They gazed at each other for what felt like hours.  Then Bette described her visit to Dr. Lee, and the precautions and advice he had given her. 

After which she told Tina about her work in Bangladesh, and how she was moved to then take stock of things, as well as to find a way to heal herself, from the inside out.

As Bette ended her story of the last few months, Tina asked, softly, “Is this why you’ve returned to Paris?”

Bette nodded her head.  “Yeah.  In a very real way, I realized this was the place where I was last happy, so my journey back to a healthy self had to start here.”

“Back then, I was with you, I had found my love.  This was the last place wherein I had looked forward to a bright future – with the woman of my dreams,” she smiled at Tina, lips trembling.

Tina bent towards her, and kissed the trembling lips, pillow soft, that yielded easily to Tina’s pressure.

“I love you, Bette,” she whispered, kissing the sensitive area near Bette’s ear.

“And I love you, Tina, “Bette whispered back, kissing the same spot near Tina’s ear.

They drew apart, and each sat back on their chairs, to sip the café au lait the waiter had brought over, exchanging glances over the lids of their cups.

As they finished, Bette signaled for the check. 

“How about we resume our wandering around, T?” she asked.

“Good idea, baby, “ Tina smiled.

xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Hand-in-hand, Bette and Tina consulted the walking map they were handed when they entered the Chateau.  They traced a path they could follow over the next hour or so. Rectangular paths criss-crossed the Chateau’s gardens, laid out according to a geometric plan.

Fifteen minutes into their easy walk, they found themselves entering the Colonnade, one of the groves scattered around the grounds of the Chateau gardens, from a side entrance.  Tina walked ahead of Bette, wandering around, tracing a winding path between the marble columns.  Bette smiled, and walked in the opposite direction, similarly tracing a path between the columns.  The Colonnade was circular,  so they would eventually end up meeting in one of the columns.

They peeked at each other playfully, as they walked in and out of the shadows of the columns, Bette winking occasionally at the blonde.  A group of children ran in from the other entrance, scampering to the triangular tympani built between the arcades.  One of the kids, a tow-headed boy with an impish grin, kicked a ball near where Bette was.  Bette turned smoothly towards it, and measured the distance between her and the boy.  She winked at him, then tapped the ball towards him. It arrived softly at his feet.