The sound of a ringing phone rouses Cosima from a blissful sleep. She opens her eyes to find a long, pale neck in her line of sight. She ignores the phone, opting instead to press her mouth against the exposed expanse of skin.
Delphine smiles at the feel of warm lips and tongue on her neck and slowly opens her eyes. Cosima's right arm is stretched across her torso, their fingers entwined atop her belly, and their legs wrapped around one another. Delphine can't remember ever waking up and feeling this secure in someone else's arms. She turns her head, "Hi."
"Hi," Cosima grins as her lips move from Delphine's neck to her mouth.
"Have you been awake long?"
"No, the phone just woke me up."
"Who was it?"
Cosima shrugs, "I didn't answer."
"Why not?"
"I got distracted by the naked girl in my bed."
Delphine smiles and kisses Cosima, "What time is it?"
Cosima quickly glances at the clock, "11:45."
Delphine quickly sits up, "Cosima, there's a luncheon at 1 you have to attend."
"No way, I'm too tired."
"That's what you get for insisting on staying up all night."
"Hey, I didn't hear you complaining. In fact, I'm certain I heard the opposite of complaining."
Delphine pokes Cosima in the side, "No, I was definitely not complaining."
"So last night was good?"
"Good? It was far better than good." Delphine searches for the right words then grins, "You shook me all night long."
Cosima smirks, "Did I knock you out with my American thighs?"
Delphine nods, "You took more than your share, had me fighting for air."
"You told me to come, but I was already there," Cosima's hand slides down between Delphine's legs.
Delphine grabs her wrist, "Cosima, we can't start this again right now, you need to get ready for the luncheon and I need to go back to my room to shower and change. I can't exactly wear the same outfit I had on yesterday."
"Fine, but there's a perfectly good shower here. Big enough for two," Cosima winks as she slides off the bed, swaying her hips as she heads to the bathroom.
Delphine's eyes are glued to her ass as she goes. As soon as she hears Cosima turn on the water, she jumps out of bed and hurries to join her.
At 1:11, Cosima enters the luncheon. She looks around and spots Felix sitting with Krystal, Pierre and Marie.
"Sorry I'm late," Cosima apologizes as she reaches the table.
"Cosima," Pierre stands up as she takes a seat, "how are you feeling?"
"Um, feeling?" she asks with confusion.
"We were all concerned when you left the press conference so abruptly. Felix explained you had been battling food poisoning."
Cosima looks over at Felix, who nods subtly, "Oh, yeah, I guess what I had for lunch yesterday didn't agree with me. I just couldn't keep it down any longer, but I'm feeling much better now. I'm really sorry about the press conference, I hope the reporters weren't too upset."
"No, no. Of course they had more questions for you, but once Felix explained the situation, they understood. Felix even jumped in and fielded questions on your behalf."
"Thank you, Felix."
"No problem. When I saw you rush out of the room like that, I knew you mustn't have been able to keep it contained any longer. It was that French dish, wasn't it?" he smirks.
"French?" Marie questions.
Cosima gives Felix a death glare as she turns towards Marie, "Oh, um, I tried some escargot yesterday, guess it wasn't very fresh."
"Oh my. If you want to try escargot, I know a great place in Virginia we can take you to, you have to be very careful where you order it."
"Lesson learned. Thank you, Marie."
"Oh, there's Del," Krystal points out as the blonde enters the room.
Cosima's head swings around so fast you'd think she hadn't seen Delphine in a year, let alone a half hour ago.
"Ma cocotte, ça va?" Marie asks.
"Bien," Delphine responds as she takes the empty seat next to Cosima.
"When you didn't come down to dinner last night, we were quite worried, but Krystal told us you had a migraine."
"Oh," she glances at Krystal who is smiling at her, "yes, I took some pain medication and went to sleep early. I just woke a short time ago and my head is feeling much better."
"Parfait," Pierre states, "I'm glad you're both well. I hope you're hungry, they have a quite a lovely buffet."
"Yes, when was the last time the two of you ate, you must be famished?" Felix asks with a sly grin. "There really is a great spread over there. Assuming spreads are your thing."
Delphine rolls her eyes as she gets up from the table and looks over at Cosima, "Shall we?"
Cosima nods and follows her over to the buffet. "Felix told them I had food poisoning," she relays to Delphine as they grab plates.
"Well apparently I now get migraines."
"It was nice of them to cover for us."
"Yes, but I have a feeling we'll never hear the end of it."
"I'm sure we won't." Cosima leans in close, "You smell so good."
Delphine grins, "You would know, you used that entire bottle of body wash on me."
"Hey, I had to make sure I scrubbed every inch of you."
Delphine loads up both of their plates as they walk down the buffet, taking an item for herself and then placing the same on Cosima's plate, making sure she doesn't just fill hers with junk.
When they reach the end of the line, Cosima looks down at the plate in her hands, "I don't even know what half this stuff is, but you're the best girlfriend ever."
"This is true," Delphine concurs as they start walking back to the table.
"Excuse me," a tall, dark-haired man steps in their path. "Ms. Niehaus, I've been trying to reach you."
"You have?"
"Yes, I'm Ferdinand from Topside Sports Agency. We're very interested in representing you. Do you have a moment to talk?"
"Well," she glances at her plate, "I do if you don't mind me eating while we chat."
"Not at all."
"Okay then, we're sitting right over there," she points to their table. "And, please, call me Cosima."
Ferdinand follows them to their table and pulls up a seat next to Cosima. He introduces himself around the table, then begins his spiel, "Cosima, right now, you're the hottest sports figure in the country."
Cosima gives him a sideways glance, "Bullshit!"
"Do I look like I'm joking? Your win yesterday, and subsequent interviews, propelled you to the top of the trending topics on Twitter. You have also amassed quite an online following. You have fan pages popping up on Tumblr. The fans are quite inventive, there's one going by cosimaneighhaus and another with the username cosima-neighhorse. You're fast becoming very popular, Cosima."
"Come on, I just ride a horse, I'm not exactly doing anything groundbreaking."
"Don't sell yourself short. People admire athletes, especially ones who have something important to say. There are clips from your press conference that already have tens of thousands of hits on YouTube, people are listening to what you have to say about the double standard regarding female athletes, the lack of equality in the way the media treats them compared to men, important things that people are interested in hearing. You're outspoken, you're young and hip, you've got this glasses and dreads look which screams I'm smart, but also cool. Endorsements are in your future, trust me. You win the triple crown, you'll be on the Wheaties box the next day. Let me, and my firm, represent you. We'll assign you a publicist to deal with the press, while I'll handle all your sponsorship and endorsement deals."
"I don't know, this is kind of overwhelming."
"I understand. Please, give it some thought, talk it over with your friends, with your family. If you need references, look no further than our current client list. We got Lebron his own Sprite flavor, Sharapova's deal with Nike is the biggest in women's tennis, we hooked Usain Bolt up with Puma and Danica Patrick with Go Daddy, the list is endless. Here's my card, call me when you're ready to talk. It was a pleasure meeting you all."
Ferdinand leaves them and Cosima stares at his card.
"That was quite exciting, my dear," Pierre exclaims. "I've heard great things about Topside."
"Yeah," Cosima nods distractedly.
"What do you think you're going to do?" Delphine asks.
Cosima looks up at the blonde, "I don't know, I never thought about this side of the business before."
"It sounds like it could be very lucrative."
"I'm in the wrong line of work," Felix states. "If only I were shorter. I would love to have my own clothing line, Felix's Threads. Ooh and maybe a Felix vodka."
"Oh em gee, those tumblr pages he mentioned do exist. Look at this one, their profile pic is a photo of you kissing Leda," Krystal hands Cosima her phone.
"What the? Where do they even get this stuff from?"
"It's a manip," Krystal responds.
"Manip?" Delphine asks.
"Manipulation, someone did a bit of messing around in photoshop so it looks like Cosima is kissing Leda."
"Krystal," Felix looks at her pointedly, "are you on tumblr?"
"Yes I am, my url is muffinslowakowsky, feel free to follow."
