Bette stood there her arms to her side, Tina was holding onto her with tears streaming down her face. With the little strength she had, she held in her tears and pushed Tina away.

“Tina, I don’t want to hear from you, I don’t want to see you, I just don’t want to be near you anymore. You need to go.” Her voice was flat and to the point.

She walked over to Tina’s bags, Tina holding onto her from behind with arms tight around her waist. She rolled the suitcases towards the porch of their house they shared, their home. Tina pulled on Bette’s arms trying to stop her, Bette being the stronger one, just dragged Tina along with her towards the porch.

“Bette please, please!!!”  Tina was shouting. Bette turned and pulled Tina off of her.

“Tina, do you want me to leave?” She shouted. “If you don’t go, I’ll leave and if I leave, I can’t promise you I’ll be back.”

Tina finally let go of Bette. She was defeated. There was nothing she could do to change Bette’s mind and she came to realize it now. Bette never backs down from what she says she’s going to do. She fell back on her knees, on their porch.

 “And Tina, ‘What if’ you say?” she smiled for the first time.

“Tina look at me.” Tina held up her head, looking up towards Bette, her eyes were swollen from the tears. She melted when she saw Bette smile down at her; she always had that effect on her. Bette brushed the tears off her face, pushed a blond curl that had fallen to the side of her face behind her ears.

“We can fix this. I know that, but I need to find out if it’s all worth it, if I want this still. You need to find that out for yourself too. Our love has changed, tell me you don’t think it has, you know it has. It’s changed the both of us.”

Bette reached for the door behind her; Tina wouldn’t stop her this time. She then turned and looked over her shoulder, with moist eyes, she needed to say one more thing before Tina was gone, she smiled and said, “The same as I love you, you’ll always love me too.  Before she closed the door, she continued, “This love isn’t good unless it’s me and you.”

She then pulled the door close, leaned her back against it. She could hear Tina on the opposite side having trouble breathing, she was sobbing. Bette fell against the door onto the floor and let all the tears that she had been holding onto to fall.

 I hope she realizes that I’m not giving up on us, Bette thought. I just need her to love herself again, forgive herself, know that she’s more powerful than she could ever imagine. That was the woman I fell in love with, Bette smiled while fresh tears fell again.

After about ten minutes Tina stood to her feet, wiping away her tears, she walked down the steps over to her car and stored her cases away into the trunk.

She sat in the driver’s seat, staring at the house; she once called home, taking in as much as she could remember.

She started her engine. Bette Porter, I promise you, I’m going to get the help I need and I’m going to come back and fight for you, she whispered to herself. And you just be ready for me. With a determined look on her face, Tina drove off into the city, towards a new beginning at least she thought, there was hope. The same as I love, you’ll always love me too. Tina repeated.