𝐀𝐋𝐎𝐍𝐄 𝐀𝐆𝐀𝐈𝐍.

CLOSED STARTER: @channingdryden​​  LOCATION: Outside of Fitzpatrick Deli 

It was the perfect first meeting spot for potential roommates. Now, the fact that she was even thinking about moving out of her place to get a nicer, even bigger place with someone random was ridiculous, but it seemed like the best option here. She had heard one too many horror stories of friends moving in together then later separating as enemies and Remy simply didn’t want that to happen—with anyone. So a complete stranger it was. And seeing as though the Fitzpatrick family was well, like family, Remy felt safe here. That was, until her potential roommate went a little whacko and started a scene with the person in front of them. They hadn’t even finished submitting their order before he was in a full blown argument with another patron. A literal, certified Karen. The type of person that fought over everything and started a scene without care. Pretty much the exact opposite of Remy and not the type of person she wanted to live with. However, with Remy being Remy, she didn’t say a word. She just stood there, grimaced look across her features as she watched it unfold. After more words were shared, Remy looked over at the person behind the counter, mouthed an apology to them before slipped out. She snuck out the front door and the minute she was free, she took off. Speeding up her pace for half a second and then coming to an immediate halt just before colliding with someone. “Crap, sorry,” was the first thing out of her mouth as both hands flew up to prevent the pair from actually crashing into each other. Before even looking too, she was peering behind her to make sure her Karen of a potential roommate wasn’t to be scene. With the coast being clear, the blonde looked forward only to catch sight of her. Channing fucking Dryden. Of freaking course. “Oh this is not happening right now.” Though it was more of her thinking out loud, Remy let out an aggravated sigh before looking up to mouth a curse word to whatever higher power was out to get her right now. “Run away from one person, just to bump into another that you don’t want to see. Seriously, this is just my luck. —-What the hell are you doing here, Channing?” A question that was asked as if Remy owned all of Wilmington. Acting as if Channing no longer had a right to be here. Of course, given how much she resented the woman before her and was, yes, still bitter over what conspired—or well, what didn’t was more like it—left Remy not in the mood to deal with her right now. Or ever. 

Channing was getting reacquainted with her hometown, revisiting all her favorite places and just generally looking for inspiration (and more places to sell her pottery). The Fitzpatrick Deli used to be one of her faves before she moved to New York for school and she was craving one of their paninis. She was actually pretty excited up until the point when she literally ran right into Remy Blake. “It’s fi–,” she stopped mid-word, looking at her friend’s face as it changed from apologetic to irritated. Yet another person she had wronged that probably hated her guts right about now. The blonde sighed deeply, just as annoyed at this encounter as Remy obviously was. She just wanted to get her damn panini and get on with her day. “I’m afraid it is.” While Dana’s anger at seeing her again had been tame and restrained, Remy’s was anything but. Chan immediately went into defensive mode by crossing her arms over her chest and scoffing at her question. “Am I not allowed to get a panini at my favorite deli? Or do you mean what I am doing back here? In that case, I graduated school and moved back here.” Honestly it was no wonder that they had managed to avoid each other so far, Wilmington wasn’t that small a city and they frequented much of the same places. “Alright, lay it on me, what are you pissed about? I’ve been on an apology tour since coming back, so you might as well be the next stop.”

“It just takes practice” Dana restated and emphasized. After all, the only reason she was so good with them was that she had taken care of her younger brother and sister at a very young age. With her grandparents working like crazy and her mother never being around, she fell into the mother role by default but that didn’t mean it was easy at first. With time, everything became easier. “You know I don’t feel like I should be encouraging you to think you really only have your looks and art going for you but…” Dana’s smile began to widen as she fell into a laugh. So maybe Channing had a lot more than that going for her but it was hard to ignore that her art defined her, and yes it told the world that she was pretentious but it also told the world that she had a gift to make it a more beautiful place and that meant something. Letting out a sigh at Channing’s next comment about the kids, Dana still held her smile since nothing about the words that came out of the blonde’s mouth were all that surprising, “Well, those little bacterias seemed to think you were pretty charming. And also, kids are awkward. People don’t tell you that but they are. They’re still learning and growing and trying to figure out how to hold a conversation with adults so things are gonna be a little awkward but you just sort of push through it” Dana had way too much practice and had now learned the language of children so to speak, but it wasn’t always that way. “Please stop, seriously, Chan. You were never as terrible as you think you were, okay?” While Dana could certainly attest to Channing having her moments of selfishness, that didn’t mean those moments defined her and Dana refused to let her believe so. “I don’t know, I’m not really focused on finding the one at the moment. I’m just trying to focus on work and helping out my friends, and making rent, and trying to be a better person, you know? Everything else will come when it’s meant to” While it sounded a little too hokey for even Dana, she still believed it to be true. “Okay cool, well I can text you the details the next time space opens up but yeah, thanks for doing this or whatever,” Dana said, feeling somewhat nervous for reasons she wasn’t even sure of anymore. Was it because she and Channing were actually getting along for once since they met up? Or maybe it was the fact that the familiar flutter of butterflies seemed to make their way back to her stomach, either way, it was obvious to Dana that the past wasn’t going to be staying in the past.

