'm just asking a question.
That's all I'm doing.
I'm asking questions to a young
man who's eating in my house
and sleeping with my daughter.
- We're not sleeping together.
- You are sleeping
together, don't lie to me.
I just wanna find out what
this young man's intentions are
with my daughter, because I
don't want to go back through
that same crap again.
- I said that's enough.
- No problem.
- Mama D, this is so delicious.
- Thank you, honey.
- Yes, Mama D, I can never get enough.
I'm gonna need an extra plate to go.
- Can I add another piece of cake?
- No, you don't need all that sugar.
- I think another piece won't hurt.
- Noah, I just told her, no.
- I know, but I'm not getting
much traction here, okay?
It's just gimme a little break
and let me do something nice.
- Nice?
- Yes.
I don't think there's
anything wrong with her
having one more tiny little slice of cake.
- Yes, there is.
Because I'm her mother and I told her, no.
- She'll be fine.
She'll be fine, relax.
Lemme get you another piece.
- Noah,
I don't appreciate the way
you're talking to my daughter
about the way she's
disciplining my granddaughter,
sitting at my table.
- William.
- Diane, stop it.
Every time I say something,
you shut me down.
I don't wanna go through another six years
of depression and anxiety, okay?
I'm trying to protect my daughter.
And if I can't do that, then
I'm not the man of this house.
Jesus Christ.
- Excuse me.
- It's okay, mom.
I'll check on him.
- Ms. Doman, I didn't realize.
- Come on, Aila, let's go help Mama D
with the dishes, all right?
Okay, all right.
- You don't think he went
to get a shotgun, do you?
- I think you should probably go.
- Whoa, Papa D, put that down.
- Move.
- You don't wanna do that.
- Now.
- Listen, if there's
something going on with you
that I don't know about.
- Why would you come to my parents' house
and tell me how to raise my daughter?
- Okay, that's the last thing
I was trying to do, okay?
I was only trying to be nice.
- It was rude.
- And I apologize for that.
- After the damage was done.
- What damage?
Why are you still closing doors on me?
- Because really, I don't know you.
- Yes, you do, okay.
Can you stop looking at me with fear
and realize I had the same pain?
- You don't know anything
about what I feel.
- Hurt is hurt, Celeste, okay?
And I'm not the only one scared as hell,
but I'm willing to hurt one more time
if that's what it takes to
convince you that I love you.
- You what?
- You heard what I said.
I said that I...
- Oh, sorry, I didn't know you too were-
- No, it's fine.
Noah was just leaving.
- Yeah, I think that's a good idea.
I don't have anything left in
my arsenal to keep him calm.
- I understand.
- You okay, sis?
- Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.
- I'll wait in the car.
- I don't wanna start off by
saying I know how you feel,
- Then please don't.
- But you know how your father is.
- I know this was a mistake,
so, please just, just go home.
- You know, when you
said you wanted to talk,
I thought you meant with words.
That's okay.
It's okay.
I know if I was a father and
I had a daughter like you,
I would, I would look for my gun too.
- I'm sorry.
- That's okay, it's okay,
you don't need to be,
I mean, I obviously did
something wrong, right?
- No, no, it wasn't you.
- Look, if you're not
comfortable right now,
you don't have to-
- Did you mean it?
- Mean what?
- You said you were willing
to hurt one more time,
if that's what it took to
convince me that you loved me.
Did you mean that?
- I meant everything.
All you gotta do is say yes.
- Yes, to what?
Are you?
- Yeah, I am.
- Are you crazy?
- Yeah, yes, okay.
This is crazy.
And I never thought I'd
fall for someone so quick,
I barely even know.
- Wait, no, no, no, no, we can't do this.
- Look, okay, look, I
have been walking around
with this thing for the past few days,
trying to stop myself from
trying to put on your finger.
- Then you shouldn't.
We barely know each other.
This isn't normal.
- And what is normal?
- Nothing, nothing's normal.
- Noah.
I have to go.
- Celeste.
- No, I have to go.
- Celeste, do you love me?
If you say no, then I'll take this back
and stop making a fool of myself.
And we could forget this ever happened.
Okay, but love doesn't make sense, ever.
And right now it doesn't.
So?
- What about my parents?
- If they disagree, will you?
- Over my dead body?
- Dad!
- William.
- You barely know this boy.
What are you thinking?
- Celeste, when do you plan on doing this?
- Valentine's Day.
- Valentine's Day.
- Valentine's Day?
Valentine's Day is
right around the corner.
- Goodness.
Celeste, baby, listen.
- My God.
- That's not a lot of time.
- Is there some rule or law
that says when I'm
supposed to get married?
- Yeah, it is.
When I first met your mom and
laid eyes on her, we waited.
We put our love to a test to make sure.
Yeah, there's rules.
- No, no, no, no, there are no rules.
But you do have to get to know each other.
- Mr and Mrs. Doman, if I may,
I know that this is a bit unconventional,
but what I feel for your
daughter is real, okay.
I truly love her.
- And I love him.
And I hope one day you
can see what I feel.
- I ain't gonna see a damn thing.
'Cause I already know he's
abusive and he's a manipulator.
I knew it from the first
time I laid eyes on him.
- You judged him before
getting to know him.
- I don't need to get to know him.
I've already seen his true color.
- Sorry if I-
- I'm talking to my daughter.
- Daddy.
- Come on now.
- I said I don't give a
damn what he has to say.
- Okay, that's enough.
- Daddy, stop it.
- Don't you see it?
- That's enough.
- Celeste, we should probably go.
- No, see, controlling.
It's controlling.
You see what I'm talking about?
- You know what, you need to stop it.
You need to stop it.
- Cece, let me tell you.
- Go sit down.
- I'm not done.
Lemme tell you something.
You jumping into a marriage with this boy,
trying to put a bandaid on
what you've been going through.
It ain't gonna work.
It's gonna be more pain
than you can imagine.
- William, stop it.
Come on, now, sit down.
- I'm done no, Celeste.
- Diane, leave me alone.
- Celeste?
- Excuse me.
- Diane, listen to me.
- Well, that went well.
Are you okay?
- They just really make it
so hard for me sometimes.
- Yeah, well, they're parents, so.
- I don't need them to
be parents right now.
I just need-
- You just need what?
You sure you don't wanna wait?
- I can't.
- Just breathe.
- No, no, please, please, please don't.
No, no, help.
- Hey, it's getting
late, we should get up.
Hey, Celeste?
Celeste?
Hey, Celeste, hey.
Hey, hey, can, hey, hey, hey.
Can you hear me?
Hey, Celeste, can you hear me?
Hey, wake up, wake up.
Wake up.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, it's okay.
It's me, it's me, it's me,
it's me, it's me, it's me.
It's Noah,
just, just breathe.
Just, hey, just breathe.
Just breathe.
Yeah, just good.
Good, good, good.
- Oh God.
- It's okay, it's okay.
- I'm so sorry.
- No, you're okay, it's okay.
- All right, I have to go.
- No, no, you can't-
- I shouldn't have come here.
- No, you can't, no, Celeste, please.
- No, please, just let me go.
- No, I can't do, I know I can't do that.
- Noah, this is embarrassing.
- Hey, we're in this together, okay?
Okay, you can talk to
me and just trust me.
Just trust me, okay?
- I don't wanna change
how you feel about me.
- You're gonna be my wife, okay?
That's, there's only gonna be one way
I'm gonna feel about you.
Just talk to me.
It's okay, just talk to me.
- Don't answer, don't answer.
- I have to.
- Baby.
- Trust me.
You don't want her to come out here.
- Sheila, are you really
Face Timing me right now?
While I'm on my date.
- Yes, I am.
What's taking you so long
to get outta this car?
It's been 30 minutes.
Did I just see him kiss on your neck?
- No, you did not.
- Oh my God.
Jerod, put him on the phone.
- Hey, Sheila.
- Don't, hey, Sheila, me.
Put your lips on her again.
- Sheila, why you tripping?
We on a date.
- A date that is over, okay?
Don't make me come down there.
- Girl, you better not come out here.
Just gimme like, gimme five more minutes.
- Girl, hurry up.
- Okay.
- Mm.
- Okay, bye.
- But yo, your girl be on one for real.
- She's just really protective.
- We in college.
She acting like you a virgin or something.
Wait, are you?
Damn, my bad.
- I should probably go now.
- I didn't mean anything.
- No, no, no, it's fine.
I had a great time at the dance.
And dinner was great too.
- So did I.
You're a beautiful Valentine.
- Thank you.
Aw, thank you.
- I'll walk you to your dorm.
- No, no, it's fine.
Sheila's already on a war path.
You should leave peacefully
while you still can.
- All right.
- Thank you.
- For sure.
- Bye.
- Bye.
- Sheila, I'm coming.
- Girl, you better be,
'cause I was on my way down.
- I swear.
Oh, sorry.
- Hm, Cece, who was that?
- Jerk.
I don't know.
This balloon's got me
walking blind out here.
- Okay, I'll come help.
- No, it's fine.
I'm actually almost at your door.
- Okay.
- God dang it.
- What's wrong?
- Nothing, hold on.
- Girl, hurry up,
Chris brought me some
chicken Puerto Rico,
you're probably-
- Hold on.
- No, no, please don't hurt me.
No, no, no, no, please,
please, please don't.
No, no, no, please.
No, help.
No, please.
Why are you doing this?
- Celeste, girl, stop
playing, answer the phone.
Celeste?
Celeste, girl, stop playing.
Celeste?
Celeste?
Celeste?
Celeste?
- I tried to run,
tried to scream, but I was so numb.
I just lay there wondering how would,
why something like that
could happen to me.
And being so angry that
I couldn't stop it.
- Hey, don't say that, it's
not, it wasn't your fault.
- I know you mean well,
but I'm so sick and tired of hearing that.
No one was there.
No one really knows how I truly felt.
- Celeste-
- With all due respect,
you're not my therapist.
And I don't need another pep talk.
- That's not what I mean.
That's not what I mean.
Okay, honestly, I don't
really know what to say
or do right now.
Okay, all I can really say is that-
- No woman deserves to
be treated like that?
There's nothing you can say, Noah.
I've heard it all.
- Is that why you stopped us from?
- I thought I was ready.
- Why didn't you just tell me that?
- 'Cause things were going good.
I didn't want my past to come between us.
I just wanted to forget
about that time in my life.
- Did they catch him?
I mean, he's in jail, right?
- I didn't get a good look at him.
They questioned everyone.
Even Jerod.
But everyone was cleared.
- Is this what your
dad meant when he said,
marrying me won't put a bandaid
on what you've been through?
Are you using me, Celeste?
- What?
- Am I, am I the bandaid?
- No, you're not.
- It kind of feels like it.
- Noah, I want you, I want us,
please tell me I didn't make a mistake
trusting you with this.
We can get through this, right?
- Yeah, yeah.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, all right.
Black, no sugar and three creamers
and bow.
