“Thanks master.”

“No problem grasshopper.” She says with a smile while never taking her eyes off of the girl at the front counter. While we sit in contemplative silence, well I was contemplating things. Shane looked like she was working on a plan of attack on the girl that took a seat across the café.

“Hey uh, Tina” She says gulping down her last bit of coffee.

“Yeah, go ahead, I’ll be fine.”

“You sure?” She says, now giving me her undivided attention.

“Yeah I need to take off anyway. I need to do some much needed wandering around. Maybe do some shopping.” I tell her giving her my best self-assured smile, while I felt none of that at the moment.

“Tina. Promise that whatever you Bette decide to do, you do it carefully?”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean as cool as it was when you guys hooked up at the Planet all those months ago, it was a tad dramatic. More hearts are involved this time.”

“I’m not a monster, Shane. I know that.”

“Just please, play it safe. I know that you know that already.”

“Hey guys, what’s up?” Alice strolled in cheerfully.

“Hey, Al.” Shane said giving a wave moving away from the table.

“Geez. She didn’t even stop to see how I was doing. Manners. I tell ya their going straight out of the window.” I only half heard her. You know with my mind wondering and all.

“Manners, right.”

“Man, you and the Porters brood more than those emo kids down the block.”

“Yeah?”

“Absolutely. I just left the ‘House of Brooding Silence’ for some conversation. And instead I get more of well this.” She finishes waving her hands around me as if presenting her evidence to an audience.

“Sorry, I just have a…”

“A lot on your mind. I know I got the same story from Bette earlier. You sure you two aren’t hooking up? Because you both got that statement down pretty perfectly.” I don’t answer, instead opting to give her a dirty look.

“Don’t start with me Alice, I got enough to deal with Eric’s insecurity and Bette’s… I don’t know what. So, please.” I start while standing up preparing to leave.

“Ok. I’m sorry” she says holding up her hands in surrender. “I get it. Well I don’t get it. But I understand. I heard the argument you had with Eric earlier. What did he see?”

I sigh and throw my head back in exasperation at the memory of that argument. “I don’t know. I really don’t Alice. Bette and I, we just look at each other. And…” I have to stop and stare at my coffee and calm myself. Bette and I have truly been in a weird place since I came back. I’ve never been in a room alone with her and I suspect that’s the doing of our current partners. And maybe Eric did see something, a spark or I don’t know.

“That sucks.” Alice starts. “You know when I was going out with Bette,” I roll my eyes and she catches me. “Don’t do that. Don’t be an ass. I’m not going to say something sexual or anything. I mean I could…” I start to get up again. “But I won’t, ok? Alright where was I? Right, after we broke up and ‘decided’ to be friends, as if I had a choice in the matter. Anyway, she would bring these girls around and I just felt horrible. Just so, so shitty. Because the chemistry that she had with those girls was the chemistry that I thought she had with just me. I felt it. And I bet my stellar reputation Eric can feel it with the two of you. Grace feels it too I bet, thick as she is.”

“That makes me feel worse, Al.”

“Well I’m telling you the truth Tina. It doesn’t mean that Eric has a right to treat the both of you the way that he is. But his ego is probably taking a pretty big hit right now.”

“I don’t like when you’re like this, Al. Insightful is scary on you.” I say smiling for the first time in ages.

“Yeah well, it comes in spurts.”

“Well I appreciate it the same.”

“Sure.” She starts taking a sip of coffee. “So,” she begins, taking the coffee cup out of my hand and replacing it with her own hand. “Who’s the better lover?”