A/N:
My first try at writing something for this fandom. I hope you'll enjoy it.
I apologise for any mistakes made in this story, English is my third language.
Feel free to leave comments and give me advice.
Enjoy!
The bell made the familiar jingly noise as Cosima opened the door into the café. Her dark eyes scanned the room.
Felix had convinced her to go on a blind date that he arranged for her. He had been incredibly vague about the woman she had a date with. It's all part of the blind date experience, he had told her. He only told her that she was hot and blonde.
So she looked around, trying to find a woman sitting alone who matched that description. Most tables were occupied with couples, some of them also with kids. But there, in the back was a blonde woman sitting by herself and Felix hadn't lied; that woman was smoking hot.
She inhaled deeply and walked towards the woman with more confidence than she was actually feeling.
"Hi," Cosima greeted. The other woman looked up from the papers she was reading to look up to Cosima.
"Bonjour," was the response and Cosima could feel herself get wobbly knees; her date was hot and French. Felix surely outdid himself.
Cosima took off her coat and sat down on the empty seat. The other woman looked at her watch and opened her mouth.
"Wait," Cosima said. "Before you say anything, I know I'm late. I'm always kinda late though, so I'm always kinda sorry. I even was born late," Cosima tried to joke, but the other woman looked unimpressed.
"Look," Cosima started, using a more serious tone, "I may be late, but that doesn't mean I'm not interested in being here, because I am, very much so. And if you give me a chance I'll try my hardest to make up to this bad first impression I left behind." The other woman looked intently at Cosima's face, searching for something, and Cosima hoped that she would find what she was looking for. A small smile came on the lips of the other woman.
"Okay. Why don't we order something first before we get into more serious stuff?" she proposed. A big smile appeared on Cosima's face.
"I'd love that."
The blonde signaled the waiter and he quickly approached their table. They both placed their order, and when he walked away to get them their drinks, Cosima opened her mouth.
"Holy Watershed! Where are my manners? My parents would be so disappointed if they knew this, they raised me better than this." Cosima extended her hand. "I'm Cosima."
"Co-si-ma," the other woman tried out her name and Cosima experienced an excited feeling in her stomach. Come on, she reprimanded herself, get yourself together! How will you survive when you're having a complete conversation with her if the basics are already turning you into mush. The other woman took Cosima's hand in her own. They were very soft and perfectly manicured, Cosima observed.
"Doctor Delphine Cormier," she said as she shook their hands. "Enchantée."
Cosima smiled. "Enchantée," she said, butchering the French language, which made Delphine chuckle.
"So you're a doctor?" Cosima asked and Delphine nodded. "In which specialty?"
"Oui, I'm a doctor in immunology." Fuck! Cosima thought. Not only was the woman in front of her very beautiful but she was also smart.
"Wow, that's so cool! I'm in micro biology too. EvoDevo." Delphine looked confused.
"EvoDevo?" she asked uncertainly, looking confused, but then realization hit her and her face lit up. "Evolutionary Development." Cosima smiled brightly.
"Yeah, yeah, that's what we call it here." Delphine nodded in understanding. "I'm working on my PhD right now, I'm studying the epigenetic influences on clone cells."
The waiter shortly interrupted their talk to bring them the beverages that they ordered. But once he was gone they continued their conversation. Cosima enthusiastically talked about her research, her studies and science in general. She was moving her hands around frantically as she elaborated about it in more detail.
"You really are passionate about science. Have you always been?" Delphine asked.
"I didn't have much of a choice really. My mom teaches high school chemistry and my dad is a biology professor at the University of San Francisco. Which is one of the reasons why I didn't enroll there, but went to Berkley instead. I wanted to create my own path without my dad's constant interference, you know?" Delphine nodded in understanding. "They never forced me into liking it though. I have always been interested in the world around me and how it works. They just showed me that those questions could be answered by science."
Cosima took a sip of her coffee. Yuck, she thought as she tasted that her coffee had gotten cold. This often happened to her, that she was caught up in something fascinating so much that she forgot other things, like drinking her coffee when it was still hot. While debating whether she should finish drinking her cold coffee or not, and what kind of impression it would leave to the other woman if she didn't, she opened her mouth and asked, "What about you? Have you always liked science?"
Delphine arched one of her eyebrows.
"Me?"
"Yes, you. I have done most of the talking so far. I would like to know more about you too. I mean, it would be a very bad date if I only talked about myself."
Delphine's eyes opened wide "Date?"
"Oh no. Didn't Felix tell you?" It wouldn't be the first time he didn't mention it, but he swore he did this time and Cosima had believed him.
"Uhm, Felix?"
Cosima opened her mouth to respond when suddenly a woman interrupted them.
"Excuse me?" she asked. "Are you Doctor Delphine Cormier, from the Dyad institute? I am here for the job interview."
Delphine looked confused between Cosima and the other woman. Cosima's head was spinning and her vision slightly blurry. A job interview? Delphine had thought this was a job interview? Her cheeks rapidly starting to get hot and red. She got up, stammered an apology and hurried out of the café. She vaguely heard Delphine say something to her but she didn't hear what because she had to get away as quickly as she could from the biggest embarrassment in her life.
Once outside on the street she signaled a cab and gave the driver her address as she got into the vehicle. When the car drove off Cosima could see Delphine standing on the sidewalk looking at her until the car took a turn.
Back in her apartment Cosima took her phone out of her bag and called Felix. Her plan was to yell and shout at him, to blame him for the embarrassment she just experienced but when he answered the phone she stayed quiet.
