Alice couldn’t sleep again. She had gone to her meeting and as predicted had gotten a lecture about personal business getting in the way of professional business, but she understood and her bosses had been very understanding with her. They had given her a week of, hoping that they could come up with a way to deal with the situation, or that by the time Alice came back it wouldn’t be such an issue. Alice let out a long breath and turned over on her couch hoping that a different position would help her mission to finally get some sleep. And just as Alice thought that this might work she heard her cell phone ring and wondered who the ***** would be calling her at this time. Alice tried to ignore the ringing, but after a few seconds got annoyed enough to get up and see who was calling. Alice’s heart jumped and started to pound as Dana’s name flashed up at her. She froze up just long enough for the voice mail to pick up and cursed herself for not answering the phone. Alice spent the next five minutes staring at the phone trying to decide whether or not call back or just check the message that Dana had left her. Alice bit her thumbnail for a second before picking up the phone and holding the number one on her phone.

“Hello?” She heard Dana’s voice a moment later.

“Uhhh” Alice cleared her throat. “Danait’s Alice. I justcame back from the bathroom and I saw that you called” Alice let her voice trail off, unsure what else to say. “Dana?” She said when there was no answer.

“Ijust called to tell you goodnight.” Dana responded timidly. Both women sat on the phone in silence. Neither one of them having an easy time thinking of something to say, but neither one wanting to hang up. Both women laughed as they apparently both thought of something to say at the same time and each started talking at once. “You first.” Dana said.

“I saw you play this weekend.” Alice revealed to Dana.

“You did? How’d I look?” Dana asked.

“you looked like you could use a few pointers.” Alice teased. “You looked amazing.” She said seriously just as Dana was about to protest.

There was silence on the other end of the phone as Dana contemplated the seriousness behind the compliment. “Well I just called to tell you goodnight, Al. And I have to be up early, sogoodnight.” Dana said quietly.

Alice was disappointed, but she understood. And at the very least it was a start. “Goodnight, Dana.” Alice resisted the three familiar words that she wanted so much to add at the end of the statement. “Talk to you later?” Alice held her breath.

“Yeah I’ll call you tomorrow.” Alice smiled as she heard the dial tone. And then she laid the phone down on the table beside her and for the first time in what seemed like forever Alice rolled over and closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep without any trouble at all