The women sat in the office on Friday, biding their time as they watched the clock. Things just weren’t the same with Jane not around. They knew she was having another interview at the corporate office that day, and it was difficult for them to focus on anything else.

“Do you think she’s going to take the position?” Monica asked.

“I just don’t know,” Veronica answered. “I guess it depends on what they actually offer her.”

“How about that other company?” Ashley asked. “That was a real surprise, wasn’t it?”

“It sure was. I really wasn’t expecting that. I didn’t think she was interested in any other companies…”

“It makes sense though. She’s really smart,” Monica said.

“Does Maria have any more insight?” Ashley asked.

“I don’t think so,” Veronica answered. “But I’ll go ask again.”

Maria was sitting in her office, playing on her phone. She was having a hard time getting anything done, knowing that Jane was driving up for her second interview with the corporate office.

Veronica suddenly let herself in. “Maria?”

“Oh, Veronica.”

“Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. Just nervous about Jane’s meeting. How about you? How are you holding up?”

“I am really nervous and anxious. But I guess we all are. What do you think is going to happen?”

“I really don’t know, but I just have a weird feeling that they are trying to lowball her. I hope I am wrong.”

“Lowball her?”

“I just really thought they were going to offer her more. I think they might be trying to get her to accept a much lower-paying position. Too many things just don’t make sense.”

“Well, whatever it is, I just hope for the best for her.”

“I think we all do.”

Jane showed up to her second meeting with corporate, hoping for more clarity and a better job offer than she had received the last time. Unfortunately, when she entered the meeting room with Jennifer and Mark, it seemed as if nothing had changed.

“So, Jane, have you made a decision yet?”

“I’m sorry… Made a decision on what?”

“The job offer, remember? That’s why you’re here.”

“I was actually hoping for more clarity,” Jane responded. “I still don’t understand what my exact path to promotion would be. And you also said you would explain the benefits to me.”

Jennifer and Mark happily went over the benefits package, excited to tell her about the exceptional insurance and retirement plans. But when it came to the path to promotion, the water started to get a bit murky once again.

“And like I said about the promotions, you will be working for Mark. He is the COO of the company. I cannot stress how important that is. You will learn a lot by working for him, and it will eventually lead to better positions.”

“But what kind of positions could it lead to?”

“The possibilities are endless, really.”

“Could it be something like an assistant coordinator?”

“Well, yeah. If you really work hard. Someday you could be eligible for that position in the future.”

“I was actually hoping to get that kind of position pretty soon.”

“Well, Jane, that kind of position takes a lot of working up to. Nobody is going to offer someone with your lack of experience a position anytime soon.”

“Are you sure about that?” Jane asked.

“Well, not a company as big as ours.”

“Well, I was actually offered that type of position at another company. I was offered a co-assistant coordinator position for one of their branches.”

“You were?!” Mark and Jennifer both replied. “It was probably some small company, wasn’t it? Yeah, an upcoming company without a track record like ours might offer you a position like that.”

“They are actually much bigger than our company,” Jane responded.

Jennifer and Mark both looked at each other before concluding that she was bluffing.

“Look, Jane. I know what you’re doing,” Jennifer said. “I spoke with Maria earlier, and she seems to think we are lowballing you. I am sure she told you to come in here and try to bargain for more money.”

“You know, it’s fine to try to negotiate,” said Mark. “But to lie and say that you have a job offer from some nameless company is a terrible idea.”

“I am not lying,” Jane firmly responded.

“If you’re not lying, then who exactly is this company that offered you a coordinating position?”

“The offer is from Sunshine Industries,” Jane said as she interrupted them both. After a moment of brief silence, she handed her cell phone over. “I can even show you the email right here. It shows everything they are offering me and even says the title of the position.”

They frantically looked through the email on her phone, trying to confirm its validity.

“What’s wrong?” Jane asked.

“Well, we just want to make sure that this is really from Sunshine. What if this is some kind of scam?”

“So, first you thought I was lying and now you think I don’t know who I was talking to?”

“No! We’re not saying that.”

“I had a video interview with them on Tuesday night. That’s when they offered the job.”

“Who did you interview with?”

Once Jane told them, they immediately recognized Miranda and Cynthia’s names. They also confirmed Camilla through the Sunshine Industries website. There was no more denying it. They both realized that Jane had a real offer from the prestigious company.

“They are headquartered all the way in New York,” Mark pointed out.

