-Past-
"You wouldn't stop. You'd miss me too much," Cosima replies.
Delphine smiles at the bar counter and finishes her wine, throwing a bill next to her empty glass. "I suppose I would, wouldn't I?" She looks straight at the brunette, thrilled by the grand range of emotions in her eyes.
She walks away before she ends up saying anything more, startled by the flirtatious nature that came over her. Delphine leaves the lounge, walking around to the side lot to her car, and sits in the driver's seat with the window rolled down, regretting not keeping a pack of emergency cigarettes in her car. The cold air dulls the warmth she's trying so hard to keep from her cheeks.
It's been over a month, maybe two, that she's been attending every one of the girl's Friday performances. Sitting at the bar, watching every movement the brunette makes. The women she hits on, the revealing outfits she wears, the drinks she orders, all cataloged involuntarily in her mind, beyond her control. And tonight was the first time she approached Delphine. It wasn't something she was expecting or looking forward to, but now…
"I don't know, maybe I did completely screw that up and just didn't know it," Delphine hears a squealing door and a voice from somewhere in the parking lot.
"I mean, she bought you a drink, so you couldn't've done too bad. Just go for it. Straight for the kill next time," she hears another voice reply and sees a quick flash of light by the brick wall of the building. There's an exit door, barely visible, and two girls are leaning against the wall, facing mostly away from Delphine. One of the girls she recognizes.
"I bought her the drink, stupid," the brunette takes the cigarette-looking stick from the other girl's hand. "And what's the kill?"
"So, the cash she left on the counter was just a tip, and you paid…when?" There's a pause before the two women start talking again. Their banter sounds so easy. Delphine knows they're talking about her and she loves it. She shouldn't, but she does.
She waits for them to return inside before starting her car and speeding away.
Present
Waking up with any other girl in her bed has always been more like a chore to take care of for Cosima. It's something she has to do first thing in the morning. It's bothersome. But today, the only trouble she's having is making sure to not wake the woman in her bed up. She can't leave if she's sound asleep. Delphine is only two inches away, breathing slowly and silently. It was in the early hours of the morning when they finally fell asleep. They talked about nothing special, played a few card games on the bed, and waited for the drowsiness from the weed to take over. Cosima could tell the woman was disappointed by her resistance. She was disappointed, too. Although, she was proud of how well she did, especially high.
Cosima glances at the borrowed t-shirt. She can't see it very clearly, but she knows it's one of her generic NYC shirts. Delphine can make even this look a little classier than just a worn souvenir. Her gaze moves to Delphine's hand, lain gently between them, a sparkle reflecting off her wedding ring. She's never really thought of their rendezvous as immoral but laying in bed with a diamond between their bodies gives her a light pang of guilt. She wishes she could slip it off her finger, just so she can feel free to take whatever Delphine gives her.
Staring at the ring also brings her frustration. The man who bought it doesn't deserve to claim the woman wearing it. With that, the guilt she felt is replaced with sympathy. Their marriage isn't real outside the law, she shouldn't need to feel bad about responding to signals that Delphine herself put out. Her marriage is what it is, and Delphine has played the part for years. She seems so confident and capable and independent, but Cosima doesn't truly know if those qualities are real or a mask. So much of Delphine seems like a mask. Not quite fake, but not complete. The shine of the stupid ring just distracting the world from the murkiness of the relationship.
"I'll be very disappointed in you if you steal that to sell at a pawn shop or something," Delphine's voice warns softly but startles Cosima into a caught-in-the-act gasp.
"Wha–Oh, no. I wouldn't…" Cosima promptly defends, realizing the woman has probably been observing her stare for a while. She watches Delphine slide the ring off her finger and examine it.
"Does it bother you?" she asks in what sounds like a genuine tone.
"Uh, well it did a few minutes ago, but then I thought about it a little more and now it doesn't," Cosima explains with a nervous grin. Delphine shrugs and nods, putting the ring back on. "Are you…unhappy?"
