1. Plus-One
Living in the States for the better part of four years, one may expect to be settled in comfortably, perhaps acquire a few friends. For Ms. Cormier, such expectations were not relevant. Since she first moved to Minnesota from France, the people around her had never been a priority. Her plans to return to France after graduating with a doctorate lead her to keep to herself in order to maintain high grades. Grades had never been a problem, but Delphine often uses this as reasoning for her isolation.
The peers that she's spent the last few years sharing classes, studying, and partnering with have come to understand her quietness, but she would often be considered cold and snobbish by strangers or professors. These personality traits, though, have helped Delphine evade friendships and relationships altogether. Her home in France never offered many friends and boys rarely caught her attention, so she was used to being alone without feeling lonely. This all, of course, being much to her mother's dismay, claiming that her only purpose to live on is a lovely son-in-law and three or ten magnificent babies.
Delphine found much more comfort in her little apartment by the University, alone for the most part. After living with her parents for so many years, including the entirety of undergrad, she took the opportunity to test drive independence and accept a scholarship to the University of Minnesota to study the sciences. So, one may expect someone like Delphine to have also taken this special opportunity to test drive irresponsibility and a social life, perhaps acquire a few friends. No such test drive was taken, though. Ms. Cormier continued to avoid human interaction, simple or complex, and social events, small or large.
However, this particular Friday was different. The last Friday before a whole week of Spring break. The Sciences Department thought it pertinent to have a party – all students and instructors of the department invited. The only reason that Delphine accepted the invitation was the location. Once she heard the words "old, abandoned wing" come out of Scott's mouth, there was no question about her attendance.
"Oh, also, everyone get's a plus-one if you want to bring someone with you," Scott could barely disguise his questioning tone. It was obvious that he was asking whether she had someone to bring or not. Delphine always found it endearing, and since Scott never really made a move, she didn't worry too much about crushing hopes.
"Well, I don't really have a one to plus," she tried not to smile when she saw the relief on his face. "How about you?"
"Nope, no one for me". They both cringed at his rapid and somewhat pathetic answer.
"Alright, then, why don't you be my plus-one and I will be yours? That way no one will make fun of us," she knew that would probably make Scott's day, even week, and he deserved something to be happy about. After doing so poorly on his last exam, stress has been keeping a moderate grip on him. Of course, he agreed, and they said their goodbyes for the day.
All day Friday Delphine couldn't contain her impatience to see the old science wing. They called it a wing, but really it was just a short hall with classroom doors that no one used for class. It was abandoned sometime before Delphine started her education there, some explosion or leak or chemical spill rendered it unusable for a while. Students started to fabricate elaborate rumors about a violent murder or someone melting in acid, leaving the whole wing haunted. Several of the newer teachers fell for the stories, too. Though, stories like this didn't convince or intimidate Delphine.
The last class of the day glacially made its arrival and Delphine's notebook, laptop, and pens were all packed before the last few minutes ended the class. The "party" started at 6:00 p.m. so, there wasn't any need to rush, but Delphine found herself speed-walking home to shower and dress anyway. It wasn't a formal event by any means, but she still put a little more effort into her looks. Rather than wear her typical jeans-and-jacket ensemble, she chose a nice black blouse and fitted maroon pants. After a light dusting of makeup and a spritz of perfume, she was on her way back to campus.
Delphine arrived at the lab a couple minutes early, as was her habitual preference, and immediately found Scott setting up the drink and snack table with one of their professors. She walked in his direction to help them finish, noting the French pop music playing in the background, which she found curious. Professor Mayer – who always insisted students call him Mike – was the first to notice Delphine's approach, seeing her attention focused on the stereo where the music was coming from.
"You like the tunes?" He asked with his growl of a voice, sounding too much like a parent trying to be with-it. "Scotty here made the playlist".
Scott blushed hard and averted his eyes to organizing the already-perfectly-organized napkins, "Yeah, I-I wasn't sure what kind of music you liked so I just got some stuff from the French Top 100 pop songs". Delphine smiled widely, nodding in a positive response to the quirky, but thoughtful, young man. Seeing everything was under control, she decided to explore the large lab room.
It took about thirty minutes, Delphine watching people slowly filter in, until the room was at it's full capacity. Although Scott wanted to spend the entire evening attached to Delphine's side – which he did try hard to do – he had quite a few friends in the department that required socializing. Delphine didn't mind being left to her own devices, she was used to it, and the French music, although it was nothing she would necessarily choose to listen to back home, was still a nice distraction. The lab was bare, nothing more interesting than the labs she's used to working in. She was slightly disappointed, but not surprised.
