PART ONE CHAPTER TWO
Delphine had her laptop open, and her phone next to it. She had been waiting since she got in for DYAD to call her about the job. It was getting closer and closer to 6pm and she still hadn't heard from them. On the other hand she hadn't even got off the train when she heard the familiar whistle of her phone to let her know she had received a text.
Hey Delphine, just wanted to make sure this was your number. Speak to you soon Cos x
It had taken Delphine a few minutes to figure out who this Cos was. Seeing as Cosima had put herself as Cos on Delphine's phone it confused her. When the penny finally dropped who it was Delphine had replied.
Hey, yeah it's the right number. But I was told I shouldn't talk to strangers ;)
Cosima's reply had been instant.
I am so glad you replied. It took that long I thought you had forgotten me already :,(
How could I forget you Cosima, you are something else x
I could say the same about you! But I will just say you took my breath away when I saw you today x
Cosima are you flirting with me?
Yes Delphine I am and I hope you are enjoying it :P x
I am very much Cosima.
Good call me later and we will talk some more xxCxx
Delphine didn't reply to the last text as she knew she would be calling no matter what. She had always been told that sometimes you have to grab what you want with both hands and never let go. Her family had never agreed to her lifestyle. They had wanted her to take over the family business but Delphine had always had the passion for science and that was what had driven her to take the job at Castor Laboratories.
When her parents had died a few years before Delphine was distraught and felt that she had disappointed them. It wasn't until their will had been read out that she realised just how proud they had been. They left her the family home in Marble Arch and a sizeable inheritance. So she was well off and didn't really need to work. But she worked because she loved what she was doing and didn't want to be one of these 'ladies who lunch'.
Yes she had nice things. A nice car, real diamonds in jewellery and a beautiful home, but she had just wanted that special person to share it all with. Yeah there had been men and women along the way but they had just seen the money and that was all they were interested in. what they could get out of her. She had taken herself away from the situations, even having to get restraining orders on some of the ex's.
Delphine had learnt through all this never to bring anyone to Marble Arch. If she started dating anyone she would take them to her flat in Wandsworth. It was nothing special. But it didn't let people know who the real Delphine was and that she had everything you could want.
The phone ringing shook Delphine out of her thoughts.
COS
A smile came to her lips as she picked up the phone.
"Hello?"
"Hello Delphine, I am ringing to let you know that you got the job."
"Why are you calling me Cosima and not Mr Leekie?"
"I asked Aldous if I could make the call. Are you not pleased Delphine?"
"I am very happy Cosima. It was just so unexpected to receive the news from yourself."
"Well let's forget about that. Would you like to meet up and celebrate? Aldous is sending all the boring information in an email. Cutting it down short. You start in three weeks, as you said you have to give two weeks' notice. Now would you like to meet up with me and celebrate?" Cosima was quite insistent.
"Thank you very much for the offer Cosima but I hardly know you. I am not saying no but I am not saying yes either." Delphine explained.
"OK then Delphine how about you come to my place, I will make us a meal and we can get to know each other better." Cosima was smiling Delphine could tell.
"How about you come to mine instead. I will send you my address and you can come here and we can get to know each other where I …"
"Erm I already know your address I had your file to get your number, I had to take it from Aldous to make the call even though I already had your number, but he doesn't know that so shhhhhhhh. Plus I am already on my way! " Cosima giggled.
"You are such a brat!" Delphine exclaimed.
"Yeah maybe but I am only round the corner from yours. So you best be decent." Cosima giggled again.
Delphine froze with fear as the realisation that she wasn't in control hit her. She liked to be in control of things and it had been snatched away.
"Ring the bell twice when you get here so I know it's you. I get so many cold callers to the house it is ridiculous." Delphine said in barely a whisper as she darted around the house tidying up.
"OK I will be about 5 minutes."
"OK bye!" Delphine said as she hung up the phone.
Delphine smiled goofily to herself. She was being quite brazen with Cosima and she liked it. Never before had she just gone what the hell and let someone else take the lead. Even though she was being as forward as she was, she was still being shy too.
'Shit!' Delphine thought suddenly. 'She is not far away and my place is a mess!' running around again quickly Delphine tidied her immaculate house. After about twenty minutes the doorbell rang twice.
Delphine made her way to the front door and looked through the peep hole. Cosima was stood there with a big smile on her lips. Delphinecould have stayed there and just spied on her taking in the other woman's beauty.
Snapping herself out of her day dream she opened the door.
