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BLONDE STRANDS of straight hair was twirled absentmindedly between fingers that chipped manicured fingernails sat upon. The screen of the TV lit up the room of the house, legs kicked up on a stool and a huff being elicited from a mouth that held a limp cigarette.
"What did I tell you about smoking inside?" A raspy voice came from behind the figure as they walked by. A head was thrown back with a groan. "The window's open, is it not?"
"Not the one near you!"
Delilah sighed, bringing the cigarette from her mouth and putting it out against the ashtray beside her. She swallowed, her feet being slapped from the stool and a vacuum being pushed underneath her legs, before a hand brought her chin up and a kiss was placed on her cheek.
"Have I got lipstick on me?" Delilah murmured, her eyes closed. A hum came out and a gentle voice spoke. "No, I'm just wearing chapstick today."
Delilah opened her eyes and smiled. "What flavour?" Her lips were met with another's, and her question was answered.
"We've run out of detergent, could you pop out and get some, honey?"
Delilah looked back to the TV, quickly turning it off before she could even see the face of her old teammate preaching her candidacy, and sprung up. She wrapped her arm around her waist and pecked the lips before her. "Sure. I'll be back in a sec."
★
"THE FUCK is the one we use?" Delilah muttered, looking at the shelves of the store up and down, not seeing the brand she had been tasked to get. Looking down, Delilah reached out a hand towards one bottle, looking similar to the brand.
Only then did her hands fumble the can of diet coke she had taken. It was stopped before it hit the floor though, a hand catching it. Delilah sighed in relief, looking up and taking the coke from the hands. "Thanks..."
"Callie." It was a teenager, her resting bitch face spreading into one of a curious expression as she assessed Delilah. She recognised her, with the woman's blonde sleek hair, her shadowed eyelids that made her eyes look so kitten like, and the softness of her facial features. Callie had seen her before, no doubt. But not in person, or recently no.
It was like this blonde woman was a memory. Like a photograph she'd seen once of a very long time ago.
"Yeah, thanks." Delilah held up the coke. Callie nodded, still trying to pinpoint the recognition, all the while she didn't realise that Delilah was attempting the same thing, feeling like she had seen Callie before. Before meaning, before before, as if Callie had come right out from her past. "No problem."
"Your mom around or something?" Delilah furrowed her brows and looked behind Callie. The girl laughed, shaking her head. "No, i'm not that young."
Delilah didn't let her eyes narrow anymore, her grin widening almost absentmindedly. Callie's laugh, it was shallow and slightly nasally. Had Delilah heard that before? Before before?
Instead, she scoffed, chuckling. "Great, sorry about that. And uh, thanks." She pointed towards the coke once again. Callie nodded, looking at the coke. Diet. Her mom had a lot of those, never drank them though. It was like she was saving them for some unknown visitor.
"No problem, uhm..." Callie cocked a brow. Delilah pursed her lips, crossing her arms. "Delilah Darling." It was weird for Delilah to repeat her surname, especially as it held more meaning now more than ever. It was shared.
Callie's face dropped. "Delilah?" She looked like she'd seen a ghost. Delilah chuckled, blinking. "Yeah?" Callie shook her head. "Like...Lilah?"
Delilah paused. It was dead silent for a minute. Delilah hasn't heard those words come from someone's mouth for a solid decade. She had told everyone to stop calling her nicknames, exemplary to one of course, at the risk of any one of them being repeated that held too much weight.
"Where'd you hear that?" She could feel her heart through her chest, and Callie's eyes wandered over her pale face. Callie could hear some sort of anger in Delilah's voice, her face had dropped into a less pleasant one.
This expression was a more familiar one. Callie took no time in realising where she had seen the woman before.
"My mom-"
"Don't talk to me, just, i'm sorry i've got to go." Delilah interrupted, blinking rapidly, before pushing the detergent to the side and walking off quickly. Callie was left then, a shaky breath being exhaled. "The fuck?"
"Who was that?" The voice of her boyfriend said as he walked up behind her. Callie shook her head.
"I don't know, one of my mom's old friends I think."
On the other side of town, Delilah shut the door, her eyes closed and her forehead banging against the wood. She sighed softly. "Fuck."
"Honey? Where's the detergent?" Delilah turned around and looked at the gentle features of her wife's beautiful face that held a small smile. Delilah swallowed and huffed. "Fuck." She'd forgotten.
★
MISTY HAD been happy to wrap Delilah's hand, springing at the chance to help. Delilah sat down then and leant back with her good hand on the small pile of blankets that had been donned her bed. Misty sat before her and held a weird smile as she wrapped Delilah's palm with the bandages.
"What are you smiling at?" Delilah asked softly, narrowing her eyes. Misty looked up, pausing her wrapping to meet Delilah's eyes. "I- uhm. You have nice hands." She stuttered out.
Delilah's jaw snapped shut and her eyes blinked slowly. "Sorry?" Misty seemed to have realised what she said, shaking her head and laughing unnervingly. "No, no- I, ignore me."
"Don't worry, Misty. I actually need the confidence boost right now." Delilah muttered, shuffling to lean fully forward and look down at the actions Misty was going through. "Really?" She said surprised. Delilah looked at Misty as her head craned upwards and met her gaze.
"You have really pretty eyes."
"Stop going all lezzy on Delilah, Misty." Mari's voice echoed from behind them. Delilah snapped her head around as Misty's ducked from shame. Delilah met Mari's eyes and narrowed hers. "Shut it, Mari." She turned back as Mari now shrunk into herself. Delilah looked at Misty and nudged her with her free hand.
"Keep talking, come on. I could do with a distraction. What's that shit about Plato you were talking about earlier?"
That whole day, Misty's attention shifted from Coach to Delilah. And everyone noticed, especially a certain brunette, who kept clenching and unclenching her fists. It should've been her, she should've been the one who wrapped Delilah's hand, and she should've been the one Delilah fell back into in the attic. She should've been the one Delilah was clinging on to desperately, whilst Lottie was freaking out.
She could've. If Mari hadn't fucked everything up and interrupted them.
