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There Is No If – 2
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Even from where she stood she could see them. The fairer woman bent close to the one with dark curly hair, sharing a joke, or something else, something she was not privileged to know. Fair-toned arms stretched out, over the chair of her companion, a casual yet intimate stance that nobody would dare to intrude on.
From across the room she could feel pangs of wistfulness, envy. She knew she should divert her attention to something — anything — else. She shouldn’t break boundaries, she shouldn’t keep watching a slice of life that she was not a part of.
And yet.
Tina and Angelica looked up from their private joke as Bette approached the table. Angelica brightened, a stark contrast to her mother’s own expression.
"Hi." Bette greeted, as the fair woman moved away from her dark-haired companion, leaning back in her seat. "Can I sit?"
Tina looked at her.
Angelica proudly showed her Mama B the latest toy she’d been able to convince her mother to get: a stuffed monkey whose exaggeratingly long arms gave the impression of a hug. "Monkey."
"That’s right," Bette said brightly, smiling at her daughter. Okay, she was purposely being obtuse in ignoring the cool disposition of Tina, but what was she supposed to do? Ignore her daughter?
"What are you doing here?" Tina finally asked.
Bette glanced at her. "Having a mid-afternoon snack."
"In the middle of a workday?" Tina asked skeptically.
"You’re not at work either," Bette pointed out.
"And this isn’t The Planet," Tina blurted out. "You don’t have any reason to be here, so clearly someone told you I’d be here and you decided to come by."
Bette looked at her. Busted. "I wanted to see you."
Tina shook her head. "That’s not how it works."
Bette glanced at Angelica, who was mercifully very much distracted by her new stuffed monkey. She turned back to Tina. "You can’t tell me that you’re still in love with me and expect to leave it at that."
"You’re with someone else. You’re the one in a relationship. I thought I was being clear in telling you that exactly because I still have feelings for you that I can’t be around you." Tina retorted.
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Lword’s screenplay has never been as nice and deep as your stories..Thank you for quick updating!
Awww man, no fair. I want more.
Tiff another great chapter.Bette can’t have things both ways.Let Tina move on or make a play for her.
Oh Boy! This was a great one. Yeah, the whole cake and eating it thing. Can’t be stringing two people along for very long I suppose. Well, Bette needs to make up her mind. She can hope that Tina will wait for her (which isn’t likely), or she can take a chance at love and make some changes, as well as do the work to be a couple. GOOD STUFF! You are a cleverly, talented writer Tiff. Thanks.
that was just, god that was fantastic. im so loving this. i loved alice, that is so where to hit bette. thx
Oh Bette, for a woman who makes tough decisions every day in her job, you’d think that she could make one right one in her personal life! This is truly an outstanding story. Please update soon?
Bette obviously can’t take the idea of Tina moving on. But then, Tina’s effectively said she can’t take Bette and Jodi either, so… Seems to me like what they both need is distance, time, and for Bette to get her head out of… Hmm. I won’t complete that. Great chapter, tiff, looking forward to the next. Thanks
well bette, lol-pps
You are the Mistress of Bette and Tina. You, Seahurst, Giasony, Just Keep Swimming and Skipton are the first authors that spoke to me when I first started reading FF. No disrespect to other authors that I have come to know and love. (Linbooks, Rau, Jwet, Jobadge, Allyemeyerson, Gumby…) No offense to any I have left out and there are more… Still you see and say things the way I feel them…damn…As long as you write, I will read… Thank you…please post soon.
I love how Alice is pushing both Bette and Tina’s buttons. Maybe this will push them into the right direction.
This is good and Alice know how to get them to play in her game lol!
Wow, you know, I don’t think Bette would be able to handle it. I think Tina did such a classy thing, removing herself from the situation, and Bette is just dragging her back in. Bette should have the good sense to stand up, go do what she needs to do with Jody and end this nonsense.
Great job! It is nice to see Bette and Tina with more “real life” conversations. Bette is so brilliant with everything except knowing her own feelings…Hope we get an update soon .
Ohh man, I totally see where you are getting this because its very much like the show. Minus the honesty. However, it makes me kind of hate Bette. She can’t have her cake and eat it too. I can’t understand why she doesn’t realize that her relationship with Jodi is so lame, dead end, and she is submissive as hell in it. Why she is hanging onto the relationship when she clearly has issues with Tina is frustrating.