"Very," Delphine answers right away. "But only because you put clothes on," she emphasizes her point by running her hand down the center of Cosima's chest and stomach, over her shirt, and then hooking her finger in the elastic of her sweatpants and snapping the waistband.
"You are both the most and least upfront person I know," Cosima scoffs. "You tell me exactly what you want – my clothes off in this case, but only to avoid the question I asked you. And I think you know what I'm asking," she raises her eyebrow, challenging.
Delphine sighs and rolls her eyes internally, "You really don't need to know, Cosima. It's not your problem whether I'm happy or not".
"I know I don't need to – I want to know. I don't want you to be unhappy. You just seem so used to it and that's so sad. And I'm not trying to pity you, you know, just…I want you to be happy".
"Well, if you insist on making the first conversation of the day so depressing, why don't you tell me if you're happy?" Delphine fires back, only slightly irritated with the topic.
"I'm totally happy," she shrugs, not taking it seriously.
"Why don't I believe that?" Delphine cocks her head and starts to get up out of bed.
"I don't know. That's your problem," Cosima props her head on her hand and watches Delphine cross the room to her pile of clothes. Disappointment floods her, though she knew this would be the result of the morning.
"You want me to believe that you're happy being in a band with friends who don't even like you, one who hates you, one who doesn't respect you, and one who just doesn't care? You're happy being the sidekick of a gig you don't care to be a part of at all? Being the expendable one?" Delphine walks back to the bed, setting her clothes at the foot and handing Cosima's glasses to her. "You're happy to have no one to care about? Either a different sexual partner every night or an empty bed? I'm contractually obligated to remain where I am and need to go through a legal process to escape my situation. What's your excuse for sticking around?"
Cosima slides her glasses on her face, "I feel like a showed up to a gunfight with a plastic spoon," she chuckles self-deprecatingly. Though, she can't help responding silently in her head: I have someone to care about - I care about you.
"I'm sorry," Delphine pauses for a moment with a remorseful smile. "I probably shouldn't have shown up with a gun in the first place". She slides the battery back in her phone and puts the pieces together, letting it power back on while she changes. Somewhere in the back of her mind, she hears her apology. Something she's not used to saying, she said without thinking.
Cosima watches the woman pull the borrowed shirt off, then the shorts, and look around for a place to put them. She spots the hamper and gestures towards it. Cosima nods. "Is there any particular reason you have to be so fucking sexy, like, all the time?"
Delphine chuckles, buttoning up her white blouse. "I could ask you the same thing," she replies, gently pulling the covers down over the rest of Cosima's body, making her point.
"I'm wearing sweats and a tank top," she sneers.
"I know," Delphine takes a deep breath, pausing to linger over the woman, leaning down with her hands on the bed, either side of her waist. "That's what makes it even more perplexing. What is your secret, Cosima?"
"I can't even tell if you're being sarcastic or not…" she comments, crossing her arms.
"I assure you," she leans down further, kissing Cosima's neck. "I am genuinely mystified as to why you are so irresistible".
"Huh, that makes two of us," she adds weakly.
Delphine moves her hands to Cosima's cheeks and kisses her, and almost immediately her phone starts making noises for all the activity it's been waiting to notify her of during its brief coma. She feels Cosima pulling away but doesn't let her – not this time. Her hands keep Cosima still until the dings and buzzes finally cease. Cosima feels her grip loosening and pulls away just enough to look at her capturer. Delphine smirks, "Stop doing that".
"It seriously could be something really important," she argues. "What if you get fired or something and it's all my fault?"
"I agree – it probably was important," Delphine stands back up and slips her skirt on. "I'm not getting fired, and even if I was, there's no scenario in which it would be your fault".
"Not true. I could, uh…I'm going to go to your work, find your boss – no – your CEO, and convince…him, her?"
"Her".
"And con her into firing you. Would it still not be my fault then?" Cosima picks up Delphine's phone, looking over all the notifications that recently went off like a box of fireworks. "Why don't you have a lock on your phone?"