"Hello Cosima please come in." Delphine motioned for her to enter. Cosima stood just inside the door. Delphine leant forward and kissed both cheeks of the shorter woman, lingering just a little longer with the second kiss. Delphine heard Cosima take a sharp intake of breath as she moved away and saw that the other woman had for the first time become a little flustered.
Cosima held out her hand. "I'm Cosima Neihaus."
"Delphine enchantee…" Delphine took Cosima's hand and held it gently.
"Enchantee…." Cosima whispered dreamily. "Whoa dude I would never have thought you were French, you're English is just perfect."
"My family moved to England, well Scotland 15 years ago, when I was 16, my father had always wanted to live where his ancestors were born."
"Wow beautiful and French and smart my day just keeps getting better and better." Cosima cooed.
"I am so not beautiful Cosima." Delphine moved her hands to cover her face.
"Delphine, you are the most beautiful woman I have met in a long long time. Don't ever think you are any different, remember beauty is in the eye of the beholder and I am said beholder." Cosima started to giggle to herself.
"I just don't feel very pretty or beautiful. I am covered in ugly scars and moles."
"Hey stop with that. I am here because I want to be here, not because of beauty or anything else but because for some reason I cannot get you off my mind. Now believe me when I say this, you are amazing."
Delphine blushed at the compliment. "You don't even know me?"
"I know that I would do anything to get to know you."
"I feel that way too I think."
"So come on show me to the lounge and get this bottle of wine open." Cosima winked at Delphine. Again Delphine blushed. She showed Cosima to the lounge and took her coat, and then she made her way to the kitchen to get some glasses and a corkscrew. Gently humming to herself as she moved around.
Cosima was looking around the large lounge area; she noticed some pictures on the mantle. She could tell it was a very young Delphine because of the beautiful smile radiating from the picture that she had seen numerous times in the 6 hours that they had known each other. She guessed that the man and woman stood with her were her parents. She looked so like her father. Soft features the same deep full eyes.
"Hmm" Delphine cleared her throat as she re-entered the lounge.
"Oh hey, I'm sorry I got lost in the picture." Cosima apologised as she showed Delphine the picture. "You look so much like him."
"My father God rest his soul." Delphine fought to hold back the tears.
"Hey I'm sorry I shouldn't…."
"No how were you to know. It's only been a few years since they passed so it is all still a bit raw." The tears began to fall freely.
Cosima took Delphine into a tight embrace.
"I'm sorry I can go if you want." Cosima said tenderly.
"No please stay." Delphine sobbed into the shorter girls shoulder. "It should be me apologising for crying all over you."
Delphine stood up tall and made her way over to the sofa that dominated the room. She patted the seat next to her. Cosima brought the wine and glasses over with her.
"So you still want to get to know me with the sight of my crying face?" Delphine joked.
"I do." Cosima answered simply as she opened the wine and poured two glasses out.
The two women sat in a comfortable silence for a short while. Cosima's phone started ringing which broke the silence.
"I'm sorry I'm going to have to get this. It's my sister Sarah and if I don't answer she will just keep ringing and ringing."
Delphine nodded in understanding and busied herself with pouring them both another glass of wine.
"Sarah what can I do for you?"
"Hey Cos just checking in because I called round to your place and no one was there."
"Well no one would be there because I am out with a friend."
"Cos you know you are supposed to let someone know where you are in case something happens."
"Sarah I am fine, stop being such a drama queen. I appreciate you worrying about me but you don't have to. Don't you dare tell Mark, he will be such a bastard about this? Sarah I'm begging you."
"I won't say anything to mum or Mark but you have to promise me that if you feel in the slightest bit bad that you call me immediately and I will come and pick you up. Promise me Cos."
"OK, OK if it gets you off my back so I can go back to enjoying my night I promise you. Do you want me to text you on the hour every hour!" Cosima said sarcastically.
"Cos, you know we only worry, what if you were to have a fall or something because you had a serious spasm or something."
"I know, just please stop midering me. I just want to enjoy my night OK."
"Cosima, Cal is on standby for you tonight. Aldous has already called mum to say that he has hired someone. They start their training in a few weeks. So until then we are all going to be midering you as you so nicely put it." Sarah laughed down the phone. "OK I'm going now before you start shouting and wake the kids up. Love you Cos."
"Love you too Sarah." Cosima replied with a smile.
Cosima put the phone back in her pocket and made her way back to her seat on the sofa.
"Sorry about that. My sister Sarah she worries a lot about me. I have had a few health issues in the past and she always has to know where I am in case something was to happen again."
