Inside the house, Alice, Dana, and Tina were wrapped up on the couch in each others limbs. They sunk deep in the cushions sipping wine and browsing through old photo albums. Falling back into old friendships, they laughed and talked as if time had never passed, and Alice and Dana momentarily forgot or consciously pushed their dispute aside. Tina thought if she closed her eyes they would be back at the house she and Bette once lived in, with these friends constantly bringing laughter and tears through the door. A gentle breeze blew through the windows, sweeping Tinas dreams out the front door as Bette and Shane walked in.

Immediately Tinas body tensed and Alice and Dana couldnt help but notice because of the close proximity of their bodies. They snapped back into a partial reality, not quite letting go of their memories yet painfully remembering their heartbreaks. Bette worked her way back over to the chair and sat down heavily, her body six years older… six years more lonely. She smiled and leaned back, keeping quiet and avoiding the looks from her friends. Shane threw herself on top of Alice, Tina and Dana causing moans and groans to come from underneath her. Bette held back a grin and her tears at the sight before her that brought back such poignant memories. When was the last time she had allowed herself to be so carefree and open like these three women in front of her? It hurt too bad to think back to those days, the times when she ruined everything good in her life. The only time in her life that she couldnt fix everything around her because she messed up more than trifle disagreements, but she broke trust and not just Tinas, she put a wedge between herself and those friends who meant the most to her.

Bette leaned back in the chair, letting the cushions cradle her in ways she hadnt let anyone else hold her in years. Wine in one hand, she brushed a few stray strands of hair from her face, revealing wrinkles around her eyes and mouth that Tina noticed the first time she saw Bette three years ago since the divorce and moves. Today was no exception, and Tina was able to see the details in Bette when nobody else looked closely enough, even years later. She couldnt help it even though she sometimes wished she could. Dana, Alice, Shane and Tina were in their own little world, talking and giggling while Bette watched from a distance, something she had grown accustomed to, until Tina suddenly glanced in Bettes direction as if she had been stung. Bette flashed her a curious look and Tina flushed momentarily. Bette recognized that look. Tina had suddenly remembered a certain memory when talking to her friends, accidentally. Its funny how thoughts could sneak up on Tina, but they bit her with a vengeance. Though Bette could tell Tinas mind was flooded with thoughts of her, Tina continued the banter with her friends, shunning Bettes fleeting looks. Bette had an idea of what flashed though Tinas mind.