When Delphine approached the pool, Mark was already there. He subtly lifted a hand as if surrendering.
"Mark, I owe you an apology," Delphine whispered. "I lost my temper. I had..."
"A lot going on with Cosima?" He raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," she lowered her head, embarrassed by her behavior.
"Hey, we've all been there," he smiled. "And cards on the table, it wasn't all that bad. You are a beautiful woman..." he used the moment to stare her up and down. "And where is Cosima?" He asked casually.
"Either headed down here or with Taylor," she scoffed.
"Wow, she's an idiot. I'm sorry. You're beautiful and so in love with her. And, Taylor destroyed her in high school."
"You know about them?" She realized. "Do you want to get in the pool with me? We could talk."
Mark's face turned red and he nodded, overly eager to be around her. Cosima came down to the pool just in time to catch Delphine's tiny sway as she got into the water, smiling and laughing with Mark.
Cosima knew what Delphine was doing, but she was too emotional to think logically. All it took was one text and Taylor was at the pool, wearing a red bikini that caught Cosima's attention almost as much as Delphine's black one.
From across the pool, Cosima and Delphine stared at each other, both hurt and angry. Still, neither made any attempt to fix the situation.
"So what did Taylor do to Cosima? In high school?" Delphine asked softly.
"She outed her."
Delphine glanced over her shoulder. How could someone as sensitive and emotional as Cosima keep trying with someone like that? What did Cosima see in her?
"They were friends and I guess stuff happened," Mark shrugged. "I think Cosima thought it was love..."
"Sounds like my Cosima," Delphine smiled softly.
"But Taylor was prom queen and head cheerleader and popular. She told the entire school Cosima was a lesbian and that she was obsessed with her. A lot of the things that happened were a misguided attempt to protect Taylor."
"She manipulated everyone," Delphine realized. "Poor Cosima."
"I was hoping to apologize to her, but she hadn't been away from Taylor for more than a few seconds."
"Tell me about it," Delphine scoffed. When she glanced over, Cosima was headed over.
Although they were still in a fight, Delphine excused herself to get out and meet Cosima rather than make her approach Mark after he had bullied her. She smiled, assuming Cosima had enough of these games and was ready to focus on her.
"Where did you put the sunscreen?" Cosima whispered.
"Cosima, you didn't put on sunscreen back in the room?" Delphine whispered, gently brushing the ties of her purple bikini, searching for sunburn. "We'll get it and we'll pick up aloe..."
"It isn't for me," Cosima whispered, suddenly realizing what she was asking. Delphine stopped, letting a deep exhale slip out. "Taylor needs sunscreen," she smiled, wound. "I just thought you could be a doctor for five minutes and help her."
"Of course," Delphine smiled, leaning past Cosima to smile at Taylor.
"You have all those little bottles. I wouldn't know which is which," Cosima muttered.
"Don't worry. I'll go get it," she whispered softly. She motioned to Mark that she'd be right back and headed into the hotel.
She bit her lip, refusing to cry over this. Crying wouldn't solve anything. Suddenly, the situation angered Delphine.
As she sorted the travel sized bottles, she realized all the labels were peeling off due to the steam from the shower. She held the sunscreen in one hand and the sun lotion in the other, contemplating her decision. She quickly switched the labels and headed out.
She felt guilty about her decision as she headed back down. She knew that Taylor's perfect skin would burn, but it wasn't her job to keep Taylor safe. After all, she was a model. When she handed over the bottle, she almost renagged and then Taylor opened her mouth. "Cosima, you'll put sunscreen on my back?" She whined. Cosima nodded, already pouring the contents into her hand. Delphine scoffed and stormed off, returning to Mark in the pool.
After almost two hours, Delphine was ready to go back upstairs. She was tired and hungry and watching Cosima and Taylor gossip while laying out on lawn chairs had only left her feeling empty.
"But I'll see you at dinner?" Mark asked.
"Of course. Maybe at the bar first," she smiled. "See you later, Mark."
Delphine walked off, making a point to walk past Cosima and Taylor.
"Hey, where are you going?" Cosima called.
"The room." Delphine said dryly.
"Actually that sounds like a good idea. My skin just feels on fire." Taylor called.
"Cosima mentioned you travel. Perhaps you aren't used to the location," Delphine said dryly. "You know, being around something so hot, it's easy to get burnt."
"Oh my God, Tay! You're so burnt!" Cosima gasped, suddenly noticing.
"What?" Taylor shrieked. "I have to go!" She grabbed her items and scurried into the lobby as if those seconds would make her burn worse.
