“Joan, I can’t believe I let you talk me into coming here.”

Tina looked at her friend with exasperation written all over her face. “I mean, what I am supposed to do while you are off flirting with all these women?” She looked around, shaking her head.

“God, there’s not a man in sight…well, except for that one at the end of the bar.” Tina then leaned forward, squinting her eyes, and realized that the person she thought was a man, was actually a woman, who was dressed in drag.

“Oh…uh…” she stuttered, “never mind.” She looked back at the woman she had been working with for the last year and a half, totally embarrassed, her cheeks turning a light shade of red.

Joan couldn’t help but laugh at her friend for making the innocent mistake. “Tina, I’m surprised that a bonafide straight girl such as yourself, can’t tell the difference between a “real man,” and a woman who dressed up to, uh…show off more of her masculine side.”

The two friends shared a laugh. “Hey, I can’t help it, she’s wearing a mustache for crying out loud!” Tina then lowered her voice. “Besides, there’s a slight bulge…you know where!”
Joan covered her mouth in mock horror. “No, where?!”

Tina reached out and lightly slugged her teasing friend’s arm. “Knock it off!”

Joan’s eyes brightened. “Hey, maybe you should go ask “him” to dance!” Tina’s eyes widened, her insecurities of being in a totally foreign environment shining through loud and clear with her facial expressions.

“No, I’m not going ask “him” to dance, or anyone else for that matter!” She looked around the bar again, and then hesitantly whispered in her friends ear. “Maybe I should just go.”

Joan reached out and squeezed Tina’s arm in reassurance. “No, don’t go Tina. I’m sorry. I promise not to tease you any more…but, please don’t go. Stay, it’ll be fun.”

Tina looked around the bar again, taking in all the different kinds of women, who were all in different stages of having fun…whether it was through dancing, or flirting, or just hanging with friends…and she smiled.

“Ok, just one more drink.”

~ ~ ~

Three drinks and two hours later, Tina was feeling much better about her decision to stay. The alcohol had relaxed her enough to where she was actually enjoying watching all the different women, and had even agreed to dance a couple of times with Joan. She wasn’t quite relaxed enough to accept any of the dance invitations she had received from other women, while perched on her stool at the bar, but who knows…maybe after one more drink….

It was as she was contemplating getting that next drink, when it happened. Just like you always read about in those mushy romance novels…you know, those novels you secretly read when no one is looking, hoping and praying that through some twist of fate, your love life could have the same “happy ever after” ending that is bestowed upon each character in each book…characters that you convince yourself could totally be you. It could happen…

At that moment Tina didn’t know anything about happy ever after…wasn’t thinking about romance novels…all she knew was that the crowd in front of her parted for just a moment. And in that moment, time slowed down…the loud music and the din of a hundred different conversations slowly drifted away, until there was no sound left…just the shallow breathing of one bonafide straight girl, Ms. Tina Kennard.

It was in that moment, when the forces of nature all rallied together in order to set into motion a fate that was surly destined, no matter how straight Tina thought she was. Her eyes followed the trail that had opened before her, allowing her to see all the way through to the other side of the club, where several tables were clustered around a stage…and in that split second, she saw the most beautiful creature she had ever laid eyes on. The woman’s beauty was breathtaking, and yet vulnerable all at once. Tina felt her breath catch in her throat, and felt her heart start hammering in her chest.

Joan, who was standing close enough to Tina to hear her sharp intake of air, followed her friend’s eyes…and slowly nodded her head, smiling.

“Gorgeous, isn’t she?”

Tina didn’t even acknowledge the question, knowing the answer was obvious. Instead, she asked her own question, in a voice just above a whisper. “Who is she?”

And then, just as quickly as they had parted, the crowds closed the gap, erasing Tina’s view of the most incredible vision she had ever experienced.

Joan smiled at Tina, who had turned to her and was staring at her in earnest. “I don’t know a lot about her. I think her first name is Bette, and that she works in the art world. Other than that, all I know is that when she does come here, she always sits with the same friends, and doesn’t ever seem to be with anyone romantically…”

Tina was listening to what her friend was saying, but at the same time, was twisting on her stool, trying to get another look at the only woman she had ever seen who made her stomach drop to the floor, and her heart feel like it was going to fly out of her chest…yet in between all the palpitations, her heart also felt like it had found something that Tina never thought she would find…home.

Confused and slightly overwhelmed, she tried to shake off the feeling, not understanding how she could feel that coming from another woman. “Have you ever asked her to dance, or talked to her?”

Joan looked at Tina with surprise. “Me? Naw…”

Tina was surprised by Joan’s answer, knowing that the young woman was always dating at least two women at the same time. “Why not?”

Joan laughed. “Listen, there is no doubt that Bette is beautiful, but you know as well as I do, that I’m more attracted to blondes. Besides, she’s too femme for me. I like women who are more androgynous.”

Joan could see the fascination for the dark haired woman swimming in Tina’s eyes. “Hey, why don’t you go ask her to dance?”

Tina’s head snapped over to her friend. “Me…?”, she squeaked.

