Bette let out a sigh. “Well…I met Andrea about two years ago at an art gallery, believe it or not.”

Tina raised an eyebrow. “Did she “lose” an earring?” Tina smirked.

“No…she didn’t lose her earring.” Bette eyed Tina. “Her bracelet got tangled in her hair and I untangled it.”

“And Alice said what I did was the oldest trick in the book,” Tina murmured under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing, please continue.”

“Did you actually think I that I thought you lost your earring by accident…after all this time?” Bette chuckled.

Tina blushed at the memory. “Yeah, well…you were saying about about Andrea.”

Bette took a sip of wine. “I met her at an art gallery in New York. I had some time before a meeting and I was in SoHo and there was a Catherine O…” Bette trailed off.

“What? Please don’t tell me…Catherine Opie? What is it with you with Catherine Opie and rescuing jewelry?”

She stared at Tina.

“Bette…Bette?”

“What? Sorry…I’m sorry this is just too weird. Andrea was working for Walker Films. She was in accounting, but had always wanted to be…in development. I’m sorry. Shit…why didn’t I see it before?” Bette closed her eyes. “All the similarities…I told Alice she didn’t know what she was talking about and she tried to point it out to me.

“Bette…what are you talking about?” Tina untucked her legs and sat up. “Are you okay?”

“I started dating Andrea because she reminded me of you. But I really didn’t need any reminders because I had them still…buried deep within me.” Bette stood. “I’m starting to get a little tired. Is it okay if we continue this some other time?”

Tina stood. “Sure. I’ll walk you upstairs and make sure you have everything you need.”

Bette nodded and followed Tina inside. They walked quietly upstairs. Tina walked Bette to her room. “Do you need anything? I have some books in the bedside table if you need something to read.”

“Thank you. I think I’m going to call Kit and let her know that I was in the hospital. I don’t want her finding out from James in case she decides to call the school.” Bette turned to Tina. “It is okay if I let her know about you?”

“Yes, that’s fine. In fact, tell her I said hello.” Tina smiled.

“Okay. Goodnight then.”

“Goodnight, Bette.” Tina stood in the hallway. She watched the door closed. She heard the click of the door. Tina made her way back to deck. She cleared the table and brought the dishes inside. She loaded the dishwasher and walked back to the deck and looked up at her bedroom windows with the lights still on. She took a sip of her wine and listened as the waves crashed in the distance. The sounds soothed her as it always did. Whenever she felt troubled she always sought the beach, the waves washing away her troubles.

Bette waited until she saw Tina lean on the railing. She watched the blonde sip her wine. A gentle breeze slightly ruffled the blonde locks. “Tee, where did we go wrong?” she whispered before moving away from the windows. Bette walked to the bed. She opened the drawer on the bedside table and pulled out a book that looked interesting. A corner of a picture frame hidden underneath a magazine caught her vision. She pulled the frame from underneath the magazine. Her breath caught in her throat. It was a photo of the two of them that was taken at one of the many family barbecues they had hosted. Bette was lounging on a lounge chair with Tina leaning back against her between her legs. Their hands entwined and their eyes closed, both savoring the feel. Bette had often wondered what had happened to the photo and now she knew. Bette walked back to the window. She pressed her hand on the glass as she looked down at Tina. So close and yet so far. She thought.

tbc