“I suppose my thinking was, that I thought about what I usually do if I went out with my female friends, I suppose the word ‘date’ was secondary to my thoughts really, you have to remember I’d never been on a date with another woman Bette, and the date part didn’t actually sink in until that night!”

“I thought we were going to go for a meal or something like that.”

“Well, hindsight and all that, that is what we should have done, it’s kind of the norm for going out on a date really.”

“I have to be honest T, I did have to roll my eyes a little bit when we pulled up in front of the multiplex,  I did have this vague feeling of dread about what we were about to do, and a fleeting thought that maybe this had the makings of disaster written all over it!!”

“Do you know, I thought you went a bit quiet in the car!”

“Does that compare to how you would only talk to me when you weren’t looking at me?”

“Bette I told you the reason for that.”

“T, you told me about a month later…”

Tina giggled, she laid her head back on the sofa, she sighed as she remembered how every time she looked at Bette, looked into her eyes, all semblance of speech was lost on her, as soon as her eyes met the deep midnight pools of her date, her mouth went dry, breathing was difficult regardless of the fact that her heart was pounding so loudly she thought her chest would explode.

“I couldn’t look at you babe, your eyes were so mesmerising that I just couldn’t speak, the only time I managed to find my voice was when I wasn’t looking directly at you!”

“I thought it was kind of sweet to be honest, because you looked at me when we were at the gallery.”

“Yeah and those looks got me into so much trouble, you know I had trouble keeping myself upright, your look was so intense, it just made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and my knees go weak.”

“I just wanted to see you T, to look at you, see what you were thinking, see what you were feeling, but on the date, you were hard to read, because you didn’t look at me that much, not until later...”

“I also had this feeling that even though we’d been talking on the phone during the gallery and our date that, you know…”

“What babe…?”

“That what I saw in your eyes at the gallery wasn’t going to be there anymore…” Tina’s voice became quiet, her mind recalling how a moment of panic had struck her when she was waiting for Bette to answer her front door, what if she had been wrong about what she had seen, what if the talking on the phone was just them becoming friends, what if she was about to make a complete and utter fool of herself.

“T…”

“Bette, I had a moment of terror when I was standing on your door step, you know I was a straight woman, who was falling for the Lesbian Goddess of WeHo!  How was I supposed to know what was going through your mind, you had a reputation of never letting anyone in, but I just couldn’t stop how my heart beat so much faster whenever I thought about you, and from the night in the gallery to the date, there were a lot of thoughts!”

“T, I was just as flustered and dumb founded by it all as much as you,  I came face to face with a stunning blonde in the gallery and couldn’t take my eyes off her, and from that moment, she wouldn’t leave my mind and my heart, that was so unnerving for me babe, because its never happened to me before, I was always able to shake off any feelings by throwing myself into something else, whether it be work or exercise or whatever, but for the first time in my life, I didn’t want to shake anything off, I wanted more, and even more wasn’t enough, talking for two hours at a time when we’d only just met, wasn’t enough, and regardless of the fact of the date not being what I expected, well, what can I say, I would of gone anywhere you had taken me…” Bette laughed, “… and I was quiet because, It just wasn’t what I expected, first off, you asked me out on a date and I accepted, and that doesn’t usually happen, it’s usually me that does the asking, then, I find I’m overdressed, which is a situation I wasn’t used to, and then I find we are going to the movies, which is also something that I haven’t done in years on a first date before, all this coupled with the fact that I was sitting next to the woman that had invaded not only my dreams but my entire thoughts, it was a lot to take on board, and then you wouldn’t look at me when we spoke!”

“But you loved the film right?” Tina gave a quick change of subject, wanting to know what Bette thought about that part of their date.

“T, I’d heard about that film and hadn’t seen it, but I didn’t have a clue what it was about.”

“I’d heard about it too, and maybe if I knew what it was going to be like, a different choice would have been more appropriate!”

Bette giggled, knowing how embarrassed Tina had become.  “It was fun T, we had the most enormous bucket of popcorn and sat down laughing and giggling like a couple of school girls, munching on those cardboard bullets they sold us, but they were great to throw weren’t they?”

“Yeah, for a sensible gallery owner, you sure know how to piss the attendant off!”

“Well he kept flashing his torch at us!” Bette said remembering how infuriated she had become.

Tina remembered giggling at the first glimpse of the petulant child hidden in the cool, gorgeous exterior of Bette Porter, “I think that was something to do with the fact you threw popcorn at him!”

“Well, we were sat quietly talking before the film starts, minding our own business, and he sshh’s us, fuck, the credits hadn’t even started!”

