Author's note: Here it is, guys! Sorry it took me a while but exams have been giving me hell, so I haven't had time to write. Anyways, I hope you'll like it!
Enjoy!
"Hold the door, please!"
Piper was balancing two boxes on her arms but tried to put her foot in front of the door, so the stranger would get into the elevator.
"Thanks", the random woman said as she rushed into the elevator.
"No problem.", Piper said behind the boxes, concentrating on keeping the boxes straight. The woman didn't press any button, so Piper figured that she was coming to the same floor as she.
"Oh, great", Piper groaned as she heard her phone starting to ring in her back pocket. She decided to just ignore the call. If it was her mother, she would get a rant later about how important it was to always answer her calls but she wasn't going to test if she could manage to answer the phone without dropping the boxes.
She heard a deep chuckle next to her and turned her head a little to look at the stranger.
"You need a hand?" The stranger asked before Piper got the chance to say anything.
"If you'd be so kind", Piper responded. Well, if there was someone to help then she'd happily avoid the rant.
Suddenly the boxes were lifted off Piper's arms and Piper threw the woman a grateful look before taking her phone and glancing the screen.
"Hey, mom. Can I call you later? I was just carrying the last boxes in. Yeah. I'll call in a couple of minutes, okay? Yeah. Bye."
When Piper ended the call, the elevator had stopped and the woman was already walking toward her apartment door and Piper briefly wondered how the woman new where she lived.
"I saw the men move your stuff in. I live next door", The woman answered the unspoken question as she tilted her head towards the door behind her back.
"Right", Piper nodded, taking in the woman for the first time. She was tall, even taller than Piper and she had long, black, slightly wavy hair. She had black rimmed glasses that suited her and was dressed casually, black ripped jeans and a dark blue T-shirt.
Piper blushed as she realized she had been just staring at the woman for a while. "Right, yes. Thank you, I can take it from here."
The woman smirked and didn't appear to be fazed by Piper's staring. "You sure? Wouldn't it be easier to open the door before I give you these boxes back?"
Piper didn't know why that thought didn't cross her mind. "Yeah, yeah. You're right. I'll... I'm going to do that. Open the door. Right now."
The woman chuckled at her rambling and Piper blushed even more. She took her keys out of her back pocket and quickly opened the door. She was quite proud that she managed to open the door without embarrassing herself further.
When the door was open the woman just went inside and put the boxes down before turning to face Piper again. Before Piper let her eyes to swipe over the woman's figure again, she forced herself to look at her eyes. "Thanks. Again."
The woman smirked again, something Piper noticed she did often. "I was happy to help."
Piper nodded before offering her hand. "I'm Piper."
"Alex", the other woman introduced herself as she took Piper's hand. Her hand was warm and the grip was both firm and gentle. Piper kind of didn't want to let go but released Alex's hand before she would end up just standing there and holding the other woman's hand awkwardly.
"Well, I'm going to go now. You know where to find me if you need anything", Alex grinned. "And I mean anything."
Piper's eyes widened at the added part that was said just a little bit too flirtatiously. "Yes. Right. Thanks."
She heard Alex's faint chuckle as she walked out of the door and closed it behind her. Piper stared at the closed door before asking out loud: "What the hell was that?"
Piper knew that at times she could be a little awkward but she wasn't usually that awkward. She didn't understand why that woman threw her so much off the balance.
She took a deep breath before taking her phone and dialing her mother's number.
"Piper! You said a couple of minutes?"
"Hello to you too, mom", Piper said with an eye-roll. "I was just talking with my new neighbor, she helped me to carry the boxes."
"Well, that was nice of her. You thanked her, right?"
"No, mom, I didn't. I yelled at her and slammed the door in her face. Of course, I thanked her!"
"Right, yes. I'm sorry, that was a stupid question", Carol admitted.
"So, the original reason you called?"
"I was wondering if you were going to throw a housewarming party?"
