Carrie: “Tina I m sorry, but I can’t do this anymore. She is always around. Gravitating around you, because she’s in love with you. I can’t compete with her anymore. I think we should take a break.”
Tina: “babe. No. She is not in love with me, we have Angie together and she is her mother too, Bette is in a relationship too at the moment, she isn’t interested in me. Please let this go.”
Carrie: “you have no idea how hard it is for me to know I’ll never be enough for you. As long as she is around, you and I we can’t be together. If you want us to get married, you’ll have to prove me things can be different once Angie goes to college. Because I can’t go on like this. In the meantime, I really think we should take some time apart. I love you Tina, but at the moment I m not sure you love me like I deserve to be loved.”
Tina looked defeated as Carrie left and got in a cab. The felling of defeat was soon replaced by an anger that she could not suppress. She needed to see Bette. She needed to tell her ex-wife to stop her stupid fucking games because the consequences were just too big now.
When Tina arrived at Bette’s house she didn’t even bother knocking. Rookie mistake. She should have.
Tina: “who the fuck do you think you are….”
Bette looked up from between Pipa’s legs and Tina thought she was going to throw up.
Bette: “Hmm, Tina, hi ? What’s wrong? Do you..? can this wait? Is this about Angie?”
Tina: “no it can’t. Get dressed and get this whore out of here before I start becoming violent.”
Pippa: “hey who do you call a whore? Watch your mouth!”
Bette stood up in the middle of this cat fight.
“Enough, enough. Tina, go wait in the other room, I’ll be there in 5 mns.”
Bette took Pippa to the door and apologised profusely for the situation.
Pippa: “I don’t know what the fuck is going on between the two of you, but if you want something between the two of us, you’d better take care of it and make sure she never calls me a whore again.”
Bette closed the door behind Pippa and sighted deeply. She walked to kitchen and looked at Tina.
Bette: “what the fuck is wrong with you? Why are you calling Pippa a whore? Who do you think you are?” Bette was fucking livid. She was so upset.
Tina: “what the fuck is wrong with me? You gotta be kidding me right? So I don’t get to insult you, or your girlfriend but you get to insult mine, make her feel like she’ll never be enough compared to you and I should just watch and say nothing?”
Bette: “what are you talking about?”
Tina: “Carrie! I m talking about Carrie. Because of the little stunt you pulled earlier at the party, she called off the engagement. She thinks you’re in love with me. Which obviously you are not because you’re fucking every woman in L.A. Nothing changed right? The only thing I m asking is to leave me the fuck alone. You are obviously not interested in me anymore, so why do feel the need to make Carrie feel so inferior every time you see her? WHY?”
Bette was silent at this point. Tina had tears in her eyes. And Bette felt incredibly bad for telling off the older woman at the party earlier.
Bette: “Listen Tina. I m sorry I was rude to Carrie. But she gets on my nerves. She is your future wife, I m your ex wife, we can’t be friends. I can tolerate her, I can deal with seeing her once or twice here and there, but she will never be my friend. And I should be able to say that to her without her threatening you to call off the engagement. What kind of fucked up shit is that???? Fuck. I need a glass of wine.”
Tina anger was beginning to rise again. She was so upset. How could Bette disrespect her like this? Insulting and hurting Carrie and then fucking Pippa as if nothing happened.
Tina: “you’re unbelievable. You’re so selfish. I can’t believe it. You know what I can’t wait until Angie gets into college so we don’t have to deal with each other as much. And you can be grateful for Angie because she is definitely the only thing remotely positive to ever come out of our marriage. No wonder why your mother left you. Everybody leaves you Bette!”
Tina’s words cut deep into Bette. She turned around with a look of sadness and hurt that Tina wasn’t ready to see. Tears welled up in bette’s eyes. And the room felt silent.
Tina was waiting for Bette’s answer. Bette was never one to loose a fight. Never one to surrender. So she braced herself for the incoming wrath she was about to face. But all she was met with was silence.
She opened her eyes and saw Bette leaving the kitchen. Heading straight to her bedroom.
That’s when Tina realised what she said and did. She knew she had to make it right. She was very upset with Bette, but she had taken it too far.
She finished Bette’s glass of wine and walked to the brunette’s bedroom door.
Tina: “Bette, I m sorry. Please open the door. I was out of line. I apologise.”
Silence. The deafening silence. Again.
Tina tried knocking. But again. No answer.
She tried opening the door and found it unlock.
She could hear the shower running in the bathroom. She quickly weighted her options. Waiting for the brunette to get out or getting into the bathroom and get this over with.
Tina’s logic was that she went into this bathroom countless of times before. And the situation called for extreme measures. She knew she wouldn’t see Bette’s body with the steam of the shower. But she needed the brunette to hear her apologies rather sooner than later.
She opened the bathroom door and was faced with the most heartbreaking sight she had ever seen since that day they lost their first baby almost 23 years ago. Bette was sitting on the floor under the shower, sobbing, her head hurried in her knees.
