A/N: Okay, so here it is, the first chapter of the Xmas special. It should be 2 more, hopefully the second will be up before the 25th and the last before New Years. Thanks for all the ideas that you provided. Ultimately, and due to popular demand, we will see some jealousy coming from Delphine. The Secret Santa side of this story was provided by someone on FB. CJ provided with some helpful ideas to make this even more silly and Cophine, as usual, has lent me an helping hand with the flow of the story in general.
I down the second shot of the night or, as my friends put it, liquid courage. Tonight is the night! After months of lusting after the gorgeous woman, I'm finally gonna do it. I made a promise to myself, in front of my friends so they won't let me back down when it's time to go through with it: tonight I'll find the courage, somewhere within me, to talk with Delphine.
Now, it's not like I haven't tried. It's just that every time I've tried, nothing has come out other than incoherent, half-witted words, seemly struck dumb by her beauty. And later, as I began to get to know her, and grasp her captivating character... well, that sealed the deal for my unwavering infatuation with the bright blonde who has legs for days. But no longer! Today it ends.
Felix and Sarah, loyal, concerned friends that they are, have been showing their support in the best way they know how. Which means they've not missed a single opportunity to torment me, making sure my glass is never empty.
"So, Cosima..." Sarah gets my attention with a nudge to my leg under the table. "Wanna practice with me?"
"Why would I need practice?" I say a tad too defensively. "I have talked with women before?"
"You sure about that?" Felix joins in, a mocking smile from the other side of the table. "Because I feel embarrassed when I hear you talk with Delphine. You are that bad!"
My eyes search the crowded bar, perfectly decorated for the season; strings of colorful lights decorate the walls, accented by golden pinecones and red stars. And in the middle of the large room, I find Delphine, all long legs, standing with her back straight, tailored slacks fall gracefully along her curvaceous hips and loosely down her legs. The heels of her boots raise her impressive goddess-like stature a few more inches. She has a light gray button up shirt, the first two buttons of it undone to allow a pleasant, if modest, view of alabaster skin. She brings a glass of wine to her red lips as elegant fingers comb through her curls and she smiles at her latest groupie, a young man depressed sharply in carefully pressed pants and a white shirt. He casts a tall, slender figure with broad shoulders and pretty, boyish features that make women throw themselves at his feet. But I won't let it deter me. I believe I have a slight edge over him.
For months I've studied Delphine as if she were one of my lab samples. I've observed her and catalogued every little detail of her movements. I've noticed how she's the most gentle of people; friendly, with an easy smile...until someone dares to cross her, of course. Delphine seems to have little patience for those who mistakenly dismiss her opinions, and it's then that I can see the little cracks in her polished composure. It is a very subtle change in her features; a defined jaw that clenches, a narrowing of her bright eyes that shine with ill-contained fury. Delphine is a stubborn one, but never without reason, and if you make the unwise choice of going against her, you better have damn good justification and be prepared to defend it intelligently.
So, yeah, I did my homework. I know what to expect and I feel ready to take down Delphine freaking Cormier. I can see it now, like a movie playing out in front of me: I'll charm her with my quick wit, she's gonna feel as infatuated with me as I am with her, and it will be glorious... I just need one last shot.
I throw down the drink and feel it burn its way down my throat.
"Atta girl!" Sarah encourages amid a laugh when I set the tumbler down and stand up, momentarily unstable on my feet.
"Don't wait up, kids!" I say, feeling a surge of boldness bubbling in my chest.
After a few steps, I regain my balance, and move steadily towards my unsuspecting target, as she continues to listen to the man's baritone voice. I'm close enough to hear her slightly off-beat laugh, and she passes her fingers through her majestic, golden curls again and that's when my brain fails me, and my steps falter. Suddenly I feel cornered. I look over my shoulder and find my friends, still at the same table, giving me thumbs up with huge grins. I spin on my heels and their smiles fall at the same time I feel my courage slipping away.
"Cosima!" Delphine's voice sounds smooth, melodious behind me.
I turn back around. "Oh... hi..." My words stumble on each other. "Delphine..." Her name slips out of my lips like a wishful whisper.
"Just the person I want to see," she says with a smile.
"I... I am?" I croak and internally beat myself for it. What the fuck?! I'm good at this stuff.
"Yes," she replies with an even larger smile and I suspect she's onto me. "I want to discuss the latest test results you sent my way."
