Till We Meet Again | A Bette-Tina Beginning Chapter 15

Over the next few weeks of school vacation, Bette and Tina met frequently over lunch, coffee, early dinners, falling…into casual banter and losing themselves…to time. Bette found herself opening up and laughing more freely whereas Tina no longer felt barren and alone. They would call, make plans to often meet up outside a subway stop close to their destination and spend hours together. Slowly, without realizing it, they provided sanctuary to each other, an escape from their individual failures and disappointments and fell into a comfortable friendship.

Of course, the constant bickering and playful bantering did not stop. And they had not forgotten their resolutions.

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Bette and Tina walked into the New York Library.

“I don’t know why we have to come to the library. Ever heard of Google, T?” Bette grumbled as she limped up the stairs with the help of her cane.

“Bette! If it was up to you, all books, all media even, would be indexed and put online so that you could happily spend your lifetime in solitary confinement.”

“I am not seeing any disadvantages in this situation. Why should information be confined to dusty shelves, caged in the privileged and posh buildings of the ‘First World’ and be lost to history over time? Why can we not share knowledge freely on the internet so that everyone can have access to it?”

“Because one, everyone does not have a computer or internet access. And two, we do not need to be more alienated from each other than we already are…”

Bette frowned as they entered the building. Tina decided to use another tactic.

“And just think, how many more people would come to the library for the extra benefits and be encouraged to actually read…”

“WHAT extra benefits?” Bette said, a tad bit too loudly.

“Hot librarians Bette. Geez.”

“Oh PLEASE, we can always just build many hot 36-24-36 virtual librarians online.” Bette said smugly walking on as Tina just stared at her from behind. Her eyes momentarily fell to Bette’s ass in tight Levy jeans and she unconsciously licked her lips. The library was air-conned but somehow she was feeling very hot and bothered.

Bette noticed Tina not beside her and turned around, “T?”

The librarian at the front desk cleared her throat and glared at Tina and Bette who did not seem to comprehend the signs screaming for SILENCE

Bette glared back at the gray-haired librarian and turned to Tina who was smiling at the librarian apologetically and looked quite turned on. Bette raised her eyebrows, amused.

Bette nudged Tina with her cane and whispered into her ear, teasingly:

“Geez, T…your taste is getting worse by the day…you could have just told me about the real reason we came here.”

“Huh, what?” Tina replied distractedly, getting more flushed and feeling goose bumps on her skin from the feel of Bette pressed up so close, her hot breathe sending tiny shivers and hot sparks through Tina.

“You…you…really have it for her?” Bette scrunched up her nose, stepping back in surprise as Tina fought to recover her nerves. Calm down Tina, she screamed silently into her head. Bette is so hot, she can turn anyone on at anytime right? It does not mean anything.

“Oh please Bette, get your mind out of the gutter.” Tina rolled her eyes.

“You first T,” Bette huffed, wondering what Tina saw in the librarian. Then again, Eric was not too dashing either, she mused.

“C’mon, I want to pick up some books and then we can get out of here.”

“Sounds good to me. Lead the way.”

Tina browsed slowly through the library as Bette observed her from behind, pretending to read a book or flip through a magazine occasionally. T is right—this is better than the virtual experience, she thought to herself as her eyes returned to roam over Tina’s hip-hugging jeans and white blouse showing ample cleavage.

For the rest of their time at the library, Tina did not hear any complaints from Bette.

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Eric checked his cell phone after an important meeting with a client. He had 6 missed calls in the past half hour and all of them came from Tina. He winced as he speed dialed her, hoping he had not forgotten anything important or worse, made her angry. Ever since their fight before the New Year, things had been increasingly strained between them. The past few weeks had been difficult as he tip-toed around her, afraid to say anything that would offend Tina again. He worked longer hours than usual, glad to find her asleep when he got home so they avoided arguing. In the mornings, he would leave earlier than usual while she was still asleep. They operated using a post-it note system on the kitchen refrigerator, leaving each other routine messages about work, groceries and appointments.

Tina answered, breaking into Eric’s thoughts. “Hello?”

“Hi sweetie…Sorry I was in a meeting so I didn’t get your calls. What’s up?”

“Nothing much…I am bored at home and only one week left before I have to go back to school. Do you think you can make it home for dinner tonight?”

“I am not sure, I would have to check my schedule…I have a meeting with another client at 7.”

“Eric please…I have hardly seen you these past few weeks.”

Eric bristled. She was not about to blame him for the growing distance between them, was she? “And I wonder why that is Tina. Look I don’t want to fight with you.”

“I don’t want to fight either, alright? Can we just have a mature discussion about this?”

“Are you implying that I am somehow immature, Tina? I am a successful businessman for crying out loud.”

“That is not what I said. Quit putting words in my mouth. Are you coming home for dinner or not?”

Eric desperately wanted to quit fighting with Tina but his male pride prevented him from succumbing to her.

“No Tina…someone has to make a living in our family.”

Tina was stunned. Eric had never expressed that he had any objections to Tina not bringing home the bacon with just a teaching position at a middle school.

“What we have can hardly be called a family Eric,” Tina said, choking up a bit.

