Hey guys! Well, lookie, it's a new vauseman story! Inspired by my own fucked up relationship with sleep..and maybe an Ed Sheeran song :) The story will contain pre chapter lyrics but they all belong to the awesome ginger blur that is Ed Sheeran. (If you're interested the song is called Insomniacs Lullaby - aren't I original with my story titles!) Enjoy! :)
I'm getting very edgy 'cos you're trying to take this from me and it's something that I wanted so bad
5:18am.
5-fucking-18am.
It would be easy to say her alarm clock was lying but no matter how many times she closed her eyes and then stared at the numbers they refused to say anything earlier. Alex hated that about time. It never went the way she wanted it to. It was always too slow or too quick. She never got the stay around part in between.
She kicked her duvet off herself and just for added drama for the queen she slammed her heel hard into the mattress.
There, she thought once her anger subsided a fraction, better.
Her eyes stared upwards at the dark ceiling of her room. Soon it would be lit up in daylight and she'd be reminded she hadn't slept again. She hated that about the morning. Maybe if she ever caught sleep she'd realise why people were so happy about it. Maybe she'd understand the smiles that came when people said good morning. To her nothing about it was good. It was just the rerun of the shitty day before, made shittier by the fact that she was doubly tired, and doubly pissed with the world.
Alex lay there silent and still for ages brooding, trying to trick her mind into getting bored enough with staring into the dark to actually sleep. But it didn't happen. It never happens. Instead she was left there night after night just waiting for nothing. It made her think about other people and how fucking great their lives must be being normal. She wish she didn't care. Her life would run a whole lot smoother if she just accepted it. It was what it was.
She tilted her head back to the side after what felt like hours and her eyes latched onto the clock again. She felt angry all over again.
5:19.
"Just fuck it!" she growled pushing herself off her bed and out into her kitchen. She headed straight for some well deserved loser coffee. Anything to make her feel something close to alive today.
Her fingers tapped the countertop impatiently while the coffee got going and she glared angrily at it. It was going slow on purpose. She was half tempted to ditch it and walk across the street to her favourite coffee shop for some of the real stuff. But it was raining out and though she knew the shop would be open right now she felt too lazy to get dressed and go. Instead she continued to wait for her cup of homemade crap, insistent it was going slow just to piss her off.
Her eyes roamed the expanse of her apartment while she waited. At all the luxurious space she had. She hated it. Why did she need so much space when it was just her? She barely had enough stuff to fill it. She'd been showing off when she bought it. She wanted the world to see she could buy big. She wasn't the poor kid from the broke family anymore. She was much bigger than that now. But the apartment was so far her only testament to that. She didn't have a girlfriend. She barely had friends. All she had were acquaintances and hook ups and this grand apartment. Alex sighed to herself and pushed down her misery. Maybe she was lonely. Or maybe she just needed something stiffer than fucking coffee this morning.
Alex ignored the bleeping that announced her coffee was done and walked back to her room. She looked around on the floor for a second for the jeans she wore yesterday in hopes of finding her cell. She cursed her luck when the pockets turned up empty. The world just hated her today.
She threw them down again and began hunting for her phone, swearing loudly when she took a step forward and stubbed her toe on the bed.
"Fucking Christ!" She yelped hopping on the spot clutching her foot. A muffled shout from the floor below hers told her to shut up. She scowled down at them and forgetting the pain in her foot slammed it as hard as she could into the floor. Her neighbour yelled again but she smiled happy with her revenge.
Her ringtone brought her out of her thoughts and she quickly whipped her head around searching for it. It was her work ringtone. She couldn't miss those calls. Her life pretty much depended on them.
"Shit!" She growled stressed as she pulled her duvet out of her way and searched the bed. The call was nearing her voicemail when she found the cell under her pillow.
"Yeah?" She answered trying to sound somewhere nearer to awake than before. A humoured chuckle answered her.
"Alex, you seem flustered. Not disturbing any sweet dreams am I?"
