“You didn’t tell her did you?” Shane asked as soon as they had closed the door.

“No I didn’t.” Dana fell onto her bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering why she hadn’t got separate rooms for the two of them. She really just wanted to be alone.

“Why Dane? I thought we had this all figured out. We had a plan and everything!” Shane said exasperated, falling down onto the other single bed. “Why didn’t you tell her?”

“Because she is happy Shane,” Dana said quietly, still looking at the white ceiling, aware of the tears that were forming in her eyes. “Because someone else made her blissfully happy, and it wasn’t me. God, I can’t remember the last time I saw her that happy.”

Shane launched herself up on one elbow to look at Dana.

“I can. I saw it in Alice every single time she spotted you when you were friends. When you danced or mucked around or embarrassed yourself in someway. I remember when you guys were so close that we all thought you’d explode with happiness. You just need to go out on a limb here Dane and tell her how you feel – because it could be your last chance”

“But what if she says no?” Dana’s voice was shaky. It held all the vulnerability and fear that she had locked up in her heart since she had met Alice ten years ago.

“What if she says yes? Dana I know how much it would hurt to hear Alice say that she only likes you as a friend, but what if she feels the exact same way as you? Surely it’s better to gamble it all for the prospect of love, because otherwise you’ll just spend your life thinking about what might have happened.”

Dana simply nodded her head slightly, not once removing her gaze from the ceiling. Shane could see that Dana needed some time to think and excused herself from the room in search of food.

As soon as Shane had shut the door Dana let her walls fall. Her body started to shake along with her sobbing, and her tears formed a slow moving stream down onto her pillow. Every word Shane had said was the truth, but it didn’t stop Dana from being scared. It didn’t stop her insecurities. She had held these feelings for Alice for so long that the dull pain of being around her and not telling her a million times a day how much she loved her became normal. Dana was use to the sharp stab her body felt every time she saw Alice with someone new, use to holding in the tears as Alice talked about the people she liked, use to holding in most of the anger as time and time again Alice got hurt. Then of course she in turn hurt Alice – placing her celebrity status in front of the most important woman in her life, until they were strangers. It seemed so much easier to silently hurt than to risk everything on proclaiming her love, but Dana knew it would eat away at her and her friendship with Alice if she didn’t tell her the truth.