"You are more than welcome to do that. I doubt it would work," she chuckles at the thought – Cosima in all her young rock star glory storming the halls. "And why should I? It's not like I keep a personal diary or a list of social security numbers on it".
"Uh, because someone like me could just pick it up and, like, go through your pictures or something. Or look at your messages – like this one," Cosima holds the screen up for her to see.
"A coworker sending me an address to check out. I don't think anyone cares," she shrugs, tucking her shirt in.
"No, the one below that. From Alex," Cosima scrolls down a bit.
Delphine reads it over and feels her heart sink a little.
Alex: Don't take this lightly, Del. Call it a threat or an ultimatum, whatever. Just know I'm serious.
"Is that Alex as in your sister-in-law?" Cosima sets the phone on the nightstand.
Delphine tries to flush out the jolt of fear those words give her. "Hm, maybe I should put a lock on my phone".
"Should I just assume that, if you avoid answering a question, it's because you don't want to lie, and you don't want me to know the truth?"
The blonde slips her phone into her bra and then leans down to give Cosima one drawn out kiss, "Bye".
"No, no, wait!" Cosima jumps out of bed and follows her to the door where her shoes sit. Delphine glances at Cosima while she slides the heels on, waiting for some continuance. "Don't leave".
"I have to," she shrugs.
"No, you don't. You can stay here forever. Ditch the douche, I am way cooler," Cosima can hear the child-like desperation in her voice, but she doesn't care.
Delphine feels a minor elation hearing the eagerness, but for the most part she feels guilty. She does need to leave, but for who? For her husband? Alex? Neither of them care that she's actually home, they just care that she's not somewhere else. And here Cosima is, begging her to stay because she wants to be with her.
But that's not good either. How long will it be before this…thing with Cosima comes to an end? It wasn't supposed to end up this way at all. She never anticipated her Friday night fascination would become a fixation, obsession, infatuation. It's exceeding her containment capacity. The longer it goes on, the bigger of a disaster it will be when they stop.
Worse yet – she doesn't want it to stop. No part of her wants to let go.
"I–" Delphine tries to start but stutters and looks to the ground. It's not a common behavior for her. It feels odd and uncomfortable. "I just need to…this address, I need to look at the building," she points toward her phone.
"Oh yeah?" Delphine can tell Cosima is seeing through her dreadful job at lying. "The random address, you need to go see it right now, Saturday morning? It's that important?"
"What can I say, I'm dedicated," she shrugs and smiles.
"Alright, well," Cosima grins right back and then gently pushes against Delphine's stomach until she takes a few steps back and is stopped by the wall. Her hands slip under Delphine's blazer and hold tight onto her waist as her body follows and sandwiches the woman, kissing her with a force that's meant to hurt. All but two seconds pass before she slips her tongue past Delphine's lips as well. As usual, though, the blonde doesn't seem at all taken aback and reciprocates immediately.
Cosima throws a curve ball, glides her knee in between the blonde's legs. Her skirt doesn't allow her to go far, but an unexpected noise escapes Delphine's throat and her lips halt right away, leaving Cosima smiling at the accomplishment. She relishes for only a moment before moving to whisper in her ear, "Have a fantastic day, you God-awful liar".
Cosima pushes herself away and opens the door for her guest. Delphine rolls her eyes and tries her best to dull her smile but can't seem to succeed. She walks out, looking back over her shoulder once to see Cosima leaning on the doorframe, watching her.
...
...
...
"You're back," Delphine hears her husband's voice call from the living room. She sets her keys down and makes her way to him.
"And you're awake," she replies, not quite sure how long he's been up. The text he sent her this morning came about an hour and a half ago.
"Took you long enough to get your car," he still doesn't turn her way, even as she sits on the other end of the couch. The TV is on – a show she doesn't recognize. "And you smell like…someone else".
