It's the day of final tryouts for the hit reality dance competition, I Just Wanna Dance, and it looks like half of San Francisco has shown up to audition. Cosima jumps off the trolley, late as usual, and takes a look at the line wrapping around the block.
"Holy shit!"
She looks up and down the street, trying to figure out what the protocol for the tryouts is. She spots a young man wearing an I Just Wanna Dance t-shirt along with a headset and rushes over to him. "Excuse me, do you work here?"
"Yes, I'm Scott, I'm one of the PAs. How can I help you?" The young man in glasses smiles at her.
"I'm here to audition, but I overslept like an idiot. What do I have to do?"
"First you'll want to head over to the blue tent right over there," he points to other side of the road. "They'll have you fill out some forms and get a number. After that you'll have to get on the back of the line."
"And the back of the line is where exactly?"
Scott looks down the street, "All the way down and around the corner."
"Ugh, this sucks. Should I even bother? Do you think they'll have time to see all these people today?"
"It's til 7 tonight, you have a shot. If you really wanna dance, I say give it a try. You don't want to miss out on something special."
"Scotty, you're a pretty cool dude, thanks, man," Cosima slugs his shoulder and rushes off towards the blue tent.
"You're welcome, miss, uh, I didn't get your name," he calls after her.
"Cosima, Cosima Niehaus," she yells back.
When she gets to the blue tent, they've started to close up, "Hey, wait, the PA said you'd be here until 7 tonight."
"Sorry, Dreads, auditions run til 7, sign up ended at 9am,"
Cosima glances at her watch, "Dude, that was only 5 minutes ago. Please I didn't know where to go, it's confusing as hell over here. I really want this, I've dreamt of being a dancer from the time I could walk. If I don't get this I'm just gonna go to college and become a scientist."
"A scientist?" the young man asks her.
"Yeah," she answers.
"Well we can't have you doing that, can we?" he grins. "Alright, I'll make an exception for you, but anyone asks, you signed in at 8:59 this morning."
"You got it, 8:59am," she smiles.
"Driver's license?"
She digs into her wallet and pulls out her ID card?
"No license?" he asks, looking it over.
"I failed the exam 3 times, just public transportation for me."
He grins and makes a copy of her ID, "Ok, Niehaus, please sign here and here," he indicates the spots on the form. "This gives us permission to use all footage of you and releases us from being held liable if you get injured or die."
"Um, wow, okay," she shakes her head and signs the forms anyway.
"Please indicate on this line what song will be accompanying your routine today," Tony instructs and Cosima fills in the information. "Great, you are number 32421," he hands her a sheet of paper with the number written across it. "Pin this to your shirt, it must be displayed at all times. You can go wait at the end of the line and hang out until they get to you."
"Dude, you are a lifesaver, thank you so much," Cosima runs back across the street, down the block and around the corner. Finally reaching the end of the line, she collapses onto the pavement.
The people ahead of her on line are all practicing their dance moves. Cosima is too out of breath to do anything but sit right now. She puts in her earbuds and cranks up the music she'll be dancing to later. She closes her eyes and begins to visualize her moves.
"Ow my ow!" Cosima yelps a minute later as her right hand, which is splayed out to her side, is stepped on. She opens her eyes and squints up towards the person responsible for her pain, the sun's rays blinding her in the process.
"I am so sorry," the girl standing over her apologizes,
Cosima tries to block out the sun with her left hand to get a look at the person standing over her.
"Are you okay?" The girl bends down to Cosima's level, "I was practicing and didn't see you there."
The girl's face, now mere inches from Cosima's own, slowly comes into focus. First her piercing hazel eyes, flecked with gold, then her perfect nose, with a freckle on its tip, followed by her perfectly pink mouth, another freckle just below her lower lip, then Cosima glances at the golden halo surrounding her head, blonde curls framing a perfect face.
"Are you okay?" she asks again.
"Yeah, yeah, sorry, just got a little stunned for a sec. I'm fine and you're French," Cosima slaps herself internally for such a stupid thing to say.
The girl giggles, "Oui, I am French. I'm Delphine."
"Delphine," Cosima repeats, "that's a nice name."
"Merci, and your name?"
"Cosima."
"Enchantée, Cosima," Delphine holds out her hand.
Cosima reaches forward, taking the girl's hand in her own, "Enchantée, Delphine," she mimics.
