“Alice, leave them alone. They are happy and in love. Isn’t this what you always wanted them to be?” Shane asked, getting her espresso shots.

“Of course I want them to be happy and in love but I want it to be real.”

“Al, are you crazy?” Dana laughed, “How more real can it get? They are practically inseparable.”

“I know, I know…and they have this amazing connection but what if this connection was built on false or wrong expectations?”

“What the hell does that mean, Al? Are you saying that they don’t really love each other?” Shane asked, jumping to Bette and Tina’s defense.

“No, that’s not what I’m saying…okay, I have a theory. Just hear me out and you will understand,” Alice waited until all the girls were paying attention and continued, “Let’s look at the facts and I wrote them all down.”

She took out a clipboard with notebook pages and prepared to read.

“Wow, Alice…you’re really serious about it,” Carmen chuckled.

“But of course…they’re my friends and I love them,” Alice cleared her throat and began reading dramatically, “Facts about Bette and Tina. One, we all know that Tina was infatuated with Bette long before the stunning brunette came into her life. She fell in love with her image on the miniature and was dreaming about her since she was 13 years old. Fact number two, Bette had her heart and spirit broken by a man only to be mended again by a woman who became her first love, Christina.”

Alice paused and looked at her amused friends, “Notice, I didn’t say first true love because I believe we only meet one true love during our lives and in Bette’s case it still remains to be decided.”

She took a sip of her coffee and closed her eyes, “Thank God, Kit is back in business…no offence, Carmen but when you were in charge, the coffee tasted like poopie shit.”

“I know,” Carmen laughed, “It was made especially for you to see how long it will take you to say something.”

They all began laughing and Dana said, patting Alice’s shoulder, “We even bet on that.”

“You knew and made me suffer?” Alice feigned anger but began laughing as well, “So, who finally won?”