Bette had followed Tina slowly and watched her every move. The drive home had been in silence, a comfortable one, and Bette took the opportunity to remind herself of Tina’s beauty.
Inside of their home, Bette too felt the ahh factor of finally being home, but kept it to herself while watching Tina undress and head for the bathroom.
When Bette heard the shower running she too disrobed and headed towards the bathroom. Tina welcomed her with open arms and allowed her to share the powerful jets. Twenty minutes later and feeling considerably refreshed Tina went in search of sustenance. Finding nothing of interest she called up their local take out and ordered the first thing on the menu then sat patiently waiting on the sofa for the delivery guy. Bette joined her shortly and it was then that they spoke.

“I wanted him I was feeling lonely and mean and abandoned by you again and I wanted to get back at you. He is attractive, and I found him attractive enough to want to sleep with him,” Tina stated.

“I know,” Bette answered softly.

“So why did you go off, knowing that I would have only gone with him if you were not around?”

“I needed to get away, I needed to learn how stop feeling guilty,” Bette answered again.

“And did you?” Tina asked while looking directly at Bette with penetrating brown eyes, dilated by the evening’s shadows.

Bette sighed thoughtfully. “I I think so, I learned how to forgive myself and accept you for who you are.”

Tina looked at Bette as though she were a complete stranger.

“What do you mean by that?”

“Whenever I felt let down by you in the past, I tried to change you, and of course when I didn’t succeed at that I would then abandon you, which of course then made you resent me and so the cycle would go”

Tina was thoughtful at Bette’s confession. “I just don’t like being without you” she spoke softly, “I mean I understand that we have to be away from each other for domestic things like work and such, but when you go away for weeks at a time it really takes it’s toll on me.”

Bette watched Tina carefully and felt the guilt return for a moment at hearing her words, but for a change didn’t hold onto to it, allowing her to empathise with what Tina was feeling for the first time.

Tina continued again, “I think it started when I gave up work and you were at the CAC full time pulling twelve and sometimes fourteen hour days. Even when the weekend came around you were either too tired or you had gone back into workI started to feel neglected, and I hated that feeling.”
Bette nodded wanting Tina to continue.

“I guess that’s why I can find myself so easily distracted by someone like Henryor Helena, they fill in the gapsI suppose, when you are not around.”

Bette nodded not knowing what to say. It had never occurred to her that Tina might love her so much that for Tina to be without her for long periods would force Tina to succumb to her loneliness. Bette was about to speak when the doorbell rang signifying the arrival of their food.

*

After they had eaten and Bette cleaned up they stood quietly in the kitchen looking at each other. Bette had wanted to continue their conversation but was too tired to initiate anything further, and Tina just wanted to go to bed.

“Well” sighed Bette.

“Well,” replied Tina.

They stood there motionless for a few moments, both just drinking in each other’s beauty, until finally Tina could take no more.
She sighed loudly before she spoke again.

“Make love to me”