Delphine laughs at the mangled pronunciation as they shake hands.
Cosima grimaces as Delphine's grip tightens.
"Merde, I'm so sorry, this is the hand I stepped on. Do you want some ice for it?" Delphine examines the hand, "It looks a little red."
"Uh, yeah, maybe ice would be a good idea," Cosima responds as she watches Delphine holding her hand.
"Okay, stay right here, I'll go to the medical tent and get you some," Delphine releases her hand gently, stands up, and walks towards the white tent with a red cross on it.
"Oh my god," Cosima exclaims to herself once Delphine is out of earshot.
A couple minutes later, Delphine returns, sitting down next to Cosima and taking her hand once again. "They gave me this gel cold pack," she places it on the back of Cosima's hand, then wraps gauze around it, pinning it in place. "Hopefully that will help."
"Thanks!"
"You're welcome, it's the least I can do after stepping on it."
"Eh, it was just an accident, no biggie. At least it wasn't a foot, that might have really destroyed my dancing career," Cosima smirks.
"I'm glad you're taking this so well, I feel terrible."
"Don't, really, I'm fine. And the ice pack is helping already, I'm starting to get feeling back in my fingers."
Delphine's mouth goes wide, "You lost feeling in your fingers?"
"Relax, it was a joke, it's just a little swollen," Cosima's tongue pokes out through her teeth.
"You're a brat," Delphine swats at her playfully.
"I've been called worse. So, what style of dance are you auditioning in?"
"Jazz."
"So you jazzed onto to my hand, then, did ya?"
"Yes," Delphine giggles. "What's your style?"
"Lyrical."
"Nice."
"Do you want to keep practicing?" Cosima asks.
"No, I should rest for a while, and, seeing as we're at the end of the line, I think I'll have more than enough time to practice today."
"Yeah, totes."
"Where did you come from, anyway, I thought I was the end of the line?" Delphine wonders.
"Oh, I, uh," Cosima wants to lie like she's supposed to, but looking into those warm, friendly eyes, she can't. "Can you keep a secret?"
Delphine nods.
"I was a little late getting here, but the dude at registration was nice enough to let me in. But, if anyone asks, I signed in at 8:59."
"Is that so?" Delphine looks at her angrily. "That's breaking the rules, I'm going to have to tell someone." Delphine stands up in a huff and Cosima reaches for her hand.
"No, please don't, I was only a little late and I really want this," Cosima begs and Delphine lets out a loud belly laugh, causing Cosima to drop her hand. "You were totally messing with me, weren't you?"
Delphine drops back down to the sidewalk, "Yes, you should have seen your face, you looked like a sad puppy dog."
"Not funny, Delphine," Cosima protests.
"Yes, it really is. You deserved it after your little joke." Delphine can't stop laughing, her laughter infectious as Cosima can't hold it in and joins in. "And now I don't feel so bad for stepping on your hand seeing as you broke the rules to get in here."
"Ha, ha. By five lousy minutes."
"It's fine, I'll keep your secret. Besides, it's nice to have someone to talk to while we wait to go in there."
"Same," Cosima grins. "So, what's a nice French girl like you doing in San Francisco?"
"I'm starting Berkley in the fall."
"No way! Me too. What are you studying?"
"Dance, you?"
"Biology. I didn't even realize they had a dance major. You must be really good, huh?"
"I guess I was good enough. If you didn't know they had a dance program, I assume dance isn't where your career ambitions lie."
"No, I'd love to have a career in dance, I just don't know how likely it is, so I figured I'd better have something to fall back on."
"And biology is your fallback?"
"I know, it's dorky."
"Non, not at all, I actually loved science in high school. I just can't imagine doing anything with my life but dance. I've been in dance classes since I was four years old."
"I've never actually taken a dance class. I've just always loved to dance and would make up moves for my family and friends."
"So no formal training?"
"Nope."
"Wow, that's brave coming here to compete. What if they asked you to a do a style you don't know?"
"I'm a quick learner," Cosima declares. "I can watch someone do a move once and repeat it back."
"With no training? I don't believe you," Delphine crosses her arms over her chest.
"Scout's honor," Cosima promises, holding up her hand.
"Ok, then let me see you do this," Delphine stands up and dances a few intricate steps, while Cosima eyes her intently.
