Chapter Text
“I'm nobody! Who are you?
Are you nobody, too?
Then there’s a pair of us—don’t tell!
They’d banish us, you know.
How dreary to be somebody!
How public, like a frog
To tell your name the livelong day
To an admiring bog!”
― Emily Dickinson
Bette couldn't help but clench her hands, trying –rather uselessly– to hold back her emotions. The reason? In front of her sat the most breathtaking woman she had ever seen: Tina Kennard, and the ultimate pain in her ass: Tina's manager, Eric…something.
She could see the point Eric was trying to make; intellectually, she understood. She wanted her to come up with a very public relationship for the actress, along with a schedule of public appearances, quotes, etcetera, etcetera. And it was her job as Tina’s publicist to do that. She knew that; she saw the value in the idea. But emotionally, God, emotionally, she was almost ready to break the man's little neck. She had no right to do that, of course, but she couldn't help herself.
As some of her co-workers' kids said: one like, and she would slap the grin off the asshole’s face. (Bette Porter has liked this post).
She had managed all of the actress's publicity for about ten months, and during that time, she had slowly fallen in love started to really like the woman. But how could she not? She was gorgeous, lovely, intelligent, charming, enchanting, just absolutely everything. She was a little bit in awe at first and entirely smitten. Tina Kennard was, after all, known as America’s sweetheart, and she had lived up to that name in their first meetings, but as the months passed, she had somewhat doubled on the charm.
Truly, Bette was doomed from the start.
And now, this good-for-nothing bottle-blond Eric who-the-fuck-cares, wanted her to create a fake relationship for this woman she desperately wanted to kiss? It was insane. It was also her job, and she was obligated to do it. But the most petulant part of her certainly didn't want to.
And Tina didn't help the situation by looking so gorgeous and sweet. Her hair shone like the sun and made her heart race. Making her feel like an awestruck teenager with a crush. Her eyes sparkled with some unknown emotion as she stared intently into Bettes's eyes as if trying to figure something out.
As if trying to read her reaction to Eric’s request.
But It couldn’t be that could it be? Tina Kennard wasn’t that mischievous, was she?
Eric made a clicking noise with his tongue, and she tried to keep herself from exploding. She was a professional goddamnit; she was on top of her career. Tina was not her only famous client, and she certainly wasn’t the only beautiful woman she managed. She was responsible for several hits and a powerhouse in her own right, but something about this woman got on her nerves.
Was Tina smirking?
This was also the first time she had this kind of reaction toward a woman in a very long time. She had always known in some abstract way that she might want to settle with someone eventually, but no one had ever evoked such feelings in her, so... she stuck with having short casual relationships from time to time. And now, now she was trembling with everything she felt for this woman.
The same infuriating woman that was looking at her with the smugest expression she had ever seen on her face. On anyone’s face. God. Fucking. Dammit.
Tina Kennard was a little shit, wasn’t she?
God, did she say already that she felt like a teenager?. A love-struck, stupid teenager. A love-struck, stupid, dumb teenager who...
“Is everything alright, Miss Porter?” Tina spoke so softly that her stomach clenched, trying to keep the butterflies from flying out of her mouth. The things that voice evoked in her.
The things she wanted that voice to whisper, to scream to moa…
“Yes, yes, of course,” she replied. But, god, how utterly unprofessional of her. She had completely lost track of herself. Of the topic at hand. What was it that they were discussing? What was it that she should be thinking about?
“And…?” the actress lifted a perfectly shaped eyebrow, and Bette bit her lip. Her heart fluttered a bit, and she felt pathetic. She wanted to run the arch of that brow with her fingers, with her lips, with her soul.
“I…,” She hesitated. But honestly. What was it that she was supposed to say? She knew what Eric had requested but stopped listening almost 20 minutes ago, too caught up in her own thoughts.
Goddammit, Porter, get a grip.
Thankfully, Eric interrupted that moment, “Are we going forward with the relationship between Tina and Helena or not?”.
She clenched her fist and risked a look at Tina’s face, and the utter disgust on her face almost made her laugh. Oh, what an absolute sweetheart Tina Kennard was. She could be so tremendously expressive; it was refreshing.