Can I get a smile with that?
Can I get a smile?
Where you going?
What about the coffee?
Hey, Celeste, when we gonna talk
about that ring on your finger?
- Before you think the worst,
let's give him the benefit of the doubt.
- Benefit of the doubt?
It's been three days,
Sheila, that's not like him.
- You guys are still
getting to know each other,
which is probably why you
shouldn't jump into marriage.
- You're the one who set all this up.
You pushed me and told me
to take a leap of faith.
- Yes, I said
take a leap of faith.
I didn't tell you to jump the broom.
- I knew I should have kept my mouth shut
and not been so open with him.
- Look, it's
almost Valentine's Day.
Maybe he's gotten busy with his restaurant
or he's just focused on
whatever this something
special is he has planned for you.
Remember?
- Yeah.
Whatever it is, I'm gonna find out.
- Coast's clear.
Yeah, you need to learn
how to be a player, my boy.
- I'm not a player, okay?
I just chose wrong.
- Yeah, you did, you did.
Who is there?
What's going on?
- New car?
Are you stalking me?
Look, Celeste, I know you're upset.
- Upset?
Is that really what you
wanna say to me right now?
Why are you hiding from me?
Is it about what I told you the other day?
You think I'm crazy?
- I wouldn't, I would never think that.
I think that that never
should have happened to you.
- Well, it happened.
And I don't need to be treated like
there's something wrong
with me for sharing it.
- You don't understand.
That shouldn't have been you.
- Something in my gut told me
I shouldn't have said anything to you.
- Yeah, I kind of wish you didn't.
- What are you saying?
You asked for my truth.
- Look, Celeste, these past few days
have been extremely difficult for me.
- Try living in fear
for the past six years,
then taking a chance on someone,
only to sit here looking
in his eyes right now,
feeling like fate made the
biggest fool outta you.
- You're not a fool.
But maybe I am.
- What's that supposed to mean?
- Celeste, I'm so sorry.
- You don't have to apologize.
It's not your fault.
My past has nothing to do with you.
- No, but that's the thing, it does.
- Why would you think that?
- Because it was me.
- What?
- It was me, Celeste.
It was, it was me.
- What do you mean it was you?
You what?
Do you know what you just said to me?
- Yeah, I do.
- Noah, if this is some sick joke-
- It's not a joke.
It's not a joke.
I saw you that night with your boyfriend
and I watched you two kiss
and I bumped into you
and I pulled you into the woods.
- No, no, no, no, no, no,
no, I told you all of that.
I told you all that the other day.
You already know that.
Why are you doing this?
- You had on a red dress,
you dropped your shawl,
you struggled.
And some scars just don't go away.
- Oh my God.
- Celeste, I-
- Oh my God.
- I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
- I need you to get out.
- Celeste, I don't wanna
I don't wanna leave.
- Get out.
Get out, Noah.
Noah, get out.
- Cece?
Cece, open this door, I've
been calling you all night.
- Hey, Cece.
She asleep?
- No, she's not asleep.
Girl, I can see your
eyes open, open the door.
Cece.
- Hey.
I think she might be high
or something, I don't know.
- You know she don't get high.
Something's wrong.
Cece.
Cece, open the door.
- Wait, girl, damn, hey.
- What?
- You gon' tear my car up.
I got the spare.
- Why you aint just say that?
Open the door.
Cece?
Cece, can you hear me?
- Hey.
- Well, she's not breathing.
- There's a bottle
of water in your car.
- Hurry up, go get it.
Cece?
Cece, breathe.
Cece?
wait, Cece?
Cece?
- Here, baby.
- Cece.
- Oh, okay, okay,
take this.
Okay, okay, okay, breathe.
- You good?
- Breath.
- Okay, it's okay.
- Cece.
- Okay, you okay.
- Let's get here out the car.
- You okay.
- She needs medical.
- Okay, okay.
All right, all right.
- Come on, Cece.
- Take your, time,
take your time.
Take your time.
- You're okay, you're okay, you're okay.
- Okay, breathe,
breathe, that's it, slow it down, breathe.
Deep breath.
- It's okay.
- Oh my God.
- Where am I?
- Girl.
- What happened?
- I don't know, you tell us,
you've been out here all night.
- I don't know.
I was talking to Noah and
then I guess I blacked out.
- Oh, so, you saw him.
What happened?
- It was him.
- Him what?
- Six years ago on Valentine's Day,
Sheila, it was him.
- Are you sure?
- Yes.
- How do you know that?
- He's been acting funny since I told him
what happened to me.
- Cece, this is serious.
You have to be sure about this.
- You think I would be
saying this if I wasn't?
He showed me the bite mark.
You don't believe me?
- I believe you.
- We both do.
- I'm so sorry.
- I am sorry too.
- We need to call the police.
- No?
- Yes, what do you mean, no?
- No, I don't,
I don't wanna talk to anybody about this.
- Girl, he needs
to pay for what he did.
- No, no, please.
Just back off for a minute.
- What about Aila?
I mean, if Noah's the one who, you know,
if he's, then that means that.
- Okay, all right, all right.
Okay.
Okay.
- Hey, how you feeling?
That good, huh?
- And how long have I been asleep?
- Long enough for Marquis to
ring your phone off the hook.
- Vanilla or hazelnut?
- Did I say anything in my asleep?
Did I?
- It doesn't matter what you said.
You're okay.
You're here and you're safe.
I'm just worried about Aila.
- Aila, oh my God, is she okay?
What happened?
- Nothing happened.
- Well, where is she?
Did he do something to her?
- No, relax, okay.
I told your parents that you
had a really bad migraine
and stayed here last night, all right?
- So, she's okay?
- Yeah, she's okay.
Your mom took her to school.
All right, so, just drink up.
Okay, and Mama D said you
can pick her up anytime
after work.
- After work?
- Mm-hmm, yes.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no.
I'm not gonna let you lay
here and do this again.
- Do what?
I can barely move.
- No, you can't go back
to that dark place.
You know how bad it is
when you're triggered.
- I'm not triggered.
- You can't let this stop you.
And I don't wanna go through this again.
None of us do.
You gonna have to tell 'em.
- Tell who, what?
- Your parents.
- No.
- You can't pretend this didn't happen.
You're engaged to the-
- I'm not engaged to anyone.
I don't wanna hear that.
- How long do you think you
can keep this from your family?
- I just, I just need to
deal with this on my own.
- You don't know how
dangerous this man is.
And if you don't wanna go to the police,
then how are you gonna
protect yourself or them?
You've been hurt long enough
and Aila's been fine without
knowing who her father is.
You should just put this man away
and this will be a lot less to deal with.
- Less to deal with?
- Yes.
He'll be arrested.
And the only thing you
lose is an engagement
that never should have
happened in the first place.
- How can you say this to me?
My heart opened up and I
trusted it because of you.
And now you're blaming me for it?
- No, I never should have introduced you
or forced you to do something
you didn't wanna do.
- Then stop trying to fix
something you messed up
by doing what you did in the first place.
Just let me fix this how I need to.
- You know what?
You're right, it's your life.
I should just mind my business.
- I didn't mean it like that.
- No, you're right, it's my fault,
I overstepped.
And I'm so sorry.
I just want you to be happy.
- I know.
- And I'm so sorry.
- You already said that.
- And I want you to go the police.
- You said that too.
- Third time's a charm.
- Stop.
Don't push it.
Just trust me and love me.
I said-
- I know.
Okay, you know I do.
- And promise me you won't
say anything about this
to anyone, especially my parents.
- Celeste.
- Promise.
- Okay, fine, I promise.
Come here.
I love you.
- Love you.
- Okay, okay.
You gonna get up, gonna
get yourself together.
You gonna go to work, okay?
- Mm-hmm.
- Okay, love you.
- Love you.
- Love me.
Love me.
- I do.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Get out, Noah, get out.
Please, please.
Please don't.
- What do you mean, she
didn't come to school today?
Huh?
Well, no, no, no, no, thank you.
Thank you very much for calling.
- What's going on?
- That was Aila's school.
She didn't go to school today.
- Aila never misses school.
- No.
- Where's Cece?
- That must be her right now.
- It better be her.
Cece-
What's going on, mm?
- Mama D, Papa D, we need to talk.
- Come on in.
What this all about?
Come on.
- Mommy, mommy, mommy.
Mommy.
- Cece?
Aila?
- Papa, grandma.
- Cece.
Cece wake up, wake up.
- Stop screaming.
- I'm just trying
to get her up, Diane.
- Come on, baby,
come on, baby, wake up.
- Jesus Christ.
- Cece, wake up, it's mama.
How long she been sleeping?
Huh, you don't know.
Oh God.
Look, look.
- What is that?
- William, look at that.
Oh my God.
- How many of these
did she take?
- I don't know.
- Wake up, baby, wake up.
Okay, Cece, Cece, wake up.
- Mommy, mommy, mommy.
- Oh my God.
- Okay, come on.
- Oh my God.
- Come on, baby.
It's mom.
- Let her get up.
Let her get up.
Take your time.
- Come on now.
Breath.
- Breathe.
- We right here.
We are right here, baby.
Relax.
Just relax.
Just relax.
Just relax.
Let her get up.
- Baby, what have you done?
- Mom, I'm fine.
- Look, how
many pills did you take?
- I don't know.
I don't know, just enough to sleep.
- Oh my God.
- What about Noah?
- William!
- Listen, we gotta get straight to this.
- Straight to what?
- Okay, listen, Sheila
and Chris told us, okay?
Told us everything.
- Listen, we don't have time for that.
We don't have time.
We need to go to the police.
- No.
- No?
You missed work today.
She missed school.
You laying in here in this dark.
Looks like a damn cave in here.
I don't wanna go back through this again.
Oh my God.
I see him.
- What?
- I'll be right back.
Stay here.
- William?
- Stay here, I said.
- It's okay.
- I know I have no right being here.
- Get off this property, man.
- I just came to apologize to Celeste.
- You don't have anything
to say to my daughter.
You hear me, you hear me?
- I just came to apologize to her.
- You have nothing to say to my daughter.
- Yes, I do, just lemme talk to her.
Huh?
- Just let me talk
to her.
- You got nothing to say to my daughter.
- William.
- Stop.
- William.
- Stop, stop.
- William.
- Leave me alone, Diane.
- Wait, wait, William, no, stop.
- You gonna get up?
Go ahead, get away.
I'll kill you, man.
You playing with my daughter.
- Celeste.
- Cece, where did you get that gun?
- Mommy?
- Get back in the house.
- Put that gun down, baby.
- Don't get in my way, daddy.
- I did not mean
to hurt you, Celeste.
- You have caused
my family and me so much pain.
- I know, and I know that, okay?
I just want make it right to you.
- You can't
make what you did right.
- Cece, Cece, please.
I'm not gonna stand here
and let you shoot that man.
- You call him a man after
what he did to your daughter.
