“You’re kidding me right?” The sarcastic tone of Dana’s question cut through Alice like glass. Who was she kidding really? “You think what I’m going to say is all due to an emotional overload?”

“Well kinda, ok yes.” Alice’s gaze had returned back to Dana’s eyes, and as Dana got a clear view of Alice’s blue eyes, she also realised that the blonde’s stubborn streak had risen. “Look I just don’t want to hear it not now. Just wait.”

“I don’t want to wait!” Dana threw her hands up in the air as she stood up. This was all ridiculous, and defiantly not to plan. Weren’t they meant to be having make-up sex now? “I want to tell you right now how much I lo-”

“SHHHHHHHHH” Alice jumped up from her spot on the coffee table to bring her index finger to Dana’s mouth. “Quiet! I said I don’t want to hear it!”

“I-I” Dana collapsed back down on the couch in defeat, her head slumping into her hands. “Al please don’t do this”

“Dane,” Alice whispered her name quietly as she too sat down, gently moving Dana’s hands and replacing them with her own so that Dana would look at her. It killed Alice to notice the small silvery streaks of tears on Dana’s cheek, but she knew she was doing the right thing. “Dana I do want to hear those words, more than anything but please just wait until this has all settled down so-so that I know that it’s real. I’m like ninety nine point nine nine nine percent sure that what you were going to tell me was the truth, said straight from the heart, but there’s a tiny bit of me that is nagging me to wait. Because if your confession did come down to an emotional overload, I don’t know how I would ever possibly get over it. So please, for me?”

Dana sighed and grabbed Alice’s hands from her face to clench in her own hands.

“I understand,” she said, smiling weakly as she kissed Alice’s hand. “I don’t like it but I understand.”

“Thank you.”

The buzz of Dana’s phone interrupted their quiet moment. Picking it up, Dana listened on the other end before switching it off quickly and standing up, dragging Alice up with her.

“We have to go to the hospital Al,” she said quietly, her eyes darting around the carpet beneath her. “Howie’s he’s paralyzed.”