Day 60

"Cosima…" Delphine's voice murmurs into her ear. Cosima stretches in her sleep. She's still cramping but finds she feels content enough. Cuddled up here in her bed with Delphine.

"What time is it?"

"It's not even 4 am." Delphine sighs, snuggling happily into Cosima's back, clad in nothing but her underwear.

"You're still here." Cosima mutters happily.

"I am." Delphine laughs slightly, then sobers in her arms. "Je t'aime."

Cosima smiles, feeling utterly content. "I… I think I knew that."

"Bien."

"But… it feels good to hear it." Cosima admits, turning to face Delphine.

"I… I don't say it often. But… it's never been more true." Delphine smiles, leaning in to kiss her, lips meeting and clinging readily.

"Mmmm." The brunette stretches again. "It's very sexy. I'd like to hear it more often."

Delphine leans in, nuzzling her with her nose. "You are very sexy."

"Oooh flattery." She grins in response. "So are you going to let me go down on you next?"

Delphine's eyes widen and she laughs uncertainly. "Not while I am bleeding, Cosima. A few more days, and you can go down on me again."

"I can live with that, for now." Cosima smirks, kissing her again.

"How are you feeling?"

"Still cramping a little. I'll be OK." Cosima promises.

"I can't believe it's May." Delphine sighs, cuddling back in.

"Me neither. But at least we can find toilet paper and more dry goods." Cosima responds. "I read they're loosening restrictions other places a little. Not in Toronto though. It'll… it'll be a while for us."

"At least it's getting warmer." Delphine tells her softly, toying with a stray dreadlock. "We should be able to do things outside. Maybe, maybe patios will open. And we can go out on a date."

"I'd like that. A lot." Cosima smiles.

"Me too." Delphine assures her. "Mon amour…" She croons and Cosima melts, finding herself content to just lay in Delphine's arms.

"I am so in love with you." Cosima says, trying to find the right words. Trying to express this.

But she is kissed intensely in response. And Delphine stays all night. And it is enough. More than enough.

Day 64

"I have something I need to talk to you about." Delphine says one lazy afternoon. They made love after lunch, in the shower and had mostly cuddled and half worked after that. Parked on their laptops on Cosima's couch.

"Let's take a walk. It's warmish now." Cosima offers, and they move quickly out of the building. Eager to get some distance, not from each other, but from the building they'd spend most of the last two months in. The garden maintained by one of the first floor residents are beginning to bloom and it briefly draws their attention.

"I cannot believe someone takes the time to do this." Delphine looks around the various plants and flowers."

"For the last two years, it's been the same." Cosima tells her. "I don't know who actually maintains it. Ooh someone is having a nice afternoon." She remarks at the scent of pot.

"Hello!" A lanky young man in his mid-twenties waves at them. "I think it was time we actually met. I'm Felix. From 302." The lanky young man tells them both, cornering them outside the building. He sits, smoking what is definitely marijuana on the bench.

"Hello Felix. I'm Delphine." Delphine waves awkwardly, moving a little closer to Cosima as she does so.

"Yes… the screamer." Felix nods, "And you, I've seen you before. You're Cosima Niehaus."

Delphine frowns awkwardly. But Cosima quickly gives her hand a squeeze, the second comment catches her attention more than the first. And she doubts it's just the C. Niehaus listing on the buzzer near the door.

"We've… met?" Cosima stops, unsure. "I… I don't remember meeting you. I've like… seen you in the hall sometimes. But not really since the pandemic started."

"I'm not always home. I get out. A little." Felix smirks. "You two have enough entertainment at home. I.. do not. So… I get out."

"You're cruising!?" Cosima looks at Felix, putting it together fairly quickly.

"Yeah. I go down to Long Branch, there's a park there." Felix admits.

"Does it start with Marie?" Cosima asks. She'd heard things about that park being a bit of a cruising hotspot. But she didn't exactly hang out in the queer student union much these days. Or at all really, since her PhD started.

"How do you know this?" Delphine looks over at Cosima. "What even is cruising?"

Felix rolls his eyes. "It's gay men or… men looking for male sex partners meeting and having discreet public sex in parks. These days it's more like public wanking. Or very weird masked sex."