Channing gasped in fake offense when Dana agreed with her instead of telling her she was so much more than that or some equally as cheesy shit. “I take back everything I said about you being a saint. You got mean,” she said with a grin, making it obvious she wasn’t serious. “I take the looks bit as a compliment, though, so thank you.” Dana wasn’t wrong, she was her art and she wasn’t ashamed of it most of the time. Obviously she’d like to be good at other stuff (more marketable stuff) but she wasn’t and she managed to take full advantage of her talents. “Can you blame them? I’m mean, but I make it work for me. It’s like an endearing kind of mean. Clearly they enjoyed my tough love.” The blonde smiled as Dana described the kids and their limited social abilities. That was something Chan could definitely relate with. “I know. I can be pretty terrible when I want to, but I realize I’m capable of being a decent human from time to time. Mostly around you.” Most people definitely didn’t have the pleasure of seeing her good sides, but Dana usually did. At least she did up until the point where she skipped town. “That’s fair. You’re trying to be a better person, though? Are you dead set on making me look bad or something?” Channing nodded, smiling dumbly as Dana gave her the details for their next workshop. She found herself hoping it’d be sooner rather than later, which probably meant she was nowhere near getting over her ex. “Yeah, sounds good. It was fun, thanks for asking me.”

Her eyelid twitched slightly at Channing’s wording, not so much out of jealousy but the mere consideration of the fact. She was never concerned with how much time Samuel and Penelope spent together, having seen how close they were firsthand and knowing that she never would have set the two of them up if she had feelings for him or vice versa. But hearing the sentiment from his cousin? Well, it wasn’t the best feeling, but she rallied on as if it didn’t bother her. “Nope, totally platonic. Plus, he’s not her type – she’s much more into guys that are a bit more…rough around the edges.” She shrugged, sipping her wine once more before a laugh escaped her lips. “Well, there’s certainly still time for that to happen, right? I’m sure Sam’s had a number of wonderful girlfriends that I’m being compared to at this very moment,” she rolled her eyes, not at all serious despite the fact that the thought had crossed her mind. “Not a fan of children?” Vee raised a dark brow, curious though she would have guessed it from Channing’s whole…aura. She definitely fit the whole ‘moody artist’ troupe like a charm. “Aw, Brooklyn is, like so cute! I used to love going to some of the little coffee shops there with my friends during med school – so chic.” The woman pursed her lips, beaming. “That’s adorable, I’d love to see your work some times. I may not be an art aficionado, but I do love pretty things.”

Channing didn’t miss Veronica’s little eye twitch and immediately felt bad about meddling the way she had. Wasn’t this exactly what Dana meant when she said she told her she was shitty to people? That she meant them earn kindness when it should be her default setting? “You’re probably right. Is she still with that hot delinquent?” She didn’t actually know the guy, but she had seen him around and heard about him from Sam. Hot delinquent seemed like the nice way of describing him. “Nah, not really. Can’t recall any of his former girlfriends’ if I’m being honest. I guess none of them were too memorable.” Maybe Veronica would be the one that finally stood out to her, she wasn’t terrible company so far. Anyone willing to buy her work was okay in her book. Chan shrugged, unsure where she stood on children nowadays. Definitely nowhere near wanting her own, but not quite as opposed to the idea as she once was. The workshops at Dana’s school had been somewhat of a turning point. “They’re okay. Don’t want to spend more time with them than I have to, I guess.” The blonde chuckled at Vee’s enthusiasm over Brooklyn. She was a bit peppy for her liking, but it was clear she meant well. Her own parents didn’t show this much interest about her work. “Sam owns a set of mine. I gave it to him for his birthday. The idiot dropped one of the mugs and broke it, but he should still have three somewhere around his place.”

