As they neared the beach, Delphine leaned down, slipping off her sandals and rolling up her jeans. Cosima, did the same, pushing the elastic cuffs of her billowy harem pants up her calves slightly.
They walked aimlessly, fingers still intertwined, sandals dangling from their other hands. The crash and whoosh of the waves were a backdrop for their thoughts, happy, carefree, breathing in the scent of salt and seaweed. Lights from the city and the harbor danced on the water, smears of green and red and blue twinkling in the distance. The moon was just starting its assent, quarter full, the sliver still casting the beach and waves in a soft white-blue glow. There weren't many people on the beach, but a hundred yards beyond, there were some people still milling around beach bars.
Nudging the taller woman slightly with her shoulder, Cosima indicated she was about to break the easy silence, saying softly, "Why don't you wait here by the water, I'm going to run up to that chiringuito" a word Thomas taught her "and get us a bottle of wine." She kicked herself for not asking at the restaurant, but she hadn't been sure where the night would go, what would happen.
"Mmmm, okay, but don't be long," releasing her hand, she watched Cosima turn and walk away, swaying slightly in the sand.
Unbidden, a song started playing in Delphine's mind, "youuu, soft and only," perhaps primed from the conversation only a few hours earlier. She pulled out her headphones, needing to hear those words as she watched this unexpected, spectacular woman growing smaller, walking down the beach in the moonlight.
As the drums trundled in, she felt warm and free, and had a singular thought that this would be - was already - one of the best nights of her life. She started swaying slightly, closing her eyes, nodding her head to the beat, thinking of the way the dreadlocked woman swayed when she walked, the way her hands cut through the air with her passions, that genuine smile full of tongue and teeth. How unlikely their meeting.
Spinning on that dizzy edge
I kissed her face and kissed her head
And dreamed of all the different ways I had
To make her glow
The song on repeat, Delphine lost herself in the melody, in thoughts of her.
Cosima had secured the wine and glasses after some heavy negotiation with the bartender at the beach bar. Walking back toward Delphine now she had mischievous thoughts dancing through her mind; she looked up and down the beach to find a more private spot for them.
Then she saw Delphine in the distance, bathed in moonlight, the sight stopping Cosima cold.
The blonde had in her earbuds, eyes closed, hips and long legs swaying to the beat of an unheard song, arms above her head pumping slowly in the air, her curls tumbling softly with the movement and the salty breeze, her blouse pulled up just enough to expose a bit of pale skin in the moonlight. So beautiful, so carefree … so goofy.
I could watch this lovely woman dance all my life.
The thought surprised her. She shook her head slightly, smiling, and slowly made her way across the sand. She quietly set the wine down in the sand by Delphine's bag, and reached out to brush the blonde's curls.
She knew she startled her, a deep blush blossoming across Delphine's cheeks, clear even in the darkness.
"Um, oh, mon dieu," she breathed out, pulling out the earbuds. "I'm … you got the wine!" She clapped her hands together as she lightly drew in her bottom lip, looking down at the sand in embarrassment.
Cosima moved closer, cupping Delphine's chin until their eyes met. Her other hand traced the curve of the taller woman's shoulder, ghosting down her side, looping her arm around her slender waist. "You are breathtaking." Cosima pulled their bodies together as she captured the taller woman's lips in a soft kiss.