"Muffinslowa whatsky?" he asks with confusion.
"Slowakowsky. It's my porn name."
Everybody turns and looks at her with surprise.
"Oh come on, not real porn, it's like a game, for fun. You combine your first pet's name with your mother's maiden name to get your supposed porn name. What would your name be Fee?"
"Floppy Malone."
Delphine starts laughing, "I remember your bunny, Floppy. I'm not sure Floppy is what you want to use for porn though."
"Shut up, what would yours be then?"
"Doudou Beraud."
"Delphine, do not sully my maiden name for porn," Marie chastises.
"Maman, we're just fooling around, no one is actually using these names for porn."
"What would yours be Cosima?" Krystal asks.
"Well, my first pet was a turtle named Myrtle and my mother's maiden name is Williams, so Myrtle Williams I guess."
"Yeah, you'd never make it in the porn industry with a name like that. Sounds like an old lady name," Felix remarks.
"Well that's a good thing since Cosima already has a fine career going for her," Pierre states.
"Thank you, Pierre. I definitely think I'll stick to jockeying over entering the porn industry."
"Great, and, on that note, I am getting the signal from Jonah Appleyard over there that they're ready to take our photographs for the champions wall. Cosima, Felix, shall we? And please do keep your clothing on."
"I can't speak for Cosima, but I can't make any promises," Felix replies as he and Cosima follow Pierre.
"Excuse me ladies, I need to go powder my nose," Marie announces, before taking her leave.
Krystal quickly turns to Delphine, "Spill!"
"Spill what?" Delphine asks innocently.
"Don't even try it, Del, you and Cosima both went M.I.A for nearly 15 hours. Felix told me he covered for Cosima when she took off from the press conference, he saw her leave with you. And when you didn't show for dinner, I told them you had a migraine before your parents sent out a search party. So I think you owe me all the deets on your night with Cosima."
"I appreciate the save, but I'm not going to share all the details of our night. However, I will say," Delphine smiles, "it was amazing."
Krystal grins and grabs Delphine's hands, "Yay! Come on, you have to tell me something. The awkwardness you were worried about?"
"It wasn't awkward at all, actually, it was beautiful and perfect and better than I ever imagined."
"Oh my god, Del, you're glowing."
"I'm surprised I'm even awake right now, probably wouldn't be if not for the shower we took."
"Ooh la la, already showering together."
Delphine blushes, "Yeah, well we spent all night making love so taking a shower together was no big deal after that."
"All night?"
Delphine nods.
"I'm impressed. Sounds like best case scenario did happen"
Delphine grins, "Very best case scenario. I came so many times, you'd think I was trapped in a revolving door."
"Whew," Krystal fans herself, "is it hot in here or is it just you and your wild sex life?"
"Shh," Delphine grabs Krystal's fanning hand, "Maman is coming back."
"Krystal, I just ran into Hector, what a nice young man."
"Yeah, he really is," Krystal agrees.
"Since Pierre isn't around to chide you, tell me everything about the two of you."
"Maman! Leave Krystal alone."
"It's okay, Del. Honestly, Marie, there really isn't all that much to tell. We've gone out a few times, talk on the phone once in a while, nothing serious, just having fun."
"Sometimes fun is just as good," Marie winks
As Krystal and Marie talk, Delphine notices Cosima return to the dining room. Delphine watches as she effortlessly works the room. Delphine can't stop her mind from wandering back to last night, to Cosima naked, touching her, tasting her, making love to her.
Suddenly, as if sensing her thoughts, Cosima is standing in front of her. "Hey, are you okay?"
"Yes, I'm fine," Delphine responds as Marie and Krystal turn their attention towards her.
"You sure? It looked like you were getting another migraine, maybe you should go back to your room and rest before your trip home."
Delphine looks at Cosima with confusion before noticing a twinkle in her eye. "Actually, I didn't want to ruin this lunch, but my head does still hurt."
"Cosima is right, Delphine," Marie says with concern, "you should go lay down. You don't want to feel ill on the drive."
Delphine nods and stands up, "You're right, I think I will go take a nap."
"Would you like me to come with you?" Marie asks.
"No, Maman, stay, I'll be fine." Delphine heads to her room.
10 minutes later there's a knock at her door.
"Who is it?"
"Room service."
Delphine opens the door, "I don't see any food."
"That's not the kind of room service I was talking about," Cosima says as she enters and kicks the door closed behind her, her hands and mouth immediately all over Delphine.
"Cosima?"
"Mmmhmm?" Cosima hums against her neck.
"You can't keep running out on things."
Cosima's hands work the button of Delphine's pants, "I wouldn't run out on things if you weren't giving me those looks."
"What looks?"
"Like you were picturing me naked." She lowers the zipper on Delphine's fly.
"How'd you know that?"
Cosima pulls away from Delphine's neck, "You were really picturing me naked? I was totally kidding, I just couldn't go any longer without touching you. I would have been up here sooner but I kept getting stopped by people offering their congratulations. I couldn't believe all those people knew we had sex," Cosima smirks as she slips her hand under the band of Delphine's underwear.
"You're impossible."
"And you are so wet," Cosima says as her fingers easily slip into Delphine.
Delphine moans as Cosima's lips cover her own, her hips grinding down onto skilled fingers.
Cosima's phone buzzes in her back pocket.
"You should check that."
"No."
"Cosima, it could be important."
Cosima reaches her free hand around to her back pocket and pulls out her phone. "It's Felix, we have an interview with Denton Ross for Gallop Magazine in 10 minutes. Maybe Felix can handle it on his own."
"No, Cosima, they want to interview you. You can't flake out on it."
"But I like this so much better."
"Cosima, it's your career, I'm not going anywhere."
"Except back home soon."
"Yes, where you live, too. I will see you tonight and we can finish what we started. After all, Virginia is for lovers."
"Mmm, I knew there was a reason I liked that state," Cosima kisses Delphine. "Okay, I'll go do this interview. You should rest in case anyone comes to check on you. How's your head?"
"Somehow you seem to cure every mysterious headache I get."
"Guess I have the magic touch."
"Yes, you definitely do," Delphine brings Cosima's hand to her lips and kisses it.
"How am I supposed to focus on anything but you right now?"
Delphine directs Cosima towards the door, "Go!"
—
At 1 am, the bus pulls up to the house and, after saying goodnight to Sarah and Felix, Cosima makes a beeline for her cottage. All the lights are off as Cosima enters the space. She makes her way towards the bedroom, peeling off her clothing as she goes. She finds the room illuminated by candlelight and a figure laying in her bed. She smiles as she approaches, pulling off the rest of her clothing and sliding under the covers. She cuddles up to the warm body and whispers in her ear, "Hello beautiful."
"Cosima?" Delphine asks groggily.
"Were you expecting someone else?"
Delphine shakes her head slightly, "Non, what time is it?"
"Just after one, Sarah insisted on stopping for dinner to celebrate and then we hit traffic. I'm sorry I'm so late."
"It's okay, you're here now."
"And you're asleep."
"I'm not asleep," Delphine mumbles.
"You are, it's okay, I'm pretty tired too. I'm just glad you're here." Cosima runs her hand over Delphine's body before settling it over her stomach, "I guess you don't have to worry about bringing pajamas when you stay over anymore."
Delphine covers Cosima's hand with her own and interlocks their fingers, "No pajamas."
A giggle escapes Cosima at the sleepy response and she kisses Delphine's shoulder, "You're so cute."
—
Delphine wakes up 6 hours later noticing the hand locked in hers and the naked body wrapped around her. She smiles briefly before furrowing her brow and shooting straight up off the pillow, startling Cosima awake.
"What's wrong?" Cosima asks with concern.
"I don't remember making love last night."
"What?" Cosima lifts her head and angrily looks into Delphine's eyes. "How can you not remember the hottest night of my life? You did things with your body that I didn't even know were possible."
Delphine's mouth drops open, "I did what?" Cosima starts laughing. "What's so funny?"
"You were pretty out of it when I got home last night, we just slept."
"I hate you," Delphine punches Cosima's arm and lays back down.
