Tina made her way back to the couch, trying to keep her breathing at a normal rate. She could feel her heart pounding in her chest. She sat back in her place and watched Bette join her on the comfortable seating.

"So Tina," Bette started, taking another sip of her rum and coke. She smiled at the blonde and couldn’t stop or contain it. Something in those hazel eyes was driving her crazy, making her act silly. She tried to get a grip.

"So," Tina smiled shyly, grabbing for her drink as well. She fiddled with her necklace for a while, glancing up at Bette to see what she was doing.

"That’s a nice necklace," Bette observed, resting her drink in her other hand. She allowed herself to relax a bit into the couch, sitting slightly sideways to keep an eye on the beautiful blonde.

"Oh, thanks," Tina smiled, bringing it up closer to her face to look at it. "I got it from one of my friends when I moved. She said it would give me strength."

Bette just smiled at Tina’s explanation.

"She thinks I’m too shy," Tina said, letting out a breath of laughter.

Bette grinned, thinking ‘well, let’s prove her wrong then, shall we?’ but didn’t have the courage for that. She didn’t want to scare Tina off. Instead, she responded very plainly. "That was sweet of her. I bet your friends miss you."

"Well I miss them too," Tina nodded, taking another sip. "But it’s really great here, and I think after a little while, this will be home to me."

When she smiled up at Bette with that sincere look in her eyes, Bette thought she would melt into the couch. She tried to stop herself from grabbing Tina and pulling her in for a long passionate kiss. ‘She doesn’t want that, you idiot’ she thought. She looked away from the beauty to try to balance her thoughts.

"I’m sure it will be," the brunette agreed, looking back to Tina. "You know, I really haven’t gotten to know you yet."

Tina smiled again, resting her drink back on the table. She had been trying to tell Bette how smitten she was, but she didn’t have the courage, or confidence that Bette would feel the same way. She sighed audibly and rested her hands on her knees. "Yeah."