“You were so important to me, Molly. You know that. I need you to know that what I told you was always true. It was all in the way I would kiss you and hold you. You were right, that night. I was lying to you. But now…”, Shane had clicked her tongue meditatively, “…Things have changed”. 

Molly had pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. 

“It’s the Dj”, she had stated then, flatly. Mechanically, she had pulled up the sheets to cover her breast. 

Shane hadn’t replied but had watched her with pleading eyes. 

“I’m sorry”, she had said after a long time. 

Molly had flipped her hair behind her ears, getting up from the bed and reaching for her underwear on the floor. And Shane had observed her, sadly, as she got dressed. She had thought that Molly was beautiful. She had thought that she needed Carmen. 

“I’m sorry I can’t seem able to love you”, Shane had murmured, huskily, putting on her boy shorts and throwing uncomfortable glances at a room that had suddenly become foreign.

Molly had muttered something under her breath.

“What?”, Shane had frowned and had grabbed her jeans from a chair. 

“I said”, Molly had turned fully to her, her blue eyes open and aware, “that you can’t help who you love”. Then she had exhaled, deeply, rubbing her forehead, and Shane had wondered if she was suffering. Molly was not always easy to read. 

Shane had let her walk over and then she had cupped her face with both hands. 

“Molly. Molly”, Shane had mustered up all her strength to look at Molly right in the eyes, “I am sorry. I love you, it’s just -”. 

“You’re not in love with me”, Molly had clung to Shane’s forearms and had not looked away, and Shane had respected her for that, “It’s okay. We had our time. We should have made a better use of it”. 

Shane had smirked, just slightly.

“But we did. I’m just sorry I let your mom’s words influence me”. 

“Right”, Molly had patted Shane’s shoulder, “Now, Shane, you’d better go”. 

And now Shane stood in her bathroom, her eyes heavy with sleep and her heart heavy with lies. 

She hadn’t told Carmen that she hadn’t come back back with Molly, that night. More than this, Shane hadn’t told Carmen that she had no intention to come back to Molly, at all. Shane didn’t know why she hadn’t confessed the truth – maybe, after all, she had taken Carmen’s words extremely seriously. What was wrong with her? Why did she seem incapable of saying those three, simple words? I love you. I love you, Carmen.