Today was the day. Cosima had been waiting for it all week and when she woke up this morning she found something beautiful in every action of her ordinary routine. She had expected the time to drag but her spirits were so high it went by like a breeze. Now she was in her bedroom getting ready, she was unusually organised, perhaps due to the fact she had envisioned this moment and all its outcome, analysing and scrutinising the potential clothes she could wear and things she could say. For a moment she had to sit down and tell herself to snap out with it, this was a date, not a science experiment.
A date, she repeated in her head. A date, with Delphine.
If you'd have asked her a couple weeks ago, Cosima would have not believed for a minute that she and the blonde had gotten to this point. But it was becoming unbearable for them both, every minute of their time together when working bore the preoccupation of a touch, or a whisper. The thoughts sent a shiver down her spine.
She had proposed the idea upfront. It was a few days after she had come over when Kira had stayed and they were alone working in a comfortable silence.
"Delphine?"
"Oui?" She replied, looking up from the laptop in front of her and pushing a strand of curls out of her face.
Cosima lost her words for a second, it was a sight she would never grow accustom.
"Would you like to go out with me?"
Delphine paused for a second, looking down at the screen and back into the brunettes eyes.
"You mean...like a date?" She said, the way she said date made Cosima breathless.
"Yeah like a date."
The silence returned, though it was not a comfortable one. For a second, she thought she might say no.
"Of course. I mean, I would like to go out with you." She finally said, with a smile.
Cosima almost couldn't believe her anxiety building up to asking her, for it had been as easy as that.
And now here she was. Awaiting the clock to hit seven so she could meet Delphine at 7.30pm, just as they had arranged. Cosima had decided on a restaurant that Scott and Gracie had recommended to her, it had taken them awhile to get over the initial embarrassment of being walked in by the pair, but they seemed more over it now. She figured if she food was bad, she could just blame it on them instead.
She decided to make her way by foot, it was only a short while away and she figured that it would be good to think things through as she went there. She was nervous, but at least she looked good. In fact, she couldn't remember the last time she was so nervous, or the last time she had a date, or rather she didn't want to remember the latter. She had forgotten this feeling, the intense void of butterflies in her gut, her palms hot and her heart slowly building momentum as it throbbed in her chest.
For a moment, she felt like this was the beginning of falling...
No. She couldn't allow herself to think that way. She was anxious as it was and although they had spent much time together prior, Cosima felt an immense pressure to make a positive impression. It may have been the first time Delphine had considered her in a romantic sense, of course they had their altercations...some which had come extremely close, but Delphine had never really expressed any clear signals as to have to felt about her. But she had still said yes to going on a date, at least that was a start.
Bearing this in mind, Cosima approached the restaurant at last, she looked at her watch and saw it had just turned 7.30, right on time, though it had taken her longer than she expected. She went to sit down on a bench outside, observing the passers by as them came and went unaware of the importance and excitement welling inside of her as she sat contained in her dress and coat.
"Bonsoir Cosima." Whispered a voice from behind her, accompanied by a soft kiss to her cheek. She smelt of a mixture between French cigarettes and her signature perfume.
But before she could turn around to face her, Delphine was already on the bench sitting next to her.
"It's good to see you." The brunette thought aloud, although it was written all over her face.
"And it is good to see you, as well as being so punctual." She said with a wink. She had grown used to Cosima's late ways and was not expecting to see her for a short while. Perhaps that's why she had been so excited to see her there, or perhaps...
"Well you know, I asked you out and stuff. I should at least have the decency to be here on time, chivalry and all that."
She got up and led them to the restaurant.
"Speaking of which." She said with a wink, opening the door for the blonde. "After you my lady."
"Mon dieu! Merci beaucoup!" Delphine exaggerated. Their playful flirting had begun and they hadn't even step foot in the building yet.
But once they had they were met with a grandiose view, not the generic scenery of a typical fancy restaurant but one in which a glass balcony cascaded over the view of a red carpet and expensively furnished ground level occupied by waiters serving and green vine leaves ebbed up the side walls, as if to provoke some earthly element. Cosima played it cool, she had to physically quench the gasp which sought to escape her lips, Delphine on the other hand looked like a kid in Disneyland.
She turned to Cosima, reached for her hand and said, "Mon cherie, this is beautiful."
And the compliment was amplified by the knowledge that Delphine was no stranger to luxury. She was aware of her privileged upbringing, the range of venues she must have visited, the decadence of it all, and yet she was still impressed by her choice...or Scott's choice, but whatever. She gushed at her words.
A man wearing a bow tie approached them, cheerily.
"Good evening! You have an appointment, ladies?"
"Uh yeah, yeah. Under Niehaus."
"Perfect, right this way."
He led the pair up curved glass staircase, where they were seated with a view overlooking the entire restaurant and Cosima mentally thanked the universe for being so good to her. They took their seats and ordered some wine before looking at the food menus.
"Is this where you take all your dates, Cosima?" Delphine teased, still mesmerised by the surroundings.
"Only the beautiful French ones."
She playfully nudged Cosima under the table at the comment.
'Stop flirting with me, I'm trying to be an adult here.' Cosima said, dramatically opening the menu to a random page. She looked at the main courses, many of which seemed to be of the French tongue.
"I see you're trying to make me feel at home with all this cuisine, are you not?"
"Well, since you provided me with French truffles, I guess you just left me craving more."
"Did you like them?"
