Wow I am sorry about the length of time between chapters but like... college is just... college. Plus on top of that I've got the frigging plague or something so I can barely speak at the moment, let alone write.
-.-.-.-
"Wait, so now you're just giving her a day to think?!" Sarah was downright appalled by what Cosima was saying right now.
"I gave both of us a day to think Sarah," she reminded her friend needlessly while lifting her Americano to her lips to take another sip.
"What's there to think about?" The British girl all but shouted. "You don't want her to go, so just tell her not to go!"
"Oh Sarah, honestly," Alison snapped, swatting her with the cloth she'd been using to wipe a table before Cosima came in. "Not everything's that black and white."
"Easy for you to say," Sarah snorted. "Beth's not about to up sticks and fly to a different continent."
"Thanks for that reminder there Sarah…" Cosima replied dully while Alison shot Sarah a glare so severe it would bring most men to their knees.
She'd really considered just spending the entire day at home, seeing as she'd had it off anyway – though initially she'd taken the weekend off with the idealistic notion of spending it doing cute couple stuff. She'd wanted to ask Rachel something anyway though, and once she'd come in she'd also decided that when it doubt it probably wouldn't hurt to ask her two best friends for advice (needless to say she'd had a momentary lapse in just memory as to just who her two best friends were).
She'd caught them during that quite period between the 1-2 lunches and the 5-7 dinners as well, so aside from one lady just starting on her lasagne there was nothing for Sarah or Alison to do aside from fret over Cosima's shattered love life while she sat miserably between them listening as they bickered.
"Cosima honey." Alison's features softened as if by magic when she turned away from Sarah. "What does your heart tell you?" She questioned, ignoring the obnoxious scoffing noise Sarah made.
"My heart tells me I want to be with her…" Cosima shrugged – that much at least was simple. "The problem is my head's telling me that if she goes back to France we're just going to drift apart and then I'll be ten times more heartbroken than I'd be if I just ended it now."
"You don't know that…" Alison tried to insist, though Cosima shot her a look that silenced her.
"We're both about to start PhD programmes Alison," Cosima explained with a sigh. "I mean at the best of times long distance is tough, never mind when we're both so wrapped up in our studies we'll probably never get to talk, never mind actually visit one another."
"So what you're saying… is either she stays or it's over?" Alison surmised hesitantly.
Cosima blew out a long breath then nodded sadly. "I guess that's what I'm saying… yea."
-.-.-.-
Delphine sat on her couch staring long and hard at the A1 sheet of paper she'd tacked to the wall across from her. She'd always found that when dealing with a crisis or dilemma of any sort she was able to apply better reason when the problem was written out in front of her.
Right now that meant the sheet of paper she'd bought this morning after Cosima left had a black line drawn down the middle, with 'France' written on one side and 'America' written on the other in neat calligraphy that in itself had taken a half hour to do. At the time she'd considered it important that the words looked nice, now however she was all too aware that she'd just been holding off the inevitable.
The results were clear.
Even now after two hours of sitting and staring at the lists she'd made there was nothing else she could fathom that she could tack onto her 'America' list, which right now had only one word scrawled under the heading; 'Cosima'.
Opposite it was a list Delphine had no trouble writing out; her friends, family, a country with her native language, and although her qualification would be the same no matter where she chose to study, L'Institut de Maria Sibylla Merian would pay her better for her research.
It was all right there, written in black and white in front of her and yet in her heart of hearts it didn't feel black and white.
For once in Delphine's life the decision didn't seem as simply solved as writing out the pros and cons and going with what the results told her. For once there was another force at work, a force that seemed so much more powerful than her brain ever was.
The only question was would she be brave enough to listen.
-.-.-.-
"So… you talk to Queen Bitch Rachel earlier?" Sarah questioned while she stood behind the till adding up the total for the two Americanos Cosima bought while she talked to them.
"Mhm… it took a bit of firm reasoning, though in the end I threatened to get you on her case and she caved," Cosima smirked while handing over her money.
"I swear that nut job is creepy levels of obsessed with me," Sarah huffed, shuffling uncomfortably from one foot to the other while throwing Cosima's money into the drawer of the till.
"Well I for one think it's great being able to use you as a bargaining chip," Cosima teased, though in light of her overall mood the smile didn't quite reach her eyes.
"Yeah, yeah, whatever, just promise me you'll make this whole business with Delphine count, right?" Sarah pushed.
"I plan on it, don't you worry," Cosima gave her a firm nod and accepted her change. "And thanks… for agreeing to tonight by the way," she added after a moment.
"Eh, what're friends for and all that shite," Sarah shrugged off the compliment. "Alison and I have nothing better to be at anyway…"
-.-.-.-
Delphine got the text at half seven that evening while still pouring over her bleak looking sheet of paper.
Meet me in the diner at 10.
For some reason ten felt too soon. Ten was only two and a half hours away and that was nowhere near enough time for Delphine to work through everything she was feeling – it was nowhere near enough time for her to make the choices she needed to make.
America or France?
Heart or head?