4. Brat
Delphine was awoken, once again, by the weather. A loud burst of thunder followed flashes of lightening, which was now the only real source of light outside. Billowy grey clouds covered the sky, blotting out the sun. There had to be a severe flood warning by now, Delphine wondered how rain could last for so long.
Her thoughts quickly drew back to the bundle of warmth pressed against her chest. She could hardly believe they spent the entire day yesterday effectively pausing time, stuck in their own little private moment. With the exception of a few bathroom and kitchen trips, they had stayed in the living room all day. The notion that life would eventually go on was apparently represented by leaving the boundaries they had built. It didn't help that Delphine could hardly stand to be away from the woman more than a few minutes, as though she would disappear, not trusting reality.
There was something about Cosima that made Delphine feel both at ease and, at the same time, the very opposite. The odd woman's presence physically affected Delphine, and the touching…the sweet light confusing touches. Delphine felt like a prisoner to her body's reactions and, much more appealing, a prisoner to Cosima herself. However, her attentiveness brought Delphine out of her usually silent self. She didn't remember ever talking so much to someone. Maybe Cosima didn't like that she had talked so much, and Delphine was just misreading her. It didn't matter though, Delphine remembered, she's just a stranger, she didn't know the girl… The very sweet girl breathing softly and contentedly, sound asleep. Or so she thought…After all, Delphine had thought Cosima was asleep the whole morning yesterday, when she was very aware of everything. What a sneaky little creature she was, Delphine smiled.
She stretched her neck slightly, making sure to not disturb a sleeping (or perfectly awake) Cosima. Her eyes were closed, her face looked completely relaxed, and she seemed to really be asleep, but Delphine still wasn't sure, she was thoroughly convinced otherwise yesterday. She decided that she didn't really want to move from her position anyway, so she laid her head back down and used her free hand to sift through and examine the strange length of rough hair that was before her for the second morning in a row. Her other hand involuntarily drew Cosima closer, bringing to Delphine's attention the small detail that the arm wrapped around Cosima's waist had slyly slipped under her shirt at some point, most likely in her sleep, and was now resting on the bare skin of her abdomen. Delphine observed how taut and smooth it was, a lean kind of muscle that resembled that of a belly dancer. A fleeting image of Cosima moving and twisting sensually to her own music made its way through Delphine's mind, and she soon caught herself mindlessly exploring the expanse of Cosima's midsection. She gasped silently when she realized what she was doing, perhaps because of the act itself, or because of the fact she was enjoying it entirely, and reluctantly started to retract her hand.
"Don't you dare, Delphine," Cosima mumbled and grabbed her wrist before it could move any farther away. Delphine froze, not able to comprehend this woman's proclivity for trickery. She laughed softly out of nervousness and let her hand be guided back to its original position. She was partially mortified from being caught caressing the woman while she thought she was unconscious, but mostly thankful she wasn't in trouble for it. Delphine was pleased with her hand's new home, even if she wouldn't admit that to herself. Cosima continued, "I will not be having my superior source of warmth abandon me yet again".
Delphine lifted her head again to see that Cosima's eyes were still closed and her face looked exactly the same as it had when she was under the impression the American was far away in dream-land. She sighed softly to herself, "How do you do that, Cosima?"
"Do what?" A grin started pulling at her lips as her placid exterior cracked.
"Make me believe you are completely unconscious, sound in your slumber. For hours, too," Delphine poked at Cosima's side with her free hand, causing her to squeak with laughter and squirm in protest – the friction making Delphine an odd kind of uncomfortable – not unwelcome. The blond hoped Cosima didn't notice the deep sigh from behind her, caused by sensational sensations, like fiery tingles tightening her chest. She ceased her attack, a warm grin settling on her lips, "You are conniving, you know, tricking me like that".
