I picked the phone up a dozen times and put it down again, I didn’t think I could cope with hearing your voice and not seeing you.”“But you did cope T.”
“I thought I had died and gone to heaven when you spoke to me, I just closed my eyes and let your voice wash over me, I felt like I was floating.”
“T, don’t you think you’re going a bit overboard there?”
“Well, what did you think when we spoke?”
“I felt like I had a coat hanger stuck in my mouth, my mouth ached because I was smiling so much, just listening to your voice, picturing your face, while I held your earring in the palm of my hand…” Bette laughed at her own thoughts, knowing they could also be deemed as over the top, “Okay so maybe you weren’t going overboard babe!”
Tina laughed, knowing that the spoken word between them was sacred, their thoughts, feelings and emotions were shared between no one but them.
“Do you know how sexy you looked in that all black outfit you wore when I came to get the earring?”
“Not half as sexy as you in those jeans babe, and you say that my Levi’s should come with a health warning, well you gave me palpitations when you turned up in those T!”
“I remember thinking how your eyes seemed so much deeper than the night before, how I was feeling lost looking into them, and when you told me you wanted to watch me put my earring back in, jeez…”
“What…? I thought it would be sexy to watch you…”
“Bette, just watching you tip that white envelope to your hand and walk toward me was just about all I could cope with, and then to have your open palm in front of me, inviting me to take that earring, fuck…”
“I felt it too babe…”
“When my hand touched yours and your fingers clasped around mine, you know time stood still and it all happened in slow motion, don’t you?”
“You mean, as our hands met, that electricity jolting throughout our bodies at the contact, and our eyes meeting, and the kiss…”
“Oh god, that kiss, the feeling of how soft your lips were against mine… god, I dreamt about kissing you after I went home from the gallery the night before. Little did I realise that my dream would come true in such a short time!”
“I thought I scared you off T…”
“Babe, I didn’t mean to just walk away without saying anything, I was just in shock I guess.”
“You know I just sat in the office and put my head in my hands and thought ‘what the fuck have I done’, never had I regretted something so much in my life, but at the same time been so glad that I had kissed you…”
“As soon as I walked out into the gallery I wanted to turn around and come straight back to your office for another kiss…”
“Why didn’t you then?”
“Because I figured if I waited long enough, you’d come after me…”
“And when I walked down to the gallery, feeling like a lost soul, there you were, standing in front of the same painting that we had stood before the previous night. I couldn’t believe my eyes, seeing you standing there, looking at the picture.”
“I knew you’d come babe, and I felt you, as soon as you walked into the gallery, I couldn’t see you, but I felt you, standing behind me, just like the night before.”
“I saw you stiffen your back…”
“That was the hairs on the back of my neck standing on end, knowing how close you were…” Tina said quietly.
"And when I touched your arm, I heard your intake of breath…”
“I knew my life was about to change forever…”
“And when I looked into your eyes…”
“I knew I had fallen in love…”
“And then you uttered the words T…”
Tina remembered the words, the deep breath she took as she looked into the deep ebony eyes before her, “would you have dinner with me Bette…?”
“And never had an invitation sounded so sweet T.”
“Why is it people always presume that you asked me out first?”
“Because they always think you are the sweet and innocent Tina Kennard…”
Tina raised her eyebrows, knowing she had the sweet and innocent reputation was different to hearing it being voiced.
“T, don’t worry, your secret is safe with me…”
“Which secret would that be Porter…?”
“That you are the most sexy, insatiable, blonde temptress that I have ever met, and guess what T?”
“What babe?”
“You’re all mine…”
Tina looked into her lovers eyes, the sentiment behind the words plain to see, she leaned forward, gently placing her lips against those before her.
“Something else T…”
“Mmmm…”
“I like playing this game…”
Their lips met once again, their kiss deepening, their lips parting, their tongues teasing, probing, tasting, the emotional reminiscing bring forth the familiar feelings of that moment seven years ago when they had first laid eyes on one another.
