So I've gotten a good response to this story so far so I'm definitely gonna stick with it! Sorry for the delay in updating, I was working on a sort of a chapter by chapter plan for the story. Anyway, hope you enjoy!

Chapter 3: Inside My Mind

It's safe to say that the two weeks that Delphine has been here have been pretty uneventful. I spend my days at the skate park with my long board but the atmosphere is pretty dull and it's too hot for me to get really into it. So I usually end of chilling in the shade for a while then going home to just lounge around. I checked with a few of my friends to see if they were around but they were all either out of the city or working.

Working is what I really should be doing now that Cyrus and I aren't spending the summer together. I had saved up all my money from my waitressing job and then begged and I mean begged for them to let me go for the summer. My boss, Mrs. S was really understanding and told me to go and have fun. I checked in with my friend Sarah who works there too but she told me that they had taken on a whole load of new staff so I couldn't go back until September.

So that leaves me with a whole load of money and no one to spend it with. Oh well, I'm sure my friends will get some free time soon and we can do some stuff together.

While my days are boring my nights have turned out to be quite interesting. Delphine and Cyrus are never around during the day, Cyrus is always taking her out to meet someone or do something in the city. Each night Delphine regales me with what they got up to that day. Sometimes I find myself waiting up for them to come in just so I can talk to her. Actually, I wait up every night, I don't even know why because on nights where they get in particularly late I pretend that I'm asleep so that Delphine doesn't think I'm waiting for her.

The first few days were when Delphine came in the most excited. She told me about how Cyrus had introduced her to all of his friends and that they got along really well. Cyrus had also walked her around the best parts of the city. However, with each day Delphine seemed less and less enthusiastic. Her days were getting repetitive and she didn't want to say it but I knew she was a little bored. She insisted that Cyrus' friends were lovely and that she really liked them but that every day they just seemed to hang out at a different friend's house. Cyrus never ignored her or left her alone to be with his friends but he also seemed to have run out of ideas for what they could do together.

Delphine had definitely come in tipsy a few times as well. I could tell from her staggered footsteps and quiet mumbling to herself that wouldn't normally occur. Cyrus was clearly giving her a taste of the American house party experience. From what I could tell she was enjoying them. She always told me that the drinks were flowing and the atmosphere was good and that she never let herself get too messy but that was usually the extent of it which led me to believe that her and Cyrus probably just spent most of the night in each other's laps, if not in somebody's bedroom. She was always careful not to get too graphic about that aspect of their relationship which I greatly appreciated because ew gross, he's my brother but there was definitely another reason why she held back about it that I haven't quite figured out yet.

They had even asked me to accompany them a couple of times but I really didn't want to be the third wheel even though they promised there would be other people. I like Cyrus' friends too but for some reason watching Cyrus with Delphine irked me and I don't think his friends would even be enough of a distraction.

I check the time on my phone and see that's just before midnight. If Cyrus and Delphine aren't back already then it's probably going to be another late night. I frown because that means there won't be a late night chat with Delphine. I yawn and stretch, it seems I'm actually pretty tired after my long day of doing next to nothing. I reach over and grab my laptop from my nightstand. I may as well put a movie on and attempt to go asleep to it, I'm too tired to wait up for Delphine tonight.

I flick through my netflix account hoping that something will catch my eye. I'm in one of those moods where I can't decide on anything. Do I want to watch a fairly new movie? Do I want action? Sci fy? Romance? I exhale heavily as I move to the next category. The animated movies roll up and I know that this is the route I wanna go. I move my laptop to the side and settle down into my pillows as I press play. I sigh contentedly, Despicable Me never gets old.

About fifteen minutes in I already feel myself drifting off so I take off my glasses and put them on my locker. I close my eyes and just listen to the voices of the movie as I get ready to sleep.

I feel like I've only been out like two minutes when I hear my bedroom door creak open. I blearily open my eyes but everything is a blur. I blindly search for my glasses in the dark and put them on. When I can finally see I find that Delphine is grimacing at me apologetically, clearly sorry for waking me up. I hear sounds from my laptop and notice that the movie is still playing. It's actually only about half an hour in. Huh, I guess I was only asleep for a few minutes. I pause it to stop the noise.

Delphine rests her hand on the end of my bed.

"I'm sorry for waking you."

I look up at her and wave my hand, hoping she can see my gesture in the little light that my laptop gives off.

"It's totally cool," I assure her. "I literally just nodded off."

"That's even worse," Delphine points out.

"Maybe," I laugh comfortably. "You're back early if you were at a party," I notice.