Joan smiled in sympathy, knowing all to well the feeling of uncertainty…the fear of rejection that Tina was now feeling. But, she also knew that in the year and a half she and Tina had been working together at Alphaville, that not only had Tina never expressed an interest in women…her gushing was always about someone of the opposite *****, but that she had never, ever reacted to a man as she was at this moment, twisting on her stool, trying to get just one more look at the gorgeous stranger, who unbeknownst to both women, and herself, already owned the heart of the unsuspecting blonde.

“Yeah…you. Come on. Go ask her to dance.”

Tina started shaking her head, mumbling… “I don’t know…I don’t think that is such a good idea.”

Joan gently took Tina by the shoulders, stilling her constant squirming on the stool. “Hey, what could it hurt? You’re straight, right? If she says no, who cares…we’re just here to have some fun.”

Tina looked at her friend, and then look back in the direction of the woman who was pulling on her heart strings without even knowing it. ‘Should I? It’s just a dance, right? And Joan’s right…I am straight.’ Tina’s eyes glossed over as she continued her internal conversation. “Yeah, well if you’re so straight, why do you want to dance with her in the first place…huh? Oh, come on! Who wouldn’t want to dance with her. The woman’s drop dead gorgeous for God’s sake! Yeah…but what if she says no? So…so what if she says no…it’s no big deal. Geez, quit being such a chicken and go ask the woman to dance before the bar closes for the night!’

“Tina…” Joan squeezed Tina’s arm, trying to get the attention of her clearly distracted friend.

Tina blinked a couple of times. “What?”

“Hey look. It’s no big deal. I just got the impression you wanted to dance with her, but if you don’t, it really is okay.” She looked at her confused friend and smiled. “But, if you do want to ask her, I’ll stay right here at the bar…you know, just in case.”

Tina couldn’t help but be touched by the encouragement from Joan. “Okay, okay…I’ll go ask her to dance.” Once the words came out of her mouth, a flood of insecurities rushed through her body. “But…you’ll be right here….right? You won’t move?”

Joan nodded her head… “I won’t move…promise…now go.” Tina took a deep breath, her eyes widening with nervousness. “Oh my God…I’m really going to ask a woman to dance!” She shook her head, trying to clear her senses. “Okay…here I go!”

She gave her friend a nervous smile and turned, making her way back to the small cluster of tables…repeating over and over again, “Would you like to dance?”…no…. “Hi, I’m Tina, would you like to dance?”…no… “I love this song, would you care to dance?”…no…. “Looking at you, reminds me of home. Would you like to dance?”…..”***** NO”

~ ~ ~

“Hey there gorgeous, would you like to dance?”

Bette looked up at the very muscular woman standing in front of her with short dark hair, who had her thumbs hooked into the belt loops of her jeans, and who had also just become the fifteen person to ask her to dance in the last couple of hours…and tried not to yell her negative answer at her. She managed a polite “No, thank you,” but was unable to keep the frustration from glaring out at the woman through her dark, and clearly irritated eyes.

She didn’t want to react this way, but for as flattered as she was with getting so many invitations to dance, she was tired after another long week at her gallery, and was really just trying to spend some time with her sister Kit, and their friends at the nightclub Kit owned.

Besides, why bother dancing with a stranger. It’s not like anything’s going to come from it, other than maybe some good, but ultimately, unsatisfying ***** at the end of the night. And Bette had experienced enough of that lately, so as far as she was concerned, there was no good reason to accept any of these offers to dance. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to meet the love of your life in a bar…when was the last time that happened? Never…at least, it hadn’t happened to anyone she knew. Oh, she knew plenty of people who met women in bars and had relationships, but none of them had been life altering, soul mate kind of relationships. They were the kind that lasted for a year or two, before the women would part ways…and continue on with their search.

Bette closed her eyes for a moment, wondering where she would be when she met the love of her life. She knew it had to happen some time…right? She wouldn’t believe that she was meant to live her whole life ,and not be able to share herself completely with one other person.

Bette was lost in her thoughts, her eyes still closed when she heard a quiet, and tentative voice ask her if she wanted to dance. And even though the voice was sweet and soft, she’d had reach her limit of interruptions for one night.

‘Christ! Can’t they just leave me alone!!!’ She snapped open her eyes, but didn’t even bother to look up at the person standing next to her. Instead, she stared straight ahead at her sister, who was looking at her with a slightly amused look on her face, and through clenched teeth, just barely managed to spit out the words…

“No..I…do..not..want..to…dance!” She folded her arms and continued to stare straight ahead.

Tina, who had come up behind Bette, and was now standing at her side, was absolutely mortified by the response she had received to her heartfelt, but nervous invitation to dance. Especially because the harsh rejection had come from the woman she had felt such a strong connection to, from across the bar.

She turned bright red, and let out an involuntary gasp, shocked by the venom in the other woman’s voice.

“I’m so sorry…I didn’t mean to…” She covered her mouth to keep from saying anything else to a woman who couldn’t even be bothered to look at her, and turned back towards the bar, her eyes filling with tears…humiliated and totally confused as to why she felt like she had just lost out on something that was essential to her happiness…and that without it, nothing would ever quite be the same.

tbc