Delphine felt the hand that was pressed flat against Cosima's abdomen being held securely in place, and before Delphine could question it, Cosima had turned herself around so that she was facing Delphine. The blond yelped reflexively when their noses brushed. Cosima let go of the hand she had secured, now placed on her lower back, still underneath the fabric. They weren't quite flush, but most of their bodies were in torturous contact. She felt Cosima's breath on her lips and had to fight the urge to explore the mouth it came from. Why did she have the urge in the first place, though? Perhaps the close quarters made the instinct kick in, just blind primal urges. She couldn't stop staring at Cosima's lips. Why couldn't she stop staring at Cosima's lips? Cosima's smiling, inviting, luscious lips. Her heart rate must have sky-rocketed to an unhealthy level in the span of just a couple seconds.
It seemed like forever, but Cosima finally spoke, "And what, pray tell, would I be tricking you for, Delphine?" An evil grin accompanied a challenging raised eyebrow. Delphine thought of something witty to say, but it dissipated quickly when she caught the quick trip Cosima's eyes had made to her lips. She stared blankly at the cocky girl inches away from her, earning a giggle. "You look like I just served you with a death threat," Cosima commented playfully.
Delphine blushed, yet again, trying but failing to keep the corners of her lips from lifting into a hormone-ridden smile. "Do you want breakfast?" Delphine quickly deflected to a safer topic with a silly grin.
"I want you…" Cosima brought a pointing finger up to the tip of Delphine's nose. Delphine felt herself shudder, and she was hoping it was from the unexpected nose-boop and not Cosima's words. Cosima's face was slowly filling up with a painfully large smile. She gently dropped her finger from Delphine's nose and let it brush lightly across her lips before falling between them. Cosima opened her mouth as if to speak, but then let her eyes move to Delphine's lips and stared without shame. Cosima took a half breath and looked back to Delphine's eyes while her mouth parted a hair further, "…to answer my question, my dearest baguette".
Cosima knew exactly what she was doing, Delphine could tell that much. A more pressing question, however, is why Delphine was reacting so strongly to it. Her reaction to Cosima's playful seduction made her feel pleasantly uneasy. "I, ehm…w-what was the question?" Delphine stuttered, barely over a whisper. Did she ask a question? Delphine thought to herself.
Cosima rolled her eyes and shook her head with a smile. "You're awful," she smirked, "What's for breakfast, then, chef?"
Cosima sat on the counter, popping raspberries in her mouth as she watched Delphine mix a bowl of various ingredients together. Delphine could feel eyes on her, and knew they were wandering outside the vicinity of her culinary activities. She would occasionally ask Cosima to hand her an ingredient or utensil, and Cosima seemed to make sure their hands touched every single time. Delphine found herself more at ease around Cosima now, even without the aid of alcohol. She felt confident teasing her and even being somewhat physically playful. Cosima responded well and brought out a mischievous energy in Delphine that she wasn't aware of.
Cosima was taking every opportunity she could get to dip a fleeting finger in the batter-in-progress. Each time, earning herself a slap on the hand from Delphine, and at one point, a smack on the arm with a wooden spoon. Although Delphine acted like an irritated mother, she couldn't deny the thrilling anticipation that prefaced each finger-dip and reprimand. She knew Cosima wouldn't take her seriously when she was grinning like a fool.
After the last stinging swat on Cosima's arm as she retreated her gooey finger onto her tongue, followed by the blond telling her she would be in very big trouble should she attempt another attack, she seemed to have calmed down. She swung her legs back and forth off the side of the counter as Delphine was finishing up with the batter and moving onto cooking. Delphine brought several dirty dishes to the sink behind her in the small kitchen, and when she turned around she found Cosima's hand, once again retracting from the mixing bowl and to her lips. Cosima gave a weak apologetic smile that lead Delphine to believe she was not at all sorry. Delphine rolled her eyes with a chuckle and quietly said, "My dear Cosima. Tsk. Tsk," and with a new malicious smile, Delphine sauntered toward the American, "You did ask for it…"
Delphine quickly slotted herself between Cosima's legs on the counter and forcefully wrapped her arms around her waist with a squeeze. Cosima yelped as Delphine pulled her so they were in a tight embrace and forcefully lifted her off the counter. Delphine felt Cosima shake with breathless laughter and shrieks as she clung to the back of her neck with laced fingers and wrapped her legs around Delphine's waist.