“And whose fault is that Tina?” He hated to see her crying and upset but their lack of physical relationship also affected him deeply.

He never heard a reply. Tina simply hung up on him.

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“Why don’t you go back to Broadway and put your Film degree to some use?”

“Why don’t you get back to sulking and just let me drive?” Tina retorted.

“You cannot seriously tell me that being a middle-school teacher is your life-long ambition.” Bette scoffed, ignoring Tina.

“No, but being a pain-in-the-ass is definitely your dream come true,” Tina snapped.

“I can be a pain in other places too,” Bette mumbled looking out the window.

“Yes, please don’t remind me,” Tina said distractedly pulling into a parking spot and unbuckling her seat belt.

“You’ve gotta be fucking kidding me.”

“Nope. C’mon Bette it is fun. You know, f-u-n, the anti-thesis of you?”

Tina had called Bette earlier in the day asking the gorgeous brunette whether she would like to do something different tonight. Bette had agreed without much thought. So when Tina drove them to Chelsea Piers after a dinner that was spent talking about Eric and her latest fight, Bette was caught unaware that Tina had skating in mind! She stood gaping at the ice skating-rink in front of them at Chelsea Piers, virtually empty except for a few souls in the late evening.

“What are we doing here, T?” Bette unbuckled her seat-belt and opened the door, stepping out of the car with the help of her cane. “It is freezing, buhhh!” she pulled her coat tightly around her.

“Lets see here.” Tina rummaged through her trunk. “We have an ice-skating rink and two pairs of skates. What do you think Porter?” Tina wiggled her eyebrows at Bette.

“T, did you forget about my tiny knee problem?”

“No but you don’t ever let anyone forget, do you Bette?”

“It hurts! There is no way I am going ice-skating with this damned knee!”

“Are you saying that you cannot do this?”

“Excuse me. There is nothing that Bette Porter cannot do. I just refuse to put myself at risk!”

“Uh-huh. Coward…” Tina mumbled under her breathe, trying to get a rise out of Bette.

“Did you just call me a coward?! T, I have never done this,” Bette pouted.

“You can always learn Bette. There is a first time for everything. Don’t be a quitter.”

“That’s it, you did not just call me a quitter. Give me those damned skates. I will show you T.”

“I can’t wait. The Bette Porter I know is not a quitter.” Tina beamed, handing Bette a pair of ice-skating shoes as she strapped on her own and glided into the rink.

Tina was a skating fiend. She was all over the rink in no time with gravity-defying smoothness that even a professional would envy. She looked absolutely radiant under the floodgates, in her white figure skates and bright red woolen scarf. Bette watched from the sidelines as she strapped on her shoes, her mouth hanging open as Tina executed some nifty figure eights.

Tina skated towards Bette and grinned, “No canes on the skating rink, it may be hazardous.” She held out her gloved hands so Bette could take them and step into the rink. The air was crisp, light snow was falling as Freezepop played on the PA system and Tina and Bette glided into the rink.

“Late at night…The air was cool…”

Bette was wobbly but Tina held on strong gliding them both gracefully around the rink several times, following the rhythm of the music.

She turned around, “Wrap your arms around my waist.”

“You dove head-first…I waded in….”

Bette swallowed nervously but followed instructions. Her heart was pounding loudly and she was sure that Tina could feel that. Or her hitched breathing.

“What if I fall or knock us over?” she whispered into Tina’s ear from behind, brushing away some snowflakes on her scarf.

“The stars were bright…”

“I won’t let that happen,” Tina said shivering from the combination of the cold weather and heat from Bette’s body so close to her.

“I felt your heat… as you swam near”

Tina held onto Bette’s hands at her waist as she glided forward again, Bette in tow, moving more confidently ignoring the pain in her knee as she bended a bit to gain more control.

“the moon was full, everything blue”

They moved quietly, their bodies pressed close together, emanating heat. The shampooed scent of Tina’s hair was driving Bette crazy while her arms around Tina were proving to be a distraction as well.

“floating right here with you next to me
gazing at stars, we drift silently”

Tina glided them to the center of the ring. She twirled around in Bette’s arms now, her face inches from Bette’s, slowly removing Bette’s hands from her hips. They stared into each other’s eyes like the very first time they met. Bette smiled as she noticed how Tina’s eyes had tiny sparks of green in them. She did not noticed that she was no longer holding or held by Tina—she was moving along with Tina, matching her step for step, an invisible force keeping their bodies in-sync.

“i went under and you followed
let’s not think about tomorrow”

Slowly, Bette raised her hands to cup Tina’s face pulling her closer and smiling into her eyes as she bent her head down …

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Alice unlocked the door, stepping inside. She frowned—the house was eerily dark and quiet.
After summoning enough courage, Alice had come home a bit earlier than usual, hoping to discuss her new job offer with Bette.
“Bette?” she called out unsurely, switching on the lights.
She checked each room. No sign of Bette.
She frowned and flipped out her cellphone, calling Bette. No one picked up as the call went to voicemail.
“Bette, honey, I am home. Where are you? We need to talk. Call me when you get this. Bye.”
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