“What are you talking about?”*

“Bette. She’s with Sarah now. Once people start dating, they don’t have time for friends anymore. Everything changes.”

Jaylyn followed her gaze to the window, then looked back at Tina with a knowing smirk. “Oh, honey.”

“What?”

“You’re jealous.”

“I am not jealous. I’m just… concerned about our friendship.”

“You’re jealous because the girl you’re in love with is kissing someone else.”

“I am not in love with Bette!” Tina’s voice rose, then she immediately lowered it. “That’s ridiculous. We’re friends. Best friends. That’s it. And I’m not gay”

“Uh-huh. And that’s why you look like someone just ran over your dog.”

“I do not look like… This is stupid. I’m not having this conversation.”

“Tina, it’s okay to…”

“No.” Tina’s voice was firm. “No, it’s not okay. And it’s not true. Bette and I are just friends. Period. End of story.”

But even as she said the words, even as she forced herself to go back outside and smile and pretend everything was fine, Tina couldn’t stop thinking about that kiss. Couldn’t stop imagining what it would feel like if Bette looked at her the way she’d looked at Sarah

And that night, lying in bed alone while the party noise died down outside, Tina finally admitted to herself what she’d been trying so hard to deny.

She was in love with her best friend. She was in love with a girl

And she was terrified

(End Flashback)

“Tina?” Jaylyn’s voice pulled her back to the present. “You okay? You looked like you were a million miles away.”

“Just thinking about the past,” Tina said quietly. “About how blind I was to my own feelings.”

“And now?”

“Now I see everything clearly. Maybe too clearly.”

“That’s what scares Bette, you know. The clarity. She’s afraid you’re seeing what you want to see instead of what’s really there.”

“And what do you think?”

Jaylyn smiled. “I think you’re both idiots who have been in love with each other for twenty plus years and are too scared to admit it. But I also think that if anyone can figure this out, it’s you two.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I’m always right. It’s one of my most annoying qualities.”

As they continued planning late into the evening, Tina felt something she hadn’t felt in months: certainty. She was done being scared. Done letting fear make her decisions.