“Who says I’m gonna be
sleeping anytime tonight sugar.”  Sam
shot back and Lara jumped into the water also, grabbing
at Sam and catching her.  Suddenly the whole quiet gathering was in an
up roar.

            “Do I have a say in
this sleeping thing?”  Lara
asked dunking Sam  under the water with an insane
giggle.

            Alice
and the rest of them were standing watching the antics.  Bette made her
first real eye contact in weeks with Tina.  Tina didn’t look
away she held her gaze.  Bette
blinked, getting splashed by one of the frolicking few.  Tina smiled as
the water hit her face, and Bette grinned
also.  Bette
mouthed the words, ‘Are you ok?’  Tina tiled her
head to the left seemingly thinking, she nodded and mouthed back, ‘Yes, you?’ 

            Bette
took a deep breath and began to walk across towards Tina.  But before she got there Alice
pushed her into the pool laughing like a lunatic.  Tina stifled a
laugh, until suddenly Dana grabbed her around
the waist and pulled her into the pool too. 

            Marina
sat by the pool on one of the large chairs and watched smiling at the happiness
in the air.  It was good to see such fun
and games. 

            Bette
swam over to Tina who was sputtering to the
surface.

            “This isn’t the way I
had planned to talk to you.”  Tina
smiled splashing Bette with an easiness suddenly
washing over her like the water of the warm pool.

            “I wasn’t planning on
talking to you like this either.  But Marina
said a few things to me the other afternoon and it got me to thinking.  It was just as much my fault as it was
yours.”  She admitted out loud.  Bette made her
way to the edge of the pool, thinking someone was paying for the dry cleaning
of her suit.  Tina
joined her there, floating next to her.

            “No it was my
fault.  I shouldn’t have stalked
you.  I shouldn’t have cheated on
you.  I miss you so much T.”  Bette
ran her finger tips down the side of Tina‘s face
but Tina pulled away.

            “I’m not ready for
that Bette.  Its going to be a slow climb back to where we
were.  I don’t want to be the same person
I was when you cheated on me.”  Bette
shook her head.

            “I never want to be
back where we were!”  Bette
said forcefully and Tina was flabbergasted.  Bette pushed
back the water splashing as she floated closer to the other side of the
pool.  Tina
grabbed the edge and pulled herself out of the water. 

            Bette
cursed herself knowing what she wanted to say wasn’t coming out like it was
supposed too.  She pulled herself from
the pool and quickly ran to Tina.  Tears spilled from Tina‘s
pretty eyes and Bette wiped them away, surprised
that Tina allowed her too.

            “I didn’t mean it the
way you are thinking.  I mean I want to
be in a better place with you!  We were
so comfortable that we forgot that we have to work at being in love.  We are the ones that have to keep our passion
alive.  We stopped living and started
just being.  I’m not making any excuses
or taking my transgression lightly.”  Bette
took a breath and Tina‘s eyes softened her
breath caught in her chest, tightening its grip around her heart.

            “I know you’re
not.  I…”  Bette
cut her off.

            “Candace
was a bad moment for me.  We lost the
baby, you lost the baby.  Being humiliated
on TV, the riot, you working and I felt so alone…  I thought I had to shoulder it all.”  Bette began to
cry the tears spilling forward on her already wet face. 

            “Baby I felt alone
too, I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me.”  Tina
gently pulled her into a hug and Bette‘s whole
body shuddered.  After a few long moments
Bette pulled away and looked down at Tina.

            “I was wondering if
you’d like to have dinner tomorrow night at Crimson?”  Tina
nodded,

            “I’d be honored I’ll
pick you up at 7 p.m.“