Piper is walking the streets of a new European city every couple of days. She is happy, she truly is. She gets to enjoy Italian pasta one day, and swiss cheese the very next one. She gets to travel to places she never thought she would travel to. She has enough time and no obligations on her hands, and she feels free. She loves it. Of course, her parents were disappointed with her decision to quit her job as a journalist at the New Yorker in order to travel in Europe for an unspecified amount of time, but Piper didn't care. She had enough money saved, and she did what she wanted to. For the second time in her life. The first time was a brief two months beforehand, when she broke up with her boyfriend Larry. Her parents disapproved of that too.
But Piper wanted to give herself the chance to go on and discover herself. Figure things out. So she did.
And here she was, in a museum in Munich on a rainy summer day. With her audio guide on, she explores every painting and sculpture she finds herself in front of in complete awe of how different artists captured beauty and even with what they found beautiful. From the portrait works of Francisco Goya to the beauty Andy Warhol saw in creating a painting by urinating on it. In the past, Piper never found herself fully understanding most of the painted art. There was always so much you can conclude about it on your own. She always preferred the written word, where the intention of the artist is clearer, more tangible. But since her Euro-trip was about exploring something new, she decided to visit at least one museum in every city she goes to. And with every new city and new museum she learnt how to appreciate it more. The audio guides helped, the reading she did on different pieces once she was back in her hotel as well and she found herself more and more drawn to it.
As Piper is walking around the Neue Pinakothek in Munich, she is looking at paintings of different artists: Goya, Monet, Van Gogh all lined up in different rooms of the museum, depicting slightly different periods of time. She likes Van Gogh already and has been to the "Van Gogh" museum in Amsterdam, fully dedicated to him, and feels proud of herself to already know the information about his sunflowers and color usage the audio guide is talking about. She admires Monet's painting with memorable vanilla sky over and over again wherever she comes across it, remembering the scene from Vanilla Sky where Tom Cruise is explaining the painting to Penelope Cruz. She is somehow sure if she had her own lucid dream the sky would also be the vanilla one like in the Monet painting.
She moves on to the next room, her attention immediately drawn by a statue at the very end of it. The statue represents someone from Greek mythology, that much she is sure of by the way the posture of the man is. She takes a step closer and sees that it says "Paris" and skips her audio guide to the story about it. The Judgement of Paris is the mythological moment the statue depicts – a contest between 3 goddesses to be "the fairest" and earn the golden apple. The decision and the reward is to be given by Paris of Troy, with each of the three goddesses – Hera, Athena and Aphrodite – promising him gifts for the favor of being chosen.
"The statue here depicts the exact moment before Paris makes his decision. He is standing, a golden apple slightly hidden behind his back, observing the three goddesses before making his decision known." The audio guide speaks and Piper finds herself looking at Paris and then, for some reason, following the path of his eyes, knowing that the three goddesses are not there. But as her eyes trail over to where Paris is looking she is faced with something she did not expect: raven haired woman in a leather jacket, looking Paris directly in the eyes, with her own headphones on her head.
Piper takes a sharp intake of breath, caused by the surprise of just how gorgeous the woman in front of her is, as if she was the modern version of the goddesses spoken about. Her raven hair frames her pale face perfectly and falls on her leather jacket that she looks so damn good in. Her long toned legs go on forever and the secretary glasses she is wearing let her gorgeous green eyes stand out even more. As Piper stares at her, the woman lets one hand go through her hair and Piper could swear a simple arm movement has never been so attractive.
"Paris chose Aphrodite, swayed by promise to bestow upon him the most beautiful woman, Helene, for wife." The voice of the audio guide pulls Piper away her thoughts and she refocuses on Paris again. When she turns her head again to look at the mysterious raven-haired woman their eyes lock and Piper can see a smirk forming on the face of the other woman as she starts walking towards Piper.
"I could've sworn the myth said Helene was supposed to be Aphrodite's gift to Paris, not the other way around." The woman speaks as she approached Piper.
