‘What do I say next?’ Bette thought as she gingerly reached for the doorknob and proceeded to press the door back into its frame. It was late in the afternoon and Bette couldn’t quite believe what was happening. She was inside Tina’s office and she knew from the moment she stepped in, that it was going to be a different place, with different sights and surroundings. Everything felt so far off from the world she was used to dwelling in that part of her felt like she was giving up control. From where she was standing everything seemed so fragile, so fast paced and neurotic, as if one tiny crumble in the foundation would cause the entire empire to fall into shambles, and knowing that Tina was part of what was keeping that empire together made Bette’s attraction towards her grow even more powerful.

‘Her work is so unlike her…’ Bette deduced after noting the strong points of Tina’s personality, her warmth… her charm… and her gentle demeanor, somehow it all didn’t equate to the cut-throat business that Tina so expertly thrived in. ‘But then again who am I to talk?’ she reasoned, thinking that her type A personality and take charge attitude weren’t exactly the perfect blend that was usually required of people who worked in the laid back world of art. Deafening silence filled the room, and she stood there for a while until Tina got up from behind her desk and motioned for an empty chair in front of her.

“Have a seat.”

Tina was looking expectantly at her and somehow Bette couldn’t help but feel a little disarmed, the truth was she didn’t know what she was doing there. Sure she rehearsed everything she wanted to say to Tina on her way over, everything from explaining her behavior last night down to the exact point of delivery and segway to use just in case the conversation went horribly wrong. But now seeing Tina in front of her smiling that inviting smile of hers, just made her mind completely draw blank, ‘So much for chivalry…’ Bette thought as she opted to stall for a while until she finally had something substantial to say:

“I came here to see you actually…” Bette said smiling as she took tentative step forward.

‘Really?’ Tina thought, feeling her palms get sweaty. Suddenly the room was getting a bit too hot for her and she half wondered whether Bette’s presence had anything to do with it, ‘Well I was fine just a minute ago…’ she thought letting a faint trace of a smile tug across her lips, as she walked over towards the other side of the room to crack open a window.

“What about?” Tina said over her shoulder trying to get the window unhinged.

“Well it’s about the”” Bette suddenly stopped talking when a gust of wind rushed into Tina’s office, taking with it several sheets of paper off the desk, and scattering them all over the floor.

“Oh *****!” Tina cursed, quickly moving to close the window as she saw Bette kneel down to pick up the remnants of her work, that were haphazardly dispersed all throughout the room. “Here, let me help you…”

Tina knelt down beside Bette completely unaware of how close their bodies were to each other. “Tina it’s okay things like this happen…” Bette said smoothly, as she picked up one of Tina’s drafts and placed the sheet alongside the rest of the papers she had collected.

“Here.” She handed the papers over to Tina, inadvertently touching their fingers together, sending a small surge of electricity all the way down to her spine. If only she could’ve found the strength soon enough to look into Tina’s eyes, she would’ve seen that Tina felt it too. Instead Bette let her fingers linger on Tina’s skin, tracing the delicate bones of Tina’s wrist, her touch was soft and simple, yet sensual enough to elicit a small gasp to come forth from the blonde’s mouth.

‘What is she doing to me?’ Tina thought, barely having enough time to focus as she felt Bette’s fingers leave her hand and make their way onto her lips, yet again tracing an invisible outline only she could see. Tina patiently waited as Bette slowly leaned in and finally brought their lips together. All of a sudden the silence around them was no longer deafening, instead it just served as the perfect backdrop for the beautiful moment they unexpectedly found themselves in. Tina no longer cared about the terrible day she had just experienced, all of that became irrelevant, for somehow she felt there was a reason for everything”

‘What was that?’ Tina quietly wondered, thinking that she heard something. As painful as it was she pulled herself away from Bette and asked:

“Did you hear that?”

Bette looked at her with such wanton desire but she quickly caught herself and replaced her expression with a smile, “Hear what?”

“That…” Tina said as she stood up and straightened out her clothes.

Bette listened around, searching for any sound that would catch her hearing. She got up and tried to regain her composure, “I think it’s coming from over there.” she replied, pointing towards the large stack of files on top of Tina’s desk.

Tina shifted her eyes towards the place Bette had just indicated, trying to make sense of as to why her files suddenly had the ability to produce sound. ‘The phone!’ she realized, scrambling over to her desk and digging under the piles of paper to pick it up.

Bette finally sat herself down onto the chair that Tina so graciously offered to her a while ago, she effortlessly crossed her legs and fixed her gaze upon Tina, ‘Beautiful…’ she thought as she observed Tina talking to someone over the phone, the rich colors of dusk falling across her body, as if to paint her in accordance to the warm tinge of the afternoon. A painting… Bette realized that’s what Tina was, and at that very moment… only she had the pleasure of viewing such a magnificent sight.

Tina finished her conversation over the phone in two minutes flat, her deadline was extended, and she let a sigh of relief wash over her entire body. She walked around her desk and sat herself onto its edge, directly in front of Bette, a broad smile settling itself across her face. Today had been such a roller coaster ride for her, and she was happy that Bette was there to offer a sense of clarity. She wanted” no needed to be around Bette. ‘But how?’ she thought as she searched the recesses of her mind. The answer came almost instantaneously, but courage took quite some time to follow.

“Bette…” Tina shyly began as she mindlessly let her hand graze across the table’s surface.

“I was kind of wondering if you would like to join me for dinner tonight…”


TBC soon… I hope…