Chapter 4
Tina Kennard started thinking that fake-dating Bette Porter wasn’t the worst thing that ever happened to her. It was, in fact, quite an easy thing to do.
By their third date (lunch in some nearby restaurant just outside the studio) they already had the whole thing well-rehearsed and working out. Bette would meet her wherever they agreed: sometimes at her trailer, or at her front door, or even that one time she went to pick her up from a doctor’s appointment. They would greet each other politely, nothing out of the normal, and then Tina would reach out for Bette’s hand as soon as they were in the public. They would talk about the scenes that they had to film, or about something that they still couldn’t decipher about the characters of the show. It surprised Tina how meticulous the other woman was about everything that surrounded Emma, how passionate she was about nailing her every detail. Every date usually finished with a quick kiss, making sure they had located the camera that would photograph them before.
But apart from paparazzi, they both knew that what they did on social media was half of the act they were putting up. Tina started with an innocent Instagram story of two large iced lattes. It didn’t show much, although the fans could easily recognize Bette’s hand, with her long bronze fingers and her trademark rings. She added an emoji of a white heart and posted it, not even tagging her co-star, but her phone blew up so much she had to stop using it for the rest of the day. It became a usual thing from then on.
“You seem pretty comfortable” Shane pointed out to her one day, when they were relaxing at the younger woman’s trailer.
“Yeah, kinda. I kinda feel like I got no choice, either” Tina agreed.
“Well, you’re being a little too convincing. If I didn’t know better, I’d say you two actually get along” Shane was being playful, but her words were sincere.
“She’s nice when she’s not being an asshole” Tina conceded. “And she’s been pretty quiet lately. So have I.”
“That’s good.” Shane was doing that thing in the one she only made little comments, instigating her interlocutor to keep talking.
“I admitted she’s nice. I’m also not blind, and I know she’s beautiful. Every time we go somewhere people turn around to look at her, it’s actually funny”, a smile hovered Tina’s lips at the memory. “But then when I feel like maybe we should get more personal, you know, as friends, I remember everything we’ve been through, and I just feel like running as far away from her as possible. So, I just go through the dates and post stupid pictures, and I know that this will be over soon.”
“I just want to know what is that that happened between you two that neither of you talk about” Shane stated, simply.
The blonde looked like a deer in headlights.
“What are you talking about?” she asked, her voice full of something that sounded a lot like fear.
“I’m not stupid, Tina. You hated each other viscerally ever since you came into set. Either something happened before, or during the first days, but…”
“Nothing happened” Tina interrupted her.
“Then why do you dislike each other so much?! It makes no sense. I just want someone to tell me the truth.”
They were interrupted (and Tina silently thanked the Gods) by Bette’s assistance, who knocked at the door lightly before being invited in.
“Hi Shane. Hi Tina, I knew I’d found you here” Claire greeted them. “Bette asked me to tell you that you should go to the premiere of a film with her tomorrow. She’s been invited today, and it seems like a good place to have a very public date. Her words, not mine.”
“Ok.” Tina nodded, grateful for the interruption and the invitation. “I’ll be there.”
-
After a brief exchange via text message about what they were going to wear to have matching outfits, Tina had decided on a long, dark green, strapless dress. She loved the way it accentuated her ass in a delicate way, making her look like some old Hollywood celebrity. She chose an emerald necklace to go with it, and after one last touch of her lipstick, she was ready to go.
Just in time, Bette texted her that she was waiting for her outside.
“They sent you a limo, eh?” the blonde asked, getting into the fancy car.
“The studio did it. You know how they like to make this whole act for the big movies.” She looked at her up and down, taking her in. “You look gorgeous, by the way.”
The compliment felt like listening to a foreign language to Tina.
“Thank you” she finally accepted. “You don’t look too bad yourself. I’d like to know where you get all these suits.”
Bette laughed lightly, but Tina meant it. She looked beautiful in high-waisted, wide legs, dark green trousers and a matching blazer, with a silk shirt underneath that made her seem dreamy like.
“Oh, I brought something for you” Tina said, suddenly remembering. “You know, my fans always tease me about how I always put stuff on my date’s lapel. I think I did it twice, but it became a thing on the internet. So I thought, you know, it’s silly, but it wouldn’t hurt. Give them shit to talk about.”
She searched in her purse until she found a beautiful brooch in the shape of a flower, made of silver and pearls.
“I chose this one ‘cause it looks old to me, right? And I thought I’m giving vintage vibes with this dress and… like I said, it’s silly, but I think it will look nice on you.” Tina was rambling, but Bette took the brooch out of her hands without saying a word and put it on her left lapel.
“I think it’s beautiful. Both the brooch and your gesture.”
