Breakfast. Bette had no food in the apartment,
unless you counted the half-empty bottle of vodka hidden under her bed
as food. It was this realization that galvanized Bette’s mad scramble
out her bedroom, past the living area where Tina was still dozing, and
to the kitchen.

    Tina was awakened by drawers opening and closing at
a frantic rate. She stealthily got up and approached Bette, who was
peering into a kitchen cabinet trying to conjure food with her eyes out
of thin air.

    “Bette, what are you doing?” She spoke quietly into
the back of Bette’s ear. Bette spun around, sending a wave of dark hair
to slap against Tina’s cheek. Tina stepped back, inwardly laughing.

    “Tina! You need a shower! I mean, not that you’re
smelly or anything…” Bette started laughing awkwardly, then grabbed
Tina’s hand impulsively. Not a second later and just as impulsively,
she dropped it. She visibly tried to compose herself, then started
again.

    “Would you like to take a shower? There’s soap,
shampoo and towels in my bathroom, uh, the bathroom in my bedroom. That
way.” Bette pointed to the door with one hand and smoothed back her
hair with the other.  Tina just smiled and mouthed, “Yes ma’am.”
Then out loud, “I’ll only be a minute. Try not to have a heart attack
while I’m gone, okay?” She put both hands, palms flat, on either side
of Bette’s head and slowly ran them over the loose curls. Bette stood
still, mesmerized by both the action and the glow in Tina’s eyes.

    “Then when I come out, you’ll tell me what you’re
doing, hm?” Tina added in a velvety voice. Before Bette could even
blink out a response, Tina was striding out of the kitchen, humming
lightly.

    It suddenly occured to Bette that she needed a
shower too. She looked down and winced when she saw what she was
wearing. Tina saw me in this? And she didn’t run from the apartment
screaming? Bette quickly rushed into her bedroom and retreived some
items of clothing from the closet and a towel. Then she went to take a
shower in the guest bathroom, which was so small there was barely any
room to turn around in.

    Bette rushed through her shower, wanting to finish
before Tina. The water wasn’t cold, but its trickling over her body
made goosebumps rise over her arms and legs. When she closed her eyes,
the unbidden image of Tina having the same reaction to her shower made
Bette’s knees weaken. She saw Tina’s skin slick with water, eyes closed
and mouth partly open. “***** it!” Bette burst out and shut off the hot
water. Minutes later, shivering miserably, she dried herself quickly
and put on her Monday clothes.