A loud beeping startled Delphine out of her sleep as she reached for Cosima's phone that had found itself on the floor at the foot of the bed.
Cosima slept through the racket, offering only a sigh at the loss of Delphine from her arms. Delphine looked down at Cosima sleeping peacefully and felt terrible having to wake her after keeping her up all night. The last thing she wanted to do was to distract her from her obligations and she already was.
She resolved to make up for it by making her coffee and ordering breakfast before she woke up. The problem she encountered when deciding what to order was that she honestly didn't know what Cosima liked or was allowed to eat during competition.
She instead just turned on the coffee pot and ran a bath. The hotel provided a jacuzzi tub and although Cosima may have not had time to really soak in the tub, she would at least be more relaxed.
After pressing snooze for her the third time, she knew it was time to just wake Cosima up herself. She walked to her side of the bed and sat before offering an apology "Je suis désolé ma Chérie, mais il est temps de se lever…" She then proceeded to place her hand firmly on her elbow and attempted to rock her out of her sleep.
"Cosima, you can't be this deep of a sleeper and make any appointment on time…" She complained to herself as she rocked her a bit harder.
Finally Cosima's eyes opened slowly and she took a moment to realize where she was.
"Uhh…my head… Delphine? What time is it?" She managed to whisper out weakly in reply.
"Bonjour ma Belle, you're already ten minutes late waking up. I've made you coffee and there is a bath waiting for you. What would you like me to order for breakfast?"
Cosima was still groggy from sleep but was trying to process everything Delphine had just said to her.
"Coffee?…a bath?" She repeated, still unsure whether she was dreaming or she was indeed waking up from spending the night with Delphine.
"Oui, come you don't have much time. I want you to be ready for your day." Delphine assured her with a smile before rising to pour Cosima's coffee.
After a stretch Cosima sat up and put on her glasses. She began watching Delphine move around the room picking up the mess they'd made last night.
"Wait, are you getting dressed?" Cosima asked in a near panic.
"Non, not yet, but…you are leaving soon. I want to be dressed when you are ready to go."
"Will you at least stay and eat with me? Maybe join me in the bath?" She asked with an eyebrow raise.
Delphine sighed before nodding, knowing she couldn't say no to Cosima's adorable grin. "Well I was going to have cup of coffee and a quick shower…but if you'd like me to…" Cosima cut her off before she finished with, "I'd love for you to stay…might I add that you look just as good in the morning. I mean...good enough to eat."
"Cosima…are you even like this in the morning?" She asked with a laugh, in sheer disbelief of Cosima's innuendo so early in the day.
"Yes Ma'am…I've been 'like this' with you since we met…I'm just more open about it now that I've worn you down Laura." She taunted with a toothy grin before rising to move toward where Delphine was standing.
"Mmmm okay, as long as this is just for me I can handle it. I will join you in the bath but you must behave. You need to eat and get dressed…I mean it." She warned with a wag of a finger.
Cosima just laughed while putting her hands up in a gesture of surrender.
…..
After a light meal and fighting off Cosima's advances in the bath, Delphine began to dress and gather her things to return to her hotel room.
"Do you really have to go?" Cosima asked with her best pouty face.
Delphine laughed before averting her eyes from the endearing look. "Oui, you're late and I want to rest until I can see you later. I'll go make us plans…unless you have other obligations?" She replied, hoping she would be able to see her again before she had to return home.
"Oh no, I don't think so…After the meeting I may catch up with my teammates for a bit but then I'm all yours." She stated, as she searched for an outfit to wear.
"Okay then…I'm going to go now." She walked to where Cosima was standing and wrapped her arms around her waist from behind. "Don't miss me too much." She teased before offering a quick kiss on the cheek.
"Impossible…I miss you already." Cosima responded with sincerity as her cheeks flushed and she bowed her head shyly.
Cosima then loosened Delphine's hold and turned to face her. She looked into Delphine's eyes and studied her face in the sunlight. She was actually able to notice subtle things she hadn't before. There were more freckles than she could recall and her eyes seemed to change color depending on the amount of light in the room.