"For someone who hates me, you were pretty upset when you thought you forgot getting some of this last night."
Delphine looks up at Cosima, "I just don't want to miss a moment we spend together."
"Aww, baby, so you don't hate me?" Cosima strokes the side of Delphine's face.
"No, I don't hate you. In fact, do you have training today?"
"Nope."
"Good," Delphine smiles as she moves to straddle Cosima, "then we can spend the day discovering what actual things my body can do."
"You're gonna kill me. I won't even have a chance to go for the triple crown because I'll be dead. Alert the press, cause of death: Delphine Cormier sexing my brains out."
"Cosima!" Delphine exclaims.
"What?" Cosima asks innocently.
Delphine shakes her head, "Nothing, I'm just going to sex your brains out as you so eloquently put it." Delphine works her way down Cosima's body.
"If I gotta go out, that's a helluva way to gooo-oh my god," Cosima shouts as Delphine's mouth makes contact with her overstimulated core.
A few hours later, Cosima is laying in Delphine's arms as Delphine places soft kisses along her forehead where her baby hairs are slicked down with sweat. Both of them are completely physically exerted.
"You still alive?" Delphine asks.
"Barely."
"Hungry?"
"Kinda. You?"
Delphine nods, "I've never been this hungry. Should we get lunch?"
"I really don't want to leave this bed. Can we order pizza?"
"Sure," Delphine grabs her cell phone from the nightstand and places their order. "Should be a half hour."
"Cool," Cosima settles back against Delphine's side.
"Did you talk to your parents?"
"Yeah, I called them while we were driving home last night. They were super excited and I'm pretty sure my mom was crying. It was really great to talk to them and hear how proud they are of me."
"Of course they're proud of you. Have you given more thought to Topside?"
"Felix and I talked about it a little on the bus. He says I should go for it, but I'm still not sure."
"What about it bothers you?"
"I don't want to, like, sell out. I wouldn't feel right endorsing things I don't believe in."
"Can't you just do advertisements you're comfortable with?"
"I don't know, I'm sure agents want you to do whatever is gonna bring in the most money."
"Put it in your contract that you have first refusal. If you don't let them choose for you, you're in a better position than if they just said this is what you're doing."
"Maybe you should be my manager. They can go through you."
Delphine laughs, "You want me to manage you?"
"Yeah, why not? You already do a good job of it in bed."
Delphine's eyes widen, "Excuse me? I do not manage you in bed."
Cosima holds up her hands, "Okay, whatever you say."
"How do I manage you?"
"Look, I'm not complaining, I like it when you take control, but you, Delphine Cormier, are a top."
"We have not had sex enough for you to ascertain that."
"Delphine, between the other night and this morning, we've had more than enough sex for me to take note of your toppyness. But if you think we need to test this theory further, I am happy to oblige."
The doorbell rings. "Okay, after lunch, I'm going to need more energy if I'm going to top you to the fullest extent," Delphine winks as she gets up and throws on Cosima's robe before answering the door. She returns carrying the pizza box.
"Um, Delphine?"
"Yes?" Delphine asks as she sits down on the bed.
"As much as I enjoy you wearing my robe, I bet the delivery boy enjoyed it even more."
"What?"
"That thing is barely long enough to cover your butt."
"Why didn't you tell me before I answered the door?"
"I'm sorry, I was too mesmerized by the sight to speak. I'm sure he'll be volunteering to deliver every time we call now."
Delphine rolls her eyes and hands Cosima a slice, "Eat."
Cosima takes a bite, "Yum, olive pizza."
"I love pizza, too."
"No," Cosima laughs, "I said olive pizza."
"Oh, well, how can I tell what you're saying when you talk with your mouth full?"
Cosima takes another bite. "I love pizza," she says dramatically while chewing.
"You really are super bratty."
"That's me." Cosima stands up on the bed and puts her hands in the air, "It's a bird, it's a plane, it's Super Bratty."
Delphine laughs and gives her ass a light swat.
"I think I need a cape."
"I don't know, I think Super Bratty would probably go around naked just to reinforce the whole bratty image."
"You're probably right. Hey, wanna be my sidekick?"
"Your sidekick? Wouldn't you be my sidekick? I'm the stronger one."
"What makes you think you're stronger?"
"Well, I'm taller, you're just an itty bitty little thing. I've carried you on my back and I did hold you down with one hand the other night."
"Hey, don't underestimate me, I told you, I'm small but mighty. And I was pretty worn out when you held me down, Toppy McGee."
"Okay."
"You don't believe me," Cosima states incredulously. "Come on, let's arm wrestle." Cosima gets into position.
"I'm not going to arm wrestle you."
"You're scared, that's understandable, you've seen these guns." Cosima flexes her muscles.
"I am not scared."
"Then put down the pizza and let's settle this."
"Fine," Delphine puts her slice down and gets into position opposite Cosima.
"Wait, lose the robe, this should be as evenly matched as possible."
"Yeah, I'm sure that's why you want me to remove the robe," Delphine laughs, but obliges nonetheless.
They link hands, "Okay, I'll count us down from 3 and we'll begin on the word go."
Delphine nods, "Got it."
"3, 2, 1, go."
Delphine smiles at the look of determination on Cosima's face as she tries to budge Delphine's arm. After letting Cosima try her best for about 30 seconds, Delphine goes for it, easily lowering Cosima's arm.
Cosima looks up at Delphine with a mix of shock and awe, but doesn't say anything.
"Cosima? Are you okay? Cosima?" Delphine waves her hand in front of Cosima's stunned face.
"Yeah, I'm fine. Forget what I said about you being my manager, I think I want you to be my bodyguard."
"You don't need a bodyguard," Delphine scoffs.
"Hey, I've got tumblr fans now, who knows how fervent they are. You'll have to keep them away. Seriously, Delphine, you are hella strong and I will happily be you sidekick. With benefits."
"With benefits?"
"Yeah, I mean I think we all know Batman and Robin were more than friends, but they kept it on the down low while Batman went off and got plenty of action. However, as your sidekick, everyone will know we're together and you can't hook up with anyone else."
"Doesn't that take the fun away from being a hero, all the people throwing themselves at me?"
"But we're exclusive," Cosima insists. "You're not allowed to see anyone else."
"You can't decide that, you're just my sidekick, you don't make the big decisions."
Cosima folds her hands across her chest and pouts, "I want to go back to being regular citizens. I'm not sharing you."
Delphine stretches across the bed and kisses the pout off her face, "Fine, Super Bratty, I don't want to be shared anyway. Let's finish sharing this pizza, though, so we can get back to disproving your theory." Cosima quickly stuffs a slice in her mouth
"Delphine?" Cosima pants a couple hours later.
"Yeah?"
"Are you ready to admit you're a top?"
Examining her current position astride Cosima, Delphine concedes, "You may have had a point there."
"I like it. You're like a blanket, so warm and comfy," Cosima wraps her arms around Delphine.
"As much as I enjoy being your blanket, we can't stay here all day."
"Why not?"
"On the drive home yesterday Maman decided she wanted to do a dinner tonight to celebrate your win since we couldn't do it last night. I told her I'd stop by today to invite you."
"Oh, is that why you're here? It only took you, like, 14 hours to get around to mentioning it."
"Yeah, well, if you weren't so distracting I might have mentioned it sooner." She gives Cosima a kiss, "So?"
"Yeah, of course I'll come to dinner."
"Great, I'll let her know," Delphine moves to get up.
Cosima tightens her grip, "Can't you just call her?"
"I told her I'd help her prepare."
Cosima pouts, "I'll miss you."
"Cosima, I'll see you at 6:30, it's not that far from now," Delphine starts getting dressed.
"Hey, where'd you get those crazy bright sneakers?"
"They're running shoes, Maman got them for me."
"Does she want you to be seen from space?"
"Probably," Delphine laughs. "The other morning, Maman caught me coming in the house after I had left you and asked where I'd been. I quickly said I had gone running. She gave me these the other day and said ballet flats were not appropriate running footwear. So now my cover story if I get caught coming home in the morning is that I've been running."
