The two women remained entwined; each comforted by the contact. Alice eventually pulled away sniffling and wiping her face. "Thank you Lara. I had no idea how much I needed to talk about that."

"Yeah…me too. I know it won’t make all the hurt go away, but I feel a lot better."

"God, I’m exhausted." Alice rolled her neck to relieve some of the stress.

Lara took the cue and moved behind Alice to massage her shoulders.

"Mmmmm, that feels good."

Lara smiled. "Yes, it does."

Alice opened her eyes to meet Lara’s intense gaze. Lara slowly swiveled the barstool so that she was standing directly in front of Alice. She deftly nudged Alice’s knees so that she straddled one leg with her hip pressed against Alice’s pelvis. Alice gasped at the intimate contact and arched her back slightly. She closed her eyes and inhaled the clean, earthy scent of Lara. She could sense the woman leaning down, and felt the gentle kiss on her forehead. Lara’s breath was ragged as she continued working her way to Alice’s mouth. As their lips made contact, Lara sighed and gyrated ever so slightly, eliciting a light moan from Alice. Their kiss deepened and grew more urgent. Lara broke away to gasp, "God, Alice I’ve missed you so much."

Alice could only nod in reply. Lara leaned in and gently touched her forehead to Alice’s. After a moment she broke away and stepped back. She gently pulled Alice from the stool, desire evident on her face.

Alice stood, but resisted following Lara down the hallway. "Lara, I can’t. I’m sorry."

Lara’s face was a mix of disappointment, confusion and hurt. After a moment, though she sighed and nodded. "Can you tell me why?"

"Because, I’m still a fucked-up mess. And so are you, really. One night of talking doesn’t change the fact that we are both barely getting through the day. Look at you….how much weight have you lost? And, I’m only a week away from being a walking drug store."

Lara ran her fingers through her hair and groaned in frustration. "I know you’re right, but Alice, this is beginning to be about you and not about Dana. I want you to understand that."

Alice closed the distance between the two of them and tenderly kissed Lara’s cheek. "I do know that. But I need to take this slowly for now. Please understand. I’m afraid of getting lost again."

Lara nodded. "So, where does that leave us?"

"Friends?"

"Friends with benefits?" Lara asked with a suggestive smile playing at the corner of her lips. Before Alice could answer, she held her hands up in mock surrender. "Just teasing. But, do you think we might work our way into going out on a for-real date sometime?"

Alice nodded slowly with an answering smile. "I thinkg I’d like that."

They walked to the door holding hands. Alice turned to face Lara before leaving. "Thank you," she said simply. She stretched up and gave Lara a light kiss.

As she walked to her car she could still feel the warmth of Lara’s lips on her own. As she got in the car, she looked back to see Lara watching her from the door with a wistful smile.

Alice waved and drove away feeling lighter than she had in months. She turned on the CD player and joined the B-52’s in a lusty rendition of "Love Shack".