Bette was turning the lights down in the gallery when she caught a glimpse of the figure standing outside the door. The overhead streetlamp cast a celestial glow over the blonde hair, illuminating Tina’s body through the glass. Bette’s own beacon of light, she moved quickly to unlatch the lock and let her in.Tina nervously smiled as Bette approached, a one-sided grin that accentuated the dimples that rose with her cheek.

Bette was so taken with Tina that she forgot to worry as to why she was there and not at dinner with Carrie and Angie.

“Hey,” Bette grinned as she opened the door. “Happy Birthday.”

“Thanks.” Tina tentatively stepped inside.

It was then that Bette looked over Tina’s shoulder to the street wondering if something had happened. “Is everything ok? Where’s Angie?”

“Yes, everything is fine. She went to hang out with some friends.” Tina toyed with the clasp of the clutch she was holding.

Bette took a deep breath, a rush of relief and a semblance of weakness as she admired her ex-wife’s svelte figure. Tina was wearing a low-cut black dress that hugged every curve of her body. Short sleeves rounded her shoulders, kept together by braided leather that tied neatly into a small bow just under her ample cleavage. The stretched fabric wrapped around her voluptuous hips with a slit that rose from her knee.

“You look lovely.” Bette tried to keep the compliment light, masking the grate in her voice as she thought back to the last time she may have seen Tina in a dress like that.

Without wasting anymore time, Tina asked, “Do you want to have a drink with me?”

The question cut through the awkwardness exposing a new layer of tension.

Bette’s telling eyes gaped before her mouth even dropped. “Oh. Um sure, just let me grab my things.”

Tina looked outside, letting her finger trace the backward letters of Bette’s name on the door. As she glanced around the gallery she recognized the subtlety of Bette’s influence even among the bare walls while the show was still being prepped. She was reminded of another gallery at another time, her heart beating just as quickly as in that moment over twenty years ago.

Bette took a few meditative breaths in her office. She placed her hands on her hips and looked toward the ceiling, trying not to question the universe as to why Tina was there waiting for her. Bette thought of the last few birthdays they had spent apart and how she often fantasized about Tina showing up at her door telling her she wanted her back, she wanted to come home, giving Bette the only birthday present she ever needed. Before she left her office, Bette remembered the small envelope and placed it in her bag.