“It felt like the first time she asked me out. Magical. I instantly got butterflies.”

“She planned the perfect date with one of my favorite activities and my favorite singer and my favorite Bette,” Tina giggled. 

Bette smiled shyly and looked down. Staring into Tina’s eyes was overwhelming…in a good way. 

Julia made more notes. Then she looked at Bette and Tina.

“Okay. Ohhh-kayy.”

They turned their focus towards Julia. 

“It sounds like you had two amazing dates and it sounds like you really dug deep in your conversations. Just looking at the way you interact with each other, there’s so much intensity and chemistry. The chemistry is leaping through the screen right now. So…what happened?”

Silence.

“The energy was very strained when we started our session. Why was that?”

Tina looked at Bette and then down at their hands. She wasn’t sure if Bette heard anything this morning. She wasn’t even sure if she said it out loud or if it was all just a dream. 

A fucking nightmare, Tina thought.

It didn’t help that all she said was, “I need to go for a run” and then she jumped out of bed. She knew she had fucked up when she got back home and Bette was gone. 

Tina knew she’d run away…again. 

Julia put her pen down and cleared her throat. 

“Well…,” Tina started. “I think it had something to do with me talking in my sleep. Maybe. I guess.”

Julia looked between the two of them again and it finally registered that they had been sleeping in the same bed.

“Why do you think it had something to do with you talking in your sleep?”

Tina blushed.

“Umm…because Bette was looking at me strangely when I woke up this morning.”

“I see.” 

One heartbeat.

Two heartbeats.

“Bette, what happened this morning?”

“She had a sex dream about Candace.”

“I did n…”

“Tina, let Bette finish.”

Tina huffed. She wanted to cross her arms in full tantrum mode but she didn’t want to let go of Bette’s thumb.

“So, Candace. As in THE Candace.”

Bette nodded.

“How do you know Tina was having a sex dream about Candace?”

Tina was seething. 

“I have watched her sleep for years. Countless times. I know what she looks like when she’s dreaming about sex.”