Piper groaned and rest her head atop her folded arms on the bar, as the start of Carly Rae Jepsen's 'I Really Like You' came on next, echoing throughout the crowded bar.
The memory of Alex taking the piss out of this song in the car, during their road trip suddenly played in her mind.
"I really, really, really, really, really, really like youuuuuu!" Alex was bouncing in the drivers seat, singing over dramatically, pointing to Piper in the passenger seat and laughing at Piper's attempt to stifle a grin by biting her lip.
"Would you please just keep both hands on the wheel?" she'd placed Alex's outstretched hand back on the steering wheel.
"C'mon Pipes, lighten up! I hate this song just as much as you do." she laughed again, holding onto Pipers hand on the steering wheel.
Piper turned her face away to glance out of the window beside her, so Alex couldn't see the small grin playing on her lips.
Alex switched the radio station to a CD she already had in, and they listened to the mix she'd made. One of Piper's favourite things about having met Alex, was being introduced to bands and artists she'd never heard of before, whose music she absolutely loved.
"Just FYI…" Alex whispered conspiratorially, "I can see your reflection in the window… and you totally smiled." she laughed again and Piper couldn't help the full blown grin that spread on her face. She felt Alex's thumb rubbing soothing circles on her wrist then and she turned back, tilting her head on the head rest to gaze over at Alex.
She was obviously beautiful, but Piper had only ever seen Alex this carefree and happy whenever she'd wake before her in the morning and find Alex's arm slung over her waist, holding her closer with a small trace of a smile on her lips, that Piper would always kiss and break the spell to wake her.
Alex spotted Piper gazing out of the corner of her eye then, raising her eyebrow as a slow grin curved her lips.
"You alright there, Kid?" she asked, sneaking a glance and shaking her head at Piper's dazed smile. "What're you staring at?" she laughed then.
The sound of Alex's laugh made her heart stutter and she felt her every nerve ending tingle. She sighed contently and interlaced their fingers on the steering wheel.
"Nothing." she shrugged her shoulders.
"Nothing?" Alex asked, not buying it for a second, she laughed again and turned her attention back to the road.
Piper leaned over resting her chin on Alex's shoulder, "I really, really, really, really, really, really like youu!" she whispered in her ear.
Alex felt Piper's grin against her earlobe and couldn't help leaning to rest her temple against Piper's forehead.
"You're so lame." Alex laughed, shaking her head.
Piper laughed too, leaving a kiss on Alex's cheek before resting her head on Alex's shoulder. Her grin still firmly in place.
"Piper, are you going to finally tell me why you dragged me out here tonight? You said it was an emergency?" Polly nudged Piper's shoulder gently.
Piper groaned once more, before lifting her head and ordering a round of tequila shots for them both.
Polly's eyes narrowed as she tried to figure out what had caused the sour mood of the blonde sat beside her. "Was it this mysterious Alex who you won't introduce me to? Did he stay the night? I know how you don't like your one night stands to stay over…" Polly's voice trailed off on a huffed laugh.
Piper shot her a disapproving glare before downing a shot and wiping her mouth on her sleeve.
The events of this morning's argument replaying in her mind for the millionth time that day. The same sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach, aching at the exact same time she sighed and turned to face her friend.
"We had a fight." Piper's eyes darted from Polly's to the small bowl of peanuts next to her elbow on the bar.
Polly waited silently, nodding slightly encouraging Piper to reveal more of what had happened.
"Alex and I… we had a fight. I was so just angry and so I stormed out." Piper's hand scrubbed over her face slowly as a long and painful sigh escaped her lips, the memory replaying in her head once again.
Polly squeezed Piper's arm gently. "Piper… Have you not learned by now that just walking out on an argument isn't going to just make it go away? Did you learn nothing from my fight with Pete last month? I slept on your couch for a week!" she tilted her head, brow raised.
Piper rolled her eyes, 'This isn't you and Pete, Pol.' she thought, grinding her teeth together.
"I guess not." she said instead, forcing a tight lipped smile instead.
She ordered another round and tipped back drink after drink until she was pleasantly buzzed.
"So, what was the fight about exactly?" Polly enquired after Piper knocked back her 7th shot of tequila.
"I don't wanna talk about it." Piper waved a hand at her friend.
