In a harsh voice, Helena demanded, “So you felt that you could play with my heart like your ex-girlfriend did?”

“Helena, I’m really sorry.” Dylan stammered, twiddling her thumbs nervously. “When I heard about you on the news, I envisioned you to be spoilt rich young woman pampered by your parents, someone who had it all and still wanted more. We wanted vengeance, so we devised a plan to get near you. I thought I would be able to remain emotionally detached from all these, but I can’t…. You’re a good person… I…”

Unable to listen any further, Helena stood up quietly to walk away. Observing that Helena was apparently very upset, Bette chased up and grabbed the Brit’s hand to stop her from going further. Pushing her hair aside, Bette touched Helena’s face gently and asked. “Are you alright dear?”

Helena did not say a word. Silently, she put her head over her friend’s shoulder and leaned forward for an embrace. Bette gently rubbed her back in a comforting manner, and in a voice only loud enough for Helena to hear, whispered, “Don’t be sad, I’m here now.”

For a moment, all was silent, except for the rhythmic beating of their hearts.

____________________________________________________________________________________

That was first thing that greeted her as Tina walked into Prego’s. Bette and Helena locked in an intimate embrace, with the world that had seemed to come to a standstill for the two of them. She couldn’t tell exactly why, but a huge surge of anger and jealousy was swelling up inside her, like a wave about to break onto the shore.

At that instant, Tina realized that she knew how good it felt to be hugged by in this position. She shut her eyes, as memories flooded back in, turning into reality. Bette’s intense eyes looking at her adoringly as she pulled her in for a hug, how her skin tingled with electricity as she felt truly alive.

"You feel so good"

A shudder ran down her spine. Why was she thinking of all these things? Shaking her head sternly, Tina threw back the thoughts in her brain that were no longer even remotely coherent.

She brought herself back into the current circumstances – nothing can change the fact that her ex-fling and ex-wife were caught publicly in a compromising position. Feelings of rage flooded back in torrents, as she stared at the couple’s linked hands in disbelief, “What the hell are you two doing?”

"It’s really not what you think it is." Helena tried to explain to a furious Tina who was preparing to leave the restaurant.

“I bet they’re fucking each other.” Henry interrupted sarcastically, placing an arm protectively around Tina’s shoulders. He could accept that his girlfriend used to copulate with females, and the truth is, he found it extremely hot. However, he always firmly believed that homosexuality was just a phrase confused ladies went through; and as statistics from the sorority in his university had evidenced, they will all go back to men eventually.

“Lesbians” He added, shaking his head disapprovingly. “Here’s another reason why we shouldn’t let Bette adopt Angelica.”

“That’s none of your bloody business, Henry" Bette glared at the pudgy-faced chauvinist, disgusted that he had once again chosen to perpetuate his biased opinion on a situation he knew nothing about.

“Are you sleeping with Helena?” Tina interrogated Bette, feeling significantly more secure with her boyfriend’s strong arms around her.

"Don’t start on me today, T. You want to bust on someone, go find yourself a husband to bust on."

Tina felt a pang of guilt at Bette’s words. Although her former-love had hurt her deeply by the cheating with Candace, she had tried to make amends. She waited, she hung around, hoping to rekindle a precious moment with you, between your obsessions with money and fucking men, Tina thought. Deep inside her, she knew that she had lost the right to judge Bette and her actions, when she let her libido overcome her on their wedding bed. Full of remorse, she turned around and started to leave.