"Oh..." I feel my hopes deflate, but only briefly, as Delphine sidles up next to me and takes my arm in hers, pulling me along until I'm moving with her. "What about the test results?"
Delphine looks down at me and continues to smile, answering me with a wink. She leans against the edge of the counter and waits for the bartender's attention. When he looks at her, she motions with two fingers, calling him over.
"I think I'll have one of those shots you were so enthusiastically drinking," she says once the man stops to take our order. "They look like a wonderfully terrible idea."
I chuckle awkwardly. "Don't you mean terribly wonderful?"
"No, I don't." Her smile turns into something different, more like a cocky grin that brightens her eyes. "What about you?"
I swallow hard and can't seem to take my eyes off of her. I think I mumble something that might sound like "sure".
Delphine produces a couple of bills from a pocket in her trousers and places them on the counter. "I've got this," she says when the bartender sets the two drinks in front of us. "For rescuing me."
I smile a dopey smile, the alcohol from earlier finally taking effect and causing my body to lose some of the nervous tension it has whenever I find myself in close proximity of this woman. "I didn't take you for a woman who'd need rescuing," I say.
She arches her brows, and her grin is a reminder of her charming personality. Delphine proceeds to take the small glass to her lips and, throwing back her head, she empties the glass. I stare at her, seemingly mesmerized by the sight and remain silent.
"Maybe not," she says, her voice raw due to the hard liquor. "But I can still appreciate it."
"Well, in truth, I wasn't attempting a rescue mission," I state matter-of-factually, beginning to feel my confidence return. "You seemed like you were having the best-est of times with..." I pause and look back at the man, whose eyes are on us. He seems familiar, I know I've seen him somewhere in the clinic. "Whatever his name is..." I give up.
"Josh, from legal," Delphine elucidates me, twisting her nose. "His conversation was putting me to sleep."
"Maybe you're just too hard to impress…" And now we're in business! Slowly I sense my coolness returning, perhaps even being a little too impulsive.
Delphine arches a brow and smirks. "No more than I deserve."
"In that case, I'm glad to have been of assistance," I say, watching her motioning for a refill.
"Impeccable timing, Cosima!" She smiles again.
"So, just so we're clear, there's nothing wrong with my test results," I ask as the bartender fills her glass.
"Other than your terrible handwriting..." Delphine jokes and leans her head closer. "Those little notes you make on the side," she says in a conspiring tone, "I can never read them."
I cringe a little. "Those are actually kinda important."
"Then, perhaps, it is a good idea for you to work on your penmanship." She swallows the shot.
"Or maybe you could've said something earlier," I counter. "A quick visit to my lab and I'd translate it for you."
"It's always too crowded in there, you have too many visitors," Delphine complains and I feel there's a deeper meaning to her words, even if it escapes me for the moment.
"Aside from Scott, it's only me there," I say, referring to the awkward young man who has joined our ranks recently due to the increase of work in our small private clinic.
Delphine shakes her head and looks at her hands on the counter, rolling a ring on her finger. "Not true. You are very popular, it's hard to get you alone."
I smirk and stare at her for a moment without saying anything. Delphine gives me a quick side glance, and bites her lower lip in an unexpected display of adorable shyness that is in conflict with the confident posture she has had up until now.
"If I had known sooner you wanted to get me alone so badly, I could've arranged it," I say with my confidence fully restored. "So I could translate my writing, of course. Although, I fail to see why we would need privacy for that."
I bring my drink to my lips, and notice that she is looking intently at me. When I place the glass down and stare straight at her, Delphine seems to have moved closer. Her hip brushes against my body when I turn to her and Delphine extends her left arm to place it on the counter, just behind my body and I feel fingertips toying with my shirt. The ghost of physical contact is more than enough to make my entire body hum and I struggle to contain the low purr rising in my throat, but it seems rather useless because her eyes lit up, shining with amusement at my reaction.
And this is it. This is the moment when I realize all those hours spent studying her every move, analyzing every small reaction…count for nothing. How foolish was I to think I could decipher this enigmatic woman by simple observation. I couldn't possibly anticipate her complexity, how her mood swings every so often; one moment an adorable vulnerability, the next an irresistible boldness. And yet, it is true, I see it happening before my eyes while she leans even closer and my world becomes Delphine, encapsulated by her presence.