"Well, why did you need me here then? You said you wanted to talk." Polly snapped back.
Piper slammed her hand down on the bar, making Polly jump slightly. "I met Alex's friends the other day." she said it as if that was explanation enough.
Polly was growing more and more impatient with each ticking second.
"And?! What? You don't want to introduce him to yours and he got all pissy about it?!" she asked, her tone annoyed.
Piper's eyes narrowed at her then, "I only have you and Cal. Your opinions matter the most. I know my parents wouldn't approve at all." she shook her head, making a small sound between a huff and a laugh, as her gaze turned toward the bowl of peanuts as she picked at them.
Polly's silence cause Piper to glanced up at her from beneath her lashes, as her eyes drooped, finally the alcohol taking some effect.
"What?" Piper asked defensively at Polly's utterly confused expression.
"It's just… you haven't cared about your parent's approval for anything before? In fact, I was convinced for some time that you go precisely go against their expectations just to piss them off!" Polly explained, throwing a peanut into her mouth, her eyes turning back to Piper.
Her words sifted through Piper's mind for a few minutes. The sudden realisation hitting her right in the gut. She was afraid. Afraid that Alex would get bored of her and leave her… so Piper's automatic response being to fuck everything up before she can care too much to get hurt. Only her usual plan has backfired immensely as here she is, sat in a lame-ass bar in downtown, the same one she met Alex in, missing the one she loves to be around. Missing the one who's infectious laugh, sarcastic comments and sinful smirks make her heart race. Missing Alex.
The thought of Alex making an ache throb in her chest. She ordered another round before picking up her phone beside her.
"ALEX?!" Piper slurred loudly into her phone, drawing the attention of those at the bar either side of her.
Polly's face flushed crimson from Piper's sudden outburst, holding her head in her hands and sighing impatiently.
"Pipes, I really think I should get you home. You're not in your right mind! You can stay on my couch and call him tomorrow." Polly insisted, putting her jacket on.
"No." she shook her head took quickly, stumbling on her feet and leaning against the bar stool. "ALEX?!" she shouted again into her upside down and turned off phone in her hand.
"Give it here." Polly snatched the phone from her, turning it on and scrolling through Piper's contacts until she reached 'Alex'.
Piper had wandered off, Polly glanced around the room, her eyes scanning every bobbing head in the bar but unable to locate her blonde and incredibly intoxicated best friend.
"Lord help me." she sighed before pressing call.
It rang three times before Alex answered. "Pipes, I'm still at work." the voice on the other end answered, sounding defeated. "I finished in an hour, you know this." they sounded a little more pissed now. "I'll call you tomorrow." they said.
"Wait, no! Wait a sec!" Polly found herself stumbling over her words from shock.
"This isn't Piper… Who is this?… Where is she? Is she alright?" the voice on the other end grew increasingly concerned.
"This is Polly, her best friend. She's completely wasted in this bar, feeling guilty over your fight this morning." her mouth spoke before her mind caught up. She plugged her other ear with her finger so she could hear Alex on the phone more clearly.
A long sigh sounded from the other end, "Which bar?" was all the voice asked.
"Erm, I don't know the name of it…" she suddenly realised, looking around herself frantically for any sign with the name of the bar on.
"Well, that's helpful, Holly." she heard the voice mumble, seemingly to themselves.
"It's Polly." she rolled her eyes, already getting a bad feeling about this person, "And all I know is that it's a bar downtown." she said defensively now.
"I know where you guys are. Give me 15." the voice said matter-of-factly before the line went dead.
Polly stared down at the phone in her hand completely confused, before spying Piper from across the room, stumbling out of the bathroom.
Piper made her way back to Polly and fell onto the bar stool.
"Where the fuck did you go?" Polly asked, her tone a little more irritated than she'd meant it.
"To the bathroom?" Piper scrunched her face up at Polly's tone.
"Last time I checked, you weren't my mother." she scoffed.
Polly took a breath to calm herself down, Piper's drunken attitude getting to her now.
"Alex is coming." she said simply, placing Piper's phone down on the bar in front of her.
Piper's eyes sparkled at the mention of Alex's name, clearly the buzz making her forget their argument earlier that morning.
"Alex is coming?" she asked, her voice all sorts of fascinated and excited.
Polly shook her head, confusion at Piper's reaction, an understatement at this point.
