The early afternoon sun beat down on the women as they finished hauling the last of the boxes off the back of the truck.  The pictures of the house that Tina had seen did not do it justice.  As Bette showed her around, she looked with wonder at all the little things that Bette had added the house to make it a home.  The artwork on the walls and various décor in the rooms were very expressive in terms of who Bette was and what she was passionate about. 

Bette: I really hope you’ll be happy here, Tina.  Don’t be afraid to help yourself to anything.  This is your home now, too.

Tina: (a broad smile crossing her face) I really appreciate that, Bette.  I appreciate all of this, she said, gesturing to the house.

Meanwhile, in Tina’s new bedroom, Dana and Alice were on the task of putting the bed together, while Shane worked to reassemble a book shelf.  Bette stopped by the room and poked her head in the door.

Bette: Wow, how fitting! (nodding to Alice and Dana).  You two chose the bed.  She bent over to Tina, who was standing next to her and whispered: Sex fiends.

Alice: Well Bette, if you’d have seen the podcast, you’d know that Dana and I most certainly do not limit ourselves to a boring old bed.

Dana gave Alice a look before purposefully dropped her edge of the mattress onto Alice’s feet.

Alice: Ow, fuck! Dana, come on already!

Alice freed her feet and dropped down onto her knees on the mattress, which now lay on the floor.  She sprawled out on the center of the mattress and struck what she assumed to be a seductive pose – legs crossed, her chin resting on her fist.

Alice: What about this?  Huh?  How can you resist this?

Dana couldn’t help but chuckle, even though Alice wasn’t trying to be funny.  The fact that Alice was being serious made her ridiculous pose all the more endearing, and all the more hilarious.  Dana looked up at Shane with a knowing smile.  Simultaneously, they both dive-bombed on top of Alice.

Alice: Bette! Help! I’m being double-teamed! She squealed.

Dana: (Lifting her head but keeping Alice in a headlock) Wow, this must be a dream come true for you, Al.

Shane laughed and gave Alice a hard yet playful slap on the ass.

Alice:  Okay, okay, I’m sorry! she pleaded, stilling Dana’s hands.

Dana:  (Looking down at Alice, who was laying partially beneath her)  I hate you, she said jokingly.

Alice:  Mmm, hate you, too.

They smiled at one another before Dana gently leaned down for a quick kiss.

In the doorway, Bette and Tina had seen and heard this exchange.  They stole a glance at one another before sheepishly looking away.

Dana stood up from the mattress and extended a hand to help Alice up as well. 

Dana: By the way?

Alice: Yeah?

Dana:  If you ever blog about our sex life again, you won’t be getting sex from me for as long as you live. 

Alice: Fair enough, she shrugged.

The girls resumed unpacking Tina and shared an afternoon meal out by the pool.  In the early evening, Alice, Dana, and Shane excused themselves to let Tina relax.  It had been a long day for all of them, but especially for Tina.

And for the first time, the new roommates would be alone.