When Tina went back to her office to finish a few projects before she would leave on her trip, Helena chuckled to herself and whispered, “Have fun, girls.”

Somewhere in the Caribbean (few days later)

Tina spent the first two nights in her cabin, she didn’t feel like being entertained and needed to be alone so she could think and try to understand her feelings.

She was desperately and hopelessly in love…there was nothing to think about really. She knew it for all these years, since they first met each other in San Francisco. And she also knew that Bette had feelings for her but were they as strong and as intense as hers? This was a million-dollar question.

On the third night, after a quick dinner at the corner table in the dinning hall, Tina knew that she couldn’t stay isolated in her cabin for the rest of the trip. She was suffocating by her thoughts, by her emotions and the fresh air with the fantastic view of the ocean was something that she was craving right now.

Tina went outside and began strolling slowly along the empty upper deck when she noticed a lonely figure, standing by the rail and watching the waves on the side of the ship. The woman’s dark wavy hair was blowing in the night breeze and her silhouette was beautiful in the moon light.

Tina admired the stranger from afar and continued her promenade when suddenly her heart began thumping rapidly as she moved closer and realized that it was no stranger after all. The woman sensed that someone was watching her and quickly turned around.

“T…what are you doing here?” Bette was so surprised at seeing Tina on the ship that she couldn’t think of what else to say.

“I don’t know…Helena ordered me to take a vacation or she would fire me…what are you doing here?” Tina’s surprise was as evident. She was now only a few feet away and had problems breathing.

“Didn’t Helena tell you?”

“No…she only mentioned that the two of you talked and that you won’t be back for a few weeks, which I already knew and then she told me that I should…” Tina frowned and then shook her head when she realized what had really happened. “Oh, this was her plan all along…I’m sorry if I intruded, I honestly didn’t know…should I leave?”

“No…stay,” Bette reached for Tina’s hand and pulled her closer. “I’m glad Helena conspired behind our backs…I should have asked you to come with me in the first place.”

“So why are you here, Bette?”

“Carrying out my father’s final wishes…”

“Oh…” it didn’t take long for Tina to understand what was happening. “I’m so sorry again for your loss, Bette.”

“You know what saddens me the most?” Bette asked pensively, gazing at the ocean again as if she was searching for something in the waves. “He was alone for such a long time and I wasn’t there for him when he needed me.”

“He wasn’t alone, Bette. He always had you and his memories and soon he will be reunited with his beloved wife. And in the end, you were there for him…”

“And you…I don’t know if I could’ve gone through this by myself. I will always…I…” Bette almost choked on her emotions as her tears came back and Tina softly rubbed her back.

“It’s okay…as I told you before, I will do anything for you.”

Bette turned around and smiled sadly, “Thank you…you can’t imagine how happy I am that you are here. I don’t think I could do it alone. I thought I was brave and strong enough but I’m not…will you stay and help me to do it?”

“Absolutely.”

Bette picked up a small urn that she placed by her feet and showed it to Tina, “Are you ready, T?”

Tina nodded and Bette smiled again, feeling the most profound love for her. Together they spread the ashes and watched as the wind picked them up and scattered among the dark waves.

“If one day…twenty, thirty, forty years from now we decide that our friendship won’t work and we want to stay away from each other, I will look back on this day and this moment alone will make me want to stay in your life,” Bette took Tina’s hand in hers and kissed it softly.

Tina’s pulse quickened and she replied, trying to keep her voice light, “Oh, so there are other moments that would make you stay?”

“Of course…” Bette suddenly looked very pale and ghostlike under the moonlight. She was still holding Tina’s hand and the intensity of that hold was making Tina ready to fall apart. “Tina, are you still with Jenny?”

“No…there’s no Jenny…there hasn’t been anyone for a long time, even when I was with Jenny,” Tina could finally breathe after she was able to say what she wanted for such a long time.  

“What happened?” Bette’s voice shook and she held her breath, scarcely allowing herself to believe that Tina was here with her and finally single.

