-Future-
"Let me introduce you to one of the newest ProClone Records groups, SES. Darling, meet Jack and Jeremy Holbrook, the talented vocals and guitar, their lovely drummer Madeline Liu, and their mixer-slash, uh…tech gal, Cosima Niehaus. Everyone, this is my gorgeous wife Delphine," Mr. Black introduces in his charming voice with his sugary smile.
"It's a pleasure to meet you all," Delphine smiles as well. Just as charming. Less sugary. The group nods back at her, mumbling their responses and trying not to bring attention to their mixer-slash-tech gal.
"My wife has been to the lounge you all play at. If it wasn't for her, you would likely still be playing there," he looks between Delphine and the oddly quiet group.
"I used to go quite often," she nods, sipping her wine. The two boys nod and stammer some sort of stunned reply, unsure of how they should act.
Cosima looks at her in her long, fitted black dress, with a sort of intrigued bitterness, but still a polite smile that she's surprised she can manage. Delphine's grin doesn't budge. Well-practiced.
"Alright, I'll see you all at the end of the month. Don't get into trouble," Mr. Black says with a relieving amount of obliviousness.
"Yes, sir," Madeline answers for everyone.
"Enjoy the party," Delphine says to the group, but looks only at Cosima, touching her shoulder for a brief moment before being tugged away by her husband.
A deliberate and sly smile cracks through the polite forgery on Cosima's lips as she watches Delphine casually saunter away.
Present
"You know, I'm in this bar, like, four or five days out of the week," Delphine glances over her shoulder to the speaker. "But I only see you on the nights we perform," the small brunette finishes, sitting next to Delphine at the bar.
"That's quite the coincidence," she responds indifferently, returning her gaze to the nearly empty glass in front of her.
"Yeah, I thought that at first," the woman continues with a smirk, crossing her legs and propping her chin on her fist. "But there were a few nights in the last three or four months that our schedule was changed last minute, and we had to play on a Saturday instead of Friday. I watched you come in to order your drink, but then you left when you saw someone else was playing".
"The last time I checked, indecision wasn't a crime," Delphine defends with a smile ghosting her mouth, but not quite yet visible. "Maybe you should stop watching me. Isn't stalking a crime?"
The woman's slight grin grows into a full smile. "Alright, then let me buy you a drink to make up for my behavior".
Delphine sighs dramatically, "Well, it is the least you could do for the trouble you've caused with your accusations".
A chuckle escapes Delphine's company. She shouts to the bartender for an order of two glasses of red wine.
"So," the woman begins after their drinks are delivered. "You have an accent. What is it?"
"I don't know what you're talking about," Delphine denies with the same invisible smile, sipping her wine.
"Right," she sips as well, mimicking Delphine's more elegant movements, and attempting with poor success to not drool over the blonde's short, strapless, blood-red dress, which leaves nearly nothing to the imagination.
"What do you call yourselves?" Delphine nods her head in the direction of the three people clearing instruments and equipment off the stage.
"Subjects of Experimental Science. You know, because it's kind of tech-y," she answers, waving her fingers at one of the people on the stage. He flips her off and motions toward the remaining equipment they surely need help with. The woman makes the same motions, but toward Delphine, and shrugs her shoulders.
"That's too long," Delphine comments, swirling the liquid in her glass.
"Yeah, well I didn't come up with it," she turns back to the bar and waits awkwardly while Delphine squints her eyes and looks her over suspiciously.
"You're lying to me," she concludes. "Why would you lie to a stranger you may never see again? That's who I would burden with the truth".
"I, uh, didn't come up with the final product, but I may have provided some…key input," the woman blushes, obvious even in the dimly lit bar. "But I'm also not worried about never seeing you again. You're still going to show up here every Friday to watch us perform".
"How can you be so sure I'll keep coming after this interaction," Delphine waves her hand between them.
"You wouldn't stop. You'd miss me too much," the brunette challenges playfully.
Delphine smiles at the bar counter and finishes her wine. She sets the glass down, reaches into her bra and tosses a fifty-dollar bill next to it. "I suppose I would, wouldn't I?" She says, now with full eye contact.
Delphine walks away before the woman has the chance to compose herself.
"Cos," a woman from the stage shouts, to no reply. "Cosima," she shouts again.
"Madi. What?" Cosima finally stops staring at the door Delphine left through.
"Help. You lazy fuck," Madi orders. Cosima reluctantly makes her way over to the stage. It's almost clear now anyways. "How was that adventure?"
"I don't know," Cosima answers thoughtfully. "Actually, I really don't know. I have no clue what just happened there. Like, I thought I was being smooth or whatever, but she totally caught me off guard with…like…ambivalence, but…not?"
"This is why you're not a lyricist," the taller of the two men observes, hauling the last speaker off the stage.
"So, who is she?" Madi pulls a joint from her bra and nods her head to the back door.
