Cosima wakes up bright and early Monday morning and is dressed, fed, and on time to her training session. Felix has Cosima and Leda running the practice track and working on their commands when Delphine and Krystal stroll down to the fields, a platter of sandwiches in hand. They watch the action for a little while before announcing themselves.

"Felix, Cosima," Krystal shouts, "Marie sent us down with lunch for you."

Leda starts neighing and jumping at the sound of Krystal's voice.

"Whoa, girl, relax," Cosima works to calm the frazzled horse.

"Krystal, what did I tell you about speaking around Leda, especially that loudly?" Felix chastises the manicurist as he strolls over to her.

"I'm sorry, I still don't understand why she's like that," Krystal whispers. "Sandwich?"

"Don't mind if I do," Felix takes one, then turns towards Cosima and Leda. "Time for lunch, let's let Leda rest in her stall."

"Okay," Cosima dismounts and walks Leda to the stables.

Delphine heads into the stables after them, "Hi."

Cosima spins around at the sound of the other girl's voice, "Hey, Delphine."

"You looked good out there," Cosima smiles at her words. "I mean you and Leda. You work well together."

"Thanks."

"I just wanted to thank you, again, for last night."

"You're welcome. I was happy to help."

"I sorted things out with my father and he's not going to bring school or my career up again until I'm ready to talk about."

"That's good. Hopefully you'll have a stress-free summer from here on out."

"Yeah, hopefully."

Delphine's gaze lingers on Cosima a little too long, "Is there something else?"

"No, um, do you want to come have lunch with us?"

"Yeah, definitely, I'm famished."

Delphine nods and heads for the door. As soon as her back is turned, a humungous smile forms on the jockey's face as she follows after her.

Later that night, Cosima calls Tony. "Hey, Dreads, what's up?"

"Tone, I might be crazy, but I kinda think she digs me."

"Who? Del-fine?"

"Yes, Delphine."

"Damn, girl, that was quick. Tell me everything."

"There's nothing to tell really. We had lunch today with Felix and Delphine's friend, Krystal."

"Yeah and?"

"And, I don't know, I kept catching her looking at me."

"No way! She looked at you? Stop the presses, she definitely wants you."

"Shut up! Look, we kind of had a moment last night, not romantic or anything, but like a nice, friendly bonding moment, but with a little spark. At least, I felt a spark. And then today she made a point of talking to me and it could all be in my head, but I think there's something there."

"Then do something about it."

"Do what?"

"I don't know, make the first move, ask her out."

"I want to, but Felix is still insisting she's not into girls. What if I'm wrong and freak her out?"

"The way I see it, you either take the chance and find out or you never go for it and pine for the rest of your life."

"Dude, I don't pine. I'm anti-pine."

"Whatever you say. Look, maybe just spend some more time with her and work up the nerve."

"That's not a bad idea. I totally could have projected my feelings onto her this afternoon, but if we hang out together more, I'll get a clearer picture of where she stands. Assuming she wants to hang out with me."

"What time is it there?"

"9:20."

"Perfect, it's still too early to go to sleep. Call her up."

"That's a great idea, except I don't have her number."

"What? Your game is so off, that's always the first thing you get."

"I know, I know. Ugh."

"Where does she live?"

"Here."

"Here? What does that mean, is she with you right now?"

"No, here as in on the property, up at the main house."

"Are you kidding me? Then go talk to her in person, you nimrod."

"I can't just go into that house for no reason. Again."

"Again?"

"Yeah, I kinda went for breakfast the other day just so I could run into her."

"And how'd that go?"

"We spent the day together."

"See? Go. Do something like that again, maybe you'll spend the night together this time."

"Shut up." Cosima ponders the idea. "Ok, I'll give it a shot. I'll let you know how it goes."

"Good luck."

Cosima hangs up, checks herself in the mirror, takes a deep breath, and heads outside. "Hey, Delphine, I'm bored so I thought I'd come see if maybe you wanted to hang out for a bit," Cosima practices as she walks up the path towards the house.