As Cosima stood before her fascinated, Delphine cleared her throat dramatically and awakened her from her trance.
"Oh I'm sorry…" Cosima answered with a head shake before standing on her tiptoes to give Delphine a proper kiss. "Now go and get some rest, you'll need it." Cosima warned playfully; not able to resist a last minute flirtation.
Delphine blushed before grabbing her clutch and attire from the night before. She stored her things in a garment bag that Cosima loaned her. She had planned on doing the walk of shame in her dress and heels but Cosima insisted she wear some of her clothes. After much debate, Delphine ended up leaving in a set of Cosima's soccer shorts, flip flops and her Team America sweatshirt. Delphine argued for another shirt to wear but gave in when Cosima compared her wearing it to wearing her high school letterman jacket. Although she thought the comparison was cute, she resolved to remove it as soon as possible.
….
After making her way out the door, Delphine's mind began to race. It seemed like everything she was feeling when she was with Cosima was intensified. Whether it was jealousy, lust, affection or joy, she was experiencing a heightened version of it.
She also couldn't stop thinking about the fact that she had made love to a woman for the first time and was shocked that it felt so natural. When she first considered her romantic feelings for Cosima, the thought of sex was terrifying. She wasn't sure if she would be able to go through with it and even if she did, couldn't imagine enjoying it. After a few days of developing attraction and desire, the fears began to drift away. She wondered if she had missed out on experiences like this in the past by only dating men or if it was specific to Cosima due to the way she felt about her. Regardless of the reasoning, she knew she couldn't wait to explore that part of their relationship further.
….
Once Cosima arrived to the team meeting, late as usual, she was greeted by a seemingly hungover Theresa.
"There she is! The Fonz has done it again…How long did it take you? A week?" Her teammate teased with a cheeky grin.
Samantha looked on uncomfortably as some of the other teammates ignored Cosima's presence and went about their conversations.
"Good morning to you too T. Still seeing the bartender or was that a one night thing?" Cosima asked, attempting to divert the attention away from herself.
"Saw him last night…late last night. He and I have a real connection." She replied as she swooned to herself. "But that didn't answer my question Cos, I saw you with your French girl last night stumbling toward the elevator… but the day before you were with that blonde from the bar so I'm confused. Are we double dealing?"
"When aren't you confused Sweet pea?" Margeaux interjected as she passed by their side of the table. Everyone knew Theresa was ditzy so Margeaux played this fact up to offer Cosima a break from her questioning.
Cosima and Samantha looked at one another before laughing and proceeding to sit down at the conference table.
Theresa scoffed and turned beet red before the coach entered and their attention turned toward her.
….
About 30 minutes into the meeting Samantha got Cosima's attention and began to whisper. "So you were with Del-fine last night? How'd it go…did you deflower her?" She asked with a mischievous grin.
Cosima waited until the coach turned her head before replying. "Hey, I don't kiss and tell Sam…You know better."
Samantha blinked and waited for Cosima to relent, knowing that she would tell her everything like she always did.
"Okay she did come back to my room but that's all I'm telling you…" Cosima tried, hoping the added information would be enough to get her off of her back.
"Cosima…out with it. I've been listening to you gush about her since you two met. I deserve a little more than that." She said with a bratty folding of her arms.
"Okay okay, I'll tell you after Kent finishes her lecture. Can you believe she's droning on like this when we won? Heaven forbid we lose." She retorts with a stifled laugh.
"Niehaus! Would you prefer to lead the meeting? I'd assume you were too busy with your grand juggling act but perhaps I'm wrong?" The coach called out, embarrassing Cosima and causing her to blush in frustration.
Cosima shook her head and looked off into the distance like a pouting child.
"Sorry Dude…" Theresa offered with a sorrowful look on her face.
…..
"Hey Hun, how's your trip going? I see dreadlocks scored a goal…did she score with you as well?" Thomas answered, during a Skype call with Delphine.
