Hey guys! I just have to say wow! The reviews and follows on this have absolutely warmed my heart. I thought I'd go ahead and post the next chapter so soon because I'll be busy for the next week heading out of state to my college to start the next semester. Don't worry, the next few chapters are already written, they just need editing. So enjoy this installment! I promise I'll have the 3rd up in about a week!
Chapter 2: Teach Me
The sun was just high enough over the horizon to shine right through the window and onto Delphine's exposed ear, causing her to crinkle her nose. Doing so initiated her to inhale deeply, taking in the intoxicating, yet foreign scent. A smooth mixture of cannabis and…vanilla? That's when Delphine noticed that her nose was indeed pressed up against skin that was not her own. As her senses started kicking in, she slowly realized she was no longer sitting in her seat, but lying across both chairs. Carefully, she lifted her head and opened her eyes to explore her surroundings. Somehow during the night Cosima and herself maneuvered their sleeping bodies into one tangled mess. Delphine felt her heartrate slowly but steadily increase, thinking it was going to beat right out of her chest. She felt frozen all of a sudden, as if she physically couldn't bear to move and her eyes frantically looked around.
Cosima lay soundlessly asleep with her back resting against the wall of the plane, her legs extending through the length of the two seats, one slightly dangling off. Her arms were wrapped around Delphine lazily, who was half-way curled into Cosima, stomachs together. Delphine's face lay nuzzled into the crook of Cosima's neck, her own arm draped across Cosima's upper torso. Their legs tangled together across the seats. The two appeared to have created a makeshift bed out of the seats, with the blanket draped over them- probably done by the many flight attendants during the night. Delphine's eyes widened at the thought, jumping off of the sleeping dreadlocked woman and knocking her head on the fixture above them, inadvertently elbowing Cosima in the ribs, eliciting a throaty,
"Oof!"
Delphine threw her hands over her mouth, a million and three thoughts buzzing through her head. How did this happen? When did we move? Weren't we watching a movie?!
"Cosima! Je suis désolée! Forgive me!" she whispered frantically, watching an obviously pained and petrified Cosima rub her ribcage while frantically looking around for her glasses.
"What the hell happened?! Why am I sitting like this?" she questioned, to which Delphine didn't have the slightest answer. Delphine knew that Cosima was far from foolish as she watched her observe her surroundings and slowly piece together their original state of sleeping. Delphine watched her eyes broaden and lips twist and pull as Cosima realized that they, did indeed, somehow cuddle throughout the night. It was impractical, a completely irrational thought. They were both probably just heavy sleepers who moved a lot during their sleep.
Delphine waited for her mind to come to its senses and be utterly bewildered at the fact that she slept across a complete stranger… but it wasn't happening. She remembers waking up moments ago feeling so calm and comfortable, like she wanted to wake up like that every day from then on out….
Cosima collected herself quickly, cursing and apologizing to the guest in front of her for moving his seat and she sat up and situated herself. Delphine hesitated before finding her place back in her original aisle seat, sitting stiffly with arms crossed over her chest.
There was no denying it from the evening before. Something had come over Delphine the moment Cosima had startled her while taking her seat; she looked into dark eyes that suddenly soothed her anxiety. She saw a smile that made her insides melt in a way that no man, no person, has ever been able to do. She saw home in this strangers eyes, feeling absolutely insane when reflecting on it now. She couldn't help herself the previous day, grabbing onto Cosima when sudden fear struck her to the core. When Cosima thumbed at her hand yesterday, it sent warm tingles throughout her body that she didn't want to stop feeling, so she had bravely offered her blanket, fully accepting the possibility of denial and shame. But instead, Cosima had taken it and offered to watch a movie with her. The rest was a warm blur to Delphine, all she remembered was closing her eyes for just a moment.
They sat like that for what seemed like forever, in a stale awkward silence that was driving Delphine mad. Her head still had a dull ache from being slammed against the low ceiling, gaining her some disturbing looks from surrounding passengers. Bravely she turns her eyes to Cosima, who is sitting as equally stiff and tapping her thighs, eyes wide and mouthing out words, struggling to make sound.