Cosima starts laughing.
"Is that funny to you? Did I not just easily take you in arm wrestling? I'm pretty fit."
"You easily took me in a lot of ways," Cosima grins. "No, you running isn't funny, but we weren't even having sex last week, at least now you'll actually look like you broke a sweat when you get home."
"Oui, c'est vrai." Delphine leans down to give Cosima a kiss, "I'll see you later."
"Wait, is this a clothing optional dinner?"
"Non, get dressed," Delphine heads for the door.
"Hold up," Cosima jumps out of bed and hurries after her.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just want to watch you run up to the house."
Delphine rolls her eyes and smacks Cosima's tush, "Cheeky," then jogs out the door.
Cosima watches Delphine go. When she's out of sight, Cosima closes the door and leans against it, "Is this real life?" She pinches herself. "Yup!" She smiles and dances her way back to the bedroom to pick out an outfit for dinner.
Her phone rings with an incoming Facetime call. She smiles and answers, "Hi Tony!"
"Hey Dreads, glad you finally decided to answer your phone."
"Sorry, man, it's been a little crazy."
"Yeah, I bet. Congrats! I was going nuts watching you race. What an amazing fucking performance!"
"Thanks, dude!"
"Cosima?"
"Yeah?"
"Are you naked?"
Cosima looks at the angle of her image, "Whoops, better keep this thing tight on my face."
"Yeah, thanks. It's like 4 in the afternoon there, why aren't you dressed?"
Cosima grins.
"Cosima, do you have something you want to tell me?"
"I may have just been entertaining a guest.
"I'm sure she was very entertained if you're naked. Dreads, have you and Delphine done the deed?"
"We've done many deeds."
"Aww yeah, that's my girl! So I assume that means everything is good with you two."
"It's better than good. It's so good, they haven't invented a word to encompass how good it is."
"Damn girl! So where is she now?"
"She just went home, she's helping her mom prepare a dinner they're having to celebrate the win."
"Oh nice! Man, you are glowing. I'm so happy for you, Cos. Between the wins and Delphine, you're doing really fucking well out there."
"I can't believe this is my life. It feels too good too be true. I was actually pinching myself before you called to assure myself it was real. I miss you though."
"I miss you, too. But you'll be back in the fall." Cosima doesn't respond. "You'll be back in the fall, right?"
"I don't know."
"What do you mean?"
"I haven't made any decisions just yet, but I don't know if I want to go back to California."
"You mean you don't want to be so far away from Delphine."
"Would you be mad if I didn't come back? Full time, I mean, of course I'll come visit you and my folks."
"Yes, selfishly I'll be bummed, I want you here so we can hang out. But I get why you'd want to stay close to Delphine. You found something special and that's more important than playing video games with me."
"Playing video games with you is important, too."
"Yeah, but we can play over the net. Delphine must be happy you're thinking of staying."
"I don't know, I haven't mentioned it. She'll be going back to school in September and we haven't talked about what happens next. I'm actually kind of nervous about broaching it. What if this is just a summer fling to her?"
"Why are you always doubting her feelings for you? You have a big mouth, Dreads, use it to speak to your girlfriend."
"You're right, you're right, I will." Cosima glances at the clock, "Shit, I better get showered and start getting ready for dinner, I've been told it is not clothing optional. I'll talk to you soon."
"Ok, champ, have a good night!"
"Thanks!"
At 6:32, Cosima rings the bell to the house.
"Cosima!" Marie greets her with a hug upon opening the door. "Please come in."
"Thank you!" Cosima steps into the house, "It smells incredible in here."
"I hope you like chicken fricassee."
"I'm sure I will," Cosima catches sight of Delphine in the kitchen, "I like everything you make."
"You're very kind. Go take a seat in the dining room, dinner will be served shortly."
"Ah, there's our guest of honor," Pierre exclaims upon seeing Cosima. He stands up and gives her a double cheek kiss.
"Hello, Cosima," Felix smiles and gives her a hug. "Did you enjoy your day off?"
"Yeah, I just stayed home and chilled." Delphine walks in with the salad bowl, "Delphine came for lunch."
"Yeah, I'm sure she did," Felix smirks as Delphine places the bowl on the table, 'accidentally' elbowing him in the head in the process.
"Oops, sorry," she says without an ounce of sincerity.
Cosima chuckles, "Hi Delphine."
"Hi Cosima," Delphine says as she sits down next to her.
Marie returns to the dining room and Pierre fills their wine glasses.
"I feel like these celebratory dinners are becoming habit, one that I am extremely happy to keep repeating," Pierre grins. "Cosima, that was a masterful display you and Leda put on at the Preakness. The conditions were less than ideal and, yet, that did not hinder you at all. In fact, you kept Leda in front the entire time and finished well ahead of the field. I think I speak for all of us when I say how very proud you made us." He raises his glass, "To Cosima!"
"To Cosima," everybody repeats as they clink glasses.
"And now on to Belmont!" Pierre adds.
"Thank you all, really, we couldn't have done it without your support."
They begin on their salads, then Marie serves the main course to rave reviews.
"This is so good," Cosima declares as she reaches for a second helping.
"Make sure you leave room for dessert," Marie laughs at the eager girl.
"You certainly are hungry," Felix remarks, "seems like you worked up quite an appetite without actually working today."
"Hey, I exercised a little."
"Did you join Delphine on her run this morning?" Marie asks.
"Run?" Felix questions. "Since when do you run, Delphine?"
"Since recently, Felix."
"No, I didn't run with Delphine, but I did do some stretching."
"You must have to keep limber when you're riding a horse so much," Pierre comments.
Felix can't stop the loud guffaw that escapes his lips at that remark, causing everyone to look his way; Pierre and Marie in a questioning manner, Cosima and Delphine in a much more life threatening way. "Sorry, just thought of a joke I heard at the luncheon yesterday."
"Oh, what was it?" Marie asks with a smile.
Felix thinks for a sec, "What do you call a pony with a sore throat?"
"A little hoarse," Delphine answers.
"Ah, so you've heard it?"
"Yes, when I was 8."
"It is funny, Felix," Pierre acknowledges.
"Thank you, Pierre."
"I hope everyone is ready for dessert," Marie says as Pierre helps her clear the dishes. She returns holding a covered tray, "Delphine made these, she said they're your favorite, Cosima."
Cosima looks at Delphine, a light blush covering the blonde's cheeks, and then back at the tray as Marie uncovers the treat. "Whoa!" She turns to Delphine, "You made me eskimo pies?" Delphine nods. "That's so awesome, thank you."
"Don't thank me until you try it."
Cosima grabs one and takes a bite as all eyes are fixed on her. "It's parfait!" she declares with an exaggerated French accent and a smile.
Delphine smiles in relief as everyone takes a bar and begins to savor the sweet treat. Cosima reaches over and discreetly squeezes her knee.
They make small talk for a little while longer while Cosima helps herself to a second eskimo pie. After devouring it, she turns to Delphine, "Hey, do you have that sheet music you promised me?"
"Sheet music?"
"Yeah, for the song I was gong to practice on the ukulele, you said it was downstairs," Cosima exaggerates her eye movements as she speaks.
"Oh, oh, yeah, come on, let's go get it. Please excuse us for a moment," Delphine says as she gets up and Cosima follows after her.
Once they're in the basement, Cosima backs Delphine against the wall, "I can't believe you made eskimo pies for me."
"I wanted to do something special for you. So you really liked it, you weren't just saying that?"
"Delphine, I had two of them, they were delicious," she kisses Delphine, "not as delicious as you are, but a close second."
"You're quite tasty yourself," Delphine says as she runs her tongue along the rim of Cosima's lips, cleaning the chocolate mustache that formed there.
"Mmm, what time are you coming over tonight?"
"I'm not."
Cosima opens her eyes and pulls back slightly, "Why not?"
"I have to be at Dr. Rimbaud's clinic at 6:30 in the morning, so I actually need to get some sleep so I'm not a complete zombie while assisting him."
"You don't think you can get a restful night's sleep with me?"
