“You know I can’t, Tina. I mean, I can give Al a special treatment, but I can’t quit training. Really, this is so huge, I can’t quite believe the impact on my career.”

Alice looks at me. “She’s right, Tee. It’s like… well, if Alphaville would make a movie out of a book and knew they would get huge benefits from it, and it would mean a promotion and a raise for you if you did what you had to do for it.”

Tina nodded. “I know, I’m sorry. It’s just – oh, there she is!”

Tina waved enthusiastically at Bette, who was looking for them. She noticed Tina, smiled broadly and walked towards them.

“Come, babe,” Tina said. She patted on the empty chair next to her.

“Keep that for the bedroom, please,” Al said with a smirk.

“Keep what for the bedroom?” Bette asked as she joined them. Tina, Dana and Alice started giggling and Bette clearly had no clue what this all was about.

“Hi, babe,” Tina said when she had calmed down. She gave Bette a kiss and she wanted to deepen it, but she didn’t like to do that in public.

“Jeez, are you guys ever gonna stop?” Al said. She looked at Dana. “Are we like that?”

She hadn’t been able to stop herself anyway. She felt her cellphone vibrating in her pocket and she took it out. It was a message from Ian.

T, want dinner & a movie 2nite? Pick u up ur place 7PM if it’s okay.

“He’s calling you Tee now?” Alice asked, who had stood up and was reading over Tina’s shoulder.

“Fuck, Al, why do you read my messages?”

“Sorry, mam. Didn’t mean to be rude, I was just curious.”

“Who’s calling her Tee?” Bette asked. She again had no idea what they were talking about.

“Ian, her personal stalker,” Alice explained.

“He doesn’t stalk me!” Tina said. It made her blush, this was so not true. “He’s just asking me to go out with him all the time.”

“Haven’t you told him about us?” Bette asked, seemingly surprised.

“No, I… I don’t know, I just don’t want to be rude, you know. He has been so nice to me and he’s a good guy. I don’t wanna hurt him.”

Bette laid her hand over Tina’s and said: “I want you to tell him, Tee,” she said, emphasizing Tina’s nickname. “If he’s so nice and good, he’ll find another girl right away.”

“I guess.”

Bette bend over to Tina and kissed her firmly. At that moment, they heard a male voice saying: “Hey, Tina!” but then startling, he was confused by what he saw.

“I thought… I saw you car parked here… I was going to ask you… but you seem busy.”

The guy ran away, out of The Planet. Tina pulled away, wanted to call him, but Bette stopped her.

“You’re mine, babe.”