"She's, uh…I don't know. Fuck I didn't even ask her what her name was," Cosima follows her past the bar she was sitting at moments ago and through the beat-up side door leading to the parking lot, happy enough to get out of doing cleanup work. "I don't know, maybe I did completely screw that up and just didn't know it".
"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," Madi flicks her lighter under the poorly rolled paper.
"I bought her the drink, stupid," Cosima steals the joint and rolls her eyes. "And what's the kill?"
"So, the cash she left on the counter was just a tip, and you paid…when?" Cosima thinks about it as she traps the fumes in her lungs. "And you know full well what 'the kill' is".
She lets the smoke out with more force than necessary, "I didn't pay. Holy shit. I don't know her name, and I let her pay for the drink I was supposed to buy her. What the fuck is wrong with me?"
"How long do you have?" Madi reclaims her joint and chuckles.
"Shut up," Cosima shoves her. They pass the joint between them until it burns up, then return to the bar to be lectured by their bandmates about teamwork.
Delphine sets her keys on the table in the foyer as silently as she can manage. Though, it's not much use since her heels make even more clatter.
"Delphine?" She hears her husband call from their living room. She was hoping he wouldn't be home. "Is that you?"
"Who else would it be?" Delphine answers, crossing her arms and ambling toward him. She knows that she's not the only woman who enters this house, she's not the only woman warming their bed. William doesn't seem like he knows she's aware of this, so she likes to provoke him sometimes.
"How was your meeting?" Will asks once she's settled on the couch next to him.
"I'm alive".
"You know, I've never liked that you have these meetings in the evening, dinner and drinks with clients, wearing that type of stuff," he nods to her skimpy dress. "But I'm glad that you've consolidated to Fridays".
"Why would you care? You're rarely home for dinner on every other day of the week anyways," she gives him a side glance and raises her eyebrow.
"Mm, does it make you jealous?" he tries to prod her lightheartedly.
"No," she answers curtly, getting up and gathering her phone and clutch. "I got over that feeling a long time ago, Will". Delphine turns to go upstairs before he can continue their equivocal conversation.
Past
"I should go talk to her," Cosima considers out loud, helping her drummer disassemble.
"What? Who?" Madi questions, not paying much attention.
"That chick at the bar. She's been coming here every night we play, but never on the nights we're not playing," the brunette nudges Madeline and they both turn to indiscreetly stare at the blonde sitting at the bar by herself.
"Well, we play on Fridays. Maybe she just comes here on Fridays. You can talk to her, but don't get this whole cosmic everything-happens-for-a-reason-especially-with-pretty-women-and-Cosima thing in your head".
"Yeah, but the last two weeks we've been moved to Saturday. But I was still here working those Fridays, so I just watched her at the bar from behind the stage. She got her fancy martini and waited, but as soon as whoever else started playing, she just left without even finishing her drink, and she always stays until she finishes her drink," Cosima explains, trying her best to convince Madi that this is in fact a cosmic everything-happens-for-a-reason-especially-with-pretty-women-and-Cosima thing.
"Whatever, Cos. She's probably here for Jeremy," Madi goes back to her task.
"I'm going to go talk to her," Cosima gets up, but only makes it half a step before Madi grabs her wrist.
"You will do no such thing. You've skipped out on cleanup the last three weeks to accost women. Talk to her next time".
"Fine".
Present
"So," Cosima takes the seat to the left of Delphine at the bar. "Couldn't resist, huh?"
Delphine holds back a smile and maintains her focus on the bar counter. "Resist what?"
"Coming back here, despite our encounter last week," Cosima clarifies with a hint of arrogance.
"I don't think resistance is really relevant when it's something you can voluntarily do or not do. Perhaps resisting the urge that may eventually motivate you to do or not do. But it's not as though your body can move without your permission in some way that you'd need to resist. Typically, at least," Delphine replies evasively, observing the bartender's chat with a patron on the other end of the bar. Cosima takes the opportunity to examine the light grey dress hugging the blonde's body.
"Smartass," she rolls her eyes. "Fine, then. Couldn't resist the urge?"
Delphine turns her head just enough to glance at Cosima and display a tenth of the smile she's hiding, "I enjoy the urge to be here. No resistance needed".
"I, uh, okay," Cosima blushes again and finds herself speechless, shaking her head trying to find something worthwhile to say before the captivating woman disappears again. "Name," she nearly shouts. "Your name, I didn't catch it last week".
"Hm," Delphine finally gives her full attention to Cosima instead of letting it wander around the room. "I don't know that giving my name out to a stalker is a wise decision".
"Well, how about I tell you my name first?"
"That would be good to know for the restraining order I'll surely have to file," Delphine looks away again, the smile peeking through more than she'd like.
"Do you want me to leave you alone?" Cosima asks in a flirty tone, but with some amount of sincerity, unsure about everything to do with her, what her comments actually mean.
"I thought you were going to tell me your name?" Delphine's teeth appear briefly to restrain the bright grin threatening her lips.
