"Look who slept late again," Cosima teases as she watches Delphine's eyes flutter open.
"You're rubbing off on me," Delphine yawns as she glances at the clock.
"In more ways than one," Cosima winks.
Delphine rolls her eyes before leaning forward and giving Cosima a kiss, "Good morning."
"Good morning," Cosima grins.
"How long have you been awake?"
"Long enough."
"Long enough for what?" Delphine asks as there's a knock at the door.
"For that," Cosima responds as she gets up and puts on a robe before answering the door. "Excellent timing," Cosima greets the server bringing their breakfast. He places their food on the dining table and accepts a tip from Cosima before leaving.
"What do you have there?" Delphine starts to pull the comforter back.
"Uh uh," Cosima stops her, "this breakfast is going to be enjoyed in bed." Cosima brings a tray over to Delphine and pulls off the cover, revealing a croissant, pain au chocolat, and fresh fruit, "Voila!"
"Mmm, merci," Delphine stretches her neck in Cosima's direction for a quick kiss before Cosima hands her a café au lait and then grabs her own identical breakfast tray and joins Delphine back in bed. "This was very sweet of you."
"Actually, it was kind of self-serving."
"How so?" Delphine wonders between bites of her croissant.
"I figured we'd need to reenergize this morning."
"Ah, yes," Delphine smiles, "last night was quite a workout."
"Yeah, well, we had to make our last night together memorable."
"Every moment with you has been memorable."
"Oh yeah? You remember every moment?"
Delphine nods, "I do. I remember every ski lesson, every date, every kiss, every time we've made love."
"Wow, I'm impressed. I don't remember anything that happened before I hit my head in the tub."
"Shut up. You remembered the exact spot we first kissed."
"That one left an impression."
"Yeah, of my body."
"Exactly, a gorgeous impression."
"And that's all you remember?"
"Hmm," Cosima thinks as she takes a bite of her pain au chocolat. "Wait, it's all coming back to me now, the skiing, the dating, the kissing, the loving."
"You better remember."
"It would take a bump a hell of a lot bigger than that to forget the best three weeks of my life."
"These have been the best three weeks of your life?"
"Yeah, learning to ski has been amazing," Delphine shoots her a look, "but not as amazing as falling in love with you."
"Good answer," Delphine gives her a kiss. "It's been the best three weeks of my life for the same reason."
"We're so sappy," Cosima declares as she takes another bite of her pastry.
"The sappiest," Delphine concurs.
They finish their breakfast and Cosima clears their trays before getting back in bed and straddling Delphine's lap. "I can't believe the next time I wake up in bed, I'm going to be all alone," Cosima laments.
"You better be," Delphine warns as her hands untie the belt on Cosima's robe and then reach inside, wrapping around her torso and settling on her butt giving her cheeks a firm squeeze.
"Oh trust me, I'll be dreaming about the next time I'm back in bed with you. Especially when I'm cold and craving the warmth of your body. Which will be everyday."
"I think we'll both be having the same dream."
"Do you feel reenergized now?" Cosima asks as she grinds her hips down against Delphine.
"Mmmhmm," Delphine responds as her lips find Cosima's neck.
"Great," Cosima smiles widely, then smothers Delphine's face with kisses before jumping out of bed.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm not going anywhere. We are. Get up."
"Cosima, it's a quarter past 10, I don't intend to get out of this bed until your shuttle is moments away from leaving."
"You'll want to get out of bed for this," Cosima insists.
"For what?"
"You'll see. Come on," Cosima reaches for Delphine's hand, "this is our last chance for a nice, long, hot shower together."
Delphine happily allows herself to be pulled out of bed for that.
A little while later, Cosima and Delphine are standing at the base of Mont Blanc with their ski gear.
"I'm ready," Cosima declares.
"Ready for what?"
"That," Cosima points up into the mountains.
"The Grands Montets?"
"That's your favorite, isn't it?"
"Yes, but it's quite advanced."
"Then I'm lucky I had such an accomplished ski instructor."
"Cosima, are you sure about this? That's a piste noir."
"I've never been more sure about anything in my life. Well, except one thing," Cosima looks at Delphine pointedly. "But I can't do it without my buddy."