"I wasn't feeling well so I asked Cyrus if we could leave early," Delphine explains.

Delphine's voice is steady and her words are clear so I conclude that she wasn't feeling unwell from drinking too much. I don't think she has anything at all to drink actually.

"Are you ok? Is there anything I can get you?" I ask.

"No, thank you, it's just period cramps but I get them quite badly. Cyrus already gave me some painkillers," Delphine says as she rubs on her lower stomach, clearly still in pain.

"I have this killer herbal tea that I drink when I get like that. It always makes me feel better if you'd like some?" I offer sitting up properly in my bed.

"That sounds great actually," she admits. "Is it in the kitchen? Where can I find it?"

Delphine begins to walk back over to the door waiting for my response but I jump up out of the bed ahead of her.

"Let me get it, you go lay down," I practically order her. She looks at me and she knows from my tone that either way I'm going to get that tea for her. In any other condition she may have fought me on it but she winces again and nods her head gratefully. I sit her down on my bed carefully.

"Just wait here ok? I'll be five minutes tops," I promise with a smile.

I leave my room and dash downstairs as quietly as I can. Once in the kitchen I flick the kettle on and move to the cupboard to get a mug. I'm feeling like she is going to need a lot so I automatically take out the biggest mug I can find. I put it down beside the kettle and get the tea from the press. I put some honey into the bottom of the mug and when the kettle is boiled I fill it up. I leave the tea bag in the hot water for a few moments as I go to my secret stash of chocolate in the back of the press. I don't know what Delphine likes so I just grab some plain milk chocolate.

I take out the tea bag and put a drop of cold water in to cool it down. I carefully make my way back upstairs in the dark. I push my door open with my hip and back into the room. I watch as Delphine sits up from lying curled up at the end of my bed. The painkillers musn't be doing very much. I notice that she has also changed into her pyjamas.

She reaches out and I gently place the mug into her hands and she hums instantly at the warmth.

"I didn't know how you'd like it so I just made it how I take mine," I inform her.

Delphine puts her nose over the rim and inhales deeply.

"It smells great," she says sleepily.

I sit down at the top of the bed and watch expectantly to see if she likes it. She looks up at me after she takes a sip and smiles.

"This is amazing," she says with more energy than before.

"I'm glad you like it," I say while nodding. "Really, help yourself to it anytime you want."

She nods to let me know that she heard me as she drinks deeply.

"I also brought you some chocolate," I say shyly as I place the bar down on the bed and nudge it towards her.

"You really didn't have to do that but I really appreciate it," she tells me.

I tuck my feet under my duvet and sit there feeling a little bit awkward. I really should have made myself a mug. I turn on my bedside lamp so that we aren't just sitting there in the dark hardly able to see each other. Delphine smiles at me and I look down at my hands.

"This mug is so cute," she says and my eyes snap up to look at it.

"Oh, yeah, I collect Disney mugs," I say in embarrassment as I scratch the back of my head.

"I like it, The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of my favourites," she informs me.

"Really?" I ask in earnest. "Not everyone appreciates it's genius."

"I know!" she replies excitedly. "What's not to love though? It's perfect for both Halloween AND Christmas."

"Exactly!" I agree laughing.

We laugh together for a moment until a natural silence falls between us.

"I feel much better now," Delphine says looking at me directly. "Thank you, Cosima."

I feel a fluttering in my stomach when she says my name and I smile brightly at her. She then picks up the chocolate to open it. She realises that she can't hold her tea and open it at the same time so she looks to me for help. I reach over and take the chocolate from her hand. I snap off a few pieces and hand them to her.

"What were you watching?" she asks as she nibbles on the chocolate.

"Despicable Me," I tell her unashamedly. She already knows I collect Disney mugs, what's the point in being embarrassed about this?

"I have never seen it."

"You're missing out," I say with a smirk. "It's cinematic genius."

"I'll have to watch it so."

"Well I'm only like half an hour in, you can watch it with me if you want but I can't guarantee that I'll be able to stay awake."

"Ok," she says with a nod, "I can never sleep when I have cramps like this anyway."

"Are you still in a lot of pain?" I ask concerned.

"Not as much as before but enough to keep me awake," she explains. I slouch against my pillows and move the laptop into the middle of the bed as she gets up and moves around to get into the other side. She props the pillows up against the headboard and leans back against them.

"Well hopefully the movie will keep you distracted," I say as I move the cursor across the screen to press play.

"I'm sure it will," Delphine says in a soft tone as she shuffles closer to me to get a better view of the screen.

"Can you see ok?" I ask as the movie plays again. She shuffles down a bit more until we are at the same level.

