[She took her glass of whatever she'd ordered, which she really hadn't been paying attention to at the time, and raised it in a toast.]

I'll drink to that. Love is always a painful thing, but we still try.

[...fuck, that second half was uncharacteristic of her. She was losing her edge. FUCK, was she seriously thinking of asking that girl out? Maybe... no, no, hell no. She knew better. It wouldn't end well. She grunted and sipped. The burn of alcohol made her wince but eased discomfort.]

I wonder sometimes why they try, but I know better. If you didn't want it so much... if you didn't care, you wouldn't hurt. It's what made me so damned jealous all those years ago.