They hadn’t taken any vacations together, since Paris. Even weekend plans had fallen through, for one reason or another.  The move to New York, and Tina’s new job in Film Features, as well as her own growing role in George’s company, had forestalled any plans they tried to make.  They didn’t expect that they would be quickly sucked into their respective professional lives once they got to New York, so much so that they hadn’t even been able to go house-hunting.  Four months after the move to New York, about the only thing they had managed to accomplish on the house front was getting Bette’s personal art collection shipped to New York from LA.  Everything else was in storage in LA.

They were paying a fortune renting a fully-furnished apartment in New York, but the midtown location, as well as the good taste of the elegant lady who was renting her apartment, along with all its furnishings, out to them, made the current arrangements the most convenient one for both of them, at the moment.

She heard the door unlock.  With some excitement, she poured a glass of red wine for Tina, then went to the freezer to set out the bowl of ice in the counter.  She was pulling the small bottle of caviar from the fridge when she heard Tina call out.

“Bette, Bette, are you home?!” a touch of incredulity in her voice.

Bette responded, still facing the fridge, “Hi T… yes.. yes, I got home early, so I passed by the Caviar House on the way home, got us a few special things for dinner tonight…”

She shut the door with her foot, while balancing several ramekins of caviar accompaniments on her hands.

Tina walked into the open kitchen area, slightly annoyed.  She grabbed the glass of wine on the counter, eyeing all the food dishes Bette had set out in the counter.

“Oh, I wish you hadn’t invited anyone over tonight, Bette.  I am just beat, really tired from everything going on this week at the shoot.”

She turned away to pad over to their bedroom.   Bette heard her bag hit the floor.

“T,” she said gently as she followed Tina to the room. “I didn’t invite anyone.  This is just for us…,” she was saying.