"Ooo, Delphine, look how cute this is!"

I turn to see my best friend, Krystal, holding up a fitted pink dress to her body. "Yes, looks like your style, Krys," I chuckle.

She's somehow dragged me to the mall with her the day before Valentine's Day, when everything in the stores is pink and red, hearts and flowers. I've never really been a fan of the holiday, and luckily, Cosima and I have agreed that we will stay in for the night. I'll make a nice meal and we'll relax together. That is my perfect Valentine's Day.

"Do you think Hector will like it?" she asks.

I smile. "He loves you. He will love you in anything...but especially that," I tell her.

"I'm getting it," she states, "Let's go pay. You getting anything?" She looks up at me, smacking her gum.

I shake my head. "No, let's go. I am not a fan of the mall."

I follow her toward the checkout, walking past the hordes of men trying to pick out last minute typical gifts for their wives or girlfriends or whatever.

"Oh my god," Krystal yelps all of a sudden, grabbing my arm and pulling me back behind a rack of particularly ugly teddy bears holding candy hearts.

"Krystal, what—"

"Shh," she hushes, pointing in front of me.

I look over to the jewelry counter to see my girlfriend standing there, in the middle of making a purchase. I grin, even though I am confused as to why she is there. She should be at work right now. She told me she had to stay late tonight to work on a project.

I turn to Krystal who still has a firm grip on my arm. "Why are we hiding from Cosima?" I ask.

"Um, hello, she's obviously here buying you a Valentine's Day gift!" she exclaims. "You can't let her see you! And she's buying you jewelry! That is so adorable!"

Krystal's voice must have gone up two octaves when she said that. "Ok, ok, can you at least lighten up on my arm. I'm going to have a bruise," I reply.

"Sorry, I just get really excited by romance, you know?" she says.

I chuckle and shake my head. "Well, we should probably get going then. Wouldn't want to ruin the romance," I joke.

"Yes! You're right," Krystal agrees, in an absolutely serious voice.

I follow my best friend once again to the checkout counter on the other side of the store. Cosima is being very sneaky. I am surprised, but I shrug it off and wonder what she was buying.

I arrive home later that evening after Krystal and I go to dinner and I see Cosima's bag on the couch as I walk in.

"Cosima?" I call out, but don't hear an answer as I walk in to find her. I hear her talking in the bathroom, the door slightly cracked and I pause outside the door.

"It will be fine," I hear her say into the phone, "Don't worry."

I'm not sure who she is talking to, but as I go to knock on the door, she speaks again.

"We'll be together in a few weeks, okay? I'm going to talk to her."

Who is she talking to? As soon as I go again to knock, my own phone buzzes in my hand and I see my mother is calling. I sigh and head into the bedroom, picking up the phone.

"Allo, Maman," I answer, starting to get changed into more comfy clothes.

My mother starts talking immediately as usual, and I'm barely able to get a word in. She finally gets through the story of her week and I tell her I need to go, that Cosima is waiting.

"Oh, Delphine," she continues, "When are the two of you getting married? I'm not getting any younger and I am going to need you to settle down soon and give me some grandkids."

I sigh. She is always bringing this up, always meddling in our business. I decide to tell her something she probably doesn't want to hear, just to see if it will get her to stop asking. "Maman, I don't even think I want to get married, okay?"

My mother gasps. "Delphine, do not say that!"

I tell her again that I am hanging up as I place the phone down on the dresser, bracing myself with my hands against the top of it. I take a deep breath as I hear Cosima come in.

"Hey," she smiles, sliding up behind me. "I didn't hear you come in." She puts her arms around my waist and I turn my head to give her a small smile.

"Hello, chérie," I sigh, placing my hands over hers on my stomach before turning around to look at her. She looks nervous to me for some reason, or like something is wrong. "Are you okay?" I ask.

"Mmm," she nods, "Just tired." She stands up on her tiptoes to give me a quick kiss before taking her glasses off and rubbing her eyes. "I think I might go to bed. Work was crazy," she explains, pulling back to take off her work clothes.