- Look, he is a human being
and you are not a murderer.
Put that gun down.
- Put it down.
- Mommy.
- Go back in the house.
- It's papa.
- Oh my God, William.
William?
- Daddy?
- William?
- Daddy, wake up.
- William, William, wake up.
- Daddy, please.
- Come on.
- Daddy?
- Oh, no, William.
- Dad?
- Is he breathing?
- Dad?
Dad?
Dad?
- Oh, come on, William.
- Daddy!
- William, wake up.
- Dad!
- Hey, everything all right?
- Everything's fine.
- You sure?
You've been a little distant lately.
- Just busy.
Need to get these reports done.
- Is that why you packing
up your briefcase?
- What are you doing?
- I know you, Celeste.
I thought we were cool and
you know I got your back.
So, what's on your mind?
- Marquis, I don't wanna
be in the office today.
I just need to work from
home right now, so, please.
- Please, what?
Stop being your friend?
- Marquis.
- Celeste, sit.
Celeste Doman.
Now, what is it?
Sheila said that you was
gonna need some time off
when I called.
Does this have anything to do with me?
- No.
- All right then.
I mean, I don't wanna
pressure you in any way.
- You're fine.
I don't really take you seriously.
- What?
- I didn't mean it like that.
- Then how did you mean it?
- Can we not do this?
- This is about him.
- Who?
- Come on, Celeste, I saw
the ring on your finger.
You could have told me that
you was seeing someone.
- I'm not.
- Oh, that's why you
not wearing it anymore.
- That's none of your business.
- What about your daughter?
Does she like him?
- You are really crossing a line.
- You right, you right.
But I'm not going to sit here
and let you gimme attitude
because the Celeste I
once knew would've told me
if that ring was real.
Look, I don't know what you going through,
but I know you not being honest.
Celeste, you too calculated.
You too calculated.
You do everything by the numbers.
That's why you're so good at this job.
If it doesn't add up,
you don't make a move.
But the numbers don't
tell the whole truth.
And the heart ain't nothing to play with.
Fear.
Fear will lead you to bad decisions
and make you miss out on
the most important things
in life if you don't face it.
- Marquis.
- I know, I know, you're
not gonna be my valentine.
But when I saw this chocolate,
a broken heart, huh?
Love might not always feel good,
but I mean, you can still enjoy it, right?
Celeste?
Celeste?
Come on, again?
Celeste, Really?
- Stand over here.
Stop right here.
I'm doing this for her.
Not for you.
- Mm-hmm.
- Have a seat.
- Hey.
When they told me I had to visitor,
I just didn't realize it was, it was you.
How's Mr. Doman?
I didn't mean to cause so much harm.
I just want to talk to you.
- Why did you do it?
- What do you mean?
- Why did you do it?
Why me?
Why?
- Celeste.
I'm sorry, I, just please, just,
I don't know what to say.
- Stop apologizing and
begging and tell me why.
- Celeste, there's nothing I can say
that's gonna justify what I did.
I all I can say is I was,
I was a messed up person back then.
- And you don't think I was messed up?
That you didn't ruin my life?
- And I regretted that.
Okay, ever since that night,
I've been trying to get help.
- Help?
- Yeah.
- So, you've done this before?
- No.
No.
Celeste, you gotta you gotta believe me.
I've never done that before.
- Then why did you choose me?
- I didn't, I didn't choose you, okay?
I wasn't in my right mind back then.
- What mind do you need to be in
to know you don't have the
right to take a woman's body?
- In the same mind that
took my body from me.
Celeste, I never should have
been out that night, okay?
I was hurting, and-
- You were hurting?
- Something I never told you.
I was born in foster care
and adopted at six months old.
My mother, my adopted mother,
she violated me for years.
- What does that have to do with me?
- So, on Valentine's Day, six
years ago, she passed away.
And I don't know, I guess, I snapped
and I had so many emotions,
so many feelings going on.
And I was confused, I was angry.
I just didn't understand
how God could let her die
without facing what she did to me.
Okay, all I wanted was for her
to say she was sorry, but she never did.
So, I was also alone.
I was, hurting, and I
got drunk and I went out.
I didn't care who it was,
I just wanted somebody,
for one time in my life,
there was someone to hurt
more than I did.
- And that somebody was me.
- Yeah, it could have been anybody though.
It could have been anybody.
But I'm not that person.
I'm not that person.
She made me that person.
- Your mom didn't chase me
down with a pocket knife.
- And I know that, I know, I know that.
But that night changed me too, okay?
I hating myself for what I did.
- Why did you take all these
years to turn yourself in?
Did you think hating yourself
was punishment enough
to make up for all of this?
- No, it wasn't enough.
I should have turned myself in back then.
But when my grandmother came into my life,
I started to get professional help.
And God gave me a second chance.
You know, it's an amazing
feeling to get the love
and support that I didn't
get most of my life.
Please, don't do that.
Celeste, I never meant to hurt you.
I never meant to hurt you.
Hey, look at me.
Please,
look at me.
I never meant to hurt you.
And I promise, and I'll
never hurt you again.
- Why should I believe that?
- Because I'm not my past.
I turned myself in now to show you that.
And I don't know why,
I don't know why I'm about to ask you this
'cause I know the answer.
All I ask is that if you
could just forgive me.
I know.
- You can't forgive your mother,
but you want me to forgive you?
Noah.
- I'm sorry.
- I'm done.
- Celeste, Celeste.
- I'm done.
- What about Aila?
- What about Aila?
- Is she my daughter?
Look, I know this may
not be what you want.
- Don't, don't.
- Celeste, she's six years old.
She's six years old.
She doesn't need to pay
for what I've done to you.
Is she my, is she-
Celeste?
- Let's go, stand up.
Stand up.
Stand up.
Hands behind back.
- Yeah, baby, I know, I know.
Okay, well just warm it up for me then.
Oh, okay, that's Celeste.
I gotta go, I'll be home soon.
Okay, bye.
Hey.
- Hey.
- Did you get the answers you needed?
- Yeah.
- Good.
Now, it's behind you,
you can live your life
and let him rot in jail.
- Hm.
Thanks for watching Aila for me.
- Oh, anytime.
She's asleep, okay, I gotta go.
Love me.
Okay, bye.
Aila?
Aila?
Aila?
Aila?
Aila, come on out.
Aila, what's wrong?
- I don't wanna go back out there.
- Then you don't have to.
I'm right here.
- But you're scared.
- I'm what?
- You're scared of the man who hurt you.
I don't want him to hurt me.
- Aila, who told you that?
- I heard you and grandma talking.
Is my daddy the bad man in your dreams?
- No, no, no, no.
He's not, he's not.
- I don't wanna go to sleep anymore.
I don't want him to hurt me.
- Look, Aila I promise,
I will never let anything
happen to you.
Nobody's gonna hurt you, okay?
Come here.
It's okay.
- Hey.
You know when you messaged me to meet,
I never thought it would be here.
Is this why you bailed me out?
You want me to face what I did,
so I wouldn't forget what
a terrible human being was?
But you're about six years too late
because I tortured myself
coming out here over and over
and over again,
just looking for, looking for answers.
Just looking for God.
Just, just looking for
anything to make me understand
how I even got here, okay.
Nobody's gonna punish me more than I have.
- I didn't bail you out to punish you.
I bailed you out to stop punishing myself.
A friend of mine told me that
I wasn't honest with myself.
And that fear will lead
you to make bad decisions
and make you miss out on
the best parts of life
if you don't face it.
I have spent the last six
years giving this place
and what you did power over
my mind, my body, my emotions.
But today, today, I looked
in my daughter's eyes
and I saw that same fear.
I felt her tremble in my arms
and I knew I was responsible for this.
I can't let her continue
to see me live my life
looking over my shoulders,
afraid to turn corners.
I have to face you, I have to face this.
I can't allow you to have
power over me anymore.
I will be at court and
every trial possible
to make sure you get what you deserve.
- I'm not afraid to do my time.
- And I'm not afraid to
start taking mine back.
This stops now.
- What about Aila?
I just want a chance to be her father.
- Aila will know who her father is,
but she won't know you behind bars.
She doesn't deserve that.
- Okay, what about fate?
Fate has a twisted way of
bringing you back into my life.
I feel like we're here for a reason
and this doesn't, this
doesn't need to destroy us
because Aila's a blessing.
And I feel like how I feel for you,
stronger than all of this.
- You're right.
Aila is a blessing, but
so was my virginity.
You took way more than my body that night.
If fate has anything to do with this,
then my tomorrow starts right now.
Happy Valentine's Day.
- You good?
- No, no, no, no, no.
No, please, don't hurt me.
Please, please, please, please, don't.
No, no, no, please.
- Mommy?
Mommy?
Mommy, it's time to get up.
Mommy, mommy, mommy.
You wasn't breathing.
- I'm fine, baby.
Mommy's fine.
- You have to go to the store
and get my Krispie treats.
- Your Krispie treat?
Oh, yeah, for the party.
Okay.
- I'm gonna save something
for you, grandma, Papa.
- That's nice, Aila.
Yeah, that's really, it's really nice.
- My teacher said when
you have bad dreams,
tell God about it and
the bad dreams go away.
- Aila, I wasn't having a bad dream.
Yeah.
Yeah, your teacher's right.
- I know, now, get ready.
I'm too cute to be tardy for the party.
- Oh, you too cute?
- Mm-hmm.
- Uh uh.
You think you too cute?
I'm fine.
Mommy's fine.
Go get dressed.
I'm fine.
Jesus.
- All right, now, when
grandma picks you up,
you make sure them Krispie treats
are only things she gets outta you.
- I know, I know.
What happens in your
dreams, stay in your dreams.
- That's right.
- Even though
you talk about it in your sleep.
- I don't talk in my sleep.
- You don't be quiet either.
- All right.
Hi.
- Good morning.
- Love you, Mommy.
- Love you.
- Miss Doman, don't forget
about the Valentine's Day dance.
- I won't.
Thank you.
- Thank you.
- Good morning, Ms. Doman.
- Good morning.
- Look down, slow it down, slow it down.
What's the rush?
- Not now, Marquis, I have meetings.
- Okay, well, I'm here.
I am here.
Hmm.
Alright.
What you need me to do?
What you need help with?
You know, I'll do anything for you.
- I'm good.
- Come on, what do you need help with?
What you need me to do?
- I need you to get out my office.
- Well, I got you this job.
So, technically this is my office too.
- Seriously, we're going tit for tat?
- Mm.
- Like we're back in high school?
- Yeah, well, you know,
back in high school
you had a set of pompoms
and a lot more cheer.
Now, you just salty and
sexy at your old age.
- Old age?
- Yeah.
- Did you not notice that your
hair line's not in 12th grade
anymore?
- Oh, okay, so, we going
below the belt, huh?
God, what happened to you, girl?
You was a lot less rigid back in the day.
- I grew up.
- Yeah, I can see that.
Relax, C, relax, God.
