After the Beginning–Tina’s Condo and Bette’s House

Bette pulled the cozy throw close around her as she snuggled down into the large armchair, feeling the warm spots where Tina had been just moments before. She smiled contently as she listened to the cooking sounds coming from the kitchen. She heard a metal clap (“spoon on the counter,” Bette thought), then a “thwack” (“lid of the tomato paste,” Bette concluded), and, finally, the opening and closing of the oven door.

Bette was paying such close attention to the kitchen sounds because she wanted Tina to come back and join her.

Bette heard a “thud” from the kitchen.

“T?”

“It’s OK, Babe, I just bumped into the stool,” Tina replied as she entered the living room and stopped, looking mischievous.

Bette caught the look and, in a questioning and warning tone, “Tina.”

Tina ignored the warning, as she was supposed to, and ran to the chair, flinging herself on top of Bette while grabbing the throw and wrapping around her own body.

“Mine!” Tina called out triumphantly.

”Then I’ll just have to go and put on more clothes to stay warm,” Bette replied while she made the motions to get up.

Tina liked Bette in her tank and yoga pants, though, so she quickly opened the throw so that it could cover them both, “You are such a cry baby.”

“And you are a sucker for my threats to get dressed.”

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On her first few visits to Bette’s house, Tina had not paid much attention to her surroundings.  She had had other, more important things on her mind.  And Bette on her mind.  Or more accurately, more important things involving Bette on her mind.

On her fourth or maybe fifth visit, Tina finally took a good look around.  She and Bette had planned to meet for lunch on Saturday and be together until Sunday dinner.  Yet when they spoke on Friday morning and asked each other about their respective days, each realized that her activities that night were just time-fillers until they could be together.  Bette finally addressed it.

“T, come over tonight.”

Tina hesitated.  They had not yet spent an entire weekend together and she feared it might be too much, too soon. She recognized that those thoughts were silly as soon as they had popped into her head.