I nod, feeling strange about seeing her earlier at the mall, but I can hear Krystal's voice in my head and keep it to myself. "Okay, I could sleep now, too," I reply, "Don't forget. I'm making you dinner tomorrow night. It's Valentine's Day."

Cosima turns to give me a small smile. "Oh, I haven't forgotten," she responds, climbing into bed and getting under the covers, laying on her back.

I get into bed beside her, reaching my arm out to put it across her torso. She is staring up at the ceiling, seemingly distracted, lost in thought.

"Cosima," I whisper.

"Hmm?" she answers, still looking up.

"Are you sure you're okay?" I ask, an odd feeling settling into my stomach at the way she is acting.

"Yeah, yeah, just...a lot on my mind," she responds.

"You want to talk about it?" I inquire.

"Not right now, babe. I'm sorry. I'm so tired," she replies, closing her eyes.

I rub her stomach gently. "Okay, just let me know if you need to. I'm right here," I tell her, wondering desperately why she's being so distant. I try to relax as she falls asleep quickly. I toss and turn for a little while before finally slipping into slumber.

I come home from work the next day and get dinner on the stove, whipping up a nice tomato sauce to put over the pasta I'm making. I grab the wine and make sure everything is set up before Cosima walks in the door. I am hoping we can just relax and have a nice night.

Cosima comes in, and drops her stuff, walking up to me with a smile. "Mmm, it smells delicious in here, Del," she says, throwing her arms around my neck and leaning in for a sweet kiss.

My arms automatically go around her waist and I pull her closer, getting lost in her soft warmth for a moment as I return her kiss. "Happy Valentine's Day," I tell her as I back away to plate the food.

She sits at the kitchen table as I bring the plates over. "I'm so glad we decided to stay in tonight. This is so much better than going out after work," she sighs.

"Agreed," I echo, pouring the wine. "Everything okay at work today?"

Cosima takes a bite and nods. "It was better. It's been stressful lately."

"I am sorry. I can give you a nice massage later," I offer.

She raises her eyebrows at me. "Oh yeah?" she smiles.

I nod and chuckle. It seems like she is feeling better than she was last night.

We eat and as I clear the plates she goes to the bedroom, coming back with something behind her back.

"Okay, so I know we said no gifts, but I wanted to get you something," she smirks.

"Cosima," I chuckle, giving her a look, feeling a little bit bad that I already know she got me something.

She walks over to me and hands me an envelope. It's not what I was expecting, but I try to hide my confused look and open it anyway. Inside is a Valentine's Day card with a cute message and a gift certificate for a spa day for two.

"I thought you could use it, with whoever you want. I mean, you don't have to take me. You can take Krystal or something. I won't be offended," she tells me, giggling.

I look down at the gift in my hands, my mind racing. I feel silly, thinking about yesterday. What was Cosima buying? Who was she buying jewelry for? My mind goes immediately to the phone conversation I overheard yesterday...we'll be together in a few weeks...and the fact that she was being distant. Was she…? My brain goes to the worst possible scenarios and I feel a terrible feeling in my stomach.

"Del?"

"Hmm?" I reply, snapping back to reality as I look up at her.

"Do you not like it? I thought you always wanted to go to that place," she explains.

"Oh, I...yes, thank you, it's nice," I stumble, feeling like I'm about to burst into tears. "Cosima," I start, "I, um, I think I'm getting a migraine...it um, it just came on. I'm going to lay down for a little bit."

She looks at me with concern and I can barely look her in the eye. "Oh, okay...I'll clean up...I'm sorry, baby," she whispers.

I nod and run out of there quickly, shutting the bedroom door behind me and immediately curl up on the bed as my tears come. My mind is racing. Am I overreacting? Is this even rational? Could Cosima be cheating on me? It was so unlike her to be so distant and quiet yesterday, and to lie about working late...she doesn't lie to me. What is happening? I know I should just confront her but I feel like an idiot. And that conversation...she didn't mention anything about it...I'm going to talk to her. That's what she had said. Is Cosima getting ready to leave me?