“You know babe, do you remember how snug those seats were?”

“You mean how as you sat down beside me you gave a little moan, when you realised and was feeling how much of our legs were touching each others?”

“Just a bit, Jesus, I felt the heat from you and I was sure I couldn’t breathe!”

“What about when you were talking and put your hand in the popcorn bucket and caught hold of my hand instead of the popcorn?”

“You mean when I nearly choked! When I realised I’d grabbed your hand, realised what I had done, looked at you and you just gave me ‘that look’!”

“What look?”

“You are kidding right? You just looked right into my eyes and gave that little smirk that you do, as if you have so much to say for yourself, but the smile says it all!”

“Did I make you feel uncomfortable?”

Tina smiled and shook her head, her voice was quiet as her mind flashed back to the images of what Bette did, “I don’t think uncomfortable is the right word babe, when all you did was smile, give my hand a squeeze and bring it to your lips and place the most delicate kiss on the back of my hand… no not uncomfortable, palpitations maybe, especially seeing as though your eyes never left mine during those few moments.”

“You know that was the moment, when our eyes locked, when I knew the night was going to be the best ‘first date’ ever!”

“You were such a charmer Bette!”

“I wanted to kiss you, just lean over and kiss your lips…”

“I saw you watching my lips, your eyes kept looking from my mouth to my eyes and back again, and then the lights went down for the film to start!”

“And…”

“You leaned over and kissed me…”

“And…”

“It felt like my lips were coming into contact with the most delicate silk, your lips felt so soft, like nothing I’d ever felt before!”

“And…”

“I knew that what I saw in your eyes in the gallery, was the same thing that I would see in your eyes at that moment…”

“But T, you had your eyes closed; it was the merest kiss, just the softest brush of a kiss…”

“It was the most delicate kiss that anyone had ever given me babe, the kiss in the gallery was different, that was you being you.  But that kiss was… tender, caring, sensitive, loving… and yet you barely touched my lips… god…

“What T?”

Tina looked into Bette’s eyes, the tenderness of that moment seven years ago reflecting back at her in the same way this very night, “you turned my world upside down with that kiss…”

Tina took a moment to reflect on the instant when she realised the fleeting glance of Bette’s lips, she had been taken aback with how suddenly it had happened, one minute Bette had kissed the back of her hand and time stood still as she watched the slow motion scene in front of her very eyes, the way Bette had leaned slightly to kiss her hand, the way her eyes had never left hers as her lips pressed against the cool skin on her hand, she would feel that impression forever, her breath had caught in her throat, the penetrating look from her date, those expressive midnight eyes boring into her very being. 

She understood in that very moment how people described being shaken to their very core, her words were true, as the lights went down Bette had gently leaned over and placed the most delicate and tender kiss upon her lips, and from that very moment she knew her world would never be the same again. Her thoughts over the last couple of days had been similar, the talking on the phone, that thoughts that had been passing through her mind, but this simple gesture of a delicate kiss shook her very being, her core, her soul… the obscure misplaced pieces inside her heart shifting like a puzzle on a board, linking their matching partner, slowly beginning to be complete, Tina felt the sensation wash over her as the shifting pieces made their final click into place and her heart had never felt so whole.

Bette’s lips had left hers, and she felt empty, the sudden loss of the warm fleeting kiss causing her to open her eyes, her gaze met upon the face of the woman who had caused the shifting in her heart, she watched Bette’s lips as they began to utter a silent apology, Tina had brought her finger to the plump lips before her, her eyes meeting the ebony pools that she had been avoiding gazing into, she gave a slight shake of her head, as she quietly spoke in the darkness of the movie theatre, “please… don’t… apologise…”

“You know I remember that night like it was yesterday, it was an amazing date,  I think we should watch that film again babe,” Tina’s voice was quiet as her emotions came to the surface, that importance of that singular night in her life coming to the fore.

“Yeah we should, it was a great film, I’m surprised that we took so much of it in, and the length of it, it flew by, completely draws you in.” Bette looked into Tina’s eyes and smiled, knowing that the same thing was crossing their minds.

Tina smiled in return, “I can’t believe I cried!”

“It was cute!”

“Bette, out on a first date, and I cried at the film!”

“I got choked up too T, anyone with a morsel of emotion would get upset over Mr Jingles!”

“It was John Coffey and Mr Jingles that got me!”

“T, I think you held yourself together admirably!”

“You heard me sniffing didn’t you?”

“It was a bit of a giveaway…!”

