Danny and Alice were in the shop looking at dresses. He always shopped with her, he had an eye for what she looked good in. She pulled out a manky purple dress when he looked distracted.
"No!" he declared strongly face disgusted.
"Just making sure you were paying attention."
"If you insisted on buying that I was leaving you." he laughed. "And never coming back. There are limits to a best friends friendship and they don't extend to that!"
She shook her head. "Nothing I say, do or wear for that matter will make you leave me. Your devoted!"
"Yeah." he said dryly.
She pulled out a dark blue dress.
"No."
"You sure? I like it?"
"You have rubbish taste."
"Proven by you being my best friend." she quipped.
"Ah touché."
She pulled out a yellow dress. Please say yes! She prayed.
He looked conflicted. "Halfy half."
She pulled out a black one.
"That's the one!" he told her sure. She would just kill anyone with a pulse with it!
She nodded and picked up the yellow one too.
A woman had been watching them. "I wish my boyfriend would come shopping with me." she said wistfully.
Alice smiled. "He's not my boyfriend, we're best friends."
"Snag him quickly. Your obviously close." The girl advised before walking away.
Alice laughed and shook her head. "What do you think Danny? Should we run away together? That seems to be popular consensus." she started looking through tops not noticing he didn't answer as he usually did. With a sarcastic c'mon honey lets go. His face was one of annoyance.
Alice had looked and they were now walking through the shop towards the tills. "You sure I can't convince you to tell me where Terry is taking me?"
He shook his head.
She stopped walking and looked at him. "Right Danny what's wrong?"
"Nothing." he replied blandly.
Alice crossed her arms. "This is ME your talking to Danny. Lies won't work!"
He exhaled. "C'mon we'll pay for your stuff."
Alice stared after him as he walked away. Hated seeing him like this. Hated more that he wasn't confiding in her. They never had secrets well not to each other she decided to try a different way. "You need anything for your date with Sarah tonight?" she asked as they passed the men's clothes. It was the Sarah thing bothering him she knew it!
He frowned. "I didn't tell you…"
"I know!" she hit his arm playfully. "How can you NOT tell your best friend that you have a hot date. Seriously upset here. I suppose I'll forgive you eventually. You have major sucking up to do buster!"
He exhaled and continued to approach the tills. Didn't say a word as they waited to pay not matter how many times she tried to engage him in conversation.
"Ok do I have BO or something?" she yelped as they left the shop. "Coz the temperature has dropped a good ten degrees and I am getting the cold shoulder!"
He shook his head.
She glared. "What have I done?"
"People are looking at us Alice." he whispered.
"Let them!" she fumed. "I wanna know what's up!"
He grabbed her arm and pulled her to the truck.
"I'm not a bottler Danny when something is bothering me I say and this mysterious quietness is majorly pissing me off."
He looked at her intently, like he was studying her then climbed in the truck and began to drive.
"Argh!" she declared throwing her hands in the air, completely frustrated.
He stopped them in a secluded spot.
She looked around. "You want us to be alone?" then a playful smile snaked across her face. "Awww Danny really?" she said softly. "I'm flattered really..." she joked.
"Alice." he said gravely.
All fun left her face at his tone. "Oh my God what's wrong?" she asked suddenly terrified.
"Alice…"
"Your ill or something aren't you?" her eyes were shining.
"No." he replied softly.
"You only ever speak to me like that when it's bad news. When your mum was ill and died."
He exhaled. "I'm not ill." he promised.
She seemed to slump before him. Hit his arm forcefully. "Don't scare me like that! I thought I was losing you!God!"
He nodded.
"So?" she asked.
"Alice, last night…." he frowned and paused.
"Danny?" she asked confused.
He had no idea how to say this without hurting her.
"O just so I know are you planning on getting lucky tonight so me and Terry know to stay out?"
He shook his head. "That's' what I'm trying to talk about. Trying to say!"
"That you wanna get lucky?" she asked puzzled. "Good for you man!" she grinned pushing his arm.
"No, well yeah." he couldn't bite back a smile.
"There's my Danny's smile." she nudged him grinning widely.
It was her possessive use of the word 'my' that made said smile start to disappear.
