And almost as if I’d imagined it, Alice jerks her hand away as if she’s been shocked."What do you want to do with your hair?" she asks me, all business again.

Instantly, a million thoughts infiltrate my brain; obviously just imagined the moment between us, she’s moved on, we’re friends and that’s all we can ever be. I should be devestated but how can I be when it was all my fault in the first place? I’ve blown it. Second chance or not.

I swallow the giant lump that’s formed in my throat and I shrug. "Not much we can do."

"I can take care of it," Alice offers, rifling through the minimal amount of hair products I keep in my cabinets. She finds gel and runs it over my small spanse of hair. "There we go," she murmurs. "Look at you. Go on, Dane." Alice urges when I hesitate.

Uncertainly, I get up from my place and peer into the mirror. And I can finally see what Alice sees.

My eyes are smoky and perfectly lined, my cheeks shine with a rosy glow and she has made my hair look as if I intentionally cut it close to my head.. It’s slightly spiked, giving me an edgy look. I had to go out an get a new black dress in a size which I swore I’d never wear in my entire life, but it fits well enough. I am shocked because I look almost normal. Better than that, I look…healthy. Like I’d never been sick at all.

"Al," I breathe, "You are a miracle worker. I don’t know how you even…"

"Sweetie, it’s all you. I just high-lighted what was already there. You look like a supermodel. I swear, I feel like a big schlub next to you."

"You could never be anything but perfect, Al." As soon as the words are out of my mouth, I feel my face flame. To my surprise, her own face is flushed. I open my mouth, prepped to ask why when she grabbed my hand.

"Wow, it’s hot in here. I’m boiling. We need to get going before we cross that line, you know. From being fashionably late to just plan rude late."

I allow myself to be pulled out of the bathroom and out of my house before I even have the chance to spring my thoughts together. As we head into the cool, dry LA night, Alice babbles in the way she does when she’s nervous, a smile sprung to my lips. I defintely hadn’t imagined how red her face had become. Or how her hands shook when I invaded her personal space. That had to mean something.

In the car, she glances at me, her liquid brown eyes sparkling with happiness and I realize even if there is a flicker of hope that we can fix things, the truth is I caused her irrevorable pain when we broke up. And there is a very good chance when I die, maybe sooner than either of us think, I will break her heart.

Again.