“Only if you are having some” Tina replied after entering her office and leaving the door open for her assistant.

After fixing them a couple of big strong black coffee mugs, Rachel comfortably sat at Tina’s desk, facing her boss.

Tina locked eyes with the young and yet very wise woman that was now facing her. She took a deep breath, ready to release everything that was going on in her head. But it wasn’t easy, not for Tina at least.

“I assume Alice called” Tina had to start somewhere.

Rachel nodded. A few more minutes went by.

“She’s getting married” Tina’s voice and expression were of an innocent person who had been given a death sentence.

Rachel remained silent; she instinctively knew that was not all.

“To Julia” Tina was barely able to mutter those last words after failing at swallowing the huge lump that had formed in her throat.

Her assistant broke eye contact with her and stared at the window of Tina’s office for a few moments, still in silence, just contemplating, meditating the situation.

“And this comes as a surprise to you?” Rachel finally broke the silence, making eye contact with her blonde boss again.

“What do you mean?” Tina was not following, nor expecting that question.

“You knew she was engaged. In fact you’ve known this for the last month an a half”

Even though Rachel knew she could say anything to her boss, she still felt she had to be careful, and especially with this subject. Bette wasn’t something Tina was willing to discuss very often, actually ever, but that was not gonna prevent her from making a point. If Tina was the one willing to open up it was for one reason and that was objectivity, and Rachel was sure as hell she would provide it.

Now it was Tina’s turn to be silent.

“So if you knew she was gonna marry someone at some point… in the very near future… what changes now?” Rachel quickly added.

Tina still remained at a loss of words.

“Let me answer that for you… nothing… nothing changes, you are still the grey person you were yesterday… she can marry whoever she wants… whether is Julia or Scarlet Johansson… and you will remain undoubtedly… profoundly… inevitably… sad”

And with that Rachel took her mug of strong coffee and left.

Later that night Tina was still at her office, she hadn’t been able to get much done but she wasn’t able to go to an empty apartment either.

Her assistant’s words were still echoing in her head. They had fallen upon her like a big, huge hammer. Tina was feeling the weight of the world and missed opportunities on her shoulders. She saw all her escape routes vanishing, all the previous reasons she had given herself throughout these years loosing their meaning, like if they would have never existed in her head in the first place.

She felt devastatingly alone. She felt grey. She felt immensely sad.

She looked at her watch. It was late. But never too late.