“You look incredible,” Tina said.

“Likewise,” Bette replied coyly. “Ready?”  Bette asked, holding out her hand for Tina to take.

Tina took her hand and they walked together to the car.  She had no idea what their plans were for the night, and Bette wasn’t telling.

After about 15 minutes of driving, Bette pulled into the parking lot of a fancy Thai restaurant that Tina had been talking about checking out.  Over dinner, the women stuck to neutral subjects, and before long the unease that they had created just the day before were seemingly erased. When they finished dinner, they order a tiramisu to share and finished the last of a bottle of wine.

Bette pulled a bite of dessert off the end of her fork and looked up.  Tina was looking at her with an intent look in her eyes.

“What?” Bette asked, wiping her mouth.  "Did I get some on my lip?" She looked down in her lap to make sure she didn’t drop anything.

“No, no,” Tina said.  “It’s not that.  I’m sorry, I was staring.”

Bette smiled broadly.  “Well then, don’t let me stop you.”

After they left the restaurant, Bette had one more stop planned for them.  When Tina realized they were pulling into the CAC, she was confused.

“You’re taking me to work?” she asked.

“You could say that,” Bette said, helping Tina out of the car.  They approached a side entrance to the building and Bette took her key out.  She unlocked the door and quickly dismantled the alarm.  She then led Tina down a back hallway and they stopped outside a cordoned off section of the gallery.

“I want to show you something,” Bette said.  She opened the door to the showroom and they walked inside.  Hanging from the ceiling and all around the room were multicolored pieces of glass.  There was glass everywhere.  Stained glass, blown glass, glass in all forms and all shapes and all sizes.  Some were mobiles, some were sculptures, and some were just free-standing pieces. 

“This is the exhibit I’m opening next week,” Bette said, as Tina walked slowly through the room with her mouth agape. 

“This is incredible, Bette,” Tina said.  “Is this the show you were so stressed about booking?”

“Yeah. I started trying to get this exhibit right after you moved in.  It kind of reminds me of you.”

“Why’s that?” Tina asked, turning to face Bette. 

“I just think it’s so beautiful,” Bette started.  “All of these pieces were created with care, by people who are passionate about making art. They are aesthetically pleasing and rare. This glass is not like the glass you find lying around shattered in a parking lot. This glass was not mass produced the way beer bottles are. They are each unique pieces of work that are different from every other piece.  Absolutely one of a kind,” she said, taking Tina’s hand. 

“Tina, before I met you I didn’t realize that holding something too tightly could break it just the same as holding it too loosely.  I thought all glass was glass. I mean these pieces, they are elementally the same as, say, my bedroom window. They have the same components.  They are both just glass. But if my window cracks, I fix it. Maybe I gripe, but I get it replaced, and do you know why? Because it’s a utility. It keeps the wind and bugs and rain out of the house. But this glass is not a utility.  You don’t need it and yet when it breaks, it hurts so much more than the damn window.

“I guess before you, I just saw everything in black and white.  I looked at the world in terms of necessity.  But you are a breath of fresh air.  You are the spirit of every piece of art in this room. You inspire me, you move me, you are beautiful to me. You are what I want. You aren’t just something I need or something I can easily replace. You are one of a kind.  And I’ll do whatever it takes to keep you in my life.”

Tina stared intently for a moment at Bette, even after she had finished talking.  She saw so much passion in Bette’s eyes it nearly drove her to tears.  Placing her hands on either side of Bette’s face, Tina leaned in and their lips met for the first time.  Surrounded by hanging mobiles of glass, the women shared their first kiss.