"I could, but I doubt I would."
"You're probably right, especially after tasting your eskimo pie, I'm insatiable." Cosima leans in and kisses Delphine.
"We should get back upstairs before they start wondering what happened to us."
Cosima nods and reluctantly releases her hold on Delphine. They start up the steps.
"Wait!" Delphine runs and grabs sheet music and hands it to Cosima.
"Welcome back," Pierre says as the girls reenter the dining room. "What was this music that was so critical?"
"This," Cosima flashes the sheet music in her hands.
"Beethoven's 5th? That seems a little advanced for the ukulele," Pierre remarks.
"Oh, um," Cosima shoots Delphine a look.
"Yes, well Cosima has gotten quite accomplished," Delphine jumps in.
"I see," Pierre smiles, "you are full of surprises, Cosima."
"She sure is," Felix adds. "I hope we'll be treated to the concerto."
"Yeah, just as soon as I have it down, you'll all be invited to hear me play." Cosima looks at her watch, "It's getting late, I should really get going, I have a symphony to learn and training in the morning. Goodnight everyone, thank you for a lovely night."
"It was our pleasure," Marie says. "Bonne nuit, Cosima."
Delphine walks her to the door, "I am so sorry, I didn't even look before I grabbed the music."
"It's fine, I love a challenge," she grins. "Have a good day at work tomorrow."
"You too."
Cosima looks over Delphine's shoulder, notices nobody is looking their way, and gives her a quick kiss. "Goodnight."
"Goodnight," Delphine smiles.
—
"Alright ladies," Felix announces once Cosima joins he and Leda in the stables for training, "you two have done me proud, but we cannot rest on our laurels. Belmont is in three weeks and they don't call it the test of champions for nothing. It's a beast of a track at 12 furlongs and triple crowns have slipped through many a hoof because they couldn't handle the length. Well, we are going to work until the two of you are paced properly to sustain the stamina this track is going to require of you. It's New York in June, so it'll be hot and humid, that's going to be another obstacle we'll have to tackle, but you handled the rain and I have no doubt you can take the heat. So let's get out there and work our tails off."
"You got it, Coach." Cosima hops up on Leda, "You heard him girl, let's do this."
Felix spends the day working on their conditioning to get them fit for such a long race.
Following training, Cosima walks back to her cottage. As she approaches her front door, she notices Delphine's car in the driveway with the engine still running. She changes course and heads towards the Mustang.
"Hey, Delphine, did you just get home?" she calls out as she gets close to the car.
Delphine shakes her head.
"Whatcha doing out here?" She gets no response and goes around to Delphine's side. It's then that she notices tears falling down her cheeks. "Hey, what happened?" she leans down against the car door and puts her hand on Delphine's shoulder.
Delphine looks up with tear-filled eyes, "A horse had to be put down today."
Cosima hurries around to the other side and gets in the passenger seat. "Come here," Cosima opens her arms and Delphine falls into her embrace. "Do you want to talk about it?"
Delphine sniffles, "She had cerebellar abiotrophy, it's a neurological disease. It got to the point she couldn't stand on her own anymore, her balance was off, she just kept falling. There was really nothing else they could do for her, but it was just so sad, seeing the look in her eyes," Delphine buries her face in Cosima's neck as she lets out a wail.
"I'm so sorry you had to experience that."
"I feel so stupid."
"Why?"
"I'm training to be a vet, I should be able to deal with death."
"No, come on, that's never easy to deal with."
"It'll be real professional when I'm with a client and I'm a complete mess because I have to euthanize their horse, that'll instill great confidence in my abilities."
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being compassionate, with having strong emotions about the loss of a life. If I was sick, I'd rather go to a doctor that cared if I lived or died, rather than one who was cold and detached."
"I don't know if I'm cut out for this, though, it's too hard. I sat there, holding this horse's head in my lap as the life drained out of her. I can't do that over and over again."
"Delphine, look at me," Delphine glances into Cosima's eyes. "That is one part of what being a vet is, right, dealing with death? But the majority of your responsibility is to care for these animals, to cure them whenever possible so they can lead long, happy lives. And when it's not, when there are no other options, you help give them the gentlest way out so they don't have to suffer. I'm sure that horse felt how much you cared for her and what loving hands she was in, and that's what all horses deserve when they pass on, somebody like you easing their transition. Hell, if I was dying, I'd want the last thing I saw to be your beautiful face."
"Shut up," Delphine sniffles and wipes her nose on Cosima's shirt.
"Gee, thanks."
"Hey, if I get drool, you get snot."
"Fair enough," Cosima laughs.
"You're right, though, as much as it hurts, I want to be there for these horses, for all the horses."
Cosima kisses her forehead, "They're going to be so lucky to have you as their doctor."
"Thank you," Delphine yawns.
"You're tired, you want me to walk you up to the house?"
"No," Delphine shakes her head, "I missed you last night, I want to fall asleep next to you."
Cosima smiles, "I'm glad to hear you say that, I missed you, too." Cosima reaches for the key and shuts off the car then gets out and goes around to Delphine's door, helping her out and walking hand in hand to the cottage. "Go lay down, I'm gonna make us some waffles with ice cream and we can have dinner in bed."
"Yum," Delphine kisses Cosima and then heads into the bedroom, stripping down to her underwear and getting under the covers.
Cosima joins her shortly thereafter with two plates.
They sit in bed, enjoying their food. When they're done, Cosima returns their plates to the sink, then pulls off her shirt and pants, gets in bed, and wraps her arms around Delphine.
"I wish you'd had a better day, but I'm happy to have you here."
"The day may have been shitty, but the night is more than making up for it."
"I'm glad. Delphine, there's something I wanted to talk to you about."
"Okay."
"Well, um, I know you're going back to school at the end of the summer and I'll be here for a little while after, but what if I didn't go back to living in San Francisco, what if I stayed on the east coast?" Delphine doesn't respond. "Shit, you hate the idea. You probably just want your space, right? So you can go back to school and be free to do what you want?" Still no response. "Delphine?" Cosima leans over the blonde to get a good look at her face. Her eyes are closed and she's breathing lightly through her mouth. Cosima laughs, "Okay, we'll talk about this another time." She lays back down, flush against Delphine's back, buries her nose in the crook of her neck and falls asleep.
Cosima wakes up to a blaring alarm and an empty bed. "Delphine?" She looks over and notices a note on the pillow.
"Cherie, sorry I had to leave so early, but Dr. Rimbaud had asked me to work today and, after the events of yesterday, I told him I wasn't sure I could, but you've convinced me this is what I need to be doing. I will see you later. xoxo, Delphine."
Cosima smiles as she stretches and gets ready for the day. As she pours her cereal in a bowl, she notices Ferdinand's business card on the counter. She picks it up, internally debating what she wants to do about his offer.
After training, Cosima enters her cottage to find Delphine laying on the couch reading a magazine. "Hey, you, this is a pleasant surprise." Cosima gives her a kiss, "How was work?"
"Much better. Just routine exams and treatments."
"Awesome."
"Sorry I left before you woke up."
"No problem, I'm just glad you decided to stick with it. Whatcha reading?"
"The latest issue of Gallop Magazine. It was at your door when I got here. Look at the hot cover girl," Delphine dangles the magazine in front of Cosima.
"Oh my god," Cosima takes it from Delphine. "You really think I look hot?"
"Oh, I was talking about Leda, but you look pretty good, too."
"Haha," Cosima sticker her tongues out. "I've never been on the cover of a magazine before."
"Get used to it, something tells me this is just the first of many. Check out the article."
Cosima sits down beside Delphine and opens up to the cover story. Delphine watches as Cosima reads the article.
"What did you think?" Delphine asks when she finishes.
"It's pretty good. I like the title, Follow the Leda. It's weird reading about myself though."
"I think he really captured your voice. Everything you said was absolutely Cosima, very insightful and honest."
"Thanks."
"I think Felix will be pleased with how he comes across."
"Yeah, Felix was very specific in making sure Denton accurately noted everything he said. And this photo," Cosima points to a picture of Felix, "Felix directed his own shoot. He was like, 'get me from this side, now point the camera down slightly.' It was funny."
