“And what if we don’t, Shane? Don’t you think I’ve thought this through?”

“No,” Shane snapped, and she was immediately sorry for her outburst. She laid her hand on Dana’s back and was relieved her friend didn’t back away. “Listen to me,” she demanded lovingly. “Right at this second, you have two options. Go back and beg Alice for your forgiveness and ask her to spend the rest of her life with you- happy. Or stay apart like you are right now- sad. Now, the one you’ve chosen, currently- sad, will only lead to sad, and only ever be sad. But the other one,” Shane tried to show her options with her hands and Dana followed, hanging onto her every word and letting it soak in, desperately hoping Shane had found something she hadn’t. “The other one, happy- Can lead to happy, which is you two spending the rest of your lives together. Or it could lead to sad. On the very odd chance, that you break up down the roa- But anyways, with this one at least you have a chance-” Shane’s voice dropped painfully into a pleading whisper that yanked Dana’s heart, “to be happy,” she finished. Dana seemed to think it over. What might have been a smile- almost showing on her lips, but she shook her head and looked sadder then ever.

“No. It’s to hard. If it was meant to be it would be. And it’s not Shane, it’s just not. It’s to ha- hard,” Dana through down her napkin and snatched her purse. The look in Dana’s eyes made Shane gasp and lean back in her chair as if she was scared. Tears sprung to her eyes and Carmen jumped for her spot at the table three over and was immediately by her side as Dana stormed out the door.

“What’s wrong?” Carmen asked. ‘God Shane what did you see, what did you see in her eyes,’ she thought to herself.

“I- She’s going to destroy herself,” Shane stated and buried her face into Carmen’s shoulder and tried to hold her tears in, she wouldn’t cry in public. Carmen bit her lip and knew Shane had seen, in Dana’s eyes, what she’d seen in her own eyes not long ago.