Shane continued staring at the table top for a long time. It was as if she didn’t hear a word Dana said. Concerned, Carmen brought her free hand up to Shane’s chest and asked, “Honey?”

Shane suddenly looked straight into Dana’s eyes, “I don’t think I’m the one you should apologize to.”

Dana sighed again. “Look, I’m sorry for what I said to you. And I’m sorry for how I have been treating Alice.

“You are damn right you should be.”

“I… well, I just wanted to hold on, ya’know. I don’t want to lose my best friend. When she started distancing herself from me, I felt like I was losing her.”

The lines on Shane’s face soften, and Carmen could feel the tension leaving her baby, her grip loosen and there was even a smile forming on Shane’s face.

“Dana, you can’t treat her like a substitute.”

“I know… It’s not that… it’s… I…” Dana huffed sadly, looking near to tears as she looked back and forth at Shane and Carmen.

“I think I still love her.”

“Well, it’s about time you realize that.” Shane at last smiled.

“But I don’t know if I can live with her.”

“Dana, either you love her and live with her flaws, or you give her up completely and both of you move on with your lives. No in-betweens.”

“I know…” Dana sighed again. “I promise I will sort it out and talk to her okay. Just please don’t stay mad at me.”

“You know I wouldn’t stay mad at you.” Shane reached out both her hands and grabbed Dana’s hand reassuringly. “I just don’t wanna see anyone unhappy."

Dana and Shane shared a heartfelt smile.

All was good until Kit brought their order up to them. There was a side of wedges that accompanied the club sandwich and the oily smell of it induced a violent protest in Carmen’s throat. Covering her mouth with her hands, she ran into the washroom.

She rushed into a stall and kneeled down before the bowl and buffed. She heard Shane running in after her and she kicked the door shut.

“Baby… Let me in!”

“I’ll be fine… Just wait outside… Okay?” Carmen said in between buffs, her voice coarsed from all that vomiting.

Shane ran her hands through her hair, fustrated as hell, because Carmen was shutting her out again. But she understood the need to give Carmen the space and privacy of something she deemed as embarrassing. As she paced around outside the stall, listening out to whether Carmen was feeling better, her cell phone vibrated in her pocket.

Carmen realized that Shane had stopped pacing around in the washroom outside her cubicle. She jumped a little when she heard Shane talk, but realize that she wasn’t talking to her but to the phone.

“Hello, yeah… Sorry I didn’t reply your text message. No.. Erm, it wasn’t convenient. No… no… It’s fine. I’ll call you back… Yeah…”

Carmen started to get annoyed as she continued to eavesdrop on the conversation. She heard Shane answer a series of questions, and Shane sounded way too nice. It didn’t sound like she was talking to any of her friends, nor did it sound like a work related call. The vomiting wasn’t helping to calm Carmen down and her thoughts started taking on exaggerated forms. ‘Shane is obviously hiding something. Not convenient. Hah.’ She thought, and couldn’t stop thinking. She got more annoyed, at Shane, at herself, at having to vomit her guts out, and basically she was annoyed at the entire world.

“… I’ve gotta go. Talk to you later. Thanks… You too… Bye.”

As Carmen exited the stall, she walked past Shane and without so much of a glance at her, went straight to the wash basin and started to wash up. Her mind was still filled with hurtful things and her mood had visibly soured. But Shane seemed oblivious, she seemed to associate the change in mood solely with the discomfort of vomiting and waited patiently behind Carmen for her to finish.

“Ready?”

Shane held out her hand for Carmen as Carmen dried her hands with the disposable towel. ‘How could she still smile at me like nothing is wrong.’ The demon in Carmen’s head screamed. Even though she is utterly annoyed by now, she took Shane’s hand anyway and they walked back to the table.