“To be completely honest, Eric,” she started, not even trying to hide the irritation in her voice.
“Mister Johnson, for you.” The man interrupted, and Bette had to start counting to ten again.
She was an understanding woman, god dammit; she was cool and aloof and usually not so quick to anger, but something about “Mister Johnson” made her snap.
And it had nothing to do with Tina, thank you very much.
“As I was saying, Eric….” She emphasized, making the man frown and Tina’s smirk to deepen. “I think no one would buy it. Miss Peabody and Miss Porter have been friends for years, and I’m sorry to say that they have zero romantic chemistry.” She was not sorry to say that. Not sorry at all. “And also, isn’t Miss Peabody dating this…director woman, Dyle, Dolan, Dylan, or something?”
Eric looked at her contemptuously, and Tina smiled sweetly, almost thankfully.
“What about Henry Young?” Eric added. “He’s a wealthy man. He’s good-looking, he’s charming. They would make a beautiful couple. People would eat that shit up.”
It had become well-known over the last two years that Tina Kennard was bisexual. Although it didn’t cause quite the shock it used to, her coming out had undoubtedly made the public much more interested in who Miss Kennard would date next. And the problem was, Tina hadn’t been seen with anyone in over a year. Actually, she hadn’t even been seen kissing someone in almost two years. And the public was hungry for a scoop.
That didn’t mean that Bette would set her up in a relationship with that dull man, Henry Young. She refused. “Good-looking, charming, and beautiful. Are you sure you don’t want me to introduce you to Mister Young, Eric?”
That was childish; she could admit to it. But it was so amusing to see that asshole get red in the face with anger and embarrassment.
She saw Eric clench his fist and smirked; this was going to be fun. “You…”
He couldn’t get another word out before Tina raised a hand in a calming gesture. “Kids, please, let’s keep this civil.” She said, smiling but looking at Bette pointedly.
How cute.
Her voice sounded like bells when she spoke so softly. Bette wanted to know how it sounded in other contexts.
“I’m sorry, Miss Kennard, that was unprofessional of me,” she said, not sounding sorry at all. And by the arched eyebrow and Tina’s face, she knew it. Bette tried to will herself to freeze her emotions for a bit. She was known as the Ice Queen of Hollywood for a reason. Famous people chose her as their publicist for a reason; emotions never dictated her decisions. However, Miss Kennard seemed to be her very own Achilles' heel. And she needed to put a stop to it. “I mean, Henry Young seems like a perfect fit for you on paper. He is indeed a good-looking man, very wealthy, and the press loves him.”
Was that disappointment she saw on Tina’s face?
“I see…” the actress replied softly, settling her eyes on Bette for a few seconds before looking away.
From the corner of her eye, she saw Eric open her mouth to undoubtingly gloat about his idea before she cut him off.
“However,” she started, smiling softly at Tina. Hoping her voice was inviting enough to make her look up at her again. God, who was she? Since when did she care so much? “I don’t want to make you date someone just because it would be good publicity. That’s not my style. And I’m going to be blunt here; you are famous enough not to need this kind of crap.” She saw Tina smile, and it felt like a thunder had flashed through her heart. “If you want to do it, I will come up with names, and I will do the research to see who would be better for your image. But that’s only if you want to, Miss Kennard. I don’t want to force you to do anything you don’t want.”
Who was she? She had never had any trouble telling her clients what to do. In fact, she was known for having a “ you do it my way, or you can fuck off” kind of attitude. So, honestly, who was this woman that possessed her when Tina Kennard looked at her?
“ Maybe a better woman, ” she thought to herself before dismissing the thought embarrassed. How very stupid of her to think such a thing. But maybe…
“Really?” she heard Eric and Tina say simultaneously. While both voices were full of surprise, Eric’s was tinted with disbelief and incredulity, while Tina’s was full of warmth. Was that…hope?
“Truly, you don’t think of me so ruthless as to just bulldoze my will into my clients, do you?” She said jokingly. Whats-his-face looked doubtful, and the actress giggled, making her chest feel all warm and fuzzy.
God. Fucking. Dammit.