This is one of the best stories I’ve read on this or any site. Full of emotion. Evocative. Words to convey appropriate levels of praise are escaping me. And I’m not often speechless! Thank you for writing it. I eagerly anticipate a continuation at your earliest convenience!
i find their honesty refreshing…bette really needs to make her mind, she can’t have her cake and eat it too…tina was pretty clear, it’s either her or jodi but bette seems to be hesitant to leave jodi, i wonder why? can’t wait for more…
good for tina!!! Alice is amazing in this and so right on about bette being able to here about tina’s date!!! yeah for alice!
Bette is not being fair! Tina laid her cards on the table so it’s time for Bette to try and win her back or let her move on. Can’t have your cake and eat it too!
At least here we know where Angelica is. She’s not off roaming around. XD
What I really love about your stories is the careful and realistic way things unfold. It’s torture, but it navigates emotional ebbs and flows in ways that rings true. You can string me along any old time. Thank you.
hiya tiff…one question…do you bottle and sell dialogue-writing skills on e-bay? Cause I’d be happy to send some PayPal your way! Seriously….I love how Alice is playing the situation. Tina is infuriatingly stubborn….but I suppose in reality that’s the healthiest way to be in this situation. And the old ultimatum….leave her and have me is probably not the smartest tack. oooh…am salivating for more! thanks for posting!
Damn, your doing a great job with this. All of it. Its unfortunately so typical of Bette to think she can have it all. She never really stops to see the whole picture. Tina lays it all out for her, she had two choices its very simple. Tina still loves her, wants nothing more than to be with her, but if can’t be as a couple then, it can be nothing at all. Hello Bette, remember you went to Yale, get a friggin clue. Love how Alice keeps pointing out the obvious.
as always Alice saving the day..lol.. great as always tiff.. bring it on more..
yeah right Alice…pps
Hello tiff_duke, I have been reading this story since you first started it and I must tell you that your emotional reservoir is so very deep. The complexity and layering that you are putting these two through is just so heart stopping and vibrant. I for one feel that Tina does in fact need to move on and separate herself from Bette, only if she really wants to move on… right now with her feelings and emotions so exposed, the feeling I’m left with is nothing more then emotional manipulation from her. She drops this huge bomb on Bette, something she should have done before she naively pushed Bette to Jodi in the first place… if she would have been honest in the first place these additional emotional complexities would not be as complicated, she willingly allowed herself and Bette to become more and more attached to these false senses of security, Bette’s her willingness to find in Jodi what she only sees in Tina and Tina’s belief that she was pushing Bette towards what made her happy, all Tina needed to do was really look into Bette’s eyes to see the truth. Also the involvement of Alice is just as manipulative, who is she to even think she has any right to interfere with this relationship, she isn’t the patron saint for lonely souls, she is no different then Bette, only instead of breaking up her own home she broke up someone else’s, and unfortunately maybe I’m naïve but with Bette being a pretty low key person when it comes to the intimacies within her relationships, when has she opening talked about her sex life with Jodi, I haven’t seen it, and I’m sure that she really hasn’t done this because she values her privacy so to start and make Bette jealous just goes to show what kind of friend she is dealing with, one that at this point in time isn’t worth a second thought. I do think that it is nice that Helena is providing herself as a shield for Tina, it is honorable an all but once again she should now her place… Tina is an adult… grow a back bone and get this set straight and stop using your daughter as a shield… all these encounters she has used her daughter in someway to deflect from herself, and unfortunately so has Bette but not as a catalyst, but as an end result. I too want to see Tina’s reaction to the misinformation she could get from Helena… cause maybe hmmmmm Bette is breaking it off cause she realizes that her heart, soul and love only belong to her soul mate, and how is Bette going to feel when someone comes attacking her without even realizing what is what… they don’t seem to be able to actually just ask a question without assuming the worst case scenario, both of them… or maybe when Helena gives Tina the kiss that Bette addressed her with… maybe Tina takes it as a sign that Bette is letting her go and well takes it the wrong way… Angelica is the only adult here I tell you :P You are absolutely amazing, Sincerely, JC