.

.

.

Wednesdays were usually tedious. Not many customers came in on a Wednesday, and she wasn't entirely sure why. Whatever the case, she was bored, and her shift lasted went on for another five hours. This was going to be grim. The only customer she had was a forty-something male, and he didn't even buy anything. Just browsed for a short period of time, before leaving, and he was certainly in a hurry.

It was funny watching the bashful customers. The ones who pretended they had walked into the wrong shop, or were, in fact, looking for a toy for a friend. Some were so shy when they came over to the till, red in the face and avoiding eye contact. It was a sex shop. What did they expect? Alex wasn't exactly going to mock them. It was her job to sell.

Still, she couldn't help but smirk whenever the timid lady approached, or the overweight middle-aged man quickly placed a video tape onto the counter. Alex was eighteen, but looked older. Roughly around twenty, but she was still young, which probably made the customers feel a little uncomfortable. A younger woman selling them sex toys? It was almost intimidating. It was the only part-time work Alex could find, though, and she needed the money. At least she wasn't selling drugs or worse.

Although her mother loved her to bits, Diane wasn't exactly jumping over the moon when she discovered her daughter found a job at a sex shop. If anything, she was concerned Alex would get harassed by "pervy old men" but so far she hadn't received any inappropriate behaviour. Not a lot of customers liked to hang around in a sex shop, let alone converse with the cashier. In fact, the only person Alex spoke to in here was the manager, but it was her day off today, so Alex had the place to herself.

Kicking her feet up onto the counter, Alex continued to read her novel. It was Lord of the Flies by William Golding. One she had read years ago and wanted to reread. Flicking over the page, her eyes averted towards the door as a customer stepped through. A blonde girl, pretty face, awkward, a little shorter than Alex. She wore jeans and a white flannel shirt. Hair tied back, several strands framing her face. Alex returned to her novel, but a smile pulled at her lips. This girl did not want to be here.

Alex could feel the tension. The girl walked forwards, unaware she had gone straight into BDSM section. Unless she was looking for whips, handcuffs, gags and face masks. There were plenty more shocking items in the back which only the staff had access to. The girl quickly reappeared on the other side of the aisle, and her cheeks had reddened slightly; flustered. She wanted to get out of here as soon as possible. The girl admired the walls, raised her brows at the aggressive costumes on display.

Unfortunately, in some attempt to not appear interested, she dropped her gaze and looked straight at the dildos lined up by the counter. On shelves, different colours and all sorts of sizes. 'Um.' The girl looked so awkward, Alex actually felt sorry for her. Oh, for goodness' sake. Throw her a rope! When Alex straightened and placed her novel aside, the girl's eyes widened and she pretended she hadn't noticed the cashier was now watching her. Shoving a hand into her pocket, she began to walk away.

'Need a hand?'

'Wh––' She smiled, 'Uh, no? No.'

Alex had never felt more amused. Silently, she leaned forwards on the counter, propping herself on one elbow while the blonde scanned another shelf. 'You're meant to blow those up.'

The girl whipped around to face her. 'I'm sorry?'

'... Never mind. What are you looking for?'

'Uh, well–– I mean, I'm not looking for anything for me.'

'Ah.' Alex grinned, 'Don't worry. Heard that one plenty of times.'

'No, I'm serious!' The girl insisted. 'My–– My friend, Polly, wants me to find something.'

Alex laughed. 'Why doesn't your friend Polly come and look herself?'

'She can't–– It's a–– This is a sex shop.'

'Well done. It is.' Alex's grin didn't falter.

There was a relatively long pause between them. Until, 'Do you work here?'

'Are you fucking kidding me? Nah. I'm just decoration, kid. How old are you?'

'I'm eighteen.'

'How old's your friend?'

'She's eighteen, too.'

'What does she want you to buy?'

The blonde fidgeted, shrugged. 'Anything.' Alex frowned. 'She dared me, and I need to come out with something to prove I did the dare.'

'What, like a penis balloon?'

'W–– I–– Do you have those?'

Alex snorted. She stood to her feet and walked round the counter. Folding her arms, she scanned the walls, the shelves, turned back to the girl. 'How big?'

'Excuse me?'

'How big do you want it to be?'

'How big do you have?'

