Chapter 12
"This should fit." Cosima offered Delphine a small stack of clothes. "I usually have to roll the jeans up so… some of us weren't graced with such an awesome growth spurt." It was a little bit of a sore spot for her. She'd stopped growing and so had Sarah. Unfortunately for them, they were now about the same height as their mother. "Some of us are doomed to live the life of garden gnomes."
"I think your height is perfect." Delphine took the clothes, the chill from her still wet clothes finally having gotten to her.
"Perfect for being the shortest person in class."
Delphine shook her head, stepping a little closer. "Non. Perfect for this." Leaning forward, she pressed a gentle kiss to soft lips, nearly laughing as she pulled away and Cosima chased the kiss for the briefest of moments. "See. Perfect."
Cosima groaned. "You are a cruel person." She took a deep breath and released a miserable sigh. "Did you... " She pursed her lips as her eyes dropped to Delphine's cast. "Did you need help?" She realized how that could have sounded and quickly added, "because of your arm? I'm not sure…"
A smirk worked it's way across Delphine's face that was part hormones, part adolescent nonchalance. "You know if you wanted to undress me…"
"No!..." Cosima quickly responded. "I mean… yes… but no… shit!"
Delphine couldn't help but laugh. "Well if you're not going to help, turn around." She placed the small stack on the bed, not waiting for Cosima to comply before stripping off her damp shirt. As her sleeve snagged on her cast, she couldn't help but wince at the pain, a sign that her high from earlier was wearing off.
Cosima froze, her eyes doubling in size behind her glasses as she was torn between blatant staring and knowing she shouldn't.
There was a nagging voice telling Delphine this was wrong, but at the moment she couldn't really remember why or even care. It was something in the back of her mind, something saying no, but it was overruled by the rapid beating of her own heart and the memory of soft lips.
Maybe she was focusing too much on it. It was perfectly normal, wasn't it? She changed in the locker room in front of others all the time, but she felt a slight flush come over her as she saw the look in Cosima's eyes. Then again, Cosima wasn't like the others. "See something you like?"
Cosima inattentive turned bright red. "No!...Yes! Fuck!" She sounded like a broken record as she quickly spun around, head in her hands. "I swear I'm really not trying to be like a perverted spaz."
Delphine chuckled, slipping the black shirt over her head. "As you say, Hakuna Matata." It took a little more work to shuck off the damp jeans. She was glad Cosima wasn't watching her because she was sure she'd had far more graceful days, nearly falling over was well worth the effort as Cosima's jeans were soft and she was thankful for the blissful warmth they provided. They were indeed the perfect length for her but she found herself to have one small problem. "Ok… so I need your help." She finally admitted having weighed all the options and finding only one.
Turning around, the flush in her cheeks had lessened slightly and Cosima grinned at the sight of the blonde in her tshirt and jeans. "I live to serve."
"These jeans have a button fly."
Cosima nodded. "Yeah! Don't hate. Button flies are totally… well… fly!"
Delphine sighed softly. "One button I can handle with a little work, but 4… we're going to be here all night."
"What do you…" Cosima's words trailed off as the blonde rose her casted arm, an expression on her face indicating Cosima should have known this. "Oh… shit." scratching her head, she pursed her lips, turning to her drawers. "Well...I can probably find… err..."
"You can probably come over here and help me button them." Delphine quickly spoke up, that option apparently not even occurring to the brunette.
"Me?" Cosima pointed at herself. "You want me to…" Her eyes dropped to where the t-shirt was blocking the unbuttoned fly. "No… I can't…" just the thought of her hands being that close to… Yes she wasn't technically a virgin but Delphine was… well… Delphine, and someone didn't just stick their hand down the front of the jeans worn by the most popular girl in school.
"You are making this really weird, Cosima." Delphine shook her head. Reaching out, she grabbed her by the front of her shirt, pulling her forward. "You're just buttoning a few buttons… but… If you want, I can go ask Sarah… I mean, she is kinda cute…" She joked.