“She left me…after her book came out, Jenny decided that she wanted to make it into a movie but she was turned down by every studio and she couldn’t find anyone to make the book into a script. So she wrote it herself and then demanded that Helena and I used our studio to make the movie. For the sake of our relationship, I talked to Helena about it and showed her the script but she refused to do it. Quoting Helena, ‘…the book was absolute rubbish and the script is even worse. I won’t let some wanker and an arrogant wanna-be celebrity to ruin Shaolin’s reputation’.”

“Helena said this?” Bette chuckled, expecting no less from the Brit who was always honest and direct with everyone.

“Yep…” Tina nodded with a smile, “She was adamant about this and repeated it to Jenny who didn’t believe that there were people who actually didn’t like her book. Jenny blamed me for her failure as a successful writer and told me that if I loved her I would persuade Helena to make her movie. Using love to manipulate me is something I would never tolerate so I told her the truth…”

“Which was?” Bette asked, forgetting to breathe again.

“That I cared about her but I was never in love with her…and she just left,” Tina looked at Bette and asked shyly, “What about you? Is there someone special?”

“Yes…for a very long time there has been only one person that made my heart beat faster and made my body melt just from a look or a simple touch…and you still do this to me. Tina, I know we need to talk about a lot of things but right now all I want and all I need is to make love to you,” Bette moved closer, placing Tina’s hand above her heart. “Can you feel it? This is what you do to me. I’ve been dreaming about making love to you for years and it’s all I can think about right now.”

Tina felt then the rapid heart beat that was matching her own and noticed their heavy uneven breathing. She circled Bette’s breast through the thin material of her blouse with her fingertips and asked timidly, “Bette, are you sure this is what you want? I know you feel attracted to me. I’ve seen desire and lust in your eyes but is it love? I needed it to be love. How do you know you’re not saying you need me because you feel vulnerable?”

“T…I wanted you non-stop since that night at the Café when you smiled at me, oh so innocently and seductively at the same time…I thought you were the hottest girl in that club. I fell in love with you right there and then,” Bette pulled Tina into a passionate kiss that left them both breathless.

“T…are you sure?” Bette asked after the kiss, searching Tina’s eyes for any signs of uncertainty or doubt. “How do you know that you’re not doing this out of pity and compassion because you’re my best friend and my father just died?”

Tina smiled at Bette’s insecurity, kissed her back with the same passion, and replied, “I’ve wanted you since that same night when you said, ‘you’re the best fuck I ever had’. You have no idea how often those words haunted me in my dreams. Some times I dreaded those dreams because I thought I could never have you and they reminded me of my misery. But most of the times they were the only dreams I wanted to have because I could re-live one of the most exciting moments of my life.”

“I hope I can help you to re-live that moment again for real,” Bette whispered into Tina’s ear, realizing that all the heavy kissing was making her very aroused and she desired Tina more than ever.

“I can’t wait,” Tina whispered back, clinging to Bette. “I just want you to be sure because I won’t survive if you disappear again and leave me alone. I love you too much.”

“Tina, where’re those doubts coming from?” Bette stared at Tina, holding her close.

“Look at me, Bette…”

“I am looking at you.”

“Bette, you’re gorgeous and amazing, you can have any woman you want. You always got so much attention everywhere we went. Women probably thought, ‘what is this hot thing doing with someone so plain?’ I’m so ordinary, so…”

“Tina…” Bette silenced her with another kiss and then continued, taking Tina’s face between her hands again, “Stop this nonsense. You’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met. You’re far from ordinary and plain because you are so special…special to me…”

She paused to let her words sink in and then continued, “Let’s go to my cabin…it has a view of the ocean and a really large bed that feels so lonely at night…and I hope you will be more interested in my bed than in my view.”

“Yes, please…”

They practically ran to Bette’s cabin, holding hands and laughing with excitement. As soon as the door behind them closed, Tina threw Bette down on top of the large comfortable bed and ripped her blouse off, sending buttons flying in every direction.

“Sorry,” Tina gasped when she saw Bette’s black silky bra and exposed skin.

“It’s okay…I didn’t like that blouse anyway,” Bette laughed softly, moving to the edge of the bed with Tina standing in front of her between her legs.

“I want you so much, Bette…touch me,” Tina pleaded as her hands grasped Bette’s shoulders and she leaned down for a kiss.