"Alright," Cosima gets up and repeats the steps.
"That was incroyablé!" Delphine exclaims, "And you even did it with that ice pack on your hand."
Cosima shrugs.
"No, really, Cosima, you have a gift. I studied years to be able to perfect that move."
"You do it well," Cosima blurts.
"Thank you," Delphine replies as a slight blush creeps onto her cheeks. "So, um, what song will you be performing to?"
"Water Prayer by Adaim Shaikh."
"I don't think I know it."
"No?" Delphine shakes her head and Cosima grabs her iPod. "Here," she hands her earbuds to Delphine who holds them up to her ears.
Delphine starts nodding her head to the beat as Cosima watches. When the song ends, 4 minutes later, she hands the earbuds back, "That was really great."
"Yeah, you liked it?"
"Oui, it had a great beat. Can I see some of your moves?"
"You wanna see my moves?" Cosima asks.
"Yes, if you are comfortable sharing."
"Sure," Cosima hops to her feet, puts the earbuds in and starts the music. Her eyes close as her hands start to twist like snakes as they flow in front of her, to her side, and above her head. Her hips start to groove as her feet find their own rhythm.
Delphine sits back, watching the captivating display in front of her. After a minute or so, Cosima opens her eyes to finds the other girl's boring into her. "So, yeah, that was my dance, well a toned down version, gotta keep some of it a surprise," Cosima says with a wink as she sits back down.
"That was…" Delphine struggles to find the right words, "Enchanting," she finally settles on. "You move with such grace, like it pours out from your soul."
"Thanks," Cosima rubs the back of her neck nervously.
"And your hand, it is a vital element, I'm glad to see it's moving okay."
"Oh, yeah, the ice pack helped. So, um, your turn. Can I see what you've got planned?"
"Oui, I am dancing to Navvaatara, I heard it in a movie once and instantly fell in love with it. I found a club version that's a little faster than the original that worked for what I wanted to do today." Delphine pulls up the music on her phone and plays it over the speaker as she rises and starts to dance.
If Cosima thought she used her hands a lot in her dance, she has nothing on Delphine, whose hands move with purpose and precision.
"And it goes on from there," Delphine says as she pauses her music and sits down with Cosima.
"That was beautiful. I can't wait to see the rest."
"Thank you," Delphine smiles shyly. "Are you hungry? I was thinking of getting some food from the stand over there." Delphine points to the hot dog cart across the street.
"Yeah, totally, I kinda skipped breakfast, what with oversleeping and trying to get down here."
Delphine stands up and extends her hand to Cosima, who takes it and allows Delphine to pull her to her feet.
"I think I can take the ice pack off now, it's not exactly cold anymore and my hand feels better." Cosima unwraps her hand and puts the ice pack down.
Delphine examines the hand, "The swelling has gone down, I'd say you're improving."
"Thanks, Doc, shall we?" Cosima points towards their lunch destination and Delphine nods.
They cross the street and line up behind a few other customers.
"What can I get you, honey?" the vendor asks when it's Delphine's turn.
"A hot dog with mustard, please." Cosima laughs and Delphine eyes her suspiciously, "What?"
"That's seriously what you're ordering?"
"Yes, is there something wrong with that?"
"No. Well, yes, I mean when you're getting a street dog, you wanna go big," Cosima gesticulates wildly, emphasizing the bigness.
"Is that so? What are you getting?"
"The Top Dog!" Cosima practically salivates as she says the words. "It's got mustard, sauerkraut, tomatoes, relish, pickles, and chili peppers."
Delphine considers those ingredients, then turns to the vendor, "I'll have what she's having."
"You sure you can handle all that?" Cosima asks.
"If you can, then I'm sure I can."
"Two Top Dogs coming up," the man barks. They pay for their food and drinks and, after a couple minutes, their food is handed over to them.
As they walk back across the street, food in hand, Delphine stares down at her hot dog.
"Worried you made a mistake ordering that?" Cosima wonders.
"No, just figuring out the best way to eat it without making a mess of myself."
Cosima laughs as they reach the other side of the street and take their places at the end of the line. "Watch and learn, sweetheart." Cosima holds up the dog, "The key is trajectory and opening your mouth as wide as possible," Cosima holds up her dog, aims it straight for her mouth and bites off the end. "Okay, give it a go," she instructs Delphine while she finishes her bite.
