Work Text:
La Première Réunion | The First Meeting
écrit par orphiclovers
It was three in the morning, not usually a time of consciousness for Daphné Lecomte. Her normally picture perfect blonde curls were replaced with soft waves, messy from her constant movement while she had slept -- briefly. Daphné’s mind had been running a mile a minute since the girl had let her head hit her pillow. Specifically, with thoughts about the brunette girl from le foyer. The moment she had walked in, Daphné couldn’t take her eyes off of her. There was something so… alluring about her. The girl’s soft features starkly contradicted her off-putting and anti-social attitude. No, the brunette hadn’t been outwardly rude or mean, but rather held an aura of mystique and secrecy. Through the entirety of the small meeting, she had kept to herself, only exchanging a soft ‘Salut’ with Alexia.
Daphné groaned quietly. Why did this new girl leave such an impression with her?
Deciding that she wasn’t going to be going to sleep anytime soon, Daphné grabbed her shoes and a jacket. She had needed to get a few miscellaneous items for le foyer, and the 24-hour shop was a walking distance to her house. The girl rationalized it by thinking, I can tire myself out with a walk, and cross off some supplies for le foyer. Quickly, she looked at her phone. The screen’s harsh light reflected back at her. The clock read 04:16. Had she really been lying in bed for another hour?
With little thought, she slid into the shoes and took her keys, the cold metal jolting her awake.
The walk to the store took only ten minutes, but in the cold of the night (or early morning?) her cheeks had been given a rosy complexion. As she took refuge in the store, the young cashier regarded her with little interest, and continued to look down at his phone.
Daphné made her way through the store, finding a first-aid kit, a few packs of gum, and a pack of markers. While passing through the aisles, something -- someone -- caught her eye.
The brown haired girl.
Suddenly, the entire world seemed to stop; it went into slow-motion. Daphné did a double-take, locking eyes with her. For a fraction of a second, nothing other than the girl registered in Daphné’s mind. A bomb could have landed in the middle of the store and she wouldn’t’ve noticed. All she saw was the girl. Finally, she spoke.
“Salut, I’m Daphné! From le foyer.” Her sweet voice carried through the store with ease. There was a tender friendliness… and something else. The blue eyed girl couldn’t exactly pinpoint that emotion.
“Salut, Daphné,” the girl replied, giving her a small smile. In her hands there were a few drinks and snacks. “Amélie. I would offer my hand, but…” Amélie -- she finally had a name in the other girl’s mind -- made a vague hand gesture. “You’re Alex’s friend, non? Alexia Martineau?”
Daphné nodded, eyes drifting to the girl’s lips. But that’s just because Amélie is taller than me! My eyes rest there naturally, she thought. Her lips looked soft and full, a worn-in red lipstick staining them. The remainder of a smile was painted on her, brightening the early morning. On her head sat a carefully placed gray beret, covering Amélie’s wavy brown hair. A few seconds passed, and Daphné realized that Amélie was talking.
“Le foyer, it’s a really good idea, in my opinion. I think it’ll help a lot of people out, to have a space to do… well, whatever they need to do.”
Daphné squealed softly, “Ah, merci! The girls and I -- Imane, Alexia, Emma, and Manon -- have spent a lot of time with it, to try and make sure all students have a place to relax when school just -- well, you know.”
The other girl laughed quietly, “Yeah, I get it. Whose idea was the mural, though? It’s very… What’s the word I’m looking for?”
“Interesting? Last year, we had a couple students do it. They used some more unorthodox methods of painting, but quite honestly, anything is better than what it had been before. God, we got so many complaints about the original mural! It was an immense eye-sore.”
Together, the two laughed in subdued tones.
Amélie checked her phone, a frown appearing on her face. “Ah, putain. My boyfriend needs me back…”
The world stopped for the second time that night. Daphné’s heart dropped to her stomach, a sick feeling washing over her. Of course she would have a boyfriend. But the girl had no idea why this affected her so much. She felt as if she were floating beside them, and not with excitement.
“Daphné?” The brunette inquired.
“Sorry, could you repeat what you said?”
“Ah, it’s okay. I was just saying bye. It was good to see you! I’m looking forward to the next foyer meeting.” There it was again. That hesitant, small, enamouring smile.
“Oh! Yeah, me too. I’ll see you soon.”
“I’d have it no other way.”
With that, Amélie walked away. Daphné Lecomte somberly walked over to the cashier, paying for what she had gotten. As she passed over the items, she looked up at the clock. 04:37.
Daphné felt exhausted, and she knew it wasn’t from the lack of sleep.
The blonde got back to her house around 04:50, and promptly dragged herself onto her bed, and opened up a new tab on her computer.
SEARCH: l'homosexualité contagieuse
[homosexuality contagious]
SEARCH: l'obligation d'hétérosexualité
[compulsory heterosexuality]
SEARCH: l’histoire des lesbiennes
[the history of lesbians]
The girl groaned in her bed, closing the tabs, and wiping her search history. Not a moment later, she lay back down on her bed, setting the computer to the side. Thousands of thoughts raced through her mind, and not one of them was lifting her spirits. The girl closed her eyes, letting herself start to be taken over by a restless sleep. Maybe she just needed to clear her mind. This would all go away in the morning.
She poked an eye open. Then another. It was 05:22.
Daphné picked up her computer for the second time that morning, and opened yet another tab.
YOUTUBE SEARCH: des filles qui s'embrassent
[girls kissing]
She clicked on the first video to come up, putting her sound to zero. The girl only allowed herself to watch for a few seconds, before promptly clicking the red “x” button. A wave of shame rolled over the girl, her face flushed.
Daphné’s door abruptly opened, the face of her drunken mother filling her vision as the girl’s heart pounded out of her chest. Slurred speech came from the older woman as she walked into the room.
“Darling, shouldn’t you be sleeping? You have to be up in an hour?”
The woman’s daughter didn’t reply to the question, only looking up to her mother with concern. “Maman, ça va?” The girl got up, pushing her sheets off of her, and held onto her mother. The woman reeked of alcohol. “Let me get you to bed, mom.”
“I’m alright, Daphy. I just have to…” she trailed off, losing her train of thought.
“Yes, maman?” She prompted, “You have to what?”
“Nothing, darling. I should’ve just gone to my room.” She kissed Daphné’s forehead, and stumbled out of the room, shutting the door behind her.
Again, her heart sank.
Daphné Lecomte did not sleep that night, her mind filled with images of Amélie, and the state of her tipsy mother. Her mind did not settle that night, either. The words compulsory heterosexuality and lesbian ran in circles around her. Tears gathered and spilled out of her eyes.
The morning came. Dark bags under her eyes were covered with makeup, and her hair was carefully curled to perfection. Eye drops masked any remnants of red eyes from her tears, and she pulled a warm blanket over her sleeping mother as she left the house. She opened her phone, scrolling past the messages that had gathered through the night.
daphy: hey can u stop by my house. i want to walk w you
alexia: yess of course girl! i’ll see u soon <3 bx
For the first time in what felt like forever, Daphné felt relief.