“They would be moving me out there and getting me a hotel for a while,” Jane responded. “We already discussed some of that. But if I take the offer, my next conversation with them will just be about ironing out the details of my move.”

The realization was suddenly hitting the interviewers as they scrambled for the right response. Unfortunately, they weren’t on the same page, as both of them tried to take different approaches.

“Okay… that is really interesting,” said Jennifer. “That’s a real curveball you threw at us. Obviously, we don’t want to lose you, so let’s see if we can find a way to make the offer more compelling.”

“Well, wait a second, Jennifer,” Mark interrupted. “If you compare our benefits package to theirs and you look at the projection you would be on, I still think our offer is better. Also, you need to factor in the cost of living in New York. There are definitely a lot of advantages to taking the position we are offering you.”

Jane and Jennifer became even more confused. Jennifer started looking at Mark and thinking to herself, What the hell are you doing?

“Umm, Mark? Can I speak with you privately?”

They stepped out together, where they immediately started disputing each other’s plans of action.

“Mark! You heard what she said. Why are you still trying to push the original offer?”

“I heard what she said, but I think we can still convince her to take this position, if we really try.”

“No! She is going to leave for New York if we don’t do something!”

“And what do you expect us to do? Give her whatever she wants, just because she says Sunshine offered her?”

“Look, we had a plan, but it’s obviously not going to work. We need to offer her something or we are going to lose her!”

Jennifer and Mark reentered the room as they met back with their patient interviewee.

“So, Jane, we obviously don’t want to lose you. We are going to try to swing a few things for you. First of all, your title isn’t going to be an intern. It was never actually meant to be an intern. We were just using that word for lack of a better title.”

“Oh, really?”

“We haven’t finalized anything yet, but it will be an associate coordinating position. And you will have some of the responsibilities in our design projects.”

“Really? That sounds great!”

“As far as your pay, we are still working things out,” said Mark. “Why don’t we have another meeting on Tuesday? By then, we will have all the details ironed out.”

“I have to drive all the way back up here?” Jane asked.

“Well, yes. This is where our office is. And this is where we do all our official business.”

“It’s just kind of a far drive. And it would be my third time driving up here in a span of seven days.”

“I understand,” Mark responded. “But hopefully, the offer will make you want to stay up here, so you won’t have to make that drive so much anymore.”

“Okay… am I still only getting a fifteen percent raise?”

“Well, fifteen percent is still pretty good,” Mark started.

“Mark and I will try to find a better deal for you,” Jennifer interrupted.

“And if we don’t come up with anything, just remember that there is a direct path to a promotion,” Mark tried to assure.

“That’s… nice…” Jane responded, hesitantly. She then left the meeting and made the long drive home. She knew by the time she got back, it would already be dark outside.

The drive back and forth was starting to take a toll on her. She was completely stressed now and really didn’t have an outlet.

Unfortunately for her, Veronica was out of town for the weekend. She talked to Maria on her way home, but her supervisor was left just as confused as she was.

Eventually, Jane was left in silence with her own thoughts.

Why is it so hard for my own company to be clear with me? They were the ones that started this whole mess. And why do I have to keep driving up there?

Sunshine has been so accommodating. The only time they ever inconvenienced me, they did it on purpose! But that was just part of their test.

Miranda and Cynthia have been so helpful and understanding. Even Camilla has been really nice. And I’m supposed to be in direct competition with her for the next promotion!

If Jennifer and Mark could be even half as clear and accommodating as Sunshine Industries, I would really have something to work with. Today was the only time I’ve even seen them crack. Maybe it was a good thing I told them about Sunshine’s offer.

The more she thought about it, the more she realized the panic she saw in Jennifer’s eyes. Thinking about the differences in Jennifer and Mark’s body language after she told them, she started to realize how positive the meeting went after she broke the news.

“They wouldn’t even be offering me this third meeting if I didn’t tell them about Sunshine.”

As much as she desired vision and clarity, she realized that she wasn’t being clear with herself. She still had not figured out what she really wanted to do. She needed to make decisions fast and get to the bottom of what she really wanted.

Jane decided to take some time to herself. She went down to a small bar that was walking distance from her apartment. She had never been there before but decided to give it a try. She took a pen and pad so she could write down her thoughts while having a few drinks.

Later that night, hours after Jane came back home from the bar, she was in bed, about to fall asleep when she received a phone call. To her excitement, it was from Veronica.

“Hey!”

“Hey, mami!”