Delphine holds up her dog as Cosima did before her, she aims the hot dog, opens wide and bites down. "Perfect, you're a natural," Cosima declares, watching Delphine chew and swallow. "What do you think?"
"I think…" Delphine pauses as she carefully chooses her next words, "this is the best damn hot dog I've ever had." She grins as she takes her next bite, Cosima watching her with a smile plastered across her lips. Delphine pauses before taking her next bite, "Are you just going to watch me or are you going to eat yours?"
"Oh, yeah, totally gonna eat it, sorry, I'm just really glad you like it," Cosima answers before turning her attention back to her own dog.
They sit in silence finishing their lunch until Delphine suddenly starts laughing.
"What's so funny?"
"You," Delphine can barely speak she's laughing so much.
"I what?"
"You have mustard above your lip. A mustarche, if you will." Delphine leans forward, grasping Cosima's chin with her left hand as she uses her right hand to run a napkin over her face. "There. All better," she declares, examining Cosima's face, her hand still gripping her chin.
Cosima is speechless, her mind focussing solely on the hand on her chin and the eyes looking into hers. Delphine releases her face and playfully taps Cosima's nose, "We wouldn't want you going in there with a messy face."
"No, we wouldn't want that," Cosima responds, missing the warmth of the hand on her chin. She shakes off the feeling. "Thanks for the cleanup."
"Anytime," Delphine winks.
"So, uh, when did you get to San Francisco?"
"Just a few days ago."
"Oh, so you probably haven't had time to do much exploring."
"No, not really. I've mostly just been prepping my routine."
"Well, I've lived here my whole life, so if you ever want a tour, I'd be happy to give you one."
"I'd like that," she grins.
"Great, let me give you my number and you can call me whenever."
Delphine hands her cell to Cosima, who enters her info before handing the phone back. Delphine sends her a text, "Now you have mine."
Cosima looks at her phone screen and grins, "Cool!" She then glances behind Delphine, "Shit!"
"What's wrong?" Delphine asks with worry and Cosima points behind her. Delphine turns her head, "Where is everyone?"
"They must have moved up and we didn't even notice," Cosima shrugs before standing up.
"Because you're such great company," Delphine declares.
Cosima smiles, "Ditto."
They start walking to the corner and, as soon as they turn, they're confronted with the the back of the line. "It's progress," Cosima shrugs as she slides down against the brick wall.
"So tell me all about you," Delphine says as she sits down opposite Cosima.
"What do you want to know?"
"Everything."
"Everything?"
"Yes, you're the first friend I've made here, so I want to know everything about you."
"Wow, okay. I grew up about 25 minutes from here. I'm an only child, my dad is a science teacher and my mother is a lawyer. I love to read and my favorite book is The Island of Dr Moreau. I just started learning to play the ukulele. My favorite color is red. I can hardly see a thing without my glasses. And I have a turtle named Darwin. Your turn."
"I was born in Saint-Denis and my family moved to Paris when I was 6. I have a 21 year old brother named Luc who is studying to be an engineer. My father is a banker and my mother is an interior decorator. They always encouraged my love of dance and put me in tap and ballet classes when I was four. They sent me to a bilingual school so that I would learn English. I love musical theater and my favorite musical is Les Miserables. My favorite color is black. I don't have any pets, but I use to carry around a stuffed frog named Jambes everywhere I went from age 2 to 12."
"What does jambes mean?"
"Legs."
"That's fitting for a frog. Where is he now?"
"I don't know," Delphine responds, looking at the ground.
"Delphine?"
"Yeah?"
"Is Jambes here with you in San Francisco?" Cosima smirks.
"Ugh, yes, it's so embarrassing. How did you know?"
"It was the first time you broke eye contact, so I had a feeling you were lying."
"You are very observant. I don't know why, but I just couldn't leave Jambes behind."
"I get it, some things are just very important to us and we need them with us, like a security blanket."
"Do you have something like that?"
"Well, not a stuffed animal, but I do have a seashell I carry for good luck."
"Do you have it with you today?"
"You bet," Cosima digs into her bag and pulls out the shell. "It's a nautilus," she hands it to Delphine. "I found it on the beach when I was 8 and have kept it with me this whole time. I actually want to get a tattoo of it on my wrist one day."