"Your buddy will be right by your side," Delphine promises with a kiss.
They head over to the slopes and take the gondola lift, holding hands as it ascends the mountain.
"This is beautiful," Cosima observes as they disembark.
"It is," Delphine agrees. "Are you ready to continue up?"
"Up?" Cosima asks confused.
"Yes, this is just the mid-station, we need to take an additional lift to the summit."
Cosima follows Delphine eye-line, "Oh, wow, um, sure."
"You don't have to, we can ski from here."
"No, no, I want to do this," Cosima insists.
"Okay," Delphine smiles, "let's go."
"Whoa," Cosima exclaims as she looks down as they ride the lift, "we're kinda high, huh?"
"Just a little. You okay? You can change your mind at any time."
"Nope," Cosima shakes her head, "no mind changing."
Cosima and Delphine exit the lift and stand at the top of the slope. "This view is insane," Cosima admires as they look over the city, their heads piercing the clouds. "What's the altitude up here?"
"About 3300 meters."
"What? Holy shit. That's almost 11,000 feet."
"You still sure you want to do this?"
"Yeah, totally, I'm 100% committed to this."
"Okay, good."
"And to you," Cosima adds.
"What do you mean?"
"Remember when you told me about your dream of having a simple wedding where you'd take your vows up on the slopes and then ski down the mountain together?"
"Yes," Delphine responds cautiously.
"Would it be selfish of me if I said that I wanted to kill the chance of that ever happening with anyone else?"
"It would be very selfish," Delphine nods.
"Good," Cosima grins, "that's what I was going for."
Delphine looks around warily, "Cosima, what are you saying?"
"Don't worry, I'm not about to spring a justice of the peace on you, but I meant what I said yesterday, Delphine, I'm committed to you and to making our relationship work. I know 4,200 miles and an ocean between us isn't ideal, but I love you and I want to promise you, right here at the top of this very high, very scary mountain, that I am in this forever, if you'll have me. And it might seem foolish to say that after only three weeks, but it's what I feel with every fibre of my being. And, hopefully, in the not too distant future, if I'm lucky enough to convince you to marry me, I want to be standing at the front of that church watching you walk towards me, looking like an angel in your white gown, with all our family and friends, and even Phinny, in attendance. But this, you and me up here pledging our love to one another, I want this to be our thing, just you and me on these cold, snowy mountains in Chamonix where we met. Where I fell so many times, in so many ways, but none so hard as when I fell head over skis in love with you." Cosima notices a few tears rolling down Delphine's cheek and wipes them away with the thumb of her glove, "Hey, you're gonna get little icicles dangling off your eyelids."
"I'm sorry, I promised myself I wasn't going to cry today, but I just love you so much and I don't want you to leave."
"I know. Believe me, I don't want to leave either, but this isn't the end of anything, it's only the beginning."
"You're right," Delphine nods, "it is. And everything you want for our future, Cosima, I want it, too. Every day we've spent together, I've envisioned what a life with you would be like. To be quite honest, ever since I told you about those dreams for my wedding, I can't help imagining you there with me, in each scenario, so I really don't think it's going to take a lot of convincing to get me to agree to marry you one day."
"What were in those visions of yours exactly?"
"You'll just have to wait and see. I don't want to spoil the future for you."
"Whatever it is, if I've got you by my side, I know it's going to be incredible."
"It will be," Delphine agrees as she pulls Cosima to her for a kiss.
"I love Delphine Cormier!" Cosima screams at the top of her lungs.
"Cosima," Delphine laughs, "you can cause an avalanche yelling like that out here."
"Oh, shit, my bad. Being buried alive right now would seriously suck."
"Yes, it would," Delphine agrees.
"I love you," Cosima whispers.
"I love you," Delphine whispers back. She glances down the mountain, "Are you ready for this?"
"I was born ready," Cosima responds. Her declaration is met with a skeptical look from Delphine. "Okay, maybe born was the wrong word, but I am ready, thanks to the smartest, sexiest, most patient ski instructor of all time."
Delphine blushes, "Yes, well, I had a promising, brilliant, cheeky, trés sexy student."
"You think falling on one's ass is sexy?"
"It is when you do it."
"Delphine, I love you, but you lie."