"Allo Mon Ami…straight to the point I see." She answered with a grin. "Yes, I did see her after the game. She was quite nice considering everything."
He sat with a look of anticipation awaiting the meaty information. "And?"
"And…we met up later yesterday evening for a drink. It was going just fine until I brought up something silly and we had an argument…long story short she forgave me and we slept together. Now I'm in my hotel room waiting for her to be free so we can go out later. I'm not sure what I should wear though…what do you think?" She blurted as she held up a few tops for him to critique.
Thomas sat glaring in confusion, not sure what to say to get her to elaborate.
"Look girl, you aren't just going to sneak 'We slept together' into your little rant and expect me to ignore it. You know that's all I wanted to hear about anyway…" He teased, with a stern look.
Delphine finds her lip between her teeth not sure how much to tell him. Despite her excitement about her night with Cosima, she was afraid to let anyone into their bubble fearing it would interfere with her overwhelming joy. Even if he was her best friend, she wasn't sure how receptive he'd be considering his stance on Cosima. She was certain the topic of their argument would bother him as well.
"Well…I um…after a series of events I ended up in her room and we sort of fell into one another. It was a very enjoyable experience…I really like her Thomas. My feelings for her are almost frightening to me." She admitted as she realized she was becoming attached to Cosima in a way she hadn't experienced before.
"Okay…so she made sweet lady love to you and now you think there are real sparks? That's okay dear, in fact it's normal. Your first time with a woman was bound to make you feel this way." He attempts to comfort her not knowing why she seems so scared of her emotional state.
"Well I…made love to her too and I…I think she enjoyed it. At least I hope she did because I'm hooked Thomas, it's like nothing I've ever experienced before." She shared, still uncertain as to whether Cosima truly enjoyed her sex or was just being nice.
"Oh…You do like her don't you? Did you give her an Australian kiss you little minx?" He inquired with a wink.
"I'm not sure what that is but I'll bet I did not. It was quite sweet and romantic…I'm sure You cannot relate." She teased with her tongue between her teeth.
"Whatever Blondie, you don't know my life!" He pouted, as they proceeded to catch up on the weekend's events.
She managed to tell him about Aldous and his advances as well as briefly mentioning the picture of Cosima, downplaying it as best she could. He simply warned her not to be too trusting so quickly but she dismissed his concerns. After nearly two hours, they hung up and she lied down for a nap. She hadn't heard from Cosima but certainly didn't want to bother her and display her infatuation with the woman.
…..
"So you and the Princess huh? This is big…you sound like a teenager Cos." Samantha recapped after hearing about Cosima's evening.
"I feel like one, I haven't been this optimistic about a relationship since I was in high school…It's like I've been missing something for so long and I think I've found it you know?" Cosima replied with a genuine grin. She was feeling amazing after her win and her night with Delphine and she felt nothing could bring her down.
"So is she your girlfriend, your sex buddy or what?" Samantha asked with a silly smile. She was getting a kick out of seeing her teammate and friend being so idealistic.
"Um…I don't know. I haven't asked her. We honestly skipped the lesbian processing session and just fell into a sort of…comfort, it was nice." Cosima was certain she was lucky to avoid any long drawn out discussion of what them sleeping together meant and 'who they were to each other'.
"Well what do you want? You seem to be enthralled and she's quite attractive so if you don't tie her down someone else will." Samantha was just being a jerk at this point because she felt it necessary to open Cosima's eyes to the truth.
"Yeah, I'll discuss it with her tonight. Speaking of which, I'd better get back to my room and see what she has planned." Cosima replied dismissively as she began to leave the table.
Samantha sat in shock at Cosima's abrupt departure but could only assume the mention of the word 'girlfriend' was behind it.
…..
As she walked back to her room, Cosima called Delphine anxious to hear her voice again.
"Allo ma Cherie" Delphine answered in a whimsical tone. She was clearly happy to hear from Cosima after a day of silence.