"C-Cosima." Delphine offered meekly. At the sound of her name, Cosima jumped, startled by the break in the silence, she looked to Delphine and- for the first time that morning- locked eyes with her. Delphine felt the heaviness in her chest subside when she realized Cosima didn't look angry or upset, but equally as embarrassed. Delphine pursed her lips together, a feeble attempt to hide a smile and stifle a laugh, before a quiet giggle erupted out of her. Cosima, looking bewildered as ever at the whole situation, couldn't help but follow suit after the infectious giggle the blonde released.
The laughed in unison, trying to keep as quiet as she could. Delphine brought a hand over her mouth to stifle the giggles, while Cosima was all teeth and squinting eyes, shamelessly chuckling at the whole situation. Delphine mentally settled on the fact that the whole situation was indeed quite silly and could honestly happen to anybody… right? Nevertheless, she was more than relieved that the awkward air between them had lifted with just a few good laughs. Delphine could understand why she wanted nothing more than to place her hand over Cosima's, which is still tapping on her thigh. How she wanted see if her own fingers fit in the gaps between hers-
"Lets just forget it." Cosima said, cutting off Delphine's thought and jerking her out of her quick daydream. She nodded her head, smiling at the bespectacled girl next to her. She didn't want to forget it, she never wanted to forget how comfortable she was. She felt a pang in her chest at the fact that Cosima didn't want to remember it. Glancing at her watch, they still had roughly two hours left on the flight. Two hours next to this wonderful girl who Delphine is pretty sure she dreamt about during the night. Two hours next to a stranger that was making her feel a tidal wave of emotions that she did not prepare herself for when booking the flight home.
"Yes. Yes, lets just forget." She said softly, offering a smile, waving her hand at the whole ordeal. Delphine could have sworn she saw the ghost of a frown on Cosima's face, but she didn't dwell on it.
"So uhm, I guess we're almost there! Are you ready to be home?" Cosima asked, begging to have a conversation furthest from what just happened. Delphine pondered for a moment. She had been looking forward to be back home since she landed in the states. She missed her quaint little flat in Le Marais. She missed her balcony that she would sit out on early in the morning, just as the city was brushing off it's cobwebs and waking up. She missed her bed and plethora of pillows and throw blankets atop it. But in this very moment, she couldn't find herself missing any of it.
"Uhm, yes. Very much so." She lied quietly, smiling before exhaling loudly through her nose at the thought of Cosima and her sitting out on her balcony watching the city wake up. She shook her head, distressed curls flying in all different directions, trying to shake the ludacris thought from her mind. It's just not possible! She attempted to convince herself. Pressing her thumb and index fingers to her temples, Delphine tried to rub the headache out of her.
"Hey Delphine, so you like, wanna teach me some French?" Cosima offered, turning her body in her seat to the slight left so she was facing Delphine. She couldn't help but close her eyes as Cosima let her name roll off her tongue, sounding like timeless poetry to Delphine. "I don't want to sound like a dumb American wandering the streets of France." She exclaimed, attempting a pitiful French accent on the last word, making Delphine laugh and shake her head once more.
"Oui, Cosima. Of course!" she replied giddily, not even trying to conceal her smile now. "For the record, you are the farthest thing from a dumb American, Cosima." Delphine noticed Cosima's cheeks turn a gentle pink before she turned her head away, a failed attempt to conceal the blush. Delphine couldn't help but smile at the affect she had on her. Thinking for a moment, Delphine settled on common phrases. "Okay, basics." Cosima nodded her head, focusing her full attention on the blonde in front of her, careful not to let her eyes settle for two long on the curve and bend of her lips as she spoke. "Bonjour, parlez-vous anglais?" she said slowly, sending a shiver down Cosima's spine that Delphine couldn't help but notice.
"Okay, okay." Cosima licked her lips, as if studying the pronunciation in her head. "Uhm Bonjour, parlez-vous….vous…anglais?"
Delphine couldn't stop the giggles now, squeezing her eyes shut as she erupted in quiet laughter. Cosima's accent was mortifying in the most adorable way. When she looked up, Cosima was smirking at her with a lopsided grin, crossing her arms across her chest and pouting.
"I'm trying, Delphine! At least I know it means that I'm asking if they speak English….right?" she hoped, her chest rising and falling as she snorted a suppressed laughter.
"Oui!" she exclaimed happily. "You understand more than you can speak?"
"Oui oui, mademoiselle." Cosima replied coyly, dropping her voice to a low and sultry obnoxious French accent. There was no stopping the laughter from Delphine now, which earned her a few glares from neighboring passengers- but she didn't care. Not in the slightest. Delphine was amazed how simple it was for her to be swept away by Cosima.