"Yes, perfectly," she confirms.

As soon as I settle back down into my pillows I feel sleep pulling at my consciousness and my eyes grow heavy. As much as I want to stay awake to see if Delphine enjoys the movie I know that it is unlikely to happen. I feel my elbow come in contact with Delphine's. Even the fluttering that erupts in my chest doesn't energise me and I don't bother pulling my elbow away. My last thoughts before I succumb to sleep are that Delphine didn't pull her elbow away either.

...

I awake with a stir and a groan at the pain in my head. Confused, I reach my hand up to rub at my eyes but they glance off my glasses and I groan even more when I realise the cause of the pain. I had fallen asleep with my glasses on and now my right temple is definitely feeling it. I slip my glasses off and fold them up in my hands. I turn over to lie on my other side because it's not as sore.

I jolt back when I'm met with a lumpy blur. I quickly slip my glasses back on and my eyebrows raise in surprise. I'm confronted with a thick mess of blonde curls on the pillow across from me. My laptop lies on the bed between us, still open. She must have fallen asleep during the movie too otherwise I figure she would have closed the laptop and moved back to her own bed.

Not that I'm complaining. I'm quickly noticing how nice it is to wake up next to somebody, even when that somebody is your brother's girlfriend. It's comforting to wake up in a warmth that isn't entirely your own. As Delphine turns over, the air beneath the duvet shifts and spreads towards me, wrapping me up in her warmth. Her smell washes over me and I close my eyes. I open my eyes again and look at her sleeping face. She looks cosy with her arm holding the duvet close to her but her sleep doesn't look entirely peaceful. I furrow my brow and wonder if she is still in pain, even as she sleeps. She fitfully pulls the duvet closer to her and she curls up a bit. There is a distinctive crease in her brow that is visible to me until one of her curls falls across her face, obstructing my view.

I absentmindedly reach out and sweep it back, the tips of my fingers lightly grazing her forehead as they move the lock of hair. Delphine exhales heavily and I freeze, realisation washing over me. What would she think if she woke up right now and saw me touching her hair?! As I gently let go of her hair the crease in her brow clears and she looks much more peaceful than before.

I know that I could lay there and just watch her sleep for hours but if she wakes up and sees me then that would be the most awkward thing ever. Instead, I carefully extricate myself from the covers and get up. I pick my phone up from the dresser and look at the time. It's not even 9am yet but there is no way that I can go back to sleep. Not with her there.

I grab some shorts and a t-shirt from my wardrobe and quickly change. I don't bother leaving the room, Delphine is fast asleep. I slip on some runners and head downstairs. All is quiet so Mom and Dad must have gone to work already and I imagine that Cyrus is still in bed.

I step outside into the morning sunshine and smile. I do some basic stretches on the front porch. An early morning run is just what I need to clear my head and feel rejuvenated. Once I finish my stretches I head off on my regular route. I'm by no means a fitness fanatic but I like to run, it keeps me feeling fresh.

With each block it gets harder to keep Delphine from entering my mind. I stop to catch my breath and lean over to rest my hands on my knees. I'm a smart girl, I know what I'm feeling but if I admit it, if I string those words together then it becomes real and everything will become fifty times harder. If I formulate these thoughts and put them together, if I label them then it officially becomes an issue. It becomes a thing that I have to hide from my brother. It will make sharing a room with her next to impossible. It means that I'll have to distance myself from someone that I've felt more akin to than anyone.

And I just don't know if I can bring myself to do that.

When I get back to my house I feel more tired from my run than I usually do. I trudge up the stairs to my room. I see Cyrus standing at my door.

"What are you doing?"

He turns on the spot and looks at me confused.

"Oh you're up," he says stating the obvious. "I was just about to check on Delphine, she wasn't feeling too well last night."

"Yeah she told me, hopefully she's feeling better this morning."

I go into my room ahead of him and go straight to my dresser to route out some clothes for the day. I hear Cyrus walk over to my bed and sit down. I look over my shoulder and see Delphine waking up blearily. Cyrus is sitting on my side of the bed and has his arm draped across Delphine's pillow. I know that he is about to lean down to kiss her so I turn back to my dresser.

"You feeling better this morning?" I hear him ask and I judge it safe enough to turn back around. Delphine is tucked into his side and I try not to glower. I really need them to stop acting coupley when they're in my room.

"Much better," Delphine says with a yawn. "Although I don't think that I have the energy for much today."

"That's cool, we can just hang around here today," Cyrus agrees. "We can watch some movies, order a pizza, whatever you want ok?"