"It must be nice to have someone worry about you so much." Delphine said with a sigh.
"It is but it can also be a bit suffocating. Shit sorry, well not so much sorry because you now have me to worry about you." Cosima said softly before taking Delphine's hand in her own. Delphine let out a little sigh.
"I would like that. I would like that very much." She whispered so gently Cosima only just heard her.
"I would like that very much too." Cosima replied pulling Delphine into a soft hug.
"Erm Delphine….." Cosima was trying to get up the courage to tell Delphine something.
"Yes Cosima, are you OK?" Delphine enquired.
"Erm yes, it's just…." Cosima was finding it hard to find the words.
"It's OK Cosima don't worry about anything right now OK. Would you like to eat?"
Cosima nodded. Shouting at herself internally. "You're going to have to tell her! You can't do anything under false pretences! You need to tell her the whole truth. EVERYTHING!"
Cosima wanted to tell her but she couldn't. she decided that she would wait and see if this thing between them developed into something more. If it did then she would have to come clean. If not she could just carry on as usual.
"What are you thinking Cosima?" Asked Delphine looking into Cosima's eyes. "You seemed to be struggling with something?"
"The only struggle I am having Delphine is why I haven't kissed you yet. I have wanted to kiss you from the moment we were alone in the lift earlier today. I cannot believe the self-control I have shown sitting next to you and not pulling you towards me and kissing you like you have never been kissed!" Cosima boldly said.
"Then why don't you kiss me then?" Delphine surprised herself at her response.
"Because, I want to wait and by George I know it will be worth the wait! I want us to maybe have a proper date, which is if girls are your cup of tea. I don't want to be presumptuous."
"I do like girls, and I do like you too. So where would this great date take place?" Delphine smiled.
"Now I haven't thought that far ahead but I was thinking maybe tomorrow night and we could go to the Greenwich Observatory. It's where I like to go when I need to clear my head or if I know there is going to be a clear sky to see the stars. I would like to share that with you."
"Oh wow that sounds amazing! I would love that!" Delphine exclaimed happily.
"So I come here at around 8pm we go grab something to eat and then we make our way there. My friend Scot is on duty at the observatory tomorrow night so he may even let us use the telescope."
Delphine let out a little squeal. She loved Astronomy and couldn't believe that Cosima did too. It was just getting better and better, finding that they had more and more things in common. Delphine had to stop herself from doing a little happy dance in her room. The smile was enough to let Cosima know that she was happy.
"So what would you like to eat? I'm sorry I do not have much food in so we could order take out or go to my favourite Chinese restaurant down the road?"
"Well in all honesty I don't really want to share you with anyone at the moment, so can we order in please?" Cosima said.
"Sure," Delphine took out her phone and opened one of the many apps she had for ordering food. "OK that's all done. I hope you don't mind vegetarian food?" Delphine enquired.
"No not at all. I will eat virtually anything except seafood and things like liver, kidney, tripe, that sort of stuff!" Cosima admitted.
"That's good to hear. I love veggie stuff plus I am on a bit of a health kick at the moment, so I am eating a lot of fruit and veg." Delphine said.
"How the hell do you need to be on a health kick? You are perfect the way you are!" Cosima almost shouted.
"It's more to do with my fitness levels than with diet. I always seem to start on the veg more when I am going to the gym, it must just be psychosomatic with me. Going the gym equals more veg." Delphine laughs the sweetest laugh Cosima has heard in such a long time.
The women sat and chatted easily until the doorbell rang three times. Delphine jumps up.
"Foods here!" She says as she makes her way to the front door.
After a minute or two she returns and beckons Cosima to follow her to the kitchen where she unpacks the bag.
"Can you get two plates out from the cupboard above the sink please?" Delphine asks as she opens the boxes she has laid out.
"Sure thing boss!" Cosima teases.
"Oh so you like being bossed around then?" Delphine enquires.
"Depends on who is doing the bossing around." Teases Cosima with a wink.
Delphine blushes and reaches into the draw behind her and takes out the cutlery. She is momentarily speechless, and getting flustered.
They both sit down to enjoy the meal. Occasionally stopping to chat to each other or to take a drink. When finished Cosima started to clear away the dishes, but Delphine takes her hand and stops her.
"You are the guest here leave them I will put them in the dishwasher a bit later."
"Are you sure I don't mind helping you know. I must pre warn you though I am quite clumsy." Cosima laughs. "Clumsy and late, so always kind of sorry for everything."
