A look of confusion clouded over Dana’s tanned face. ‘But you hate working out in the gym, baby. You said yourself: I don’t fancy getting intimate with black metallic monstrosities.’ Dana’s said the last sentence in a perfect imitation of the journalist’s cynical tone.

            Alice laughed and held Dana closer to her. It was amazing how Dana could remember each and everything she said, in the exact words and tone she said it in.

            ‘I can use the treadmill or something. You know, those that have less physical contact between me and those surfaces that have graced the sweaty stinky bodies of god-knows-who. It doesn’t matter, as long as I can watch you train.’

            ‘You’re so good to me, baby.’ Dana cupped Alice‘s face in her hands and planted a tender kiss on the journalist’s lips. The kiss was only broken when Lucia cleared her throat, loud enough for the couple to get the hint.

            Of course, Alice couldn’t possibly be around Dana all the time. That was when the cell phone came in useful. Speed dial 1: Dana’s cell. Speed dial 2: Dana’s house phone. Speed dial 3: Her house phone. (On days when Dana stayed over and didn’t have training the next day and Alice was out working.) Speed dial 4: Dana’s country club where she trained. Speed dial 5: The Planet.

            It was crazy and Alice knew that. She hated herself for acting this way. That’s why she came to this decision. The worst thing was Dana wasn’t even irritated by her actions. That was because Dana never second-guessed Alice‘s reasons for being around her so much recently. She just thought that Alice was being sweet, that Alice just wanted to spend more time with her and that made her incredibly happy because there was nothing that made her happier than being with Alice. Even the incessant calling didn’t put her off that much. She just got a bit pricked sometimes when Alice kept calling during her training.

            This tormented Alice. How Dana was so pure and simple and true in loving her, yet she had this doubt. It almost seemed as if she was lying to Dana. She knew her clinginess would take its toll on Dana in the long run. She recalled their conversation during the concert at the Wiltern.

            ‘No, it was when when I when I had dinner with Lara that night’

‘Yeah… ‘

‘ It just seemed like it, you know…’

‘What?’

‘It seemed like it made you a little crazy, that’s all.’

Crazy. Dana had said the way she acted was crazy. That was one isolated incident. If Dana found out the truth behind her actions recently Oh she didn’t even dare to think of the consequences.

She didn’t want Dana to find out the truth. She didn’t want her neediness to scare off Dana. That was why she decided they needed some time apart. If they were to continue being together, it was sooner or later that Dana would reach her breaking point and that would be the end of them. Forever. Furthermore, she believed that a relationship without mutual trust could never last.

But if they took some time apart now, she could sort out her problems, she could curb her insecurities. She knew she would, because she had to, if she still wanted another chance with Dana and that was all that she could ever want. She would sort it all out and hopefully, they would get together again and be together forever.

It was a risk. What if Dana found someone new? What if they just never got together again? What if Dana got so hurt, she couldn’t trust her anymore? There were so many ‘what ifs’. But Alice believed in Dana. They were so right for each other. Somehow, things would work out.