Love Lost Love gained – – Part 16

Shane stood in LAX arrivals terminal, smiling from ear to ear. Carmen’s words still sounding in her ears.
She frowned as she saw Bette walking towards her.

“Hey Shane”
Shane smiled and waved “Hey. Alice parking the car?”
Bette looked away then back at Shane. “Uh no. It’s just me”
Shane’s smile faded. “Cool.”
“She had the articles to finish.”
“It’s okay Bette, you don’t have to lie to me about her. I know the articles were due in a few days ago.” Shane picked up her bag, smiling “So lead the way”
Bette shook her head. “It’s this way”
Shane followed Bette, her brain working over time, thinking of the situation she was in with Carmen, and Alice. Actually with everyone.
“Shane you okay?” Bette asked looking at Shane strangely.
Shane looked up, frowning when she realized that she had stopped walking.
She sighed “Do you think we could go get something to eat. To talk?”
“I have to get back to work” Bette stopped herself as she saw Shane’s face drop even more “But a few hours wouldn’t kill”.
Shane smiled a weak smile. “Thanks”.

Bette hooked her arm through Shane’s “Lets get going”.

Alice picked up her phone “Hello?”
“Hey Alice, its me”
“Hey Carmen, how are you?”
“I’m good thanks. So did you pick Shane up? How was she?”
Alice remained silent, randomly fiddling with things on her desk.
“Al?”
“Yeah yeah I’m here.”
“So did you pick her up?”
“No Bette did”
“Alice, why?”
“Work”
“Don’t give me that rubbish. You finished those articles the other day.”
“Extension” Alice whispered.
“Alice you need to talk to her, and hiding from her isn’t going to help.”
“She hid from us for months. We didn’t know where she was, let alone if she was alive”
“Alice, that’s in the past. We have been over that. Please, get off your arse, stop staring into space and go and talk to her.”
“How’d you know?”
Carmen smiled “Know you too well”
Alice laughed, “Yeah I guess you do. Thanks Carm, and I’m sorry”
“For what?”
Alice laughed again “not sure but I am.”

Bette looked up from the menu, handing it to the waiter.
“So what do you want to talk about?”
Shane smiled doing the same “About everything. Carmen, Alice, you, the girls, what an idiot I have been.”
“But I thought we spoke the other week”
Shane grinned “I don’t think yelling at me was talking.”
Bette laughed thinking back to the day when Shane showed up and laying in to her, telling her how stupid and irresponsible she had been.