"Hello? Cos, are you there?" he asked but Cosima stayed silent. "Are you mad at me? I totally understand if you are. I really thought she was a nice match for you and that she would show up. If I had known she would stand you up I wouldn't have convinced you to go on this blind date."
The feelings of embarrassment, hurt and humiliation were surfacing now that she was at home and calling her friend, tears were falling down Cosima's cheeks and she sobbed quietly.
"Fuck Cos. Are you crying? I am so sorry she stood you up and you sat there all alone."
A strangled chuckle left Cosima's throat, if only, she thought.
"I wasn't alone," she said as she wiped away some tears.
"What do you mean you weren't alone?" Felix asked confused.
"Hot and blonde? You really thought hot and blonde would be enough of a description?" Cosima asked, some of her anger getting back. "There are more hot and blonde women out there. And I happened to walk up to a different hot and blond women than I was supposed to."
Felix got intrigued. "Oh! How did that go?"
Annoyed, she replied, "Really? How did it go? I totally embarrassed myself, Felix."
"What do you mean? It can't be too bad, you usually manage to charm everyone with your adorable self."
"It was worse than bad Felix. It was a complete humiliation. She thought it was a job interview."
Felix snorted softly.
"Felix!" She yelled. "It's not funny!"
"I am sorry to say this, but when it's not happening to you, it kind of is."
"Felix! You're not helping!"
Felix tried to compose himself. "I am sorry. So what did you do?"
"The only thing anyone can do in a situation like that: I ran, as fast as I could."
More than a week had passed and Cosima still felt incredibly embarrassed. She only went out of her apartment to get to classes, but otherwise she hid inside the safety of her home, too scared to run into Delphine.
Thinking back she couldn't believe she missed the signs. Delphine had dressed very nice but formal; she had introduced herself as a Doctor (a pretty common way, Cosima assumed, that people introduced themselves on a date); she had asked Cosima questions related to her studies, nothing personal. She slapped herself against the forehead (stupid, stupid); if only she had realized sooner, then she could have saved herself from the embarrassment.
A knock on the door brought her back from losing herself in her thoughts.
"Go away, Felix!" Cosima yelled. He had been at her door several times this week. He tried to get her out of her apartment, but without success so far. Another knock on the door was heard, which she ignored.
It stayed quiet for a bit and Cosima hoped he would have left, but a series of knocking on the door shattered that hope. She knew it had been wishful thinking, Felix might not be able to get her out of the apartment, but he wouldn't leave without seeing her and smoking some pot with her.
Getting up from the couch she was sitting on, she walked towards the door.
"I hope you brought your own pot, I am almost out of mine," Cosima said as she opened the door without looking and immediately walked back inside her apartment, assuming Felix would follow.
"Am I also welcome if I don't have any?" a familiar French voice said. Cosima froze in place. "And if I am not Felix?"Cosima turned around slowly. The woman she had so desperately tried to avoid was now standing inside the doorway of her apartment.
Cosima noticed that Delphine was dressed beautifully and that immediately made herself extremely self-conscious. She herself was wearing baggy chill pants, the same ones she had been wearing most of last week, and her oldest grey UC Berkley t-shirt. It was old and worn out but at least she grabbed it clean out of her closet this morning after spilling toothpaste on the one she had been wearing earlier. Great, she thought, I completely embarrassed myself last time, and this time I'm not on my way of making any better of an impression.
Delphine raised one of her eyebrows and Cosima realized that she was waiting for an answer.
"What are you doing here?" Cosima asked a tad defensively, crossing her arms across her chest.
"I am here to ask you out on a date or a job interview, whichever you prefer," Delphine stated with a smile on her face.
Cosima cheeks started to burn. "Look, I don't know how you found out where I live but if you came here to make fun of me for last week, I want you to leave."
Delphine's smile faltered and her face became very serious. "I'm not here to ridicule you, Cosima. I really would be honored if you would agree to go on a date with me. But if you don't want that, I would like you to consider working for the Dyad institute. You are very passionate about science and you're top of your class. You would be a great asset."
Cosima squinted her eyes in suspicion. "I never told you I was top of my class."
Delphine's cheeks slightly got red. "I may have called your school to get your address."
"Did you really? Are you stalking me, Doctor Cormier?" Cosima asked teasingly, she was getting some of her confidence back, the blonde woman came here to ask her out after all.
"I think it's best not to answer that question. I am pleading the fifth, as you Americans say." Delphine smiled and Cosima brightly smiled back.
"Why did you do it? Getting my address, I mean," Cosima asked, getting more serious.
"I told you, I am here to ask you out."
"Well, yes, but why? I mean it's not like I made a good impression last week," Cosima stated, although she knew it was a big understatement.
"You left behind an excellent impression Cosima. You're passionate, smart and adorable. I never met anyone like you," Delphine said sincerely. "I thought it was a job interview, yes, but when you called it a date, I couldn't help but wish it was one. Which is why I came running after you when you stormed off. Which is why I called your university to get your address. Which is why I am here asking you out."
"Okay."
"Okay?" Delphine asked unsure of what it meant.
"Okay, I'll go out with you."
A huge smile spread across Delphine's face. "Great! I'll pick you up at 6 this Saturday? "
Cosima had a smile on her face that was matching Delphine's in size. "It's a date."
"You're sure it's not a job interview?" Delphine teased.
Cosima walked towards Delphine and playfully pushed her out of her apartment. "Go, before I change my mind."
"See you Saturday. Don't be late."
Cosima smiled and shook her head, then closed the door. She couldn't believe what had happened, she grabbed her phone and called Felix. She needed to tell her friend everything and thank him for being as vague as he had been about her blind date.