“I didn’t expect you to call! I thought you’d be busy with your family.”

“Yeah, I’ve been busy helping my parents out, but I had a little bit of free time and I wanted to call you before I go to sleep.”

“That’s so sweet of you to check up on me!”

“So, how did it go?”

“It was a little discouraging, to be honest.”

“Discouraging? What happened?!”

“They were ready to just offer the job without even going over anything. The tune didn’t change until I brought up the other offer. Then, they basically didn’t believe me. So, when I showed them the actual emails and communication I’ve had, they suddenly started acting nicer to me.”

“Oh, I bet! How could they not believe you!?”

“Mark then tried to convince me that their offer was still better. But Jennifer wasn’t having it. She is clearly worried about losing me. She and Mark started to debate on what they could even offer me.”

“Did they actually offer anything else?”

“Jennifer started to say that it wasn’t really an intern position, and that it was some kind of associate coordinating position. But it didn’t sound like that before.”

“Wow, really?”

“Yeah… and then she told me that they would try to offer me more money, but when they started to discuss it, it seemed like Mark wasn’t too sure about it.”

“Oh, my God! I don’t understand why they are acting like that!”

“I don’t understand either, but I’m glad they started to budge once I told them about my other offer.”

“I am glad they did too, but it shouldn’t have had to take that! Maybe you should just take the other offer.”

“I’m just not sure yet,” Jane quietly responded.

“What is the other company anyways?” Veronica asked. “I’ve been meaning to ask you that. Are they as big as our company?”

“It’s a company called Sunshine Industries,” Jane responded hesitantly.

“Wait… what?” Veronica quickly responded, before a brief silence. “Sunshine Industries?”

“Yeah. Have you heard of them?”

“Jane, of course I’ve heard of them. I just didn’t know they were the ones who made you an offer.”

“Yeah, they did. They are a really big company.”

“They are huge! And they are all the way out in… New York.” Veronica suddenly came to a very important realization.

“Yeah… they are in New York.”

“So, if you accept that job, you would have to move all the way to…”

“To New York?” Jane interrupted. “Yes.”

Veronica’s heart began to race. She never realized the job offer was so far away. Scenarios began to play in her head, and all she could think about was Jane taking the job and never seeing her again.

“Would you really take that job?”

“I am just not sure yet, Veronica.”

The fact that Jane wasn’t immediately jumping on the opportunity to work for Sunshine Industries gave Veronica a bit of hope. Maybe she would stay, and they could continue to see each other. But the more she thought about it, the more discouraged she became.

Sunshine Industries was a much better company. There was no way in hell Jane was going to reject such a great offer.

“Are they offering to pay more?” Veronica asked.

“They are offering to pay me a lot. I mean like, a lot, a lot.”

“That’s… really good, Jane. I’m very happy for you.”

Although Veronica said she was happy, Jane could immediately sense the sadness in her voice. She knew why Veronica was sad, and she was also suffering from the same realization. The realization that if she accepted the job of her dreams, there was pretty much no chance she and Veronica would continue to see each other.

“Yeah. It’s a really good job. I am excited about the offer too.”

A moment went by before either woman spoke. They were both caught up in their own thoughts and emotions, thinking about their lives so far away from each other.

“So, when do you need to make your decision?”

“Sometime next week,” Jane responded.

“Is there a chance you’ll stay? I mean, like any chance at all?”

“There’s a chance,” Jane answered. “But I haven’t figured everything out yet. I still have a lot of thinking to do.”

Another brief moment went by before Veronica started to speak. “Jane, I just really hope that…” She suddenly stopped talking, which caused Jane to react.

“You hope what?”

“I just… well… Never mind. It’s nothing.”

“No, tell me.”

“It’s… nothing...”

“Please, tell me!” begged Jane. She wasn’t sure exactly what Veronica had to say but she knew she needed to hear it.

“I just… hope you make the best decision… for yourself.” That was the best Veronica could come up with, but it wasn’t what was really in her heart, and it definitely wasn’t what she had originally wanted to say.

A much longer moment of silence went by as neither of them could think of anything to say. Eventually Veronica tried to break the silence. “I should probably get some sleep. I need to wake up early in the morning to help my parents with something.”

“That sounds good,” said Jane. “Thanks again for calling to check up on me.”

Immediately after they hung up, Veronica dropped her phone and covered her face, fighting the urge to burst into tears. The more she thought about it, the more she realized there was no way that Jane was going to stay. Two hours away from her was nothing compared to being all the way across the country.