Alex rolled her eyes at Fahri's teasing,
"Was there a particular reason you rang so early?" She breezed back. He merely chuckled again
"And here I was thinking vampires like you couldn't sleep" She couldn't help but smile but she didn't let on.
"Maybe I wasn't sleeping" she said coyly so he'd think maybe she wasn't alone. Anything to stop him laughing. And it worked. Fahri let out that sound of intrigue that told Alex he'd be begging details later. And she smiled about that. She loved to tease him.
"My apologies then. But it was urgent"
"It always is" she sighed and walked over to her window.
She sat down on the ledge and watched the rain while he went into detail about tomorrow's shipment deal. She was bored two seconds in. He stressed way too much. He knew she'd have everything covered by noon today. And if she didn't who cares, it's not like she slept at night. She had plenty of time fix it.
Her eyes followed the empty street outside while he carried on stressing out in her ear. She watched the tiny puddles grow into bigger ones as the rain lashed the pavement. She'd heard there was a storm coming but she wasn't all that bothered. Alex worked inside. Why should something as harmless as the weather worry her? But a storm in New York usually meant half an hour of rain and then rainbows. This looked a little worse. She worried for a second about tomorrow's shipment.
Her eyes drifted again to the shop across the street. The door was open despite the weather. She liked that about that place. No matter what it always welcomed you in. To her it was like going home. More than her apartment was anyhow.
She was thinking about bailing Fahri's call and maybe skipping over to grab herself a coffee when somebody outside caught her attention. There was a group of them. All girls from the looks of things, running into the coffee shop screaming under the rain and covering their heads with their jackets. Alex hated those types of girls. All prissy and obsessed with their hair. It annoyed her how their voices were ruining the quiet morning.
"Alex, there was another thing.." Alex's attention came spinning back to the conversation and she waited for him to speak. He took a deep breath. Whatever it was it wasn't good. Her insides squirmed nervous.
"Well?" She said after a second of silence, "Spit it out already"
"Kubra wants to meet you"
Alex blinked back her shock. Meet her? She'd been working for him for nearly four years, why meet now?
"Uh.." She didn't know how to respond right, "Sure. I mean.. Yeah.." And then she couldn't help herself, "Why the sudden interest?"
Fahri laughed, "You're our top girl, Alex. Kubra just wants to meet you in person and say hello to his top importer. That's all"
Alex didn't trust that innocent ring to his voice though. Something about it told her it was much worse than he was letting on. She rubbed her eyes tiredly and nodded to herself. She couldn't exactly refuse.
"Tell him-"
A shout from outside stole her attention away and she looked down at the street again. A girl was stood in the doorway of the coffee shop waving her hand and calling somebody inside. Alex watched the rain beat down on her as she continued to shout out. Secretly she was thanking the person making the girl wait. She didn't know why but she decided the girl looked like she deserved to get soaked.
"Hurry up, c'mon!" The girl all but screamed. Alex watched her take a full step outside to holler again before she gave up and walked back inside. Thank god.
Alex sighed and leant back against the window. She closed her eyes with the renewed quiet. Now she could relax.
"Tell him..?" She jumped with Fahri's voice in her ear. She'd almost forgotten she was in the middle of a call.
He seemed amused again. Like he suspected she just been in the cusps of drifting off. Alex wanted to tear his head off. She'd been so close to sleep just then. Instead she yawned and stretched herself out
"Tell him I'd be glad to meet the enigmatic boss I've heard so much about"
Fahri laughed, "I'm sure he'll be thrilled" Alex simply yawned and he laughed again, "Tired, Vause?"
"You're keeping me awake" she grumbled annoyed. He chuckled back
"Somebody has to"
That was low. Even for him. She swallowed her asshole line back and told him to arrange everything with Kubra. It was the least he could do.
"Just don't forget, she's gonna be at the airport at-"
"I know, I know!" she snapped irritable. She wished he'd quit stressing already.