"Somewhere else, actually," she corrects, having already built her story on the way home. "I got a text earlier, just an address for a potential venue. I thought I'd have a look while I was out. It smelled a bit like pot".
"Oh. Well, I could've driven you," he seems less tense.
"Mm," she brushes off. "I'm going to shower," she tells him, only out of courtesy, and makes her way to the stairs
"Want me to join you?" he has to shout as she walks away.
"No," Delphine doesn't look back. She's actually a little disappointed with him. She had a whole explanation laid out – why she was wearing the same clothes, why she didn't answer her phone, why she was even looking at a venue in the first place. But William didn't seem to notice or care. She doesn't necessarily want him to, but she wishes she didn't spend so much time coming up with a story to fool him.
The shower doesn't take long. William is still downstairs watching TV when she gets out. Her phone buzzes on the nightstand just as she's walking to her closet.
Cosima: so how'd the super important scouting go?
Delphine grins and rolls her eyes. She really did go see the site. One less thing to lie about. She sends Cosima the picture she took just for her. Proof.
Cosima: pretty sure I went to a rave there once
Delphine: So you would recommend it for an art showing?
Cosima: …well it wouldn't be my first choice. It's a little sketchy and like…dirty
Delphine: We're looking for something closer to a grunge style.
Cosima: I could show you some places. I know the city pretty well especially lesser known shitty gems.
Delphine: I don't want to visit notorious drug dens
Cosima: oh cmon don't think so low of me. I promise, you won't regret it
Delphine bites her lip and stares at the conversation. She knows she's just asking for more trouble and complications, but she would want nothing more than to spend an afternoon with Cosima showing her a different side of the city.
Delphine: Fine. You're hired.
The week goes by sluggishly and by the time Friday comes around it feels like a month has passed. The women started texting daily – messages here and there from the time they wake up to the time they go to sleep.
Delphine sips her latte, waiting patiently for Cosima to show up. But she's used to working with extremely punctual people, so when she glances at the café's small clock on the back wall and sees that it's ten minutes past noon, she starts to worry.
She manages to keep from texting Cosima until she finally arrives at twelve fifteen.
"You're late," she scolds, hoping it hides how pleased she is just to see her again.
"Yeah, it's kind of my thing," Cosima shrugs, sitting across from her. "And not all of us have a fancy space car to fly around the city with".
Delphine rolls her eyes but smiles behind her coffee. "Order whatever you like," she nods toward the menu on the table.
"Oh? A rich lady buying me a classy lunch?" Cosima teases, picking up the menu. "How could I refuse?"
"Lady? How old do you think I am?" she scoffs.
"Uh, first of all, you already told me your age…I forgot it, but I know it's thirty-something. And yeah, 'lady,' you're older than me," she drops her menu back on the table. "You are practically a cradle robber, Delphine".
"Cradle robber?" the blonde bites back a laugh and shakes her head.
"Would you prefer cougar? Puma?" Cosima can see the woman is holding back and she just wants her to crack.
"Maybe you should respect your elders, Cosima," she continues the banter, but before she has the chance to hear a witty reply, the waiter stops at their table.
"Have you had enough time to look at your menu?" He asks with a smile, looking mostly to Cosima.
Delphine answers right away, "I think this girl would prefer a kid's menu, if you have one?"
The waiter squints for a moment, not quite understanding. "I'm good," Cosima sneers, and then looks at the man standing awkwardly over them. "Ignore her, she's just a bitch. I know what I want," she tells him, then casually glances back at Delphine, hoping the double meaning is obvious.
"Okay…what can I get started for you?" The waiter, startled by Cosima's bluntness, fidgets with his notepad.
"Whatever she's having," Cosima slides her menu to the end of the table and sits back in her seat as though she's placed a large bet on a risky call.
He turns to Delphine cautiously, "So, would you still like your usual, Miss Cormier?"
"Yes, thank you," she smiles politely. Cosima realizes Delphine doesn't even have a menu.
The waiter walks away in a hurry and Cosima glares at Delphine, "Do you fucking own this place or something?"
