Bette had been stressing over the opening at the Museum of Modern Art all week and she was completely exhausted. It was Thursday night about ten oclock and Bette was finally satisfied with how things were going to turn out tomorrow. She had spent all day going over the plans for the opening with the current director of the MoMA and she had to fight him tooth and nail for most of the things she wanted to do. He was a pretty hip and popular guy in the art world but Bette was leagues ahead of him in terms of creativity and style. Bette took a cab back to the hotel that she was staying at and decided to head to the lounge for a drink before going upstairs. She was by no means a big drinker, but once in a while she did enjoy a glass of wine after a hard day at work. Bette entered the bar area at the Plaza and was immediately pleased that it was not crowded. She took a seat at the far end of the bar and after the bartender gave her the glass of chardonnay she asked for she walked over to one of the tables and sat down, letting herself completely relax into the chair. She sat there sipping her wine slowly as she tried to unwind from the horrific day she had. Bette could feel how tense her back and shoulders were and the first thing she was going to do when she got back to LA was book a massage at the spa she goes to. Bette sighed to herself as she thought about Tina and the baby. Tina was in her seventeenth week now and Bette figured she must have developed a little belly by now. Bette smiled to herself as she thought about how cute Tina must look right about now.

Bette looked around and saw that like herself most of the people there were in business suits and they all appeared to be relaxing after a hard day just like herself. Bette saw a group of middle aged men discussing something apparently very funny and she rolled her eyes when she realized they were talking about some girl one of the guys met. Just like men, she thought as she looked around again and smiled to herself when she saw a man and a woman who were apparently either dating or having an affair. The man kept looking around and Bette half expected someone to come waltzing in looking for the woman. Bette scanned the room a little more and stopped when her eyes fell on a woman sitting at a table in the corner of the room. Bette was captivated by this womans beauty and she couldnt seem to avert her eyes from the dark haired beauty in front of her. The woman was sitting by herself and drinking a glass of soda mixed with something and Bette could see from where she was sitting that this woman didnt look happy either. Bette immediately wanted to know why this woman looked so sad but then chastised herself for being concerned with a complete stranger. Bette looked at the gorgeous features that the woman possessed and she felt a chill run through her body. The woman looked up at that moment and Bette had to quickly avert her eyes so the woman wouldnt think she was staring at her. Bette felt herself blush a little and decided she should finish her drink and go upstairs. Bette reached for her glass and turned slightly to see what the woman was doing and she took a deep breath when she realized the woman was walking towards her. Bette got a good look at the nicely shaped figure walking her way and Bette mentally kicked herself for even checking her out. The woman stopped near Bette and smiled at her as if to ask permission to sit down. Bette returned the smile with one of her own and motioned for the woman to join her. The woman sat down across from Bette and Bette felt herself grow extremely nervous.

Images of everything that happened after Tina found out about Candace flashed before her eyes and Bette knew better than to even let herself think that way about this woman, but there was something about her that Bette couldnt turn away from. Bette wasnt lusting after her or desiring her so much as she was totally intrigued by this woman. Bette had to know more about her and she felt a certain vibe from her that Bette knew all too well. The woman smiled sweetly at Bette and Bette was very glad she was already sitting because she would have been on the floor in two seconds flat from her knees giving out on her. Bette took a long sip of her wine and peered at the woman over her glass. She appeared to be about Bettes age, maybe a little younger, with shoulder length black hair and lightly tanned skin. She had the most intense eyes Bette had ever looked into and Bette was so lost in them she didnt hear the woman speaking.

Hi.

Im sorry?

Hi Im Annie.

Bette.

Nice to meet you.

Same here.

Bette could feel traces of her old self coming back and she had to consciously make an effort NOT to flirt with this woman. Woahokay what is going on here? Its just a little harmless conversationIm not doing anything wrongright? Bette smiled at the woman again and took another sip of wine, not really knowing what to say. At that moment her cell phone rang and Bette breathed a sigh of relief. Saved by the bell. Bette reached into her bag and pulled out her phone to find Tinas cell number on the ID. Bette almost picked it up but then stopped herself. She didnt want to talk to Tina in front of this woman because she didnt want to sound nervous over the phone. She let it go to voicemail and the Annie gave her a strange look as Bette threw the phone back into her bag. Annie took another sip of her drink before looking at Bette curiously.

Youre not from around here are you?

Is it that obvious?

Well you just dont seem the New York type.

Im from Los Angeles actually.

Im from San Francisco, out here on businessyou?