Alice exhaled. "Danny will you please tell me what I'm doing wrong. See I'm acting normal and your acting weird!"
He nodded. "Look. Now that the four of us are going to be living together it might be good if we backed off a little."
"We as in me and you?"
He nodded.
"Back off in what way?" she asked confused.
"With all the….. everything."
She made a puzzled gesture. "We've always been close. What's the problem now?"
"It might make things tense if we don't." he told her.
"With who?"
"Sarah and Terry."
"But you're my best friend."
"I know but sometime we can be abit…..full on."
Full on? She thought angrily since when? "Who put this ridiculous idea in your head?" she fumed.
"No one."
"WHO? I'll kill them!"
"Alice, your over reacting." he told her gently.
"You think I'm over reacting? I think I'm reacting fine to my best friend saying he doesn't wanna be friends anymore!"
"I do want to be friends but…" he sighed. "Don't you get sick of correcting people? Since forever people have always assumed we're dating. Saying things like o what a cute couple and commenting on how good we are together or asking how long we've been together. Aren't you annoyed by it?"
"No, coz WE know it's not true. It takes 5 seconds to correct them. I thought you were my friend!"
"Alice I am your friend. All I'm asking is to tone it down with the coupleness."
"Coupleness? Danny that is how we act - I don't know how to be any different."
"Well maybe we shouldn't act like that, some people think it's weird."
"O so I'm a weirdo? Thanks."
"No your not." he exhaled failing at not hurting her.
Alice crossed her arms defensively. "All this was prompted by Sarah wasn't it?"
He looked at the sky. "Something she asked got me thinking. She asked if would we stop if it bothered our partners."
"What did you say?" she asked angrily.
"That it never came up. But I thought if I had to chose that I'd pick you."
"What's wrong with that? I'd chose you too?"
"Over Terry?"
"Over anybody."
"Alice that's wrong. You should pick who you love!"
"I love you!"
He raised his eyebrows.
"You know what I mean!" she exhaled. "If they are making me pick between them and my best friend then they don't love me!" she finished.
"Alice I want a family, kids. that's not gonna happen if I keep choosing you all the time. If that is how we act them maybe we should back off. Is it any wonder that we're both in our late twenties and we're not even close to being married?" well HE wasn't.
"Any man I date knows that YOU are a constant in my life. I make it clear. If he doesn't like it then he can leave. I thought that was the same with you." she said sadly.
"It was, but it isn't working. Woman get jealous of my closeness to you. A few girlfriends have broke up with me for that reason. They feel like they can't compete with you coz your perfect for me. There has to be a line Alice."
"Isn't that their problem?" She looked at him, eyes black. "For the last….." She thought. "Actually for our whole lives it has been me and you. Since our mothers died it has ONLY been me and you. Me AND you! Remember all the promises? No matter what we'd always be friends. ALWAYS be there for each other! No one could ever come between us! Now you are DROPPING me for some woman I convinced to date you?" Alice was almost yelling.
"I'm not dropping you."
Well that's what it felt like to her. She couldn't listen to no more of this rubbish. She stood up and climbed from the truck.
"Instead of doing all the talky, stuff with me do it with Terry or even Sarah." he suggested. "Be her friend too!"
"NO coz see I thought you were the only one who understood me fully. Boy was I WRONG! And as for Sarah when I get home I'm gonna tear her face off!" she said reasonably, her face hard.
"Alice." he warned.
"How could you let some woman come between us?" she accused.
"Alice I'm not!"
"I hope you and her will be very happy together coz you have lost me - for good!"
"Alice I'll drive you home." he said.
"Don't bother." she yelled stomping off.
Danny was just about to go after her when he suddenly stopped, he frowned and shook his head. "No." he whispered. "No more." and for the first time in his life he didn't follow her.
A/N hell hath no fury like Alice scorned lol - feel sorry for her actually :/ she might have reacted a tad ott tho :D One question - will sarah live long when alice gets her hands on her?
did anyone else get the feeling lyk this was a full on couple argument - dunno y i didn't intentionally write it lyk that bt that is wot happened :)
seems like my readers were wrong 2 - tried to add some clues - like danny not being subtle lol thanks for telling me anyway I appreciate it u guyrs r great and as always thanks for reviewing and hope ur enjoying x