"No, why?" Delphine imitates Cosima's earlier position, sitting back in her seat and crossing her arms.
"Would you like your usual, Miss Cormier?" Cosima mocks in a huffy voice.
"Good customer service would only make sense if I owned the restaurant?" Delphine raises her eyebrow and Cosima just shrugs. "I come here often for lunch during the week," she explains. "My office is just there," she points out the window to a building across the street and a bit to the right.
"Oh," the girl goes silent for a minute. "Is that why we met here?"
"For my selfish personal convenience, yes".
They both sit quietly for a while, Cosima examining the unimpressive building. She has the urge to ask for a tour, but definitely doesn't want to interact with people who act like how Delphine dresses. "Cool. Well, back to how you're a senior citizen carelessly toying with my youthful purity in–"
"Purity?" Delphine interrupts with a smirk.
"Yeah. Have you noticed that you've been the one doing all the, you know, like, touchy-hand stuff? And me, I've been pushed against walls and, uh…I've had to endure your – hey, what if I was a virgin before I met you?"
"The first thing I ever saw you do was talk to a random girl at the bar for two minutes and then start making out with her. I'm confident that you're experienced".
"Okay, making out and fucking are two very different–"
"Your salads," the same waiter interrupts, setting a leafy bowl in front of each of them and leaving as soon as he can. He looks stressed.
"Of course, you order a pitiful salad every day," Cosima shakes her head.
"I was going to switch it up today, maybe get a plate of pasta or steak or something, but then you showed up and started talking…" Delphine smirks once again and takes a bite of her salad. Cosima glares and starts in on her disappointing dish. "Elbows off the table," Delphine orders.
"Huh?"
"As your elder, it's my responsibility to teach you manners. Can't have the youth growing up to be animals," she explains seriously. "Are you old enough to have a knife? Should I take it away?" she glances at the harmless utensil sitting next to her unused spoon, unrolled from the cloth napkin.
"Oh my God, you are, ugh…no, I think I can handle the butter knife, thank you. I won't even touch it," she plays along, partially regretting starting this jab.
"Good. I'll trust you for now," the older woman sounds uncomfortably convincing as an uptight manner-cop. "Sit up straight, Cosima".
"Yes, ma'am".
…
…
…
"So, this place looks super shitty on the outside," Cosima warns when they pull up to the first destination. "But inside is…less shitty".
"Parking wouldn't be an issue," she notes, looking at the large vacant lot. She hears a few text tones go off in her pocket and glances at Cosima. The girl is rolling her eyes but still smiling.
Cosima leads them up to what looks like an enormous garage door, pounds on it a few times as they walk by, and then opens a small door on the side. It's almost completely dark when they enter, and the last of the light escapes when the door slams behind them. Cosima feels around the wall until she finds the light switches. Starting from the other end of the large space, the lights start flashing on, illuminating the colorful space.
"Wow," Delphine steps further in, examining the once concrete grey walls, now covered in a mirage of spray-painted illustrations.
"Hey," a deep voice echoes around them like surround sound in a movie theater. "The hell, Cos. You can't just walk in like you own the place".
"Oh, like you own it?" she scoffs. "Anyway, shut up. I'm here with…Miss Cormier," Cosima presents the woman, looking very much out of place, but not at all uncomfortable.
"Since when do you hang with…lawyers or fucking accountants or whatever, Cos?" the man finally appears, getting up from a makeshift bed against the wall, looking Delphine over skeptically.
"Don't be paranoid, man. She's a friend," Cosima shouts in his direction. He hasn't made any move toward them.
"Yeah, you don't really do 'friend' and unless she's a…special lady friend, then – but you haven't had a special lady friend since–"
"I know, right," Cosima interrupts quickly. "I, uh, asked her the big question last night," she continues, grabbing Delphine's left hand and raising it up. "I can't believe she said yes".
