Bette never took her eyes off Tina as she tried to find the answers the woman standing in front of her so desperately sought. The only thing that came to her mind at the moment was how wonderful those quivering lips felt against her own.

"I had to." Bette stated simply.

Tina stood motionless now, her head tilted slightly upward as she silently questioned Bette’s ambiguously terse answer.

Bette continued. "When I met you last week at my opening, I was impressed – captivated, really, with how beautiful you were. And then you spoke, and that beauty grew into something so much more. I wanted to know more about Tina Kennard. I wanted to know everything about the woman who managed to distract me from the final result of weeks of work and dedication in less than five minutes. I couldn’t let you walk away without knowing. Tina," Bette walked over slowly to her companion whose head was now hanging low.
 

She cupped Tina’s chin in her hand and raised her head until her eyes were forced to meet Bette’s. "I had to."

A trembling sigh escaped Tina’s lips and she tried to avert her eyes and focus them on anything but the woman standing in front of her. Bette released her hold on Tina’s chin and stepped back, waiting for whatever would happen next.

Silence rang through the gallery like a shrill orchestra. After a moment, Tina directed her eyes at Bette and began to tell her exactly what she was trying to tell herself.

"I want to see you. Bette," Tina clasped her hands and walked toward Bette, whose eyes had just grown into saucers. She locked her eyes on the tall brunette’s and continued. "For a week now, I’ve felt nothing. I’ve been cold and distant and I’ve just been randomly day dreaming about nothing and I never knew why. When Eric would kiss me, I could barely stand feeling his lips on mine. And I wondered to myself: What the ***** is wrong with me? Why am I suddenly so closed off? When Tuesday came around, I was so nervous. I had no idea why, Bette. None of this registered in my brain. Not the rush of warmth I got when I thought of you, not the smile that instantly appeared on my face when I hadn’t smiled all day, the fact that I thought of you at all, nothing.

"I broke up with Eric this morning, before I ever kissed you back. I broke up with him because he was nothing to me. The turn around in my feelings for him had me reeling. We made love last night and I felt nothing. Bette, I’ve never felt nothing with Eric. I even forgot he was sleeping in my bed when I woke up. I was thinking about you. This whole time, it’s been nothing but you, and it took your lips on mine for everything to click."

Tina’s eyes were almost frantic as she asked, "Who are you?"

Bette inhaled and slowly exhaled, forcing herself to breathe normally. "Would you like to find out?"

Tina nodded. "Yes. Yes, Bette, I would."

Bette now stood tall, the stress of the original confrontation was now nearly gone, and she felt almost light. "Would you like to have lunch tomorrow at a little cafe I know of? It’s small, just opened actually – The Planet. They have great coffee, and their food is divine."

Tina nodded and smiled for the first time since she was in the gallery this afternoon. "That sounds great. I think I know of the cafe you’re talking about."

"Perfect. We can meet there around twelve, if that’s alright with you."

"Twelve is good." Tina walked toward the door and opened it, welcoming the cool night breeze against her heated skin.

"Oh, and Tina?"

Tina turned around, staring into Bette’s eyes inquisitively.

"Have a good night."

Tina smiled and walked out the door, leaving Bette smiling brilliantly. She thought to herself as she exited the building that maybe everything would turn out all right.