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Bette closed the door after Tina walked out before turning around
“So that’s Tina?” Pippa asked motioning with her index finger towards the just closed door where an obviously angry Tina had just left from.
She was feeling the awkwardness permeating the air she had just walked into between the ex-wives who were clearly fighting moments ago
Bette strained face said it all as she answered, “That’s Tina.” She responded obviously drained spreading her arms wide in a universal ‘yup, that’s her alright’ clearly unimpressed by her ex-wife. Her ex always seemed to manage to bring out the worst in her.
She promptly proceeded to walk back into her kitchen with Pippa following closely behind her
“Ok, wow!” Pippa said feeling her girlfriend’s lingering frustrations “So, clearly this is a bad time.” She added slapping her fist against her palm as she walked closer and placed her hands on Bette’s tense shoulders and started lightly rubbing them as they walked back into the kitchen
Feeling her girlfriend’s gentle touch on her shoulders started to immediately relieve the tension she was feeling inside. Bette lifted her hands to connect with her girlfriend’s warm touch on her shoulders as they walked into the kitchen together “My god, today has been a disaster.” She admitted to the aggravating situation her girlfriend had just walked into.
Pippa not wanting to elongate Bette’s gloomy mood any further decided to deliver the much-needed good news immediately “I’m really sorry to hear that, but...” She started as her hands fell off Bette’s shoulders “I think I have something that will cheer you up.” Pippa said elatedly
Bette who was still swimming in her funky mood, but feeling a little relief from being in her girlfriend’s presence opened a cabinet above her kitchen counter and started taking out some wine glasses “What?” She asked before turning towards her girlfriend
“We did it.” Pippa said softly gazing at her girlfriend expectantly
“We did what?” Bette asked lethargically with her mind still her stuck in that unpleasant state where her ex had yet again managed to bring her into.
Pippa said with her hands extended and palms open in front of her “The Nunez wing...” She paused smiling brightly waiting for Bette to catch up
Bette recognizing what her girlfriend meant inched closer to her “Are you fucking kidding me?” She asked still in pure disbelief
Pippa giggled and shook her head no she wasn’t kidding and nodded “Yes.” She added confirming their won battle
“How do you…. How do you know that?” Bette asked still in shock and disbelief
“The museum caved.” Pippa responded gleefully “The protests worked; they’re taking down the signs right now.” She added with excitement in her tone
Bette’s eyes and mouth widened in shock and disbelief “Are you fucking kidding me?!” She repeated herself again
Pippa shook her head no as she giggled joyously seeing her girlfriend’s mood change right before her eyes, happy to be of some tension reliefer to her woman for the moment. She knew her girlfriend was dealing with a lot, considering the tension she had just walked into with her ex-wife moments ago. And seeing her girlfriend’s spirits lift up at that moment was everything to her. The overcast mood she had walked into a while ago suddenly seemed to vanish and a new light in her girlfriend’s eyes and features seemed to reignite suddenly and it was making Pippa’s day too.
“Oh my god!” Bette exclaimed in an upbeat mood
“We did it baby!” Pippa announced joyously chuckling in her melodious tone
“Shit!” Bette exclaimed again as she threw herself into her girlfriend’s arms tightening her arms around her neck
“We won! We won.” Pippa repeated as she twirled them around. Her arms were wound tightly around her girlfriend’s lean waist and across her shoulder as she chuckled melodiously against her shoulder “You did it…you did it” She added selflessly
Bette laughed delightfully while relief overtook her features.
“Oh my god we did it...” Bette said as she moved back and caressed her girlfriend’s face tenderly with a big smile adorning her face
“You did it.” Pippa said again her long fingers cupping her girlfriend’s jaw and gazing deeply into her eyes with tenderness she felt for this woman. They both leaned forward together for tender kisses expressing joy in their mutual accomplishment.
Bette was physically feeling some of the burden she had been carrying around her shoulders in the past couple of days about her girlfriend’s show’s hiccup coming off. She couldn’t control her emotions as tears of relief broke free from behind her eyelids and soft cries of relief emitted from her while they were in the middle of their kisses.