Piper pinched the bridge of her nose. "Firstly, I was thinking reserving the housewarming party for my first own apartment and secondly... There is room for maybe like five people in here."
"But this is your first own apartment, even if you're renting-" Carol tried to argue before Piper interrupted her.
"If it makes you happy then I can invite you and Polly here some weekend and you can bring me some champagne but it won't be anything big or fancy, okay?"
"Would the next weekend be okay?" Carol asked happily.
"I'm tired, mom. Can we talk about this later?" Piper asked, just wanting to curl onto her couch with a glass of wine and a good book.
"I'll call you later this week, alright?"
Piper nodded even though her mom wouldn't see her. "Yeah."
"Good, I'll let you settle in now."
"Okay, bye."
"Bye."
Piper ended the call with a sigh. It wasn't like Piper didn't love her mom but she could sometimes be a little too closely involved in Piper's life. She decided to follow her plan and went to pour herself a glass of wine.
Alex had been kind of disappointed when she had noticed someone was moving into the next door apartment. She had liked when it was empty, there weren't any grumpy oldsters complaining about her music or some over-talkative person who tried to form a conversation with you every time when they saw you.
However, now, she didn't mind at all. She would definitely not complain about a new, attractive neighbor. Alex had immediately noticed how hot the woman was, tall and slim body with endless legs and perky breasts? Perfect. It was the type Alex would immediately go after but the younger woman's rambling and blushing told her that she probably wasn't used to the attention from women, so Alex needed to proceed a bit differently. Anyway, Piper didn't seem like the kind of girl who would just jump into your bed only after a few flirtatious comments. But Alex had always liked a challenge.
The next day Alex left her apartment to have a brunch with her friend and mom. When she opened the door, some guy was standing in front of it and jumped backward out of the door's way.
"Can I help you?" Alex asked as she examined the man in front of her. He was shorter than her and something about him already annoyed Alex.
"Yeah- I mean, no. I'm just here to see Piper", the man said as she tried to step forward.
Alex closed her door behind her, glaring the man. "You have the wrong apartment, pal."
The man just stared at her confused. "Oh, but she said... I'm sure that she said-"
"It's the next one", Alex interrupted, not having time to listen to his explanations. She walked to the elevator without saying another word, silently cursing when somebody took the elevator just before she made it. Alex glanced quickly at Piper's door and noticed that indeed she hadn't had time to put her surname on the door yet.
The man frowned at her rudeness but went to ring the doorbell of Piper's apartment.
After a while Piper opened it, wearing comfy jeans that still hugged her curves and a too big white T-shirt. Her hair was up in a loose ponytail and Alex let her eyes roam over Piper's figure.
"Hey Larry", Piper greeted and the man immediately went to kiss her cheek.
Piper's eyes found Alex's over Larry's shoulder and Alex gave Piper her typical smirk. Piper smiled somewhat shyly at her before turning her attention back to Larry.
"I didn't remember your apartment number", Larry started to explain chuckling as he stepped into her apartment. "I was going to ring a wrong doorbell."
Piper rolled her eyes. "You would have known my apartment if you had actually helped me to move", Alex heard faintly before Piper closed the door.
Alex seriously hoped that this Larry guy wasn't Piper's boyfriend but tried to get the blonde out of her head when the elevator came back up.
"Piper, you know that-" Larry started before Piper interrupted him.
"That you had work. Yes, I know", Piper sighed. Larry was a freelance writer who tried to get his articles and texts to some magazines. Piper doesn't believe that he didn't have any time to help her during the weekend.
"But I'm here now. Is there anything to do?"
Piper had managed to unpack most of her things but there were still few boxes with some not so necessary things. "Yeah, there are still some boxes but they aren't important. You want coffee?"
"Yeah, thanks", Larry mumbled before started to walk around the apartment.
