What are you doing, Alice?  Go home, it’s late!  She continued to think this even after she had already summoned Dana to the door.  When Dana answered the door, clad in her pajama pants and wife beater, hair still up on her head, Alice felt all common sense exit her mind.

Dana confusedly asked her what she was doing there, to which Alice wasn’t even sure of herself.  She was surprised, however, when she heard herself say, “You can’t marry Tonya.”

As Dana stared at her in puzzlement, asking why, all Alice could think at first was to say “because.”  When Dana persisted, Alice felt her heart take over, and she leaned over to show Dana why she couldn’t marry Tonya.

At first Dana’s lips were still and unyielding, but then suddenly, she was kissing Alice back.  Alice’s heart raced, her palms sweating, as she attempted to pour all her heart and soul into that one breath-taking kiss.  All her thoughts, feelings, fears, and love were put into the effort of the kiss.  She kissed me back!  She kissed me back!

And then the best moment of Alice’s life was over, and the two were left staring wordlessly at each other, neither sure how to react.  Alice, realizing the gravity of what she’d just done, did the first thing that came to mind:  she fled.

Abruptly turning on her heel, Alice spun around and walked away quickly; breaking into a jog by the time she reached the Mini.  She swiftly started the car and threw it into gear, pulling away from the curb, Dana still standing in the doorway watching the car drive away.  Alice drove down the street and pulled over, put her face in her hands, and finally allowed herself to cry.  What have I done?  Did I just ruin our friendship?  She’s getting married, for god’s sake!

Several moments later, she composed herself to drive home, where she found a devastated Tina waiting for her.  As she held the sobbing Tina in her arms, Alice found herself grateful for the distraction.  But she still found that no matter how hard she focused on Tina, she couldn’t get the events of earlier out of the back of her mind.  When she finally fell asleep on the couch, Tina slumbering with her head in Alice’s lap, her dreams were filled with Dana and reliving that kiss over and over again. *************************************************************************************************