'Well...' Alex escorted the girl towards the dildo section, and casually leaned against the shelves. 'We have a variety of sizes. Starting from two inches onwards. Also, you will need to think about the thickness too.' She reached over and picked a three-inch dildo, relatively thick. A popular one. 'And the colour. A lot of people buy red, but I think that's just for show. Trying to make themselves look more adventurous.' She passed the girl the dildo. 'Or, you can be a little more wild.' Alex nudged her foot onto the lower shelf. The girl widened her eyes at the sight of, well, quite large dildos. 'Some of them glow in the dark.'

'You're very funny,' she exhaled shakily, clutching the dildo.

Alex cocked a brow. 'I'm getting straight vibes from your buddy, so she might prefer the vibrator.'

'I–– Well, you're the professional.'

'Professional? This ain't rocket science. Just stuff you can shove up your twat.'

The girl fumbled, swiftly returned the dildo. 'Okay, I can look at the vibrators.'

'Personally, if you really want to take her by surprise, I'd go for something less subtle.' This was so much fun. 'Ever tried a strap-on?'

'Uh...'

'Obviously not. To be honest, some people like it, some people don't.'

'Do you?'

Surprised by her question, Alex smirked. 'Look at you, not holding back.' She folded her arms. 'I don't need to use toys, but I've tried it before.'

'Oh.'

'She enjoyed it more than me.'

'I–– Oh. Oh.'

'I think that's because it's more, y'know, one-sided.' She shrugged. 'Apparently they're designing one where both participants are able to enjoy it.' Clearly the girl was feeling uncomfortable, and clearly Alex was way too amused by this. 'If you do intend to try it out, kid, I'd go for the smaller sizes first.' Alex let that statement hang. The girl looked at her. 'You don't want a pillar ripping through you. That was the first and last time she decided to go to the extreme.'

'Um, look, uh––?'

'Alex.'

'Alex. Hi, I'm Piper Chapman.'

'That's nice.'

'Uh, look, I just want to buy something. Not too much money. Just for a dare. I don't like this stuff anyway.'

'You could have fooled me.'

'Anyway, you obviously know more than I, so can you help me? If you think a, uh, one of those––'

'A dildo?'

'Yes, that's right. If you think I need a dildo for the dare, then I'll get one. But I don't really want to hang around in here for much longer.'

'Okay. I can make it discreet for you.' Alex reached over to get a two-inch. 'Do you want it gift wrapped?'

Piper stared at her.

'Ha, I'm kidding!'

'Oh!'

When she laughed, it was genuine, but still awkward. Alex had to admit, she was cute. Someone she wouldn't mind having a romp with, and, Hell, it had been a very long time since she had a romp with anybody. Returning to the till, Alex began to wrap up the toy, watching Piper as she searched her bag for her purse. 'Should probably mention this vibrates, too. Just include a battery.'

Piper retrieved her purse, blushing. 'Thanks.'

Alex smirked. 'You've never seen stuff like this in your life, have you?' Slowly, Piper shook her head. Yet she smiled when Alex laughed again. 'Here you go,' she passed over the toy. 'Use it well.'

Taking the bag, Piper held her gaze for a while. The awkwardness had mostly disappeared, and there was a fondness in her eyes. 'Do you work here full-time?'

'No. Thank God. It's pretty decent pay, though. My manager is usually in. I only work Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.' Before Piper could let slip a few more words, the door opened and a girl, their age, stepped through. Crazy hair, smoking on a cigarette, wearing skinny jeans, loose fitted t-shirt and a jacket. Piper took a step back, and instantly her confidence vanished. Alex pushed her glasses higher up the bridge of her nose. 'You do know it's illegal to smoke in here, right?'

The girl, Nicky, scoffed. 'What more damage can be done to this place?' She grinned. 'Thought I'd give it a little freshness. Place stinks of vomit.' Both Nicky and Alex had been friends for as long as they could remember. Lately, they hadn't been able to hang around as much, due to work and other activities, but Nicky was always welcome whenever Alex was on her shift. Heck, she kept her company most of the time. Nicky stubbed out the cigarette, and glanced over at Piper. 'What's Barbie doing here?'

'Buying a dildo.'

Piper whipped around to glare at Alex. Nicky chortled, 'Did you show her the one that glows in the dark? Tickles too.'

'Isn't there such a thing as customer/shop keeper confidentiality?'

'Nah, Blondie, that's doctor shit.' Nicky frowned. 'What, did you study for this sort of thing?'

'Nicky knows you're not going to use it.'

'Yeah, it's pretty obvious when someone's here because they want to be here.' Sliding over a chair, Nicky sat beside Alex at the counter. 'You also look pretty straight to me.'