I am feeling overly emotional and I try to take some calming breaths, knowing I need to deal with this. I hear the door open and I roll to my side, trying to hide the fact that I am crying.

"Hey," I hear Cosima speak softly as she walks in, "I made you some tea. Maybe it can help with your headache." I hear her set it down on the nightstand and sit on the edge of the bed behind me, her hand coming to rest on my side as she rubs gently. "You need anything else?" she whispers.

I choke back my sobs as my body jolts slightly and I know she could feel it.

"Del?" she asks, "Hey, is everything okay?"

I just need to ask her. I can't put it off. I roll over toward her and her eyes widen when she sees my tear soaked eyes. "Is there something you need to tell me?" I ask, as sternly as I can.

She looks at me and furrows her brow. "What do you mean?" she asks, "Hey, why are you crying?"

"You don't have to put if off anymore," I state, "Just tell me...if you're going to do it, just do it quickly."

"What are you talking about?" she asks.

I am getting frustrated, trying to hold my tears back. "Don't make it worse than it has to be," I say as I sit up, bringing my knees up to my chest. "Just tell me the truth."

"Ok, seriously, Delphine, I don't know what you're talking about," she says again. "You're scaring me a little. Tell me what's wrong."

I look up at her, knowing that I am trembling slightly. "Just tell me if you're leaving me," I choke in barely a whisper.

Her eyes go wide and she looks at me with what I can only imagine is shock at me finding out. "Wait, what? Why would you say that?" she responds.

"Please, Cosima, I can handle it," I whisper, resting my chin on my knees.

"Delphine," she states with a serious look in her eyes, "I'm going to need you to tell me where you got a crazy idea like that."

I look up at her, half heartbroken, half angry. "I heard you...I heard you talking on the phone, saying...saying you would be together in a few weeks...I didn't think anything of it, until...until...well, I saw you at the mall buying some jewelry, and I thought it was for me, but it obviously wasn't...and you were so distant last night…" I ramble while Cosima stares at me intensely.

All of a sudden, her lips curl into a smile and she starts to giggle.

My stomach drops and I swallow. "Seriously? You're laughing?" I state angrily.

She moves in closer to me and her expression turns more serious again. "Oh my god, baby, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to laugh, but you have it all wrong. My god, you thought I was having a secret relationship behind your back? Delphine, I would have to be absolutely insane to leave you...you're my life. Do you really think I would want anyone else but you?" she asks.

"I don't know," I whisper.

She brings her hands up to cup both sides of my head and looks deep into my eyes. "Del, your brain is really beautiful, but sometimes it can be very irrational," she says to me with a grin. "Usually I'm the one doing that. I must be rubbing off on you," she tries to joke.

I give her a sad look and shrug.

She takes her hands away and places them on the top of my knees. "Babe, I'm so sorry you thought that, but, look, I can explain," she starts, "That phone call yesterday...I was talking to Scott. Work has been super stressful because Rachel has put us on separate projects, and he's really upset about it. So I was telling him I would talk to Rachel and we'd be together in a few weeks again."

I immediately feel silly as she rubs my knee with her thumb softly.

"And I'm sorry about last night...I was thinking about something...and Del, first of all, I can't believe you saw me at the mall! Yeah, I was buying something...and yeah, it's for you...but I kind of...um, I might've chickened out," she explains.

"What do you mean?" I ask, confused.

She looks down for a moment and takes a deep breath. "Well, I, um, so I got you something and I was going to give it to you tonight, but then, I heard you talking on the phone to your mom, and you said something about not wanting to get married, so I, uh, decided not to give you what I got you...because I got scared," she responds. "And then I was thinking about it last night, and trying not to get too upset, thinking about what I should do."

My mouth falls open slightly and I lift my head. Her gaze is still down and I reach forward to pull her chin up so I can look at her. "Wait, you...did you get me what I think you did?"

She gets up and opens the dresser drawer, digging around and pulling out a small box before she comes back to sit in front of me. "Um...yeah, I was gonna give you this tonight," she whispers.