You know, Valentine's
Day around the corner,
hey, let me take you out to dinner.
- I don't do Valentine's.
- Whoa, what?
Since when do you not like to be pampered
and catered to on Valentine's Day?
You do know Valentine's Day
is a woman's holiday, right?
- Don't care.
May I have my office?
- Uh uh, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no.
You've been here for a few months
and you got every man's head spinning.
But not one of us has gotten
you to let your hair down.
What's the real deal?
- There is no deal.
I'm just not interested.
Now, go.
Go, get out
- All right.
One day.
- Get out.
- One day.
- Sheila, I'm at work.
- Oh, hey girl, how's that going?
- Busy.
- Mm, well, we
gonna take care of that.
Get your g-string ready.
We're backing that thing up tonight.
- I'm not getting my g-string
and I'm not backing anything up.
- Of course you are.
Nine o'clock.
- No, I'm not.
- Cece, it's my birthday.
And you've missed the last five.
- No, I didn't, I spent
like half the day with you.
- Yes, in my house.
But this year will not be Uno
and stepping in the name
of love in my living room.
This year we are stepping out.
- Negative.
You know, I don't like parties.
- It's not a party.
Okay, well, it is a party,
but it's not a party, party.
- No, Sheila.
- Girl, it'll
be totally fun and safe.
You will be fine.
I'll text you the details later.
Trust and love me.
I said love me.
- You love me.
- You know I do.
See you tonight.
- Wait, I didn't say that I would.
- Hi mom, how are you?
- Oh, blessed and highly favored.
How is my big baby?
- Your big baby is not a big baby anymore.
In case you haven't noticed.
- Trust me, I notice everything.
Like, all that tension up
there in your shoulders
make you look like you walking around here
like a linebacker.
- Okay.
- I told you, Cece.
- Mom, I'm fine.
- I knew it was a mistake.
You have to quit the job.
- And do what?
Sit around all day and talk
about how I can't sit around
all day for the rest of my life?
- Look, sometimes you have to
take the bull by the horns,
but when the ride gets too rough, baby,
you just gotta hop your little ass off.
- And land right back
here in my parents' house.
I think not.
- Well, I ain't ask about how you think.
- Of course not.
- But I do wanna know
about those bad dreams.
- Bad dream?
- Mm-hmm.
- Aila?
- Don't you said a word to my grand baby.
She's a smart girl and
she knows what's going on,
and she's worried about her mother.
I just wanna know about those nightmares.
I thought they were coming
a little less frequent.
- Well, they were, they are.
- You know, I think you need
to schedule another session.
- I don't need more therapy.
- Well, you know how you
get this time of year.
- Mom, please, for once in a Valentine,
I don't wanna think about my past
and just have some peace
of mind for a change.
Aila?
- Oh, don't yell at that girl like that.
She's going to think she's
in trouble or something.
- Okay, I'm ready.
- Hi, baby.
Here.
Here, baby.
- Oh, Jesus.
- Work?
- Sheila.
I almost forgot it was her birthday.
- Oh, well, let me go get the Uno cards.
- Well, actually, she wants to go out.
- Out?
- Do you mind if I bring Aila by later?
It should only be a few hours.
- What you mean, out?
I mean, really, out where?
- Hey, everybody.
How's my family?
- Hey.
- Papa.
- Hey, look at my little sugar plum.
Ah, come give your grandpa some sugar.
How was school today?
- Good.
- Good, you doing good?
Yes.
Hey, baby.
- Hey.
Good thing I didn't cook dinner.
- Well, it wouldn't change nothing.
- Hi, Dad.
- Hey, Cece.
- Papa.
- Yeah.
- Is that chicken wings?
- What else do papa eat?
Go get papa some hot sauce
and some bread.
- Oh, no.
Uh uh, because you know you
not supposed to have that.
- Wait a minute now.
Now, this is my granddaughter.
The food I eat is good for the soul.
That's why they call it soul food.
- Yeah.
- Okay?
She gonna grow and be big
and strong like her Papa.
Ain't that right?
Gimme a pound.
- Yeah, big all right.
- Whatever.
- All right, I need to go.
I'll bring Aila back in a few hours.
- Few hours?
- Yeah, go get your stuff, Aila, let's go.
- What's going on?
- I'll tell you.
We gonna talk about this.
- No, you need to give me-
- Come on here, come on.
You ain't getting this chicken though.
I'm gonna eat this.
- That's right, let's
keep this party popping
for Miss Sheila grand baby.
- Chris, can you tell her
to get down from there?
- Hell no.
We're married.
I wouldn't get to see all
of that like once a year.
I got to enjoy this while I can.
- All right, Sheila, Sheila,
honey, you're embarrassing us.
Come on down.
- Embarrassing who?
Can't you see we're the only ones in here?
- Exactly.
Who buys out an entire lounge
to throw a birthday party
and only invites two people?
- I do.
It's a new year for me, and
I'm not gonna let my BFF
spend another year stuck in her past.
It's been too long.
- And too expensive.
- And it's too many potentials in here
for you to be looking this
fine and still single.
- Potentials, where?
Sheila, we're literally
the only ones in here.
- Well, it looks like Mr.
Potential just crashed the party.
- Wait, is he?
Oh.
Oh God, no, no.
- Oh, baby, let's take the dance floor.
That's my song.
- No, no, no, yeah.
Let's hit the dance floor together
because you're not
leaving me here by myself.
- Potential, potential.
- Hi, this is hell of a party.
Is anybody sitting here?
- Yes.
- I'm Noah Robinson.
You are?
- Not interested.
- Not so nice.
Not so nice.
- Look, I'm really just
here for my friend.
- That's okay.
I'm sure your friend wouldn't mind
if you made another friend, right?
- I sure do not.
Ain't that right, Cece?
- Cece, that's nice.
- It's Celeste.
- Well, even better.
- How are you?
- I'm Noah Robinson, I own the place.
- Oh, so you're the one
stealing all of my money.
- Our money, and stop that.
- Okay, I'm sorry, I
didn't mean to oppose,
I just wanted to get to know
this beautiful young lady,
but I'll let y'all get back to it.
Enjoy your party, drinks are on me, okay?
- I mean, it's not, it's not a party.
The real party's at the live Lava Lounge.
You know, this fake party here?
- Fake party?
Wait, Sheila, is this not real?
- Of course it's real,
okay, well, you don't like people,
so, I'm just having a little after party
after I celebrate with my BFF
who likes to spend a life
in a cave, that's all.
- It's not about what I like.
And you know that.
- Well, I told you it
wasn't a party party.
- Sheila
- Look, Cece.
- This was a bad idea.
- Is the night ending so soon?
- Yes, party's over.
Now, excuse me.
- Wait, are are you sure I
can't get you another drink?
It's on the house.
- Thank you, but I really
wanna get outta here right now.
- That's not a problem.
Can I get your number at least?
- No.
- Yes, yes.
Excuse us for a minute.
Girl, just talk to him.
Feel him out.
- Feel him out?
- Yes.
- You invite me to your
fake birthday party.
Now, you wanted to play matchmaker?
- Look-
- Look what?
I'm not ready for this.
- Okay, it's not that serious.
Just let your hair down for once.
Talk to him.
If it's not all right,
then it's okay, okay?
- Okay.
- Okay.
Nice meeting you, Noah.
- It's nice to meet you.
- Yeah, have a good night.
And lower your rental fees.
I had to write a bad check
just to rent this place out.
- He's lying.
He's crazy, don't listen to him.
- I got you, it is nice
to meeting you both.
- Me and Chris
we'll wait for you outside
in the car.
- I'm sorry.
I'm sorry, I didn't mean
to make anything weird.
Can we try this again?
- Celeste Doman.
- Nice to meet you, Celeste Doman.
- Noah, I really didn't
expect to meet anyone tonight.
- Neither did I, but I'm
certainly glad I met you.
Are you okay?
- Yeah, sorry.
I don't know what this is,
but I believe in fate,
so, let's not exchange
contact information tonight
and just leave things the way they are now
and let fate decide what happens next.
- Fate?
- Mm-hmm.
- You kidding, right?
What does that even mean?
Fate.
Fate.
Okay.
- Look at the little sachet over here.
- What?
- So?
- Uh uh.
- Hold on, girl.
Girl, wait, wait, wait.
Okay, hold on.
Open the door, just open the window.
Thanks for taking the lead
tonight, I'm proud of you.
- Thanks for getting on my nerves.
It wasn't that bad.
- Mr. Noah, wasn't that bad either.
- Don't push it.
- Girl, seriously,
Valentine's Day is coming up and-
- I'm not looking for a Valentine.
Sheila, are you serious?
- I know, I just think that maybe-
- Sheila!
- Look what happened, happened.
It doesn't mean it's gonna happen again.
- You don't know that.
- What I do know is that
people get what they deserve
eventually.
He's probably a prison wife somewhere,
or in hell where he belongs.
He doesn't matter anymore,
but your life does.
Stop letting him win.
You hear me?
- Yeah, okay.
I hear you.
- Honk again,
honk again.
Girl, let me get outta here
before I become a guest star
in "First 48."
- Yes, please go.
- And you sleep well tonight, okay?
- I will.
- No bad dream.
- Right.
- Honk at me again and see what happens.
No, it's no,
I had a moment there.
You messed up the whole moment.
We was here.
- Mom, don't ask about
last night, I was fine.
I'm at work right now,
so I can't really talk.
Wait,
he what?
- So, we assumed that
our consumer line will...
- Mr. Carter, you okay?
- Yeah, I'm fine, thank you.
Yeah, so, we assumed that our
business line will supersede.
- I'm fine, told you, huh, doc.
Tell 'em, doc, I'm fine.
- Mom, mom, where is he?
- Celeste he's right here.
- Dad.
- Right here.
- Oh, Lord.
- He's okay though.
- Oh Lord, Diane.
- Well, I know you
told me not to call her,
but I had to tell her.
- Why?
- Because I'm your daughter.
I have the right to know
what's going on with you.
- We almost thought he had a heart attack.
- A heart attack?
- Yes.
- Don't worry, it's just
a little indigestion.
He just needs to relax and
cut out the fried foods.
- Yeah, yeah, I hear you, doc.
I'm gonna do better, I promise you.
- If anything comes up, gimme a call.
Otherwise, William,
you're gonna be just fine.
- See, I told you, I told y'all already.
I'm fine.
Celeste, please, please
don't look at me like that.
- Dad, how many times
do I have to tell you?
- Listen to me, Cece.
I'm 60 years old.
I know what I'm doing, okay?
- Not when you act like a little child.
- You know what, Diane?
Do me a favor.
Go get my belt.
- Daddy, please.
- William, come on.
You know she's right.
- So, what if she's right?
Look, there are a thousand ways to die.
You understand that?
Faith is the key.
God is the creator.
God says when you go,
and if he wanted to take me,
he would've taken me already.
God moves in mysterious ways.