"It's beautiful," Delphine notes as she hands it back.
"Thanks! So, you must miss your friends back home, huh?"
"Yes, it was hard saying goodbye, but I'll see them when I go back home over the holidays and I'm sure we'll Skype often."
"And, um, what about your boyfriend?"
"Boyfriend?"
"Yeah, like a boy you're dating."
"I know what a boyfriend is, Cosima, but you asked like you knew there was one."
"Oh, well, I just assumed, you know cause you're, um, well, you're very pretty."
Delphine blushes, "Thank you, but I don't have a boyfriend."
Cosima's eyes widen at this revelation, "Oh, sorry, I shouldn't have assumed."
"It's fine, what about you, do you have a boyfriend?"
Cosima chuckles.
"Why is that funny?"
"It's not, I mean it is, but it's not, I guess." Delphine gives her a quizzical look. "No, I don't have a boyfriend. I'm not really into guys," Cosima looks up to see Delphine's unfazed expression at the revelation.
"Oh, I see. Girlfriend, then?"
"Yes," Delphine nods at her answer. "No. I mean, yes it would be a girlfriend, but no, I don't have one at the moment."
"So then both of us are single," Delphine concludes. "It's probably for the better."
"Um, for the better? Why's that," Cosima wonders as her heart starts dancing.
"Well, if we're going to be on the show, we really won't have time for dating."
"Oh, yeah, true," her heart quiets instantly. "And not if, when."
"Optimism, I like it," Delphine smiles.
"Well, you know, I didn't get out of bed early-ish this morning just to come down here and be rejected."
"No, of course not. And I didn't fly here from France a month earlier than I planned to be told no. We will get on the show."
"Yeah, that's the spirit." Cosima holds up her hand and Delphine gives her a high five. "Ow," Cosima winces.
"Merde, your hand. Desolé," Delphine apologizes, grasping the hand gently. "Are you ok?"
A devilish grin spreads over Cosima's lips as Delphine looks up from the hand to Cosima's face.
Delphine lets go of the other girl's hand as realization sinks in, "Again with the jokes?"
"I couldn't help it," Cosima laughs.
"Keep it up and I may have to tell on you," Delphine threatens.
"Oh, come on, I thought I could thrust you," Cosima whines.
"Excuse me," Delphine looks at her with shock, "did you just say you thought you could thrust me?"
"What?" Cosima asks, her face reddening as her mind replays what she just said, "No, I said I thought I could trust you, trust."
"You can trust me, just stop playing tricks on me," Delphine sticks out her tongue, "or I might be forced to play my hand."
"Ok, ok, no more trickery," Cosima holds up her hand in surrender, "I've seen what happens when you play with hands."
Delphine raises an eyebrow and smirks, "Yes, you have." She grabs and lowers Cosima's hand, lazily running her thumb over smooth knuckles. "So, tell me, if you could plan the ideal San Francisco day, what would it be like?"
Cosima, staring at her hand being caressed, slowly looks up at Delphine, "You mean, like, where would I take you to show you the town?"
"Yes," Delphine smiles.
"Ok, well we'd start out at Dottie's for breakfast. I'm partial to their banana chocolate chip french toast, but they also have amazing frittatas."
"Mmm, sounds delicious," Delphine hums. "Then what?"
"Then we'd go to the Presidio. I like to sit by the water in the morning when the fog starts to lift and the bridge becomes visible. It's really peaceful and allows me to clear my head. Sometimes I work on new dance moves down there. Next we might hit The Exploratorium. It's a really cool, hands-on science museum that may dad always took me to growing up. For lunch, we'd go to the Yerba Buena Gardens, eat at the cafe, then explore the area, take a stroll by the waterfall, ride the carousel."
"Ooh, I love carousels," Delphine enthuses.
"This one is 100 years old and really exquisite. In the summer there are free performances in the park, so we might stay for one of those or we'd hit Chinatown. We could visit the fortune cookie factory and then just walk around, look in all the shops and find a cool new place to have dinner, the dim sum down there is to die for."
"I love dim sum. What about after dinner?"
"After dinner?" Cosima asks and Delphine nods. "Well, I guess we'd just play it be ear, find out what cool things are happening that night, catch a band playing somewhere or maybe just go to a club and dance."
"That all sounds really great, Cosima. I'm looking forward to exploring the city with you."