"I'm not surprised, he did that when he was little, too. He used to tell the photographer what to shoot during his class photo sessions. His pictures in here look good, but yours are something else. I really like this photo of you," Delphine turns to a photo of Cosima standing next to Leda on the track.
"What do you like about it?"
"You have this confidence about you and this look on your face like you're thinking about all the world's problems and how to solve them."
Cosima laughs, "Um, no, I was thinking about something way more important than that."
"What was that?"
"You."
Delphine gives her a skeptical look.
"What else did you expect me to think about after we had spent all night lovin' it up?"
Delphine laughs, "Well it worked, you got this amazing shot."
"You want me to sign it for you? You can hang it up in your bedroom and fantasize about me."
"Oh yes, please do. But why would I need to fantasize about you when I have you right here?" Delphine leans in and captures Cosima's lips. As they kiss, Cosima winds up sprawled out on the couch with Delphine on top of her. "Do you realize we haven't had sex in two days?" Delphine asks as her hands make their way under Cosima's shirt.
"Yes, I am very aware."
"We should fix that."
Cosima nods as her lips are claimed once again.
Just as Delphine's hands reach Cosima's breasts, the doorbell rings. "Are you expecting someone?"
"Oh shit, I totally forgot. Yes, actually, sorry."
Delphine moves off of Cosima, who jumps up and straightens her shirt before answering the door.
"Hello, Cosima."
"Ferdinand, thank you for coming by."
"Thank you for calling," he walks in. "Ah, hello Ms. Cormier."
"Nice to see you again, Ferdinand. I will get out of your way," Delphine starts towards the door.
"No," Cosima grabs her arm, "stay, it's always good to have a witness when making a deal."
"Yes, please stay, you can monitor our business transaction."
"Okay."
They all sit down at the kitchen table.
"As your representation, Topside will field all financial offers and our press arm will handle your publicity. I saw your feature in Gallop, it was very impressive. You can expect many more interview requests to start coming in. They will need to contact us and the publicist assigned to you will work within the confines of your schedule to arrange those. I will personally handle all sponsorship and endorsement requests. We work to negotiate the best rate for our client, while also making sure there are no potential conflicts. For instance, if we make a deal with Crest toothpaste, then we could not also do a deal with Colgate."
"I see. How much say will I have over which advertisers I want to work with? What if you want to make a deal with a company that I'm not comfortable being associated with?"
"Cosima, we will not make any deal without your approval. Though, obviously, we don't want to turn down many offers, we are, after all, in the money-making business, we want you to be happy. This isn't forced servitude."
"Okay, good."
"On that note, is there anything you think I should know about you that would help me in automatically weeding out offers?"
"I don't know, what sorts of things would you want to know?"
"Perhaps you have certain religious beliefs that would cause conflicts."
"No."
"I don't believe you're married." Cosima shakes her head. "Are you currently in a relationship?"
Cosima quickly glances at Delphine out of the corner of her eye and then back to Ferdinand, "Uh, why does that matter?"
"We wouldn't want to put you in a situation that would make you or someone you are dating uncomfortable, like something that may present you as single if that's not the case."
"Oh, I see, well then, yes, I am in a relationship." A small smile forms on Delphine's lips in response to Cosima's response.
"How comfortable will your boyfriend-"
"Girlfriend," Cosima quickly corrects.
"Apologies, how comfortable will your girlfriend be with being in the public eye?"
"Why would she be in the public eye?"
"From a press point of view, we would need to know if you can be photographed together, if you'll answer questions in the press about her. Occasionally, especially if they're telegenic, advertisers may ask to include your significant other in commercials."
"Oh, wow, well, we would have to discuss all of that, but I can say that she is extremely telegenic. Like, I don't think a more telegenic human exists." Delphine blushes at Cosima's words. "But I don't know if she'd be comfortable with being in the public eye."
"I would be happy to speak with her and allay any worries she may have."
"You already are," Delphine says.
Cosima and Ferdinand both quickly turn in her direction.
"Excuse me?" Ferdinand asks.
"Delphine you don't have to…"
"It's fine, Cosima." She looks at Ferdinand, "You're already speaking to her girlfriend. Cosima and I are dating."
"I see. Well, Cosima wasn't exaggerating about you being telegenic." He turns back to Cosima, "So, you're dating the boss's daughter. The pony press is going to eat this up."
"Pony press?" Cosima asks.
"The horse racing rags, they'll love this angle."
"Hold up," Cosima stops him, "I don't think we want to be an angle. We haven't officially come out with our relationship."
"May I ask why not?"
Cosima looks to Delphine. "It's still very new," Delphine starts. "We haven't told very many people yet and we'd prefer not to make a big deal out of our relationship, especially not until more of our friends and family are made aware. We wouldn't want them learning about us from the press."
"No, certainly not," he agrees. "I assure you, my lips are sealed until you are ready. Cosima, when you're assigned a publicist, I advise you to tell them everything so they're prepared to properly handle it. Now," he pulls papers from his briefcase, "here is a draft of the contract. Read it over, show it to your lawyer, let me know if you have any questions. I look forward to representing you."
"Thanks." Cosima shows him to the door.
"Good evening, Cosima. Ms. Cormier."
Delphine offers him a little wave as he leaves.
Cosima closes the door behind him and spins to face Delphine, "I can't believe you told him about us."
Delphine shrugs, "I didn't want you to have to lie, especially when I was sitting right there."
"How can we be sure he won't talk?"
"He said he wouldn't. Besides, he wants to represent you, he's not going to do anything to piss you off."
"I guess." Cosima wraps her arms around Delphine's neck, "I have to admit, even though I was surprised, it felt really good to hear you tell someone you're my girlfriend."
"Cosima, I want to tell everyone that we're together, and I will, soon, I promise."
"It's okay, I know it isn't easy for you."
"But it should be. It wasn't hard for me to tell Ferdinand, it's just my parents."
"I get it."
"But you shouldn't have to get it. You shouldn't have to sit through dinners with them and pretend we're just friends."
"Delphine, you'll tell them when you're ready."
Delphine nods, then a sly smile forms on her lips, "Right now I'm ready for something else." She bends down, hooks her arms around Cosima's legs just under her butt, and scoops her up.
"Delphine," Cosima yelps, wrapping her legs around the blonde's waist, "what are you doing?"
"Hopefully you," Delphine nips at Cosima's lips.
"Oh, okay, carry on then," Cosima brings their lips together as Delphine transports her to the bedroom.
—
"Delphine."
"Yes, Maman?"
"You remember that the furniture will be delivered tomorrow between 10 and 2?"
"Yes, I remember, don't worry, I'll make sure they get it all set up in Papa's office."
"Bien, merci mon amour. What are your plans for the weekend?"
"I'll probably just hang out with Cosima if she's free."
"Good, have fun," Marie kisses Delphine's cheeks as Pierre descends the staircase with their suitcase.
"Delphine, I left the number for the inn on the fridge. Rehoboth Beach is about a three and a half hour drive, so, if we leave after breakfast, we should be back by noon Monday."
"Okay, got it. Go, have a nice time. Joyeux anniversaire de mariage!"
"Merci," Pierre kisses Delphine's forehead as he and Marie head out to their car.
Once they're gone, Delphine goes upstairs to get showered and dressed, then heads out to run errands.
At 7pm, the doorbell rings and Delphine rushes to answer it. She grabs Cosima's face and kisses her, "Come in. Did you bring a bag?"
"Yup," Cosima holds it up, "all packed for the weekend."
"Great, come in the kitchen, I made us dinner."
Cosima puts her bag down and follows Delphine. "Whaddya make? Something fancy and French?"
"Non, I made spaghetti and meatballs."
"Oh, yum, even better."
Delphine sets their plates on the table and fills two glasses of red wine. She then slices into the baguette and hands Cosima a slice. "How was training?"
"Good, our time for 12 furlongs has been improving. Something else happened today, though."
"What?" Delphine asks with worry.