Tina was heartbroken. She had done this. She caused it. She hurt the brunette deeply. AGAIN.
From this moment, she was in auto pilot. She stripped off her clothes and got into the shower to hug the brunette. Bette was startled by the body engulfing her in a hug and almost sent Tina flying through the bathroom.
Bette: what the f…!!?
Tina: “I m sorry. I’m so sorry. I was so upset. But I didn’t mean what I said. About Angie, or your mother. Forgive me Bette. I m so sorry.”
Tina was crying hysterically now. Which only spurred Bette on. They cried together under the shower spray for a long hour until the water became cold. They held each other and cried. Cried their lost love, their broken heart, their loneliness but most importantly their regrets.
Bette was the first one to stand up. Her eyes changing instantly when she had a look at the naked body in front of her. Her pupils getting black with lust and fury.
Tina noticed the change in her ex wife eyes’s and knew the situation was taking a different turn that she had anticipated when she first entered the bathroom to apologise.
Bette looked down at her lips. And then her eyes. The air in the bathroom was thick and it had nothing to do with the steam caused by the hot water.
Bette: “you’re sorry? What are you sorry for exactly? Insulting me? Insulting Pippa? Accusing me of being an asshole to your girlfriend? Or of me not being ecstatic over the fact that my ex wife, the love of my life, mother of my child is getting married again? What part of it are you apologising for?”
Bette took a step and was only a breath away from Tina’s lips. Breathing the same air.
Bette. “Or maybe you’re just sorry that Carrie is bad in bed that it makes you such a nasty bitch. I don’t remember you being so mean when we were together. Maybe you should ask her to fuck you better. Like this she wouldn’t feel the need to be in a competition with me.”
Tina was white as a ghost. She was horny. Sad. Angry. And Bette was humiliating her by talking to her like this. Yet, she couldn’t help but want her ex wife to ravish her the only way she knew how.
Tina: what about you? Apparently fucking half of the married straight women of L.A is not doing it for you either. They wouldn’t know what to do with you right?
Bette was shooting daggers at Tina. The tension between them so thick that neither knew if they were going to kiss each other or punch each other first.
Bette: do you need me to fuck you one more time to remind you what it feels like? So you can go back to your sorry ass girlfriend?
That was it. The last blow. Tina slapped Bette. And right after she jumped her. She assaulted the brunette’s mouth as if it was the last bottle of water in the desert, licking and kissing every inch of the brunette’s mouth.
In a Bette Porter display of strength, Bette carried Tina and threw her on the bed.
Bette: “so you slap me, but you still want to fuck me? Tina Tina Tina… how long since she last touched you? Did she ever make you come? Who do you picture when she fucks you?”
Bette was straddling Tina at this point. Biting on the blond neck and breasts. Her hands roaming over the body she dreamed about so many times in the last few years.
Tina: “please fuck me. Please, please, please.”
Bette just chuckled dryly. And she entered Tina roughly.
Bette: “what is it about Tina? First you call Pippa a whore, then you insult me and now you beg me to fuck you? Are you having cold feet about your wedding?”
Tina: “shut up, just fuck me please. I need you. I need to remember you. I need you to feel how sorry I m for hurting you. How I miss you.”
Bette was thrown back by the blonde’s statement. She missed her? She stopped moving her fingers and Tina opened her eyes.
Tina: “Please baby. I want to remember.”
Bette felt the tears coming back and she refused to show Tina how emotional she was. She buried her face into the blonde’s neck and fucked her roughly whispering here and there “mine.” “Fucking mine”… urging Tina to tell her “tell me you’re mine..” she whispered and starting moving faster and harder into Tina’s. The blonde was at a loss for words, moaning loudly. “Yours baby. Yours only” she finally said as she came hard. Harder than she ever had with Carrie.
Then she started crying. Holding onto the brunette for dear life.
They stayed like this for a long moment. Holding each other naked, sad. Tina wearing an engagement ring on her finger. Bette finally asked the question she’s been waiting trying to hide for weeks now.
“Do you love her?”
“Who?”
“Carrie. Are you in love with her?”
“She listens to me. She makes me feel good.”
“Tina. Do you love her like you loved me?”
“No. I can’t love anyone like I loved you. Like I love you. You and I. We’re like fire and gasoline baby. We could set the world on fire sometimes. But we hurt each other so deeply. So no, I don’t love her like you. But she is easy. And I think I just wanted easy for a while…”
“Do you still want easy?”
“I don’t know Bette. It’s so hard for me right now, I need time. I can’t take the risk to hurt you again.”
Better looked at Tina as she stood up and retrieved her clothes from the bathroom.
“T… I don’t want us to hate each other. I don’t this for Angie, or for you and me. I love you. I m in love with you and I would wait a lifetime for you. So if there is a chance, that you’d want to try again please tell me…”
“Bette. I need time. I love you too but we’re so bad for each other. We hurt each other so much. Look at us tonight. Look at the mess we’ve made…”
Bette watched as Tina covered the love bites on her neck and chest with her shirt. As Tina got ready to leave she kissed Bette one last time.