Yeah.

Silence fell over them again as Bette sat there and tried to comprehend the situation. It wasnt like she didnt know how to talk to a beautiful woman, after all she had been doing it for years, but for some reason Annie made her nervous. Bette gave her a small smile again and this time it was Annies cell phone that saved the day. Annie picked it up and excused herself for a second while she took the call. Bette was trying not to listen in but she couldnt help it. From what she could tell Annie was talking to her significant other and Bette breathed another sigh of relief. Thank god she is already takenbut then why did she join me for a drink? Bette wondered as she watched Annie smile and speak lovingly into the phone. She had a soft voice and it reminded Bette a little of Tinas voice. Bette felt the guilt wash over her for not taking Tinas call and she made a mental note to herself to make sure she pampered Tina when she got back to LA. Annie hung up after a few minutes and took her seat back at the table. She flashed Bette a megawatt smile before speaking.

So what business brings you all the way to New York?

An opening at the Museum of Modern Art.

Are you an artist?

No, Im the director of the CAC, the California Art Center, and I was asked to help with this opening as a favor.

Very Impressive.

What about you? What brings you out here?

Im a neurologist and we had a conference out here at Johns Hopkins.

Wow.

Bette didnt really know what to say because she didnt know much about neurology, so she turned the conversation to more general topics.

How do you like New York?

Its fun for a few minutes then it gets too hectic. At least in San Francisco everything may be crowded but it makes sense. Here people just go nuts. Julie hates it.

Julie?

My girlfriend. Shes a pediatric nurse and she hates it when she has to fly out here for conferences.

Oh.

Annie smiled shyly at Bette and Bette got the sense that she might have thought Bette would be freaked by the fact that she was *****. On the other hand, Bette did invite her to join her so Annie had to get some vibe that Bette swung that way also. Bette relaxed a little and decided that since it was clear this was not about ***** that at least she could enjoy her conversation with Annie.

So what about you?

What?

How do you like New York?

I love it. But I hate being away for so long, Ive been here for two weeks already.

Wow. I could never stay away that long.

Yeah. And my wife, Tina, shes pregnant and I guess Im just worried about her.

Im sure shes fine.

Yeah.

Bette smiled at Annie again but this time it was a more genuine smile. Annie seemed like a very nice person who was very easy to talk to and Bette ended up talking with her almost all night. They traded stories about falling in love and getting through the hard times with the women in their lives, and Bette realized they had a lot in common. Annie was not as dominant in the relationship as Bette was, but she seemed to have an understanding about a lot of Bettes fears and worries when it came to Tina. Annie seemed to understand the type of person Bette was and how she lived her life, and Bette felt safe telling Annie about her father and how hes played a big part in her becoming the person she was today. Bette felt herself opening up to this stranger and she couldnt believe the things she was telling her. They talked about love, they talked about life and they talked about the future and what was to come. Annie never made Bette feel stupid for voicing her fears and she seemed to know how to make Bette see the other side without making her edgy. Annie had a confident sense of self and she spoke with such ease and grace that Bette found herself constantly trying to turn the conversation back over to Annie just to hear her talk.

Annie told Bette about her relationship with Julie and how they had been together for five years. Bette laughed when Annie told her about the stupid things they would do together and it reminded her a lot of her and Tina. Annie told her about the fights they would have about the smallest things only to have it escalate into something much bigger and Bette really understood exactly what she was talking about. They had one of those amazing conversations that you can only have with a stranger, but you don’t feel like you’re talking to a stranger. Bette felt connected to Annie somehow and she was surprised at how comfortable she was. She wasn’t flirting with her or even having sexual thoughts about Annie, she was just purely enjoying this lovely woman’s company. It was well into the wee hours of the morning when they both retired to their rooms, and after thanking her for keeping her company, Bette invited Annie to the opening tomorrow night. Bette got back to her room and glanced at the clock. It was four thirty in the morning, which meant it was one thirty in LA and Bette thought it was too late to call Tina. She crawled into bed and soon fell fast asleep hoping that nine oclock would take its time in coming around. When Bette woke up that next morning she was thankful it was Friday and she would get to fly home tomorrow. She grudgingly got into the shower to start her day and she braced herself for the event later that night. Bette didnt know that Tina was boarding a plane at LAX at that very moment waiting to surprise her later that night. Bette got dressed and flew out of the hotel since she was already late in getting to the museum and she prayed that tonight would fly by and she could go back to bed. Yeah right.