Delphine arrived home still riding the high of the day she'd had with Cosima. She slipped past the living room quietly, in order to sneak up to the bedroom. She wasn't ready to potentially ruin her good mood by speaking to Olivier. He had the tendency to be a downer even when they weren't in a fight.

Once in the bedroom, she began to undress and turned on the shower. Despite her pleasant mood, she was definitely felt worn down from the day. The drive home had also been arduous but with the thoughts of Cosima and their connection fresh in her mind, she had been thoroughly preoccupied. To Delphine their lunch did feel like a date, despite Cosima's suggestions otherwise and she began to feel herself become more comfortable with the idea. The way she flirted and teased Cosima was similar to the way she would've with a man, except she meant every word. She did want to get to know Cosima intimately…far more than she'd expected. She almost felt foolish for beginning to fall for someone with a reputation for loving and leaving women, but If Cosima was truly the player the media made her out to be she was hiding it well. Delphine noticed the nervousness and timidity during their goodbye and would not expect that from someone who simply had one goal in mind.

Still, Delphine wondered if Cosima even thought of her in that way. Sure the brunette flirted with her but perhaps that was just her way. It wasn't as if the soccer player was starved of female attention. Delphine noticed the wayward glances from women they passed on the street. She wondered if she was even Cosima's type. She had seen the trainer ex-girlfriend in the tabloids and had to admit that she was stunning. Although Delphine knew she was attractive, she wasn't sure she was Cosima's taste. Had Cosima pictured herself in bed with Delphine? As she was asking herself this question she began to look down at her body. She wasn't tan or nearly as toned as the trainer but her yoga classes had been paying off. Instead of critiquing herself she decided to let Cosima decide. When she thought of what the other woman would do to her if she was her type she began to blush.

She wondered what sex would even be like with the athlete. She knew what women did together in bed. She'd had lesbian colleagues and had heard their stories about sleeping with girls they'd met at bars. Delphine suddenly began to imagine it herself. Was Cosima gentle like her actions would suggest, or was she rough and unfeeling like her persona would indicate? Would she want to sleep with someone with no experience or did she prefer a more seasoned partner? She would have to have a lot of experience of her own, right? Lastly, the most unyielding question, would she leave in the middle of the night?

This thinking led Delphine to shudder. Just as she began to get carried away, the sound of loud music snapped her out of it. She knew it was his way of getting her attention and after the long shower she decided she was ready to interact with Olivier. She couldn't simply ignore him and sneak out of the house so she psyched herself up and began the journey downstairs. She contemplated whether or not to tell him about her lunch with Cosima, especially after experiencing his vulnerable state the night before. She honestly had no energy to argue and wanted nothing more than to finish her editing for the day so she could go out.

"Baby, are you coming down?"

"Oui, où êtes-vous?"

Olivier had picked up enough French from his lessons to understand Delphine but not respond in the language just yet.

"The kitchen!"

He shouted over the stereo he was listening to Oasis's Wonderwall on far louder than necessary.

Delphine entered the kitchen cautiously and saw her boyfriend preparing pasta in his Calvin Klein pajama set. She rolled her eyes and walked over to supervise whatever he was attempting to do. Just then, she noticed a bouquet of long stem white roses in the sink that had obviously just been pruned. Her eyes grew wide as she realized she'd left the flowers Cosima gave her in the backseat of her car. She had not yet decided how to explain them and decided to wait until morning to figure it out.

"Hey sweetheart, I'm making your favorite, the one with the mussels."

"Oh that sounds lovely…"

She'd heard that word so much recently that it was bound to sneak into her lexicon.

"Since when do you make seafood pasta?"

"Since I saw a tutorial on YouTube. You can learn anything online. Now please take a load off, have a glass of Riesling and let your man spoil you."

She could tell he was trying his hardest to cater to her after their night of turmoil, but she really wanted to get some rest so she could go meet up with Cosima later. She knew his whole display was to get back into her good graces, just as she knew he hoped it would get him back into to bed with her as well. He had spent the night in the spare room and she knew he hated going even a night without sex. Despite his efforts she could hardly be bothered and was desperate to find an excuse to leave the house.