"You, Cosima" she managed through laughter, "are very. Hm. What's the proper word." Delphine pondered for a moment, running through a list of adjectives in her head that could possibly sum up all things Cosima.
"Cheeky." She decided on. Earning a toothy grin from Cosima. "Very cheeky indeed." While saying this, Delphine absent-mindedly poked a finger at Cosima's side to emphasize her point on cheekiness. The quick touch sent a tingling sensation from the tip of Delphine's finger throughout her body.
"Cheeky. I like that. I'm still failing at this lesson. Which sucks because that's something I like, never do."
"You will get better with practice during your stay." Delphine assured her with a warm smile.
"Are you offering to tutor?" Cosima pryed, arching her eyebrows and tilting her head in a way that made every bone in Delphine's body turn to putty in the seat. Before she could open her mouth with a definite yes, Cosima smiled and shook her head, sending dreads flying in every direction. "I kid, I kid." She stated simply, but not before Delphine cut her off with a vigorous head nod.
"Of course I would!" she exclaimed, almost too excitedly. Delphine, clearly embarrassed with herself, laced her fingers together at the base of her neck. "I mean, if you need it. You could… text me… if you needed assistance." Delphine's feeble attempt to mask her desperation in seeing Cosima again earned her a set of questioning squinted eyed and Cosima cocking her head, a puzzled expression on her face as if she was trying to read into Delphine's mind.
"Yeah, that'd be great, dude." Cosima soothed. Her hands darted for her back pocket, bringing out a phone and motioning it towards Delphine, who tentatively took it from Cosima's grasp. "Just uh, put your number in."
Delphine couldn't help but smile as she navigated around the interface of this phone, turning it over in her hand to note it's bright pink case before. "Mm, cheeky Cosima. Asking for my number before even knowing my whole name. Very cheeky, indeed." Delphine stated, half-flirting, half-joking while looking up at her quickly through low eyes, smiling. Cosima's eyes ballooned and she turned pink once more, sputtering and stumbling over her words.
"No I mean like- well yeah, I didn't mean-Delphine-ha, uhm what is-uhm-"
"Cosima, relax! I'm just tugging at you." She soothes gently before raising the phone up and snapping a quick photo of herself to add to the contact. She set the phone on Cosima's thigh, causing a low grunt and slight jerk in Cosima's thigh at the touch. Cosima laughed, partly at herself as she took the phone and stared down at the information of her newest contact.
"Cormier. Delphine Cormier." Cosima half-whispered to herself. Delphine could have melted right then and there, being incredulously turned on by the sound of her name coming from the American beside her. She found herself settling her vision on Cosima's lips as she rolled her name around her mouth a few more times, trying to nail the pronunciation. Delphine licked her own lips at the sight, wondering what Cosima's lips would feel like pressed against-
"Delphine! Did I say it right?" Cosima asked again, apparently not being heard the first time. Delphine snapped out of her trance with a jump, rubbing her neck feverishly.
"Oui," she added to the conversation, playing it off as best as she could. "and Cosima…"
"Niehaus." She finished, pretending not to notice Delphine's awkward actions just now. Delphine shot her a curious look nonetheless; Cosima's reply was said in an angsty tone, as if she loathed the way it sounded. Cosima, finally looking up from her phone screen, caught Delphine's questioning state. "Oh, yeah. I'm adopted. Kinda was informed about it not too long before this trip, so it's taking a toll." Cosima revealed. Delphine watched the cheeky smile fall from Cosima's face and she found herself squeezing Cosima's knee, expressing her concern and sympathy the only way she knew how with Cosima, through touch.
"I'm sorry. You don't have to explain." Delphine cooed, rubbing circles on the woman's knee absent-mindedly.
"No, no. It's totally fine. I'm cool. Swear." Cosima assured, even though they both knew she was lying through her teeth. Delphine didn't press her, it wasn't her place, but Cosima continued. "I always knew something was off, you know? And they said they kept it a secret to protect me. But now… now I don't even know who I am. I'm not at home in my home. I had to leave, y'know? To find myself. So…hear I am." She vented. Delphine could almost see the huge weight lift off Cosima's shoulders, as if she had been waiting a lifetime to get that off her chest. Delphine's heart shattered into a million pieces at the quick story.
