Do you remember when... Chapter 1

“Bette, can you pass me the pillow case?” Tina motioned from the opposite side of the bed, the expanse of cream Egyptian cotton before her as they carried out their usual Saturday morning chore of changing the bed linen.

“You know T, the pigment from those rose petals have only just come out of these sheets,” Bette gave a wicked grin as she saw Tina’s coy look, she pointed as she squinted and said with mock sternness, “that’s the last time you bring rose petals home from the hotel and spread them on our bed!” Bette laughed as she threw the folded pillow case across the bed to Tina.

“Yes mother!” Tina rolled her eyes as she caught the flying cotton, “but wouldn’t you say it was worth having stained sheets for?”

“Oh absolutely, so much so I have a stack of new sheets in the cupboard ready for the next session and you do know that by us having a second round with those petals that you lost your opportunity to make pot pouri don’t you!”

Tina smiled as she walked around the bed to stand directly in front of Bette, “then its a good thing I saved some, isn’t it! It was an amazing weekend wasn’t it babe?” She placed her hands on Bette’s waist, always enjoying their Saturday morning relaxed routine of being together and doing the boring chores, boring, but because they did them together she liked it, liked the time they spent chatting aimlessly about nothing and everything, covering obscure subjects and serious topics, talking about Alice’s antics, Shane’s recent conquests and Dana’s latest tennis tournament, but it was time together where there were no pressures, apart from Bette’s occasional Saturday morning at work, this was their routine, and now that Bette had completed her first week of her new hours, the Saturday morning working was, hopefully, a thing of the past.

“It was the best T...”

“And you know at some point we really do have to have an evening in, just the two of us, watching videos...”

Bette laughed at Tina’s reference to their now named, ‘Portard Porn Collection’, “Tina, we only have two, one of which is just a dance...”

“Well maybe I need to buy you a video camera for your birthday so we can expand the collection!”

Tina was enjoying their playful banter; their most amazing weekend had been followed by a peaceful, loving and relaxed working week, filled with talking, understanding and much mutual appreciation for their partner.

“A video camera eh?” Bette said with one eyebrow raised, she pulled Tina closer, her arms beginning to wrap around the slim waist of the blonde, as she began to tickle the ribs at her fingers.

Tina began to laugh and cringe, as she bent backwards, trying to get out of the grasping fingers at her ribs, the insistent hands of her lover pulling her closer, continuing with the battle of wills.

They moved backwards, forwards, sideways, the avoidance tactics and the tickling becoming their own unique jig as the humour overtook the strength within their bodies to stay upright.  Tina’s knees came into contact with the side of the unmade bed as her twisting and turning set her off balance, they both fell with a bounce against the cotton encased mattress, laughing and entangled.

Bette smiled as she looked into the sparkling eyes of her love, the glassy eyes the tell tale sign of her incessant giggling when being tickled.  Bette loved it when they had these moments of togetherness, the closeness, the laughing and the inevitable hugs, kisses and cuddles that always followed the tickling sessions between them.

Bette watched in fascination as the animation crossed Tina’s face, the joy, the happiness and the love emanating from her eyes and smile made Bette’s heart swell with her own intense feelings for the woman lying in her arms.

The moment stood still as Bette remembered another time when that very same smile affected her to her very core, the similarities shook Bette as her face suddenly became serious.

Tina noticed the change in demeanor as she looked into the deep thoughtful eyes that were currently studying her so intently that she felt slightly unnerved.

“Is something wrong?”

Bette merely shook her head in reply.

“Why are you looking so serious?”

“A thought just struck me...”

“Yeah and...?” came Tina’s bewildered response, she still couldn’t fathom Bette’s strange turn in behaviour.

“Don’t look so worried T!”

“Well, why are you looking like Alice just found out one of your biggest secrets?”

Bette gave a look of dramatic mock horror; she brought the back of her hand to her forehead at the mere passing thought of Tina’s words, her face showing the shock at such a possibility.

Tina laughed at Bette’s actions, her sudden concern being immediately dismissed at the continuing playful nature of the woman whose arms were pulling her closer, the woman who was planting sedate kisses along her hair line, whispering endearments close to her ear.

“I was just thinking...” Bette began; Tina put her forefinger against the soft lips in front of her, silencing the forthcoming words from Bette’s lips.

“I know what you were thinking...” Tina looked into Bette’s eyes, seeing the feelings, feeling the love, “play a game with me Bette...?”

“What sort of game?”

“Not really a game but it’s not Alice’s lesbian relationship test either...”

“Come on T, you’re killing me here!”  Bette’s voice became more insistent, wanting to know what Tina had up her sleeve.

“Okay, okay... keep your knickers on Porter!”

“Very funny, get on with it or I’ll tickle you again!”  Bette raised her hand in preparation, hovering inches from Tina’s ribs.

“Don’t even think about it!” Tina grabbed Bette’s wrist as she rolled over, pinning Bette onto the bed, she quickly maneuvered herself and straddled the startled woman beneath her.  “Okay Porter, here is how it goes...” She leaned forward, gently placing her own thin lips against the plumper pink ones of her partner, she teased, she tasted as they relaxed into a meandering tender kiss. 

“You gonna tell me T?”

“Sure, we’ll call it ‘do you remember when...’ and all you have to do is think of something we’ve done or seen or anything really, just tell me everything about that moment when you ‘remembered when...’”

“Tell me what you thought I was thinking just now?”

Tina looked deeply into the eyes reflecting back at her, her heart beat quickening its pace despite the quiet tender moments they were sharing, she smiled tenderly, “you were remembering the first time we laid eyes on each other...” she whispered, confident that those were the thoughts that had flashed across the beautiful, flawless face as they had smiled at one another.

Bette smiled in response, the love of her life never failed to astound her, still after seven years together she still blew her away with her intuitiveness, her understanding of a look, and just the way she knew exactly what was going through Bette’s mind.

“Do you know the hairs on the back of my neck stood on end before I even turned around?” Bette said with a wry smile.

“Really, you’ve never mentioned that before babe...”

“It was when that slug of a boyfriend of yours said ‘Hello Bette’ in that droll voice of his!” Bette laughed at the expression on Tina’s face, “and then once my eyes centered, after rolling around, I turned around, and the hairs on the back of my neck continued to stand on end for a reason which is at the complete other end of the spectrum...”

Tina looked to Bette’s lips as she watched the words escaping, the sound reaching her ears, as the words slowed she moved her eyes to meet Bette’s, the meaning of the open sentence sinking into her mind.

“And why would that be babe...?” Tina’s voice was quiet as she ran her forefinger over the pink lips of her partner, watching as the lips encased her finger, the tip of a tongue tenderly meeting the tip of a finger.

“Because when I turned around, I was met with most wondrous sight... I saw those hazel eyes, flitting from me to Eric, back to me, and that infectious, nervous little laugh as we were introduced.”

“I did not nervously laugh...”

“Oh yes you did T, and it was that sound that made my heart skip a beat and the sparkle in your eyes that made those hairs stand to attention, and when you smiled at me, and you looked deep into my eyes, my heart started beating faster than I can ever remember, all sounds around me became so muffled that all I saw were your lips moving.”

Tina laughed, “you know, I lost all semblance of speech when I looked at you! Their I was being introduced as Head of Development at Alphaville, some hot shot company executive, and one look into those eyes and my mouth went completely dry...”

“We made a good double act that evening babe, I couldn’t hear and you couldn’t speak..., but even if you had been able to speak, I wouldn’t have heard you!”

“I couldn’t believe Eric just out and asked you about the Catherine Opie print, do you know I had to listen to him go on and on about that for weeks before we came to your dinner?”