Sitting in the lab, Cosima examined samples through the microscope as she wrote her next assignment. She was working hard to make sure things were done right. Scott, who was sitting in front of her, worked on his own samples, taking notes as he looked back and forth from his microscope. Cosima took a moment to examine her surroundings, most of the students she recognized. The girl sitting in the far back had been in one of her classes, the guy in front of her had already asked her out, but Cosima had politely declined. A few other students she had passed across the hall in school. She only knew the names of some but the mysterious blonde sitting behind Scott caught her attention. She had never seen her before.
The blonde woman was writing notes down in a notebook. Cosima felt intrigue for a moment, she put her glasses back on, making a face as she slid them on her face. She blinked a few times, waiting for her eyes to focus. When she could properly see the blonde, she frowned. She had definitely never seen her before, she had a face she could never forget.
The blonde lifted her head up from her book and picked up her phone as it vibrated. Cosima knew she really shouldn't but she put her pencil down on the table and tried to listen to the blonde's conversation on the phone.
"Oui, allo?" The blonde answered. It made Cosima smile, she was french.
"Qu'est-ce qu'il y a?" The blonde asked. Cosima regretted not paying much attention in french class when she had taken it sophomore year.
"Tout va bien?" She said. "Non?"
Cosima smiled, she had understood that.
"Alors bon, je quitte. Je vais être là dans pas trop longtemps." She spoke really fast and Cosima pouted, she hadn't understood a thing.
"Non c'est bon, je ne manque rien d'important." She paused. "Oui, je te dis."
She hung up and when the blonde noticed Cosima staring, she waved her hand, excusing herself. "I'm sorry, I did not mean to bother you." She said, through her thick french accent.
Cosima looked around, and blushed slightly, "It's fine." She nodded and the blonde was out the door, just like that.
Cosima smiled, her voice had sounded so angelic, it had made her heart melt.
She picked up her pencil back up and jotted down some information, getting back to her project. Halfway through, she looked back up to where the blonde had previously sat and noticed a book laying on the table, with a few papers tucked inside. Cosima got up and walked towards the other table and picked up the book. She looked around before opening it and flipping through the pages.
She found a paper with the blonde's grades on them and smiled, she was definitely french. She flipped through more pages and found a drawing, it was mostly crayon marks all around. Cosima couldn't make out the drawing but she put it back in the book and brought it to her table. She put it with her things, making a mental note to make sure to give it back to the french woman.
Cosima didn't see the blonde for a couple of days, she couldn't find her anywhere and didn't have a name to help her search. There where many foreign students in the University, making it harder for Cosima to track her down.
It happened to be in a hallways, six days after their previous brief encounter that Cosima recognize her hair. She was walking down the hall when she noticed the blonde woman leaning on a wall.
Cosima stood behind her and politely tapped her on the shoulder. "Excuse me."
The blonde woman turned around, looking exhausted. "Hello." She said. Her accent made Cosima smile.
"Hi, hey, yeah. Hum, I don't mean to bother but last week you forgot a book in the lab and I thought I'd give it back to you."
"Oh," She said, surprised. "Thank you, I appreciate that."
"I did peak though," Cosima admitted. "Your french, you have killer grades."
It made the other woman smile and she let out a small laugh. "Thank you."
"And the drawing," Cosima pointed to a paper sticking out of the book. "Couldn't make it out, but euh, cute." She smiled.
"You're in microbiology too? Right?" Cosima asked, moving around.
"Yes, I study immunology. Host parasites relationships." Delphine explained.
"Oh yeah, cool! I'm evo-devo." Cosima smiled, moving her hands around as she spoke.
Delphine looked at her confused, "Evo-devo?"
"Oh yeah, sorry. Evolutionary development." Cosima shifted on her feet, "It's what we call it here."
"Oh that." She laughed. "Yeah, It was a gift."
They both stand there awkwardly for a moment before the french woman put her hand out in front of her, "Delphine."
"Cosima."
"Enchantée."
Cosima grinned and repeated, with her very english accent, "Enchantée."
"It was nice to meet you but I have somewhere I need to be." Delphine said, pointing behind her.
"Oh yeah obvs, sorry."
"Obvs?" Delphine frowned.
"Obviously, sorry, you're french, no slang. Sorry." Cosima chuckled.
"Oh yes, I have not been here very long. I'm still adapting." Delphine explained.
"You'll get used to it real quick, trust me."
