“Well…” all eyes wondered lazily to Helena. “I should lead these discussions as, being European, well, we obviously have a more discriminating, cultured view on such a topic no, we have the poetry and the history !” She courted the groans, nothing like hostility to warm and focus an audience. Settling her laughter to assume a more serious tone, she began.

“In all seriousness, my opinions formed such as they are from my experiences, that there is as greater variety of relationships as there are to types of love itself, that it is impossible to draw conclusions on such a breadth of topic.”

“I have sough passion and found it tipped with cruelty, found tenderness and discovered it lacked courage, dabbled with indifferent and found myself wanting. I have tried opposites and similarities but never yet, what I have always hoped against hope to find, that simple “fit”, that one imagines is impossible to quantify. The love that changes and meets adversity dually, that synchronisation that makes the hardest of times workable, and the charming times; classics to always cherish.”

Helena paused, caught up with memories she pulled a pillow across herself and sank back to sip and absorb.

“Its hard enough to know yourself, let alone find another curious enough, dedicated enough to try too.” Tina mused.

“And yet, you can find those rare individuals willing, but pre-prepared with agendas you cant ever really fathom, except to say that the relationship takes more of you than it should.” Bette added “They need you, you fulfil them, and they can see beyond that, they unwittingly sponge all your resources and leave you exhausted. I think the most beautiful relationships, friendship or lover, come from a place of mutual want and nurture, and with an honest sense of, well, almost self sacrifice, empathy and compassion that illustrates their true regard for you. An awareness that allows you both to float.” Bette smiled at Tina’s feet as they stole onto her adjacent lap, wrapping her hands around them to warm them and squeezing them, she caused them to curl around her gentle administrations.

Alice began; “there is so often too, that curious soul, the one you feel such an overwhelming sense of attachment too, a connection that stupefies understanding, the one that got away. The one you think of when your most sad and aching, the voice you seek in your life. I know, I guess a lot of those end in relationships, great ones at that, but sometimes they don’t, they break down and you cant find the answers within yourself to know the why. Its like making a cake with all the best ingredients and quality of time to ensure its as you want it to be. Only to find the result, just does not work, even though you follow all the right instructions….”Alice turned and sat up, playing with the stem of her glass she continued. “How do you know what’s right, I mean really, people say you just know, but I am sure that’s just really not always true for everyone, what if your wrong and its right, or its wrong but it just feels right. There is too much supposition in relationships, a lot of fine fragrance used to cover some odious smells if you ask me.”