Previously:

The clock ticked 3 and she was on the verge of giving up and returning home. Bette listened to the scribbles coming from her own pen as she wrote down some notes onto a little pad of paper, when all of a sudden she heard a slight knock, was someone at the door? There was no voice that followed, no one spoke to seek for permission to enter, so Bette just dismissed it… returning to the sheets of work that waited in front of her. Suddenly the door cracked open, though she was too pre-occupied to notice.

“Hi.” A tender voice said.

Bette looked up and couldn’t help but beam. She couldn’t get over the fact that Tina Kennard was standing in front of her, giving her the greeting she was meant to give the blonde a little while ago.
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“Tina…” was all Bette could manage at first. Time passed and yet they were there, frozen in one beautiful moment, looking at each other, trying to decipher if this were all real. But for some reason she couldn’t bring her eyes to meet Tina’s at first, afraid that if she did she wouldn’t find anything there. But sure enough when Bette looked up she saw her fears melt away, all the feelings she kept locked up inside for the past few days came flooding back the moment she focused on Tina’s soulful brown eyes. She shook her head slightly and tried to regain some composure, “Uhm, hi… To what do I owe this honor to?”

“Well I came to see you actually.”

“Oh… in that case have a seat.” Bette cheerfully said while pointing to the chair in front of her.

Tina complied and sat in one of the empty seats facing Bette’s desk. By now Bette was beyond describing what she was feeling as some form of happiness, no this was beyond that… somehow in this particular case she knew that words couldn’t do what she was feeling any justice, in fact they didn’t even seem to apply. All the destructive and dark feelings she had been experiencing earlier, were noticeably gone, and Bette couldn’t care any less if anyone, especially Alice, would be pointing that out to her later. What mattered to her right now was that the person she wanted more than anything she could ever remember wanting, was there waiting to talk to her, and she couldn’t get over how radical a turn the day had suddenly taken. ‘This is unbelievable, Tina’s here and… look at this place, it’s like it was hit by a freakin’ tornado.’ she thought gathering the files she was working on earlier, and collectively arranging them into a neat little pile.

“Are you busy?” Tina started, as she observed the lithe brunette tidy up her work space.

“No… no… don’t mind me.” Bette assured her, before disappearing into the adjoining room to put away her articles of work. “Make yourself comfortable…

Tina shook her head and smiled. Seeing Bette there for the first time in days was like having a glass of water after treading an eternity through the desert. She knew she couldn’t see Bette, unless she could truly consider herself as free, it wouldn’t be fair to anyone. Not to her, not to Eric, and definitely not to Bette.

In no time Bette was back and again she fixed her gaze upon Tina, looking at her intently.

“Sorry about that, my office has been kind of a mess lately.”

“Don’t worry about it Bette. I guess when you compare it to the one I have it doesn’t seem that bad at all.”

They both started to giggle a bit, then in a heartbeat their laughter faded into awkwardness.

“So…” Bette began,” Tina… I know you must think I’m some kind of jerk but I want to take this opportunity to apologize for not calling you.”

“Why didn’t you?”

“I don’t know… I just figured you wouldn’t want” Um… I mean after Eric”” Bette replied a little taken aback by Tina’s question.

Tina interrupted before Bette’s ramblings got her farther off track. “Bette, Eric and I aren’t together anymore.”

“Oh.”

Suddenly it all became clear to Bette. Everything from the pre-occupied look on Tina’s face at lunch earlier, to the hesitation Bette saw in the way Tina kissed Eric. Taking into consideration the gloomy state she was in earlier, Bette just dismissed Tina’s reactions as a sign of guilt on her part, considering that for the past week Tina had spending most of her time with her” Bette, and not Eric… Taking time to kiss the art gallery owner instead of her art collecting boyfriend… but now it all made sense! Tina was there to break up with him… ‘But does she want to be with me? Oh god please let that be what she wants! PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE…’

Tina’s eyes dropped onto her lap as she continued, “And I came here to ask… I mean if you were up for it… maybe we could give this another shot.”

The office was brimming with suspense as Bette stood up from behind her desk and walked over to Tina. Dragging one of the empty chairs closer to Tina she sat herself near the blonde. She took the beautiful woman’s hand in hers and said the words that to Tina sounded like pure gold.

“Tina, I’d want that more than anything in the world.”

The worried look on Tina’s face was quickly replaced by a much brighter one as she looked up at Bette. The trouble of ending a longterm relationship wasn’t by any means easy for her, but knowing that Bette was there on the other side waiting for her, made even walking through a bed of hot coals simple. Who could resist the sight that was sitting in front of her, those succulent red lips, and those deep dark pools for eyes that Tina couldn’t help but fall into… That was the lovely Bette Porter, in all her glory, representing for Tina what one would call the whole package… Beauty, brains, personality, and sensuality all wrapped into one amazingly hot body… What more could one ask for?

Bette gave her a meaningful look, but Tina couldn’t quite grasp what it was for.

Playfully raising a brow Tina curiously inquired. “What?”

“I was wondering…”

But Bette’s words never came, instead she opted to show Tina what she wanted. Slowly she knelt down, leaned a little and took Tina in for a passionate kiss, a kiss that meant that from there on in it was just them, no person in between, no complications… Just Bette and Tina… Tina and Bette… The kiss grew more and more urgent as Tina rested a hand on Bette’s neck and Bette ran her fingers through Tina’s hair. They were lost in each other’s arms, concentrating on keeping each other satisfied, completely oblivious to the things that were going on around them… Until Tina noticed a faint ringing was coming from her purse, but as she tried to pull away Bette tightened her grasp.

“Don’t get it…” She pleaded in a small whisper.

“Maybe it’s import”” Tina argued but Bette kissed her before she could finish. They were in the middle of trying to gain the same momentum they had before, but still the phone persistently rang, breaking Tina’s concentration completely and causing her to smile into the kiss she was sharing with Bette. She tucked a strand of Bette’s hair back before getting up and answering her call.

She was halfway through searching the contents of her purse, and still the tiny phone remained elusive. When she finally found it and flipped it open she felt an arm coming from behind her, wrapping itself around her torso. She smiled as Bette gently swayed their bodies into a slow rhythm, resting her head on Tina’s shoulder, seizing the opportunity to smell the fragrance of Tina’s body and the luscious scent of berries present in Tina’s hair.

“Hello?” Tina answered and quickly realized it was her boss calling. A series of third degree questions followed: Where have you been? Do you have any idea what time it is? What have you been doing that’s so ***** important that you had to leave for three hours without telling anyone? Do you know how much perfectly good work time you’ve wasted? Do you Miss Kennard?

Tina took a deep sigh, profusely apologized for her absence and hung up. It was only at this moment that both women realized they weren’t very good in terms keeping track of the time.

“Bette I’m sorry but I have to go.”

Bette backed up and walked towards the door, letting Tina ready her things. She wanted to savor every second she had left with Tina, but she quickly realized that she would be seeing so much more of this woman soon. Tina chose her and she was going to do her best from this point onward to show Tina that she made the right choice.

“Ready?” Bette asked.

“Yeah.” Tina gave her a warm smile as Bette smoothly opened the door for her.

“When will I see you again?”

“I’ll call you.”

And with that Tina walked out of the door, leaving an ecstatic Bette by its threshold watching her as she leaves.




Now in big bold, italicized letters ……..TBC……. the fate of the next chapter is in your lovely hands…