"Yeah, totes, whenever you want just give me a call."
Delphine smiles and now it's her turn to notice the line has shortened, "Looks like we should move up again."
Cosima looks to her right, "Oh, wow, yeah, they must be bringing a lot of people in at once."
Delphine stands up, not letting go of Cosima's hand as she helps the other girl up and they move forward. When they reach the end of the line, someone's boombox starts blaring, inciting many on the line to dance around.
Cosima laughs at the sight in front of them, then looks down as her hand is gently squeezed. She glances at Delphine, who is looking at her, her lip caught between her teeth, and Cosima is sure that is the cutest sight she's ever seen. "Delphine, do you wanna dance?"
A smile creeps onto the blonde's face, "I do."
Cosima adjusts her grip on Delphine's hand, then grabs her other hand and soon they are dancing together, making up silly moves on the sidewalk. They continue like that through several songs, breaking apart and busting out some old school dance moves. At one point, Cosima does the running man, while Delphine does the Carlton. Eventually the music stops and the girls fall to the ground in hysterics.
"Where did you learn that move?" Cosima asks through giggles.
"The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air."
"Of course. Was that big in France?"
"Oui, the reruns aired after school. It was subtitled, so it actually helped me as I was learning English. But Carlton's dance was a definite favorite of mine. I used to do it all around the house, it drove Luc nuts."
"He was probably jealous he couldn't dance as good as you."
"Probably. Luc has always had two left feet. I tried to teach him to dance once for a wedding his girlfriend invited him to, mon dieu was he atrocious. He pretty much spent the whole lesson stepping on my feet before deciding to tell his girlfriend he got injured in a lacrosse game and wasn't allowed to put any weight on his foot for a while. So then he had to spend the whole night faking a limp."
"No way!"
"Yes, way," Delphine grins.
"That's hysterical."
Delphine chews her lip and looks away.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing," Delphine responds quickly.
"Come on, you have a funny look in your eyes, what's up?" Cosima presses.
"It's just, are you nervous? About the audition?"
"A little. Are you? Is that what's bothering you all the sudden?"
"Yes," Delphine admits, "we're getting closer and I think it's starting to get to me. We could be on television with millions of people watching us, critiquing us. That's frightening. And the judges, they're not going to go easy on us, especially Neville."
"Yeah, it is scary, but I think you just need to pretend that none of that is there, not the cameras, not the audience, and certainly not the judges. You just need to get up there and dance for yourself. Let the music wash over you and pretend you're up their alone."
"Is that what you're going to do?"
"That's what I always do. I mean, I don't really perform in front of millions of people, but anytime I've danced for large groups, I don't think about them, I just do my thing, for myself. How have you handled it in the past."
"I haven't danced competitively before, it was more just recitals, and the audiences were never massive. Because I was in France, Berkley allowed me to send in a taped audition to get into the program. So this is quite daunting."
"You're gonna be great, Delphine. The moves I've seen you do out here have been impressive, to say the least, and if you channel all your nervous energy into your dance, you're gonna knock their socks off. I'm sure of it."
"Cosima?"
"Yeah?"
"I'm glad they let you in late."
Cosima smiles, "So am I."
"Okay, last wave, you're up," a voice announces over a megaphone and the line starts moving into the building.
"Here we go," Cosima says. "You ready?"
Delphine nods, "I am."
They walk into the theater and are told to take a seat and they'll be called up in numerical order. Cosima and Delphine sit down in the middle of the theater and watch as the judges return from their break.
The dancers are brought up one by one to perform their routines. Most of them are amazing and Cosima and Delphine sit there in awe of the talent on display. After a dozen people dance, they are lined up on the stage and told whether or not they'll be moving on to Las Vegas for the final round. There are gasps in the audience as several great dancers are sent home in tears.
Finally, after what seems like hours, contestant 32419 is called to the stage, meaning Delphine is up next. As the dancer performs, Delphine's knees starts bouncing uncontrollably, her hands clenched in tight fists as they rest upon her thighs. Cosima glances down and notices the anxiousness building in the blonde. She instinctively covers Delphine's left hand with her right and gives it a squeeze. Delphine, whose eyes had been on the stage, looks at their hands then up at Cosima, who gives her a reassuring smile. The comfort of Cosima's hand and warmth in her smile instantly put Delphine at ease and she feels the tension leave her body, her hands loosen up. She runs her thumb along the side of Cosima's hand in response to the sweet gesture.