Cosima's eyes narrowed behind her glasses. "That is way harsh, Captain." She protested as her hands settled on the blonde's hips. "Ok, so…" She tried not to think about the slight chill to Delphine's skin or the way her knuckles brushed against damp cotton panties. "Can I ask you a question?" She needed to get her mind off of what she was doing.
Delphine had closed her eyes, attempting to keep her breathing even as she felt the warmth of Cosima's fingers. "What?"
Fastening the first button which took the most care considering how close her hand was to… Cosima shook her head. "You don't have like… some weird twins sex fantasy do you?"
Her eyes shooting open, Delphine found the brunette grinning at her. "What?" Her voice came out in an incredulous huff.
"Like…" Cosima fastened the next button. "I'm not into the whole… incest thing." Getting the next button done, she smirked. "I mean… I like my sister and all, but the only womb I ever want to have shared with her is our mother's."
Delphine grimaced. "No… God no." Shaking her head, she looked down as Cosima finished the last button. "It was just a joke, Cosima." She felt the soft stroke of the brunette's thumb against her stomach and she rose an eyebrow. "I have no interest in Sarah." She whispered as she covered the brunette's hand with her own. "Thank you for your help."
Cosima swallowed. "It was… so my pleasure."
It took everything in Delphine to take a step back, swallowing audibly as she fought with the surge of need and desire she felt.
Cosima wasn't sure if she was disappointed or thankful as she took a deep breath. "Ok so… you have a test tomorrow right?"
Delphine nodded. Studying was safer, she thought as she tried to push aside the heat of Cosima's touch that had somehow burnt its way into her memory.
With a nod and taking a seat on the floor, they took the safer path of studying. An hour went by easily, Cosima helping her through some of roadblocks while doing her own homework. That was… until Delphine felt eyes glued to her, the brunette obviously having lost interest in her own studies.
"Stop."
Cosima smirked as she returned her eyes to the textbook, trying to focus on her homework.
Delphine scribbled down a few numbers before she felt a gaze glued to her again. Looking up, dark hazel eyes averted quickly back to the math book. They had put some space between themselves after earlier, but she wasn't getting anywhere with her own homework any more than she knew the brunette was. "Cosima…"
"I'm sorry!" Cosima closed her book in frustration. "I can't help it… You're just…" Her words trailed off.
"I'm just… what?" Delphine noticed the look in Cosima's eyes, even as they were averted. The brunette wasn't very good at hiding her emotions.
"Beautiful."
Delphine felt her heart skip a beat. Since they started dating, Paul had always referred to her as hot, something she detested more than words. He never called her beautiful. She didn't think the word even was a part of his vocabulary. "Cosima," Delphine closed her books, pushing them aside, "come here."
Cosima wasted no time in pushing aside her own books and scrambling closer until she was inches from the blonde.
Reaching out to cup Cosima's cheek, Delphine smiled, pulling her forward for a kiss. She could feel the revenance in the tender response, something so delicate that she felt her heart swelling. Breaking off the kiss, she traced the brunette's lips with her thumb, watching as they spread into a smile. "You are the most beautiful creature on this planet." She whispered, surprising herself with her own candor. The soft blush that colored cosima's cheeks only added to her beauty.
She thought back on her dream, remembering the dark dreads and the devious expression as knowing hands had easily claimed her, but that was just one possible future when she wasn't… she didn't even know anymore how many years were between them. She should have been worried about that, worried that maybe her memories were slipping away just a little faster than she wanted, but it was difficult to find a reason to care with Cosima's presence so close.
"What are you thinking about?"
Delphine smiled. "You."
"You know…" Cosima inched even closer, straddling her thighs and bumping the tip of her nose against Delphine's, chuckling softly. "For someone who wanted to put some space between us not that long ago..."
"Shut up." Delphine laughed as she pushed the brunette back just slightly. As if second-guessing that, she tangled her hand in her shirt and pulled her forward for a more solid kiss.
She'd started this friendship with a simple plan, to save Cosima. So why did it feel like she was saving herself instead?
"Hey!" Sarah called down the basement stairs. "Delphine's dad is here!"
