OCRP - Delia

 "Damn, I wanted to be your first friend here," Delia fretted when she found out the old gang had beat her to Lizzie and Cole's.

"Oh, you're so funny. You helped me at the library. I think you beat them." 

She invited Delia in. Evidently, Cole was at an interview, at the library no less. Someone had to replace Ezra.

"It's just, I don't really have that many friends."

Delia made herself at home on the couch. She looked around. Of course, Dakota had never invited her over.

Liz brought her a mug of tea and sat down as if she was ready to give Delia her full attention.

"You've been a big help," Liz told her and thanked her for putting in a good word for Cole. Of course, he'd never had a real job, but he did know the Dewey decimal system.

"You could be staying at my place," Delia paused with a sip of tea. It was a lovely mix of orange and cinnamon. "Except, it's mainly a storage place now, for my dolls."

"Your dolls?"

Delia nodded. "I was an only child, and there were always my dolls to play with." She giggle but then sucked in a breath. "You don't think I'm crazy do you?"

"No, of course not." Liz's smile was open and she was so receptive. Delia couldn't help but giggle more.

"I'm not gonna lie, there was someone I fell for at first sight, but I hate him to bits now."

Delia waited for Liz to respond, but she only nodded with another sip of her tea. 

"And well, since he wasn't going to give me the time of day, I thought he might notice when I started dating his friend."

It was hard for Delia to look at Liz. She looked around the livingroom thinking it needed something, but she wasn't sure what.

"How do you feel about his friend now?"

"Possibly, it was fate, you know." Delia grinned from ear to ear.

"You're such a romantic at heart," Liz smiled back as if she adored that quality in Delia.

"Han, doesn't have a real job either," was her only complaint. "But his folks have money, and you know, we have plenty of time to play."

"Play?" Liz asked, but surely Liz knew what she meant.

"Oh, come on, do I have to spell it out?"

Liz nodded as if she understood.

"We're really quite newbies." She wouldn't go into details about how she'd brought home (Han's home) an old art book, THE ART OF MAKING LOVE, and how they'd tried a few positions, only sometimes it felt like Twister instead. "What about you and Cole?"

"Oh, we're just friends," Liz responded. "Good friends."

"You mean-" Delia found herself in a question she shouldn't ask. "I-I'm happy with Han. Really, it's just I did a bad thing." Suddenly, she nursed her bottom lip.

"Like what?" Liz put her tea on the coffee table. She sat with her legs crossed in her tunic and old jeans.

"Well, I was supposed to get this life-sized doll, but I couldn't explain it to Han. He wouldn't understand." She shrugged.

"I'm sure he knows your love of dolls."

"I don't think he would. I spent far too much." Delia sighed. "I decided I would send it to someone I hate very much now."

"Oh."

"And he hasn't said a word about it."

Delia found herself pushing the palms of her sweaty hands on the tops of her thighs. Would it all come back to haunt her someday?