"32420, you're up," the stage manager announces.
Delphine takes a deep breath as Cosima gives her hand one last squeeze. "Knock 'em dead, Delphine," Cosima encourages. "You're gonna be great."
"Thank you, Cosima," Delphine says as she rises out of her seat and heads for the stage.
"Hello, my dear," judge Penny Abbott greets as Delphine stands in front of the mic, "please tell us who you are, where you're from, and what song you'll be dancing to this evening."
"My name is Delphine Cormier, I'm from France, and I will be dancing to Navvaatara."
"Well, my darling, if you dance half as lovely as your accent, I bet we are in for quite a treat," head judge Neville Longbottom intones somewhat lecherously. "Cue music."
Delphine chances a quick glance at Cosima, who gives her a thumbs up as the music begins.
Cosima is at the edge of her seat, watching as Delphine's hands begin to move in time with the beat, there's a fluidity that Cosima finds breathtaking, which only increases tenfold as Delphine starts gliding around the stage. Cosima doesn't fail to notice that every time Delphine is facing the audience, her eyes seem to find her own. Cosima periodically glances towards the judges table, noting their steady and, seemingly, adoring gazes on Delphine. Cosima observes that Delphine's dance is reminiscent of a flight attendant during the safety lecture, if flight attendants moved with that much weightlessness and grace as they doled out in-flight instructions. She decides that she'd probably never get off a flight if Delphine were her flight attendant, she'd fly from city to city, country to country, just to watch Delphine move. As the music comes to an end, Delphine does a hair flip that temporarily causes Cosima's heart to cease beating. It's quite possibly the sexiest thing she's ever seen anybody do. Delphine does a little curtsy as the audience applauds. Cosima jumps to her feet, clapping and whistling, before realizing everyone else is still seated. Delphine smiles at her and Cosima mouths, "You were incredible," before sitting back down.
The judges all give her nice comments, with third judge, Jimmy Diamond, calling her performance 'sultry and fly,' Penny noting that, though she had never heard the song before, she wants to buy the record and is sure she'll picture Delphine dancing as she listens to it, and Neville complimenting her beauty and grace and telling her that if he were 30 years younger he'd be flying to France and begging her parents for her hand in marriage. "Thank you, my dear," Neville states, indicating she can leave the stage.
"Next up, with our final audition of the night, contestant 32421."
Cosima heads into the aisle as Delphine returns, "Oh my god, Delphine, that was amazing," she tells the other girl as they meet.
"Thank you, Cosima, I can't wait to see your performance. Break a hand," she jokes, running her fingers tenderly along the previously pounced on paw.
"You're a riot," Cosima says with a mocking eye roll as shivers run up her spine from the affectionate contact.
"Alright, so, have we saved the best for last?" Neville asks as Cosima takes the stage.
"I honestly don't know why anyone else bothered to show up today," Cosima insists with a devilish grin.
"Well, well, looks like we have ourselves a cheeky contestant. Tell us about yourself."
"I'm Cosima Niehaus, born and bred right here in good, old San Fran, and I will be dancing to Water Prayer."
"Okay, Miss Cheeky Niehaus, let's see what you've got. Cue music."
Delphine can't stop the smile from spreading over her face as Cosima begins to dance. Though she was witness to her earlier display on the street, that was far more toned down than what Cosima is currently displaying on stage. Her hands are like their own separate entities, flowing and twirling as if they have a mind of their own, while her legs dance as though there are no joints restricting their movement. Delphine notices that Cosima's eye remain shut throughout the dance and she finds herself wondering what the other girl sees behind her eyelids. She imagines that Cosima, so vibrant and full of life, must see a kaleidoscope of color and shapes. It hits Delphine then that all she saw during her own performance was Cosima's face, smiling and encouraging her on, and a warmth seeps throughout her body at the memory.
Cosima's performance draws to a close and Delphine finds herself on her feet just as Cosima was, cheering the other's girl's routine. She sits as the judges begin to speak.
"Well, young lady, though I thought perhaps you were all talk, that was very impressive," Neville lauds. Penny stands up and gives Cosima a round of applause, while Jimmy says he'd love to have her dance in his next music video.
