“Al… Alice.” When the blonde still wouldn’t look at her, Dana’s voice
filled with emotion, afraid of losing Alice just because of hasty
words, her voice breaking as she spoke her name again. “Alice. Please
look at me I– I think I owe you an explanation.” Alice finally looked
up, hearing the honesty in Dana’s words. She got up, slid onto the
couch and gently pulled the tennis player by the arm to sit beside her.
Alice sat with one leg up on the couch, sitting sideways to face Dana,
and waited for her to explain.

Dana began nervously, “Well, yesterday when you said, um, when you
told me you loved me I– I didn’t know what to say…” Seeing Alice
raise her eyebrows, Dana quickly tried to clarify, “I mean, it’s not
that I don– it’s just because I–” She stopped for a moment, looking
down at her hands which had automatically just started playing with the
loose strings on the hem of Alice’s pants. Then she looked up at Alice
to see her reaction to her choppy “explanation.” Then she looked down
at her hands again. Al had her right hand on top of hers, gently
stroking it with the pad of her thumb, subtly encouraging her to go on.
Dana sighed, allowing herself to be comforted by the gesture, and
continued, still looking down at her hands.

“Al, I’m scared not like freaking-out-scared, but admittedly-scared I
mean, I think what we have is great…” she looked up at Alice, a
little more confident now that she knew she was willing to listen. “You
mean so much to me, and, I just I’m afraid that, that somewhere along
the line, you’ll think I’m not good enough.” Dana was crying now, all
the doubts she’d bottled up was now streaming out and she just said
what was on her mind, no matter how silly it sounded. She didn’t want
to have to filter her thoughts from Alice, not anymore. “I mean, you’re
bisexual, Al… which means I’m not just competing with all the women
in the world for you, but all the men, too! I mean can you just imagi–”

“Dana, Dane…” Alice interrupted her, shaking her head gently, trying
her best to hide the that’s-so-*****-cute grin forming on her lips.
Now it was her turn to reach out and take Dana’s hands away from her
face. “I can assure you, it isn’t like that. I mean, how can you
compete for something you’ve already won?” Alice raised an eyebrow at
Dana, giving her a look that did its best to override any lingering
doubts in the athlete’s mind. “Besides, I’m scared too, Dane… I’ve
never felt this way before. And I’m afraid that, if we break-up, I
won’t just lose the relationship, I’d lose my best friend.” She could
feel the tears brimming in her eyes and the emotion colouring her
cheeks. She was nearly clinging onto Dana’s neck, their foreheads
touching as Alice continued. I cant lose you, Dana, I cant mess this
up thats what scares me! Because I dont think I could live without
having you, either as my girlfriend or my best friend I just I cant
not have you I cant imagine it. Alice finished in a huff, feeling
disconcerted when she realized that she was sorta freaking out about
nothing but mere speculation and anxiety.