"You know I'm in just as much shit if she gets caught" he said in the way of defending himself. Alex laughed hollowly
"Yeah, and when that day comes I'm just sure we'll be sharing a prison cell together"
He ignored her sarcasm and turned serious, "Alex, listen-" except she wasn't listening.
Alex was staring outside. At a girl stood out in the rain, arms spread out and laughing as span in circles. That itself would enter in as mad in Alex's book any day. She watched the girl spin, entranced by her graceful turns. She moved like a ballerina. Except ballerinas she knew didn't wear those clothes in a rain storm. Alex's eyes ran all over the spinning girl. She was dressed in shorts and a thin drenched shirt that stuck and clung to her in all the right places. Her hair was dark from the wet but Alex could see that in a dry situation it'd be blonde, and at present it was plastered shaggily across her forehead, tangling into a forest of knots down her back. But it wasn't the clothes or the hair that kept Alex staring. It was that smile. It was big and happy. Like being in the rain was the happiest moment of the girl's life. It was infectious too. Alex found herself grinning out at the girl.
"Alex, are you listening to me?" Fahri asked annoyed. He was growing frustrated with her ignoring him all the time.
"Yeah.." She mumbled moving closer to the window as if to somehow get closer to the girl. She couldn't help it. Her curiosity was lit. She wanted to know what made the girl smile in the rain. What made her choose crazy today. You had to be downright insane to go out in a storm dressed like that.
Worse, she wanted to know if she could get a ticket into that crazy.
"I gotta go" she mumbled hanging up and putting the phone down to quickly throw some clothes on.
She hopped into some jeans and yanked a t shirt roughly over herself. Then she checked her hair and tucked her cell into her back pocket and all but ran out of the apartment. She caught her breath in the reception area and she smiled at the security guard as she offered her an umbrella. She shook her head.
"Going for coffee?" Jess asked tucking the umbrella back behind her counter.
Alex smirked at the knowing glint her eyes and nodded,
"Something like that"
"Mines a Vanilla latte" Jess winked sitting down and picking her cell up, dropping all charades of professionalism with a text. Alex chuckled at her. She loved Jess. The laid back guard was definitely one of her favourite people in the world.
"And a bagel?" She teased walking over to the door. Jess grinned down at her phone
"Oh! Somebody thinks they're getting laid today. You better go before she disappears"
Alex shook her head when she got waved out. No girl ever got away from her that easy.
Jess pressed the button to unlock the door and Alex stepped out into the rain. She swore under her breath the second it hit her. Shit that was cold! She was suddenly wishing she'd taken Jess' umbrella. Or at least a jacket. Instead she'd run out in only a t-shirt. Inside she caught Jess laugh at her.
"Fuck it" she grumbled and walked briskly round the corner to where she'd seen the girl earlier, hissing to herself when the wind blew more rain across her face and down her back.
She didn't know what the fuck she was thinking. Who walked out into a storm to pick up girls? It was madness. And it was getting her soaked. She paused a moment and hesitated going through with it. But then if she turned back now she'd never hear the end of it with Jess. So she pulled her shirt straight, flicked her hair back and walked.
To her glee the girl was still there when she rounded the corner to the coffee shop. She was stood still now, head tipped back and staring at the sky. Still smiling. Alex gave it a moment to take her in before she strode forward.
"You look wet" she said with a low smile when the girl jumped and looked back at her. Her eyes ran all over Alex a moment before she shrugged and gave her a smile back
"So do you"
Alex glanced down at herself and noticed her shirt clinging to her. Much like the girl's was her. She forced her eyes upwards and smiled.
Alex nodded at her, "I forgot my jacket. What's your excuse?"
The girls smile widened, "I forgot my sanity"
They both laughed. Alex took a step closer to the girl and looked up at the sky too.
"What're you looking at?" She asked curious.
The girl peered back at her, eyes trapping Alex's. Alex couldn't help but smile some more. The girl had the most gorgeous blue eyes she'd ever seen.
"Just the sky. Nothing great" She turned as if she were leaving and Alex felt a little panic hit her. She didn't want to stop talking to the girl yet.