Instead of returning to her seat, Cosima is told to remain on stage as the previous 11 contestants are brought up to join her for the judges' verdict.
Delphine immediately approaches Cosima, "Chérie, that was merveilleux!"
"Merci," Cosima smiles.
The contestants line up as the judges put their heads together. Finally, after several minutes, Neville speaks up, "Will 32413, 32417, 32420, and 32421 please step forward?"
Cosima and Delphine look at each other as they both do as instructed, Delphine reaching for Cosima's hand as they await the verdict.
"Back row, thank you for coming, I'm sorry to say you won't be moving forward. Front row, congratulations, you're moving on."
Delphine lets out a shriek and turns towards Cosima, enveloping her in a hug. Cosima responds by wrapping her arms around Delphine's waist. They remain like that for a little while until they're snapped out of their bliss by Neville's voice.
"Ladies! Come and get your tickets to Vegas." They let go of their hold on one another, smiles still etched across their faces.
"We better," Cosima points towards the judges and Delphine nods. They head over and accept their golden tickets from Neville.
"Alright, we are going to bring you one at a time to record interviews with Kitty," the stage manager announces. "While individual interviews are being conducted, the rest will meet with production and legal to review next steps. Delphine Cormier, please come with me."
Delphine looks at Cosima, "I'll see you later?"
"Yeah, totally."
Delphine squeezes Cosima's shoulder as she's led away to meet with the show's host, Kitty Dennison.
Cosima watches her leave as Scott approaches, "Cosima, I'm glad to see you made it to the next round. You were great."
"Hey, Scotty, thanks."
"Sure. You ready to go up to legal?" She nods and he leads the way.
Two hours later, Cosima is finally dismissed, a folder full of paperwork in hand. She glances around the lobby hoping to spot Delphine, but she's nowhere in sight. She considers texting her, but decides she doesn't want to look too clingy, considering that they've spent the whole day together. She exits the theater and starts walking towards the trolley.
"Cosima!" a familiar voice calls out, causing Cosima to spin around immediately. She sees Delphine rushing towards her.
"Hey, Delphine," Cosima grins as the girl approaches her.
"I've been looking for you."
"You have?"
"Yes, I, um, I wanted to congratulate you, again, for making it to the next round."
"Oh, I wanted to do the same, but couldn't find you in there."
"I also wanted to thank you."
"Thank me? For what?"
"You helped me with my anxiety, I don't know if I would have been able to get up there and dance if not for you."
"You would have been fine."
"No, I don't think I would have. You put me at ease and, actually, when I was up there I was able to focus just on you. I got through it because of you. So I just," Delphine throws her arms around Cosima and hugs her again, this time even tighter and their cheeks graze. "Thank you." Cosima's eyes flutter closed as she sinks into Delphine's embrace.
Eventually they separate, pulling away but remaining mere inches apart as Delphine grabs Cosima's hands and cradles them in her own.
"So, I guess we'll see each other in Vegas in a couple weeks."
"Yes, I guess we will," Delphine responds, never breaking eye contact.
"And, you know, if you want to hang out before then, you can call or text me."
Delphine nods then pauses, biting her lip, "What about now?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, what if I want to hang out with you now?"
"N-now?" Cosima stutters.
"Yes."
"Well, um, it's getting late, but I guess we can find something to do."
"Actually, I had something in mind."
"Really, what?"
Delphine releases Cosima's hands, her eyes never leaving Cosima's as her hands find a new home on Cosima's cheeks. "This," Delphine leans in, her lips meeting Cosima's in a light kiss.
Cosima's eyes go wide at the feeling of Delphine's lips on hers, but, just as quickly, they shut as she wraps her arms around Delphine's neck and pulls her closer, deepening their kiss.
"Whoa," Cosima exclaims when they eventually part, their foreheads resting together.
"That was," Delphine tries to find the right words, "better than a ticket to Las Vegas."
Cosima laughs, "Yes, yes it was."
"So, about the rest of the night?"
"I am completely free," Cosima quickly answers.
"Good," Delphine responds with a huge smile as she reaches for Cosima's hand, the one she stepped on nearly 12 hours earlier, and laces their fingers together.
Cosima looks at their entwined fingers, then up at Delphine, breaking out into an identical grin. "Yeah, very good." She gives the hand in hers a squeeze as they dance off into the night.