Tina opened the door. She quickly glanced at Bette before her eyes fell to the ground.

“Hi.”

“Hi… I brought food.” She held up the bag. It was a stupid thing to say, but she couldn’t think of anything else at the moment.

“Yeah… I see. Thank you. Come in.” She stepped back into the hallway to give room for Bette to walk by.

“Is Alice home?” Bette asked as she passed Tina. She wanted so badly to give her a kiss, at least on the cheek. But it didn’t feel right and she knew her heart would break if Tina rejected her.

“No… She is out. I told her you were coming by so she figured…”

“Yeah… Well where do you want to eat?” Bette wanted to get lunch started. Not because she was hungry, but because it seemed like the easiest way to ease some tension.

“Um… I don’t care. We could go out on the balcony. It’s a nice day.” This seemed so strange. It was miserable and uncomfortable, but it also had the feel of a first date; nervous, and curious.

“Okay… here take this outside. I will go get us some plates; do you want something to drink?”

“Yeah… I’ll just have a glass of water.” Tina picked up the take out bag from where Bette had set it on the coffee table, and headed for the French doors that lead to Alice’s small balcony.

“Okay… I’ll be right back.” Bette walked into Alice’s kitchen. She grabbed two plates; forks, and two glasses of water. She allowed herself to briefly glance at the spot, in Alice’s kitchen, where she and Tina had held each other and talked the other day. It made her sad, but at the same time, hopeful.

By the time Bette got out on to the balcony Tina was sitting on one of the chaise lounges and had already started pulling their lunches out of the bag. She looked up at Bette as she shut the French door. “Thank you, you got me Peanut Chicken.”

“Yeah, its your favorite.” Bette realized that she was actually too nervous to eat. She sat down on the lounge chair next to Tina’s. They both sat sideways in the chairs, facing each other, with a small table next to them to hold their drinks.