“So…” she cleared her throat. “Do you want to do it?” Bette asked, trying to convey all the calmness she could into her words. She didn’t want Tina to do something she was uncomfortable with.
Eric turned to look at the actress, and to Bette’s surprise –and delight– she saw Tina’s eyes widen as a blush started to blossom from under her blouse, spreading quickly into her cheeks. Despite constantly being out in the sun, Tina was so pale that there was very little she could do to hide the red from her face at any given time. Bette let herself scan the expanse of the blush for a second before locking eyes with the blonde.
“How naughty of you, Miss Kennard.” She thought to herself before smirking. “I meant, do you want me to do it?” she said purposely, making Tina blush even more. Ever her ears were red. How adorable.
The blonde gulped and frowned at her, and as much as Bette wanted to keep teasing her to see more of that expression, she decided that she should keep at least a modicum of professionalism. “Do you want me to build up a relationship for the press?”
Tina looked at her as if trying to read her before looking down at her lap for a few moments. Bette desperately wanted her to say that no, she didn’t want such a thing. And god, when did she last feel so uncertain of her own appeal?
She desperately wanted Tina to want her. She hoped she did. But could she even do something about it?
“I…I don’t know.” the actress said, and Bette pushed down the need to rub her own chest to dissipate the pain.
“But Tina, you should do it. Henry Young would be amazing for your image.” Eric said, earning a glacier glare from Bette.
Tina looked at him, seemingly getting red for a very different reason than before.
“Let me stop you there, Johnson.” Bette spat, angry beyond her own comprehension. “Miss Kennard doesn’t need anything for her image; she could be single her whole life, and Hollywood, damn, probably all of the United States at the very least, would still love her beyond reason.” She declared passionately. And she kept surprising herself. God, when had she become so corny? “Moreover, Henry Young's career would be benefited from this, not Tina’s, so I would advise you to think better before speaking.”
“That’s not what I…” Eric started.
“It wasn’t a question, Johnson,” Bette said coldly. “I was stating a fact, not asking for your input.”
Suddenly, her whole body caught on fire as a warm and, oh, so soft hand was placed on top of her own. Tina was looking at her with so much warmth that Bette might have cried. She mouthed “ thank you ” while squeezing her hand, and Bette hoped her eyes could convey how welcome she was.
“I think…” the blonde said. “That I have to think this through first,” those weren’t the words Bette hoped for, and a tiny piece of her heart fell to the floor. But if that was what her client wanted…that was what she would get.
The actress looked at her pointedly before squeezing her hand softly again before letting go. “Bette and I will discuss this further over dinner. It feels so formal and harsh to this on the office.”
Eric frowned. “Okay, I will make a reservation for the three of us on “The Baviere” when day do you want me to schedule?”
“No,” Tina said.
“No?” Eric repeated, confused.
“No. I will make a reservation for Bette and me. And we will discuss this between the both of us.” The blonde’s voice was firm, making the man frown aggravated.
Bette was stunned. She was unsure of what was going on, and that was a completely new feeling for her. She knew in some abstract way that Tina might be at least a bit attracted to her, but for ten months, she didn’t feel like it could go beyond a few coquettish looks here and there. This whole thing had felt whole unrequited. But now…
“...Bette?” The actress asked. And the publicist realized she might have been lost in her thoughts for longer than she thought.
“Uhm…” She mumbled dumbly before chastising herself for such a display of utter stupidity. “I’m sorry, I got distracted for a second; what did you ask Miss Kennard?”
Tina looked at her smirking, and it was Bette’s turn to feel a blush creeping up her neck. The blonde’s expression was…god.
Miss Kennard was turning out to be more devilish than she thought.
“I asked if it was okay with you to talk this over dinner,” The actress's voice was cheeky, and Bette felt an almost overwhelming need to kiss her right there.
“Of course, I’d be glad to.” She tried to keep her tone professional, but something must have let on the emotions she felt because, if it was possible, Tina’s smile got sunnier.
“God, kissing that woman must taste like summer vacation.” She thought to herself.
“Okay then, I will text you in a few hours with the details.”
Tina bit her lip, and Bette clenched her fist.
Oh, it was on.