Piper blinked. 'How does one look straight?'

'You can tell.'

'And even if I was straight, that doesn't mean I won't use this.'

'Have fun. It's not as good when you're on your own. Kind of fucking depressing. You always need somebody to help you with it. Hey, Vause––' Nicky nudged her, 'Do you remember when we used to help each other?' She snorted. 'Those were some dark times.'

'Never took you as one to kiss and tell,' Alex mumbled.

'Well, that wasn't very smart, was it?' Alex turned her attention to Piper, and felt most disappointed when she had no choice but to watch the girl leave the sex shop, still awkward, still hesitant and still blushing. Nicky laughed. 'She was cute, man.'

'You scared her off.'

'Not your type, though. Too WASPy.' Nicky glanced at her, and even though Alex was good at hiding her emotions, Nicky could tell when she wasn't very happy. 'Aw, you like her?' Alex rolled her eyes. 'Please tell me you didn't talk about the first and last time girl. She's been limping ever since.' No response. 'Wow, Vause. And they say you're smooth?'

'It gets boring in here. Is she really still limping?'

'Yeah. You did a number on her.'

'I didn't do anything. She suggested it.'

'You agreed to top.'

'I always top.' Alex grabbed her book. 'Even though she says otherwise, I was gentle. Mostly.'

Nicky sniggered. 'Dude, I don't give a shit. But you gotta ask that chick out. You haven't looked at someone like that in ages. What was her name?'

'Piper.'

'With a name like that, I'm not so sure now.'

Maybe she liked Piper. Maybe. She had wonderful eyes, a lovely face, and she seemed cute and sweet. She was refreshing. A nice change from the usual aggression Alex was faced with –– she just seemed nice, and Alex missed nice. Her hair was gorgeous, too. Even though it was tied back that time, it was obviously long, almost golden, and her smile––

Oh, her smile. No one should be able to smile like that.

Piper Chapman. Hm.

Nicky started laughing again.

'What?' Alex scowled. 'I haven't said anything.'

'You don't have to,' Nicky grinned. 'That's definitely a crush.'

.

.

.

Of course Alex didn't expect Piper to miraculously return to the sex shop. Why would she? The days were normal and tedious again, and the more time she spent in this shop, the more she hated it. One would think working in a sex shop would be exciting. One would be wrong. It was anything but. The only thing interesting that happened was when a pack of fourteen year old boys tried to get in, insisting they were of age.

It was a Monday when she decided to eat out for lunch. Pouring it down. By the time she reached the café, she would be drenched, and her manager would not be impressed if her employee arrived back to work looking like a mess. Draping her coat over her head, Alex hurried down the street, too busy watching her footing to see the other girl hurrying in the opposite direction.

'Oof!' They both smacked into each other. Alex managed to balance herself, however Piper wasn't so fortunate. She landed flat on her ass, and yelped in surprise. 'Whoa, shit, are you okay?' Alex offered a hand, which Piper gratefully took.

'Yeah... urgh,' she wiped her wet jacket. 'Weather's foul.' That was when she recognised the girl she had bumped into. Piper smiled in disbelief. 'Oh, God, it's you. What are you doing here?'

'Uh, I live here.'

'No, I mean–– it's a Monday. Shouldn't you be working?'

There was something flattering about Piper remembering which days Alex worked. 'I'm allowed to go on break, y'know? I was just off to get some lunch. Want to come with me?'

'I actually have to hurry somewhere.' Piper's smile lingered. 'Oh, I gave Polly the, uh, the–– y'know.'

'Was she convinced you agreed to the dare then?'

'Pretty much. Actually, one of my friends wants to come in and have a browse. This time not a dare. He's always been curious about what it's like in a, uh, shop like you work in.' Ah. Alex raised her brows. She knew that type of guy. 'I don't know why.'

'Probably wants to look at the movies.'

'The what...?'

'Movies.' Alex nearly laughed. This girl was crazy. She didn't know what on earth she was talking about. 'Like, porn? Watching two people fuck?'

'Oh, right.' Piper winced. 'You have that stuff?'

'Yeah! That's the main reason why we have customers. They want to watch quality movies. Although, to be honest, they're not that good. The acting is dreadful. And the plot lines?' Piper started to smile again, 'Fucking your plumber because he fixed your drain seems a bit excessive. Not that I watch that stuff or anything.'

'Uh-Huh.'

'Bring your friend along. He'll have plenty to choose from.'

