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Alice stood in front of Dana’s door. She wanted to knock on the hard wooden surface, but the strength it took to raise her hand disappeared the second she reached the top of the stairs. After leaving Tina at the park, Alice had sat in her blue mini berating herself for allowing the blonde to see one of her biggest insecurities, and then a slow burning feeling crept up Alice’s spine as her anger began to take over. She was furious at Dana for causing all of these emotions to resurface, and she wanted the tennis player to see her pain in its most raw form.

That rage had carried her all the way to the top of Dana’s stairs, but once she came face to face with Dana’s door a haze of sadness clouded her determination, and she was left contemplating her actions. If she knocked she would have to confront the fears she had tried to run from for years, but if she didn’t knock, she would forever wonder what made her so incredibly unlovable.

Filling her lungs with the thick, humid air from the lazy, Sunday afternoon, Alice’s knuckles lightly tapped against the smooth, wooden door. Holding the breath she had inhaled, she waited a few seconds, when there was no response, she allowed her fist to fall on the door with a much greater force.

Lulled to sleep by the monotone voice of the newscaster, Dana’s body was comfortably stretched out on her couch. Her eyes had been closed for an hour when a loud knock startled her. Bringing her hands to her eyes, she wiped away the foggy aftermath of her nap. Reluctantly rising to her feet, Dana made her way to the door, unlocking the bolt; she pulled it open slightly.

Alice and Dana’s eyes met, and for a second, Alice felt a warm calming sensation surge through her veins. It was the effect Dana’s presence had always had on her, but today that calm was quickly replaced with a pricking unease.

Dana could feel Alice’s hesitation as she stood on her doorstep. The blonde’s gaze held hers for a few seconds before shifting to the doorknob inches above Dana’s waist. The tennis player watched as Alice began to viciously chew on her bottom lip, it was a habit that showed itself when the writer felt unsure of her actions.