Allie very much wanted to agree, but of course, it seemed that it wouldn't be free.
If… She was going to properly follow this dream… then she knew… that she would [probably… 🫢✨] have to come clean…
That she, Allie, was also Sally!!!
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Whilst outwardly, Allie appeared quite composed, and simply smiled and appeared 'pleasantly surprised' as she considered what Bob had said and her reply, -Inside, she was feeling something of a great… divide …!!!
On one hand, Sally knew, that this was pretty much exactly what she wanted to do…
A chance to build, a chance to grow, and a chance to better get to know… Someone Special who made Life better, and it wasn't like Bob was asking her to sign a [contract] marriage letter… 🫢✨
But at the same time, perhaps it might not feel… entirely right, if Bob didn't have the full picture of who she was, in his sight.
*Breathe* [*In for 4, hold for 7, out for 8…*]
She had a few options.
First of all, she could stall, to clarify what he meant by "Together", and explore in more detail what Bob's Plans involved - This was something she intended on doing in any case!
Secondly, She could agree to invest more deeply in their relationship and partnership, to see how it would go in practice - but only as Allie - withholding the fact that she was Sally until a potentially later date, or perhaps even… forever. This would be easiest in the short-term, and also was a very risk-averse and 'safe' approach - particularly if things didn't work out, but it also had obvious drawbacks - the most obvious being that her relationship and partnership with Bob would be inherently, and fundamentally… limited. Not to mention that she would have to live with the consequences of that Choice - a kind of partitioned happiness, that would come at the expense of what could have fully been…
Thirdly, She could tell him the Truth - that even though She wanted to agree, that there was something that She needed to tell Him, Bob, as well, First… And this was, quite frankly… Terrifying. What would he think? Would his heart… sink? Would he feel lied to, betrayed? What if her Reveal caused their Relationship - and what she had built with Bob as Allie - to fade?!?!
Of course, it wasn't like she had to tell him every single secret thing… But the point was that She, Sally, wanted to experience a genuine, life-affirming connection with Someone for *Her*, not an Idea of Her - and although her relationship with Bob as Allie was real, it wasn't at all complete - in the end, this was the fact that She had to come to terms with and meet…
___