The God that I serve created the earth.
He created the universe, and
guess what else God created.
God created chicken.
- Oh.
- God created chicken.
And guess what else God did.
The creator of the universe,
he put it in our minds to do what?
Hmm?
To do what?
To fry it.
You can bake it.
You can saute it,
but it ain't nothing like a
good piece of fried chicken.
You understand?
So, if God did that,
I'm gonna be obedient.
So, I'm going to enjoy me
a piece of fried chicken
with some lemon pepper seasoning
and some good old hot sauce
tripping off of that thing.
- Dad, just because it's good
doesn't mean it's good for you.
- Man, y'all killing me.
Look, we all on the clock
and don't none of us know
when it's gonna stop ticking.
So, I'm not going to
spend every waking moment
walking around scared like
something gonna happen to me.
I've had a great life,
I got a great family.
Got a great job, I'm not gonna do that.
A scared man is a dead man.
So, you know what I'm gonna do?
I'm gonna walk in them pearly gates.
I'm gonna have me a sweet tea.
And in this hand, I'm
gonna have a big piece
of fried chicken
with the hot sauce just dripping
off in the chicken grease
just going down my arm.
And I'm gonna, suck the,
- This man is gonna drive me,
- Chicken grease.
- To the loony bin.
I'm gonna go get my granddaughter.
- Actually, see, mom, if you don't mind,
can you keep her for
a little while longer?
- Why?
What's wrong?
- Nothing.
I just, I have some things at work
that I need to take care of.
Love you, dad.
- Love you too, baby.
- Okay, baby, be careful.
- Hey, Cece,
do me a favor.
Bring me back a ham hop,
one of the, not a big one,
a small one, and some beef jerky.
Couple of pork chops
and a thing of chitlins.
Like the little can of chitlins
and a Hennessy and Coke.
A bottle of.
Maybe.
- Alright, ma'am, there you go.
You be blessed on the day.
Thank you so much.
Alright, now, drive safe.
Why don't you just,
Why don't you just call her?
- I don't have her number.
She says she wants fate
to bring us back together.
- Fate?
Useless shit like you?
- What?
- I mean, I'm just saying,
it's not like she don't
know where you are.
- Okay, what's,
what's that supposed to mean?
- Not my job, boss,
but I can't make you one hell of a drink.
What's the point?
- I'll take a dirty martini with a twist.
- Well, damn.
- It's okay.
I got it.
- You got it?
Okay.
- All right, well, dirty
martini coming right up.
Would you like vodka or gin?
- Absolute.
- Absolute, okay.
Okay.
How is it?
- It's a start.
- A start?
I actually didn't think
I'd see you again so soon.
- Since when is fate that predictable?
Sorry about last night,
I was having a bad day.
- Oh, it's okay.
Well, hopefully coming in
here will make it better.
- That depends.
What do you want from me,
Mr. Noah Henry Robinson?
- So, you know my whole name?
- Originally from Washington, DC,
mother passed a few years back.
You moved to Atlanta
with your grandmother.
Dropped out of Georgia Tech University,
but still managed to open this restaurant.
No marriage, no arrests,
no baby mama drama.
- So, you've been spying on me.
- Google comes in handy
and you talk a lot on your social media.
- Okay, that's business purposes.
That's no fair, I couldn't find yours.
- I'm a private person.
So, what do you want?
A side piece?
A one night stand?
Friends with benefits?
Or you just looking have a little fun?
- Wow, wow, you just go straight
for the jugular, don't you?
- Why beat around the bush
when the bush is right in front of you?
- That's an interesting choice of words,
but no, I'm not, I'm not
interested in one night stands.
But I do like to have a little fun.
- Really?
- Yeah, of course.
What good is life if
you're not having fun?
- I see.
- Don't, Celeste, you don't
have to worry about me, okay?
I'm not one of those guys.
- And what kind of guy is that?
The kind Who drops outta college?
- The kind who had to take
care of his sick grandmother.
Okay, you know, college is cool and all,
but you know, life had a
different route for me.
Fortunately, my grandmother
taught me everything I needed
to know about food and drinks.
And when she passed,
she left me enough money
so I can start my own business.
- My condolences.
- It's been a while, but thank you.
- But no woman.
Are you on the DL?
Or you used to be one?
- God, are you serious?
- It's the new 20s and we're in Atlanta.
Yes, I'm very serious.
- Okay, trust me, I have
not, and never have been.
- A handsome man.
A successful business owner.
No kids, no wife, almost 30.
- Okay, I know, I know.
Women get weird about it.
They wanna find a good man,
but when they find one that
seems a little too perfect,
they wanna find a flaw.
- So, you think you're perfect?
- No, okay?
I think I'm just like you.
You know, a little confused
about how I'm feeling
at the moment, but, but
brave enough to ask you
to spend some more time with me
and give me a chance to figure it out.
- Hello?
- Hello, beautiful.
I hope I didn't catch you at a bad time.
- No, no, no, it's fine.
I'm actually surprised you called.
- Why, we had such a
good time the other day.
- Yeah, yeah, but I was a little,
- Unsure?
I mean, so, it's okay to be
cautious and taking your time
and I don't mind waiting
for the right one.
- Oh, so, you think I'm the right one?
- I think you should let
me take you to lunch.
- To lunch?
- Yeah, I know this cute little place.
You know, we can hang out,
you can go back to work.
If you don't have any plans, of course.
- Yeah, well, I'm pretty busy,
so, I might have to get
back to you on that.
- Alright, well, you have my number.
- Yes, I do, don't I?
- Well, you enjoy your day, Ms. Doman?
- You too, Mr. Robinson.
- Hmm?
A new client.
- Do you ever knock?
- I did,
but obviously you were too
consumed by your client.
- What do you want?
- Oh, I don't know.
To drop off this paperwork
and maybe that dinner
I've been asking for.
A walk in the park.
A fair shot.
Or maybe even a nice little
cozy Netflix and chill
for Valentine's Day.
But I see you're already making plans.
- Okay, listen, you and I
are friends, we're coworkers,
and I thank you for hooking
me up with this job.
But there's a line you're trying to cross
and I'm not ready for it.
- You're not ready for it?
Yeah, you know what?
Maybe you right.
- You know, you haven't said much that,
did I make a bad choice?
- No, no,
this isn't quite what I was
expecting, but it's nice.
- But?
- Why do you think there's a but?
- I don't know.
Maybe the fact that you're on
your second bag of popcorn.
You barely open your mouth.
- I can't eat if I don't open my mouth.
- You also can't talk with
your mouth full either.
Come on, I was hoping we
can get to know each other
even better.
- Sorry, this is all just
really new for me right now.
- What's new?
You gonna say you've never
been on a date before?
Celeste, okay, can you just
open up, just let me in.
Okay, I could see you
have a lot of closed doors
and I keep knocking, but it's-
- I haven't been with a man in years.
- Whoa.
Did we, did we just skip some steps
or did I just like pass
out and miss something?
- I'm just getting straight to the point.
It's obvious you like me and I like you,
but some of those doors are closed forever
and for good reasons that
I'd rather not discuss.
- I see.
- Well, now, that I've
completely ruined this snack.
- Look, hey, look, you
don't always have to run
when things get uncomfortable.
- I'm not running.
I just know when to walk away.
- But do you know what
you're walking away from?
Look, listen, whatever
you've been through.
Nobody's perfect, trust
me, I mean, I know.
I mean, I've been through some things
I've had to overcome and
doors I never wanna see
reopened either.
But that doesn't mean I turn
my house into Fort Knox.
- Hmm.
And entrepreneur and a therapist.
I must have missed that in my research.
- All I'm saying is will
you just let your guard down
for just one second
and see that I'm just trying
to be here for you, okay?
No matter what happened in your past
has only made you better for me.
- For you?
That sounds like a problem.
- And why is that?
- I'm not yours.
- Well, I don't want you to be mine, okay?
I want us to be ours.
You never know, Valentine's
Day is just around the corner.
- I don't do corners.
I like to see what's coming.
- And what do you see?
What do you see right now?
Because no matter how much
you wanted to walk away,
you're still sitting
here looking in my eyes
and I'm looking into yours.
So, how's that popcorn?
- Wow.
Want some chips?
- Yeah.
- Just one.
I'm just playing.
- A good one there.
- Girl, it is been weeks
and you just now bringing him over here?
You know we have to vet him.
- I know, I know.
I just don't wanna rush things.
What do you think about him?
- I like him.
- Really?
- I mean, the jury's still out,
but so far he all right with me.
- Chris seems to be okay with him.
- Yeah, Chris will enjoy anybody
that'll talk sports with him.
- Yeah.
- So, it's getting serious?
- I think so.
I can't believe we're still
getting to know each other
and I'm already feeling things
I haven't felt in years.
- Okay, so, you feeling things?
You two been?
- No.
And that's the thing.
I don't know if he wants to.
- Girl, he gay?
- No, he's a gentleman.
A gentleman and everything
feels so genuine.
It makes me nervous that
there are no red flags.
- Maybe you need to stop looking for one.
- Sheila.
- Well, I'm just saying,
if you keep looking,
eventually you're gonna find something
even if it's not there.
- Yeah, you're right.
- I know I'm right.
I know how to pick 'em.
- You what?
- Huh?
- What'd you say?
- I didn't say nothing.
- Yes, you did.
You said, you said you
know how to pick 'em.
- I said that?
- Sheila?
- Okay, okay, okay.
I couldn't keep this
from you for too long.
Look, I have a confession.
- A confession?
- Yeah.
I kind of knew him already.
- What do you mean you knew him already?
Like, like you two used to date?
- No, nothing like that.
- Then what was it?
- Okay, first of all, calm down.
Second of all, no matter what I say,
just remember we're best friends.
- The jury is still out on that.
- Okay, so, when he needed
help looking for a location
to open his restaurant a few months ago,
I kind of was his realtor.
- You were?
Why are you just telling me this now?
- Well, I had to see if
it was gonna work first.
- I can't believe this.
- Shh.
- Everything okay in here?
- Yeah, everything's good, baby.
You know, we good.
We good, we good, we good.
- Y'all missing a good game.
- Yeah, yeah, it's good.
Okay, all right, bye.
I'll see you later.
- I get it.
You set this whole thing up.
- Okay, yes, but it was for your own good.
So, don't get upset about it.
- Oh my.
So, all that, this year
is not gonna be Uno
and stepping in the name of love,
that was just a ploy?
- Yes.
- To get me to meet him.
- Yes, yes, okay?
But that was only because
I knew he was single,
extremely motivated, professional,
and just a really good guy.
- Sheila.
- Huh?
- Why would you do something like this?
- Because every year
around Valentine's Day,
you are always emotionally
depressed and unavailable.
I mean, last year you were so depressed,
you had me in my own house
crying over a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich.
And I'm on no carb diet.
You know how much weight I
gained stressing over you?
- That's not my fault.
- Okay.
