Tina didn’t want the moment to pass by without showing Bette she heard her.

“Baby, you scare me too. I didn’t know what it meant to be loved until I was loved by you. So, we will be scared together and keep finding ways to love each other deeper. How does that sound?”

Bette wrapped Tina’s legs around her waist and her arms around her neck. Then she hugged Tina closer and gently lifted her off of the dresser. Tina crossed her feet and held on tight as Bette carried her to the bed. Tina loved it when Bette picked her up. She turned into the nape of Bette’s neck and nibbled until she felt herself being lowered onto the bed.

She looked at the woman on top of her and smiled.

“That sounds absolutely perfect, Tee. Thank you.”

“For what, Baby?”

“For loving me.”

Bette nestled down into her spot under Tina’s chin while their limbs automatically linked together. They snuggled in each other’s arms foregoing their plans for the night. They both needed to be held.

Tina’s eyes misted over wishing they could do that now. Alice’s voice intruded her remembrances.

“Meat tagged or not, Bette was looking very fuckable that day.”

“AL!!” Tina rolled her eyes.

“What! I’m just saying…Claire isn’t an issue. She was just trying to get a Bette-notch on her belt. Before you, she would’ve succeeded too. She’s just Bette’s type…well…used to be…you know…before you. Now, no one is her type but you.”

Tina calmed down a bit.

“Describe her.”

“What?”

“What does Claire look like?”

“Ummm…I mean…”

“Bette said she was a beautiful blonde bombshell.”

“She said that? Yeah…yeah…yep…I’d say that’s a fair description. But who really wants a model hitting on them?”

“Fuck you, Alice,” Tina said again before she hung up.

“Hello? Tee? Ya there?” Alice stared at the phone. “Ok…I deserved that.”

Alice sent Kit, Shane and Dana an emergency text telling them to meet at The Planet in an hour.

***

Bette opened the door to an empty house. She looked around. Everything was just as she’d left it with no signs of Tina present. The quiet was deafening. Bette was glad to be home even though it hadn’t felt like her home since Tina went to Vancouver. Bette laughed. She thought it was funny how she framed that in her mind. ‘Tina went to Vancouver’ as if she’d gone on a long weekend trip or something. No, Tina didn’t just go to Vancouver. She fled to Vancouver. There was a big fucking difference.