She brushed her fingers over the ornament, making sure it was at just the right angle. Once satisfied, she directed an honest smile at her co-worker:
“I think we’ll be the prettiest couple out there and the actors will hate us for taking their spotlight. But it’s not my fault I got the hot date.”
She winked at Tina, who suddenly felt her cheeks getting really red.
They reached their destination quickly after that, and both got into business mode without adding another word. Bette opened the door for her and extended a hand to help her get out of the car, which Tina took softly. Lately, she had been thinking about the softness of Bette’s hand more often than it’d be normal, but she set the thought aside as they approached the red carpet and the cameras waiting for them.
She was aware that they were a picture-perfect couple.
They posed together, Tina’s hand on Bette’s shoulder while the other woman held her by the waist. The photographers tried to give them instructions, but they preferred to do their own thing: Tina put one hand on Bette’s chest, and she proceeded to take that hand and give it a quick kiss. The cheers from the crowd were so loud that the blonde felt a buzz in her ears.
“Are you going to kiss me?” Bette asked, putting her lips so close to her co-star’s face that only she could understand her.
Tina didn’t answer; instead, she grabbed Bette’s cheek softly and joined their lips together, in a kiss that wasn’t rushed like they usually were. It was a tender kiss, full of affection, one that they used a lot when they were in character, but they had never shared since this whole fake dating thing had begun. She could tell that Bette was surprised, because she had tried to pull back as soon as their lips touched, but Tina had held her in place, her firm hand not leaving the other woman’s face. The brunette didn’t complain but melted into the touch, and slid her other hand in Tina’s lower back, closing the embrace in the one she held her.
When they parted away, the surrounding crowd was delirious and both their cheeks were flushed. Bette kissed her again, lighter this time and on the cheek, before guiding her gently to one of the reporters eager to ask them some questions.
“Hi girls, this is Jamie for E! News. The couple of the moment, huh?”
“Hi Jamie” the brunette answered, with a slight tremble on her voice. Remembering how much she hated this whole public thing, Tina squeezed her hand to show her support and Bette looked at her, grateful. “What can I say, I’m a lucky woman.”
“Everybody says this is an unexpected pair, but I think you look pretty good, don’t you think, Tina?”
“People can say whatever they want” Tina answered, her rehearsed PR-smile illuminating her face. “We know how we feel and that’s all that matter, right babe?” The pet name came naturally to her, and Bette nodded her head in agreement. We’ve been pretending to be in love for a living for years, Tina thought, of course we look good.
“Right, yeah. You can’t help who you fall in love with.” Bette added without being questioned, and the statement settled between, leaving a trail of awkwardness behind it.
“Well, there you have them, Tina Kennard and Bette Porter from ‘Dupont and associates’, the very in love couple of the moment!” Jamie let them go and Tina guided them into the theater, her steps firm and hurried.
“Don’t you think that was a little too much?” Tina asked subtly, her smile still plastered on her face.
“What, you, kissing me like that?” Bette responded quickly, as if her thoughts were fixated there. They were now next to each other in their assigned seats, so close that Tina could smell the fruity notes of the brunette’s perfume.
“The whole falling in love thing! Supposedly we’ve been dating for like… a month, max” she answered, frustrated.
“Oh, they’ll eat it up like it’s candy on Halloween. Besides, I insist, you kissed me like that. I’m not complaining. I’m just saying.”
“Oh, I’ve been kissing you like that for years, don’t make a big deal out of it.” They had bettered their relationship so much over the last weeks, but suddenly Tina felt on the edge of fighting the brunette again. She couldn’t help it.
“Sure” Bette agreed, sarcasm adorning her words. “Whatever helps you sleep at night.”
Tina held on to that thought for the rest of the event, but later that night, in the solitude of her bed, she found out that it wasn’t the kind of thought that helped her sleep: quite the contrary, it kept her awake, tossing and turning. Why had it felt so natural to kiss Bette? Why had it felt so right?
She couldn’t help but search for the pictures and videos of that night online. Apart from the meltdown their fans had had -not only she expected that, but she enjoyed it a little-, some of the things going on in those videos caught her eye: the way her thumb gently and almost imperceptibly caressed Bette’s face while kissing her, how the brunette would lean in to capture her lips better, or the heart eyes she undoubtedly had while the other woman made that “you can´t help who you fall in love with” declaration. There was something in both of them, a tension that was far more tangent than the one they usually shared on screen while playing Emma and Laura. Something that looked real, or “a little too convincing”, like Shane had said.
“Fuck you, Porter. Fuck you, fuck you, fuck you.” She mumbled against her pillow, fear piling up in her chest and keeping her from the rest she so desperately needed.