It was dark.  The stillness of the early morning hour made the quiet in the familiar room more pronounced.  Unlike during warmer evenings the windows were shut and nighttime sounds deflected off the clear window panes. 

It was hard to isolate what woke her.  Was it the humming sound that became more noticeable as she gained consciousness?  Or perhaps the distinctive creak conceivably resulting from the contracting wood recovering from the heat of the afternoon hours ago.

Although tired, she was awake. 

The drowsiness that should have been was absent.  She breathed fully but silently in light of a temptation to not move else her bedmate be roused.  She sighed, unable to figure out why things were so hindered.

Cautiously, the woman turned her head.  In this darkness she couldn’t make out the sleeping form of her companion.  She blinked twice yet an outline remained indistinguishable.   Tina lifted her head and with sight better adjusted to the night confirmed she was alone. 

She lay back down and sighed heavily.   What was the feeling that coursed through her?  Relief?  Curiosity?  Disappointment?  Indifference?  Loneliness?  Perhaps a little bit of everything?

Slowly, she raised her upper body to rest on her left elbow.  Looking around the blonde determined Bette was not in the room.  Tina sat up fully and pressed her palms on the bed.  She should go back to sleep.  In four hours it would be time to get ready for another busy day at the studio.

Where was Bette the blonde wondered?  She sighed.  Why did she feel uncomfortable in her own skin?  In her own house?

She tilted her head back until muscles protested.  Instead of again stretching her body fully on the soft mattress she planted bare feet on the wooden floor and stood.  Listening, there were barely any sounds to notice.  Walking slowly she swung the door just enough to slip by.

Moving through the house carefully she worked her way to the subtle light emanating from a fifteen-watt corner lamp in the foyer.  There was a slight hesitation in her step. 

“Can’t sleep?”

Bette turned to acknowledge her presence.  She looked at her without saying a word and shrugged in response.

Tina persisted.  “That will keep you up.” 

A cup of coffee, however small after a certain hour kept Bette wired.   The nuances of her rhythm had accumulated over time.  She knew how her body worked after all these years together.  This woman she knew so well yet felt so distant from at the moment.