Alice was bursting through the door of her apartment for her early morning jog as she patted her pocket and realised her phone wasn’t there.   Gravity and her forward motion carried her through before she could stop however and the door slammed shut behind her. “Oh fuck” she groaned.

It took every last ounce of strength she possessed to get her butt out of bed and out that door every morning these last two months.  She wasn’t sure she had the resolve to make herself leave again if she went back in to pick up her phone and this was her end of a bargain that she really wanted to keep.

That night on the beach with Tasha she’d made some promises.  It worried her every day that all of this could end up destroying her – she was pretty sure her inner reserves weren’t deep enough to carry her through another tragedy.  But when she thought like that, two things came to mind.  Firstly, who was she to argue with the posthumous wisdom of one Miss Dana Fairbanks.  Everything that Dana had told her that afternoon in her living-room was true – if over interspersed with expletives to properly befit a celestial being in Alice’s opinion.

“FUCKITY FUCK” she hissed banging her fist on the closed door.  "I’ll go without it nothing’s happened all these other mornings without it I won’t be gone that long."   She turned on her heel and headed out of her apartment block to continue with this morning ritual which really wasn’t growing on her despite how everyone said it would.

As she ran, her mind raced as always.  She thought about the second thing that helped her ward off the negativity that frequently plagued her.  The determination and commitment she had seen in Tasha’s face as she held her by the shoulders and glared into her eyes saying  

“I’m not done here.  We’re not done here.  This is something I need to come back for. You are someone I want to come back to!”

That was the culmination of hours of talking, crying, a little shouting and some laughing as they’d walked the beach hand in hand all through the night.  Tasha had backed up the sentiment with a kiss.  The kind of kiss Alice was unlikely to forget any time soon.  Gentle at first, maintaining eye-contact with Alice, looking at her with eyes that said – trust me, believe in us.  Then as her hands moved from Alice’s shoulders and wrapped around her body the kiss became stronger, urgent, forceful.  It was conveying possession. Their eyes closed and the kiss alone did the talking.  You’re mine it said. I’m coming back for you; I’m coming back for us.