“Dane.  Hi.  I was—why didn’t—did you get my messages?  I left like a gazillion.  Are you okay?  I thought we were going—well, are you still mad at me?  Dana…”

“Al, it’s almost fucking four in the morning.  I was asleep.”

“Are you mad at me?” Alice whispered.

“Yes.  Of course, I am.  I’m really pissed off.  I was serious when I said I felt violated.”

“Dana, I’ve been calling all night.  I didn’t know if you were dead somewhere beside the road or in a hospital or what?  Why didn’t you call me back?”

Dana yawned.  “I don’t want to be around you right now, Alice.  I mean it.”

“When do you think you will, Dana?  Can I see you tomorrow?”

“I don’t know, Al.  I was sleeping,” she said groggily.

“Alone?”

“Jesus.  Gyad.  Goodnight.”  Dana fumbled with the phone as she tried to place it in the cradle.  She finally placed it securely in the cradle, turned over, and went back to sleep.

Alice was dying inside.  She disconnected her end of the conversation, too and flipped the phone off.  Dana hadn’t apologized.  She didn’t care if Alice had been worried and scared that something terrible had happened to her.  Dana wasn’t troubled that they had problems in their relationship.  She was at home sleeping while Alice was awake, drinking coffee, writing like a maniac to calm down.  Dana was slipping away.  Alice was certain of it.  They hadn’t made love in days.  That was part of the problem.  Dana was the best lover she’d ever had.  Her best friend was also her best lover.  The connection was extreme in bed, it was unearthly.  She loved how Dana touched her and more than anything, she loved going down on her and eating her out until Dana would moan and have the enviable female ejaculation.  Alice closed her eyes and thought about how Dana tasted, how slick and wet she’d get, the feel of Dana squirting into her mouth, and the way Dana would always hold onto Alice’s hand, squeezing it tight as she came hard.

Alice glanced at her laptop and saw the flashing of the IM program.  She clicked to restore the screen and saw that it was the person she had spoken to earlier.  Alice had made up a screen name for anonymity as she researched her articles.  The person who was IMing her was the founder of the Father’s Project—single fathers with full custody of their children.  There last conversation had just been about children and parenting, but that was hours ago.