Bette drove on the driveway and parked her car. She turned to Tina and looked her into her eyes.

“Have you told your parents? Your brother and sister?”

“No, it’s too early for that.”

“I thought we were serious. So you are having doubts?”

Bette was fully aware she was giving Tina a really hard time but all these things were important to her. It had taken her a lot of courage to give in to her feelings, to change her life so immensely, to throw away the safety and take the risk of this new love. And now it seemed that the woman she longed for, she desired and adored, was having second thoughts.

“I’m not having doubts. I just don’t have that much contact with my parents and my brother and sister. I hardly talk to them. The last time I’ve seen them was last Christmas, the last time I heard of them was two months ago.”

Bette fell silent and rested her head against the steering wheel.

“I’m sorry, Tina. I just… I love you too, you know. I’m already so hooked on you, I don’t know what I would do without you. You mean so much to me. You not having told anyone feels like you won’t acknowledge what we have, like it doesn’t mean that much to you.”

“Of course it does, babe.”

Bette looked up. Tina smiled uncertainly. This was the first time Tina had called her babe and she liked the sound of it.

“I guess you have to work today?”

“I suddenly feel rather on well. I think I’ve eaten something wrong.”

“Like last Saturday? Will they believe you?”

“Don’t make me doubt, Bette… I want to be with you today. You know, we are together for a week and I’ve got the feeling we barely know each other.”

“Yeah, we kinda fucked more than we talked.”

Bette got out, walked along the car and opened Tina’s door.

“You want to make a phone call, ms Kennard?”

“If that is possible, I would love to, ms Porter.”

They went in and Tina called her assistant, Greg. When she was finished, Tina told Bette that he hadn’t believed her so she told him the truth. She told him that she would spend the day with Bette Porter, her partner. This made Bette really feel good. Greg had promised he would get Tina’s back. Bette figured he did this because a happy boss is always more fun to work with than a frustrated one.