Bette chewed nervously on her lower lip and stood before Tina, her hands on her hips, the simple black dress hugging her tall frame

Bette and Helena settled into the car and headed over to the Planet.

Helena’s world was filled with shades of cool, dispassionate gray.

Tina couldn’t seem to stop herself.

Bette didn’t go in to work that day.

It was déjà vu. Bette was sitting at her desk in her office….

Bette thought she must have been dreaming when her nose awoke to the smell of French toast on Sunday morning.

After their celebration at the Planet, Tina headed home to her condo and Bette headed home with Angelica.

On Tuesday morning, Bette was sitting in her office, reviewing her schedule for the day when her cell phone rang.

Bette had been thinking a lot about Tina.

On Tuesday afternoon Helena let herself into her hotel suite at the Grand Hilton in Washington, DC.

The day was wrapping up far too quickly for Bette.

Bette was walking at breakneck speed and she rushed into the first clean stall she could find.

Bette hadn’t known how to respond to Tina’s invitation to the movies.

Standing at the tall, rectangular window in her office, Tina watched both nothing and everything.

Kit’s words struck a cord with Bette. They validated Bette’s struggle and reaffirmed the importance of her new-found strength and firm footing.

Bette and Kit were sitting in the younger Porter’s living room on Sunday afternoon.

The smile on Bette’s face reached down into the depths of her soul and set about an inner glow that had been missing in recent months.

At exactly 11:45 am on Friday morning, Tina opened up her car door and slid a shapely leg out onto the pavement of the Thai Palace’s parking lot. The shapely leg led to the skirt of her tailored, tan, linen suit and as she exited the vehicle, Tina smoothed down the skirt and took one last glimpse of herself in the side mirror.

Bette was just settling in for the evening when the door bell rang. In her comfortable evening attire; a pair of yoga pants and a white tank top, she made it to the door just in time to hear the first rappings of an impatient hand against the door.

Though Bette had gone to bed late after spending a night of obligatory schmoozing with Helena, she awoke the next morning feeling more refreshed and energized than she had in a long time.