Just as she reaches the end of the walk, a car drives past her. Cosima turns to find Delphine parking her car in the driveway.

"Hi there," Delphine says as she gets out of the car.

"Hi. Where'd you come from?"

"Krystal and I went out for dinner. She's on her way back home, she has to work early tomorrow. Were you headed up to the house?"

"Uh, no, no, I was just taking a stroll. It's really nice out tonight."

"Yeah, it is. Oh, that reminds me, Krystal said there's a meter shower tonight. Do you want to watch it with me?"

"Um, sure."

"Great, come on." Delphine leads Cosima to the open field just past the horse pen and lays down on the grass. She looks up at Cosima expectantly and pats the ground next to her. Cosima plops down beside her.

They lay on their backs, staring at the sky, their bodies separated by just a foot or so of empty space.

"I think I can make out the Big Dipper," Delphine announces after a couple minutes of silence.

"Really? Where?"

Delphine points up into the sky, "Right there."

"I don't see it," Cosima insists.

Delphine scoots closer to Cosima, picks up the other girl's hand, extends her pointer finger, and traces the pattern of stars.

With her hand tightly in Delphine's grasp, it takes every bit of strength to pay attention to the stars and not to how soft the blonde's hand is, how close Delphine's face is to hers, and how if she was to turn her head just slightly in Delphine's direction their lips would be liable to brush.

"See it now?" Delphine asks.

Cosima feels Delphine's breath on her neck, can see out of the corner of her eye that Delphine is looking at her, so she nods.

"What do you think?"

Cosima turns her head in Delphine's direction, looking her right in the eyes, suddenly unable to resist a quick glance at her lips before shifting her gaze back up, "I think it's beautiful."

Delphine smiles and Cosima smiles back, their eyes locked in an unspoken staring contest, when, suddenly, Delphine's eyes shift towards the sky, followed by her entire head. "Look," she points back in the direction of the stars and Cosima reluctantly looks away from Delphine's face and up into the sky.

"Whoa!" Cosima exclaims as meteors shoot through the atmosphere. "That's incredible."

"The wonders of the universe," Delphine marvels.

They brace their hands behind their heads and watch the light show in awe. As the last meteor leaves the sky, Cosima yawns.

"Am I boring you?" Delphine laughs.

"No, not at all, sorry, just been a long day. This was really cool, though. Thanks for sharing it with me."

"You're welcome."

"I should probably get some sleep. You want to walk back?"

"I think I'm going to stay out here a little bit longer."

"Okay, goodnight, Delphine."

"Goodnight, Cosima."

Cosima turns to leave, takes a few steps, then swings around, "Hey, Delphine," the blonde looks up at her, "I just realized I don't have your cell number, you know in case I need to quickly get in touch, like if I see a shooting star or something."

"If you see a shooting star, by the time you call me, it'll be gone."

Cosima chuckles nervously, "That's true. Well, I might also see something unusual up there and want to know what I'm looking at and, you know, if I could call or text you about it, that would be great."

"Cosima?"

"Yeah?"

"If you want my number, you don't need an excuse. We're friends, right?"

"Yeah, totally, friends."

"Give me your phone." Cosima hands her blue iPhone 5C over to Delphine, who enters her info, then dials herself. Her phone rings and she quickly ends the call. "Now I have yours, too," she smiles as she hands the phone back.

"Cool, great, thanks. Now, I really better go to sleep. Night."

"Bonne nuit."

Cosima turns and walks back to her cottage with a smile brighter than the northern star plastered on her face. Meanwhile, Delphine lays back down, holds her phone up in front of her face and saves Cosima's number as a new contact. She then stares at the new listing for a moment with her bottom lip caught between her teeth before selecting Add to Favorites. She smiles, puts her phone in her pocket, and continues to examine the sky.

The next day, Felix has Cosima and Leda doing warm-ups in the morning and racing in the afternoon.