Why would she stay? They are offering her more money. They are a bigger and better company. And our company isn’t doing anything for her. There’s no way she isn’t going to end up in New York!

I always knew… I always knew that someday others would realize your potential. I always knew that others would finally recognize how special you are. But I didn’t want you to leave all the way to New York!

Veronica was devastated. She could hardly get any sleep. All she could think the entire night was, I’m going to miss you.

Jane wasn’t doing much better. She had tears in her eyes as she finished her emotional conversation with Veronica.

Though neither woman said exactly what was in their heart, she could tell they were both hurting. But unlike Veronica, this had already been weighing on Jane’s mind for the past several days.

Now more than ever, she didn’t want to lose her special friend. The one thing she could take comfort in was that Veronica shared the same emotions.

Monday morning, as the women all came back to work, there was a subtle sadness as Jane and Veronica were both still hurting from their conversation. There was sadness in the air and all the girls could sense it.

Maria started her morning with a normal phone meeting with Jennifer. “I think it’s going to be a huge season for us,” she said as they were wrapping things up.

“I hope so,” Jennifer responded. “Fashion can be very seasonal.”

“But this is my favorite season. And it’s usually our best season.”

“Well, I can’t wait to see what you’re able to come up with. You already have some very good ideas.”

“I will update you every step of the way.”

“Thanks, Maria. You’re doing an amazing job, as always.”

“Thank you,” Maria responded, before remembering that she wanted to ask about Jane. “Hey, can I talk to you about something else?”

“Sure. What’s up?”

“I understand you’re having a third interview with Jane. Is everything okay?”

“She just really threw us for a loop with that offer.”

“I know! It’s crazy, isn’t it?”

Maria felt satisfied, thinking that her plan had worked. She was sure that Jennifer was now going to make a much better offer.

“Mark and I can’t seem to agree on what to offer her. He really thinks we can convince her with just a few upgrades from the original offer. But I don’t really think so. I mean, that offer she got was ridiculous.”

“Really? Do you think she might leave us?”

“Maria, has she told you who the other company is?”

“Umm, no. Why? Who is it?”

“Maria… it’s Sunshine Industries.”

Monica just happened to be in Maria’s office, dropping off a stack of papers. She overheard the news, leaving her in complete shock, just like Maria. She quietly left the room, realizing that she wasn’t supposed to overhear that, and ran back over to her desk where she whispered to Ashley.

“Pssst! Ashley!”

“Yeah?”

“Did you hear where Jane’s other offer is from?”

Ashley began to look around the room, realizing that Jane had stepped out for a moment. “No. Who offered her?”

“The other company! It’s Sunshine!”

“Sunshine is the other company!?” Ashley asked, surprised.

“SHHHH! I overheard it!”

“I can’t be quiet. I have to say something to her!” Ashley responded. She then looked over at Veronica, who was just sitting there quietly. “Did you know about this?!”

“Yeah… She told me on Friday night.”

“She HAS to take that job, don’t you think?”

“I would think so… Yeah, maybe…”

As Jane reentered the room, all the women suddenly went quiet. However, Ashley couldn’t let it slide. She had to talk about it.

“Jane!”

“Yes, Ashley?”

“Who exactly is the other company that offered you a job?”

Jane could read the room. She wasn’t sure if Veronica was the one who told them, but she knew for sure that everyone already knew. “It’s Sunshine Industries,” she responded.

“That’s such a huge company!” said Monica.

“You’re going to take it, aren’t you?” Ashley asked. “You have to take that opportunity!”

“I’m really not sure yet.”

“Why aren’t you sure?”

Jane took a quick glance at Veronica before looking back at Ashley and Monica. “I just haven’t decided yet.”

“No matter what Jennifer decides to offer you, it still doesn’t compare to the prestige of being a coordinator at Sunshine Industries,” Ashley continued to push.

“I know,” said Jane. “I just need some time, okay?”

Everything that Ashley and Monica were saying was breaking Veronica’s heart. She knew all of it was true. She was just afraid to say any of it to Jane.

Deep down inside she was afraid that it would push her towards moving away to New York. She didn’t know why, but seeing Jane act as if she was still undecided left her with a tiny sliver of hope.

Jane was obviously under a lot of stress, and the girls didn’t want to bother her anymore. Ashley and Monica decided to leave it alone and stop asking her about it.