"Okay, maybe not sexy," Delphine admits, "but it was charming."
"I'll accept charming," Cosima smirks. "Alright, let's do this. First one down has to carry the other back to the hotel on their back. Ready?"
"Not yet," Delphine grabs Cosima's face and kisses her fervently. Their eyelashes flutter together and a teardrop falls from Delphine's eye onto Cosima's cheek. Delphine kisses it away before pulling back. "Okay, now I'm ready."
They pull down their goggles and get in position. "3… 2… 1… Go!" Cosima announces before heading down the slope. Delphine remains behind for a moment, admiring Cosima's compact form, smiling at how far she's come, before starting her own descent.
"You let me win," Cosima accuses when Delphine arrives at the bottom a few seconds after her. "What? Why are you staring at me like that?"
"Cosima, you just skied the toughest piste here and stayed on your feet."
Cosima glances back up the mountain, "Holy shit! I did that!"
"Yes, you did," Delphine laughs as Cosima wraps her arms around her exuberantly.
—
"I know you let me win," Cosima says as Delphine carries her on her back after returning their skis.
"I did not."
"Delphine…"
"Okay, but it's only because I wanted to watch you ski. I can't help it, it's the instructor in me."
"And if we had really raced, you'd kick my ass."
"Yes," Delphine laughs, "most likely"
Cosima kisses the side of her face, "I'm grateful you couldn't resist watching me, I kinda like riding you."
Delphine stops dead in her tracks, "Excuse-moi?"
"Piggyback riding you," Cosima clarifies. "Wow, you've got such a dirty mind."
"Oh, I'm the one with the dirty mind? I seem to remember you expressing a similar sentiment last night."
"I plead the fifth. It's hard for me to think straight when you're naked underneath me."
"That's the understatement of the century."
"Oh, you're so hysterical." Cosima clicks her heels playfully, "Come on, horsey, giddyup."
They get a few funny looks as they walk through the lobby, with Cosima throwing in a few yee-haws for effect. When they get back to the room, Delphine drops Cosima on the bed.
"Hey, where you going?" Cosima complains as Delphine heads to the closet.
"You need to pack."
"That can wait, come back."
"Cosima," Delphine shoots her a look.
"Please," Cosima gives her a pouty lip.
Delphine walks over to the bed and looks down at Cosima, "You know we don't have time for this."
"I know, I just want to cuddle with you for a little while. That's it, I swear."
Delphine removes her jacket and climbs onto the bed, while Cosima unzips her own jacket and throws it on the floor. Delphine holds her arms open and Cosima slots herself in. Delphine's arms close around Cosima as she rests her head on Delphine's shoulder.
"This is what I'm going to miss the most," Cosima hums.
"Me too," Delphine agrees as she kisses Cosima's forehead.
They lay silently for several minutes before Cosima speaks, "I never thought I could feel this happy and sad at the same time. I wish I had the power of teleportation and could just be with you whenever I wanted. Which would pretty much be every minute of every day when I wasn't in school."
"That would be nice."
"Yeah, you'd come home from class and find me laying in your bed. Eventually it would just be the most normal thing ever."
"Coming home and finding you in my bed is already pretty normal."
"True," Cosima giggles. "But I do want to see your what your apartment in Paris looks like."
"I want to see what your apartment in Minnesota looks like, too."
"When we Skype, we can give each other tours and you can show me where you've chosen to hang our ski group photo."
"That's a wonderful idea. I have a place right by my desk for it, so whenever I'm bogged down with work, I can look at that photo and it will instantly lift my spirits."
"Well, I have pictures of you I'm gonna look at to do more than lift my spirits."
"Cosima!" Delphine gasps.
"What?" Cosima asks innocently.
"We'll schedule special Skype sessions for that."
"Ooh la la, is Dr. Cormier going to pay me a video house call?"
"Yes, well, I have to make sure my patient is getting the proper care."
"Well I wouldn't be a very good patient if I didn't make sure my doctor was adequately compensated for her treatment plan."
"Non, you wouldn't be," Delphine agrees as Cosima's lips reach for hers.
The concept of time is quickly forgotten as they get lost in long, languid kisses. It isn't until Cosima's phone buzzes loudly from its place on the night table that they're shook from their stupor.
