"What is she doing in there?" Bette wondered as she began to fidget, her nerves again creeping in just a little.  She looked at the clock again, with the "9:30" finally registering in her brain.  This was usually when Angelica nursed before bed, and Tina’s body was well aware of that fact.  Bette now understood Tina’s sudden disappearance at what had felt like quite an inopportune time.  Bette shrugged, shifting impatiently in her seat.  9:31.  "Only four and half minutes," she thought.  It felt like a fucking eternity.

As the clock turned to 9:32,  Bette continued to take small sips from her wine glass, mostly to try to keep her from staring at the clock.  She thought back to their first real night together, eight years ago.  Tina had been dating Eric when they met at Bette’s art gallery.  Even that first night, the chemistry between them had been undeniable.  Bette had never found herself interested in a straight woman before, but there was something about Tina that she just couldn’t let go of.  So she invited Tina and Eric to one of her artist dinners.  Bette tried throughout the intervening week to convince herself that she was just imagining this connection with Tina, but just couldn’t put it out of her mind.  Bette had felt like a teenager getting ready for her first date that night, and couldn’t recall the last time she had been that nervous. 

As she approached Tina that evening, she felt a wave of varied emotions overtake her heart.  Excitement, desire, and…apprehension?  No one had ever rocked Bette’s confidence the way Tina Kennard had in only a few brief minutes together, and Bette found it extremely disconcerting.  Bette’s fears calmed almost immediately when she stepped into Tina’s personal space, feeling completely at home in her presence. 

As they talked, Bette noticed that Tina had lost an earring in her hair, and reached to retrieve it for her.  Bette had never felt anything like the sparks that flew as she gently touched Tina’s hair, then her soft, delicate fingers as she returned the earring to its owner.  Bette was completely shaken by the power of that moment, but never showed it.  Or at least she hoped she hadn’t.  Worse, she had no idea whether Tina had felt anything at all in that small instant that had passed between them.  Bette walked away wondering if her feelings were one sided, or if Tina simply had a poker face that rivaled her own.