“You weren’t the worst, okay?” Dana said if only to ease Channing’s ego, not that she actually thought Channing cared much about her own teaching abilities. After all, she was an artist, getting along with children probably wasn’t in her wheelhouse and Dana couldn’t fault her for it. “Oh come on, kids like hugging their teachers. A little affection wouldn’t kill you especially when I know you’re capable of it” They used to hug and hold hands and all the other cheesy stuff, though Dana knew it probably wasn’t the same thing. She just knew that being surrounded by children wasn’t where Channing typically thrived but she found the event amusing none the less and was pleasantly surprised by how successful it turned out, even with the drama between them. Dana went quiet for a moment if only to keep her blushing cheeks from turning even pinker. “I’m not a saint” Dana let out a with a sigh. Was she kind and empathetic? Sure. But she had plenty of mistakes riddled in her past and she was far from perfect. The fact that Channing seemed to have this idea of her in her head as some sort of perfect person made her feel a little better. At least someone didn’t look at her and only see faults. “Okay well at the convent there was this really cute priest” Dana began, clearly joking as she let out a faint laugh at the very idea. While Dana didn’t date very much since long term relationships were difficult to come by, she wasn’t completely alone either. “I give people plenty of chances. I don’t know, it’s never worked out with anyone” Dana shrugged her shoulders. It hadn’t worked with anyone, including Channing, and that realization made her realize that maybe the problem was her. However, she didn’t want to make Channing uncomfortable with her horror stories so instead, she moved on, “Anyway, if you’re up for doing this again let me know. We have six weeks to fill for the rest of summer and the kids really liked the pottery stuff.”

“You don’t have to say that, I know dealing with kids isn’t my forte. It’s okay, I have other strengths. Like... art? Really good hair?” Channing said playfully, grasping at the straws at this point. She knew she was good at what she did, but she also knew that was where her skills started and ended. She grew up in a privileged world where she rarely had to fend for herself and that made it so she usually had no clue how to fend for herself or act like a normal human. In comparison, Dana had all her shit together. “Okay, so it wasn’t that bad, but it was still awkward. Aren’t kids basically walking bacterias?” She was kidding, of course, trying not to show she had actually liked feeling like she was doing something right for once. “If you look in the dictionary, you can probably find a picture of yourself under saint. Seriously. Especially compared to yours truly.” For someone like Channing, who was very aware of her shortcomings, it was hard not to see Dana as this perfect person. She was what Chan aspired to be. Kind, patient and compassionate. Being with Dana always made her feel like a better person. “Shut up, dork,” she chuckled, shaking her head softly. As terribly as their last conversation had gone, she couldn’t help but feel slightly hopeful now. they were actually talking and not arguing. “It’ll work out eventually. Not many people get it right on the first try, I feel like you have to work at it before, you know, finding the one.” She almost gagged at the cheesiness, but meant every word. Not one part of her was worried for Dana. “Sure, I can do that. It was fun.”

“I mean I wouldn’t say the worst teacher” Dana commented with a sincere smile, if only because she knew Channing made a genuine effort and got a bit outside of her comfort zone. Dana appreciated it a lot more than Channing realized because that’s all that she ever wanted –– for the girl she was in love with to see her side of things and perhaps enjoy it, too. Once Channing began with the compliments, it was hard to hide the faint tint of rose that now covered her cheeks. She couldn’t help it. Nice words made her blush. “You don’t have to say that, Chan” She finally spoke up, still shaking her head, though her smile remained. “That’s the thing, everyone deserves someone like that. Even terrible people, or self-absorbed people” She added, this time referring to Channing in a not so subtle way. While Dana couldn’t see herself making things work right now, that didn’t mean she wanted to completely end whatever this was. Before they dated they were friends, she believed they could get back there with a little effort on both their parts. “Unfortunately you’re still the most selfish perky blonde I’ve dated,” She said, unable to hide the amused look on her face after saying it, “I’ve dated people since our break-up so you don’t have to feel that guilty, but it’s different. Before when you’ve never fallen in love you meet someone nice and think this could be it, but after you’ve fallen in love and you meet people, you sort of know this isn’t it.” She was trying not to ramble but true to form she couldn’t help herself, “I don’t know, I guess what I’m saying is that I can’t ever forget you” because she had been her first love and sadly her first heartbreak as well.