When they hit the finish line, Felix stops the clock, "Better, but still under, she needs to be faster if you want to have any chance on Saturday."

"She's giving it all she's got, captain," Cosima states with a Scottish brogue as she pats the mane in front of her.

Felix shakes his head, "I'm surrounded by bloody nerds. She's not hitting her reserve, she's holding back, and it's up to you to help coax it out of her. Come on, let's work on commands some more. Then we'll run once more before we call it quits for today."

Later that night, after she's had dinner and taken a shower, Cosima lays in bed staring at the wall clock. It's a quarter to 9. She reaches for her phone on the bedside table, pulling up her contacts. She considers calling Tony, then scrolls up, stopping on Delphine's name. She opens the contact, then presses the send message button, bringing her to the text screen. "Just do it. You're friends, you can text her," she coaches herself.

She types a simple Whatcha doing? then hits send and waits for a response. About a minute later her phone dings.

D: I was just about to watch a movie. What are you doing?

C: Nothing. I'm kinda bored, actually.

D: Do you want to watch with me?

Cosima immediately sits up, rereading the text a few times, double checking that she's processing it correctly before responding. She opts not to sound too eager.

C: Depends, what movie?

D: Whiplash.

C: Oh, I haven't see that one yet.

D: Me either. So?

C: Yeah, sure, that would be cool.

D: Come up here.

C: Ok, be there in a sec.

Cosima looks at herself in the mirror, she's in just an oversize t-shirt and underwear. She jumps up, "Keep it casual, Cos, it's just a friendly movie night." She throws a hoodie on over her tee, then pulls on a pair of harem pants. She ties her hair up in a loose bun, then opts not to overdo it with makeup and just puts on a little blush and light lipgloss. She takes a deep breath, then exits the cottage and walks up to the house.

Cosima knocks on the door and it immediately swings open. Delphine is standing before her, her curls flowing to her shoulders, she's wearing sweatpants and a tank top. "Come on in," Delphine extends her arm into the house and Cosima steps in.

Cosima looks around, "Where are your parents?"

"Upstairs, I guess." Cosima follows Delphine into a large den with a wraparound couch and a huge flat screen tv. "Do you want a snack and something to drink? I was just going to pop some popcorn."

"Popcorn sounds good and maybe a bottle of water?"

"Coming right up. Please make yourself comfortable." Delphine exits the room and Cosima sits down on the couch.

Delphine returns a few minutes later with two bags of microwave popcorn and two bottles of water and hands Cosima hers. "Thank you."

Delphine lowers the lights, sits one cushion away from Cosima and starts the movie. Throughout the film, Cosima can't help sneaking little glances over at Delphine, who stares straight at the TV, clearly engrossed in the compelling film.

"That was intense," Delphine says when the movie ends.

"Yeah. The instructor kinda reminded me of Felix."

"No!" Delphine exclaims, mouth agape. "Is he really that bad?"

"Nah, I'm just kidding. Mostly," Cosima laughs. "I wish I could play an instrument like that. I was considering trying to learn the ukulele."

"You should, it's a great stress reliever. I actually played the drums throughout high school."

"No way."

"Yes, way. Not as good as Andrew, but well enough."

"Oh, man, I'd love to see that."

"Yeah?"

Cosima nods, "Especially after that movie."

"Follow me," Delphine stands up and starts walking out of the den, Cosima hops to her feet and trails after her. Delphine opens a door and they walk down a flight of steps into the basement. There sits a drum set.

"Shit, you weren't kidding," Cosima marvels as Delphine sits down at the kit. "Wait, won't you annoy your parents?"

"Sound proofing," Delphine points to the walls. "We're fine. But, it's been a while, so I might be a little rusty."

Cosima sits in a chair across from Delphine as the blonde adjusts the drums and cymbals.

Delphine claps the sticks together and then starts banging on the drums. Cosima sits there mesmerized, a big smile plastered on her face, as she watches Delphine get lost in the music. When Delphine finishes, Cosima claps loudly for her, "That was amazing."