"Wh-what? What are you talking about?" Piper is confused by what the woman just said, so she takes her headphones off to make sure she hears properly.
"Didn't you see? The guy was looking straight at me but instead of the golden apple, seems like he wanted to show the most beautiful woman to me. Just saying, it's his loss." The smirk on the woman's face is growing, and so are Piper's eyes when she finally realizes the woman is talking about her.
"Oh. Well, I assume he was hungry and wanted the apple to himself." She replies, trying her best to be witty and to keep the woman interested in holding the conversation.
"Well, you can have it dude" the woman says as she turns to look at Paris "I always preferred soft-fruit anyways." And then turning to Piper she continues "besides, shouldn't he know it was the apple that got Adam and Eve kicked out of heaven? Men don't seem to learn their lesson, do they?"
"Well, it does depend a lot on how you look at things, you know? Adam and Eve were the first man and woman but their story was only told in Christianity which came a long time after Paris here was alive. So, it could be that he just didn't know. And also, he did give the apple to Aphrodite, so I'm not sure why we are having this discussion anyways." Piper rambles on as the other woman just looks at her, the amused chuckle still present on her face and her eyes not leaving Piper's even for a moment.
"Wow, way to ruin my imaginary moment with my friend Paris over there."
"Sorry." Piper blushes and her eyes find their way to the floor in an instant.
"Don't be. He made the right choice, I must say. Tho his choice led to Troyan war, I guess wars over women are the sweetest ones to have. Just saying, I'd do the same." The grin on the woman's face keeps growing as she lifts her arms in a surrender kind of movement and Piper can't help but smile at the conversation the two of them just started.
"Who are you?" it falls from Piper's lips before she can stop herself, breaking the fictional bubble the two were in just a moment ago.
"Weren't you listening to what I just said? The name is Aphrodite, the goddess of love, beauty and sexuality. At your service." The woman says and takes a small bow in front of Piper, making the other girl laugh at the gesture. But if Piper is being honest, the description fits the woman perfectly, beautiful and so-damn-sexy being the first two words Piper would use to describe her.
"Okay, Aphrodite, if you say so." The two women start walking together, headphones wrapped around their neck but neither of them interested in listening to the audio guide anymore, but rather in the conversation with one another.
"See that picture over there?" Aphrodite speaks as she points at the picture of two women together, holding hands. "Lesbians, right there. And they say no one portrayed it in art back in the day."
"They are not lesbians! That's Italia and Germania, the picture represents the two wives of two different men and this is how this author decided to portray them – together, sharing a certain closeness. The background behind the two shows the differences of the places they come from."
"Oh come on, kid, it's obvious. They are holding hands. They at least want to get it on, even if they can't due to all the social disapproval mumbo-jumbo. Sorry if it's not written in your books but it's the truth" The other woman speaks and raises her eyebrows suggestively and Piper gives her arm a light shove, rolling her eyes but laughing along with the other woman.
"Tell me whatever you want about the idea of what's attractive changing through years and eras, that woman in that painting over there has mustaches. That can never be sexy, sorry."
…
"I never liked Monet."
"How come?"
"He portrays beauty on warm sunny days and everything and everyone looks so happy and… perfect. That's not real life"
"It can be."
"Maybe in your WASPy world. Not everyone gets that lucky."
And Piper leaves the discussion at that, noticing the glint of sadness in the other woman's eyes.
…
"Well, seems like we reached the end of this exhibition here."
"I still can't believe what you said about Monet."
"I also can't believe you've never been to Cambodia but I'm not judging you for it, kid."
"You gave me a look that did that for you, no worries."
The banter between the two women continued as they went through the museum together, up until they reached the exit of the building, both of them looking like they don't want to say goodbye to each other just yet.
"Well, at least the weather is now better finally. Not as good as Cambodia" the dark haired woman spoke as they stepped outside onto the street and they both laugh at it. They turn around to face each other and for a few seconds they both go silent, examining the other one, trying to figure out the thoughts in the other's head and figure out of suggesting to spend more time together would be something to offer.
