"Yeah I know you both are friends, we have talked about this before?" May seemed relatively confused.
"No May. I- I like LIKE her. Like more than friends." Anne blurted out.
"Oh"
There was a short period of silence where both of them had just sunken in what had just happened.
"Anne, it's okay I'm proud of you for being able to say that to me."
There was a pause before May got up and hugged Anne. "I'm so very proud of you," May whispered in her ear.
Anne squeezed May so hard and let out the weeks of piled-up emotions that have been storming inside of her.
When they pulled away Anne started telling May everything from them talking on the phone, to her sitting with her at lunch and when they worked on the project. She felt a sense of relevance, every single story felt like a weight being taken off her chest. The overwhelming guilt and frustration that had been part of her had finally gotten lighter, It was by no means gone but it was lighter.
"Wow yeah, you like this girl," May said after Anne had been done.
"I know- it's just she's great and all but-" Anne paused for a moment to collect her thoughts once more. "Look I know she'd never like me back and I think I'm fine with that so I just want to stop liking her so that we can be friends again."
"How do you know that she doesn't like you back?" May said.
"Well, c'mon she has a boyfriend of course she doesn't like me."
"But even she said that she doesn't even like him!" May said.