“Alice? What are you””

“Dana I… Uhm, can I come in?”

Dana moved aside and motioned for Alice enter.

Alice decided to talk while Dana was still in a state of shock, ‘At least she won’t remember everything I say.’ she told herself.

“Okay Dane I came here because” God your room is bright!” Alice said squinting her eyes, the bright yellow hurting her vision.

“I know.” Dana replied, sounding a bit embarrassed. She didn’t really care why Alice was there anymore, she was just glad she came.

Dana smiled, “Never mind about the room Al, how ’bout you and I get out of here?”

“But I just got here…” said Alice putting her bags aside.

Dana dismissed Alice’s complaint and dragged her out of the hotel room.
___________________________________

Back in L.A.:

Bette was helping Tina clear the table, their romantic dinner had turned out to be a success and Bette was beyond happy that her plan to whisk Tina off her feet had actually worked.

“Baby why don’t you go ahead, I’ll take care of this.” Bette offered.

Tina smiled at Bette, “You sure?”

Bette nodded and Tina kissed her lightly on the lips before setting off.

Bette sat herself onto a kitchen counter, as she watched Tina walk into the bedroom. ‘Something is totally up with her.’ Bette thought as she drank the remains of the champagne that smoothly swirled around her glass, somehow she couldn’t help but think she was part of the problem. Tina’s shadow danced in the easy light that emanated from their bedroom. Bette noticed that even the body language coming Tina’s form conveyed that her wife wasn’t telling her something. ‘I’m definitely part of the problem!’ she thought, putting down her empty glass. ‘I have to talk to her…” She hanged her head, “I just hope she appreciates what I’m about to do next…’

**************

Tina on the other hand was in the bedroom, trying to find a gentle way to tell Bette the truth. She tried to think of a place where she didn’t look for her ring, ‘God damnit! I looked everywhere for that stupid ring!’ she thought, as she moved her way into the bathroom and proceeded to splash cold water on her face. Tina looked down at the bare finger where the ring once was, her hands were now dripping wet with water, shimmering as if to point out the obvious loss that she felt inside.

She found herself thinking through random memories that she and Bette had collected over the past seven years, wondering why she took the ring off her finger to begin with. “Bette…” Tina answered in a small whisper only she could hear. She stood there mum, lost in her own existence, thinking of the great irony her whole situation entailed considering that Bette was the one who put the ring there in the first place.

Just then her favorite memory of Bette sprang to mind:

It was a beautiful, chilly, evening and she and Bette were in each other’s arms, looking up at the stars, not being able to believe that just six hours earlier they had committed themselves to spending the rest of their lives together. Tina could remember every single detail, about every single thing that happened that night as if it were just yesterday. Everything from the way Bette’s hair felt between her fingers before she pushed them aside to kiss her, to the way Bette’s skin glowed in contrast to the silvery blue light that surrounded them, were frozen in her thoughts as if encased in amber.

“I love you Tina,” Bette said to her that faithful December night. Everybody was long gone, and they had the whole world to themselves.

“I love you too baby.” Tina said into Bette’s ear, as they sat in the moonlight.

“Can you believe we’re actually married?”

“Mmm-hmm…” Tina said in a timid drawl, leaning further into Bette’s arms.

“You don’t regret it already do you?” Bette half-jokingly said.

“Bette, don’t be silly…. you know I don’t””

“I’m sorry T, it’s just that I guess it hasn’t sunk in yet…” Bette took one of Tina’s hands into hers. “God T, that ring looks so beautiful on you.”

“I know…” Tina said shyly, looking proudly at the ring she was wearing, vowing then and there that she’d never take it off.

******************************

‘Why can’t I find it?’ she asked herself, her mind drifting back to the present. She was about ready to burst into tears when she heard Bette’s voice calling for her:

“Tina? Can you come here a minute?”
__________________________________

Dana and Alice strolled through the flashy streets until their feet could walk no more.

“Oh god my feet are killing me…” Alice groaned as she plopped herself down on a bench, deciding what to do next.

“How ’bout we get a drink Dane?”

“Oh yeah… come on get up!” Dana said offering a hand for Alice to take, as she gently helped her up to her feet.

They walked a bit more trying to find a decent bar to settle in. All of a sudden Dana came to a stop, she looked down on the pavement avoiding Alice’s gaze. “Thanks for coming Al, it really means a lot to me…”

Alice approached Dana, who unbeknownst to her was quietly crying amidst colorful lights of Las Vegas.

“Dana…” she whispered.

Dana did not speak nor did she move, she was quivering inside, not really knowing what to do. Her instincts wanted to take over all the things she thought was logical, and for once she didn’t feel like fighting, perhaps because she’d been fighting for so long. It took all but a few seconds for what was about to happen next, but for Dana it felt like the world suddenly decided to run in slow motion, everything was taking so long but it was also happening so fast. She willed herself to peer into Alice’s eyes, looking into them for a moment before she closed her own, and moved closer into her, swiftly pressing their lips together…
___________________________________

“Bette what”” Tina began, but she never came around to finishing her sentence.

She saw Bette sitting on the kitchen counter, looking like the perfect mix between sexiness and elegance, with her legs crossed, and a finger gently circling around the lip of her champagne glass.

Tina came closer towards Bette, fascinated with how Bette always managed to be alluring without putting in any particular effort whatsoever. Bette smiled at her as fished something out of her pant’s pocket. No words were exchanged between them, just lingering stares as they stood there close to one another. Bette held out a small envelope for Tina to take, and after seven years of being together Tina already knew what was in it. Tina took the envelope from Bette and pulled out what she had been looking for all day, “My ring!” she said, barely able to contain the overwhelming sense of joy and relief she felt swelling inside her.

“I found it by the dresser the day you left… and I’ve been keeping it close by ever since. I just never found the right time to ask you…” Bette paused to look at the tears that were welling up in Tina’s eyes. “…If I can put it back on for you?”

“Of course…” Tina replied, holding out the ring in the palm of her hand and letting Bette slip it back onto her finger. She let her fingers tangle into Bette’s, surprising her when she leaned forward, taking her in for a long kiss, as if it were the first one they have ever shared together.

____________________________________

‘Where am I?’ Alice thought as she woke up to the strange yellow shade of the room that housed her. She was gradually feeling the effects of the alcohol she shared with Dana last night, ‘But what else did we share?’ she wondered.

‘Let’s see… we shared a kiss…’ she thought smiling, ‘then we went to get a drink, to toast to new beginnings…’

‘We shared a room… but did we”‘ Alice shifted her gaze toward the other side of the bed, realizing that she wasn’t alone.

‘OH GOD NO! Please tell me we didn’t!’ Alice screamed internally. She didn’t dare move for a couple of minutes, fearful that she would rouse Dana into consciousness, ‘ Christ Al, what are you doing? Wake her up and find out what happened!’

Alice shook Dana’s shoulder hoping to find answers, but then she saw something glint in the sunlight, “What the?” she said in a barely audible voice. She searched for a while until she realized that the glare that caught her eye was actually coming from her left hand, where a platinum band was shining, daring her to believe that it truly exists.