Delphine looks at Cosima with a smirk. "Shit, no way," he finally approaches them, eyes narrowed in on Delphine's wedding ring. "Is that why you're here? Spreading the news?"
"No," Cosima sighs dramatically. "She is loaded, obviously, and she wanted to give me a gift in return for my, well, you know…existence. And so, I'm here to beg her to buy me this place. This…fucking…airport or whatever. You know how I've always loved it".
"Dude, what?" He steps back a few feet as though the offense physically pushed him.
"So, what do you say? Honey, darling, sweetie…will you buy this place for me, just to piss Kyle off?"
Delphine smiles and bites her lip, having no earthly idea what she's so elated about. "Kyle?"
Cosima shrugs at the man who has now made his way back to the bed, crossing his arms and staring at the two of them. "That dude," she turns to Delphine, taking both her hands, "C'mon babe, this is asshole Kyle we're talking about".
Delphine is fully aware that the whole thing is just one of Cosima's little performances. She knows it's only for show and probably just a distraction from whatever asshole Kyle was going to say about Cosima's special lady friend. She understands all this, but she can't help her unconscious from savoring every second. "Hm," Delphine looks around thoughtfully, walking toward the wall opposite Kyle. "Spend thousands for this place – and just to annoy someone?"
"I repeat," Cosima grabs her hand, interlocking their fingers, and pulls Delphine back her direction. "This isn't just someone, it's asshole Kyle".
Delphine strains to keep her large grin in check. She shakes her head to herself and looks at the woman staring back at her, a dramatic expression for the sake of her act, but a fleck of some kind of sincerity in her eyes. "Okay," Delphine answers without thinking.
"No, what bullshit is this?" Kyle protests. "Cosima, you can't just get yourself a sugar mama and fucking take my shit".
"True," Delphine steps back with a smirk but doesn't let go of her hand. "And all I get in return is marriage to you? It's a bit steep, don't you think?"
"I agree," the man shouts from his bed. "Not worth it, lady. Just dump this nerd before it's too late".
"Asshole Kyle makes a good point," Delphine smiles at the sneering Cosima.
"Kyle, you're killing our marriage before we've even tied the knot," the brunette complains.
"However," Delphine pulls her closer by their intertwined fingers. "You could try making it worth the trouble. I'd be willing to sacrifice my finances if you can think of something that–"
Cosima tugs on her hand and claims her smiling mouth, ignoring the not so subtle disgusted exhale from Kyle. A mutual melting of their bodies forces the rest of the world to fade away for a moment. But again, the moment is interrupted by a shrill text tone echoing through the air. She lets Cosima pull back but doesn't bother with her phone.
"So?" Cosima smiles through her frustration, giving Delphine a couple fleeting pecks, making the blonde's grin take shape. "Do I get to have what I want?"
The woman examines the features of Cosima's face, looking for the will to resist, "You do make it very hard to say no".
...
...
...
"No," Delphine answers once they've returned to the car.
"You didn't like it?"
"I liked it very much, actually. But it wouldn't work. The existing art would distract from the showing".
"How thoughtful and open-minded of you," Cosima starts directing them to their next location. Other than the occasional, "turn here," the car is silent. Both women trying to decode what the other meant by everything said between them. The silence isn't awkward or tense. They both seem to understand. It's reflection time.
The rest of the afternoon isn't as eventful. Cosima leads them to a number of locations, a few of which had already been evaluated by Delphine. She seems to learn something new about Cosima every stop they make – places she used to work, favorite classes and teachers in school, the first time she smoked pot, the bad trips following. It amazes Delphine how much life Cosima has lived compared to her. Delphine did well in school, no particular class or teacher stood out. She's never been around drugs, not even pot. Her parents paid for her college and practically paved the way to her current success. She only had a couple jobs before her current position, nothing substantial.
Maybe Cosima's eventful life is what makes her seem so content in the moment. Other than the drama with her friends, Delphine almost always sees her relaxed and smiling. She's had such a privileged life and it seems she's none the wiser for it. She knows how to control the world around her, but Cosima knows how to be in it and navigate through. Albeit often inefficiently.