"Alright." Delphine nodded. "Aurevoir Cosima."
Delphine waved and turned around, leaving Cosima leaning on the wall, waving her right hand in an awkward like manner.
Cosima stood there until Scott caught up with her and asked, "What are you doing here?"
"Oh," She pointed around her. "I just met the new french girl. Small talk, you know."
Scott nodded and Cosima let out a sigh, "Let's go?"
During the next micro biology class, Cosima noted Delphine's absence. She hadn't seen her much in the past weeks. Even if they didn't have many classes in common, Cosima hadn't seen her in the halls and Scott, who had one extra class with Delphine, hadn't seen her either.
"She's probably busy." Scott told her when they were eating lunch earlier that week. "Or maybe she dropped out."
"She's doing her PhD, I don't think she'd drop out just like that." Cosima had taken a bite of her sandwich.
"Why do you care anyways?" Scott asked. "Maybe something came up and she can't make it, I don't know."
Cosima didn't reply and continued to eat. Scott examined his friend for a moment and smiled. "You have a crush!"
Cosima bit her lip, "I do not!" She raised her hands as a reflex.
"You so do."
Cosima blushed and caved, "Maybe a little."
Scott smiled, happy. "I have to admit she's pretty hot… And she's french."
Cosima sat at her usual spot in her lab, finishing the last part of her lab and taking some important notes as their teacher spoke. When the class ended, she packed her bag and told Scott she was going to head to the library.
She sat at a table for hours, working on her thesis when she noticed Delphine sitting a few tables down from her, highlighting passages from a manual. Cosima picked up a notebook and her phone and made her way down to where Delphine was sitting.
"Hey." Cosima said.
Delphine looked up and smiled, "Bonjour Cosima."
"How are you?"
"Trying to catch up on work." The frenchwoman said, pointing her books with her highlighter. "I have been busy with other things."
Cosima nodded and grinned, "Well I noticed you missed a few classes so euh yeah…" She paused, handing her notebook over. "I thought you might like to take my notes to check what you've missed."
Delphine smiled, "Really? Merci beaucoup Cosima."
Cosima smiled, she loved hearing her speak french.
They both looked at each other for a moment before Cosima asked if she could join her on the table and they could work together.
"Biensûr!" Delphine moved some of her books over to make room for Cosima.
They both sat in silence, each working on their own things and sneaking glances at one another as they worked on their respective projects. Cosima examined the way Delphine studied and it amazed her, sometimes the french lady would speak to herself and mumble a few things in french. Other times, she noticed that Delphine would start humming without knowing or would bring the tip of her pen to her mouth when she started thinking.
Delphine, on the other hand, noticed that Cosima often shuffled her hands, no only when she talked but also when she worked. Her hands moving from one book to another, to flip a page or to tap the table, they were always moving around to something. Delphine had also noticed how Cosima bit her lip when she was thinking or grinned when she understood something.
They had both taken the opportunity to study each other and learn a little more about each other.
At some point, Cosima grunted in frustration as she tried to understand one of her text books. Delphine looked up, her head rested on her right hand and her elbow on the table, and frowned.
"Are you alright Cosima?" Her french accent very distinct as she spoke.
"Yeah, yeah, ditto." She shook her hand. "It's just that there's something here that I don't get. Well actually, I don't understand much of this class. I don't even know why I took it, I guess it sounded cool and I thought it might help."
"What is it?" Delphine asked.
"I took Genetics of Human Diseases but, I'm really confused." Cosima admitted.
"Well Cosima." Delphine smiled. "I have a proposition for you."
Cosima listened carefully, intrigued by what Delphine had to offer. "You took a class in Epigenetics?"
Cosima nodded and Delphine continued, "How about this: You help me out with Epigenetics and I help you out with Genetics of Human Diseases?"
"You've taken it?"
Delphine smiled, "Oui, en France, I took it in my second year."
Cosima put her hand out, "It's a deal." They shook hands and they both smiled.
"How about next week, same day, same time we meet here?" Delphine asked.
Cosima thought for a moment, "I'm not sure I like the library so much. People are already looking at us weirdly, for talking, obvs. How about we go to my house?"
Delphine bit her lip, thinking. She was about to say no but caved in, "Alright, Oui, chez toi."
"Awesome." Cosima smiled and Delphine excused herself.
"I need to get home, I've been here long already. I'll give you a call?"
"Sure." Cosima waved and watched Delphine walk away. "Bye."
