Tina woke up in her bed and rubbed her tear-stained eyes. She looked at her watch and realised it was still early. She got up slowly and walked downstairs, where she came face to face with her mother.

“Tina” Carol said curtly.

“Mum” Tina’s reply was equally curt.

“So all’s not happy with…that woman?”

“BETTE and I will be fine”

Tina walked past her mother and into the kitchen where she found her father. He rolled his eyes in the direction of Carol and smiled at his daughter.

“So how are you feeling this morning, sweetheart?” he asked tenderly.

“Better. I think I need to speak to Bette”

“No need. She left a message for you” Robert turned and picked up a piece of paper from by the phone.

Tina took the message and read over it twice.

T,
This is it. No more running. We have to face everything together now. Be at the house this afternoon around 2. I’ll explain everything. Please just give me this bit of your time, I think I deserve that at least. If you still think you need to leave, well we’ll face that together too.
I love you
Bette x

Tina sighed and felt the tears welling in her eyes once again. She hastily wiped them away and looked up at the expectant face of her father.

“I’m going home” she whispered.

“That’s my girl” he smiled and hugged her.

“Thank you for everything Dad”

“You know I’m always here. Now you go back home…and remember you have my blessing” he smiled, and there was a slight twinkle in his eye, which Tina seemed to miss.

Tina took her time travelling home, all the time checking her watch. She was going to follow Bette’s instructions and not return before 2. But this meant she had a fair amount of time to kill. She found herself driving around and thinking a lot. She knew she’d been stupid to run away like that, but it had given her time to clear her head. Of course she wasn’t going to leave Bette, but she just needed some security in their relationship. But she trusted Bette, and she knew she had her own way of doing things. Nothing was ever going to be straightforward where Bette Porter was concerned.

At five minutes past two Tina walked nervously to the front door of her home. She turned her key in the lock and found a silent house.

“Bette?” she called as she searched the living room.

She moved into the bedroom “Bette?”

She still received no answer, but noticed a single red rose on the perfectly made bed. Next to it she saw a note in what she recognised as Bette’s curvasive hand writing. She picked up the note and read it carefully.

T,
You heard some things you didn’t want to. Now you know my past, my present and, i hope, my future. I’ll leave it up to you to decide if you believe I’ve changed. Go now to the place where you heard those things.
Trust me on this one.
I love you
Bette x

Tina picked up the rose and smiled. So we’re playing games now, are we? she thought. Well she’d go along with Bette’s games. She just hoped it would be worth it in the end. Putting the note in her pocket she made to walk out of the room when she noticed the photo of them sticking out from under the covers. She picked it up and smiled at how happy they were, and also at the fact that Bette had clearly not wanted to sleep without her for even one night. She put the photo back on its rightful place on the dresser, and found Bette’s dressing gown on the floor. Picking it up, she inhaled deeply. Bette’s smell still lingered on her gown. Tina couldn’t describe it, but it never failed to intoxicate her. There was something sweet and fresh about it, with a little edge. A hint of coffee, some shampoo, a little of her perfume. And Tina loved every bit of it. She held the gown close to her for a minute before regaining her composure and heading back to her car.

In the car Tina tried to imagine where Bette was going with this whole little game. Would she find Bette at the cafe? Or was there more to come? Right now she just really wanted to see Bette, but something told her it would be worth the wait.

She pulled up outside the cafe where she and Alice had met the previous day. Trying not to appear too nervous, she walked in and scanned the room. There was no sign of the head of curls she loved so much, so she looked round again for some sort of sign. It came in the form of the waitress.

“Ms Kennard?” the waitress asked.

“Er..yes. That’s me” Tina looked at her in confusion.

“Why don’t you sit down and I’ll bring your order to you”

“My order?”

The waitress smiled and walked away, and Tina took a seat at the nearest table. In a minute the waitress returned with a tray. On it was a shot of espresso and another note. Tina smiled and shook her head.

“Enjoy yourself” the waitress winked and walked away.

Tina drank the coffee and picked up the note.

T,
Remember when we first danced together? Because I remember every moment of it. Every moment with you seems ingrained in my mind. I hope you feel re-energised now, so can you go to that place where we danced.
I love you
Bette x

Tina smiled. Of course she remembered. Remembered how Bette sang the words of the song to her. Remembered how their bodies made contact, and the feelings that elicited. But surely the club was closed now? Well she was going to have to just trust Bette on this one.

She made her way to the club, which was indeed closed. She turned to leave, disappointed, when she heard someone call her name.

“Tina!” Alice appeared from round the corner.