"Then what is it?" Janice hopped off the desk in her frustration.

Bette pinched the bridge of her nose in an effort to relieve some tension. It didn’t work, "I just don’t have those kind of feelings for you okay?! I never have and I never will"

She didn’t realize how harsh she had been until she saw a fresh set of tears well up in Janice’s eyes. The expression in those soft hazel orbs made Bette want to kick herself. Regardless how she felt, the last thing Bette wanted to do was hurt her friend.

"Fuck. Jan, I’m – I’m so-" Her attempt to reach out and touch Janice’s arm failed. It was smacked away.

With a deep sigh, Bette leaned against the front of her desk. Janice had stepped away from it, her arms crossed defensively. It was obvious she was fighting her tears but she was slowly losing the battle.

"Look . . I don’t want to hurt you, Jan but I can’t help what I feel. I know that I flirted with you back in college and . . I don’t know. I got to know you better and I realized we were better off as friends. I know you may not want to hear it but I’m really sorry Jan. You’re such an amazing person and . ."

Bette trailed off the moment she saw the tears fall from Janice’s eyes. She felt like the worst person in the world.

"Don’t cry . ." Bette said softly. She tried to reach out for Janice again but like the first time, her hand was smacked away.

"I’m not crying" Janice said despite the tears streaming down her cheeks.

With a pained expression, Bette reached out again. Janice smacked her hand away once more. Bette repeated the action another time but managed to dodge Janice’s attempt to swat her hand, grabbing the emotional blonde by the wrist and pulled her in for a much needed hug.

Janice instantly melted into her embrace and that was when the tears really fell. She held onto Bette as she sobbed with the brunette holding her close.