“You were so sweet to me babe.”

“All I did was pass you a tissue…”

“No you didn’t, you did so much more than that.”

Bette raised her eyebrows, encouraging Tina to continue.

“You passed me the tissue while the film was on, and you held my hand, stroking it with your thumb, while I was engrossed in John Coffey and Mr Jingles.  And when the film finished and the lights came on, you said nothing about the tears, you smiled at me, held my hand as we walked outside and you just stopped…”

Bette smiled, remembering the moment with such clarity, allowing Tina to continue recalling their first date, she reached for Tina’s hand as she told the story, examining the creamy skin of her lover, before placing a gentle kiss on the tip of each finger, her gaze reaching Tina’s eyes as the closeness of that night surrounded them.

“You stopped and turned to face me, still holding my hand… and then you just did it again…”

“Did what baby?”

“That journey that I had begun, I’d already started to fall in love with you and then… you just brought your thumb up and wiped my tears away, you didn’t say anything, and that was okay, because your eyes said all I needed to know, and your smile, such an intimate and loving smile and then you just put your arms around me and held me.”

“I didn’t like seeing you upset T; it made my heart ache seeing you upset…”

“Having your arms around me Bette, I’ve never felt so safe in my entire life…”

“I felt an overwhelming desire to protect you, to not let anyone or anything hurt you…”

“It worked babe, you’ve been protecting and keeping me safe ever since.”

“But then I kind of ruined the moment…”

“No you didn’t babe, your stomach did, it’s got to be the loudest rumble I’ve ever heard!”

They both laughed remembering the moments as they were stood with their arms around each other, no words being spoken, just the quiet murmurs of comfort being whispered into Tina’s ear, as she was being held in the most tender, comforting and loving way she had ever experienced, the closeness of the woman before her not only being a comfort for her now calming emotions, but the heat transpiring between their bodies, such a completely and utterly tell tale sign of their instant and growing sexual attraction toward one another.

Then all of a sudden the quiet moment between them was broken, in what Bette believed to be the most unromantic way possible, she dropped her head back as her stomach gave an enormous rumble, so big that not only did Tina hear it, but because their bodies were so close, she felt it, the moment was broken.  They looked at one another, their eyes searched, Bette’s embarrassed and Tina’s humorous, they recognised the others glance, which led them to both burst out laughing.

“You loved how I wined and dined you though didn’t you?”

“It was the best T!” Bette smiled at her partners words.

“Our date may not have started out quite as you’d imagined, but you got to go to the high class restaurant though didn’t you!” Tina smirked at her description of their dining location.

“Absolutely, it was the best hot dog I’ve ever tasted…”

“Bette, I treated you like an absolute lady that night…!”

Bette laughed at Tina’s analogy of their night, she turned slightly stretching her body out along Tina’s as they continued to relax amidst the cushions on the sofa, Tina’s fingers absentmindedly playing with the curls laying on Bette’s shoulder, while Bette stroked Tina’s other hand, her finger outlining each delicate crease, with her lips following the course, planting her tender kisses against the soft creamy skin.

“… you know you’ve been treated like a lady, when you actually eat in and have your hot dog!!”  Tina laughed at the memories flooding through her mind, how they had sat opposite one another, talking, laughing and enjoying the company of the other.

“Seriously babe, that really was the best hot dog I’ve ever had!”

“What about the dessert?”

“Oh god, it was enormous, I’m glad we shared…”

“I loved it when you took the first spoonful, and then you just gave me that look again…” Tina laughed remembering how her insides had completely and utterly melted as she watched Bette from across the table, “… you just looked at the spoon, then looked up at me, with that smirk and just brought the spoon to my mouth, and you just watched me eat from that spoon!”

“It was so sexy, watching you, and you had a little bit of ice cream on the corner of you mouth, and when you licked it off, well…”

Tina chuckled, “I remember seeing you close your eyes and take a deep breath…”

“Fuck T, I very nearly died watching you do that…”

“God Bette, it was an amazing night, the walk we had after, just walking and talking, and you just held my hand and it all felt so right, I’d never felt so much at ease in my life.”

“That was just the beginning babe…”

“And when you asked me if we could see one another again, did you really think I would refuse?”

“I hoped you wouldn’t refuse…”

“Babe, you had me hook, line and sinker from the moment I laid eyes on you in the gallery…”

“T…?”  Bette circled her finger around the palm of Tina’s hand, as her mind wandered.

“Yeah…?”  Tina gave a small smile, knowing that tone of voice from her partner.

“You wanna play Twister…?”