"They were great, like really good. Although, I'm still curious as to how you got them."
Delphine bit her lip, but momentarily it was as though a feeling of solemn had come over her. Before Cosima had time to ask if she was okay the waiter was back accompanied with wine and ready to take their orders. Cosima was extremely aware of her awful accent when pronouncing the dishes she wanted, to the degree that she resulted in simply pointing to them, however Delphine couldn't resist laughing so she didn't mind.
"You know, your niece is such a sweet girl and so bright for her age." Delphine said once the waiter had gone. "I can see where she gets it from though."
"What? Me? If anything I'm an awful influence on her innocent little mind!"
"Non, I could tell that she really admires you, anyone could see that."
Cosima smiled at the thought of Delphine observing the two when they had been together.
"Not many people get to meet my family, especially not Kira, but you've some how managed to meet the majority of them."
"I get the impression that they are very...how do you say? Protective, very protective of you."
"You got that right. When I told Sarah about the whole cheating ex-girlfriend business I thought she was going to hunt her down or something."
"They just love you. My family, they are the same in that way."
"You never speak much of your family, are you guys close, or?"
Delphine hesitated but only for a moment. "I speak to them regularly, my parents I mean. They worry about me a lot, they are not very fond of America."
Cosima mocked offence for a second before cracking a laugh, "What's not to be fond of?! We have a great military record! And don't even get me started on our accessible healthcare! I bet you don't have that in Europe."
Their jokes took up a good part of the night. The food they had ordered was delivered not much longer after and was, as expected, of an impeccable quality, and they found themselves on a second bottle of wine.
"You know, I have never been on a date with a woman before." Delphine said, in a low pitch, taking the glass slowly to her lips. Cosima found herself licking at her own at the sight of her.
"And, how are you finding it?"
"Well," she began to slowly rub her leg against Cosima's under the privacy provided by the table cloth. "I am enjoying myself greatly. I almost feel you're...too good to be true."
Cosima was in the right mind to say fuck it, fuck it to the desert and the third bottle of wine they planned on ordering and fuck it to the waiters who had been so kind and helpful, for all the really wanted was Delphine. She wanted to reach for her cheek, and softly kiss her lips and another part of her, conflicted, craved to pull the blonde forward and slam her lips against hers, hungrily.
It was overwhelming and confusing, a mixture of romantic and sentimental combined with a surge of sexual tension that had long lingered about their relationship, whatever that was.
"Dr Cormier, if you're under the impression this flattery is going to get you anywhere...you're probably right."
"And tell me Cosima." She paused, looking, searching deep within the brunettes hazel eyes. "Where will it get me?"
Fuck.
She's testing me, Cosima thought, she's trying to test my boundaries.
But two can play at that game.
Just as she felt Delphine's leg stroke up towards her thigh, as she had been doing in a repetitive motion, Cosima began to spread her legs, only slightly but enough that Delphine was aware of this new territory. Then as she repeated the up and down motion Delphine now traveled up Cosima's thigh, getting closer with every time until the blonde felt as though she could feel the heat radiating from Cosima's underwear.
They both struggled to maintain their demeanour, but so absorbed with each other they were that when they were revisited by the man donning a bow tie, who had brought their desert, they were dazed for a second, they looked at each other and were unable to stifle their laughter.
It was around 11 when they finally left, Cosima having paid the bill and Delphine promising on taking her out for their second date.
A second date.
Cosima could have laughed at her foolishness earlier, the anxiety that inhabited her as it did, because now here they stood so carefree after having enjoyed each other's company.
It was dark out, much darker than it was when they went in, though it was March. There was a double-edge sense, one which brought a continued excitement, that this couldn't be the end of the night and another which nagged that it was late and they both had work to do.
"Do you reckon one day I can see this house of yours that you so graciously talk of?" Cosima asked teasingly.
Delphine felt herself seize up, her whole body suddenly tense. "I would it's just...at the moment, it is very uh, very messy." She dismissed.
"I totally understand, I mean the amount of time it takes to tidy when I know I'm going to have company is insane. Speaking of which...would you like to come over?"
Cosima felt less frightened of asking such questions now. They were both slightly drunk and it was probably the safest option anyway, not to mention that they could still be together.
There seemed an omnipresent ideal that involuntarily set voyage in her subconscious thoughts. If they were to be alone...and all that it could lead to. She hated these thoughts and herself for having them. But images of the blonde beneath her, moaning her name, whispering dirty secrets, led to self-betrayal.
"If you are sure Cosima? I would not want to burden you."
"How many times do I have to tell you, you could never be a burden to me." Cosima laughed, placing a hand to the woman's cheek and rubbing her thumb over it. She heard Delphine's light gasp and the feeling of the cold rings on her fingers.
And it was then.
Finally, after all the months of anticipation, of hidden words spoken in blushes, of consistent contemplation of true feelings, they kissed in that Spring evening air. Their lips touched without thought of those around them, nor thought of their own actions and at last it felt so destined. No other satisfaction could beat the feeling of their lips parting slightly, feeling Delphine's tongue lightly brushing against Cosima's, or the way Cosima bit Delphine's lower lip softly, pulling it towards her before letting go. It was in a league of it's own. And when they broke apart they both grinned a look of mutual contentment and relieve that they were at this point and that there was no turning back.
They walked west, hand in hand, blissfully towards Cosima's apartment, unaware that there was soon to be trouble in paradise.