"So how was your day? Did you have that meeting you were talking to Thomas about on the phone last night?"

'Merde' she thought quite nervously to herself. She had told Thomas she had a meeting but how had Olivier heard them?

She decided to offer an answer in an effort to avoid raising suspicion.

"Eh, oui, I did"

"Well how'd it go? You sounded pretty excited; it must be a big opportunity for you."

He had no idea how big of an opportunity it was becoming in her mind. She felt herself drift off into a daydream about Cosima holding her hands across the table when he wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and began to kiss her neck. This would generally be arousing to her but she felt herself shiver at his touch in a way she never had before.
She was truly becoming bothered by the man she once thought she could love. Although Delphine had never considered herself to be in love in her entire life, he was the first person to make her think she could.

"Baby, why are you being so jumpy? Did the meeting not go well?"
He said while rubbing his hands roughly over her hips and swaying them gently from side to side.

"Oh no it went quite well, although it wasn't a meeting it was just lunch with a client I met last week."

"Oh? From which studio? And since when do they take editors to lunch at Gracias Madre?"
She began to feel ill at the mention of the restaurant. Had he followed her there? Had he seen her with Cosima? She had to be honest before it was too late. She turned herself around slightly in order to free herself from his hold and began to fidget with the pans on the stove.

Olivier stood with a puzzled look on his face and folded his arms awaiting her explanation.

"It was Cosima Niehaus, you know the soccer player? I did a shoot with her last week and she wanted to have lunch to decide on what prints to send to the editor. Overall it was a pleasant afternoon and she wasn't too difficult if not a little indecisive." She over-explained and could sense that he knew she was lying.

He began to move around the kitchen table to get closer and stopped right next to her left shoulder.

"You went to lunch with that soccer player?"

Delphine felt herself become uneasy as she looked up at his piercing stare. She honestly began to fear his reaction as he had been volatile with her in the past. He had never laid a hand on her but he did make a habit of throwing things and slamming doors.

"Yes…she is very nice. Nothing like what you hear about on T.V."

"I bet…I'm sure she's nice to all of the pretty girls Delphine, but you've got to be careful with them. There were a few of those dykes on the crew of Lone Wolf and although they seem harmless they won't hesitate to hit on any woman they see, just like a man."

Delphine felt a twinge of anger run down her spine when hearing that word and felt even more offended that it was aimed toward Cosima. She couldn't help but think that he sounded just like her father, which further infuriated her.

"Olivier that's enough! I will not listen to you refer to someone you don't know in that manner let alone a friend of mine. How can you use that word?"

"Oh relax Delphine it's not that serious and I'd hardly call her a friend if I were you…You barely know the woman."

She started to agree with him before she remembered how wonderfully they were able to connect and considered how Cosima had opened up to her. She thought about the stories she herself had shared about Olivier and how Cosima had trouble hiding her concern. The concern didn't seem like that of someone who was trying to discredit him in order to break them apart, but that of a friend that saw that their relationship was unhealthy. Cosima wouldn't be the first person to suggest this seeing as Thomas had offered to 'tear him a new one' multiple times until Delphine's behest for him not to harm her boyfriend.

"You know nothing about it Oli and I will not sit here and listen to your propaganda any longer."

She stormed out of the kitchen without looking at him and immediately texted Thomas and asked him to pick her up. Luckily he was on hiatus from his theater production and was available on weeknights again.

Once he agreed to pick her up, she grabbed several items that she could use to put together an outfit that she thought Cosima would like. Her sole intent for packing so much was in an effort to avoid embarrassing her friend in front of her teammates. She just didn't want to show up looking out of place…or so she convinced herself. Thomas would certainly know what would work for this occasion, so she decided just to wait until they got to his place to decide. After packing far more than was necessary, she heard Olivier slamming dishes in the kitchen. Part of her wanted to leave without a trace but she was worried about her belongings and what harm he would do to himself during his fit.