"You should check that."
"Uh uh," Cosima reattaches her lips to Delphine's.
The phone buzzes again and Delphine nudges her to get it. Cosima reluctantly releases Delphine and grabs the phone. "Ugh," she grouses, "it's a text from Scott, the shuttle is here."
"Oh no, Cosima, you still haven't packed," Delphine says as she jumps up from the bed.
"We had better things to do." Cosima reluctantly follows her to the closet.
Cosima proceeds to toss clothing haphazardly into her luggage, while Delphine plucks them up and neatly refolds them. "Cosima," Delphine looks around nervously, "where's your—"
"Is this what you're looking for?" Cosima holds up her sweater, revealing the I heart skiing t-shirt Delphine gave her for Christmas.
"Yes," Delphine answers relieved.
"I needed something of yours to keep me warm. And I plan on sleeping in it every night until I've got you back in my arms."
Delphine closes the zipper on Cosima's bag before leaning over it to kiss Cosima, "I'm looking forward to taking it off you."
As they head out of the room, Cosima takes one last look inside, letting every memory from nap-time to bath-time to sexy-time flood her mind. She smiles before shutting the door behind them.
As they exit the hotel, the guys rush over to greet them. Delphine gives Kenny and Eugene hugs goodbye, "It was lovely meeting you both."
"You too," Kenny replies.
"Yeah," Eugene agrees.
Delphine turns to Scott, "Thank you for giving me Cosima."
"It was one of my finest mistakes," he grins.
Delphine gives him a hug and whispers in his ear, "You're a good friend, Scott. Cosima is so lucky to have you. Please take care of her for me."
"I will," he promises. The guys take Cosima's bags to the shuttle, leaving Cosima and Delphine alone.
Delphine takes both of Cosima's hands in her own, "You sure you won't change your mind and let me drive you to the airport?"
Cosima shakes her head, "I won't be able to get out of the car if you do. The guys will have to drag me to the plane, kicking and screaming, it will be an ugly scene. Besides, I wouldn't want you driving back all that way from Geneva in tears."
"In tears?" Delphine asks incredulously. "You don't think I have better control over my emotions than that?"
"Nope."
"You might be right," Delphine concedes.
"I can't believe this is it."
"For now."
"For now," Cosima agrees.
"I wrote you a poem."
"You did?" Cosima's eyes light up.
Delphine nods, "Your nose is red, Your lips are blue, Your kisses are sweet, And I love you."
"That is the corniest thing I've ever heard," Cosima laughs. "And I love you, too."
Delphine takes Cosima's face in her hands, biting her lip as she looks deeply into Cosima's eyes, "Oh my love." Both of their eyes well up with tears as their lips meet in a passionate kiss, a passion meant to sustain them both until they're reunited.
The bus's horn interrupts their bliss. Their lips part reluctantly, while they remain forehead to forehead, neither of them ready to completely let go. "I love you so much," Cosima whimpers.
"Je t'aime," Delphine responds tenderly. "You should go," she whispers.
Cosima nods, "I know."
They finally separate but remain holding hands as Cosima starts to back away, "Have a safe flight. Call me as soon as you land."
"I will," Cosima promises.
"And be nice to the boys."
"I'll try."
"Cosima," Delphine chastises.
"Okay, okay, I'll be nice."
"Good," Delphine smiles proudly as the tips of their fingers brush before they completely let go.
"I love my ski instructor," Cosima shouts from the steps of the bus.
"I love my student," Delphine yells back through her laughter.
Cosima takes a seat by the window and waves to Delphine as the bus drives off. Delphine waves back, stopping only when the bus is no longer visible.
With Cosima completely out of sight, Delphine is unable to suppress the deluge of tears that pours down her cheeks. Suddenly, her leg is embraced from behind, accompanied by a familiar squeal of "Phinny." She looks down in shock to find familiar short arms wrapped around her leg.
"Sebastian, qu'est-ce ce que tu fais là?"
"Cosima texted this morning," Delphine looks up to see Luc approaching, "she thought you might be in need of some cheering up. And from the looks of it, I think she was right," he hands her a handkerchief. "Wow, Del, you're a bit of a mess."
