而這位美到不可方物的Carol,她的聲音更是溫柔一刀。初次向Therese 致謝的電話裡,她聽出了戴聖誕帽的百貨小姐的聲音,So... it was you,一種猜想被印證的不易察覺的竊喜。在故事發展到高峰的,新年之夜小旅館的床上,她一句 My angel flung out of space,讓我隔著屏幕都自覺幸福得眩暈。
不止這樣,透過屏幕你都能嗅到Carol 身上令人迷醉的香氣。初次吃飯的桌前,Therese 便稱讚 Oh your perfume, it's nice. 與丈夫在家門外推搡的瞬間,氣頭上的Harge 一把拉住Carol 還情不自禁地感嘆 You smell good. 在不知名的旅館裡,Therese 捧著Carol 的毛衣貼在臉上深深吸一口氣,幸福的神情也讓人沈迷。而酒店房間裡試香水的片段,我想,這樣的女人香,換作是我也應該不能自拔。
張愛玲筆下的戀人,在愛人面前「變得很低很低,一直低到塵埃裡去」。在和Therese 的愛情裡,即便高貴冷豔如卡羅爾也不例外。與Harge 爭吵趕走Therese 後的那通道歉電話那頭,Carol 拿著香菸緊張得失措,想約Therese 隔天見面,一句will you 還沒說完即刻改成更加委婉的would you? 而Ritz 酒店見面時,她開口便是一句 I wasn't sure you'd come. 原本是與生俱來自信和氣場,恐怕只在深愛的人面前才消失殆盡。面對表面冷淡的Therese,她不得將她已經低到塵埃裡的身體和心靈放得更低。I was hoping you might like to come and live with me, but I guess you won't, would you? 低微的迂迴的試探被一次次無情地駁回,Well, that's that. 得不到回應的提問終於轉變成義無反顧的表白,Carol 開口說了I love you,第一次。 那神情像是帶著乞求,卻又無比堅定。
在她們的戀情尚未明確以前,片中有一段值得回味。昏暗的房間裡那位「紐約時報」的攝影師(同時也許是Therese 的潛在愛慕者)對 Therese講- you like certain people, you don't like others, and you don't know why you're attracted to some people and not others, the only thing you know is- you either are attracted or you're not. It's like physics- bouncing off each other like pin balls. Therese 卻說 but not everything's as simple as a bunch of pin balls reacting off each other. Therese 覺察了卡羅爾身上折射出的,她自己的慾望。因此,她拒絕了攝影師男企圖送上的擁吻,拒絕了去男友家渡過聖誕的邀請。
儘管Therese 終於學會了拒絕男性愛慕者的追求,面對Carol ,她卻始終無法拒絕還盡情淪陷,直至竊聽事件的發生。公路上行駛的轎車裡,她焦慮地抽煙。她認為自己的不懂拒絕對Carol 的家庭困境雪上加霜,她後悔自責。在這情形下,Carol 終於不得不停車轉向Therese, 給出她的回答- I took what you gave willingly. It's not you fault, Therese.
所以,當故事最終,兩人終於可以面對面座談,卡羅爾問她 Do you hate me, Therese? 得到的答案卻是 Oh how could I hate you? Therese 面無表情又輕描淡寫地將卡羅爾離她而去的早晨的心碎抹去,將夜晚被掛掉電話時還念叨著 I miss you I miss you 時的絕望忘記,將卡羅爾寄來的手寫信隨手丟掉這件事當作從未發生過一樣。愛之深,恨之切。說不恨妳,妳信嗎?