Morning breakfast at The Planet was the usual rowdy, perverse conversation that started most mornings with us. Alice was once again attempting to pry my last night’s conquest out of me, with no success. Bette and Tina were in a playful mood across the table, feeding each other bits of muffin and whispering in each other’s ears. Dana was trying not to look miserable while also joining Alice in her fishing for information. Marina had even sat down to join us, sitting back with a smile on her face as she watched the antics of Bette and Tina. As normal as the whole thing was, I kept feeling very unsettled. For the life of me, I couldn’t put my finger on what was unsettling, or why I felt that way, but for the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel at ease with the ladies around the table. I excused myself from the table and headed into the bathroom. I stepped inside, made sure it was empty, and went to put my hands on the counter, leaned forward, closed my eyes, and took a few deep breaths.

“Is everything OK?”

I snapped my eyes open and looked at Bette in the mirror.

“It’s all good.”

Bette nodded, but said nothing. She let the door close behind her, and went to lean on the counter next to me. I turned my head to look directly at her. She held her hands up.

“I’m not saying anything. I’m just asking how you’re doing.”

I smirked and shook my head, looking down at the counter.

“I’m good… really…”

“Are you repeating yourself for my benefit or yours?”

Again, I smirked, “Honestly? I’m not really sure.”

She reached out and rubbed my back for a moment. Then, as if making a decision, she patted my back and stood up, and headed to the door.

“Hey Bette?”

She turned and looked at me through the mirror.

“Can I come round tonight? You know, do dinner like we used to?”