"Cosima, get your ass up here and help," the stockier brother shouts across the noisy bar with suspicious timing.
"Jack, I will give you a hundred dollars to shut the fuck up and leave me alone for the rest of the night," Cosima calls back, a bit of frustration and embarrassment in her voice.
"Two hundred," Jack negotiates. "And another hundred for packing your shit. Safely".
"Fine," Cosima shakes her head and turns back to Delphine with reddened cheeks. "So, my name's Cosima, in case you didn't hear".
"And you have hundreds of dollars to spare, it seems," she notes.
"Yeah, and you've got enough to tip the bartender fifty bucks," Cosima props her elbow on the counter and faces her new friend.
"My husband makes a lot of money and I like to spend it," Delphine sips the last of her drink and pushes her glass away.
"Wait, you're married?" Cosima asks a bit too loudly. Delphine simply holds up her hand to present the large diamond evidence. "Why'd you agree to letting me buy you a drink, then?"
She shrugs, "I like free drinks".
"Well, obviously you can afford them on your own, and then some. You should be the one buying me a drink," Cosima complains, unwilling to process the new information, and a bit upset from the disappointment.
"Didn't I buy you a glass of wine last week?" Delphine smiles softly at her in the most calming yet internally disrupting way.
"I had a tab I paid later. You just tipped," Cosima mumbles back. Delphine chuckles and shakes her head lightly. "What?" Cosima glares at the woman's profile.
"I don't know why you lie to me. You just said yourself that I should be the one buying you drinks," Delphine glances at the clock behind the bar.
"How do you know I'm lying? I could have the worst poker face in the world, but it wouldn't matter 'cause you don't look at me when I talk," Cosima protests with a moment of temper. Delphine doesn't seem affected by it.
"Your voice is enough to tell," she explains with her scheming smile. Cosima just stares at this oddity of a human. Delphine gets the bartender's attention. "Sir, would you please make my friend here an Old Fashioned. On me".
The man nods and starts the beverage.
"Cos, are you riding with us, or should we, uh, not wait up?" A high-pitched female voice comes from behind the two women. Cosima notices Delphine leaving a twenty-dollar bill on the bar as she turns around to answer Madi.
"Goodnight, Cosima," Delphine says, sliding out of her seat and heading toward the door.
Cosima tries to protest but is interrupted when the bartender finishes and delivers her drink. "Uh, thanks".
Madi chuckles, "Did you at least pay for that one?" Cosima, speechless, only shakes her head and takes a sip of the familiar alcohol. It's the drink she always gets at this particular bar. Did the woman know that? "Well, I trust you at least got her name. I don't have such high hopes about a phone number, though".
"Nope. Didn't get it," Cosima answers in a confused, hopeless voice.
"Her number or her name?" Madi asks sarcastically. However, when she sees the expression on her friend's face, she realizes that the answer is neither. "Oh my God, Cosima!" she shouts, despite the fact she's standing right next to the dazed woman.
Cosima glances to the front door of the bar in time to see the blonde woman look back over her shoulder, smile, and wink just before disappearing outside.
"What the fuck".
Pulling up in the driveway, Delphine immediately notices William's car is absent. The sense of relief that vision always brings her should be concerning, but she doesn't care. She finds her phone and looks over the last few messages sent between her and her husband, the latest one being an hour ago.
Del: I don't know when I'll be home. Don't wait up.
Will: don't worry, i'll be late too. Out with the boss, he'll probably want to drink until he blacks out. Don't expect me before midnight at the earliest.
She knows it isn't true, but she's content enough with accepting the lie. It's not like she's being completely honest about what she's doing on her Friday nights. She will tell him the location – Martell Lounge – but she's never met with a client there. Only one reason brings her back to the place every week.
Future
Delphine takes a seat at the bar, ordering a martini for herself, and waits for the brunette while the stage is being set up.
Cosima spots the blonde at the bar, wearing a familiar red dress. She smiles at the sight, at the knowledge that the woman is waiting for her. A few seconds pass before she finally decides to saunter up behind her.
"Good evening, gorgeous," she leans against the bar, facing Delphine directly.
The blonde orders a drink for her, avoiding eye contact or any attention in her general direction.
"You come here often?" She asks once the glass is delivered.
"Is that the best you've got?" Delphine smiles to herself, sipping her beverage. "Do you come here often?"
"Everyday," she responds in a heartbeat. "Just hoping someday you'll be here". The blonde raises her eyebrows and nods but doesn't respond. "So, are you single?"
"I'm afraid not," she says, explaining she's waiting for someone.
"What a bummer," Cosima sighs. "I mean, the plan was to completely seduce you. Maybe put my hand on your thigh, move in close, and kiss you passionately before making you take me home with you," she pauses for effect. "But, since you're taken, I suppose I'll just give up now".
Delphine bites her lip and closes her eyes when she feels the girl start walking away, brushing against her purposefully, letting her fingertips glide lightly across her leg.