The rest of the day, Jane worked her ass off, trying to pretend like nothing was going on. It was the only thing that was really keeping her sane. She still had so much to think about and so many decisions to make, but she didn’t want to do it at work.

As the day ended, the girls all began to leave, but Maria quietly asked Veronica to stay over. At 5:00 p.m. there was nobody in the office except for them. Veronica quietly walked into Maria’s office where they had an important conversation.

“You wanted to see me?” Veronica asked.

“Yes, thank you for coming in.”

“What did you want to talk about?”

“I actually have something very important I want to discuss with you,” Maria said. “Do you know who Jane’s other offer is from?”

“Yes,” Veronica quietly responded. With every acknowledgment of Jane’s offer, it felt like she was taking a step towards accepting the inevitable departure.

“Can you believe it?! Sunshine Industries!”

“I know.”

“Do you have any idea why she hasn’t accepted that job yet?”

“I guess she is still hoping for a better offer from Jennifer.”

“That might be true,” Maria responded. “But do you remember when I told you that I think they are trying to lowball her?”

“Yes.”

“Well, now I am almost one-hundred percent sure that is what they tried to do. And now it backfired, and they are scrambling to fix it.”

“Really?”

“I think Jennifer realizes that she took a bad risk. But I think Mark is still set on trying to save as much money as possible.”

“That’s crazy,” Veronica quietly responded. Maria then took a deep breath before asking, “So, how do you feel about that?”

“What do you mean?”

“How do you feel about a much bigger and more prestigious company offering her a better position and more money, while our company is trying to convince her to take a lower offer.”

“I think our company should do whatever they can to keep her,” Veronica answered. “She deserves it.”

“Even if we were to offer her more money, don’t you think the Sunshine offer is better?”

“Yes,” Veronica finally admitted, realizing she had accepted that fact.

“Do you know why I think she hasn’t accepted the position yet?” Maria asked.

“Why?”

“I bet it has something to do with you.”

“Me?” Veronica asked as she looked up at Maria.

“There are a million reasons why moving to New York and becoming a co-assistant coordinator for Sunshine Industries is a much better idea. And there is only one big reason she would want to stay here. And that is YOU. She doesn’t want to leave you.”

Veronica struggled to find any words. “I... I...”

“Do you think I’m wrong?”

“You might be right. But I don’t know.”

“Okay, well I was just wondering if you thought that might be true.”

“Well, what do you think I should do?” Veronica asked, realizing that Maria was right.

“I am not going to tell you what to do,” Maria said. “But I think you are a much bigger part of this decision than you realize. So, I think you should talk to Jane about it.”

“But what should I say to her?”

“I can’t tell you that. But I think you need to figure out how you feel. And you need to tell Jane how you feel.”

“Okay,” said Veronica quietly. She started to walk towards the door before Maria stopped her.

“Veronica!”

As the loyal employee turned around, Maria quickly walked up and embraced her in a powerful hug. It was an embrace that both women needed during such an emotional time.

Veronica was on the edge of tears, but she wanted to stay strong. She let a couple of tears go as she buried her head into Maria’s shoulder.

“Be strong, okay?” Maria said as she slowly let go of Veronica. “Be strong for Jane.”

“I will.”Veronica went home without saying another word. She drove the entire time in silence, not even turning the radio on. She wanted to be in silence, left with only her own thoughts.

That night, after each woman had put a lot of thought into their respective situations, Veronica decided to call Jane. But when the Asian woman answered the phone, she was surprised to hear a lot of noise in the background.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Jane.”

“Veronica? How are you?”

“I’m doing okay… Are you out somewhere?”

“I’m at this bar down the street from my apartment complex.”

“You’re at a bar on a Monday night?”

Veronica was incredibly confused. It wasn’t like Jane to go to a bar on a weeknight. It wasn’t like Jane to go out to a bar at all.

“Yeah, I know it sounds strange, but I’ve been coming here the last few nights.”

“No, it’s fine. I just wasn’t expecting that. I figured you would be at home. Is everything okay?”

“I think I’m going to be okay,” said Jane. “Is everything okay with you?”

“Yeah, I just...” Veronica was suddenly at a loss for words. She wanted to have an important conversation, but she didn’t want to do it over the phone, especially while Jane was at a bar.

She decided to see if she could meet up with Jane. “Do you mind if I come see you?”

“Of course, I don’t mind!”

Veronica immediately got dressed and headed towards the little bar. They met at the entrance where Jane quickly led her to her table.

