She swallowed.

“Tina, please….”

Tina was sobbing.  “I’m trying, Sarah…”

“Just end it, Tina.”

They both were silent for a while.

Then Sarah said, “Maybe I could call whomever that is, tell that person to leave you alone…”

Tina’s voice was muffled, “We work together.”

“Drop the project.”

Tina looked up, eyes red and filled with tears.

“I can’t just drop a project, Sarah.”

“I’ll talk to William, who can then talk to whomever he needs to,” Sarah started to say.

“You know William?” Tina asked in wonderment.

“Yeah… and I have other friends, “ she continued to say.

“No… let me fix it on my own, Sarah,” Tina said, with a more determined glint in her eye.

“Fix what T?” Bette’s voice asked, saw Sarah’s hand on Tina’s back, and Tina somewhat slumped over the table.

They both turned to her in surprise.

“Bette!” they said simultaneously. “What’s happened here?” Bette asked again, looking from Tina to Sarah, and back again.

“Why are you crying?” she asked softly, bending down next to Tina.

She turned to look at Sarah, and guessed wrongly, “Did you tell her, Sarah?” with an edge.

Tina immediately responded, “No…no… Bette it’s not what you think.  But yes, Sarah did kind of tell me, and it helped clear things up.  It’s alright, all just a big misunderstanding.” She stroked the back of Bette’s hand, to calm her.

Sarah stood, and smiled at both of them.  “Look, it’s time I left for my next appointment…. let  me know if you’ll need help with anything Tina.”  She bent to kiss Tina’s cheek, which surprised Bette.  Then she walked over to Bette, and kissed her on the cheek also.  “Let me know when you can see some apartments, ok?”

She winked at them, “Still my New Year’s resolution!” Then she turned to leave the café.

Bette smiled at her, and then walked around to Tina to move Tina’s bag to the chair Sarah was sitting on, and put her own bag on it also.  She sat on the chair next to Tina.

“Why are you crying, baby?” she asked Tina, stroking her cheek.

“It’s nothing Bette. Just something at work.  Gotta take care of it.”

“But why would Sarah say she can help you?”

“Oh, maybe because she knows people in the film industry… anyway, I told her I could take care of the problem.”

They talked for a while longer, catching up with one another’s day.  Then Tina suggested they head home.

Bette smiled, “I like that we’re now spending time together at home, don’t you?”

Tina nodded, “Yeah… we haven’t been able to do much of that, or much of anything really, since moving up here.”

“Well, we’ve been busy”

“No, Bette. I should make more of an effort to be with you, baby,” Tina said, stroking Bette’s cheek.