Her entire face lit up when she smiled, and Alex was admittedly mesmerised. Damn it. No girl had made her feel this way before, and she kind of hated Piper for being the exception. 'I'll see you soon, then.' It was a promise, and the context of the situation didn't seem to matter anymore. Alex turned away and continued her short journey towards the café, yet by the time she arrived she was drenched through.

Surely it was worth it though. Because there had to be a reason why her heart was still racing when she returned to the shop.

.

.

.

The guy's name was Larry, and Alex could instantly tell he was a waste of her time. He was podgy, wore a blue pullover and brown trousers. Black hair, dark eyes. Alex had no idea how any girl could find him attractive, and she secretly hoped Piper didn't. Maybe they were just friends? Piper was already familiar with the shop and appeared a lot more confident than last time. She smiled that amazing smile when she approached Alex at the counter.

Larry inhaled, awkward. Perfect. Alex knew exactly how to handle him.

'He just wants to know what it's like,' Piper said.

Making excuses for him. Classic. Alex slid off her seat. 'You won't be interested in all of the stuff here.' Alex waved Larry forward, and escorted him through a door. Piper followed a few steps behind. Inside was a smaller room, with DVDs and video cassettes lined on shelves within. Posters stuck to the wall, advertising certain movies in a non-explicit manner. Just the title and the silhouette of two or three people doing something that should only be viewed in private.

Larry shoved his hands into his pockets and glanced over at Piper. 'I don't want to buy anything. I just didn't know what it was like.' Alex folded her arms, grinned crookedly. The gentleman doth protest too much, methinks. 'Come on,' he ushered Piper forward. 'Look at this one,' he chortled, holding one of the DVDs up. Piper had no choice but to play along. It was torture.

Alex loved every second, because she knew Larry wanted to watch the movies. He eyed one for a particularly long time, reading the back, before returning it. Piper wandered over to the back of a shelf, raised her brows at what was on display. It took Alex a moment to realise she had accidentally walked into the lesbian section. 'You don't need to buy anything like that if you're curious.' Piper raised her eyes to meet hers. Larry continued browsing, absolutely oblivious.

There was a ding as the door was opened from the other room. Another customer. Alex walked towards the counter, and looked at who came in. Her heart dropped slightly when she saw it was Nicky. Great. Alex didn't want to imagine what she would say to her, or Piper. Maybe, maybe, she liked Piper a little more than she should, but she desperately didn't want Nicky saying a word.

Nicky narrowed her brows at Alex's expression. 'What's up your twat?'

'My manager will fire me if you keep coming in.'

'Aw. But your manager's cute, and she obviously doesn't want me here because she's so lured by me.'

Alex rolled her eyes playfully. Soon, Larry and Piper reappeared from behind the door, with no DVD or video cassette in hand. Obviously Larry was too proud or too stupid. Alex ignored Nicky's smirk, 'Didn't find anything you wanted? Maybe I can interest you in something else?'

'Yeah, you should try this.' Nicky held up a packet, containing a blow up doll. 'It's really popular these days.'

'Uh-Huh, uh-huh.'

'Ever feeling lonely? Have no fear. You got Lucy here to keep you company. Not only is she submissive to your every command, she also has more than one hole for you to fit your screwdriver in. Wanna go all night? You're in luck. She's not alive. She's not even a person. She won't be done until she's filled up with your––'

'Thank you, Nicky,' Alex sharply cut through. 'Feel free to look around at what else we have. You might find something.'

Larry lingered, then shrugged. 'All right. Um––'

'We also sell magazines that might appeal to you. Just at the back.'

'Wanna come, Pipes?'

The blonde glanced at Alex, then at Larry. Anyone would know that she did not want to come with him, but she must have promised to accompany the lunatic while he "browsed". When they walked away, Alex sighed loudly and slumped down on her seat. 'Did he bring her because he was too shy? I don't get it. What's so terrifying about sex shops?' Nicky queried, grabbing a seat herself.

'Probably the fact you're always in them,' Alex murmured, watching Piper as she managed to walk away from Larry and study a very innocent poster on the wall. Nicky smirked, glancing between the two.

'For fuck's sake, Alex, just tell her.'

'Tell her what?'

'That you love her.'

'I––' Alex turned to face her. 'I don't love her. Back off. Yeah, she's cute but so what? There are plenty more fish in the sea.'