It was a decent sized studio apartment. The main space was filled with Piper's new queen-sized bed, one big bookshelf, dining table for four and a small working place which pretty much just contained a desk and a desk chair. Piper had also a small couch in one corner but she doesn't think she needs TV.
"It's quite small", Larry informed after a while.
"Yes Larry, I know. The rent was reasonable and it's not like I need lots of space. Besides, I don't think I'll live her forever. This is perfect for now", Piper explained as turned the coffee maker on.
"I guess you're right", Larry said as he came into the small kitchen area. "I still don't get why you didn't just move in with me, though."
"We've talked about this, Larry. I'm not ready to move in with you yet."
"It would have been so much easier! We've already been together almost a year", Larry argued.
"I didn't know there was an instruction that you need to move in together after a certain time", Piper quipped sarcastically.
They stared at each other for a while before Larry sighed. "You're right. I'm sorry."
"It's fine", Piper nodded. Larry had been almost obsessed with Piper moving in with him and when Piper decided to find an own apartment instead, Larry had been kind of weird.
"So, I'm apparently going to throw a small housewarming party next weekend", Piper changed the subject.
"Seriously? I didn't think you as a type to throw a housewarming party."
Piper suppressed the desire to roll her eyes at that. Larry didn't pay enough attention to her to know what kind of type she was. "I'm not. My mom insisted."
"That makes sense. Who are you inviting?"
"It's a pretty small apartment to throw a party, so I think just my parents and Polly. You can come too if you want", Piper informed.
"I don't know if I can come, work has been hectic. But I'll try", Larry offered with an easy smile.
Piper didn't have the heart to tell Larry that no one would miss anything if he didn't write for a couple of days. Magazines wouldn't take his articles because they honestly were quite bad. "Alright."
"Have you had time to photograph?" Larry asked.
"Not really. I have an interview with one magazine on Wednesday, though. They're in a need of a photographer and wanted to see some of my pictures."
"That's great. You're talented, I'm sure they'll realize it", Larry said with a small kiss on her lips.
"Let's hope so."
"Vauseyy! Over here."
Alex rolled her eyes playfully at her best friend. "No need to shout, Nicky. I couldn't have missed that lion mane even if I tried" she joked as she sat down in the booth with Nicky.
Nicky glared at Alex. "Let my hair alone."
Alex laughed. "Sure thing."
She quickly ordered herself a French toast when a waitress came to ask her order.
Nicky watched after the girl before grinning at Alex. "You going to hit that?"
"Nah", Alex shook her head. She hadn't even paid attention to the girl.
"Has someone finally caught your eye?" Nicky asked, wiggling her eyebrows.
Alex made a nonchalant sound. "I wouldn't say that she caught my eye... but I certainly hope I get into her bed sooner or later."
Nicky laughed at her best friend. "Who is it?"
"My new neighbor. She is hot, you know, tall and blonde", Alex described Piper. "Although, she is most likely straight and she most likely has a boyfriend", she frowned.
Nicky threw her a sympathetic look. "I'm sure you still get there, though. Straight or not, I don't think anyone could be able to resist that!" Nicky laughed as she pointedly swiped her eyes over Alex's body.
Alex laughed too. "I think that now you're just exaggerating. I mean you've managed to resist it just fine."
"Eww. You're my best friend. I can see you're smoking hot but that doesn't mean I want you", Nicky made a face before noticing something."Where's Diane? I thought you were supposed to come together?"
"She had some work thing. She's still coming but she's a bit late",
After about ten minutes of conversing about nothing important, Diane walked in and crashed down to sit next to Alex. "I've come to the conclusion that most people in this planet are fucking morons."
Alex and Nicky both laughed at Diane's characteristic forwardness.
"Please tell me you have some good news", Diane said after she had ordered her own food.
"Well, Alex here is going to get a girlfriend", Nicky announced.
Alex turned to glare at her at the same time as Diane's gaze turned to watch her daughter curiously. "Really?"
