Alice’s apartment.

They ate in silence. There were stolen glances, in between bites of food, mainly from Helena. She hadn’t been able to shake what Bette had done for her, to her, no more than an hour ago. It was a little bit too one sided of an affair for her taste. Helena was pretty sure Bette’s mind was on the same thing by the way she was concentrating on her steamed dumplings, both were looking pretty good to Helena at that moment.

“How are the dumplings?” Helena asked.

“They’re amazing. I’m sorry, would you like some?” Bette offered.

“Sure, I’d love to try your dumplings.”

Helena reached over across the table with her chopsticks and grabbed one – devouring it whole. Now Bette was watching Helena. Helena, her mouth full, chewed with a smirk on her face while staring at her rice. She began to snicker shortly.

“What’s so funny?” Bette inquired, infected by Helena’s laugh.

“Oh, sorry, it was nothing.” Helena lied. She had been thinking about how ridiculous it was that she was sitting across Bette Porter and pondering a seduction. She just wanted to even things out between them.

Sensing that there was something, Bette got up and opened the fridge. She spotted the beer, but instead grabbed the only other beverage in the fridge, a Hi-C juice box. She wanted the beer, but she realized the last thing she needed was more alcohol that night; just like all she wanted was to continue what she started with Helena, but the last thing she should be wanting was a one night stand with Helena Peabody. “Fuck,” she muttered as she closed the fridge. She saw the bare feet of the woman standing directly across from her.

She didn’t look up at Helena, who stood just as silently as she, with her arms folded. Bette poked the juice box with the straw and sucked on it intently. She heard Helena laughing sweetly.

“Okay, what is so funny?” Bette asked.

“The way you drink that juice, it reminds me of how Wilson drinks his juice when he’s trying to avoid talking to me. It’s usually when he’s in trouble.”

“Are you saying I’m in trouble?”

“I don’t know, Bette, but you’re acting like you’re in trouble.” Helena responded. “That, earlier… that was quite unexpected, wasn’t it?”

Bette drank her juice. Helena laughed again.

Finishing her juice, Bette couldn’t help but join Helena in that humorous moment.

“Okay, okay, so yes. Yes.” Bette said. She looked at Helena.

“This is awkward, yeah?” Helena stated.

“Very. Helena, I’m not sure what to say right now. I usually-”

“You don’t have to say anything, unless you feel the need. Would you feel better if we discussed what happened?”

One and a half steps. That was the distance between the two statuesque, dark-haired women. One and a half steps was all that it would’ve taken, by either women, to cut through the tension. A tension both awkward and sexual. They were keenly aware of it. It’s that same awareness when you are given that silent permission to kiss someone for the first time and you scream to yourself to lean forward.

Just one and a half steps forward.