"Hi Baby, did you get some rest?" Cosima's broad smile was evident in her voice as she spoke.
"Oui, I just finished a nap and I'm headed for a shower, are you done for the day? I can't wait to see you."
"Oh good, and yes I am. I'm headed back to the room. When can we meet?"
"You can come to mine when you're ready, say 4:00?" Delphine replied hoping she could rush to get ready in order to meet sooner.
"Okay, I can't wait." Cosima grinned uncontrollably before hanging up to get prepared. She was so pleased with the ease at which they were communicating now; it was a complete contrast to their prior attempts.
After her shower, Cosima looked over her clothing items and considered what she wanted to wear. She didn't ask what she should wear before hanging up and when she'd texted Delphine for the hotel address the woman hadn't mentioned the need to dress any particular way. She resolved that since it was during the day she would keep it casual. She ended up with a pair of light blue jeans, a white button down blouse and tan boots. She applied a bit of make-up before putting on her glasses and racing down to catch her cab.
….
After a few quick stops, Cosima found her way to Delphine's floor and raised her hand to knock on the door. Before she did, she straightened out her clothes and fiddled with her hair. She was still just as nervous as ever to see Delphine despite the fact that they'd already slept together. It was a feeling that was entirely unfamiliar to her.
Once she slowed her breathing and felt she looked okay, she knocked on the door. She heard footsteps approaching from inside and became tense. After what seemed like an eternity, the door opened and Cosima took in the vision before her.
"Bonne babe après-midi, you look very beau." Delphine teased, with a kiss on each of Cosima's cheeks.
"Eh thanks Babe…you look… Amazing." Cosima said with absolute conviction, trying not to stare. She shook her head slightly and handed Delphine the bouquet of purple irises that were hidden behind her back in her left hand.
Delphine looked down in awe of the color of the bouquet and smiled so hard her eyes were nearly shut. She took Cosima by the hand and gently pulled her into the room and shut the door.
"You know me so well. Irises are France's national flower…My mother always kept a fresh bouquet around the house when I was young." Delphine commented over her shoulder as she gave Cosima's hand a gentle squeeze.
"Yes…I read that. They reminded me of you as I walked by a flower shop…" Cosima fibbed knowing she'd gone out of her way to purchase that exact flower on her way over.
After entering, Delphine released her hand with a glance over her shoulder and moved toward the desk. She placed the flowers in the coffee pot and added some water. Cosima stood just inside the entryway watching Delphine's movements with intent. She leaned her shoulder against the wall and just gazed at Delphine in admiration of her ensemble.
Delphine's look was simple. She wore a short navy sun dress with gold strappy heels and moved around with a grace most women would envy in such an outfit. After gathering her things she walked toward Cosima with a sway and a lick of the lips before pulling her in for a searing kiss.
Cosima accepted the kiss but stood frozen on unsteady feet before wrapping her arms around Delphine's waist to ground herself. She reached up to move a curl behind Delphine's ear and their eyes met.
"I truly love the flowers Mon Amor, shall we go?" Delphine whispered, before taking a step back to cup her cheek to get her attention.
She noticed something was off so she wanted to check with Cosima to find the reason. "Are you okay? You seem, I don't know…distracted."
"Um…yeah I'm distracted." She replied while giving Delphine a long glance. "You're stunning…I'm just…I can't focus when you look like that." She finished with a giggle as a blush crept up her neck and enveloped her face. She was certainly moved by the sight of Delphine in the way she thought was only real in fiction. The mere thought of Delphine gave her butterflies and the sight made her weak. Being intimate with her only made the reactions more intense. These feelings of euphoria were beginning to consume her.
Delphine gave a sweet smile before shaking her head shyly and beckoning Cosima to follow her to the door. She clearly wasn't aware of how strongly Cosima was reacting to their close proximity.
"Always the charmer aren't you? Vous me donnes envie de séjourner dans cette chambre" She said with a sigh as she opened the door and they made their way down the hall.