'You're getting a little too defensive––'

'I'm not getting defensive, fucking Christ––' Alex made a noise of frustration, and slumped over the counter, propping herself on one elbow. 'I hate my stupid job. Who wants to go out with a girl who sells sex toys for a living?' She twitched. 'Anyway, she's not even my type.'

'Whatever, man.' Nicky kicked her feet up onto the counter. 'This will probably be the last time you see her, so you tell her or you don't. I doubt that pimp she's hanging around with is her boyfriend either. And if he is, this is the worst fucking date I've ever seen.'

Larry was still browsing after five minutes, and poor Piper had resorted to leaning against the wall, staring at the floor. The more Alex watched her, the more infuriating it all became. Nicky raised her brows as Alex walked away from the counter. She headed straight in Piper's direction, determined, and walked straight past. Nicky slumped her shoulders and rolled her eyes slowly while Alex rounded the corner of the shop and back towards the counter.

'That was pathetic.'

'Shut up,' Alex mumbled.

Unfortunately, she had spoiled her opportunity. Larry finished browsing and awkwardly thanked Alex while he left the shop. Piper smiled at her, lingered for a moment at the door, then left. Nicky chortled. Alex ignored her, and had never felt more disappointed in herself. Fuck. Yes, she liked Piper. She liked Piper so much, and she had completely ruined it. Pathetic. Ha, she was pathetic for sure.

.

.

.

She was wrong.

Very, very wrong. It was during her Wednesday shift the following week, and before she escaped to go on her lunch break, the door opened and in stepped Piper, carrying two paper bags. Alex cocked a brow as she approached the counter, a funny skip in her step. Piper passed Alex a bag. 'Here. I don't know if you eat sandwiches, but Polly made these.'

Alex shoved her hand into the bag, and felt something else alongside the sandwich. Mouth shaped like an "o", she retrieved something hard, a little long, and pulled it out. Piper burst out laughing. The dildo she bought a few weeks ago for Polly, apparently unused, was in Alex's hand.

'I'd also like to return that too, please. I have the receipt and it's clean.'

'The receipt or the toy?'

'Both.' Piper passed the small slip of paper over. 'I gave you a sandwich hoping you'd forgive me for returning it. I knew you'd be butt-hurt if I did, considering you offered excellent customer service.'

Alex smiled crookedly. 'I've been working on it. Thanks.' She placed the dildo aside, and took her sandwich. Alex sat down and kicked a chair forward for Piper to take. 'Don't you have school?'

'It's the holidays,' Piper said, making herself comfortable. She had a bite of her sandwich. 'I actually leave for University soon.' Alex's smile fell slightly. Oh. Shit. She should have expected that. 'Smiths University. Have you heard of it?'

'Mm,' Alex pulled off a chunk of her sandwich. 'Yeah, I've heard of it. What are you studying?'

'English Lit. I've already started reading the core material.' And so Piper started talking about her degree, and, frankly, she tended to have her foot in her mouth, but Alex didn't care. She was fun to listen to, even if she babbled, and whenever she babbled Alex just laughed. She was cute and funny and she was going to be a Smiths Undergrad soon. Leaving this town and going to exciting places.

Alex would be lying if she said she wasn't upset. She didn't know Piper Chapman very well, but she liked her, and she managed to make this grim sex shop glow without having to try. Apparently, being surrounded by toys didn't bother Piper anymore. She was perfectly content spending her few remaining hours with Alex. Talking about this and that. Alex was already starting to miss her and she hadn't even left yet.

Shit.

Straight girls. How they fuck you over.

A customer walked in when they were finished eating. They remained seated as the customer walked over to the counter; she seemed confident, okay about her surroundings. No hassle. No fuss. 'It's my girlfriend's Birthday in a couple of days. Want to give her a present. Recommend anything?'

'What are you looking for? There are plenty of things I can recommend,' Alex stood up. 'Girls like the little gifts. Usually. Depends what kind of little, of course.'

Piper blinked. Glanced at the customer. Was Alex teasing? Or was Alex being Alex? Probably the latter. The customer exhaled, 'Something exciting. Doesn't matter about the size. Something she won't expect.'

Alex clicked her fingers. 'I got just the thing. This has actually just come in, so you're the first to hear about it.' Quickly, Alex went into the storage cupboard at the back of the room. She found several boxes with the toys in, and took one out, before returning to the counter. 'You put it on your boobs.' Piper widened her eyes in horror. 'Vibrates; gets the nipple, you know?'

Curious, the customer leaned in while Alex revealed the toy inside. Piper couldn't believe such a thing existed.