“I like that I said the best and you heard the worst. Really says a lot about my teaching skills,” Channing said with a laugh, trying to look offended even though she wasn’t. This wasn’t her calling. “I meant it when I said it wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be, though. They behaved themselves for the most part. I was kind of grossed out when they tried to hug me, but it was a little endearing at the same time.” It was probably hard to tell she found the embraces endearing as they were happening, however, given how stiff she suddenly became. Not only were children not her thing, but random acts of affections usually made her profoundly uncomfortable. Her therapist used to say it had something to do with her parents not hugging her as a child. “I don’t have to, but I want to because it’s true. Also, totally worth it just to see your face turn into a tomato. A cute one.” She really shouldn’t have been flirting, but it was pretty hard not to with Dana blushing at compliments and not telling her to fuck off right away. Chan smiled gratefully when she assured her she would find someone too, that she deserved to. “We’ll see. Maybe I’m not a relationship kind of girl. I’m clearly terrible at them. At least I was all those years ago. I’ve also been struggling with comparisons, you know. It’s a bit hard to find someone that measures up when your ex is a literal saint.” If comparison to Channing of all people made dating complicated for Dana, the opposite was definitely worst since Dana was definitely the nice one of the two. Channing had a few redeeming quality, but she remained an asshole. “There’s only one part of me that’s perky and we both know it’s not my personality,” she said with a smirk, shaking her head softly. “Woah, let me stop you right now, I do not want to hear about the other people you dated. Seriously, I’d rather live in a fantasy world where you decided to join a convent after dating me.” No matter how much she joked, she did understand the sentiment she was trying to put into words. No one had come close to making Channing feel what she felt when she looked at Dana. “I get it. I mean, you have to give people a chance. Give yourself a chance to fall in love. Not everyone is deserving of love at first sight like I am,” she teased, looking at Dana fondly. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I can’t forget you either.” 

Dana liked to blame their demise on the fact that they were far too young –– college was a time for new experiences, including heartache it seemed. Still, despite that, Dana had gone through a bit of a spiral after their break up. She was hurt and felt like she wasn’t good enough and no one was really there to make her feel differently. “To be fair you’re still self-absorbed,” Dana said, a hint of a smile, mostly joking. Truth be told, Channing might have seemed more or less the same but she wasn’t as selfish as she used to be, or as cruel, that much Dana knew for sure. As Channing continued with such kind words, Dana shook her head, suddenly feeling embarrassed. Channing might’ve believed those things but Dana certainly didn’t. “I’m not worried about it. I’m okay with being on my own, you know?” She had been for a while now since she wasn’t into the quick hook-up culture that her generation loved to indulge in. However, she wasn’t completely miserable either. “I just wish I didn’t have someone to compare everyone else who comes into my life to” Because that’s what she tended to do. Everyone she dated after Channing had always paled in comparison to her, it wasn’t hard to imagine why she remained single even after all these years.

This time, Channing’s laugh was genuine and she actually managed to look Dana in the eye for more than two seconds. “I think that’s never going to change. Honestly, after tonight, I definitely thing I’m the world’s best teacher,” she said jokingly, playing along. There was absolutely no way she could do what Dana did for more than an hour. It came as no surprise to Chan when the other girl started shaking her head in disagreement, obviously embarrassed by what she was telling her. “I know what you’re thinking, but I’m right. You’re kind, smart, beautiful and an all around pretty great girlfriend. You’ll find someone deserving of all that.” It sucked that she wasn’t that person, but she’d made her bed. It did come as somewhat of a relief when Dana told her she wasn’t looking. She really couldn’t handle hearing about her going on dates and seeing people right now. Maybe she’d never be able to, honestly. “Oh, please. You haven’t found anyone as selfish as I am yet? Stop comparing people to me, you deserve better.”

The gift was a reminder of a time when Channing actually cared about her and her feelings. Dana felt like those moments were all behind them now. Being abandoned had rubbed Dana the wrong way, more so it left her with irreparable damage, and for someone who was already damaged enough as it was, it made things harder. “No, I guess I didn’t” Had she hoped things would go different? Of course. But given everything she knew about Channing she should have seen the blow coming from miles away. In the end, Dana didn’t think it would have mattered whether she saw it coming or not, it still left the same broken ending between them. “I wanted things to be different. I really wanted them to be… I don’t know, just not whatever this is” The limbo they were currently in was unsettling despite the fact that Dana was doing her best to get used to it. “You were the first person who ever really loved me back, you know? And you still left. I know it was a long time ago and I’m mostly over it now but recovering from that heartbreak almost killed me.” She never told Channing about it because why add more guilt into the mix? However, she figured she ought to know that at the very least she survived it and came back on the other side better for it.