In the elevator, Cosima turned to Delphine. "Were you trying to make me jealous? With Mark?"
"I was trying to enjoy myself," Delphine said without looking at her. "You've been doing the same."
"So that's it? It's just an open vacation kind of situation?" Cosima blurted.
"I hadn't considered having sex with Mark, but obviously you have. Don't let me stop you," Delphine snapped, flicking a tear away. She was not going to let Cosima see her cry over this.
"She's just a friend," Cosima repeated.
"I see how friendly you are," Delphine sighed, her wide eyes focused on the elevator buttons, watching as they approached each floor.
"You know, I owe you a rain check," Cosima purred, closing the void between them. "And you looked so sexy in the pool..."
"Not sexy enough for you to join me. People probably think you and Taylor are together and that I'm Mark's wife."
"Mail order brides aren't that hot. And they aren't doctors," Cosima chuckled.
"But nothing about you and Taylor," Delphine smiled as they reached their floor. Cosima followed her rapid pace. She knew something had to change but she didn't know what to do.
"I don't like this," she finally whispered inside the hotel room.
"Neither do I," Delphine said softly, finally looking at Cosima, but only for a moment. "I should shower," she whispered, glancing down. She didn't know if it made her feel better or worse when Cosima didn't join her. Things had been so much easier back home, when they searched for a few moments to pretend to be an average couple. Suddenly, when they had a chance, everything felt like it was hanging on by a thread. Did they only work when they had the odds against them? Did they need Dyad and clones and drama in order to be happy? Would they ever just be a normal couple?
Delphine stepped out of the shower, tossing the shampoo bottles back into their bag without giving it much thought.
"I'm taking a shower," Cosima called as Delphine began getting dressed. Delphine said nothing, the solo shower now feeling like a jab towards her. She pushed a few hangers across the hotel closet, unsure what she wanted to wear. She settled on a brown suede skirt and a white lace top. It was both sweet and sexy and at the moment, she wasn't sure which one Cosima would go for.
"When I grabbed the shampoo I grabbed this," Cosima called, startling Delphine from the doorway.
"Okay?" Delphine shrugged.
"It was only when I put it in my hair that I realized it was sunscreen."
"It'll wash out, Cosima."
"Taylor never returned the sunscreen. So what did you give her?"
"I gave her sun lotion!"
"Sunscreen or sun lotion?" Cosima stepped closer. "Do you even know the difference?" She snarled.
"Hey!" Delphine raised her voice, something she rarely did. "Do not blame my English. I can speak and understand English. How much French have you learned? None," she snapped. Cosima knew that Delphine had insecurities on her English. She worked hard, constantly trying to understand nicknames, acronyms and slang.
"She got burnt!" Cosima cried.
"She got a sunburn. It is not fatal. And for a model, she should protect her skin. She shouldn't need MY girlfriend to do it for her!" Delphine said the word "my" so hard that Cosima flinched. "So no, I don't feel bad for her."
"Wow. You're unbelievable," Cosima scoffed. "You're a doctor, Delphine."
"In my medical opinion she'll put aloe and she'll get over it. But I'm also your monitor and your girlfriend."
"Are you?" Cosima raised an eyebrow. "Because I'm not so sure."
"And I'm unbelievable?" Delphine snapped, stepping into her flats. "I'm leaving."
"The flight back home again?" Cosima sighed.
"No. Mark invited me to dinner. And drinks. And since you're not sure if we're even a couple, I'm going."
"Delphine, you aren't going out with Mark," Cosima sighed. Delphine grabbed her items, shoving them in her clutch without another word. And just like that, the blonde was gone.
Cosima flopped on the bed, crying immediately. She didn't know why she waited to join her at the pool. And she knew Delphine hadn't invited Mark, so inviting Taylor was an intentional move to hurt Delphine. Why didn't she just get in the water? They could have been in each other's arms, rubbing up against each other under the water. It wasn't like she hadn't fantasized of sliding her hand under Delphine's bikini bottoms, forcing her to stay quiet in front of such a large crowd. But she hadn't done that. And she should have pinned Delphine to the wall and kissed her until the blonde was too weak to leave her side.
More than anything, she never should have mentioned not knowing if they were even a couple anymore. She didn't blame Delphine for joining Mark for dinner over her. Cosima knew deep down that if it were the other way around, she probably would have slept with Taylor just to spite Delphine.
Cosima clutched her pillow, crying harder. Even if she made it downstairs, even if she apologized it wasn't guaranteed. Cosima had pushed Delphine away many times in their past but for the first time, she knew she had pushed Delphine too far.