"So…" Piper starts and her eyes immediately go down to the sidewalk they are standing on, unsure if she is able to look into the other woman's eyes as she finally finds her own voice to use "… I'm still curious about your actual name, so maybe we can grab some coffee together. If you want, I mean. We don't have to." The nervousness in Piper's voice makes her stumble over her own words, causing the other woman to chuckle as she extends her hand over to Piper "It's Alex. But we can still have that coffee." Alex smiles at Piper and she finally dares to look up, taking the offered hand and saying "Piper. Alex… I like the sound of it." with a shy smile. The electricity that runs through her body at the touch of Alex's hand is like something she never felt before. And she somehow feels like the other woman is feeling it too, as they look into each other's eyes and share a smile.
They spend hours in the coffee shop talking non-stop, about where they come from and how they ended up in Europe. Piper shares that she is from Connecticut, studied at Smith, worked as a journalist, broke off an engagement and came to Europe, to much of her parents protest. Alex tells her that she comes from Jersey, and she now travels the world working as a photographer, being hired by multiple different magazines to work for them, but her home base is in New York.
When they finally leave the coffee shop Alex offers to walk Piper to her hotel, not wanting to stop talking to the blond just yet.
"So, what were you photographing in Munich?" Piper asks so to break the silence that somehow was created between them on the way to her hotel
"Nothing in Munich itself. Took some pictures of Koeningsee near by Munich. It's very beautiful over there, and one of the magazines I work for wants to feature it in their best lakes to visit in the world, but they wanted very specific pictures taken and not using the ones they can find online." Alex replies and Piper nods. They reach Piper's hotel fairly quickly and stop in front of it.
"Well, this is me." Piper says as Alex nods her head, suddenly both women at the loss of words all of a sudden "I had fun today. How long are you staying in Munich?" Piper asks, hoping she will get to see the other woman the next day again.
"I'm leaving tomorrow for Berlin." Alex replies and the smile from Piper's face falters.
"Oh…" is all Piper manages to say.
"Can I take you out for dinner later today? Lets say I pick you up at 7?"
Piper looks at her and smiles and nods and Alex can't help the chuckle that escapes her lips at how adorable Piper looks right now. So she leans forward and gives her a long, soft kiss on the cheek, just on the side of her lips, using her other hand to hold Piper's face in place. Piper's hands hold onto Alex's hips on their own accord and both women stay in that moment for a few seconds. As Alex pulls back they share a soft smile that reaches their eyes and Alex interlaces their fingers together, tracing over Piper's knuckles gently with her thumb.
"Don't worry about dressing up tonight. I'll see you in a few hours." Alex says as she lets go of Piper's hand, turns around and walks away. Piper smiles while observing Alex's retrieving form, admiring how the jeans she is wearing hug her in all the right places before she turns around and walks to her hotel, looking forward to their next encounter later on.
After getting some rest in her hotel room, a warm and relaxing shower and a quick phone call with Polly, Piper was trying on different clothes from her closet deciding what clothes to wear in order not to be overdressed, according what Alex told her, but to still be dressed to impress the older woman. She settled for a short summer dress, the weather in Munich seems to have gotten better. Just as she was hectically running around her room, putting on her shoes and earrings simultaneously her room rang.
"Hello Ms Chapman, I'm calling from the reception. A certain Ms Aphrodite is waiting for your downstairs." The voice spoke from the other side of the line and Piper laughed at the name Alex used to present herself.
"Tell Aphrodite I'll be right downstairs. Thank you" She replied before putting the phone down and checking herself out in the mirror before taking a deep breath and walking out of her room.
As she reached the reception she saw Alex sitting in the foyer of the hotel, fiddling with her phone. She stood by for a few seconds, taking in the beauty of the woman in front of her before she quietly approached her "Hello my gorgeous Aphrodite" Piper spoke as she got closer to Alex and the other woman looked up, smiling at Piper before her eyes grazed all over Piper's body. Her summer dress showing off her perfectly toned legs, her slightly tanned skin of her arms, her seductive neck-line and that insanely gorgeous face and bright blue eyes that have been on Alex's mind the whole day. She set there frozen on the spot for a couple of seconds and then stood up, giving Piper a hug and whispering "You look beautiful, Pipes" In her ear.