Alex spotted the blonde at the bar in the crowded room within milliseconds. Taking a deep breath she bit her lip, the growing ache in her chest causing her guilt to come to the surface. All day she'd spent pissed at herself for flipping out at Piper that morning, then just letting her leave before talking things out.
She made her way over to the blonde, finding her feet not going as quickly as she'd want them to.
Standing behind her, she placed a hand on Piper's shoulder, squeezing gently to get her attention, and completely ignoring the "best friend" sat next to her.
Piper turned slowly at the contact, her eyes widening comically as a beaming grin spread across her face as soon as she recognised Alex.
Alex couldn't help the smile playing at her own lips as her gaze took in the way Piper's smile reached her eyes, dimples and all flashing brilliantly up at her.
"Hey, kid." she chewed her lip, leaning against the bar beside her.
"Alex!" Piper smiled, swaying into her, "You came!" she breathed.
"Course I did." she couldn't help the laugh that tumbled from her lips as Piper's forehead came to rest on her shoulder.
Alex's hand instinctively coming up to run her fingers through Piper's blonde curls.
"I'm so sorry, Alex." Piper mumbled against the crook of her neck.
All the fight Alex had in her this morning, instantly evaporated from her as she pulled the blonde against her.
"It's my fault. I shouldn't've got so pissy." she admitted, shaking her he'd at her pettiness earlier that day.
"No… Alex, it's my fault!" Piper raised her head to gaze into the most gorgeous green eyes she'd ever seen, and she felt her heart stutter as a small lump formed in her throat.
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, her hand reaching up to tuck a blonde lock behind Piper's ear. She bit her lip to stop a smile from appearing, as she relished in the way Piper's eyes fluttered closed from the contact.
"I haven't been honest with you. Honest with myself." Piper slurred, her body leaning backwards of it's own accord.
Polly's hands reached out to steady her friend at the same time that Alex's arm wound around Piper's waist to keep her upright.
That was the first time Alex fully acknowledge Polly behind the blonde in her arms.
Alex ducked her head to whisper to Piper, "So, this is Perfect Polly, huh?" she nodded behind Piper's shoulder, grinning.
Piper's answering giggle causing Alex to laugh herself, before she turned the blonde in her arms towards her friend.
"This is Alex then?" Polly asked Piper, nodding courteously to the tall woman standing behind Piper.
Piper leaned back against Alex and sighed contently, for the first time that day feeling safe and happy.
"Pol, this is my Alex." Piper's hand ushered between the two, completely oblivious to what she'd just said.
"Alex this is Polly." she snuggled a little closer to Alex's side.
Polly's gaze was sizing Alex up and she suddenly realised why Piper had been so stressed this morning about introducing them. She already didn't like Polly and something told her that the feeling was mutual.
Alex turned her head to press her lips to Piper's temple, trying to hide her smile from Piper introducing her as 'my Alex'.
A guy at the front of the bar announced they were starting a round of karaoke, asking if anyone wanted to go first.
Piper turned in Alex's arms to search the older woman's gaze. Piper couldn't lie to herself any more, she didn't like the feeling it gave her, and quite frankly, Alex deserved better.
Almost instantly, she shot up like a light and stumbled across the room towards the machine.
Polly and Alex exchanged concerned looks before following after her quickly.
Piper climbed onto the small stage, flicked onto the song she needed and grabbed the microphone to start singing.
Alex's eyes nearly popped out of her head from amusement as she realised that Piper was doing drunk karaoke.
Piper coughed to clear her throat before she began singing - awfully - into the mic.
Honey you are a rock
Upon which I stand
And I come here to talk
I hope you understand
The bar was slightly less crowded now and Piper found Alex walking towards the stage with a quite questioning grin on her face. Her eyes never leaving Alex's she carried on, a little off beat.
That green eyes
Yeah, the spotlight shines upon you
And how could
Anybody deny you?
I came here with a load
And it feels so much lighter now I met you
And honey you should know
That I could never go on without you
Piper pointed to Alex then, watching as Alex's cheeks tinged crimson and she suddenly realised what Piper was doing. The blonde's earlier words echoing in her ears, 'I haven't been honest with you. Honest with myself.' part of her wondered if this was Piper's way of being 'honest', whatever that meant, and then she suddenly found herself confused and extremely intrigued by this little stunt Piper was pulling.