As an effective motivator for turnout, beer and wine were served with the vegetable and fruit trays. Delphine drank enough to feel slightly buzzed by the time she was approached by one of the classmates she talked to more than the others. "Hey Del, I like the theme music. Your choice?"
"Scott's. He made the whole playlist for tonight," Delphine replied with an amiable smile.
"What a sweetie. I think he's crushing on you pretty hard. Who wouldn't though, I mean damn, girl. If I wasn't taken…" Delphine blushed slightly and chuckled at the wink thrown her way. "I'll talk to you later, Del. Don't drink too much. Scotty might have a dark side". She turned on her heel after another playful wink.
"Bye, Shay," Delphine called as she rolled her eyes. Shay was always quite flirtatious with her, but she could never tell if it was her personality or if the shorter blond was actually hitting on her. Shay liked to talk about girlfriends or boyfriends, which she seemed to have a multitude of. Delphine had met several of her girlfriends and one boyfriend – Shay insisted on introducing them to everyone she knew. It was always a little awkward for everyone and it seemed like Shay was just trying to validate her romantic claims. It wasn't that Delphine didn't believe her, she really just didn't care enough to show interest.
It was only shortly after eight when Delphine started thinking about going home. She didn't have much more to drink, taking Shay's suggestion more based on the fact that it was late, and she had to walk several blocks in the dark. Scott noticed Delphine retrieving her coat and jogged over to her. The quick movement caught Shay's attention, who gave Delphine a mischievous look before starting to walk over with a "coming to the rescue" expression, or maybe just to egg things on.
"Hey, Delphine, I hope you had a good time," Scott said out of breath, maybe from more than just the jog over.
"Oui, thank you for the thoughtful music selection," she replied politely, shrugging her coat over her shoulders just as Shay arrived, which Scott didn't seem to notice.
"Good, good. Well, um, I was just wondering if you had plans for Spring break? I would really like to maybe take you out to dinner or a movie or something. You know, if that's cool with you," Scott mumbled, sweat making an appearance on his hairline.
Shay opened her mouth to speak, and Delphine knew nothing good could come of whatever she planned. She cut Shay off before any damage could be done, "That sounds nice, Scott but, my boyfriend might not like the idea," she lied with sympathy. He was a nice guy, after all.
"Oh," Scott said lowly, looking deflated. Delphine noticed Shay's expression deflate ever so slightly as well before turning into a smirk. Her attention was brought back to Scott, "Okay, um, sorry about that. Yeah, uh, have a good break and all. Bye". He quickly retreated to his group of friends, almost running over Shay.
"A mystery boyfriend, Del? I'm offended to have only overheard about it," Shay clicked her tongue before returning to her socializing as well. Delphine rolled her eyes for what seemed to be the hundredth time that night, and finally left for home. She hoped her acquaintanceship with Scott wasn't unbearably awkward when they returned from Spring break.
Delphine hadn't planned on going anywhere during her break. She would probably end up studying, if anything. She turned her television on while she removed her clothes to shower. The local news was finishing up and the forecast for the next week's weather took up the screen as a young man appeared to expand on the graphic.
…expecting thunderstorms tonight, and heavy rain for the next three days…Tuesday in the lower temperatures, clear skies…Temperatures drop again on Wednesday through Friday, seeing high chances of precipitation, likely snow, strong winds…
Thinking about her lack of transportation means, Delphine decides to re-dress and walk to the closest grocery store to stock up on food for the week. She didn't have much in her kitchen. She leaves her cellphone at home since it's dead anyway, it should be charged by the time she gets back. It's a short walk, and Delphine is only inside the low-ceiling building for a couple of minutes before the night clouds are throwing pellet-sized rain drops down with lightning and thunder. She mentally praises herself for remembering an umbrella and continues her shopping.
She doesn't end up getting much, only three bags of some perishables and the necessary wine. It was still raining violently, but the lightning and thunder had calmed to an occasional strike and boom. She was only three blocks from her apartment building when she saw a small shivering figure with a magazine over their head – presumably being used as a makeshift umbrella. The person looked lost and they were shaking relentlessly. Delphine wasn't typically one for immediate empathy – not that she was completely uncaring – but for some reason this poor frozen thing struck a protective response in Delphine's chest. The person had their back turned to Delphine, but she could detect the anxiety that emanated from them, maybe from more than just lost and cold? Delphine decided to approach the person, softly tapping their shoulder, when the girl abruptly jumped and spun around to face Delphine.