"Thank you."

"The Cure, right?"

"Oui, Just Like Heaven."

"That's a great song."

"Yeah, I think it's the best love song ever."

"Ever?" Cosima asks, "I don't know about that."

"No? What do you think the best love song is?"

Cosima ponders the question for a moment, "Silly Love Songs."

"Silly Love Songs? I don't know that one."

"It's a Paul McCartney song, from when he was with Wings. It was actually my parents' wedding song and they play it every year on their anniversary. I guess when I think of love, I think of that song."

"That's really sweet. I'll have to listen to it."

"Yeah, I think you'd like it."

"Hey, maybe you should learn the ukulele and we can have jam sessions down here," Delphine suggests. "I always wanted Krystal to take up an instrument, but she said it would wreck her nails."

Cosima laughs, "Makes sense, especially in her current line of work. A drum and a ukulele, though, that could be interesting."

"I bet It would sound great."

"If I ever get around to buying one and learning to play, that could be fun. Right now, though, I should probably go get some shut eye."

"Yeah, it is pretty late," Delphine agrees and she walks Cosima upstairs to the front door. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Delphine." Cosima leaves and Delphine closes the front door and makes a beeline for her laptop.

— — —

"Cosima, that was much better, you and Leda are only slightly under last years' winning time for Arkansas," Felix applauds the next day at training. "I think we're good to go."

"Awesome, man."

"We leave at 7, that's two hours from now, don't be late," Felix instructs as he walks Leda to the stables.

"I won't," Cosima turns on her heel and sees Delphine standing by the fence.

"You were really fast," Delphine shouts.

Cosima jogs over to the blonde, "It was all Leda."

"I don't know, you seemed to be in control."

"I think we have a mutual respect for one another. She listens to me and I trust her to find the right gears." Cosima notices that Delphine's hands are behind her back. "Hey, whatcha got there?" She tries to peek around Delphine's back, but the blonde shifts her body away.

"Got where?" Delphine asks innocently.

"Behind you," she points. "Come on, show me."

"Ok, close your eyes," Delphine orders and Cosima does as told. "Now open them."

Cosima opens her eyes and looks down at Delphine's hands, "Holy shit, is that for me?"

Delphine nods, "It is."

"A ukulele?"

"Yes."

"Delphine, oh my god, you didn't have to get me that."

"I know, but I wanted to. Now you have no excuse not to learn to play and jam with me." Delphine reaches into a bag at her feet, "I also got you this."

Cosima takes the book, "Teach Yourself to Play Ukulele."

"And this," she hands over a spiral-bound book. "It's got sheet music and I circled all the ones I already know how to play on the drums."

"This is so awesome! Thank you," Cosima leans forward and envelops Delphine in a hug.

"You're welcome," Delphine squeezes her back. "I figured you'll have a lot of time to practice on the bus."

"Felix is going to hate that."

"I know, that's part of the joy," Delphine grins.

"Good, then I'm blaming you when he shouts at me."

"I'll gladly take the blame."

"Hey, are you busy right now?"

"No, why?"

"I have a couple hours to kill and I'm already pretty much packed, do you want to get some pizza or something?"

"Sure."

"Great, let me just put my fab new uke in my place and then I'll meet you at your car."

Cosima runs to her cottage and puts her gifts in her bedroom, she glances at the piles of clothing on her bed and at her unpacked bag. "It's fine, I'll just pack quickly after dinner," she assures herself before running out to meet Delphine.

— — —

"So are you going to be in Arkansas on Saturday," Cosima asks Delphine as they share a pie at Angela's Pizzeria.

"Of course. My parents and I fly out early Saturday morning, so we'll be there well before the race starts. I'm looking forward to seeing you and Leda. Will your parents be attending?"

"No, they're actually in Israel right now."

"Israel? Wow. What are they doing there?"

