Beep.

“Why didn’t you answer the phone?” Tina asked Dana, who shrugged.

“I-I just didn’t want to.”

Alice nodded and in a flash was on her knees grabbing one of Dana’s feet and sticking a hand in her shoe. Dana jumped in surprise. “Hey–A-Al, what are you doing!”

Alice poked her head up from beneath the table, looking at Tina and Shane. “Guys, you’ve got to feel this, her feet are freezing!”

Both Tina and Shane laughed as Dana ripped her foot from Alice’s grasp. “I do not have cold feet. I-I’m here for Tina.” Dana then turned to Tina, it now being her turn to change the subject. “By the way, why did you look so scared when the phone rang?”

“Because it might have been Bette, duh.” Alice said, getting up off the floor and sitting in the chair across from Tina.

“Would that have been such a bad thing?” Dana asked, looking at the other three girls.

Tina shrugged. “I don’t know.”

“Well, it’s not like you would have answered her anyway T.”

“Why not?” Dana looked from Alice to Tina.

“You know, she kept me up all night because of you.” Alice stated and then yelped when Shane kicked her in the shin.

“What are you guys talking about?”

Tina glared at Alice while Shane said, “Nothing. Forget it Dane.”

“No come on, tell me.”

The three women remained silent for a few minutes before Tina finally sighed and relented. “Alice is referring to the first time Bette and I broke up.”

“You and Bette broke up before? How come I didn’t know?”

“Well, it was before we met you.”

“God that was some night.” Alice said shaking her head as her memory traveled back to that night so long ago.

“Tina, are you okay to talk about this?” Shane asked, placing a hand on Tina’s arm.

Tina nodded. “It’s okay.” Turning to Dana, she said, “Bette wasamazing. She had completely swept me off my feet. We were so in love. Bette and I had been dating pretty solidly for about eight months–”

“Which was a triumph all it’s own for Bette, considering she never, ever made it past the six-month mark with any girl.” Alice cut in.

“We had some rough days after the six month markdays where I could have swore that whenever she got in her car, she wasn’t going to come back. But she always did. The possibility of commitment was scaring her a lot.” Tina sighed. “But she almost never showed it.”

“Until that night.”

Tina nodded. “Yeah. Until that night.”

“What happened?” Dana whispered, completely enthralled.

“Well, Bette had another opening at her gallery” Tina put an elbow on the table and rested her chin in her hand, her eyes glazing over as she began to tell the story

To be continued…