Cosima was lightweight and Delphine had no problem carrying her to the other side of the kitchen, but if she wasn't using so much physical effort, she would have been uncontrollably affected by their contact, no matter how comfortable she was becoming.
The trek across the tiny kitchen was short, but Delphine was memorizing every shape of the woman's body she could, before dropping her to the opposite counter where they had stored the extra ingredients. She was reluctant to let go but had to if she was going to continue her penalty. She kept her arm around Cosima's waist, only tight enough to keep her stationed. Meanwhile, Delphine's other hand reached around behind Cosima and gathered a handful of flour. She whispered up to Cosima's ear in her exaggerated French accent, seductively, "It seems you have an awful preference," shoving the handful of flour down the back of Cosima's shirt, "for unmade food".
Cosima tried to wriggle free, uncontrollable laughter nearly immobilizing her, but Delphine only tightened her arm around her back, continuing to cover Cosima's back, and now face, with flour and baking powder. She will admit it was an immense waste of perfectly good ingredients, but she couldn't seem to let go of Cosima. She didn't want to stop touching her. Delphine had tucked her head by Cosima's neck and shoulder, blindly spreading the mess everywhere while the poor receiver gasped for air through her laughter and attempts at liberation.
After a moment and a realization of her fate, Cosima relented, scrunched her face in that adorable way Delphine loved, and endured the torment. "Do you concede?" Delphine asked, pausing her motions threateningly, out of breath.
"Mmmmm…to my punishment, yes, but I don't know that my fingers will be able to resist the delicious temptation that got me into this position in the first place," Cosima said innocently, but the suggestions behind her words tightened Delphine's chest and raised her pulse a beat or two.
She could feel Cosima catching her breath in pants and wondered if she could feel the same breathlessness coming from Delphine on the side of her neck. Delphine felt the woman tilt her head a short distance, expanding the area of skin where Delphine was resting her head, almost inviting. She was all too aware now that if she turned her head just half and inch to the right, her lips would land perfectly on the base of Cosima's neck. She wondered what Cosima would feel like against her lips. She imagined a world where turning her head half an inch to the right would be easy. She imagined never having to let go of the woman in her embrace. She imagined many things that she never would have thought about before meeting this creature, far too inappropriate for her to feel comfortable in her capacity to keep her hands from roaming the gorgeous body so close to her. The body that was holding on to her so tightly.
"Are you what people call a glutton for punishment, Cosima?" Delphine felt her lips feather past sprinkles of flour on Cosima's neck.
"Something like that," Cosima replied weakly. She sounded out of breath, but Delphine had a feeling it wasn't from any physical struggle. Maybe she had this feeling because her own respiration was oddly similar, jagged as she felt the vibrations of Cosima's voice travel to her lips stationed at the smooth skin by her pulse. She needed to separate herself as soon as possible.
Delphine, with painful restraint, lifted her head off the warm shoulder and moved several inches away so that she could look at Cosima without being unbearably close. She noticed flushed cheeks under patches of white dust that were covering her face, neck, hair, and entire backside. Delphine felt a twinge of guilt looking at the mess she made of Cosima. "I propose you take a shower while I finish breakfast…well brunch, now," Delphine said, turning to look back at the bowl of batter next to the stovetop.
"Sounds great… One little hiccup in the plan, though," Delphine heard the devilish smile in her voice before she was able to turn back to see it. Cosima wrapped her arms around Delphine's shoulders from behind, hooking her waist with her legs. "Totally forgot where the bathroom is. Can I catch a ride?"
Delphine smiled, rolling her eyes while she made no effort to free herself from Cosima's full body trap. She exaggerated a sigh, backing up enough to curl her hands under Cosima's knees and prepare for the piggy-back-ride she was forced into, "Brat".
Cosima laughed at her retort as Delphine hoisted her onto her back and started walking out of the kitchen. The entirety of the short trip from the kitchen to the bathroom was filled with Cosima's adorable giggles while she shook the powder from her hair, purposefully all over Delphine. The blond just smiled contentedly and enjoyed every moment she had the girl wrapped around her