“Oh,” Pippa exclaimed with tenderness when she heard Bette’s muffled cries. She pulled back looking at her tearful girlfriend “It’s okay, it’s okay I got you.” She said pulling her girlfriend into a tight hug and rubbing her back consolingly.
No one has ever afforded Bette such tenderness that Pippa did her. With Pippa she felt like she could let herself be vulnerable and not feel at all threatened or feel like she was less than. Pippa was the first woman in Bette’s life that totally unraveled her and let her be herself without making her feel like she was weak for feeling that way. With other women, Bette always felt like she had to be strong and put a façade even when she wasn’t necessarily feeling like that.
Just hours ago, her ex had made Bette feel like she was a total failure just because she did not cause drama when Marcus’s wife told them Angie couldn’t see her donor. Tina had practically accused Bette of not fighting hard enough for Angie. It was such a huge contrast to be around Tina and Pippa, they were totally two opposites of each other at how they treated Bette as a person. She felt strong even when she was weak in Pippa’s presence while she always felt like a total failure in Tina’s presence no matter what she did or accomplished. Her ex had a way of making Bette feel like she wasn’t good enough or hadn’t done something enough. She was starting to understand how conditional Tina’s love for her has always been, it was debilitating. She was ready to move on from that toxicity into a healthy relationship with the one woman who saw and appreciated her for who she was, with her flaws and all.
After she had calmed down, she poured them both healthy servings of wine and then they moved to a more relaxed atmosphere in her large living room.
“I still can’t believe the CAC actually caved in to our needs.” Bette was still flabbergasted by the turn of the events “I mean this never happens when artists demand this kind of a thing.”
“They had no choice.” Pippa assured her with conviction in her tone “It was either that or get the worst press they will have for a long time and that could have potentially seriously harmed them in the long run. It could have caused a lot of their big donors to back down from supporting them in future, it wouldn’t have been a good picture for them.”
“That is very true. All those companies which are now coming on board in support of rights of minorities and equality wouldn’t want to be associated with the CAC if it had stuck to promoting the Nunez name.” Bette agreed thoughtfully “Babe, you’re a fucking genius!” She added proudly
“No, you are.” Pippa responded meekly
“C’mon! You came up with this idea and I just basically came in on board of your genius plan. It worked better than I actually thought it would.” Bette said, “At first I just thought we will get a huge press coverage which will put pressure on them and that is all. For it to have worked all the way and them backing down is an added bonus.”
“Yep! That is what burning shit down and leaving something standing is all about.” Pippa winked with a playful smile dancing on her face “I also thought the same thing though. I didn’t think they will go as far as giving in to our demands since Nunez had since tripled their year’s budget offer.”
“I guess they chose dignity over money, or did they choose long term future donations over just a year’s donation?” Bette asked knowing it was the latter.
Morals be damned when it comes to some people, especially the board members she had known and worked with for a long time from the CAC. She guessed they chose the latter because it was a guarantee that some of their big donor companies would probably have rescinded their support in future considering such bad press surrounding their Centre and they definitely couldn’t afford that.
“So, what do you think we should do to celebrate?” Pippa whispered as she slid closer towards her girlfriend on their shared two-seater couch gazing into the mocha eyes expectantly
Bette eyes were dancing with mischief as she bit her lower lip between her teeth gently watching as her girlfriend’s playfulness come into play. She enjoyed seeing this side of Pippa so much.
She leaned her head forward to meet her halfway “I don’t know we could uh…” Bette eyes bounced around as if she was searching to see if someone will catch them “we could uh…you know?” Bette flirted as she leaned in even closer to her girlfriend’s face “Make out?” She whispered in question as her eyes searched her girlfriend’s in a flirty manner
Pippa didn’t wait as she held her girlfriend’s head between her soft palms and guided her soft lips to glide against hers. They were so engrossed in their make out session they didn’t even hear or notice the extra company in the house.
Tina had come back into the house to find her ex-wife with her now girlfriend making out like teenagers with uncontrollable hormones. She rolled her eyes to an extent of them completely disappearing behind her head as she quickly moved towards the kitchen to get herself a drink, she really needed it.