"There's a huge archaeological dig going on for the next few months. They had signed up to go before I got hired to ride Leda. When they found out about this, they said they'd cancel, but this is something they've wanted to do for a really long time and so I said they should go, indulge in their passion while I indulge in mine. The time difference is kinda tough, but we email all the time, they've been sending me pictures and I've been updating them on my progress. They'll definitely watch the races online."

"So are your parents archaeologists then?"

"No, my mom is a curator at the California Academy of Sciences and my dad is a history professor at UCSF. They met in college, actually, and both have a major passion for ancient relics. They've gone on several digs over the years, but this is a big bucket list one."

"That sounds exciting."

"Yeah, it really is."

"What spurred your interest in biology?"

"Part of it was my mom and spending a lot of time at the museum growing up, but then in high school I had a really great bio teacher who made learning really fun. One day it hit me that, in the future, I'd love to teach kids science, to get them as excited about it as he got me. Don't get me wrong, though, I hope to have a long career as a jockey, but one day."

"I think that's great and, hey, I'm never going to argue with anyone who has a passion for science."

"Has your family been involved in the racehorse business a long time?"

"Yes. My grand-père owned racehorses in France, so Papa grew up around them and worked with his father until he decided to branch out into American horse racing. Which is when we moved here."

"How old were you then?"

"Six and a half."

"Do you miss France?"

"I did, at first, but I was young so I adjusted pretty quickly and we'd go back every year for the holidays."

"When did you start going to boarding school?"

"Freshman year of high school. It was in Arlington, so it wasn't very far and I'd come home often. It was my choice to go. I had an old friend from France, Danielle, who I always kept up with, whose father was a diplomat and she was enrolling in the school and was telling me all about the programs there, so I begged my parents to send me. I loved it there and that's where I met Krystal, we were roommates all 4 years."

"Where did you go for undergrad?"

"Fordham. It's one of the few schools with a Pre-Veterinary program and the idea of living so close to Manhattan was very appealing."

"I've never spent much time in New York. I was there just once with my parents for vacation when I was 10 and I remember we visited all the museums."

"It's a great city. Maybe you'll have time to sightsee after Belmont."

"Yeah, that would be fun. Not to bring up a sore subject from the other day when your dad was asking about office space, but do you think you'll settle here in Virginia?"

"I'm not sure. I do love it here, it's peaceful, and there are a lot of horses around to take care of, but I also love the city. Sometimes I think about settling somewhere central, so I can have the best of both worlds. The quiet of the country when I just want to breathe, but the bustle of a city when I want that energy and vibe, you know?"

"Yeah, I get it, I kinda feel the same. It's so beautiful here and the air just feels cleaner, but big cities really offer a lot of culture and diversity that you don't always find in the country."

"Oh yes, and I imagine San Francisco is one of the most diverse."

"Very. There are people from so many different countries, backgrounds, cultures. Every race and religion is represented. It's pretty amazing."

"I think I'd like to visit one day."

"You really should. And I would be happy to show you around."

"I just might take you up on that," Delphine smiles.

"I hope you like public transportation though, cause I don't drive."

"Public transportation is fine, but why don't you drive?"

"Well, cause I kinda suck at it. Failed the road test three times, so I just gave up. You can get around San Fran pretty easily without a car."

Delphine giggles, "So you can ride a horse, but not a car. Interesting."

"Hey, they're completely different. The horse just has to follow a circle and there's no parallel parking involved."

"Okay, you're right." Delphine grins and glances at her watch, "Oh, mon dieu, it's nearly seven, we better get you back for your trip."

"And I still need to pack."

"You said you already packed."

"No, I said I was pretty much packed, which, in Cosima speak, means I have piles all over my bed that I need to shove into my bag."

"Felix is going to kill you, come on, I'll take care of the bill," Delphine throws money down on the table and they rush out. Delphine speeds back to the house, pulling into the driveway to find a perturbed looking Felix waiting.

"Cosima, it's five past," he complains.

