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Click.

A minute hadn’t even passed when the bedside lamp illuminated the room once more. A distraught-looking Tina threw the covers from her body as she jumped out of her bed and landed down unto the floor. She knelt in front of the spot where the queen chess piece had fallen and sighed. “I hate you..” She sniffled as she slowly picked up the piece and stroked it gently with her thumb. “I hate you..” She brought it to her trembling lips and kissed her queen tenderly. “I hate you..” She sniffled once more as tears started to blur her vision. Her heart felt so heavy, her body weary and her mind tired. She couldn’t stay mad at Bette.. she didn’t want to stay mad at Bette.. it was so hard and it hurt so much. The intensity of the emotions she felt for Bette Porter, may it be happiness.. anger.. lust.. irritation.. or love, overwhelmed her every being. Was her girlfriend feeling this awful tonight as well? She swallowed hard as she eyed the chess piece inside her hand.

Wanting to break up with Porter? Who the heck was she kidding? She thought bitterly, that would be emotional suicide. And Bette was right, it wasn’t a selfless act of love. It was cowardly. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand as she slowly straightened up and walked to her study table. She took a pen and a piece of paper and walked back to her bed and sat down. With shaky hands, she began pouring her heart into writing a letter. If Bette didn’t want to talk to her and hear her out, maybe a letter would suffice.

As soon as she had finished writing, she put the letter inside a simple white envelope and wrote Bette’s name in big, bold letters at the back. Clutching the Bette chess piece tightly against her chest, she crawled back under the covers and buried her head on her pillow. She cried herself to sleep that night.. and with every tear that left her hazel eyes and soaked her pillow, a pair of brown eyes in the other side of town matched every drop with equal fervor.

tbc..