Channing laughed half-heartedly, her shoulders slumping in a way they rarely did. If you asked her what had gone through her mind back then when she left Dana, she really couldn’t even give a straight answer. She couldn’t make sense of it herself. Probably a mix of selfishness, ambition, and her weird relationships with both her parents. Nevertheless, it was unfair that Dana of all people had suffered because of it. She was the only person that loved Channing so freaking purely and, honestly, she didn’t deserve it then and she sure as hell didn’t deserve it after everything she did. “Yeah, me too. We were good together when I wasn’t to self-absorbed to see it,” she told her, flashing her an apologetic smile. “It was a mistake, I see that now. I can’t just blame it on me being young and selfish and generally kind of an asshole, but... I was all those things and if I could have a do-over things wouldn’t be like this.” Do-overs, however, weren’t a thing and she had a feeling there was no coming back from what she had done to Dana. “I need you to know that it wasn’t anything you did. Someone else will love you the way I do. Better than I do, probably. I wouldn’t worry about that if I were you.”

“Stupid fucking cups.” One would assume that Tyler simply hadn’t had enough coffee yet, when, in reality, he really was just that grumpy. Taking another sip, the man wanted to enjoy the coffee, yet he couldn’t help but focus on the ridiculousness that was the size of the damned cup. “Who the fuck drinks like that? “What’s the point of cups that contain a single fucking sip? And you can’t even hold it comfortably.” He continued to rant, more to himself than those near him, as he finished the cup, immediately craving for another one.

@wilmingtonstarters​

As passionate as Channing was about pottery, she wasn’t nearly as intense about mugs as this dude was. She watched him, a single eyebrow raised, with an amused grin as he ranted about the size of them. “Technically speaking, these are seriously useless. I assume they’re for espresso shots rather than actual coffee,” she said thoughtfully, raising her own cup in front of her to get a better look at it. “My stuff is way better, maybe I could go have a talk to the manager to get my mugs in here. They’re way bigger, don’t worry.”

“Yeah well, it’s usually frowned upon watching a class of third graders so” Dana shrugged her shoulders, though Channing had never seen her at work, it was nice to know she at least understood why she loved it. As Channing put the leftover supplies in front of her, Dana gave her a nod and figured they’d use the rest of it next time, hoping there’d even be a next time depending on how things went between the two of them. Dana kept things short and tried not to start a conversation because in all honestly, she didn’t feel very comfortable with her ex right now. However, when Channing gave her the present, Dana couldn’t hide the faint smile that rose to her features at the sight of the pen holder. Would she ever need to use it? Probably not. But the sentiment meant a lot to her. “Thanks” She finally spoke up, shaking her head, suddenly feeling like a total bitch for her behavior the entire day that mostly involved ignoring Channing. “I’m sorry about everything…” She said, motioning between them to indicate what was left of their relationship, “This wasn’t how I wanted things to go.”

“Yeah, I guess you make a pretty good point,” she said with a smile, glancing up at her momentarily. Looking at her was just painful now. After this, they wouldn’t see each other unless they accidentally ran into one another and, even then, they would probably both pretend not to see the other. This workshop was the last excuse for Channing to hang out with her and the vibe all night hadn’t exactly been warm and fuzzy. “Don’t thank me. I should’ve given it to you then.” She didn’t think she needed to add ‘instead of leaving the way I did’, she figured it was implied. She was never one for regrets, but she had a shitload of them now. “I don’t think this is on you, Dana, so you shouldn’t apologize. Did you see things going differently than they did?”

Dana was glad to hear Channing didn’t have a completely terrible time despite the fact that part of her thought the blonde might have felt like this was somehow below her. Wiping down another desk, Dana kept her eyes on her work as Channing spoke, doing her best to get the work done so they could part ways, “Yeah well, I’ve been doing this for almost ten years, I’d hope I’d be good with them by now.” It was hard work but Dana liked helping children, she had since she was young and it carried out through her adult life, “So is that it?” She asked with the raise of her brow.