"So, I'm assuming you aren't coming to Martell tonight?" Cosima states out of nowhere.
"If you don't want me to, I don't have to," Delphine answers questioningly.
"That's definitely not it," she exhales slowly. "I just figured you probably had enough of me for one day…"
"Is that why you've been having me drive in nonsense directions with no actual destination for the last twenty minutes?" Delphine raises her eyebrow.
"Maybe a little…" Cosima forces an embarrassed smile back.
"I didn't plan on missing your show tonight," she starts to turn around, heading back to where they started their journey. "But I need to pick up my things at the office. Do you want me to drop you off somewhere?"
"I don't know. Half of me wants to see where you work, but half of me definitely does not want to take the chance of having to, like, small talk with someone from your work".
"I could promise no small talk," Delphine smiles. She knows taking Cosima to her work is a bad idea. She doesn't plan on introducing anyone, but people will still notice the young exotic girl following her around. Although, it's late enough that only a few people would be there, if any.
They pull up to the building Delphine pointed out earlier after ten minutes of weaving through the town. Cosima follows her inside cautiously. The front desk greets them with a smile and a nod, along with anyone they pass in the sparse halls.
"Everybody is so nice," Cosima comments.
"They're just polite. They're from different companies. The building accommodates three or four separate businesses. My office is through here," she answers, opening a glass door leading to another lobby and front desk. It's like stepping into another world. Everything is so minimalistic, quiet, bright.
"Maybe I'll chill here," she suggests, stalling at the entrance of the long hallway behind the empty front desk and looking back at the more welcoming lobby couch.
"Okay, if you prefer," Delphine shrugs. "I won't be long. Don't get into trouble". She glances over her shoulder once before disappearing into the hall. Cosima exhales heavily and takes a seat. The silence of the place makes it that much more intimidating. She doesn't know why it's intimidating in the first place, but it is.
A tall lean woman with a puff of curly blonde hair on her head rounds the corner from the hall and jumps when she sees Cosima. Her glasses make her eyes look enormous. "It's after business hours, miss. Can I help you?"
Cosima cocks her head and looks at her phone. She didn't realize she'd spent almost six hours with Delphine. It didn't seem like six hours. "Uh, no. I'm just waiting for someone," she explains awkwardly.
The woman looks at her curiously and skeptically, not recognizing her as an employee or client. "Who are you waiting for?"
"Delphine…" she answers, hoping it wasn't supposed to be confidential.
"Delphine?" The woman squints at Cosima, trying to figure out who she is. Almost everyone in the office calls her Mrs. Cormier aside from other higher executives, including herself. Clients typically call her Mrs. Cormier as well when they speak to her directly, which is rare. "Why, uh…are you a new client?"
"No, I…I'm just a friend," she tries to avoid eye contact, well aware of her ineptitude for lying.
"Wait–" the woman takes a couple steps toward Cosima, examining her again with a different perspective. "Are you the girl…uh, her friend…like, close friend?"
"I guess…" Cosima adjusts uncomfortably in her chair.
"Oh, well hello, then," she strolls right up to Cosima and sticks her hand out. "I'm Anne. I've heard about you".
Anne's bright smile seems so out of place in comparison to her previous unconvinced expression. "Anne…Anne," Cosima repeats out loud, shaking her hand, wondering why she thinks she should know her. "I didn't realize she talked about me".
"She doesn't, I don't think," Anne invites herself to sit next to Cosima. "She just needed some advice about something and so…she said a few things. She didn't exaggerate, you are very pretty".
"Anne!" Cosima snaps her fingers, realizing the familiarity. "Are you the Anne that Delphine asked about, like, how to…you know…perform competently as a not-hetero, uh…"
"My goodness, she told you that I explained that to her?" Anne asks with a concerning decibel for a quiet office. "That woman does not care what people think of her," she sighs and shakes her head with an odd grin. "She says exactly what she wants to say – or ask in my case".
