Alice entered Dana’s apartment once more, laden with Chinese take-away, to find Dana in a deep sleep on the couch. Al sat down beside her with the full intention of waking her up, but stopped. It had been so long since Alice had seen Dana asleep. When they were together, Alice had spent hours just watching Dana sleep, watching how her chest moved slowly up and down, how she would wiggle her nose slightly when Al breathed on her neck, and occasionally how she would smile during her sleep. Alice herself couldn’t help but smile at those memories.

            “Dana?” Al called as she gently ran her hand through Dana’s hair. She wouldn’t have mind watching her sleep for the rest of the night, but she knew Dana probably should eat something. Dana’s eyes slowly opened to find Alice there sitting in front of her, and for a split second she thought that they were back together, only for her mind to be flooded with harsh reality.

“I thought you had gone,” Dana replied, yawning through her words.

“Yeah I did, I went to get some real food. I wasn’t going to eat that organic ***** that you’ve filled your kitchen with. I left you a note on the fridge, didn’t you see it?” Dana just shook her head and flung her feet off the couch and onto the floor, allowing Alice a space to sit next to her.

“You didn’t have to go to all this trouble Al,” Dana said quietly as she looked down at her hands. “I wasn’t going to kill myself or anything.” She suddenly looked up at Alice, whose expression she couldn’t quite make out, a mixture between sadness and sincere worry. “That’s why you came here, isn’t it?”

“I-I was worried, yeah,” answered Al, not quite as confident as she had hoped. “After what I had said you left in a hurry and,” she dropped her gaze from Dana down to the ground. “And I wouldn’t have been able to forgive myself if you had done anything, that’s all.”

            An uncomfortable silence ensued Alice‘s words, both women beginning to eat as a substitute for conversation. Just as the silence was about to kill her, Alice spoke.