“Just give me time. I need to break things off with Carrie and I need to be on my own for a while. I promise I won’t keep you in the dark too long. I just don’t want us to keep hurting each other.”
Bette watched Tina leave and sighted as she dropped on the bed.
Tina came back to the house she shared with Carrie and was met with a very drunk Carrie.
“Tina baby, I m sorry. I m so sorry. I didn’t mean to say this to you. Please don’t leave.”
Tina: “you’ve been drinking. I thought you had stopped. I don’t like it when you drink, you scare me.”
Carrie: “it’s ok baby. I won’t hurt you. I m just sorry.” And she started sobbing. In that moment Tina knew.
Hearing Bette sobbed earlier this evening had shattered her heart, but having her fiancé cry in her arms right now was mostly getting on her nerves.
Tina: “Carrie stop. Get a grip. We need to talk.”
Tina was getting upset and removed her scarf to handle the conversation.
Realisation hit them at the same time. The love bites. The hickeys and bitting marks. Carrie became livid and threw the glass she was holding to the nearest wall, frightening Tina.
Carrie: “I knew it. I fucking knew it. The second I tell you the engament is off you go to her and fuck her. You’re such a cunt Tina. Such a bitch. You two deserve each other.”
And with that she left the room.
Tina was standing still. Not moving. Until she finally decided it was better to leave before Carrie came back. She took her bag and left the house.
*toc toc toc”
“Hey Tina. Are you alright?”
“Hey Shane, I m sorry can I sleep here tonight? I’ll be out of your hair tomorrow. I’ll be flying back to Toronto after the gala.”
“Sure, come in. Is everything ok?”
“Carrie got drunk. She relapsed. We broke up and called off the wedding but I don’t want people to know yet.”
“I m so sorry Tina.”
“It’s ok, it was not meant to be…”
Tina lied down on the sofa and finally fell asleep.
The next evening was the gala.
Bette was a speaker at the event and Tina had promised Angie that she would attend before going back to Toronto.
She was stressed to see Bette, but she would use the night to tell Bette that Carrie was no longer in the picture and that she was going back alone to Toronto to take some time and think.
She spent the day getting her things ready and was glad not to run into Carrie at the house.
At 6pm she arrived to the gala. She spotted Bette immediately. They smiled warmly to each other before Bette excused herself and came to greet Tina.
“Was that the dress you had picked originally?” Bette said with a smirk.
Tina could not hide her smile and answered “well you got a bit carried away last night… so turtle neck it is!”
They both chuckled lightly..
“I didn’t hear you complain..”.
“I wasn’t…”
They looked at each other softly…
“I m single. Carrie and I split up. It doesn’t mean than you and I will jump back into a relationship but I wanted you to know before I go back to Toronto that I was going back alone.”
Bette’s eyes sparkled and she couldn’t help her smile.
“T…. I m…” she was interrupted by someone shouting her name
“Porter!”
She turned around and the rude mention of her name and she was faced with Carrie. A very angry looking, drunk looking, revengeful looking Carrie.
“Carrie, what are you doing here? Go home, you’re causing a scene.” Bette tried to avoid the nuclear argument that she knew was coming her way
“I m causing a scene??? You fucked my fiancé and I m causing a scene.???!”
Alice who was chatting away with Angie on the side chocked on her champagne and started looking intently. Suddenly very interested in the conversation.
“Carrie. You’re obviously very drunk. We’ll talk later. Go home and calm down a bit.”
That’s when Tina started talking too: “Carrie you’re embarrassing everyone. Go home and sober up.”
“You, shut up. You lost the right to speak to me when you fucked this whore last night.”
Tina was getting really worked up but she didn’t have time to react before Bette was in Carrie’s face.
“Listen to me very carefully. I never liked you when you were Tina’s fiancé, but I respected you for my daughter and for Tina. But make sure to hear what I m going to say because I will not repeat myself. If you ever talk to her or my daughter like this again, threaten her or come near one of them again in a drunken state like tonight, I can promise you that getting yourself check in into rehab is going to be the last problem if your life when I m done with you.
YOU DO NOT DISRESPECT MY WIFE AND THE MOTHER OF MY CHILD. Have I made myself clear?”
There was a deafening silence in the room, all eyes on the two women. Carrie looked like she was about to answer but one look at Bette’s face made her think better of it.
Tina watched Bette and grabbed her hand to calm her down.
Bette took a deep breath and asked the security to take Carrie out of the building.
She turned around and look at Tina’s
“I m sorry Tee, I didn’t mean to cause a scene. I just…”
She never got the chance to finish her sentence as Tina engulfed her in the most searing kiss to date.
So much for taking things slow or take time for herself.
Fire and gasoline she had said to Bette the night before.
There’s only one fucking Bette Porter.