- You know why?
- Lower your voice.
- This time I think I'm
stepping out on faith
and you're secretly
manipulating the universe.
- But, girl, it worked.
I mean, look at you.
You are more excited and alive
than I've seen you in years.
- Sheila, I wasn't dead.
- Yeah, but you wasn't living either.
Look, I'm sorry, I didn't tell you,
but if there was any chance
this was gonna actually work for you,
then that's what I wanted.
So, you to put your little
attitude with me away
and let this very nice guy
just bring back that, that
feisty and rambunctious Celeste
that we all used to know and love.
Okay?
Now, tell me you love me.
- You know you make me sick, right?
- Yeah, I know, I love you too, girl.
Lets do this together.
- You did okay.
- Oh God, I know.
- Finally.
I thought we were gonna
have to call Uber Eats
with all that gossip going on in there.
- Oh, hush, we were not gossiping.
We are being perfect little ladies
serving our perfectly handsome, lazy men.
So, what are you two lovebirds
doing for Valentine's Day?
- I don't know.
That depends.
- On what?
- Will you be mine?
- Noah and I are taking it slow.
- We're taking it slow.
- Taking it slow.
- We still got some time.
I'll have something special planned.
- Hey, how does your dad feel about this?
- About what?
- My daughter told me you
dropped outta college.
- William.
- I'm just asking a question, Diane,
the boy dropped outta college.
I want to find out why he's so stupid.
That's all I'm trying to find out.
Hey, hey, hey, it's, it's not funny.
Stop.
- I'm sorry about, Papa.
- I've had some difficult
situations in my life, sir.
- Like what?
- Dad, don't you think you're
being a little forward?
- No, I don't, Celeste,
I don't at all.
This young man is sitting in my house,
one of my chairs, at my
table, eating my food
and fornicating with my daughter.
- Dad.
- Don't you
think that's too forward?
- We are not fornicating.
- You are, you are.
- What does fornicating mean?
- Nothing, baby, just.
- Hey, hey, hey.
- Stop.
- That's enough.
Cut it out.
- Respectfully, sir, I respect
and really care for your daughter.
- Really?
- Yes.
Yes, sir.
- Do you love her?
- Dad?
- I'm asking-
- Okay, William,
that's enough.
- I'm just asking a question.
That's all I'm doing.
I'm asking questions to a young
man who's eating in my house
and sleeping with my daughter.
- We're not sleeping together.
- You are sleeping
together, don't lie to me.
I just wanna find out what
this young man's intentions are
with my daughter, because I
don't want to go back through
that same crap again.
- I said that's enough.
- No problem.
- Mama D, this is so delicious.
- Thank you, honey.
- Yes, Mama D, I can never get enough.
I'm gonna need an extra plate to go.
- Can I add another piece of cake?
- No, you don't need all that sugar.
- I think another piece won't hurt.
- Noah, I just told her, no.
- I know, but I'm not getting
much traction here, okay?
It's just gimme a little break
and let me do something nice.
- Nice?
- Yes.
I don't think there's
anything wrong with her
having one more tiny little slice of cake.
- Yes, there is.
Because I'm her mother and I told her, no.
- She'll be fine.
She'll be fine, relax.
Lemme get you another piece.
- Noah,
I don't appreciate the way
you're talking to my daughter
about the way she's
disciplining my granddaughter,
sitting at my table.
- William.
- Diane, stop it.
Every time I say something,
you shut me down.
I don't wanna go through another six years
of depression and anxiety, okay?
I'm trying to protect my daughter.
And if I can't do that, then
I'm not the man of this house.
Jesus Christ.
- Excuse me.
- It's okay, mom.
I'll check on him.
- Ms. Doman, I didn't realize.
- Come on, Aila, let's go help Mama D
with the dishes, all right?
Okay, all right.
- You don't think he went
to get a shotgun, do you?
- I think you should probably go.
- Whoa, Papa D, put that down.
- Move.
- You don't wanna do that.
- Now.
- Listen, if there's
something going on with you
that I don't know about.
- Why would you come to my parents' house
and tell me how to raise my daughter?
- Okay, that's the last thing
I was trying to do, okay?
I was only trying to be nice.
- It was rude.
- And I apologize for that.
- After the damage was done.
- What damage?
Why are you still closing doors on me?
- Because really, I don't know you.
- Yes, you do, okay.
Can you stop looking at me with fear
and realize I had the same pain?
- You don't know anything
about what I feel.
- Hurt is hurt, Celeste, okay?
And I'm not the only one scared as hell,
but I'm willing to hurt one more time
if that's what it takes to
convince you that I love you.
- You what?
- You heard what I said.
I said that I...
- Oh, sorry, I didn't know you too were-
- No, it's fine.
Noah was just leaving.
- Yeah, I think that's a good idea.
I don't have anything left in
my arsenal to keep him calm.
- I understand.
- You okay, sis?
- Yeah, yeah, I'm fine.
- I'll wait in the car.
- I don't wanna start off by
saying I know how you feel,
- Then please don't.
- But you know how your father is.
- I know this was a mistake,
so, please just, just go home.
- You know, when you
said you wanted to talk,
I thought you meant with words.
That's okay.
It's okay.
I know if I was a father and
I had a daughter like you,
I would, I would look for my gun too.
- I'm sorry.
- That's okay, it's okay,
you don't need to be,
I mean, I obviously did
something wrong, right?
- No, no, it wasn't you.
- Look, if you're not
comfortable right now,
you don't have to-
- Did you mean it?
- Mean what?
- You said you were willing
to hurt one more time,
if that's what it took to
convince me that you loved me.
Did you mean that?
- I meant everything.
All you gotta do is say yes.
- Yes, to what?
Are you?
- Yeah, I am.
- Are you crazy?
- Yeah, yes, okay.
This is crazy.
And I never thought I'd
fall for someone so quick,
I barely even know.
- Wait, no, no, no, no, we can't do this.
- Look, okay, look, I
have been walking around
with this thing for the past few days,
trying to stop myself from
trying to put on your finger.
- Then you shouldn't.
We barely know each other.
This isn't normal.
- And what is normal?
- Nothing, nothing's normal.
- Noah.
I have to go.
- Celeste.
- No, I have to go.
- Celeste, do you love me?
If you say no, then I'll take this back
and stop making a fool of myself.
And we could forget this ever happened.
Okay, but love doesn't make sense, ever.
And right now it doesn't.
So?
- What about my parents?
- If they disagree, will you?
- Over my dead body?
- Dad!
- William.
- You barely know this boy.
What are you thinking?
- Celeste, when do you plan on doing this?
- Valentine's Day.
- Valentine's Day.
- Valentine's Day?
Valentine's Day is
right around the corner.
- Goodness.
Celeste, baby, listen.
- My God.
- That's not a lot of time.
- Is there some rule or law
that says when I'm
supposed to get married?
- Yeah, it is.
When I first met your mom and
laid eyes on her, we waited.
We put our love to a test to make sure.
Yeah, there's rules.
- No, no, no, no, there are no rules.
But you do have to get to know each other.
- Mr and Mrs. Doman, if I may,
I know that this is a bit unconventional,
but what I feel for your
daughter is real, okay.
I truly love her.
- And I love him.
And I hope one day you
can see what I feel.
- I ain't gonna see a damn thing.
'Cause I already know he's
abusive and he's a manipulator.
I knew it from the first
time I laid eyes on him.
- You judged him before
getting to know him.
- I don't need to get to know him.
I've already seen his true color.
- Sorry if I-
- I'm talking to my daughter.
- Daddy.
- Come on now.
- I said I don't give a
damn what he has to say.
- Okay, that's enough.
- Daddy, stop it.
- Don't you see it?
- That's enough.
- Celeste, we should probably go.
- No, see, controlling.
It's controlling.
You see what I'm talking about?
- You know what, you need to stop it.
You need to stop it.
- Cece, let me tell you.
- Go sit down.
- I'm not done.
Lemme tell you something.
You jumping into a marriage with this boy,
trying to put a bandaid on
what you've been going through.
It ain't gonna work.
It's gonna be more pain
than you can imagine.
- William, stop it.
Come on, now, sit down.
- I'm done no, Celeste.
- Diane, leave me alone.
- Celeste?
- Excuse me.
- Diane, listen to me.
- Well, that went well.
Are you okay?
- They just really make it
so hard for me sometimes.
- Yeah, well, they're parents, so.
- I don't need them to
be parents right now.
I just need-
- You just need what?
You sure you don't wanna wait?
- I can't.
- Just breathe.
- No, no, please, please, please don't.
No, no, help.
- Hey, it's getting
late, we should get up.
Hey, Celeste?
Celeste?
Hey, Celeste, hey.
Hey, hey, can, hey, hey, hey.
Can you hear me?
Hey, Celeste, can you hear me?
Hey, wake up, wake up.
Wake up.
Hey, hey, hey, hey, it's okay.
It's me, it's me, it's me,
it's me, it's me, it's me.
It's Noah,
just, just breathe.
Just, hey, just breathe.
Just breathe.
Yeah, just good.
Good, good, good.
- Oh God.
- It's okay, it's okay.
- I'm so sorry.
- No, you're okay, it's okay.
- All right, I have to go.
- No, no, you can't-
- I shouldn't have come here.
- No, you can't, no, Celeste, please.
- No, please, just let me go.
- No, I can't do, I know I can't do that.
- Noah, this is embarrassing.
- Hey, we're in this together, okay?
Okay, you can talk to
me and just trust me.
Just trust me, okay?
- I don't wanna change
how you feel about me.
- You're gonna be my wife, okay?
That's, there's only gonna be one way
I'm gonna feel about you.
Just talk to me.
It's okay, just talk to me.
- Don't answer, don't answer.
- I have to.
- Baby.
- Trust me.
You don't want her to come out here.
- Sheila, are you really
Face Timing me right now?
While I'm on my date.
- Yes, I am.
What's taking you so long
to get outta this car?
It's been 30 minutes.
Did I just see him kiss on your neck?
- No, you did not.
- Oh my God.
Jerod, put him on the phone.
- Hey, Sheila.
- Don't, hey, Sheila, me.
Put your lips on her again.
- Sheila, why you tripping?
We on a date.
- A date that is over, okay?
Don't make me come down there.
- Girl, you better not come out here.
Just gimme like, gimme five more minutes.
- Girl, hurry up.
- Okay.
- Mm.
- Okay, bye.
- But yo, your girl be on one for real.
- She's just really protective.
- We in college.
She acting like you a virgin or something.
Wait, are you?
Damn, my bad.
- I should probably go now.
- I didn't mean anything.
- No, no, no, it's fine.
I had a great time at the dance.
And dinner was great too.
- So did I.
You're a beautiful Valentine.
- Thank you.
Aw, thank you.
- I'll walk you to your dorm.
- No, no, it's fine.
Sheila's already on a war path.
You should leave peacefully
while you still can.
- All right.
