Her mind moved forward to the next one.

Tina and Bette sat drinking coffee on her couch in the house people used to say homed the seamless WeHo lesbian couple. They talked like they’d never been hurt by one another and when the topics approached more serious territory, neither backed down or out.

“So is it serious with her then?” Tina asked, regarding the woman Bette was seeing.

“No” Bette sighed, “She’s not the monogamous type.”

Tina raised her eyebrows in shock.

“And you’re ok with that?” she asked, “You’re fine with just having meaningless sex?”

“What else is there?” Bette asked, only partially kidding.

“Bette, what the hell? You know what else there is; companionship, the willingness to comfort and be there for your partner, to trust them and share with them. What about love, Bette? Have you given up on that too?” Tina looked her ex in the eye.

“I’ve never forgotten love” Bette said, not meeting the searching face of the woman she loved. “Love gave up on me”

Before either knew, they were embracing, hugging one another. Somehow Tina understood what Bette’s words had meant, and yet she needed to hear her say them. She wanted desperately for her to be allowed to show Bette that love did exist, that it could still find them.

“Babe” Tina let the endearment slip but didn’t correct it, “Love doesn’t give up on anyone. It’s a powerful force. It’s not easily neglected” she said, subtly running her hands through the hair she missed.

Bette pulled away from the blonde’s enticing hold and stood up. She picked up Angelica from the high-chair nearby and walked into the kitchen. She paused only at the doorway.

“And yet it let you leave my side” she said, and left the room.

Bette cursed herself for not confessing then. Her mind flashed again.

“I’m going after her” Tina said quietly, as the two ex-lovers dined together.

“To New York?” Bette stopped, leaving her forkful of salad hovering midair.

Tina nodded and took a few moments, chewing the leafy greens.

“I at least want to tell her I’m sorry. Sorry that I acted the way I did towards her, never giving her the respect she required. I was cold and uncaring”

Bette shook her head, doubting the word that had come from Tina’s mouth. Bette knew that Tina was anything but uncaring in relationships.

“You’re never cold and uncaring” Bette said, finally placing her fork in her mouth and chewing.

“Not true. I treated her badly. We argued constantly after we became exclusive because I still wouldn’t name her as my girlfriend. I forgot how possessive some women can be” She joked.

Bette didn’t laugh; the fact that Tina had forgotten only outlined just how long she’d spent in that house with Henry.

Tina sat watching Bette, waiting for a way in. She probed further, hoping to elicit a reaction.

“She would say that I wasn’t over you” she lowered her head as Bette brought her own up, “It was what sparked most of the arguments, actually”

Bette was surprised but tried not to show it.

“Oh yeah?” she said, jabbing her fork at a sliced tomato, “What did you say?”

Tina pondered for a moment, considering the question. She chewed slowly, stalling the answer she was formulating.

“I said she was wrong. I fought her on it, saying she was using you as an excuse for her own insecurities. She saw threw it though. She saw through me”

Bette raised her head and looked into her eyes. There was the slightest of invitations there. She felt a waiter pass her by and the two women spoke at the same time,

“Can you bring us some more drinks please?” Bette said, her attention on the young man. She was seemingly oblivious to the fact that Tina had just said “Kate was right all along”

Bette felt her own stupidity stab at her. She’d heard Tina’s words at the time, but didn’t respond. She had feigned temporary deafness and continued to address the waiter. Tina’s admission had shocked her and she knew she couldn’t have said anything sensible at that point.

The last memory had been merely a few days ago. Next time Bette had seen Tina, she had the words ready, she had the questions she wanted to ask. Before she’d had the chance, Tina had produced her ticket to NY, rendering Bette silent and suddenly insecure.