"Nothing bad. I heard from Ferdinand, they got a sponsorship request today."
"Oh, wow, what company?"
"SALT."
"Salt? That's odd, but I have seen you pour a lot of salt on your food."
Cosima chuckles, "Not the seasoning, the eyewear company. They make these," Cosima points to her glasses, "they saw me wearing them during the press conference and want to sponsor me at Belmont and have me appear in their next print campaign."
"Cosima, that's wonderful!"
"Yeah, I'll probably even get a few extra pairs out of it."
"And money."
"Yeah, money too," Cosima smiles. "This is really good."
"Thank you. You got a little sauce," Delphine points to her chin, she leans forward and wipes it off Cosima's face with her napkin. "You want to watch a movie tonight?"
"Sure."
They finish dinner and head into the den. "What do you want to watch?" Delphine asks.
"How about something French?"
"Really?"
"Yeah, I enjoy listening to Français."
Delphine snorts.
"What?"
"Nothing, you're adorable. How about Amélie?"
"Sounds good."
Delphine pulls the film up on Netflix and sits down next to Cosima.
During the course of the movie, Cosima winds up with her head in Delphine's lap as Delphine strokes her face.
"That was super cute," Cosima declares when it ends.
"It's one of my favorites. Did you pick up any French?"
"A little, like jolie."
"And what does that mean?"
"Pretty. Tu es tres jolie."
"Merci," Delphine says as she plays with Cosima's hand.
"This is nice, me and you, in your house, being kind of domestic."
"Yes, it is," Delphine brings Cosima's hand to her lips and kisses her palm. "Come on," Delphine nudges Cosima up while maintaining a tight grip on her hand.
"Where are we going?" Cosima asks as Delphine leads her up the stairs.
"You haven't seen my bedroom yet."
"Ooh, the inner sanctum," Cosima hums as she enters Delphine's room. She walks over to the book shelf, "Ooh, you have some great books here. I love Brave New World. I see you still have that black My Little Pony you were so angry about, obviously you didn't hate it as much as you said." She moves to look at the photos Delphine has displayed. She picks up one of a young, curly-haired blonde riding a horse. "Oh my god, Delphine, you were too freakin' cute. Is this Doudou?"
"Yes."
"What a great photo. All of these are great. You were never not absolutely beautiful." She finally turns towards Delphine. Her eyes rake over the naked form in front of her, "Yup, total stunner."
"And you're overdressed."
Cosima quickly removes her clothing, "Better?"
Delphine pulls Cosima towards her, "Much."
They fall onto the bed, kissing. When Cosima's hand start wandering south, Delphine suddenly stills.
"What's wrong?"
"Nothing, I just realized I've never done this before."
"Delphine, we've done this plenty of times already."
"I don't mean this," she points to their bodies, "I mean I've never brought anyone up to my childhood bedroom."
"For real?"
Delphine nods, "I guess it just felt weird to do it here, but it doesn't feel weird with you."
"I'm honored to be the one to help you christen the bed," Cosima grins as her hand continues its downward path.
"I wouldn't want to christen it with anyone else."
—
"Delphine," Cosima shakes the blonde's shoulder, "what's that noise?"
"What noise?" Delphine groans into the pillow sleepily.
Chimes sound, followed by loud knocking. "That."
Delphine eyes shoot open, "Merde! The furniture." She jumps out of the bed and pulls on a pair of sweatpants, then throws a hoodie on, zipping it all the way up over her bare chest. She takes a quick look in the mirror.
"You look hot, they'll probably drop the desk on the floor when they get a load of you."
"They better not," Delphine says as she rushes out the door and down the stairs.
Cosima smiles, then turns around and goes back to sleep.
"Thanks a lot for your help," Delphine says as she jumps on the bed, waking Cosima up.
"I figured you had it handled," Cosima yawns, stretching her arms over head. "How'd it go?"
"Good, they got all the furniture set up and even took the old stuff away. Apparently they had been at the door for a half hour before we heard them, they were almost ready to give up."
"What did you say to them?"
"I apologized profusely and said my girlfriend kept me up all night with her unbelievable sexual stamina."
"Very funny."
"I told them I was in the shower and didn't hear them. Now get up, it's almost 1. Let's go out and grab lunch."
"I don't wanna get up, your bed is so soft, it's like laying on a cloud."
"You can lay on the cloud again later. Come on," she yanks Cosima's hand, "there's a street fair nearby we can go to."
"Okay, okay," Cosima concedes, allowing herself to be pulled out of bed.
Less than an hour later, they're at the street fair sampling the local cuisine and checking out what the vendors are selling.
"Ooh, Delphine, check these out," Cosima looks at some funky bracelets.
"Excuse me," a young woman taps Cosima on the shoulder. "Are you Cosima Niehaus?"
"Um, yeah," Cosima responds with surprise.
"This is so cool!" the girls giddily responds. "I just watched you on tv last week and here you are. Can I take a photo with you?"
"Sure."
The girl holds up her phone and takes a picture of the two of them. "Thank you so much. Good luck at Belmont."
"Thanks," Cosima says as the girl leaves. She turns to Delphine, "What was that?"
"You have fans," Delphine states with a smile.
"This is so crazy. I've never been recognized on the street before."
"You better get used to it, you're famous now."
"Do you think anyone here is selling sunglasses?"
"Probably, why?"
"I'm famous, better get some cool shades so I can go incognito."
Delphine shakes her head. "Come on, superstar," she reaches for Cosima's hand, "let's go check out the rest of the fair."
They spend the day hanging out there, a few other people approaching Cosima to ask for an autograph or to take a photo. After stopping for dinner at a taco stand, they head back to the house.
Cosima gets out of the car and her attention is immediately drawn to the lawn, "Oh wow, are those fireflies?"
"Yes, haven't you seen them before?"
Cosima shakes her head, "We don't have them in California. They're so pretty. Can we catch one?"
"We can try. I'll go get a jar."
Cosima walks to the grass while Delphine goes into the house. She returns a few minutes later with a glass jar, having pierced the lid and placed a moist paper towel on the bottom. "Okay, try to catch one and put it in the jar."
Cosima runs off towards the flashing lights. Delphine laughs as she watches her attempt to snag the bugs in midair.
"Delphine, come here, I think I got one."
Delphine hurries over and Cosima opens her clutched palms towards the jar. "Ooh, good work," Delphine praises as it enters the jar. She quickly fastens the lid and holds it up. They watch as it lights up. "We shouldn't keep him in there too long, maybe just a day. Why don't you see if you can get him a buddy so he's not lonely."
Cosima looks around for the telltale light and rushes off once she spots it. It takes her several minutes before she catches another one. "Hey, let's take the jar upstairs and let them light up your room."
Delphine places the jar on a high shelf and shuts the lights to her bedroom. They lie down on the bed and stare up at the jar as it periodically lights up.
"How cool is that?" Cosima remarks.
"Very cool," Delphine agrees. "The bioluminescence is actually how they attract mates."
"Can you imagine if we had the ability to do that?"
Delphine looks over at Cosima, "You do."
Cosima giggles, "Delphine, I think I would notice if I lit up like that."
"You might not be able to see how brightly you glow, but I see it. You have this spark, it attracts everyone who meets you. It's inescapable."
Only able to make out the faintest outline of Delphine in the dark, Cosima reaches her hand towards the blonde, finding her neck and bringing their faces close. "If that's true, I can stop glowing, I've already been found."
Delphine closes the gap between their mouths, her lips saying everything she's feeling without uttering a word.
They wake up as they fell asleep, face to face sharing a pillow.
"Cosima," Delphine whispers.
Cosima opens her eyes to find golden orbs staring into her own, "Hey."
"Good morning."
"Yes it is," Cosima smiles.
"What do you want to do today?"
"Hmm, it's supposed to be pretty warm, what do you think about a picnic in the park?"
"That sounds wonderful. I'll throw some lunch together," Delphine grins, giving Cosima a kiss before getting out of bed to get dressed.
After finally getting ready herself, Cosima heads downstairs to find Delphine packing a picnic basket. "What ya got in there," she sticks her hand in the basket and Delphine swats it away.