- Thank you.
- For sure.
- Bye.
- Bye.
- Sheila, I'm coming.
- Girl, you better be,
'cause I was on my way down.
- I swear.
Oh, sorry.
- Hm, Cece, who was that?
- Jerk.
I don't know.
This balloon's got me
walking blind out here.
- Okay, I'll come help.
- No, it's fine.
I'm actually almost at your door.
- Okay.
- God dang it.
- What's wrong?
- Nothing, hold on.
- Girl, hurry up,
Chris brought me some
chicken Puerto Rico,
you're probably-
- Hold on.
- No, no, please don't hurt me.
No, no, no, no, please,
please, please don't.
No, no, no, please.
No, help.
No, please.
Why are you doing this?
- Celeste, girl, stop
playing, answer the phone.
Celeste?
Celeste, girl, stop playing.
Celeste?
Celeste?
Celeste?
Celeste?
- I tried to run,
tried to scream, but I was so numb.
I just lay there wondering how would,
why something like that
could happen to me.
And being so angry that
I couldn't stop it.
- Hey, don't say that, it's
not, it wasn't your fault.
- I know you mean well,
but I'm so sick and tired of hearing that.
No one was there.
No one really knows how I truly felt.
- Celeste-
- With all due respect,
you're not my therapist.
And I don't need another pep talk.
- That's not what I mean.
That's not what I mean.
Okay, honestly, I don't
really know what to say
or do right now.
Okay, all I can really say is that-
- No woman deserves to
be treated like that?
There's nothing you can say, Noah.
I've heard it all.
- Is that why you stopped us from?
- I thought I was ready.
- Why didn't you just tell me that?
- 'Cause things were going good.
I didn't want my past to come between us.
I just wanted to forget
about that time in my life.
- Did they catch him?
I mean, he's in jail, right?
- I didn't get a good look at him.
They questioned everyone.
Even Jerod.
But everyone was cleared.
- Is this what your
dad meant when he said,
marrying me won't put a bandaid
on what you've been through?
Are you using me, Celeste?
- What?
- Am I, am I the bandaid?
- No, you're not.
- It kind of feels like it.
- Noah, I want you, I want us,
please tell me I didn't make a mistake
trusting you with this.
We can get through this, right?
- Yeah, yeah.
- Yeah?
- Yeah.
- Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey, oh, all right.
Black, no sugar and three creamers
and bow.
Can I get a smile with that?
Can I get a smile?
Where you going?
What about the coffee?
Hey, Celeste, when we gonna talk
about that ring on your finger?
- Before you think the worst,
let's give him the benefit of the doubt.
- Benefit of the doubt?
It's been three days,
Sheila, that's not like him.
- You guys are still
getting to know each other,
which is probably why you
shouldn't jump into marriage.
- You're the one who set all this up.
You pushed me and told me
to take a leap of faith.
- Yes, I said
take a leap of faith.
I didn't tell you to jump the broom.
- I knew I should have kept my mouth shut
and not been so open with him.
- Look, it's
almost Valentine's Day.
Maybe he's gotten busy with his restaurant
or he's just focused on
whatever this something
special is he has planned for you.
Remember?
- Yeah.
Whatever it is, I'm gonna find out.
- Coast's clear.
Yeah, you need to learn
how to be a player, my boy.
- I'm not a player, okay?
I just chose wrong.
- Yeah, you did, you did.
Who is there?
What's going on?
- New car?
Are you stalking me?
Look, Celeste, I know you're upset.
- Upset?
Is that really what you
wanna say to me right now?
Why are you hiding from me?
Is it about what I told you the other day?
You think I'm crazy?
- I wouldn't, I would never think that.
I think that that never
should have happened to you.
- Well, it happened.
And I don't need to be treated like
there's something wrong
with me for sharing it.
- You don't understand.
That shouldn't have been you.
- Something in my gut told me
I shouldn't have said anything to you.
- Yeah, I kind of wish you didn't.
- What are you saying?
You asked for my truth.
- Look, Celeste, these past few days
have been extremely difficult for me.
- Try living in fear
for the past six years,
then taking a chance on someone,
only to sit here looking
in his eyes right now,
feeling like fate made the
biggest fool outta you.
- You're not a fool.
But maybe I am.
- What's that supposed to mean?
- Celeste, I'm so sorry.
- You don't have to apologize.
It's not your fault.
My past has nothing to do with you.
- No, but that's the thing, it does.
- Why would you think that?
- Because it was me.
- What?
- It was me, Celeste.
It was, it was me.
- What do you mean it was you?
You what?
Do you know what you just said to me?
- Yeah, I do.
- Noah, if this is some sick joke-
- It's not a joke.
It's not a joke.
I saw you that night with your boyfriend
and I watched you two kiss
and I bumped into you
and I pulled you into the woods.
- No, no, no, no, no, no,
no, I told you all of that.
I told you all that the other day.
You already know that.
Why are you doing this?
- You had on a red dress,
you dropped your shawl,
you struggled.
And some scars just don't go away.
- Oh my God.
- Celeste, I-
- Oh my God.
- I'm so sorry.
I'm so sorry.
- I need you to get out.
- Celeste, I don't wanna
I don't wanna leave.
- Get out.
Get out, Noah.
Noah, get out.
- Cece?
Cece, open this door, I've
been calling you all night.
- Hey, Cece.
She asleep?
- No, she's not asleep.
Girl, I can see your
eyes open, open the door.
Cece.
- Hey.
I think she might be high
or something, I don't know.
- You know she don't get high.
Something's wrong.
Cece.
Cece, open the door.
- Wait, girl, damn, hey.
- What?
- You gon' tear my car up.
I got the spare.
- Why you aint just say that?
Open the door.
Cece?
Cece, can you hear me?
- Hey.
- Well, she's not breathing.
- There's a bottle
of water in your car.
- Hurry up, go get it.
Cece?
Cece, breathe.
Cece?
wait, Cece?
Cece?
- Here, baby.
- Cece.
- Oh, okay, okay,
take this.
Okay, okay, okay, breathe.
- You good?
- Breath.
- Okay, it's okay.
- Cece.
- Okay, you okay.
- Let's get here out the car.
- You okay.
- She needs medical.
- Okay, okay.
All right, all right.
- Come on, Cece.
- Take your, time,
take your time.
Take your time.
- You're okay, you're okay, you're okay.
- Okay, breathe,
breathe, that's it, slow it down, breathe.
Deep breath.
- It's okay.
- Oh my God.
- Where am I?
- Girl.
- What happened?
- I don't know, you tell us,
you've been out here all night.
- I don't know.
I was talking to Noah and
then I guess I blacked out.
- Oh, so, you saw him.
What happened?
- It was him.
- Him what?
- Six years ago on Valentine's Day,
Sheila, it was him.
- Are you sure?
- Yes.
- How do you know that?
- He's been acting funny since I told him
what happened to me.
- Cece, this is serious.
You have to be sure about this.
- You think I would be
saying this if I wasn't?
He showed me the bite mark.
You don't believe me?
- I believe you.
- We both do.
- I'm so sorry.
- I am sorry too.
- We need to call the police.
- No?
- Yes, what do you mean, no?
- No, I don't,
I don't wanna talk to anybody about this.
- Girl, he needs
to pay for what he did.
- No, no, please.
Just back off for a minute.
- What about Aila?
I mean, if Noah's the one who, you know,
if he's, then that means that.
- Okay, all right, all right.
Okay.
Okay.
- Hey, how you feeling?
That good, huh?
- And how long have I been asleep?
- Long enough for Marquis to
ring your phone off the hook.
- Vanilla or hazelnut?
- Did I say anything in my asleep?
Did I?
- It doesn't matter what you said.
You're okay.
You're here and you're safe.
I'm just worried about Aila.
- Aila, oh my God, is she okay?
What happened?
- Nothing happened.
- Well, where is she?
Did he do something to her?
- No, relax, okay.
I told your parents that you
had a really bad migraine
and stayed here last night, all right?
- So, she's okay?
- Yeah, she's okay.
Your mom took her to school.
All right, so, just drink up.
Okay, and Mama D said you
can pick her up anytime
after work.
- After work?
- Mm-hmm, yes.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no.
I'm not gonna let you lay
here and do this again.
- Do what?
I can barely move.
- No, you can't go back
to that dark place.
You know how bad it is
when you're triggered.
- I'm not triggered.
- You can't let this stop you.
And I don't wanna go through this again.
None of us do.
You gonna have to tell 'em.
- Tell who, what?
- Your parents.
- No.
- You can't pretend this didn't happen.
You're engaged to the-
- I'm not engaged to anyone.
I don't wanna hear that.
- How long do you think you
can keep this from your family?
- I just, I just need to
deal with this on my own.
- You don't know how
dangerous this man is.
And if you don't wanna go to the police,
then how are you gonna
protect yourself or them?
You've been hurt long enough
and Aila's been fine without
knowing who her father is.
You should just put this man away
and this will be a lot less to deal with.
- Less to deal with?
- Yes.
He'll be arrested.
And the only thing you
lose is an engagement
that never should have
happened in the first place.
- How can you say this to me?
My heart opened up and I
trusted it because of you.
And now you're blaming me for it?
- No, I never should have introduced you
or forced you to do something
you didn't wanna do.
- Then stop trying to fix
something you messed up
by doing what you did in the first place.
Just let me fix this how I need to.
- You know what?
You're right, it's your life.
I should just mind my business.
- I didn't mean it like that.
- No, you're right, it's my fault,
I overstepped.
And I'm so sorry.
I just want you to be happy.
- I know.
- And I'm so sorry.
- You already said that.
- And I want you to go the police.
- You said that too.
- Third time's a charm.
- Stop.
Don't push it.
Just trust me and love me.
I said-
- I know.
Okay, you know I do.
- And promise me you won't
say anything about this
to anyone, especially my parents.
- Celeste.
- Promise.
- Okay, fine, I promise.
Come here.
I love you.
- Love you.
- Okay, okay.
You gonna get up, gonna
get yourself together.
You gonna go to work, okay?
- Mm-hmm.
- Okay, love you.
- Love you.
- Love me.
Love me.
- I do.
Oh, no, no, no, no.
Get out, Noah, get out.
Please, please.
Please don't.
- What do you mean, she
didn't come to school today?
Huh?
Well, no, no, no, no, thank you.
Thank you very much for calling.
- What's going on?
- That was Aila's school.
She didn't go to school today.
- Aila never misses school.
- No.
- Where's Cece?
- That must be her right now.
- It better be her.
Cece-
What's going on, mm?
- Mama D, Papa D, we need to talk.
- Come on in.
What this all about?
Come on.
- Mommy, mommy, mommy.
Mommy.
- Cece?
Aila?
- Papa, grandma.
- Cece.
Cece wake up, wake up.
- Stop screaming.
- I'm just trying
to get her up, Diane.
- Come on, baby,
come on, baby, wake up.