"I'm so sorry, we went for pizza and kinda lost track of time. I'll just be a minute." Cosima runs to her cottage while Delphine stays behind with Felix.

"It's my fault, I should have watched the time better."

"No, she's got a chronic lateness problem, which has improved, but I'm not surprised. Looks like you two are getting on pretty well," Felix notes.

Delphine nods, "She's become a good friend."

"Friend," Felix repeats.

"Yes, friend. Is that so surprising?"

"No. Well, a little."

Delphine glares at him just as Cosima comes running towards them, her bag hanging from her right shoulder, overflowing with clothes, and her ukulele in her left hand.

"Oh no, what is that?" Felix points to her hand.

"Oh this?" Cosima holds up the instrument and he nods with a look of disgust in his eyes. "This is a ukulele. Delphine got it for me."

Felix turns to Delphine, "You really live just to torture me, don't you?"

"It's why I'm on this earth," Delphine responds. "Have a fun trip," she pats him on the back. "Bye, Cosima, see you Saturday."

"Bye, Delphine."

Felix and Cosima walk towards a bus and trailer parked in front of the stables. A man and woman are standing by the steps to the bus. "Leda is already in the trailer, Cal here will be her chauffeur, and this is Sarah, she will be guiding our bus tonight."

They all shake hands and exchange pleasantries before boarding the vehicles.

After making small talk on the bus for a while, Cosima decides to try her hand at the ukulele. She opens the book and starts to strum along to the instruction.

"You know she thinks of you as just a friend, right?" Felix asks.

"Yes, I know, thanks for the reminder."

"Just making sure you're not getting any crazy ideas." Felix puts in his earbuds and lays down in his bed while Cosima continues to strum.

"What was he on about?" Sarah asks from the driver's seat.

"He doesn't approve of my crush on Delphine."

"You've got a thing for the boss's daughter?"

"Yup. She got me this, actually, just because I mentioned wanting to learn how to play."

"That's sweet. Do you think she fancies you?"

"I don't know. Felix says she only likes guys, but a few times this week I've felt some electricity between us. I guess I could be imagining it, but I don't think so."

"Then keep the faith and stick to it. I was not easy when Cal was courting me, but he didn't give up and we've been together nearly two years now."

"Nice, thanks for the encouragement. Do you mind if I play a little longer?"

"Nah, go right ahead."

Cosima picks up her ukulele and strums along to the chords in the book. She continues like that for the next couple hours until her eyes start to close and she finally puts it down and goes to sleep.

They arrive in Little Rock just after 9am and, after a quick stop for breakfast at Denny's, head to a practice track and get a few runs in before Leda is brought to the stables where she's being hosted for the Arkansas Derby. Felix and Cosima retreat to their hotel to rest up before dinner. Later that night, Felix invites Cosima to go dancing at a club in town, but she says she's tired and prefers to stay at the hotel.

Cosima sits on the bed and strums her ukulele. Suddenly, her phone buzzes and she stops playing to check the message. It's from Delphine and Cosima perks up immediately.

D: How's Arkansas?

C: So far, so good.

D: What are you up to tonight?

C: Practicing.

D: What? Does Felix have you on Leda this evening?

C: No, I meant practicing the ukulele.

D: Oh, lol. That's better, but don't you want to go out and do something fun?

C: This is fun. Besides, I need to get as good at the ukulele as you are at the drums so we can jam.

D: That's true.

C: You got any plans for this evening?

D: No, it's kinda boring around here right now.

C: Missing me? :P

D: Maybe a little ;)

Cosima can't stop her face from brightening at that admission.

C: Well, maybe I miss you a little, too.

They text for a while longer about nothing in particular, but important enough to make Cosima's heart flutter a bit each time her phone alerts her to a new message. Eventually Delphine's responses come at a slower pace until she no longer responds and Cosima takes that as a clue that the blonde has probably fallen asleep. Cosima picks up her ukulele and plays until she drifts off into dreamland herself.