Green eyes
Piper's head tilted to the side and she spoke the words with such a gentleness that Alex forgot the place and time entirely, her heart racing as she stared up at the only girl who's ever made her pulse race this fast.
Honey you are the sea
Upon which I float
And I came here to talk
I think you should know
As reality slowly set in, Piper's eyes started to fill and she had to blink the tears quickly so she could read the rest of the lyrics on the screen in front of her.
That green eyes
You're the one that I wanted to find
And anyone who
Tried to deny you must be out of their mind
Piper's voice cracked and she mic fell from her lips as she stared down at Alex. Unable to finish the song, she dropped the microphone to the floor, blinking a few more tears.
Polly had slipped out from the bar to her back home, leaving Alex with Piper's cell phone and bag. Alex shook her head, chewing her lip. Guilt masked Piper's every feature and all she could do was hold her hand out to help her off of the stage.
A sob left her as Alex's fingers wrapped around her own, before she pulled them both off to the side and Alex trapped her against the wall in the corner of the room.
Piper's face was hidden against the crook of her neck, and time passed by slowly. Alex's hand rubbing Piper's back soothingly to try and calm her down.
"What was that about, Pipes?" she finally asked after what seemed like a decade of silence, pulling back just enough to wipe the blonde's tears away with the pads of her thumbs.
Piper's bottom lip trembled then and Alex swore she'd never seen anything more adorable yet heartbreaking.
"If you don't speak, I don't know how to help…" she raised a brow, keeping her tone light as she smiled down at Piper.
"You're not my dirty little secret, Alex." she blurted out, a little angrily.
Alex sighed as Piper quoted her from their fight earlier that morning. She scrubbed a hand over her face.
"I know. I'm sorry… I shouldn't have said that." Alex rest her head against the wall. "I shouldn't be forcing you to make this something if it isn't." she sighed.
Piper saw the flicker of pain behind Alex's eyes and it broke her heart. She reached up to take Alex's face into her hands, caressing her cheeks softly as she stared into a loving green gaze.
"You're more than just… than just… whatever this is to me." Piper struggled to find the right words, the alcohol maybe not being the best idea in hindsight.
"I think maybe we should just go home and talk about this more tomorrow, y'know… when you might actually make some sense." Alex winked at her, her tone teasing as she tried to lighten the mood.
Piper couldn't help the smile on her face as Alex wrapped an arm around her shoulder in order to lead her out of the bar.
They made it outside and onto the sidewalk, before Piper shivered and Alex helped the blonde into her jacket to keep her warm.
"Mmm, it's nice and warm." Piper hummed, a lazy grin on her lips.
Alex smirked, "Well, I am kinda hot so…" she joked and laughed when Piper buried herself closer into her side whilst they waited for a cab.
The cab came and the climbed into the back seat, Piper automatically huddling closer to Alex.
"It smells like you too." she mused, causing the older woman beside her to chuckle.
"Y'don't say?" she teased, making the blonde giggle. 'She's so wasted.' Alex thought to herself, smiling as she brushed Piper's hair out of her face.
They were stood outside Alex's apartment when her curiosity got the better of her.
"So, just what do I smell like then?" she wondered aloud, a grin playing on her lips as Piper's tired eyes blinked open.
Without having to think for even a second, "Home." she breathed, with an easy smile coming to her lips.
Alex froze, her key in the door as the single word left Piper's lips. Who knew that just one word with four letters could make someone feel this overwhelmingly - she tried to find the right word for it, but the only one that kept flashing into her mind being happy.
"I love you." Piper said then, looking up at Alex from beneath her lashes hesitantly.
Alex abandoned the key in the door to slowly reach up and cradle the blonde's face gently.
"I love you too." she smiled and laughed against Pipers lips as the blonde pushed off of the wall and closed the distance impatiently.
They fell asleep almost instantly, wrapped up close to one another.
Piper woke before Alex and found herself gazing at the small hint of a smile on Alex's lips, thinking that she is more than happy to have this be the first sight she sees, when she wakes up for the rest of her life, and then realising that, that realisation doesn't scare her like it would've with anyone else before… simply because it's Alex. 'My Alex' she thought, before closing her eyes and burying herself further under the blankets and gravitating closer towards the warm body beside her.