“This is a nice little bar,” said Veronica as she looked around.

“I like it because it’s pretty quiet and low key. Nobody really bothers me here.”

“You said you’ve been coming here the past few nights?”

“I have, actually. I just really needed to get out of my apartment. I was going crazy in there, and I needed to get out.”

Veronica then noticed a notepad that was on the table. “What is that?”

“I’ve been coming here to do some thinking. I like to write down my thoughts sometimes.”

“Your thoughts about the job offers?”

“Yeah.”

Veronica looked around before asking if they could go outside and speak. She didn’t want any distractions, and she didn’t want anybody else to hear their conversation. Jane agreed as she left the table and followed Veronica outside.

They found a nice spot where they both enjoyed the fresh air and the beautiful night weather. Veronica had a hard time looking at Jane as the wind blew through her long black hair.

Veronica felt like her heart was yearning as she asked, “So, what are you going to do?”

“I still don’t know,” said Jane. “I have another meeting with Jennifer tomorrow. Hopefully they will offer me more this time.”

“Jane!” The Latina closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at her beautiful coworker and saying what she felt she had to say. “Jane, you... have to take that job in New York.”

Jane blinked before fixing her gaze directly at Veronica. “What?”

“Sunshine Industries. You have to take that position. I know this industry. You might never get an opportunity like that again.”

“I still haven’t even had my third meeting with Jennifer,” Jane argued, completely caught off guard.

“That doesn’t matter, Jane! They’re not treating you the way you should be treated. How many meetings is it going to take for them to make a competitive offer? Sunshine did it immediately! And they’re the bigger, better company!”

Jane was speechless. She couldn’t believe that Veronica was pushing her towards the move to New York.

“Veronica, I...”

“Just go to New York. It’s obviously the better job. It’s better for your future.”

“Yeah, but...”

“But what?”

“But what about you? What about us?”

“What about us?” Veronica asked. She was in shambles, but she had to stay strong for Jane. She felt that if she really cared about Jane, she would do everything in her power to convince her to take the Sunshine job. Veronica knew that was the better thing for Jane’s future, even if it wasn’t what she wanted.

Jane couldn’t believe what she was hearing from the Latina’s mouth. She was so emotionally confused. “Don’t you have a reason for me to stay?”

“Of course, I want you to stay,” Veronica said, putting on a front. “I had a lot of fun with you. I really care about you. But we need to be honest with ourselves. I’m not a lesbian. I’m straight. We were never doing anything besides having fun.”

It hurt her down to her own soul saying that. In her mind it was true, and it should have been said a long time ago. But in her heart, she was lying.

There was something special between her and Jane. But Veronica felt that if she truly cared about Jane, she would do what was best for her, even if it meant losing her.

Jane started to shake her head as she looked Veronica deep in her eyes. She was in shambles and she felt like she was fighting for everything she cared about in her life.

“No, Veronica! It was deeper than just having fun! I felt something... special. I felt... I felt like I...”

“Jane, stop!” Veronica shouted. She did everything she could to stop herself from crying, but she couldn’t let Jane continue. “There was nothing special between us. We were just having fun. I’m sorry if I gave you the wrong impression.”

“Veronica!” Jane cried out. “Why are you doing this to me? I really care about you! I really...”

“Stop it!” Veronica demanded as she held herself together by a thread. “I care about you too, but you need to go to New York. I want you to go to New York.”

There was a long moment of silence as neither woman could look at the other. Jane was hurt, but she could do nothing but accept Veronica’s wishes.

“Okay,” Jane quietly replied as the tears began running down her face. She felt like she lost the battle. She felt like she had been wrong about Veronica for so long.

Unfortunately, she didn’t have the heart to tell Veronica how she really felt. She didn’t have the heart to fight for what she truly wanted.

Veronica wanted nothing more than to grab her and hold her tightly. Watching Jane break down was tearing her up inside. It hurt more than she ever could have imagined.

As the two said their sad goodbyes for the night, Veronica watched her little Asian woman walk away. As Jane left, Veronica went back to her car, where she sat inside and finally broke down into tears.

“You were right,” she said out loud as she cried. “You were right. There WAS something special between us.”

In that moment, Jane wasn’t strong enough to reveal her true feelings, while Veronica thought she was being strong by not revealing her true feelings.

Unfortunately, both women left that night with more things left unsaid than were actually spoken.

To be continued…