"Cosima," I answer, smiling, "I guess we should not base things on what we overhear in phone conversations. I was telling my maman that to get her off my back about it. She is always asking me when we are getting married, so I said that to maybe get her to stop."

"Oh," Cosima nods, her lips finally forming a smile, "Well, um, this isn't exactly how I expected it, but…" She puts the box down on the mattress and takes my hands in hers, her thumbs brushing lightly over the backs of them. "Del," she starts, looking straight into my eyes, "You are the most wonderful, most brilliant, fucking gorgeous as hell, most amazingly talented person I've ever met, and sometimes I look at you and think, how in the world did I get so lucky, that you would pick me, a geek girl from Berkeley, to be with?"

I let out a small chuckle as I look at her sweet face. She brings her forehead to rest on mine as she places her hands on the sides of my head. Her lips are so close as she speaks and I feel so much love in my heart, I think it's going to burst.

"So," she continues, "I want to spend my life with you, because I can't imagine it without you, and I love you so freakin much, it hurts."

I can feel the tears coming up behind my eyes. I am not usually this emotional, but this night has affected me more than I would've thought. I can't believe I thought she would cheat on me, the woman I love with all my heart, who loves me just as deeply.

"So, Del," she whispers, "Marry me?"

My heart flutters when she says the words and I nod. "Yes," I breathe.

She grins wide and picks up the box, opening it to reveal the ring. She takes it out and places it on my finger and I look down at it before looking back up at her. The look on her face is the happiest I've ever seen her and my cheeks hurt from smiling so much. I giggle and she puts her hand to the back of my neck and tugs me closer, her lips meeting mine.

I feel the softness of her lips, the tiny hitch in her breath as she breathes me in, the grasp on my neck getting tighter, and it makes me lightheaded. That's what she does to me. I close my eyes, losing myself in her as I grab for her sides, pulling her closer to me. I lay back and she lets her weight fall on top of me, my arms wrapped around her, the length of our bodies touching.

She pulls back for a moment, leaning in to place a few gentle kisses down my neck before resting her head on my chest and nuzzling her face into my skin. I hear her take a deep inhale through her nose.

"You ok?" I ask, softly.

I feel her nod. "I just want to remember this moment, the way it smells, the way it feels," she whispers.

I squeeze as I hold her tighter to me. My entire body feels like it's in a state of bliss, like I know everything will be ok, that we will be able to face anything together. We lay for a while, in silence, enjoying the embrace.

"Cosima?" I finally say.

"Hmm?"

"You know, you may be a geek girl from Berkeley, but you're my geek girl from Berkeley," I chuckle.

I feel her let out a small giggle. "Hey, well, I think you promised this geek girl a massage earlier."

I laugh. "You're a brat, you know that?"

"Mmhmm," she replies, already sitting up and pulling her shirt over her head. She lays her naked torso down on the bed, face down, her arms up under the pillow and closes her eyes. "I'm ready," she smirks.

I shake my head and climb on top of her, my knees on either side of her waist. I put my hands on her back and she lets out a small sigh.

I massage her for a while, taking my time, savoring every inch of her skin. I remove my own shirt, laying myself on top of her, and kiss the back of her neck softly. I let my forehead rest there for a moment, taking a deep breath, the love I have for her coursing through me.

"Cosima," I breathe, gently.

"Mmm," she vocalizes, her eyes closed, her body relaxed underneath me.

"I am so in love with you," I whisper, kissing the side of her neck.

She lets out a happy hum and I see the side of her mouth curl into a small smile.

"I've never met anyone who is as excited and passionate about life as you," I continue, "Someone who finds the beauty in everything...this...this is what I love about you. You and I...we are very different in some ways, but you inspire me, and you force me to see the beauty in the world. And I am so grateful for you, mon amour."

She pushes up slightly, and I lift myself so she can turn over. I settle myself back down on top of her, letting our skin press together and enjoying the shivers it sends through me. She doesn't say anything, but instead, cups my cheeks and brings my lips to hers, letting them mingle once again.

I sigh into the kiss, knowing that this is where I belong, thinking that this night could not have turned out better. There is nowhere else I want to be, but in her arms.