Delphine jumped back as well, started by the reaction. The woman looked absolutely terrified, but in an endearing way, Delphine thought to herself. She took in the mystery-woman's features, lit only by the dull street lamp and changing traffic lights – Green. She had thick-rimmed glasses with darkly-lined eyes behind them and her hair was up in some kind of large bun. Her bottom lip was trembling, probably from both the cold and Delphine's unexpected approach.
Delphine realized then that she was staring at the woman, not saying anything, and quickly tried to correct herself. "J-je vous ai vu et vous avez l'air froid. Est-ce que vous..."
"I don't speak French, dude," the woman interrupted with a giggle – Yellow – Delphine was staring again, confused until she realized what she had done. It took her longer than it really should have.
"I'm sorry, I didn't…What I meant is you look cold. Do you need help with anything? Are you lost?" Delphine stuttered, trying to talk over the sound of the downpour hitting the cement – Red.
"You know, as long as it doesn't start raining, I think I'll be okay," the woman deadpanned. When Delphine responded with another look of confusion, she giggled again. "I'm kidding, obvs. I think I'm lost and my phone is useless at the moment. Do you know the area?"
Delphine blushed at her idiocy, hoping the stranger couldn't tell. "I don't really know the area that well, no. But I live near here – just down that way – and my phone is at home, if you'd like to use it and be out of the rain for a couple minutes?" She had no idea why she just invited a complete stranger to her home. She didn't know where the thought or the words came from, they just came out and she immediately regretted it. She didn't try to back out of her offer though, curious about the situation. The girl seemed tentative, but eventually agreed, evaluating her current state of wandering aimlessly in a storm as warranting the offer.
"My name is Cosima, by the way," the woman said as they started their journey.
"Delphine," she smiled. "Enchantée".
They didn't talk much on the walk back to Delphine's place with the rain so overpowering. Cosima told Delphine about how her cellphone slipped from her hand when she was trying to text the person she planned on meeting as a surprise. The device landed in a pothole filled with muddy rain water in the asphalt, water-logging it and leaving the screen with a massive crack down the center. Delphine listened intently, intrigued by Cosima's mannerisms, the way her hands flew around as she explained her predicament, her voice. Their arms were in almost constant contact the entire way, sharing the umbrella. Delphine swore the light brushes warmed her more than her own coat.
They stopped in front of a brick building and Delphine got her key out. Delphine only lived on the second floor, so she always took the stairs. The elevator looked too risky. Cosima trailed behind her, attempting to whip the water out of her shirt sleeves. Delphine looked back every so often as little drops of water hit the back of her neck, smiling at the adorable, dark-haired woman who was just barely making it up the stairs without slipping. When they entered her apartment, Delphine put her groceries on the kitchen counter and removed her coat, watching as Cosima stood idly near the door. She caught herself staring again, and quickly left for her bedroom, gesturing for Cosima to give her a moment, remembering the purpose of her visit.
Delphine released an exasperated sigh as she saw her phone on her nightstand, next to her charger instead of plugged into it. She was in such a rush to get to the grocery store after listening to the forecast, that she missed half the steps of the two-step process that would charge her phone – 1. Own a phone; 2. Plug phone in. She plugged it in and returned to the living room where Cosima hadn't moved.
"Hey, sorry, em, my phone ran out of battery and apparently didn't quite make it to its cord," Delphine stuttered with a nervous laugh, finding it difficult to keep her eyes focused on just one area of the shorter woman's body. She rubbed the back of her neck, unsure of what to do next.
"Oh, it's all good. I guess I'll get going, then," Cosima replied awkwardly.
"No, no! You're still soaking wet," Delphine quickly interjected, moving in her direction. "Also, it's late and dark and still raining. I can at least dry your clothes for you. You can borrow some of mine while they dry. Would that be alright?"
"Oh, um, yeah that sounds like a good idea. I mean, if that's cool with you?"
"Of course," Delphine said a little too quickly, "And by the time they're done, my phone will definitely be charged". She knew she was being overenthusiastic and she knew Cosima could just use her phone while it was plugged in, but Delphine was content with ignoring these things.
"Okay," Cosima giggled at Delphine's eagerness, "Sounds like a plan".
Delphine smiled and rushed back to her room to find something for the young woman to wear. She felt flustered and wasn't sure why, eventually chalking it up to having a complete stranger in her home. Delphine didn't feel scared around the woman, even though she probably should, given the circumstances. She had a different kind of uneasiness that she couldn't quite place, though.