Delphine cursed as she began to jam her books into her bag, biting her bottom lip as Cosima watched her. "Stop." She laughed as she grabbed the sweet body spray from her bag and spritzed it lightly to rid herself of the smell of pot. The rain hadn't let up at all and she had begrudgingly called her parents for a ride home.
"I don't think I can stop." Cosima grinned as she stood up, stretching out her back. As an arm wrapped around her waist, she sunk into the embrace. "Mmmm. You smell like apples
... Fake apples."
"Yeah well you smell like marijuana." Delphine pressed a quick kiss to Cosima's lips.
"It's all part of my charm." Cosima looked down as Delphine's hand slid into her own, their fingers intertwining as she was pulled towards the stairs. It was such a simple thing, but it made her swallow audibly. It had barely been a week. How had things changed so quickly?
Still behind the safety of the closed front door, Delphine pulled her forward for one last kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yeah." Cosima nodded, watching Delphine open the door and slip out it. Blinking against the bright headlights reflecting off the downpour, Cosima exhaled slowly and clicked the lock shut, her hand pressed against the now-closed door. Her mind ran a thousand miles an hour, a never ending stream of consciousness reviewing the last few hours.
Breathing in deeply, a toothy grin spread across her face. She remembered reading once, that sense of smell was strongly tied to memory, more so than all the other senses and as she inhaled once more, she was overwhelmed by the scent of rain and apples.
"Hey… Lesbo."
Cosima turned back towards her sister who was coming down the stairs. "That's totally not PC, you know?" She rebuked, heading into the kitchen to root around the fridge.
"What's with blondie always being here?" Sarah leaned against the breakfast bar, fingers restlessly fiddling with leather cuffs fastened around her wrists, speckled with silver spikes.
Popping open a bottle of Sunny D, Cosima shrugged, gulping down the sweet, citrus drink. "Just lucky, I guess." She offered half to her twin, wiping her mouth with the back of her free hand as the bottle was accepted. "What's with the sudden interest?"
Sarah tossed the bottle in the trash after quickly drinking the rest, offering her sister a shrug. "Just askin." She followed as Cosima headed down to her basement room, taking a seat on the last step as her sister began cleaning. Or rather, watching as Cosima kicked a wet towel to the corner that held a small pile of dirty clothes. "I mean… wasn't she dating Paul just like a week ago and now she's in your room making out with you?" Sarah tilted her head to the side. "I mean… thanks to my genes, you're a pretty good looker, but…. he's Paul…"
Cosima laughed as she pulled her colorful dreads up into a bun, remembering Delphine's remark about Sarah being cute. "One would say thanks to my genes… but things change. He's not really that awesome of a dude… just cause you gave him a hand job two years ago…"
"Hey! Shut up!" Sarah snorted in indignation. "He's captain of the football team, Cos. He doesn't have to be a good guy. He's got popularity."
"Yeah well… popularity can't make up for the level of scum…" She wasn't going to mention what happened under the bleachers, she'd promised Delphine she wouldn't tell anyone. "Sometimes you stop and think and realize people aren't who they pretend to be." Picking up the towel that Delphine had been using, Cosima paused, reaching down to pick up a notebook. Opening the cover, she noticed Delphine's familiar script, small phrases of poetry scribbled neatly across the page. She couldn't help but smile at the silly words, wondering when the blonde had written it.
"What's that?"
"Delphine forgot her notebook." Flipping through the pages, Cosima realized some of the poems were about Paul and she grimaced. She was about to close the book when she got to a few blank pages, but as she flipped one more page, she got to a more frantic script. It looked like Delphine's but it was rushed, unlike the care that was taken with the pages before. She could make out the messy words, but fragments of sentences and ideas painted only part of a picture. Maybe they were wishes for the future? A future with Paul? A dream? A short story? She couldn't understand what the purpose was of the little snippets, but her eyes fell on one sentence.
Two words stood out, repeated several times on the pages between weird descriptions of situations Delphine described as if they had happened. Two words that sent a cold shiver through her, settling in her gut and manifesting as an overpowering queasiness.
Save Cosima.