Cosima shrugs, raising her hands and her shoulders. "I've been around the city awhile. You...get to know things."

"Like where gay men meet to have sex?" Delphine looks quizzically at her. "Do… do lesbians do that too? Is cruising common?"

Cosima winces a little, having a suspicion on where this conversation will lead.

"Oh wow…" Felix looks between them, reading the situation with surprising speed. "Delphine… is a straight girl? Or rather a ' straight ' girl?"

Cosima and Delphine glance at each other. "That's up in the air right now." Cosima answers, not intending on giving much away.

Delphine snorts before she responds, seemingly intent on correcting this assumption. "Not anymore."

"Oooh. You have been busy. Your reputation is well deserved." Felix teases her, happily. "Do you have any pot?"

"Umm yeah?" Cosima says. "It's… legal. Just like...order your own online. Where do you know me from?" She is certain. At least 80% certain that she has never met Felix, the most she's seen of him is in the hallway or when occasionally they check their mail at the same time.

"Uhh over a year ago... You were at Bobbi's party? At the bar?" Felix tries to jog her memory.

"OK umm… which time? Because I went to quite a few of her parties. Her boyfriend is in this band with… oh that party." Cosima remembers suddenly and stops. The party she'd been caught drunkenly having sex first with Shay, and then later Tasha, in the unisex bathroom. That was one memory she did not need to relive.

"Yeah." Felix laughs. "That one. And you've clearly been showing Delphine here the time of her life."

"What party?" Delphine looks between the two of them. "What are you talking about?"

"It was in a bar… and a lot of people were there. And I had too much to drink…" Cosima trails off. "And I had been smoking pot."

"She was having sex in the bathroom." Felix summarizes. "Twice. Two different girls. One night. And when I asked Bobbi she just shrugged and said Cosima had serious game."

"Wow." Cosima sighs. "I kind of wanted to float that whole slutty Cosima story a lot softer."

"Two girls in one night?" Delphine repeats, eyes wide.

"Not at the same time." Cosima corrects. "One… and then some hours later… the other one. I'm not proud of it. There was a lot of substance use. And they were both my exes."

Felix looks at them. "We might as well start playing never have I ever."

"OK. I'm bored enough." Cosima agrees.

"I'll play." Delphine says, though Cosima is uncertain that Delphine knows what she is agreeing to.

"So you know the rules?" Felix looks to Delphine. "You say something you've never done, Never have I ever stole a car, for example… and then the others have to drink if they have."

"We don't have booze." Cosima points out. "We could play sober instead. First one to have ten things loses. I'll start… never have I ever sucked a dick."

"Lesbians." Felix rolls his eyes. Puts up one finger on his left hand. "Come up with something more interesting next time."

Delphine puts up one finger, looking unperturbed. "I am guessing it is sexual things?"

"Not exclusively." Cosima says. "I just… well I like winning and that was an easy one." If she is strategic enough, she may be able to knock both Delphine and Felix out of this game. But it'll take strategy. Otherwise she suspects Delphine will win.

"Me next." Felix laughs. "Never have I ever kissed a girl."

"Well that's a cheap shot." Cosima sighs, putting up a finger. Delphine does as well.

"So was sucking a dick." Felix stares her down.

Delphine shakes her head unbothered. "Moving on… Never have I ever had sex in public." Delphine throws out, knowing she'd caught both of them.

"Ooh, she's good." Felix puts up another finger.

"Yeah." Cosima does the same. "Um… never have I ever stolen a car?" She was lousy at this game, if people knew her well enough, and privately suspected Delphine would probably win.

"Non." Delphine laughs.

"Ah… nope. Petty theft only. And that was only because of my sister." Felix winces. "Never have I ever…slept with a French girl."

"Low shot man." Cosima looks at him annoyed and raises a finger. "That was targeted just at me."

"You're easier than Delphine here." Felix shrugs. "And I like winning too."

Delphine looks them both over and then smiles. "Never have I ever had a threesome."

"Oooh." Felix raises a finger laughing as he watches Cosima do the same. "You're nearly as bad as me."

"Never have I ever had sex for money." Cosima stares him down, grinning when he raises a finger. She'd had her suspicions before, occasionally seen strange men in the hallway. But it hadn't been confirmed until now.

