'Cosima?'

Her voice rung out across the café and the young dreadlocked girl at booth number nine turned her head and smiled widely, 'yo, Delphine, over here!' She waved perhaps a little too enthusiastically and so was blushing by the time Delphine had arrived at her table.

'This is a nice place'

Cosima could hear the tentativeness in her voice as Delphine removed her chic cream coat and hung it over the back of her seat. She used this time to check her out, the woman that looked so familiar and yet so different, she noted the way her elegant body moved under the harsh florescent light, the curve of her hips, the tight stomach hidden under a silk shirt, the way it clung to her breasts and- oh god - now Cosima was blushing even deeper. She forced her eyes up to meet with Delphine's and motioned to the chair 'You can sit down ya' know. I don't bite.' The blonde woman sat and smiled coyly 'that's not what I remember.' The playful tone made Cosima's heart ache but she wouldn't allow herself to give in, not so soon anyway.

An awkward silence fell over the couple as they sat, both staring the other down, trying to figure out some sense of situation.

'Can I get you ladies anything?' The appearance of the waitress was a relief, although Cosima found it harder than she'd like to admit to tear her eyes away from the blonde 'Hey Shay,' she leant back on her chair 'I'll just have my usual I guess.'

'Sure thing, Cos.' She scribbled quickly on her notepad, 'and for you?' Delphine was unsure what to order, what was Cosima's regular? She didn't want to order food if Cosima had only got a coffee 'She'll take the same.' Cosima winked across the table and Delphine was grateful, once again, for how easily Cosima could read her. 'Cool, two subs coming up. By the way, the new glasses look good.' The waitress took off and Delphine stared at Cosima. 'You got new glasses?'

'Yeah, well I got my eyes retested and needed new ones so I got these frames instead.' Her hands went subconsciously to her face 'but I don't think I like them quite as much. I think they make me look like a school teacher.' Delphine felt angry with the waitress for noticing the change before she had 'they don't. I think they look nice.'

'Thanks.' Another awkward silence fell as the woman searched for something to say. 'So. Did you, erm, bring my stuff?'

'Oh, oui, I mean, yes.' Delphine passed a paper bag over the table 'Do you want to check I got everything?'

'Nah, I trust you.' Cosima slid the bag off the table and down by her feet 'Well, I trust you about this anyway.' The snide remark hung in the air and cut Delphine deep, but she knew she probably deserved it. There was so much she wanted to tell Cosima, she wanted to reach across the table and beg for her forgiveness, she wanted to tell her she was sorry, that she knew she messed up but that she needed Cosima in her life, that her heart could not take any more time apart from her. But what came out was a simple, 'I miss you.'

'Delphine, I-' she was interrupted by the waitress arriving with two cokes. After putting the drinks down Shay reached into her apron and pulled out a small, battered book 'This is the book I was telling you about,' she passed it over to Cosima, 'I think you'll really like it. It's my own copy so no reading it in the bath okay? You get this one wet and I swear to god, you'll be in trouble.' A playful wink and a flourish and the waitress was gone again. Delphine's eyes followed her all the way back to the counter. 'This waitress. I think she has a crush on you.'

'Oh yeah totally.' Cosima rolled her eyes, putting the booking on top of the bag Delphine had given her,

'And how did she know you like to read in the bath, hmm? I wonder… Do you like her back?' She tried to keep her tone light but the hurt and jealously was obvious.

'It's not really your business who I like, is it?' Cosima had her guard up again, 'But for the record, we're just friendly. I came in here a lot after you broke up with me.'

'Ah. You are just friendly, and she is just friendly giving you books and compliments, I'm sure she is doing this with all the people she waits on.'

'She's lending it to me, not giving. And she's not just a waitress you know, so you can stop with that degrading voice. She actually owns this place.'

Delphine held her hands up in surrender 'Okay, okay. Je suis désolé. I'm sorry. I'm just not ready to see other girls make passes at you yet.'

'Then you shouldn't have broken up with me.' Cosima had full on puppy dog eyes as she gazed at the woman opposite her, her voice was indignant but underneath Delphine detected a hint of longing, a hint that maybe Cosima missed Delphine as much as Delphine missed Cosima.

'Oui, I shouldn't have.' The girls hands found each other from across the table and they intertwined their fingers. The familiarity of the touch sent electric shocks down both their arms and it seemed to Delphine that their heads were bowed, moving closer together, eyes closing, lips parting-

'Two subs!' An oblivious Shay set the sandwiches down on the table between the two women and Delphine mentally cursed her a hundred times twice over, once in English and again in French. She had nearly done it; she had nearly won Cosima back. But now the brunette had withdrawn her hands and was staring at her once again with a cool indifference. Merde.