"You're the one that made sure I was fed and dressed in time to leave this morning. I'm sorry I forgot to thank you for being so sweet. No one has ever taken care of me like that."
Delphine shrugged modestly before nodding, not knowing how to respond. She was thoroughly pleased to hear that Cosima appreciated her gesture. She certainly wasn't expecting a thank you but was happy to know it didn't go unnoticed.
"So where are we headed Gorgeous? I'm nervous, you haven't told me anything." Cosima broke the silence, anxious to get a clue as to what their plans were for the evening.
"Non, you're going to be surprised. I will not give any hints so don't bother." She retorted with a quick kiss on Cosima's flushed cheek.
As they walked, Delphine linked her arm through Cosima's and clutched it possessively. Cosima beamed as they walked, excited that the public displays of affection weren't reserved for when they were drunk.
Unfortunately, just as she was reveling in the moment, Cosima saw a small group of people that she assumed were staring because they recognized her. She began to panic, worried about how Delphine would react to the attention after the last encounter at the bar. Before she could warn her, the group approached them.
"Hey! You're Cosima Niehaus right?" A short blonde woman asked excitedly as her friends looked on with interest.
"Ehm, yes I am." She replied hesitantly glancing over to see Delphine's reaction.
Delphine just stood behind her slightly with a calm grin on her face as another woman from the group came up and started to speak.
"Oh my gosh, we love you! We watched your match…you were great." She said, glancing back and for the between Cosima and Delphine with a knowing smile.
"Thank you, I appreciate the support." Cosima said awkwardly before making small talk. She wasn't sure how to get away from them and back to her date.
Sensing her floundering, Delphine interjected. "I hate to interrupt Mon Amor but we have a reservation." She tried to come off as politely as possible, offering the group an apologetic look. The statement seemingly took Cosima out of her daze and she nodded and began to excuse herself.
"Oh yeah, sorry…it was very nice to meet you guys, but we've gotta be going. Have a good night!" After the goodbye, she shook their hands and proceeded to walk with a hand on the small of Delphine's back.
"Night Cosima, night Cosima's French Girlfriend." A third girl in the group shouted as they walked toward the entrance, clearly trying to be funny.
Cosima donned a shocked look that Delphine couldn't see and picked up her pace in order to get away as soon as possible.
"I'm sorry, I think I'm just so comfortable with you that I forget people may make assumptions about us." Cosima said with a worried look. She was obviously expecting Delphine to freak out about this given her concerns about their relationship becoming public, whatever their relationship was.
Delphine gave a look of contemplation before responding. "Cosima, there's nothing that can be done in these instances. People will recognize you and they will assume I'm with you. I'll admit at first that worried me, but I'm trying not to let my fears interfere. I care more about how you make me feel than what people think."
"Oh okay…good. So you don't mind being called my 'French Girlfriend'?" Cosima teased, while wrapping her arms around Delphine's waist. She was unbelievably relieved to her Delphine say that.
"Non…if that's what I am I don't mind." Delphine replied nervously, hoping she wasn't being too presumptuous.
Cosima heard Delphine's reply and began to panic. She was surprised at how frightening the word girlfriend was to her. Although she knew she adored Delphine, she was still terrified of commitment and was worried making things official would add unnecessary pressure. Her experience with Kathryn made her weary of rushing into anything and it had only been a week.
She was certain being honest might ruin their evening before it began, so she thought of a way out.
"Oh no, you're not going to get me that easily Cormier…you've got to work for it. You have to wine and dine me first." She teased assuming humor was the safest avoidance tactic.
Delphine felt her heart sink momentarily before she mentally shook off the rejection and chalked it up to it being too soon. She knew it was a long shot but she'd hoped that the time they'd spent with one another was enough to sway Cosima into being comfortable with the title.
"Okay Niehaus…luckily for me that is the plan for tonight. Speaking of which, our chariot awaits." She responded while pointing at a Lincoln limousine that had just arrived.