Tina smiled understandingly, as she knew the exact reason Dana had been scarce lately.  Nearly everyone knew, except perhaps Alice, who had been too busy with wedding arrangements to seemingly notice.  Ever since Alice and Dana had broken up and attempted to make the awkward transition from lovers back to best friends, the whole group noticed they had seen less and less of Dana with each passing week.  Then when Alice announced her engagement, Dana had rarely been seen anymore.  She wasn’t being rude, she was just privately grieving for the death of their relationship, and found it too hard to be around Alice and try to be just friends.

It had already been nearly nine months since the breakup, and Dana had yet to get over it.  In truth, she knew she’d never get over Alice.  She had felt Alice had become too clingy at the time, and they broke up, but Dana soon realized she was lost without Alice around.  She’d tried dating Lara once more, but it hadn’t worked.  Lara had known her heart was elsewhere.  Then after becoming the number one tennis player in the country, Dana had swarms of women around her.  She’d tried to attempt the whole “***** without emotional entanglements” oath Shane had once seemed to live by, but had failed miserably.  In the end, she decided that if she couldn’t have Alice, she didn’t want anyone.  She knew no one would ever live up to Alice’s standards.  The blonde would always be there, lingering in the back of her mind, there for Dana to compare everyone to.

Two months ago, with Shane’s encouragement, she’d gotten up the courage to go to Alice and try to win her back.  She had stridden into The Planet, determined, and seen Alice across the room.  Dana had marched over to the table full of her friends, opening her mouth to speak to Alice, just as the blonde stood and announced her engagement.  Dana’s mouth had immediately flown shut, and she’d been unable to do anything but stare for several moments before turning right around and leaving.

Dana stared straight ahead, her eyes on the groom standing nervously by the gazebo.  His name wasAlex?  Alec?  No, it was definitely Alex.  He seemed nice enough, from what little Dana had seen and heard of him.  He was certainly handsome, his broad shoulders filling out his tux jacket nicely and his dark hair neatly combed.  As long as he was good to Alice was all that mattered, because she deserved only the best.