Delphine nods with a small smile.

"Cosima, you in?" Cyrus asks. Oh god, the last thing I want is to spend all day cooped up in the house with them. That means I need to think of an excuse to leave and fast.

"Eh…actually, I was gonna shower and then head out to see…Sarah, yeah Sarah," I lie.

"Really? I thought she was working this week?" Cyrus asks in confusion.

Of course that's the one piece of information he actually decides to remember.

"Well she texted me saying she got the day off so I'm gonna spend it with her," I make up.

"So…you and Sarah are…?" Cyrus asks suggestively.

I narrow my eyes at him not quite catching his drift. My eyes nearly bug out of my head when I get it.

"Me and Sarah?! Cyrus, we are just friends. Please stop thinking that every girl's name that I mention is something more," I beg exasperated.

"What? I'm just being curious. You didn't really tell me much while I was away about who you dated," he defends himself.

Delphine looks at me curiously.

"There was no one worth mentioning," I say honestly. "If there were I would tell you, I promise."

Cyrus nods, happy with my answer.

"Well, I'm gonna go shower," I say in order to avoid anymore questions.

….

When I'm finished my shower and go back to my room Delphine is nowhere to be seen but Cyrus is sitting on my bed waiting for me.

"Where's Delphine?" I ask as I dry my hair with a towel.

"She's downstairs picking some DVDs," he says.

"Then what are you doing up here?"

"I wanted to talk to you about something," he starts off awkwardly. He had never been good at talking about things seriously.

"Shoot," I tell him.

"It's about Delphine," he says.

"What about her?" I ask turning away to find my hairdryer.

"You like her, right?"

I freeze in my movements and try to appear neutral as I slowly turn to face him.

"What do you mean?" I ask nonchalantly shrugging my shoulders.

"You get along right? You two are friends?"

I try not to sigh in relief too obviously.

"Of course we're friends, we talk nearly every night," I assure him.

Cyrus scratches the back of his neck and shrugs his shoulders.

"That's what I thought," he says. "It's just that Delphine thinks that you don't like her that much."

My stomach twists with a mixture of emotions. I feel regret at making her question whether I like her or not but I'm also thrilled that she likes me enough to care about what I think.

"What makes her think that?" I ask as I take out my hairdryer.

"It's just that we've asked you to come along with us to parties a few times and you always turn us down. Delphine thinks it's because you don't want to hang out with her," Cyrus explains.

"Cy, please tell her not to worry," I beg. "I would totally tag along with you if she was just your friend but you're a couple and I really don't feel like third wheeling it with my brother and his girlfriend."

"That makes sense," he agrees. "But maybe next time you could come along with us? Just one time? I promise you'll have fun and it would really make Delphine feel better."

"Umm…" I pause trying to think of an excuse.

"Please, Cosima? It would mean so much to me," Cyrus begs.

"Ok, yeah sure fine," I relent. "But it better be a damn good party."

Cyrus smiles brightly and jogs across the room giving me a bear hug.

"Thank you so much!" he says happily and I smile. When he lets me go he runs off downstairs, presumably to explain everything to Delphine.

I feel a little bad. I didn't know that Delphine thought I didn't like her. I thought we were getting along really well. I sincerely thought that if she was having a problem that she would just ask me about it.

After I dry my hair I head downstairs. I walk into the living room and find them curled up together on the couch about to start a movie. Delphine smiles shyly at me.

"I'm glad you're going to go with us to the party tomorrow, Cosima," she says genuinely.

I turn and look at Cyrus incredulously.

"You never said it was tomorrow," I say with a tight smile.

"Sorry, it slipped my mind, I was just psyched when you said yes," he apologises.

"Tomorrow isn't a problem for you is it? You didn't already have plans or anything?" Delphine asks worriedly.

Seeing how much she seems to care about whether I go really gets to me.

"No, no, it's cool. Tomorrow totally works for me," I assure her.

"Great," they say in unison.

"Well I better go," I say as I head towards the door, "Sarah is probably waiting for me."

"Bye!" they call after me as I close the door behind me.

I groan in frustration as I think about going to this party with them tomorrow. I can't think about for too long though because I have other matters at hand. I pull out my phone and quickly put in her number.

"Hello?" she answers with her distinctly British accent.

"Hey Sarah," I sigh. "Please tell me you're free today."

…

I know that the plot progression is a little slow for now but I want to build their relationship bit by bit! I plan on there being a change of pace in the next chapter though. Also, for those of you who were wondering, yes, Cophine is most definitely endgame! Let me know what you thought :)

-Aisling x