"You and me both, which is why I got a dishwasher because I was forever having to but new crockery because of my own clumsiness." Delphine admitted.
They made their way back to the lounge where Delphine put on some music. It shocked Cosima when the opening chords of the My Chemical Romance album Welcome to the Black parade came through the speakers.
"I would never have pinned you down as being a bit of an emo rocker!" Cosima gasped.
"There is a lot you will learn about me. I love this album because it makes you think about things, and I love music that does that to you."
"Me too. Do you have a guilty Pleasure when it comes to music? Mine is Celine Dion. I just love her voice!" Cosima admitted readily gushing over the singer.
"Really? Now I thought your guilty pleasure would have been something like Miley Cyrus. Mine I must admit is Steps it is so easy to listen to and it gets you in the mood to get up and dance."
"Oh wow that is even cheesier than Celine Dion!" Exclaimed Cosima giggling.
Delphine playfully slapped the woman sat next to her. Then she started to sing along with the song playing. Cosima was transfixed at the beautiful sound that came from her.
After about an hour of singing along with Gerard Way, Delphine let out a long yawn.
"I'm sorry Cosima but I am really tired. I did a night shift yesterday before I had the interview today and the tiredness is hitting me big style now. I really don't want this night to end, but I know if I do not sleep soon then I will be in no fit state to enjoy our date tomorrow. I am so sorry."
"Oh, so there will be a date tomorrow? You have no need to apologise for anything, let me just ring my brother in law Cal to come pick me up and I will let you get some sleep." Cosima said as she took her phone out of her pocket. She scrolled through her contacts and found Cal's details. Hitting the call icon the phone connected quickly.
"hi Cosima is everything OK?" Worry evident in the man's voice.
"Yeah everything is good. Is there any chance you could come and pick me up from my friends?"
"Yeah sure, where are you? At Felix's?"
"No Cal I'm in Marble Arch."
"Cool I'm not that far from there. What's the address?"
"I will text it you. Will you be long?"
"About twenty minutes is that alright?"
"Yeah that's brilliant. Thank you so much Cal."
"No problem Cos. It will put me in Sarah's good books for a change." He laughed.
"See you soon." Cosima said as she hung up the call. "He will be here in about twenty minutes could you put your address in this text for me?"
"Sure thing." Delphine said as she took the phone and entered her address.
"I have had a fantastic time tonight and I can't wait until tomorrow." Cosima smiled as she got all her things together.
"Me too. I am really looking forward to our date." Delphine said a small smile playing on her lips.
Without saying another word Delphine took Cosima into her arms and just held her. Not wanting the moment to end. A car horn blaring broke them from their embrace. Cosima placed a quick kiss to Delphine's lips. "This is me. I will text you when I get home. If you don't reply I will know you are asleep."
"goodnight Cosima." Delphine said as she opened the front door to let the smaller girl leave. Cosima turned to look at her, gave her a sweet smile and a wink before she bounded down the steps.
"Hey Cal thanks for this it's really appreciated." Delphine heard her say to the man in the car as they drove off.
Delphine shut the door and just stood leant against it for what seemed forever, finally forcing her legs to move when her back became stiff. She went and cleaned up the glasses and plates in the lounge and kitchen. She lifted Cosima's glass to her mouth, placing her lips against the lipstick that had been left there. She smiled to herself before taking the glass from her mouth and placing it in the dishwasher. Once she was sure that she had cleaned up everywhere she took herself upstairs where she jumped in the shower before getting ready for bed.
Just as she was about to get into bed Delphine heard her phone beep.
C: Hey you, I'm home safe and sound just about to get a shower. Thank you for tonight it was fantastic x
D: I had a fantastic time too Cosima. Tomorrow will be just as good I am sure. X
C: No Delphine tomorrow will be better because it is officially a date
D: So are we now dating?
C: I guess we are x
D: That makes me smile x
C: Me too. I'm so glad we met today. It has been one of the best days of my life x
D: Mine too. What are you doing?x
C: I'm thinking about what it would be like to kiss you x
D: Well who knows tomorrow you may just find out x
C: I hope so anyway sweetness I am going to let you get some sleep even though I don't want to say goodbye x
D: This is not goodbye, it is adieu x
C: Adieu, I like that. Speak to you tomorrow Delphine. I will ring you in the morning if that is alright with you?X
D: Cosima that is more than alright. I can't think of anything I would like more x
C: Goodnight sleep tight xox
D: Sleep well Cosima x
With that Delphine put her phone on charge and got into bed. She fell asleep quickly and with a small smile playing on her lips.