"I disagree" she said catching the girl's attention, "I'd say it was a pretty great thing. What with all the crap it puts up with. You know, humankind.. and everything"
She wanted to smack herself. She sounded like such a dork!
The girl frowned a second as if confused before she smiled and turned back to face Alex, "Yeah, I suppose you're right. I never thought of it that way"
Even though she was positive the girl was trying to save her from embarrasment Alex couldn't stop herself from smiling too. She held a wet hand out.
"I'm Alex"
The girl took her hand, soft warm fingers closing around Alex's. Alex's breath caught a little and she saw the skin on her arm tremble. She swallowed nervous and looked up to find those blue eyes watching her again. The girl opened her mouth to return the greeting but a scream cut over her
"Piper Chapman, I swear if you don't get that skinny ass in here this second I'm gonna save the rain the bother and kill you myself!"
Alex looked back at the girl in the shop doorway and gave her a solid glare for the interruption. Her friend coughed and moved away embarrassed.
"And," Alex looked back at the girl, "As my wonderfully impatient best friend just announced, I'm Piper"
Piper. The name sounded beautiful in Alex's head. Her anger at Piper's friend vanished and she smiled down at the blonde.
"Hello Piper" she said huskily, loving the way it rolled off her tongue. Piper smiled some more.
Her friend yelled from the door again and Piper stuttered an apology about having to go.
"Sorry" she mumbled, "Duty calls"
Alex nodded and the girl turned to go but immediately turned around again,
"I don't suppose you're busy right now?" Alex blinked at her and Piper blushed a little, "I mean.. You wanna.. Um..." She grew a little flustered and Alex had to bite her lip to stop from laughing at her, "What I meant to say was.. Shit. I don't know what I meant to say"
She stared down at the floor and pouted a little. Alex's breath caught again. Piper was being adorably hot right now. And she'd just been about to ask Alex out for coffee. Alex was certain of it. Her confidence returned to her and she quickly took a step forward.
Alex chuckled, "Are you usually this smooth asking a girl out?" She asked brazenly. Piper blinked back at her.
"I-I wasn't.. I mean, I wouldn't.."
"No?" Alex grinned waiting.
Piper searched her face a moment and her friend yelled for her again. Alex was getting close to marching over and telling the girl where to put that loud mouth of hers. Piper saw Alex's irritation and took a couple more steps back. Alex felt her heart drop.
"I should probably go. It was nice meeting you, Alex"
"Pleasure was all yours" Alex winked watching Piper blush some more.
The blonde turned and retreated a few more steps, stopping at the door by her friend to look back and find Alex still stood there in the rain. Alex realised then she looked pretty stupid and started to head home.
"Hey!" Piper called causing Alex's head to whip around. She smiled when Alex's eyes fixed on hers again.
"Maybe we'll meet in another rain storm" Piper called over the wind with a gentle laugh, "Bye, Alex!"
Alex grinned and called back, "Bye, Piper Chapman"
Piper flashed her one last smile and waved before she disappeared inside. Her friend gave Alex a scrutinising look before she pulled the door shut behind them, obviously to let Alex know she was not welcome inside. Alex scoffed. Piper was nice but her friend was a total grade A bitch.
She turned and made her way back to the apartment block, hands in her pockets and walking through every puddle along the way. She reran through her short conversation with Piper and she grinned happy to herself. She liked the girl. A lot. She had to see her again.
"Hey! Where's the latte and bagel?"
Alex shook her head at Jess and walked up the stairs to her apartment. Jess simply laughed after her. Maybe she was smiling too much. She couldn't help it. Meeting Piper had put her in a brilliant mood. Nothing could ruin it.
Her cell rang as she walked into her apartment and she sighed. Work. Of course. She'd forgot and let herself get a little optimistic. There was always something that could ruin her mood.
She answered the call and set it on speaker as she made herself some coffee and fired up her Mac. She took gentle sips of it as Fahri rambled on but she was barely listening to him.
She was thinking about Piper Chapman.
