“That is not the plot,” Carmen cuts in.

Alice keeps going, completely ignoring Carmen. “…and every time they get too close, boom…. emotional damage, physical damage, buildings falling…people almost die…”

Tina laughs into her glass.

Carmen shakes her head. “Alice, she stays married to someone else because being with him literally weakens his powers.”

Alice pauses. “…Exactly.”

“That’s not…” Carmen starts.

“They’re each other’s weakness. Like kryptonite, but sexy…” Alice looks at Tina and shrugs. “That’s you and Bette.”

Tina is fully laughing now. “What?”

Alice keeps going. “You’re like cosmic soulmates with side effects. The universe is like ‘yes, of course you belong together,’ but also ‘maybe don’t stand too close or the city might explode.”

Carmen drops her head into her hands. “What is the matter with you?”

Alice waves her off. “Okay, fine…let’s go with Greek mythology then. The Tragic lovers…what are their names….”

“Well, there are a few, but none of them have a particularly romantic ending,” Tina says, smiling.

Alice sighs. “The point is, I’ve never seen anything quite like the love you and Bette share, and I’ve been in both iterations…” She nudges Carmen and nods toward Tina. “She stole Bette right from under me, ya know?”

Carmen laughs and gasps, her mouth agape in playful shock. “Tina Kennard, you bitch…”

Tina giggles and shakes her head. “I did no such thing….”

Alice smiles and shrugs. “Alright, fine, we were already broken up, but you never know what would’ve happened if Tina Kennard hadn’t walked into the gallery that night…” She smiles and points to Tina. “And no one will ever know because you’re always gonna walk in… every lifetime, kiddo…”

Tina smirks. “Wow…I gotta tell you, I already like Tasha, but if this is the kind of effect she has on you, my vote is to definitely keep her around.

Alice smiles and holds up her glass. “Hey, you know better than anyone what being on cloud nine feels like…”

Carmen smiles. “Yeah, so back to Gigi… are you gonna find another realtor?”

Tina shakes her head. “No. She’s great at her job… and completely professional.”

Alice leans back, satisfied. “Let’s be honest, if every queer woman in Los Angeles refused to work with someone their partner slept with, this city would shut the fuck down in, like, ten minutes.”