On a journey of the heart … there’s so much to see…And when the sky is dark … You’ll be right here, right here with me …

Just as she shut her eyes, sinking deeper into the soft, sweet kiss, inexplicably, Tina felt some a few tears wet her cheeks. I’m not crying, so …. she started to pull away; their lips reluctantly unlocked.

“Bette? Honey? What’s wrong?”

Bette bit a quivering lower lip. Tina leaned her forehead against her wife’s.

“Baby?”

Bette squeezed her eyes and sighed. “It … it hurts… hurts a bit, T.”

Tina felt sadness build inside her. “Because of what I did? With Kaci?”

Bette nodded slightly. “It was just a kiss, I know.”

She blew a breath out shakily. “But … um … kissing is … it’s one of those special things between us, you know?”

“I know, Bette.” Tina felt her own tears start to fall.

Again. I hurt her, yet again. Why? Why do I do this? Why am I like this?

“Your kiss is still the most special, hottest one I’ve ever had, baby. You’ve got to believe that.”

Because their faces were so close together she felt rather than saw Bette smile.   “There’re so many things I wanna tell you. So many things I wanna promise you.” She sighed, a pain-filled sound that reverberated between them. “Why do you put up with me, Bette? Why aren’t you looking for a way out of this? I don’t understand why …. and I’m sorry that I…” She couldn’t finish. She felt another tear drop from her beloved.

“All I can say is I promise to love you every second and every day for the rest of my life with all that I have. All that I am.”

She felt Bette’s lips run lightly over her nose, skim across her brow, and brush light kisses on her cheeks, and nibble lightly down her neck, before that sexy mouth travelled up over her chin, and back to her lips again. “I believe you, baby. And I would never, never look for a way out of this because if I were to do this all over again, I would still choose you, Tina. I promise to love you every second and every day for the rest of our lives, too.”