Tina couldn’t believe KiKi’s painting. It was magnificent. KiKi said she was going to use them as inspiration but she had no idea she meant this. Tina wanted to know how Bette was feeling about it. 

Bette saw all of the colors at first. The yellows and reds and oranges struck her immediately. It was bright and vibrant. Then she saw the flecks of purple. Almost like raindrops. 

Were they raindrops, she thought. 

Two figures were intertwined in the center of the painting. Wrapped up in each other. One behind as the other leaned back. Curly, dark blue hair cascaded around them while gold hair framed the face of the shorter figure. Bette saw repetitious bold brush strokes and lush, direct, resplendent colors. It was definitely two women. Two women in love. 

But something happened. The painting went from bright yellow starting at the top left. That corner felt hopeful. The light cascaded down and it turned into a deep red as she looked toward the bottom right. The reds mixed with purple. At the very bottom right was a pool of water. 

Tears, maybe, Bette thought.

That corner felt in despair.

The brush strokes carried the eye towards the top right of the painting where all the colors exploded like fireworks. Bette looked at each corner of the painting. It was an exploration of all of that which love encompassed. It started with light and happiness. The painting then moved to the bottom left that felt more passionate. The brush strokes moved over each other faster, more erratic like a simultaneous explosive orgasm. Then it moved to devastation and up to the fireworks again. And at the center of it all were these two figures, entangled. Bette couldn’t tell where one began and the other ended. There was something very sensual about the painting. And soft and loving.

“A heart,” AJ pointed at the center of the painting.

Bette followed AJ’s tiny finger. He was right. The two hands formed a heart over one of the figure’s centers. The closer Bette looked inside of the heart, she could see the word Forgiveness was spelled out using words of love. KiKi chose words like compassion, hope, joy, love, light and kind. It was very subtle.