“Why not buy it, and give it to Tonya for a wedding gift?”  He offered and Dana‘s eyes lit up, she grabbed him and
hugged him.  He laughed and she giggled,
she almost kissed him and he blushed as she pulled away.

          “That is the most wonderful idea
I’ve ever heard!”  Gale nodded, thinking it was a great present
to give to someone you loved.

          “I do try.”  He said with a roll of his eyes, and added.  “My wife says I’m the most romantic straight
man she’s ever met.”  Dana grinned, almost jumping out of her skin.

          “I’m so happy that you came…”  Candace said, she and Bette were in her kitchen and Candace was cooking for Bette.  Tina was out of town for two days, and Bette had been there the moment that she knew Tina was on the plane.  They had never left the house, instead staying
in, cooking, watching mindless TV, and making love in every corner of the
house.

          “I’m happy to be here.”  Bette said softly, playing with her wedding ring.  She had wanted to take it off, but she could
not bear to part with it.  Her heart was
conflicted her mind was steadfast.  She
was at a loss as to how to deal with herself any longer, so she didn’t.  She led two lives, the life with Tina, and the life with Candace when she could get away.  She twisted the gold band, her jaw set in
indecision.

          “Are you all right?”  Candace asked, watching her as she flipped the pancake and Bette smiled, nodding.

          “Uh huh.  I am I’m more than all right.”  Bette said, admitting it aloud for the first time in the
four months that this affair had been going on. 
She closed her hand, staring at the ring and taking in a long haggard
breath.  Things had started to be ‘all right’ when she had realized after Provocations, that
she was falling in love with Candace, and she was out of love with Tina.  How
had they gotten to that point in their lives that they were on parallel tracks
of the same life?  Living together, but
not really living together.  They were a
shadow of their former relationship, and not all of it was her doing.

          “So talk to me, about anything?”  Candace offered up and Bette sat back in the chair, taking on a very Shane like look.  She was wearing a tank top that was dark blue
and showed off her stomach.  She would
never wear this around Tina, but around Candace was a different story all together.  She felt liberated with her, not bound down
by the constraints of a relationship, even though they were really beginning
one.  In the shadows, but a relationship
nonetheless.