"No, maybe not for that," Delphine whispers into my ear, her cheek brushing against mine, despite the fact that the noise level around us is not nearly loud enough to warrant the closeness.
I begin to wonder, if against all odds, she's trying to entice me. If that's the case, Delphine's incredibly skilled, because I find myself utterly enthralled. Or maybe it's just the alcohol lowering her inhibitions and this is a completely meaningless gesture that will be explained away by too much booze, or worse, not remembered. Although Delphine doesn't strike me as the sort of person to do that, I can't discard that possibility because - as established earlier - the gorgeous woman seems to have many more layers than expected.
I turn my head to look her in the eye and she doesn't pull back. Instead she allows the gentle graze of our cheeks and looks at me intently while I raise a suspicious brow. I hesitate, my desire to close the small gap tempted even further by the tip of her tongue rolling briefly over her upper lip.
"And what would require such privacy?" I test the waters, see if she'll actually speak the words.
Delphine smirks and raises a hand to graze the tips of her fingers against my neck. "I think you know…"
Her touch rolls over my skin, moving along my collarbone until she hooks it on the collar of my shirt and pulls me to her. It's a weak tug, Delphine doesn't really apply much force; she doesn't have to. I allow my body to answer her with little effort. Delphine's lips are soft, smoothly hovering over mine while I feel her take a deep breath. My head is swimming and, while I'm sure the alcohol plays some part in it, the bulk of my disarray is from Delphine's actions; in the way she finally wraps my lower lip and kisses the tender flesh; in the way her fingers move up again to curl around my neck and warm my skin, while at the same time I feel the graceful shape of her body press lightly against mine.
It's a shock when she pulls back abruptly. My mind still hasn't fully grasped what's happening and it's already over. For a few seconds I avoid opening my eyes to look at her, fearing to see regret or even shame in her expression. But when I do finally open my eyes, that's not what I read in her beautiful features. Instead she seems annoyed, irritated, perhaps even anger, and her gaze is not on me, but on a point behind my back.
I frown and, slightly confused, look over my shoulder to see what has upset her. Felix has made his way to the improvised stage, talking with the small blonde whose back is turned to us. After a few seconds she spins around and, scanning the room, spots us at the bar and waves in our direction. I wave back and feel Delphine pull back further when Shay starts to walk towards us.
"Toujours gêné," I hear Delphine murmur under her breath.
"What's that?" I ask, looking back at her.
"I didn't know she was coming?" Delphine answers, but I suspect her translation is miles off.
"She had an after hours appointment," I explain and my stare goes to the small woman approaching us. "But she wanted to be here."
"J'imagine!" Delphine mutters.
And although I could understand the words, I still miss the meaning. Even worse, I have no time to ask what's it about because Shay has stopped before us.
"Cosima, what's up?" Shay smiles and gives me a hug.
"All good," I answer with my attention shifting between the two women.
On one hand, Shay is smiling openly, both her hands rub my upper arm in a friendly gesture, on the other, Delphine is putting even more distance between us, from the corner of my eye I notice her asking for another drink.
"Felix says the draw is about to start," Shay offers, her eyes briefly moving to the other blonde and raising a brow when Delphine swallows a third shot.
The feedback from the mic makes a screeching noise and everyone complains.
"Oh shut up you shits!" He says loud into the mic and takes it off the stand to roam freely around the box next to him on the stage. "I assume everyone has already submitted their name and if you haven't, tough noogies!" He shoves his hand into the box and takes a handful of the small pieces of paper in it. "This is pretty standard shit. Come up, in a orderly fashion and take one paper, if your own name comes up, put it back in any take another. I'm sure not even we can fuck this up!"
Slowly people start to head towards the stage, some obviously lacking balance and I wonder how many of us will remember which name we draw if we don't save the paper.
"Aren't you going?" Shay asks, looking back when I stay put.
"I think I'm gonna leave this one to chance," I answer, but I'm still mildly distracted by Delphine's sour mood.
Shay smiles nonetheless, apparently unaware of my lack of attention. "Leave it to fate, right?"
"Something like that," I reply and watch her leave.
"You should tell your friend that fate is bullshit!"
I look at Delphine after hearing her words and give her a large smile. "I believe in creating my own destiny," I say.
Finally she smiles again, still alluring, still captivating, but it seems to be shadowed by something else. "So do I," Delphine says, before moving away to join the rest of the others on the line.