Her then boyfriend, Eric, took her to this art opening at The Bette Porter Gallery after talking her ear off about how Bette had an amazing reputation for being smart and tough and picking all the great artists and how such an honor it was to be invited on opening night. He mentioned how beautiful she was on several occasions so much so that Tina rolled her eyes each time. The only reason why Tina went was to see what all the fuss was about. No one was that beautiful, she thought.

Bette’s back faced the opposite wall as Eric and Tina approached her from behind. Bette turned slowly like one of those figurines in a jewelry box and suddenly Tina forgot how to breathe for a moment, not able to keep her eyes off of the brunette while Eric made introductions. She was absolutely stunning. Tina shivered when they shook hands, feeling Bette in every pore, missing her touch instantly when she let go. It made her uneasy but in a good way. Eric was saying something about blowing up a print while Tina’s eyes roamed over Bette’s body. It didn’t take all day to recognize sunshine and as soon as Tina saw her, she understood Bette was sunshine.

Tina couldn’t move when Eric left to speak with one of the artists because if she moved, she was sure she’d collapse. Bette had put her under a trance. Tina didn’t recognize the feelings swirling through her. All she knew was she had to soak up more of this magnificent woman. When Bette looked at her it felt like they were the only ones in the room, everyone else faded away.

Tina closed her eyes tightly, willing the memories away. “Get your shit together,” she said while putting her hair up into a ponytail.

Searching her emotions, Tina decided the best thing she could do at this very moment was to keep her mind busy. She’d already left a message for her therapist, hoping to have an emergency session with her before the end of the day. So much had happened in the last few hours and Tina needed to wrap her brain around all of it. She pulled out her notes and started going over them, realizing starting a little late today wasn’t that big of a deal. She had blown it all out of proportion. She owed the crew an apology. Her disposition had absolutely nothing to do with them and it was unfair of her to take it out on them.