Channing chuckled dryly, knowing Dana had a point. With that much experience under her belt, it’d be pretty embarrassing if she were no good at it. “Well, I always knew you were good, but I never saw you in action,” she explained with a shrug, putting the last of her stuff in her bag and putting a paper bag in front of Dana without looking at her. “Yeah, I guess it is. I put a few things together for you to keep. Supplies, tools and stuff.” She pulled out a pen holder engraved with ‘best teacher ever’. Something way too fancy for a class full of kids that would most likely break this after a week. “I found this in my things the other day. I guess I made it for your before leaving New York. You can have it or trash it, whatever.”

Once Dana had finished cleaning up and packing her own supplies, she walked over and began to help Channing clean up the rest of the desks. She figured with both of them on the job it’d go by quicker and then they could get out of each other’s hair. “It seemed like they were into it. Kids like getting messy, it’s not rocket science” She commented. This meant that the parents would probably ask for a similar workshop in the fall, which Dana was not looking forward to given the tension between her and Channing now.

Channing nodded at her confirmation, sneaking a glance at Dana when she came over to help. The proximity didn’t help with the awkwardness, but it did mean they would get out of there sooner. “Well, they weren’t as bad as I thought they would be, so you were right about that,” she admitted, a little too focused on cleaning up. “It was nice seeing you in your element like that. You’re good with them. Not that I ever doubted it, but you know...” Dana seemed more confident in front of the classroom than she ever did otherwise. This was not how the blonde would get over her ex.

Dana had been spearheading the after school program that started roughly a week ago. This week had an emphasis on arts and crafts, hence Channing’s presence. While things between them were still a bit tense, Dana did her best to focus on the work and keep her students happy while they learned. She had just finished signing all the kids out when she returned inside to organize the leftover supplies to put back into storage. “I have a few things to take care of too” She responded when prompted by Channing. Through the whole ordeal, Dana had been carefully avoiding Channing but now that they were the only two in the room, it was much more difficult, “Besides, I can’t leave until you’re done. School rules.”

Of course, Dana couldn’t leave Channing alone in the school. It was a desperate attempt at escaping the suffocating level of awkwardness in the room. Brushing a few strands of hair that had escaped her messy bun behind her ear, she sighed deeply. As fun as the actual workshop had been, nothing was worth this painful encounter. “Right, that makes sense. Gonna finish up quickly then,” she said quietly, focused on wiping clay off of the kids’ desks and picking up the scraps. “I hope the kids enjoyed themselves.”

Despite how totally over things were between Chan and Dana, her promise to give workshop to her students still hung over her head all week. They were done, but that didn’t mean the kids had to suffer and, above all, she actually wanted to do it. It was an opportunity and she was always terrible at saying no to those. Surprisingly, things went rather smoothly. Just as Dana promised, kids weren’t actually disgusting monsters. They were excited to be there, to learn, and were surprisingly creative. Channing enjoyed herself, seemingly, the kids did too. She even got a few hugs out of it when it was time to say goodbye. Now that the room was empty except for Chan and Dana, however, she was doing everything she could to avoid the other girl by cleaning up the very dirty work stations she had set up earlier. “You can go, I’ll finish up here.”

It was impossible to miss the disappointment on Channing’s face and while it made Dana feel a little guilty, she knew that she didn’t owe the blonde anything. Even a few years ago Dana would have suggested something as silly as a second chance or friendship, but these days, she was leaving behind the girl that got taken advantage of far too much. “Okay well, then I guess there’s nothing else left to say” Dana shrugged her shoulders, “I can make it back the rest of the way by myself” She added, continuing to walk, leaving Channing behind.

“Then what are you trying to do, Chan? I don’t think you and I should be friends” Since that’s the vibe Dana seemed to be getting when it came to Channing coming back into her life. Perhaps she was trying to keep the peace to prevent any awkward encounters in the future, either way, Dana wasn’t sure was willing to welcome the girl back into her life. “Look, I appreciate the apology, I really do, okay? But I don’t know what else there is left between us.”

“I don’t know, Dana. Like I said, I was wondering if there was still something there and you made it pretty obvious there wasn’t,” she said with a defeated shrug, glancing over at Dana with a forced smile. She didn’t feel much like smiling when the other woman was making it so abundantly clear she was done with her. “Thanks. I think you asking that question kinda answers it. So, clean break it is.”