"Food," she closes the basket and heads for the door, Cosima trailing after her.
They saddle up Darwin and Rosalind and ride side-by-side through the woods to the park. When they arrive, they tie up the horses and find a sunny spot near the duck pond to set up.
"Alright," Cosima rubs her hands together in anticipation as they sit down on their blanket, "let's see what you got."
Delphine pulls sandwiches out of the basket, "First we have croque-monsieur."
"Croque-monsieur," Cosima repeats. "What's that?"
"Ham and cheese on brioche."
"Sounds good," Cosima licks her lips.
"We also have a salad with green leaves, cucumber, tomatoes, sweet corn, and a light vinaigrette. And," she pulls out a tall glass jar and two wine glasses, "homemade mimosa."
"How did you have time to make all this?"
"Cosima, have you ever timed yourself getting ready in the morning? You are very slow."
"Hey!"
Delphine stares at her, "You wish to argue the point?"
"No, I wish to eat."
"Good choice."
They fill their plates and glasses and begin lunch.
"This is really great," Cosima declares.
"I'm glad you like it."
"You could have made pb&j and I'd be happy just being here with you."
After lunch, Delphine reaches into the basket, "I have something special for you."
Delphine pulls out a plastic bag and Cosima's eye go wide, "You think of everything." She grabs the bag and runs towards the pond. "Duckies, I've got a treat for you."
Delphine laughs as she watches Cosima excitedly throw bread crumbs in the pond.
A little girl approaches Cosima, "What are you doing?"
"Oh, hello there," Cosima looks down at the little girl in pigtails, "I'm feeding the ducks."
"Can I feed them, too?"
"Sure, here you go," Cosima hands her some bread. "Just toss little pieces in the water and they'll swim to it."
The little girl does as told and giggles as the ducks rush for the bread, "They're funny."
"Yeah, they are," Cosima agrees as the girls throws some more in.
"Charlotte," a voice beckons.
"That's my nanny, I better go. Thanks for letting me feed the ducks with you."
"No problem."
"Bye," Charlotte waves before running off.
"Bye." Cosima walks back over to Delphine.
"Looks like you found a playmate."
"That was fun," Cosima says as she lays down, resting her head in Delphine's lap.
"You're good with kids."
"That's probably cause I act like one sometimes. And I'm not much taller."
"True," Delphine grins. "Do you think you want kids one day?"
"Yeah, I think it would be fun to have a couple kids. I'd love to teach them to ride. What about you?"
"It's weird, I've never really thought about it, other than when Maman and Papa talk about spoiling their future grandchildren, but watching you and Charlotte just now, I don't know, I think it might be nice to have a family some day, take the kids to the park, feed the ducks, play games."
"Watching me inspired that?" Cosima asks as she looks up at Delphine.
"You inspire a lot of things I never thought about before," Delphine leans down and gives Cosima an upside down kiss. "I have something else for you."
"What is it?" Cosima grins.
"Close your eyes." Cosima does as instructed and Delphine reaches into the basket. "Okay, open your mouth." Delphine brings the item to Cosima lips and she takes a bite.
"Mmm, truffles," Cosima smiles as she chews, "my second favorite French treat."
"Oh, now it's your second favorite? What's in first?"
Cosima licks her lips, "The hot blonde doling them out."
"Good answer," Delphine rewards her with a kiss, followed by another truffle.
After hanging out in the park a little longer, they mount the horses and head back home.
"It's starting to get dark, I'll run up and get the fireflies so we can release them," Delphine says before heading inside the house.
"Delphine," Cosima yells when she returns, "over here."
Delphine traipses over to the field to join Cosima, "Is there a particular reason we're this far from the house?"
"This is the spot where we watched the meteor shower together."
Delphine smiles, "I remember."
"I thought it would be cool to release them here and watch them fly off towards the stars."
"That would be very cool," Delphine agrees.
They sit down and open the jar, Cosima gives it a little shake and the fireflies take off. The girls lay back and watch them go, lighting up as they fly away.
"I was so into you that night," Cosima admits. "I was actually going to see if you wanted to hang out when you came home from dinner."
"You mean you weren't going for a stroll?"
"Yeah, a stroll up to your house to try to spend more time with you. But then you pulled up and I kind of chickened out. I couldn't believe when you asked me to watch the meteor shower with you."
"I was happy to see you."
"You were?"
"Yes. On the drive home, I was actually thinking about stopping by your place to ask if you wanted to watch with me and then there you were."
"When we were laying here, watching the stars, you were so close and all I wanted to do was kiss you. You probably would have freaked out, though."
"Probably," Delphine agrees, "but if you wanted to kiss me now, I wouldn't mind."
Cosima looks into Delphine's eyes, seeing the stars reflecting back in them. She leans forward, meeting Delphine's welcoming lips in a tender kiss. Delphine reaches for Cosima's cheek and deepens the kiss, causing a little whimper to escape Cosima's mouth.
"Cosima?"
"Mmhmm?"
"We should probably go inside before I rip your clothes off right here."
"What's wrong with that?"
"Mosquitos."
"Good point, come on," Cosima stands, pulling Delphine with her. They walk quickly, hand in hand, back to the house. Once inside, they rush up the stairs to Delphine's room. As soon as the door closes behind them, Delphine slams Cosima against it.
"Delphine, my goodness," Cosima moans as Delphine's teeth sink into her neck, "what's gotten into you?"
"Nothing. Yet," Delphine states as she removes Cosima's clothing.
"Then we better rectify that," a now naked Cosima asserts as she helps Delphine make quick work of her own clothing and then backs her onto the bed, crawling on top of her and covering her with kisses before sliding down Delphine's body and burying her face between her legs.
"Do you think your parents will approve of this? Of us I mean?" Cosima asks as Delphine rests her head on her chest, both of them exhausted from their lovemaking session.
"I don't know, I mean they already like you, so probably."
"Probably? That's not very encouraging."
"Honestly, I'm not sure how they'll react," Delphine admits. "What about your parents, will they approve of me?"
"They already do."
Delphine lifts her head to look at Cosima, "You told them about me?"
"Yeah, I don't keep anything from them. They wanted to know if I've been seeing anybody and I told them all about you. I told them how smart you are and that you're studying to be a vet, that you play the drums and helped me learn the ukulele, that you know how to cook and drive. Oh, I also emailed them the pics of us from the photo booth. They think you're beautiful, of course." Cosima looks at Delphine, who has a neutral expression on her face, "You're not mad that I told them about us are you?"
"No, I'm not mad. I'm touched that you would tell your family about me."
"Delphine, you're like the most important person in my life, I want everyone I care about to know about you and how much you mean to me."
Delphine leans forward to kiss Cosima. When she pulls back, Cosima notices a few tears rolling down her cheek. "Hey, what's wrong?"
"I'm such a coward, we've been dating for a month and I haven't told anyone close to me except Krystal."
"Felix knows."
"Yeah and I'm surprised he's kept it quiet."
"Look, Delphine, you do whatever you need to do at your own pace. When you're ready to tell your parents, you'll tell them."
"What if I'm never ready?"
"Never? Well, if you're never ready, then I guess they'll just continue to think we're really good friends. And we'll probably have to convince them that really good friends sometimes kiss and fuck, because I doubt I can keep my hands off you around them forever."
"Cosima," Delphine slaps her shoulder, "don't be crude."
"Are you really gonna accuse me of being crude after the things you said in French while I was enjoying the pleasure of your company a little while ago?"
Delphine's face reddens, "You understood all that?"
Cosima shrugs, "Just the words I googled after the last time you screamed them. I just assumed the rest were as dirty."
"You're unbelievable."
"Yeah, I kinda figured I was based on those noises you were making."
Delphine grabs a pillow and smacks her with it, "Brat!"
"I appreciate the noises, they're kinda hot. Not as hot as you are though," she throws the pillow to the side and brings Delphine's face towards hers until their lips meet.
"Delphine, we came home early," Pierre announces as the door to the bedroom swings open.