They all knew the days of Tina tagging along were far over. She was Bette’s person. She was one of them now. Bette made that perfectly clear to everyone tonight. They watched Tina follow Bette as she led her through the crowd and out of sight.

The car ride was quiet…expectant. Their fingers interlinked. Bette bringing them up for a kiss several times. Tina sat sideways in her seat, slipping her left foot underneath her, staring at the woman driving, playing with Bette’s hair with her free hand, tucking a loose curl behind Bette’s ear, pulling on her earlobe, running her finger along Bette’s jawline, touching the corner of her mouth, tracing Bette’s lips with her thumb and retracing her path several times. Tina had no idea the effect she was having on Bette. It was erotic. Bette drove faster.

Bette was excited about taking the next step, but it also made her extremely nervous. All kinds of thoughts ran through her mind as she pulled up to her house. What if Tina was merely going through a phase? What if she felt pressured by Bette and wasn’t ready? What if being with her was a disappointment?

They stood on opposite ends of the living room, staring at each other. Tina closest to the bedroom. Bette closest to the door. Bette looked away.

“Tee…” Bette let the words trail off.

Tina’s heart finally heard Bette’s anxiousness and saw the look on her face. She should’ve have known after all of their conversations this was a big deal for the brunette. It had been hard for Bette to open up. Tina waited.

“This is a really big step. I mean…we…we haven’t even seen each other naked yet. I’m sorry if I’ve done or said anything to pressure you in any way, to make you feel like we need to move faster. Because I can wait. I…” Bette stopped talking suddenly and exhaled.

“Baby…”

Bette smiled. Tina had recently started calling her ‘Baby’ and she loved it.

“…you are not pressuring me…at all. I’ve been thinking about this for a while. But I was scared.”

Bette’s eyes flashed up.

“I scare you? Tee…”

“Baby, nooo. Nooo. No. No. No,” Tina interrupted Bette quickly before she went off the rails.