Bette clutched the phone tightly. She knew that this conversation was going to end badly. Didn’t they always end badly nowadays? She swallowed the lump in her throat and nervously looked around the bathroom. She could hear Tina on the other end – hesitant. Bette didn’t know whether it was because she didn’t know what to say or she didn’t want to say what she wanted to say. Bette put it down to the latter. They had moved so far apart lately that she was beginning to lose hope for their relationship.

Now, Senator Grisham was on the other side of the bathroom waiting for her. Bette knew that she was capable of taking things to the bedroom with one click of her finger. She wanted her, yes. But more then anything, she wanted Tina.

“I just want you to care…” Bette began, suddenly feeling extremely nervous. “Do you?”

//

Her fingers nervously ran through her wavy blond hair. She was nervous. Incapable of putting anything into words. To be honest, she was scared. Scared that their eight year relationship was slowly dying. Even though she was upset about it, Tina couldn’t help but feel anger bubbling in the pit of her stomach. What was the point of this phone call? So she could get a heads-up that Bette was going to have another affair? It made her sick to her stomach.

But as soon as Bette asked that question, Tina couldn’t help but hold her head in shame. She knew that everything bad at the moment was her fault. She couldn’t seem to help it. She felt herself falling down this black hole of despair, with no way to grab onto the edges.

She knew that she had to do something. Bette was reaching out, making the move. Now it was her turn. Tina swallowed thickly and took a deep breath. As soon as her racing heart had dropped to a relatively normal pace, she answered in a tiny whisper:

“Yes.”

// 

Had Tina not replied for another second, Bette would have hung up on her. But luckily, Tina had replied. Just from that simple word, Bette was resting her head in her hands, willing the tears away. She’d wanted to hear that Tina cared, for so long. Too long.

“Really?” Bette queried. Not in disbelief, but because she wanted to hear Tina say it again.

“Bette, I am still in love with you. Just as much as I was a year a go… or three years a go… I love you.” Tina said, her voice pleading for Bette to believe her. “I know I have been a rubbish wife lately. I guess… I don’t actually have a valid reason. I just, I just know that I love you. I have never doubted that.”

She couldn’t control it any longer. Bette crumpled. The tears that she’d tried so hard to hold back flowed freely. They ran down her caramel cheeks, leaving fresh tracks. She even attempted to block out her sobs, since the idea of Tina hearing her cry, didn’t appeal to her.

“Baby, don’t cry, please don’t cry. I love you. I hate hearing you like this.”

But those words just had the reverse affect on her.

Pretty soon she heard Senator Grisham knocking on the bathroom door. Bette struggled to compose herself, but she eventually succeeded. Now, she felt reluctant to leave the safety of the bathroom and return to Barbara.

“I’ll be right out.” Bette called back, sniffling slightly.

“Bette…” Tina whispered, drawing Bette’s attention back to their phone call. “Come home, please. Come home to me. I want to… I want to kiss you, hold you, make love to you. I miss touching you. Please.”

Bette shuddered in delight. “I’ve missed that too.”

A small smile suddenly appeared on Tina’s lips at this very simple response.

“I miss you.”

That was a long awaited reply to what Bette had said earlier, but she still accepted it. Bette smiled widely, revealing her perfect pearly whites.

“I’ll be home as soon as possible. I love you, T. So much.”

“I love you too babe.”

The call ended.

The call that saved their relationship. Just by saying a few simple words.

The End