“Certainly.”  Bette said feigning a smile to hide her disappointment. 

They took their seats sharing a corner of the balcony table and let a few moments of silence pass as they each awkwardly sipped their tea.  The breeze picked up and Tina raised her head to allow the pleasant air to cool her warm cheeks.  She smiled as she spoke.

“I really like it here.”  Tina said softly.

“Here as in the hotel… or LA?”  Bette asked matching the cellist’s tone.

Tina cast her gaze over the distant view over the hills then rest her eyes on the elegant features of the brunette.  “LA.”  She said.

Bette looked down and ran her finger over the edge of the teacup handle.  “Samuel said you’re home is in North Carolina…” looking back up at the blonde, “how does LA compare?” 

Chuckling once, Tina shook her head.  “It doesn’t…“ still smiling, she looked down and placed both hands around her teacup.  “I mean there really is no comparison between Chapel Hill and LA… my mother stills lives there, but I haven’t lived there since my teens… before I entered Juilliard and move to New York…” Tina looked back up and held Bette’s gaze.  “I’m kind of a gypsy in how I live now…” her tone and expression turned more serious as she continued.  “Only I do not have the freedom of a gypsy…,” turning her attention back to the teacup, “I travel from place to place on a demanding schedule… I leave tomorrow for Vancouver…” trailing off engulfed with regret.

Bette waited to allow the blonde time to say more before she spoke.  She studied the sadness now present in the virtuoso’s features then looked around at there surroundings taking it all in.  There was a coffee cup and a newspaper on a small table across the balcony; through the window, she could see no other signs of activity other than the two cellos, a carafe of juice and glass on the bar, and the Gerbera Daisies she had brought.  She knew the dining room had not been disturbed other than the fresh fruit that awaited the blonde.  She looked back at Tina and knew that unlike the reputations of so many touring musicians, the blonde did not entertain after a performance.

Again Bette remembered the loose behavior of the night before; how Shane explained it was so unlike the cellist…’she was nervous’ Shane had said.  Bette thought about what Tina had just shared, comparing her way of life to a nomadic existence and her heart yearned to pull the blonde into an embrace. 

The brunette’s voice cut the silence sharply.  “Have dinner with me!”  Bette said quickly.

Tina looked up with wide eyes.  “What?” She asked not sure if she heard correctly.

Slowing her words with a wide smile, Bette repeated, “have dinner with me…,” she reached out and placed her hand tenderly on Tina’s forearm.  “Please, let me take you to dinner tonight?”  She asked softly.

Tina furrowed her brows as she searched the brunette’s eyes for understanding.  “But Bette… I… It’s not like I don’t want to… it’s just… I’m leaving tomorrow and I don’t want to lead you on when…”

“Tina, I know… and you’re not leading me on… I would like to get to know you and as you said, you’re leaving tomorrow so… have dinner with me tonight.”  Bette said warmly.

Finding the understanding in the brunette’s dark brown eyes, Tina’s expression softened.  “Are you sure?”  She asked timidly.

Bette’s smile broadened, “Yes… I’m very sure.”  She replied with a gentle squeeze of Tina’s arm.

Tina looked down at the mocha hand on her arm then back up at Bette with a smile that melted the brunette’s heart.  The blonde’s eyes widened and she bit down on her lower lip.

“What is it?”  Bette asked.

Tina released her lip and took in a breath she held as she spoke.  “Can we go to the beach?”  She asked shyly.