- Jesus Christ.
- Cece, wake up, it's mama.
How long she been sleeping?
Huh, you don't know.
Oh God.
Look, look.
- What is that?
- William, look at that.
Oh my God.
- How many of these
did she take?
- I don't know.
- Wake up, baby, wake up.
Okay, Cece, Cece, wake up.
- Mommy, mommy, mommy.
- Oh my God.
- Okay, come on.
- Oh my God.
- Come on, baby.
It's mom.
- Let her get up.
Let her get up.
Take your time.
- Come on now.
Breath.
- Breathe.
- We right here.
We are right here, baby.
Relax.
Just relax.
Just relax.
Just relax.
Let her get up.
- Baby, what have you done?
- Mom, I'm fine.
- Look, how
many pills did you take?
- I don't know.
I don't know, just enough to sleep.
- Oh my God.
- What about Noah?
- William!
- Listen, we gotta get straight to this.
- Straight to what?
- Okay, listen, Sheila
and Chris told us, okay?
Told us everything.
- Listen, we don't have time for that.
We don't have time.
We need to go to the police.
- No.
- No?
You missed work today.
She missed school.
You laying in here in this dark.
Looks like a damn cave in here.
I don't wanna go back through this again.
Oh my God.
I see him.
- What?
- I'll be right back.
Stay here.
- William?
- Stay here, I said.
- It's okay.
- I know I have no right being here.
- Get off this property, man.
- I just came to apologize to Celeste.
- You don't have anything
to say to my daughter.
You hear me, you hear me?
- I just came to apologize to her.
- You have nothing to say to my daughter.
- Yes, I do, just lemme talk to her.
Huh?
- Just let me talk
to her.
- You got nothing to say to my daughter.
- William.
- Stop.
- William.
- Stop, stop.
- William.
- Leave me alone, Diane.
- Wait, wait, William, no, stop.
- You gonna get up?
Go ahead, get away.
I'll kill you, man.
You playing with my daughter.
- Celeste.
- Cece, where did you get that gun?
- Mommy?
- Get back in the house.
- Put that gun down, baby.
- Don't get in my way, daddy.
- I did not mean
to hurt you, Celeste.
- You have caused
my family and me so much pain.
- I know, and I know that, okay?
I just want make it right to you.
- You can't
make what you did right.
- Cece, Cece, please.
I'm not gonna stand here
and let you shoot that man.
- You call him a man after
what he did to your daughter.
- Look, he is a human being
and you are not a murderer.
Put that gun down.
- Put it down.
- Mommy.
- Go back in the house.
- It's papa.
- Oh my God, William.
William?
- Daddy?
- William?
- Daddy, wake up.
- William, William, wake up.
- Daddy, please.
- Come on.
- Daddy?
- Oh, no, William.
- Dad?
- Is he breathing?
- Dad?
Dad?
Dad?
- Oh, come on, William.
- Daddy!
- William, wake up.
- Dad!
- Hey, everything all right?
- Everything's fine.
- You sure?
You've been a little distant lately.
- Just busy.
Need to get these reports done.
- Is that why you packing
up your briefcase?
- What are you doing?
- I know you, Celeste.
I thought we were cool and
you know I got your back.
So, what's on your mind?
- Marquis, I don't wanna
be in the office today.
I just need to work from
home right now, so, please.
- Please, what?
Stop being your friend?
- Marquis.
- Celeste, sit.
Celeste Doman.
Now, what is it?
Sheila said that you was
gonna need some time off
when I called.
Does this have anything to do with me?
- No.
- All right then.
I mean, I don't wanna
pressure you in any way.
- You're fine.
I don't really take you seriously.
- What?
- I didn't mean it like that.
- Then how did you mean it?
- Can we not do this?
- This is about him.
- Who?
- Come on, Celeste, I saw
the ring on your finger.
You could have told me that
you was seeing someone.
- I'm not.
- Oh, that's why you
not wearing it anymore.
- That's none of your business.
- What about your daughter?
Does she like him?
- You are really crossing a line.
- You right, you right.
But I'm not going to sit here
and let you gimme attitude
because the Celeste I
once knew would've told me
if that ring was real.
Look, I don't know what you going through,
but I know you not being honest.
Celeste, you too calculated.
You too calculated.
You do everything by the numbers.
That's why you're so good at this job.
If it doesn't add up,
you don't make a move.
But the numbers don't
tell the whole truth.
And the heart ain't nothing to play with.
Fear.
Fear will lead you to bad decisions
and make you miss out on
the most important things
in life if you don't face it.
- Marquis.
- I know, I know, you're
not gonna be my valentine.
But when I saw this chocolate,
a broken heart, huh?
Love might not always feel good,
but I mean, you can still enjoy it, right?
Celeste?
Celeste?
Come on, again?
Celeste, Really?
- Stand over here.
Stop right here.
I'm doing this for her.
Not for you.
- Mm-hmm.
- Have a seat.
- Hey.
When they told me I had to visitor,
I just didn't realize it was, it was you.
How's Mr. Doman?
I didn't mean to cause so much harm.
I just want to talk to you.
- Why did you do it?
- What do you mean?
- Why did you do it?
Why me?
Why?
- Celeste.
I'm sorry, I, just please, just,
I don't know what to say.
- Stop apologizing and
begging and tell me why.
- Celeste, there's nothing I can say
that's gonna justify what I did.
I all I can say is I was,
I was a messed up person back then.
- And you don't think I was messed up?
That you didn't ruin my life?
- And I regretted that.
Okay, ever since that night,
I've been trying to get help.
- Help?
- Yeah.
- So, you've done this before?
- No.
No.
Celeste, you gotta you gotta believe me.
I've never done that before.
- Then why did you choose me?
- I didn't, I didn't choose you, okay?
I wasn't in my right mind back then.
- What mind do you need to be in
to know you don't have the
right to take a woman's body?
- In the same mind that
took my body from me.
Celeste, I never should have
been out that night, okay?
I was hurting, and-
- You were hurting?
- Something I never told you.
I was born in foster care
and adopted at six months old.
My mother, my adopted mother,
she violated me for years.
- What does that have to do with me?
- So, on Valentine's Day, six
years ago, she passed away.
And I don't know, I guess, I snapped
and I had so many emotions,
so many feelings going on.
And I was confused, I was angry.
I just didn't understand
how God could let her die
without facing what she did to me.
Okay, all I wanted was for her
to say she was sorry, but she never did.
So, I was also alone.
I was, hurting, and I
got drunk and I went out.
I didn't care who it was,
I just wanted somebody,
for one time in my life,
there was someone to hurt
more than I did.
- And that somebody was me.
- Yeah, it could have been anybody though.
It could have been anybody.
But I'm not that person.
I'm not that person.
She made me that person.
- Your mom didn't chase me
down with a pocket knife.
- And I know that, I know, I know that.
But that night changed me too, okay?
I hating myself for what I did.
- Why did you take all these
years to turn yourself in?
Did you think hating yourself
was punishment enough
to make up for all of this?
- No, it wasn't enough.
I should have turned myself in back then.
But when my grandmother came into my life,
I started to get professional help.
And God gave me a second chance.
You know, it's an amazing
feeling to get the love
and support that I didn't
get most of my life.
Please, don't do that.
Celeste, I never meant to hurt you.
I never meant to hurt you.
Hey, look at me.
Please,
look at me.
I never meant to hurt you.
And I promise, and I'll
never hurt you again.
- Why should I believe that?
- Because I'm not my past.
I turned myself in now to show you that.
And I don't know why,
I don't know why I'm about to ask you this
'cause I know the answer.
All I ask is that if you
could just forgive me.
I know.
- You can't forgive your mother,
but you want me to forgive you?
Noah.
- I'm sorry.
- I'm done.
- Celeste, Celeste.
- I'm done.
- What about Aila?
- What about Aila?
- Is she my daughter?
Look, I know this may
not be what you want.
- Don't, don't.
- Celeste, she's six years old.
She's six years old.
She doesn't need to pay
for what I've done to you.
Is she my, is she-
Celeste?
- Let's go, stand up.
Stand up.
Stand up.
Hands behind back.
- Yeah, baby, I know, I know.
Okay, well just warm it up for me then.
Oh, okay, that's Celeste.
I gotta go, I'll be home soon.
Okay, bye.
Hey.
- Hey.
- Did you get the answers you needed?
- Yeah.
- Good.
Now, it's behind you,
you can live your life
and let him rot in jail.
- Hm.
Thanks for watching Aila for me.
- Oh, anytime.
She's asleep, okay, I gotta go.
Love me.
Okay, bye.
Aila?
Aila?
Aila?
Aila?
Aila, come on out.
Aila, what's wrong?
- I don't wanna go back out there.
- Then you don't have to.
I'm right here.
- But you're scared.
- I'm what?
- You're scared of the man who hurt you.
I don't want him to hurt me.
- Aila, who told you that?
- I heard you and grandma talking.
Is my daddy the bad man in your dreams?
- No, no, no, no.
He's not, he's not.
- I don't wanna go to sleep anymore.
I don't want him to hurt me.
- Look, Aila I promise,
I will never let anything
happen to you.
Nobody's gonna hurt you, okay?
Come here.
It's okay.
- Hey.
You know when you messaged me to meet,
I never thought it would be here.
Is this why you bailed me out?
You want me to face what I did,
so I wouldn't forget what
a terrible human being was?
But you're about six years too late
because I tortured myself
coming out here over and over
and over again,
just looking for, looking for answers.
Just looking for God.
Just, just looking for
anything to make me understand
how I even got here, okay.
Nobody's gonna punish me more than I have.
- I didn't bail you out to punish you.
I bailed you out to stop punishing myself.
A friend of mine told me that
I wasn't honest with myself.
And that fear will lead
you to make bad decisions
and make you miss out on
the best parts of life
if you don't face it.
I have spent the last six
years giving this place
and what you did power over
my mind, my body, my emotions.
But today, today, I looked
in my daughter's eyes
and I saw that same fear.
I felt her tremble in my arms
and I knew I was responsible for this.
I can't let her continue
to see me live my life
looking over my shoulders,
afraid to turn corners.
I have to face you, I have to face this.
I can't allow you to have
power over me anymore.
I will be at court and
every trial possible
to make sure you get what you deserve.
- I'm not afraid to do my time.
- And I'm not afraid to
start taking mine back.
This stops now.
- What about Aila?
I just want a chance to be her father.
- Aila will know who her father is,
but she won't know you behind bars.
She doesn't deserve that.
- Okay, what about fate?
Fate has a twisted way of
bringing you back into my life.
I feel like we're here for a reason
and this doesn't, this
doesn't need to destroy us
because Aila's a blessing.
And I feel like how I feel for you,
stronger than all of this.
- You're right.
Aila is a blessing, but
so was my virginity.
You took way more than my body that night.
If fate has anything to do with this,
then my tomorrow starts right now.
Happy Valentine's Day.
- You good?