"Here you are." She mimicked. She noticed a fine glassiness coating Cosima's eyes behind her glasses. Delphine opened her mouth to offer a tissue, but quickly shut it as she watched Cosima attempt to swipe her eyes dry without giving herself away. Delphine decided to stay silent, instead removing her hand from Cosima's knee and settling it in her upper arm in comforting strokes.
She wanted to hug Cosima and tell her everything would be okay. She had no clue what it was like in her position. If there's one thing Delphine knew, it was that she was by all means her parent's child. Her physical features were split almost 50/50 between them. Hair and nose and body like her mother. Eyes, mouth, laugh, the carbon copy of her father. They were both equally adoring and loving to her.
"How long did you say you'd be here?" Delphine asked, finally breaking the silence.
Cosima took a few moments to answer, cherishing the genuine concern she was receiving from her newfound stranger-friend. It was a rare and raw concern, two factors she barely saw together. "Uhm. Roundabout eight weeks. Today's Monday, right? So I leave in eight more Mondays."
Delphine let the thought stay in her mind. Cosima would be in Paris for eight weeks, which meant they'd be in the same city, breathing the same air, walking the same streets for eight whole weeks. She knew she wanted to see her again, to learn about the mystery that is Cosima Neihaus. Her favorite drinks, foods, Lord knows the woman must have some quirky habits; she wanted to know everything and couldn't figure out why. Why did this woman who bold rimmed glasses, dreaded hair, and tattoos make Delphine's blood pressure spike with a simple flash of smile or giggle? Delphine felt as if she knew the answer, but it was Ludacris to think that she could be falling for somebody she met nearly 8 hours prior. This wasn't love, impossible! It's simply… curiosity in something, or in this case someone, unique and different. That's a more rational explanation for all of this, right?
"All passengers on board please not the pilot has turned on the fasten seatbelt sign as we prepare for landing in just a few moments."
If there was anything that Delphine hated more than turbulence, it was landing. She used to never have a problem with it until she once overheard two pilots in the airport calling it "controlled crashing". From then on out, she was a firm believer that crashing and dying was possibility.
Cosima must have gotten wind of Delphine's anxiety rising but the sheer look of terror on her face, eyes snapped closed and a firming grip on Cosima's arm, sure to leave crescent moon shaped marks later. She couldn't help herself as she clicked her teeth and the sight. It was absolutely precious. Cosima placed her free hand over the one Delphine had on he arm, holding it firmly before gently sliding it off and resting them on the armrest between them. Delphine felt the all too familiar shocks of heat and electricity sear through her body from her hands to her toes. Squeezing her eyes shut and tightening the grip she had on Cosima's hand, who couldn't help but chuckle at the look on the blonde woman's face, Delphine braced herself for landing.
They sat in comfortable silence, hands gripped between them in a firm lock, not with fingers intertwined (much to Delphine's secret dismay), as the plane began losing altitude. Delphine peaked one eye open to see Cosima looking out the window at the beautiful sight that is Paris, France. She could see the Eiffel Tower in the far distance, the distinct streets and roads that seemed to spread out from a center circle. It was beautiful; Delphine forgot how much she enjoyed the view of her home from the clouds, usually because she never had the shade open to begin with. Paris became clearer with the gradual loss of altitude and Delphine new exactly what that meant. Her time was being cut short with Cosima by the moment, whose thumb was tracing familiar comforting circles in her palm once again. Somehow that motion seemed to soothe her, and Cosima knew it.
The overhead intercom sounded once more, informing the passengers to brace for landing. Delphine pressed her body as far up against the seat as she possibly could, squeezing her eyes air tight shut, gripping both hands as tight as she could- one with Cosima's hand (which was near loosing circulation) and the other on her armrest. The landing, for the most part was smooth, but the initial impact had Delphine nearly hyperventilating. The whole sight had Cosima torn between laughing at Delphine's blatant body language or feeling sympathetic that she had to endure such an inevitable fear. Eventually, Delphine calmed herself down and opened her eyes. Alive. She thought. Alive and home. She turned to Cosima, who was staring right back at her, trying to read Delphine and figure out if she was okay. The smile Delphine gave her was just the answer she needed to relax her concern.
"Bienvenue en France, Cosima. Welcome to France."