Alice turned around sharply to meet Dana’s eyes. She had a similar expression of shock to the one Dana had had only minutes earlier, but this soon faded when Alice was confronted with the brutal honesty that Dana’s entire face held.

“I-I…um,” Alice was, once more, speechless, something which she was growing less fond of by the minute.

“I didn’t exactly envisage this as the way I would tell you,” Dana said quietly, her gaze never leaving Alice’s eyes. “But I really really do honestly love you Al. I have for months but-but I never had the guts to act upon it. It was the worst feeling in the world opening your door to find Ella there tonight.” Dana’s voice was shaky as she finished speaking and tears were freely running down her face but she didn’t care. “T-That’s why I overreacted.”

“Geez Fairbanks,” Alice said eventually, crying and laughing at the same time. “You really know how to serenade someone don’t you?”

“Al how can you joke around like that?” Dana replied, suddenly very defensive. Here she was, spilling her heart out and all Alice could do was make fun of her.

“Hey no-wait,” Alice said as Dana began to turn around, grabbing her shoulder. “I’m sorry. Wait, please?”

Dana sighed with defeat and turned back around to Alice, throwing her hands up in an exasperated manner.

“What Al?”

Alice moved her hand slowly from Dana’s shoulder to her cheek, brushing away yet another tear that had sprung from her eye. She pulled Dana closer to her, until they were in a tight embrace, Dana’s head on Alice’s shoulder, and Alice’s head on Dana’s.

“I should probably be honest with you too now,” Alice whispered seriously into Dana’s ear, pulling the brunette into her as close as possible. “You’re my best friend Dane, and there is no one in this world that’s more important to me than you.” Upon hearing these words, Dana could feel her heart break. Her best friend, only her best friend. “B-But the thing is that, that I can’t live like this as… as just your friend. Dana there’s no where that I could be without you. The fact is, I’m so in love with you that it hurts.”

Dana pulled out of their embrace quickly, looking at Alice’s face for any sign that she was just joking, but all she could see was a look of pure vulnerability and honesty. Dana’s tears began to flow more freely as the realisation of what Alice had just said impacted on her.

“Hey,” Alice laughed through her own tears. “You aren’t supposed to keep crying doofus.”

Dana laughed at Alice’s comment but didn’t reply, choosing instead to slowly close the gap between the two of them even further by gently touching Alice’s shaking lips with her own.