"She does, doesn't she," Cosima thinks about all the times she's been taken aback by her directness. "Hey Anne, can I ask you something? Is Delphine, like, weird?"
"Oh yeah," she raises her eyebrows with a scoff. "Not insane weird, but definitely odd. Not in a bad way, though. I think she just doesn't like to wear that protective, professional mask, the socially acceptable fibs, which is what most people do on a daily basis. Those little white lies that don't really mean anything, a little bit of denial here and there – she just doesn't do that. It's one of her most prominent qualities. It's probably how she ended up so successful, despite what one might think honesty would bring you".
"Yeah, well she doesn't exactly tell the whole truth all the time either," Cosima crosses her arms. "And she likes to be…misleading".
"I don't know about that," Anne gets up again and heads for the glass doors to leave. "And just be careful. Will isn't the nicest guy to piss off," she shrugs and leaves Cosima in the silent lobby again.
The glass door has barely just closed before someone else enters, again halting when Cosima is visible to them. "We're closed, you can't be in here," a high-pitched nasal voice snarks at her.
Cosima looks up and sees a girl about her age, holding the door and glaring at her. "Just waiting for someone," she takes out her phone and tries her best to ignore her.
"You need to leave," the girl persists. "You can't loiter here. Not even clients – real clients – can be here after hours".
"What can I say? I must be special," Cosima shrugs, not taking her eyes off her phone.
"Did you even hear me? Leave," the girl is almost shouting now. She sounds like she's having a temper tantrum.
"Heard you. Just don't give a shit," Cosima grips tighter onto the edges of her phone, her knuckles turning white just trying to keep her frustration in. This is the exact kind of person she didn't want to deal with. The girl scoffs but doesn't respond. She slips behind the lobby desk and fishes a ring of keys from a drawer. She leaves after one more scoff in Cosima's direction.
The sound of clicking heels start perking Cosima's ears, glad to finally get out of the place. A voice calls for Delphine though, and after a sigh and disgruntled protest, she hears the heels walking away from her again. Cosima sighs and lets her head flop back against the wall. She couldn't imagine working in a place like this.
"Miss?" A man's voice startles Cosima, not even aware she was starting to doze off. She looks at the glass doors again and sees a security guard standing with the door open. "I'm sorry, no non-staff after closing".
"Oh my God, you're fucking kidding me," Cosima closes her eyes and shakes her head. "Dude, I am waiting for someone, okay? I'm sure she'll be right out".
"You can wait outside," he seems to be making an effort to stay calm, but Cosima can tell he's a bit fed up already. She can't seem to find the motivation to move, though, still fed up herself. He doesn't wait long before moving to grab her upper arm and pull her up. She complies weakly, still dragging her feet, until an unfamiliar tone of voice stops them.
"What the hell do you think you're doing? Let go of her," the security guard and Cosima turn to see an irate Delphine at the end of the hall in the entrance to the lobby. It's a look Cosima has never seen on her before.
"Mrs. Cormier," he stutters, but doesn't let go. "We got a report that a woman was refusing to leave," the man shrugs toward Cosima to make it plainly obvious.
"Well, what was she doing that was so criminal an officer needed to come fetch her?" Delphine starts moving toward them slowly, like a predator stalking prey. "Was she vandalizing the place? Harassing employees? Trying to rob the offices? What?"
"No, ma'am," he replies pathetically. "Just sitting on–"
"Whoever reported this," Delphine glares, stops in front of them, and takes the man's hand, guiding it down and off of Cosima's arm. It was probably only still there from the paralysis Delphine's voice put them both into. "I encourage you to update them on the outcome of their call".
"Yes, I'm sorry for the misunderstanding, ma'am," he stammers, leaving quickly.
After a moment of seething silence, "Dude, that was intense," Cosima whispers.
"Let's go," Delphine grabs her hand automatically, dragging her back to the car.