They were startled out of their kissing when a huge crashing sound sounded from the kitchen. That’s when they discovered they weren’t so alone as they had imagined earlier.
“Everything okay in there?” Bette called out of breath as she tried to calm her fast-beating heart. She realized how turned on she was getting; Pippa always did that to her.
“Yeah.” Tina answered weakly “I broke one of your dishes. Sorry.” She added rolling her eyes for effect
Bette came into the kitchen to find her ex-wife cleaning up the broken glass pieces from the floor “Its okay. I have a million of those. The question is are you okay?” She asked genuinely concerned
“Yeah, I’m good, unfortunately for the dish though.” She laughed nervously
Bette searched her ex’s eyes who was trying to look everywhere but at her. “Are you sure?”
“Bette I’m fine!” She answered with a bit of a bite in her tone “Sorry.” She added
“It’s okay. Jordi, okay?”
“Yeah. She calmed down some and she’s headed out to the prom dance party location”
“Good.” Bette nodded “Would you like some wine? Join us?”
“Sure thanks, I’ll get myself some.” Tina answered as she finished cleaning the broken glass pieces “I’ll be there in a minute.” She said without looking at her ex-wife
Bette nodded “There’s a bottle of chardonnay in the fridge if you want white.” She informed her ex before turning around and going back to where her girlfriend was.
“Everything okay in there?” Pippa asked her girlfriend as she came and sat by her
“Yeah. Just a little accident.” Bette shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly
Pippa nodded “You? Are you okay?”
“Yeah, I’m fine.” Bette answered softly thinking how weird Tina was acting back there.
She laid her head on Pippa’s shoulder and felt her girlfriend’s fingers immediately start to comb through her curls feeling an immediate calming effect wash over her.
Pippa leaned down and placed a long kiss on top of Bette’s head “You’re beautiful, you hear me?” She whispered after her lips parted with Bette’s head
Bette raised her head up and looked into her girlfriend’s bright eyes believing every word.
She leaned in for a kiss “You too and I love you.” Bette admitted shocking her girlfriend.
Pippa was rendered speechless; she hadn’t expected this turn so soon. “I appreciate you too babe.” She responded instead
She felt bad for not saying those words back to her girlfriend. She didn’t think it wise to put herself out there while there were things, she felt her girlfriend needed to work out. She felt a lingering tension between the exes, and she was going to give Bette as much time as she needed to sort herself out in that regards and until then, she will content herself with her status. She genuinely had strong feelings for Bette, love even but was she ready to admit that and let her guard down so soon?
“Its okay babe, don’t feel bad for not saying that back to me.” Bette assured “I will wait for as long as it will take for you to come to that point.”
Pippa nodded in appreciation “Thank you babe. I care deeply about you; I hope you know that.” She said sincerely looking into her girlfriend’s eyes
“I do.” Bette nodded as she covered her girlfriend’s lips with her own in a tender kiss
Just then Pippa spotted Tina from the corner of her eye coming and she pecked Bette for the last time before pulling back from their kiss.
Bette looked at her with confusion until she saw her ex-wife move around to take a seat on the other side of the room opposite them.
“Hey Tina.” Pippa acknowledged the other woman politely who was her girlfriend’s ex-wife. “Is the girl outside, okay?”
“Jordi.” Tina nodded “She’s fine.” She smiled politely “She’s Angie’s girlfriend. They had some sort of a misunderstanding which left them both upset. But she is okay now.” She added
“Good. Good” Pippa repeated not knowing how to continue with the conversation since her girlfriend chose that time to go mum
“So, uh… I hear you have a big show coming up at the CAC?” Tina tried to chase away the awkwardness by making a conversation with her ex’s new girlfriend
“Yeah. It was until they decided to pull our pieces from there. But its now sorted itself out finally.” Pippa nodded with a polite smile
“Can you believe Pippa basically forced the CAC hand?” Bette suddenly livened up as she proudly announced her girlfriend’s achievement.