"Tais-toi," she curses as she dabs at her eyes.
"I already liked Cosima, but I really respect her for looking out for you like this. You've got a real keeper there."
"I know I do," Delphine agrees. "She's very special."
"Although you did just let her leave, so maybe we need to work on your keeping skills," he teases as Delphine scoops Sebastian up in her arms. "I'm sure she'll be back. Mémé told me you're in love now."
"You two really need to stop gossiping about my love life."
"Never," Luc declares as he wraps his arm around her shoulders. "What do you say we go get some ice cream?"
"I'd like that," she smiles between sniffles.
—
As the plane takes off, Cosima stares out the window, mesmerized by the sight outside, "How amazing are those mountains?"
"Pretty amazing," Scott laughs.
She turns towards him, "What's so funny?"
"You. Who is this pod person that's replaced the Cosima I flew to the Alps with?"
"Maybe I just have a newfound appreciation for nature and the snow."
"Hey, I'm not complaining, I really like pod-Cosima."
As the plane reaches cruising altitude, Cosima rummages through her carry on bag looking for her earbuds. She sticks her hand in an outside pocket only to discover it is full of Chapstick tubes. She laughs at the treasure trove before finding a folded piece of paper. She takes it out and begins reading the note to herself.
Ma Chérie,
I hope there's enough Chapstick in here to get you through the frigid Minnesota winter and keep you away from girls offering up their lips as a balm. As I'm writing this, you are sound asleep beside me. I know what you're thinking, she's watching me sleep again, well, I am. I can't help it, you look so happy and at peace when you're asleep, I could stare at you for hours and never get bored. I also want to make sure you haven't got a concussion, but judging by your amorous affections this evening, I think you're just fine. You'll probably accuse me of being sappy for writing you this letter, and maybe that's true, but I don't care. There are so many things I want to say to you, but sometimes it's easier to write them down than get caught up in the emotions of trying to verbalize it all.
Do you remember on Christmas Eve when I told you that Sebastian was the love of my life? Well, while I do love him immensely, after these past few weeks, I've come to realize that you, Cosima, are the true love of my life. And that may sound silly, as we've only been together a short while, but I feel it, and I don't want to be presumptuous, but I think that you feel it, too. Hearing you tell me you love me and want to continue our relationship was quite possibly the greatest moment of my life. I have never felt a love so overwhelmingly as I feel for you. And I mean that in the best possible way. Every single part of me comes alive when you're near and my heart feels so full that it's liable to burst at any moment. If that's not love, then I don't what is.
As hard as being separated from you will be, I know it's not the end of our story. A few days ago, I was dreading you leaving, and it still crushes me, but now I can honestly say that I am so excited for the future. For our future. Especially if it involves s'mores!
All My Love,
Delphine
"Cosima, are you okay?" Scott asks with concern.
"Yeah, yeah, I'm great," Cosima insists as she uses her hand to brush away the tears running down her cheek. Scott hands her a tissue. "Thanks," she wipes her tears then gives him a hug.
"It's just a tissue."
"Not for the tissue, for everything, for this whole trip, and especially for signing me up for ski lessons. You were right."
"I was what? Did Cosima Niehaus just admit I was right about something?"
"Shut up," she gives him playful punch in his arm. "But, really, this trip was amazing. I need to send Hell Wizard an Edible Arrangement or something to thank him for his burst appendix. Without that, none of this would have happened. Delphine and I wouldn't have happened. I cannot even imagine my life without her in it."
"You're pretty nuts about her, huh?"
"Dude, I am crazy in love with that girl."
"What's gonna happen with you two now?"
"We're both committed to this relationship. We know it won't always be easy, with school and the time difference, and you of all people know how pessimistic I can be, but I just know this is going to work out. Me and Delphine, we were meant to be. A love like that, you don't just let go of, not ever if you're lucky. And for the first time in my life, I think luck is on my side. Hell, I skied a black piste this morning and didn't fall on my ass once, if that's not luck, I don't know what is. Three weeks ago I could barely muster any enthusiasm for this trip, and now I don't even want to go home. I'm already planning my return trip to see her again next Christmas."
"That's pretty incredible."
"No, Scotty, that's love. And I can't wait to see where we go from here."