'Know how it works?' Alex asked.

The customer shook her head.

'Want me to show you?'

Piper let out a funny laugh, but quickly shut up. She waited in silence while Alex discussed with the customer about the item, and, by the end, she seemed satisfied and bought it. Piper was relatively impressed with Alex's selling techniques, but she remained astonished about–– whatever that was. 'A boob vibrator?' She asked when the customer had gone.

'Yeah. Wanna try it out?'

'Ew, no!' Piper grinned, shooting to her feet. Alex laughed a little, and they settled in silence for a moment, and it was a nice sort of silence. One that didn't need to be filled, and one that was comforting and spoke thousands of words. The type of silence Alex would happily spend the rest of her life in. Ah, fuck. This girl was making her mushy. And Alex was never mushy for anyone.

'Wanna get out of here?'

'Wh–– But your shift hasn't ended.'

'Oh yeah? And who's going to notice? My boss?' Alex locked the till, grabbed her jacket. She stepped over the counter and jerked her head towards the door. 'Come on. We won't be long. Just a couple of hours.'

.

.

.

From that point on, Piper usually arrived at the shop whenever Alex was on her lunch break. They ate together, sometimes had coffee and they talked. By the time Piper was ready to head off for University, Alex had got to know her pretty well, but that didn't change her feelings for her. If anything, they were stronger than before, and she knew when Piper walked through the door today, it would be the last time. In two days, she would be gone, a Smiths Undergrad, and Alex would be stuck in this hellhole.

Marvellous.

She remembered Nicky's words from before, 'This will probably be the last time you see her, so you tell her or you don't.' What was the point in hiding it? Piper would be gone. There would be no more friendly girl to have lunch with after this. No more pretty face to look at, to make her days that much better. It was all going away, and Alex couldn't waste this remaining opportunity.

Even if she might regret it for the rest of her life.

Apparently, Piper was aware this was the last time they would spend lunch together. She was oddly quiet, and Alex had completely lost her appetite. She hated this stupid shop, and the stupid posters, and the stupid dildos she had arranged by size this morning. She just wasn't funny. And as much as she joked about it, this job wasn't funny either. She needed this job to help her mum pay the rent.

Twiddling with a piece of lettuce in her sandwich, Alex looked at Piper, 'Are you going to miss it here?'

'Probably. I don't know.' Piper was quiet, a little distant.

'Can I come with you?'

They laughed. They laughed because Alex asked a stupid question, and they laughed because she worked at a sex shop and Piper was going to study for a degree, and they laughed because, strangely, bizarrely, Piper wanted her to come too. Piper raised herself and kissed Alex softly on the cheek. 'You won't even notice I'm gone.'

'That's a load of bullshit.'

Maybe there wasn't any point in confessing. Maybe Piper already knew, because she felt the same way.

'You'll find plenty to do here.' Piper's eyes drifted towards various key rings on sale in a box. She lifted one up, and was mildly surprised to discover there was a penis-shaped magnet attached. 'Who comes up with these ideas? They're so original––' Piper was cut off when Alex kissed her, and the penis-shaped magnet fell from her fingertips, clattered across the counter.

Never ever ever had Alex felt so much from a simple kiss. It was... well, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to admit it felt as if her head was going to explode from the amount of pleasure she received. Piper's lips were soft, smooth, and wonderful against hers. Piper sighed when they pulled apart, smiled, and kissed Alex again, longer than before, harder, but still just as cautious.

Piper's breath tickled her nose.

'I'm gonna miss you.'

'We can stay in touch.'

'As long as you don't have me down as "porn shop girl" in your contacts.'

Piper smiled, kissed her cheek again. 'Okay. I won't. I promise.' She rested her head on Alex's shoulder, and even though Alex's lunch break had ended and Piper should be on her way, they didn't part. As if they weren't quite ready to let each other go yet. 'Alex?'

'Yeah?'

'We'll see each other again, right?'

There was nothing left to lose. Alex had made it clear how she felt, why ruin it all now? Why lie to herself? Why taunt themselves? They could have whatever they wanted if they wished hard enough for it. 'Yeah.' Alex found her hand, squeezed, 'We will.'

Eventually. Soon.

She can promise that, at least.

.

.

.

author's note: So, yeah, this oneshot was just a joke, and I'm pleasantly surprised it came out as something more. I don't intend to continue this 'verse, but please share your thoughts! Thanks for reading.