Thank you for the lovely feedback so far, it's much appreciated. Still not sure how fast or slow to take this, so i'll see how the next chapter develops.
Delia's first week at Nonnatus Comp flew passed in a blur of children, balls and data. Getting to grips with a new school and senior position was a lot to deal with and despite being only 5 days in, she was worried that she had bitten off more than she could chew.
After her somewhat traumatic introduction to the teaching staff on Monday, Delia had made it her business to avoid the staff room as much as possible. This wasn't hard to do however, as the brunette had more than enough work to be getting on with in her office. The main thing that frustrated Delia about her rather heavy workload was that she had so far been unable speak more to the charming English teacher she had met on her first day.
The tall woman had left quite an impression on her… the fall notwithstanding. As she remembered their first encounter, her lip curled in to a sideways smile and she chuckled to herself at how glad she was that it had not been her and how endearing Patsy's response had been. Replaying the memory also reminded her of the slender, toned calves that were revealed as her skirt raised slightly when she fell to her knees. The chewed pen that Delia was tapping on her notebook slowed somewhat as this thought crossed her mind. She had only managed to steal small glimpses of Patience Mount since that day; at the end of corridors and across the hall.
Looking at the clock and realising that it was 5 o'clock on a Friday afternoon, Delia put down her pen and started to pack up her things. These fragmented yet enticing images of Patsy floating around in her mind made Delia curious.
"I wonder if she'd still be here" Delia thought aloud. Putting the last file in her bag, she left her office and made her way across the courtyard to the old part of the school and found her way to the Poplar Building. The English corridor was clearly signposted and within minutes she was walking passed portraits of William Shakespeare and posters of 'Of Mice and Men' and 'An Inspector Calls'. At the end of the corridor she reached a door with a plaque that said 'Head of Department' and carefully looked through the glass square in the door to see if Miss Mount was still in school. Happily, sat at her desk was the striking red head, concentrating fully on her task at hand. Delia watched as tresses of her hair fell gently from around her ear and obscured what she was reading and in that moment, she wished she could reach out and sweep her hair back behind her ear.
Pulling herself from her thoughts, she knocked on the door, startling Patsy somewhat and entered without waiting for a reply.
"Gosh, you frightened me!" Patsy exhaled, putting down the book she was reading and getting up to greet Delia. The smaller woman took in the appearance of the red head as she walked towards her, starting at her heels, working her way up those calves she remembered well, over her figure hugging black pencil skirt, up to her tailored white shirt with the top button undone and ending at a pair of sparkling blue eyes. The vision before her knocked Delia off kilter.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. It's just, I haven't really had a chance to talk to anyone this week and you were so kind on Monday, coming to introduce yourself, I thought I'd come and say hello… again." Delia was rambling, but she couldn't stop. "Even though we've already said hello… well, not hello, but we've introduced ourselves… you know what I mean." Delia grimaced as she realised how stupid she sounded. What was wrong with her?
Patsy stood still, looking directly at Delia and smiling kindly, searching for an end to her sentence so she could jump in and save her.
"I did wonder if I'd see you, I bet it's been non-stop!"
"Yes! And some of the children you have here! I see what Mrs Julienne meant by the 'challenges' ahead!" Delia relaxed a little as they started to converse. The instant familiarity between them that was there on Monday reappeared so she sat casually on the table next to her; Patsy mirrored her action on her own desk.
"How's your first week back been?" Delia asked, keen to keep the conversation moving in an attempt to forget her earlier outburst.
"Well, we've had no suspensions or exclusions. So I'll chalk that up as a win for us!" Patsy followed this with a coy side smile that made Delia's stomach flutter. This woman really was gorgeous.
As the pair shared a lingering smile, they were disturbed by the door clattering open and a well-dressed blonde entering the room swinging her cardigan over her shoulders, seeming not to notice the brunette sitting talking to Patsy. "Sorry Sweetie, the meeting ran on. I hate to say it, but the languages department are such bores! And a meeting on a Friday, can you believe it?" Patsy got up quickly from her seated position on the table close the brunette to stand next to her friend, as if she herself had been caught doing something naughty by a teacher.
"Hello again, Miss… Busby wasn't it?"
"Delia, yes, hi. You're Trixie right and Patsy's housemate?"
Trixie smiled and nodded her head at Patsy. "She's been filling you in on the comings and goings at Nonnatus then."
"Only a little." Patsy interjected, "I don't think poor Delia has left her own department since Monday morning, let alone make friends and listen to gossip!"
Trixie's face lit up like a child's on Christmas morning. "Then you absolutely must come to ours tonight for a drink. A little 'Welcome to Nonnatus' gathering. I'll invite Tom and Cynthia and maybe even Barbara, it'll be wonderful! What do you think?" Trixie looked at Patsy for her housemate's approval and likewise at Delia for her acceptance still with a childlike grin on her face, eyes wide and expectant.
"I'm sure the last thing Delia wants to do on a Friday night is think about school Trixie." Patsy's mind was in overdrive. She hadn't been able to shake the image of Delia that had been floating around her mind since Monday. Every time the memory popped in to her head throughout the day her lip would curl in to a faint grin. Remembering the way her dimple appeared and disappeared each time she smiled would cause her stomach to give a little flip, but now, in this moment, the thought of having Delia in her home was too much.
"No, I… I'd love to actually. I haven't managed to make many friends since I moved here and it doesn't look like I'll be having much time to socialise during school hours, so this is perfect!" Delia looked anxiously at Patsy, sensing the red head may not have been as keen on the idea as she would have hoped.
"Marvellous! We'll see you at 8 then, is that ok?" Trixie asked excitedly.
"Yes, that's perfect, but er, where do you…"
"Of course silly me! If you give Patsy your number, she'll text you the address." Trixie turned to the red head, who was trying desperately to hide how happy she was that Trixie had innocently given her an excuse to get Delia's number. "I've just got to grab something from my room, then meet you by the car? See you later Delia."
"See you after!" The brunette called after her as she swept out of the room with more grace in her little finger than she had ever seen. Turning back to Patsy, Delia had to contain her sudden flutters of nerves at the thought of going to Patsy's house and being with her socially… and in the presence of alcohol. "Give it to me then." The shorter woman put her hand out in front of her, and spoke with as much confidence in her voice as she could muster and a mischievous smile on her face. Patsy's eyes widened momentarily, until she realised what she meant. The taller woman unlocked the phone and slid it on to Delia's hand for her to enter her details. As she did so, her fingers gently grazed the Welsh woman's palm and the sensation sent shivers up Patsy's arm and she could feel her cheeks start to colour.
Tonight was going to be interesting.