Their friends were honored they were able to witness such a profound love. Their love was epic, which made it astonishingly unbelievable and tragic when Tina left. Something shifted after the miscarriage. It brought out the worst in both of them. Deep-seeded issues that neither of them had ever dealt with before all came crashing down on top of them creating a chasm they didn’t know how to close. Bette ran harder until her lungs ached.

She stopped to catch her breath. She walked along the majestic Seawall, breathing in the sea air. She was in awe of the view as she was surrounded by the ocean, the mountains, the towering evergreens and the Vancouver skyline. What a sight! She pictured Tina running along this path nearly every morning. Bette smiled. She spotted the ice cream shop where she and James bumped into Tina. She felt bad for throwing away the waffle cone after Tina raved about the Earl Grey & Salted Honey flavor. She knew she was being spiteful. James knew she was being spiteful and sadly, Tina knew she was being spiteful too. She could be such an idiot. Bette rolled her eyes at herself.

“Why am I such a pompous ass,” Bette said to no one.

She exhaled and was glad the ice cream shop had just opened. This was better than that drop she licked off of her hand. Bette closed her eyes and let the sweet cream dance with her taste buds. Enjoying the entire cone, Bette’s thoughts turned to the previous night again. It felt so nice to be touched by Tina. Their souls reconnecting.

Bette didn’t know what she was going to do. She was obviously still in love with Tina but she didn’t know if she could ever give her whole heart back to her again. And if she couldn’t give her whole heart, it wasn’t going to work. Ugh!

Bette couldn’t think about Tina anymore. It was driving her crazy. She needed a distraction. She texted James and told him to meet her at KiKi’s studio in 20 minutes. They had a few last minute logistics to get in order before they left for the airport.

***

“Hi Julia.”

“Hi Tina. How are you today?”

“I’m so confused. Bette and I had the most mind-blowing sex last night. It was absolutely perfect. And it was sad because I woke up in bed alone to a note that basically said not to be there when she returned.”