“Oh?” Tina asked as she glanced over at her ex who was looking at Pippa with such adoration it was making her feel sick inside
This was a conversation Bette was obviously happy to dominate as she started “They had Nunez’s organization as the chief sponsor of black artists works which was completely ridiculous if you ask me.” She paused before she continued “Knowing that son of a bitch and his company were responsible for a lot of minority deaths which have happened in the past couple of years with the supply of their drugs.” Tina had an idea how Bette loathed pharma companies in light of Kit’s overdose “I had to do something, and it ended up having the CAC pull out Zacharian’s artists off their showrooms.” Bette explained “Pippa happened to be one of the artists whose work got pulled off.” She added remorsefully
Feeling the remorse in Bette’s voice prompted Pippa to step in quickly “Babe it worked out. No harm done, right?” She said gazing into her girlfriend’s eyes to express her sincerity
Bette nodded “But if it weren’t for you…”
“Hey. It worked out for the best to be honest. I might not have been too happy in the beginning, but it all got me thinking.” Tina watched the two women curiously not having an inkling what had transpired between the two when they had had their huge disagreement in that regards.
“Yeah, it did, didn’t it?” Bette asked meekly
“That’s right.” Pippa said winking “And we are all better for it.” She added as she placed her hand on Bette’s back and caressed her softly.
Tina was suddenly feeling uncomfortable as she watched her ex-wife vulnerability being exposed before her new girlfriend. She had never known Bette to be like this when they were together. For Tina she associated Bette’s vulnerability with weakness, she was never in favor of it and that’s why she always pushed and pushed her ex’s buttons when it came to that. She needed Bette to be strong for them both and it worked until it didn’t. But she was now looking at Bette right at that moment in a new light, her vulnerability was almost irresistible. She suddenly wanted to take her to bed and make love to her to reassure her….
Tina shook her head as if to chase her wayward thoughts away as she watched Bette place a chaste kiss on her girlfriend’s lips literally throwing ice cold water on her meandering thoughts. She wasn’t hers anymore, maybe…
**********
When Tina excused herself and headed to the kitchen, the two love birds quietly chit chatted for a while before Pippa announced her departure. She had an early class the next morning and she needed to get some rest.
“But babe, you could…” Bette didn’t want Pippa to leave
“I wish I could, but I really don’t want to drive for more than an hour to get to my class babe.” Pippa said apologetically as she stood up.
Bette followed up immediately after and possessively wrapped an arm around her girlfriend’s lean waist. “I will miss you tonight.” Bette whined quietly in her girlfriend’s ear.
“Me too.” She whispered back as she started moving towards the doorway with Bette wrapped around her
They stood by the open door whispering to each other while unbeknownst to them the ex was quietly watching them from the vicinity of the kitchen area.
Bette placed her hand behind her girlfriend’s neck and pulled her towards her for a mind-blowing kiss to remind her what she will be exactly missing tonight before releasing her.
“That was not nice.” Pippa giggled knowing what her girlfriend was trying to do to her.
Bette gasped but smiled knowing what her girlfriend meant “Wasn’t it?” She whispered closer to her mouth with mischief dancing in her eyes as her hands lightly squeezed Pippa’s firm ass.
“Argh…I need to go Bette.” Pippa said reluctantly trying to untangle herself from her girlfriend’s grasp “We will celebrate another time?” Pippa whispered looking deep into those mocha eyes she has come to love so much
“I would like that.” Bette whispered back licking her lips for effect knowing Pippa was watching the tip of tongue’s journey going by the lustful look in her eyes.
“You’re so evil babe.” Pippa surrendered knowing she will have a hard time sleeping tonight without Bette’s touch. “Argh!” She exclaimed in frustration as she quickly detangled herself from Bette’s arms “Will I see you tomorrow?” She asked as she moved away from Bette’s grasp
“You bet your sexy ass.” Bette whispered winking “I’ll call you but let me know when you get home. I love you.”
“I will and I will be thinking about you.” Pippa whispered back before leaning back and pecking her girlfriend's swollen kissed lips “Take it easy, okay?” She added before she turned around and walked down towards the driveway with Bette still watching after her for a moment before she gave up and closed her door.
She turned around to find Tina right in front of her and thought to herself here we fucking go again inwardly but decided to stay positive and not let her ex take her joy away. Not tonight she decided.