It slowly dawned on Bette that Tina had not followed her to the beach; rather, Tina thought Bette was the one who had done the following. Realizing that her own anger had only fueled Tinas, Bette kept quiet until Tina began to wind down her rant. When Tina finally stopped to breathe, Bette looked Tina in the eyes and quietly said, I didnt follow you. I didnt know you were here. I swear it.

Tina slowly recognized Bettes change in posture and realized that she would not get the fight she was looking for. At least not right now. Taking another ragged breath, she snapped, What? What did you say?

Bette repeated her words, hoping they would have a calming affect on the irate blonde standing before her, fists clenched by her sides. I didnt follow you. I didnt know you were here. I swear it. She tried to guage the effect of her statements on Tina, and was relieved to see a lessening of the tension in Tinas body. She repeated herself once more, just for good measure.

Tina took a deep, calming breath. You didnt follow me, she stated, cocking one eyebrow in disbelief. Then WHY are you here? How could you possibly be here, if you didnt follow me?! Her voice rose a little at the end, betraying the hysteria lurking beneath the surface.

Bette took a calming breath of her own, and tried to keep her body relaxed. Or at least not aggressive. I came here on my own, trying to escape LA, as well. I did not know you were here. Trust me, if I had known you would be here, I wouldnt have stopped. This last sentence was spoken almost under her breath, with bitterness coloring its delivery.

Tina finally had to accept that Bette was telling the truth, and that their meeting was a coincidence, albeit an unfortunate one. Fine. You didnt follow me. Her ire spent, Tina sat down hard on the ground, facing out to sea again.

Bette cautiously lowered herself to the ground, as well, staying a few feet away and also facing the ocean. She had no idea what to do or say next, so she followed Tinas lead and just sat, staring off into space. After all, Ive had enough practice at it lately.

The two women remained still, struggling to figure out what came next. For two people who had spent the past thirty-six hours trying to escape reality, it was difficult to center themselves enough to even contemplate the next step.

Even in their emotional isolation, however, neither could help stealing glances at the other. They finally caught each other looking and held each others eyes. Just looking, not actively seeking, but unable to turn away.