WHEN YOU LOVE

TRUCE AND DARE

"Sana, here's my number. I'd really love to keep in touch with you."

Their encounter was barely three days old, but it was enough for the women to connect. Sana had many acquaintances but only one true friend, at least, she thought, until Keela showed her true colors. The woman didn't know how she should act with Hollie, who appeared to befriend her sincerely.

Friendship wasn't something one could take lightly. One has to be careful when letting someone into their life.

"Here's mine."

But something told Sana she wasn't taking much of a risk with easy-going Hollie. They matched. Hollie and her kind shared the same experiences as curvy women with racially ambiguous traits. Sana recalled when Keela told her she didn't know what being a woman like her was like. Keela spoke as though she was a woman of a better batch, and Sana had laughed warm-heartedly at her friend's remark.

There, Sana wished Keela was at the train station so she could say: "see, I found a woman of my caliber with whom I can be friends."

"Remember what I said, Sana? Love is a pinball game. When the ball drops, start again and try to keep the game on. Of course, it's only beneficial to do so if it's something you want."

The analogy was odd, but Sana understood it was Hollie's way of saying one learns from every game round they play. She messed up with Lee, but it didn't mean the game was over. All she had to do was throw another ball and keep it rolling.

Lee woke up in his music studio. His butt was sore, and he was sure he had a torticollis. He stretched, yawned, and got up.

"Dylan," Lee yelled.

He was sure he heard the dishes, and why was the washing machine on?

"Dylan," Lee went downstairs only to find Sana emptying the dishwasher.

"What are you doing here?"

"I live here, right?" Sana replied and placed a plate in the cupboard.

Lee smirked, "I know that, but what are you doing here right now?"

"I wanted to come home," Sana posed the plate she held, "I wanted to see you."

Lee nodded; Sana didn't know whether he acknowledged her words or just took note.

"I thought about us, Lee. I thought about my actions and realized I didn't tell you why I told Dylan."

Lee pulled out a chair and sat, "go on, tell me."

Sana didn't expect him to react this way. She forgot that all Lee wanted from the beginning was an opening that would communication flow. He didn't pay thousands of pounds of therapy to ignore the first cause of the rupture.

Communication, the lack of it, killed any existing relationship.

There was never too much information, people weren't mind readers, and interpretation was a primal instinct.

Between Sana and Lee, there was a misinterpretation on her side and a lot of frustration on Lee's. Thus the man sat and opened his ears, ready to receive whatever explanation she would give.

Sana took a deep breath.

"Gosh, you'd think it's an audition," Lee said.

"Lee."

"Why are you standing like you are giving your last performance?" Lee leaned and pulled out a chair, "come and sit down."

Sana did as asked. She suddenly felt ridiculous. It was Lee and no one else. Why was she acting as though she didn't know the down-to-earth man?