The elevator door opens and Nestor steps in, not quite knowing how to approach the situation. He glances at her, trying not to stare at her exposed body.
"Uh...so this is where we start..." Vera trails off, suddenly feeling nervous.
"Right. Right." Nestor says. They move toward each other, Nestor placing his hands on her hips while she gently touches his chest. She leans up to him and he stares at her lips, wanting nothing more than to let her do her job. But that's not what Vera would want.
"Or we could talk." he offers. She looks at him with confusion but takes the suggestion.
"Yeah." she says, stepping away from him. She walks to the bed and sits down, oblivious to how much skin she is showing.
"What did you want to talk about?" she asks, leaning back on her hands, unknowingly popping her chest out.
"We could...you are..." he stutters. His thoughts seem to be going crazy while his eyes are having trouble keeping away from her nipples.
"I'm sorry." he says, taking his shirt off. She begins to remove her clothes out of habit.
"No, no, no." he says, stopping her.
"I'm sorry. It's habit." she says, the words almost killing him. He holds his shirt out to her and she takes it.
"I'm having trouble keeping my thoughts in line. Would you mind?" he asks. She looks upset but puts the shirt on.
"It's not you. I...your body is...yeah. Wow. But I need to not look." he says. She nods, understanding.
"I'm sorry. You just look so familiar." she says with a smile.
"I do?" he asks. She nods, staring into his dark eyes.
"I...I have seen you before, right?" she asks. He nods, happy that she remembers him.
"Were you...you're my husband?" she asks.
"No." he says with a smile.
"I'm sorry I just....I only remember the outline of you and I just assumed you were my husband-"
"It's alright." he says, comforting her.
"So you did know me? Before this?" she asks.
"Yes. Very well." he says.
"Will you tell me?" she asks.
"What do you want to know?" he asks.
"What was my name?" she asks. He smiles, overjoyed just to be near her again and talking to her.
"Vera Ann Farmiga." he says with a wide smile.
"And you are?" she asks.
"Nestor Carbonell."
"Now tell me Mr. Carbonell, we weren't married...did we date?" she asks. He shakes his head.
"Sleep together?" she asks.
"Nope." he says.
"What the hell was I thinking?" she asks with a smile. He laughs, his ears going red with her bold words.
"What was I like?" she asks, pulling her knees up to her chest.
"You were...words don't give justice to your characteristics. You were funny as can be, always cracking jokes on set-"
"What is on set?" she asks.
"You were an actress. Bates Motel. You don't remember?" he asks. She tries to think about this set, searching her brain.
"I'm sorry. All I can see is the house we lived in. Or...I guess it was just me. We weren't married."
"The house? With all the steps in front?" he asks. She nods, wondering how he knew what her house looked like.
"That's the set." he says with a smile.
"Tell me more." she says, eager to learn about who she was.
"So you were funny, charming, always flirting with everyone even when you didn't realize it. Loved by everyone. And my God were you beautiful." he whispers.
"How did I get here?" she asks. She can see the look of pain cross his face and she regrets asking.
"You were supposed to meet me for dinner. You said you needed to get gas. I guess you ran out before you could get to the gas station. I waited for you for hours but you never showed. I assume you were kidnapped and brought here." he whispers. She can feel a sense of deja vu as he tells the story.
"I looked for you for months. They said you were dead. They all gave up but I kept looking. Until one day...I gave up too. I turned into a monster. I drank everyday, tried to numb the pain. My wife kicked me out. My life was a mess without you, Vera." he whispers, glancing into her green eyes. He looks at them with confusion.
"Your eyes.." he trails off, wanting an explanation.
"Oh, right." she says. She runs to the mirror and pulls out her contacts. When she runs back, she looks at him with her familiar blue eyes. He can't contain himself. He grabs her arms and pulls her to him, his tears running down his cheeks.
"It's you." he whispers, holding her tightly. He kisses the top of her head while she hangs onto him as if her life depended on it. "I can't believe it's really you, V."
The nickname seemed to trigger her memory, bringing back fuzzy images of the two of them laughing together and eating and playing games. She looked healthier in these images. Not as skinny. She wanted that life. She didn't want to be used for her body.
"Help me get out." she whispers. He pulls back and looks into her eyes.
"Please. Please help me. I don't want to go back. Don't let them take me." she sobs, her breathing becoming rapid. He grabs her hands, pulling her up from the bed. He grabs the green contacts, handing them to her.
"Put them back in." he orders. She follows orders, slipping them back in. He grabs his shirt, pulling it up over her head. He pulls it back on, looking around to see if they forgot anything else. She begins to cry, realizing she pushed him too far. He was leaving and he would probably tell her manager for asking to get out.
"Please don't tell my manager." she says, her eyes staying glued to the floor. "They'll kill me." she whispers. He grabs her chin, making her look in his eyes.
"I'm not going to tell anyone. Why would you think...V, I am getting you out." he whispers, wiping her tears away with his thumbs.
"Okay. This is the plan. We're gonna walk down and act natural. Freddie is outside with the car running. Max and Olivia are going to help me get you out safely." he says. She nods and grabs his hand, taking comfort in the familiarity. They get into the elevator and hold hands all the way down. When the door dings and begins to open, Vera slips her hand out of his and walks out.
"Where are you two going? He paid for the night." Lily says.
"He wants toys." Vera says naturally. Lily nods, winking at Nestor. They walk through the lobby and are stopped just before they reach Max and Olivia.
"Where are you two going?" Nick asks.
"He wanted his friends to watch me blow him." she says, the phrase coming out, again, too natural for Nestor's liking. He nods and walks away.
"Ready?" Max whispers, looking around. Nestor nods, placing his hand on Vera's lower back, leading her out. They make it outside and Vera gasps, looking up at the night sky.
"I'm sorry. I just...I haven't been outside in...well I can't even remember." she says.
"We need to go." Nestor says, gently nudging her toward the car.
"Oh. Right." she says, jogging with him to the car. He helps her inside and shuts the door behind him.
"Drive!" Nestor shouts, seeing the manager run outside. Freddie slams on the gas, making the tires screech as they speed out of the lot. Vera squeezes his hand while her other hand grips the railing of the car door.
"They're going to find me. They're gonna find me and kill me." she says, beginning to hyperventilate.
"No no." Olivia says, reaching back from the front seat and placing her hand on Vera's leg.
"We won't let anything happen to you." Max says.
"I'm not letting you out of my sight. Okay?" Nestor asks, giving her hand a squeeze. She nods, comforted by the fact that she will have Nestor around more.
"Where...where do we even go?" Freddie asks, just driving.
"The...the police?" Olivia asks.
"Yeah. Yeah the police. Shut that place down!" Max says.
"No. No police!" Vera shouts, trying to unbuckle her seatbelt. Nestor grabs her hands, trying to stop her.
"Vera stop. Calm down." he shouts which only makes her struggle more.
"Please! Please don't hurt me!" she shouts, shaking her head. He grabs her face, resting his forehead against hers.
"Hey." he whispers. "Breathe. Okay? Breathe with me." he whispers, grabbing her hand and placing it on his chest. Her breathing begins to calm and her eyes close as she focuses on his chest moving up and down.
"Now tell us why you don't want to go to the police." he says. She looks around at the people in the car with tears in her eyes. Her words come out so soft that they all have trouble hearing them.
"The police are in on it."