"That is a cheap shot against sex workers. And I will have you know, I am also an artist." Felix looks to Delphine. "What about you?"

"What counts as having sex for money?" Delphine looks at both of them. "If I had sex with an older man for several months, while we dated, but he gave me a lot of gifts… does that count as sex work?"

"Umm only you can decide that." Cosima looks at Delphine. That would be a weird revelation but nothing she doesn't deserve for agreeing to this game.

"If it was your intention to be his sugar baby, then yes, that is sex work. If the poor bastard just wanted to spoil you or buy your affections - no." Felix summarizes quickly.

"Not my intention, no." Delphine doesn't put up a finger. She probably will win, Cosima realizes.

Felix looks between them again. "Never have I ever lived with a partner."

"Fuck." Cosima sighs, putting up another finger. "Yep. I have done that. A long time ago. Probably not for the best reasons."

"Toronto's expensive." Felix nods wisely at her. "And next, Delphine?"

"Nope." Delphine looks back at Felix directly. "Never have I ever loved a man."

"Oh you two are complicated." Felix smirks. "But no, never have I ever been in love."

"It was my turn." Cosima whines, putting up another finger, smiling as she watches Delphine do the same. Her thoughts of targeting Delphine's history of heterosexuality instead to win immediately fade, she doesn't want to do that anymore.

"Oh this is unfair. People are suffering, isolated in their homes. And you two ridiculous lesbians have been having sex and falling in love." Felix shakes his head. "Let's call it. Delphine wins. If we keep going the only question is which one of us takes the other down."

"Unless we can target questions at Delphine." Cosima agrees.

"That is unfair. And I won't play if you do that." Delphine tells her quickly.

"Fine." Cosima nods. "We're supposed to go on a walk anyway."

"Bye Felix." Delphine stands up, and moves to follow Cosima.

"Bye… maybe I'll see you two later." Felix continues. "And keep it down!"

Delphine giggles, pulling Cosima away.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?" Cosima asks playfully. Delphine's legs are long and she walks quickly. She has to skip a bit to keep up.

"I have to meet with my advisor." Delphine grimaces. "We will be outside and distanced. But… he wants to meet in person. In his backyard. He has a townhouse in Mimico. I'll… I'll have to take the train."

"Are you seriously going to go?" Cosima asks. "When?"

"Well… Felix has been cruising. This… this will be entirely work related." Delphine assures her. "Tomorrow morning, around 11am."

"Except I'm like 90% sure Dr. Leekie wants to sleep with you." Cosima points out agitated. "And you're going to his house." She isn't happy about it, and she knows it shows.

"Well, good thing I do not want to sleep with him. Or you'd have a problem." Delphine deadpans.

"OK. Do you want me to come with you?" Cosima offers. She could definitely sass the hell out of Dr. Leekie if need be.

"Non." Delphine shakes her head. "It would be very weird if I brought my girlfriend to my dissertation meeting."

"OK, fine." Cosima nods. "I'll have Kiki and her offspring for company then."

"You will. You'll be fine." Delphine assures her, leaning in to give her a quick kiss.

"I guess I could go see Scott… masked and at a distance." Cosima considers. "But that won't get anything done except cat advice."

"Do you need cat advice?"

"Maybe?" Cosima shrugs. "If we are seeing people outside at a distance now. It might be good. Probably less fun than never have I ever with Felix."

"I assume it is more fun with alcohol." Delphine leans in laughing.

"Way more fun." Cosima nods. "Next time."

"Would you really have targeted me to win?"

"That would be a lot harder than targeting Felix. Plus you've probably done a lot of the same stuff he has." Cosima rolls her eyes. "I was going to lose that game. Last time I played I managed to win. I'm not sure how."

"True." Delphine nods. "Maybe not all. And it probably depends who you play with."

"Mmm my squeaky clean girlfriend." Cosima leans in.

"I did have a life before you, Cosima." Delphine reminds her. "And it wasn't all bad."

"Until my hot ass came along you hadn't had sex in over three years." Cosima teases in a singsong voice. Besides, reminding herself of that made her feel better about Delphine's meeting with Leekie.