"I'm not. Nicky was just being her usual misleading self", Alex declared.
"She got a new hot neighbor", Nicky said grinning. "And you said it yourself, you are hoping to get into her bed."
"And I also said that she has a boyfriend. I'm not going to involve myself into some straight girl drama", Alex said with an eye-roll.
"You said that she most likely has a boyfriend. But point taken", Nicky nodded seriously before broke into a smirk. "But man, you're so smitten! You didn't even notice the hot waitress."
Alex sent another glare towards her best friend before turning to face her mother. "So, mom. What happened at work?"
"I'd rather listen to your relationship dramas", Diane grinned.
"There's no drama!" Alex exclaimed.
"Yet", Nicky said with raised eyebrows.
Alex huffed. "What about you and Lorna? You two have been on and off for a while now."
"That fucking Christopher guy gets on my nerves. I mean he treats her like shit and still she always crawls back to him", Nicky sighed.
"See? That's exactly the straight girl drama what I'm trying to avoid!"
"You two are like the worst when it comes to the relationships", Diane intervened.
Alex and Nicky both turned to look at her. "What?"
"Alex, if you are interested in someone, start by asking her if she's interested in women or if she has a boyfriend. And Nicky, you seriously have to talk to her. She needs to choose either you or him because now you're only getting hurt over and over again."
"I'm not interested in anyone, I just think she's hot", Alex frowned even though she most certainly was at least a little bit interested.
"Then why are we still talking about this?" Diane smirked.
Alex just shrugged. "I don't know, ask Nicky. She's the one who has been bringing this up."
"Don't blame me! I know you are secretly grateful for the relationship advice that we're giving you even if you pretend that you're not interested in her", Nicky grinned.
"I think I'm the only one who gives advice", Diane quipped smirking
"Well, the advice Diane's giving."
Diane rolled her eyes at Nicky playfully. "You two are like children."
"Holy shit!" Alex exclaimed. She was coming home from the brunch as a door opened just in front of her face.
"Oh my god! Are you okay?" Piper asked alarmed, not knowing if she had hit her neighbor.
"Yeah. I managed to jump out of the way. But why are you opening your door with such vigor, though?" Alex chuckled.
"I don't know... I'm sorry. Again. I'll be more careful in the future", Piper offered with a smile.
"I think that's for the best if you don't want any neighbors with a broken nose", Alex grinned.
"Yeah."
"Have you settled in already?" Alex asked conversationally.
"Yeah, yeah. It's a very nice apartment and I've liked it so far", Piper smiled as she examined Alex's face more closely. She noticed it was very symmetrical and the photographer part of her brain wanted to capture those piercing green eyes.
The older woman quirked her eyebrow at the blonde's obvious staring.
Piper snapped out of it and blushed. "Sorry, it's just that... I'm a photographer and I couldn't help but notice the symmetry of your face and you have like very captivating eyes-" Piper rambled before covering her mouth with her hand.
Alex laughed. "Thank you? I'm not an expert but I guess you have quite a symmetrical face yourself."
"Oh my god, just ignore me. I'm a bit awkward and have sort of foot-in-mouth disease."
"I think it's cute", Alex winked which led Piper staring at her with an open mouth.
"I have a boyfriend", she blurted out.
"Good for you", Alex smirked before she walked around Piper and went to open her own door. "See you around."
She didn't let the pang of disappointment to show on her face. Honestly, Alex had been prepared for the boyfriend.
Piper just shook her head and went to the elevator. She didn't know what was happening. Of course, she can appreciate women's beauty but something about that particular woman has Piper totally attracted to her.
Thanks for reading and please tell me what you thought! Hahaha, I can imagine your distaste for Larry but I just thought that because in my first story he was a random guy crushing after Piper and in my second story he was Piper's ex, so logically now he would be the boyfriend :D Don't worry, I think he isn't going to hang around for too long. I'll try to update soon again :)
-Iina