"I'm going to Thomas'…Are you going to be alright?" She asked postured toward the front door.

"Yeah Delphine… I just went through all of this to make up with you and you're leaving. I'm going to be wonderful."

"I can't sit here and argue with you about this. Thomas is on his way. I don't know if I'll be back tonight so don't wait up."

"Are you sure you're going to his house Delphine?"
She gave a puzzled look before answering the question. She hoped he was not insinuating she was going to see Cosima.

"Oui, positive. What kind of question is that? You don't trust what I tell you?"

"It's not that…it's just that you seemed to start this fight over nothing. You've never been that passionate about this issue before. I mean I know Thomas is gay but I wasn't even referring to him. I kinda like him considering…"

She laughed internally at the irony of his statement. Thomas loathed him and always assumed he was homophobic despite Dephine's defense of his character.

"Considering what? That is what I mean. You can't judge people like that. There is nothing wrong with being homosexual just like there is nothing wrong with having brown hair."

"Hardly a fair comparison Babe but since there's no winning with you tonight I'll drop it…I'm sorry I got upset earlier. I'm just stressed and I really wanted tonight to go well. You might have the right idea though…space could be good."

"Okay? So you are fine now?"

"Yeah just got a little upset with myself. I've been a burden and you deserve better from me. I may not agree on this whole 'gay' thing but I love you and I don't want you to think I judge your friends."

"Alright then Olivier. I'm going to wait outside…au revoir"
Before she could slip out the door he grabbed her arm and pulled her into him. He gave her a look that screamed desperation and attempted to kiss her. Their lips touched but hers didn't part and her eyes did not close. Once he realized his kiss was not going to be returned he let go of her just as Thomas pulled up and honked the horn.

"Allo, Joues de sucre!" Thomas shouted out of the car window.

"Hello! No matter how many times I hear that I will never understand it. American terms of affection are so odd." She admitted with a smirk, relieved to be reunited with her best friend for the first time in weeks.

"So what did Assface do this time Baby? Do I need to turn this car around and 'take a Louisville slugger to both headlights'?"

"Non, because that car is in my name. ..He did try to make up with me tonight after our fight last night but he said something offensive and I couldn't ignore it."

"How original…He turned on the charm?"

"Oui, he bought me flowers and was making my favorite dish. He even attempted to set the mood with Wonderwall of all things…" She was laughing at the thought and Thomas joined in heartily.

"Oh Del, that man is the worst but at least he comes back with his tail between his legs when he's wrong."

"Oui but I'm afraid I'm growing tired of this dynamic. It should be easier. We don't have things in common anymore, we fight constantly, and his drinking is making him impotent…"

"Whoa now he's crossed the line…he's not even keeping it up? Look at you! I'm gayer than the day is long but I still get a halfsie when you wear that red dress…"

Delphine was beet red at the admission but she knew her friend was just trying to comfort her. She was thanking the stars she had him to go to on nights like these.

"Okay Thomas, flattery aside, do you think I'm wasting my time with Olivier? Can I do better?"

"Of course! I've been telling you that since he asked to move in with you. Before then he was at least gainfully employed and socially relevant. Now he's just a soap opera actor with a bad accent."

She laughed at the description but she couldn't disagree. When they'd met Olivier was on a popular cable show and had a few film roles under his belt. His finances seemed to be in order and he spared no expense wining and dining her. Although Delphine wasn't with him for his wealth, she did enjoy being doted upon. The first nine months of their relationship were a severe contrast to the most recent three. Their cohabitating seemingly pulled back the curtain on the facade Olivier was hiding behind. The memories of the good times were the only thing that kept her holding on.

"I know, it's just that I've never been in a relationship with anyone who really gets me. They're always with me for my looks or because of what I do. You wouldn't believe how many men think I can get them into films because I work in this town. He was the first man that seemed genuinely interested in me for me…Now I realize he knows nothing more than whatever ideal he projected onto me."

"Man D…That's deep. But as the old saying goes 'you just haven't met the right person yet' right?"

"Thomas that's just it… I think I have."