Piper smiled at the statement and melted into Alex's arms for a few seconds, enjoying the warmth of the other's body so close to her.
"Thank you. You don't look bad yourself." Piper replied and smirked at Alex who offered a smile in return. The words she would have honestly used would have been more direct and in the line of hot or gorgeous or walking sex, since that's what she felt towards Alex, but she didn't want to sound too horny.
"Shall we get going?"
"Where are we going exactly?"
"You'll see."
And with a smirk she took Piper's hand in hers and walked her out of the hotel.
The taxi left them in front of English Garden, the biggest park in Munich and one of the biggest ones in the world, and they walked into it, hand in hand. The park was crowded with young people, sitting around and having beers, playing soccer or volleyball, riding around on bikes. It was beautiful. They reached a secluded area surrounded by trees where there wasn't many people sitting around. Through the trees Piper could see a small lake and the view was magnificent. Alex pulled a picnic basket from around the tree and spread the blanket on the grass beneath them, motioning with her hand for Piper to take a seat. As they settled, Alex pulled a variety of food from the basket and a bottle of white wine.
"German Riesling, it's supposed to be good. Well, according to Germans." Alex spoke as she filled up two glasses for them and handed one over to Piper.
"To unexpected encounters." Alex said as they cheered and raised her eyebrow at Piper who replied with a shy smile and an almost whispered "cheers".
"This place is beautiful, Alex. Thank you for bringing me here."
"You're welcome."
They talked about anything and everything for a while: about art, about Munich, about different cities in Europe they've been to, about differences between the US and Europe. And as Piper sipped on her wine, Alex pulled out her camera and snapped a picture. And Piper laughed about it and Alex snapped another.
"I like beautiful things. And I wanted to keep a memory of this moment. Don't worry, this one is not going to any magazines. I just really wanted to have something to remember you by."
And as soon as she said that Piper's lips crashed onto hers, staying there for a couple of seconds. And her lips were the softest lips she ever kissed and she instinctively put her hands on Piper's face, holding her close as Piper intertwined one of her hands into Alex's hair. As Piper pulled back she leaned her forehead against Alex's and both women smiled warmly at each other. "Something to remember me by" Piper whispered and Alex's smile grew even bigger. "That's a much better memory than a photo." she said as she still held Piper's face in her hands and smiled "Well, in that case…" Piper replied as she kissed Alex again, softly yet with passion, deep yet delicate.
"Alex…" Piper whispered into Alex's lips, her breathing heavy and her pupils dilated "…let's go back to my hotel." And Alex nods and grabs Piper's hand, the picnic behind them forgotten completely.
They catch a taxi and it takes them only 20 minutes to make it to the hotel. They rush inside and go straight for the elevator, unable to keep their hands and lips away from each other while they wait for the elevator to reach their floor. The doors open and Piper grabs Alex's hand and guides her to her room. Once inside, she pushes Alex against the door and continues exploring her lips as her hand roam over Alex's body, exploring it. Her lips go down to Alex's jaw line and throat and she bites it lightly, hearing a moan escape Alex's lips.
"Come with me to Berlin." She hears Alex say in between breaths. She pulls away slightly to look into her eyes, confusion all over her face.
"I'm serious. Come with me to Berlin tomorrow. You are travelling around Europe anyways and it doesn't mess up your plans cause you don't have any. It just adds to the adventure." Alex explains as she raises her eyebrows suggestively at Piper before giving her a quick peck on the lips.
"You can always leave if you don't want to spend time with me anymore, no harm done." Her lips are now tracing down Piper's jawline and the neck she admired hours ago, causing Piper to tilt her head back to give her more room to work with and close her eyes at the wonderful sensation of Alex's tongue on her neck.
"I just want to have some more time to do this" Alex speaks as she places another wet kiss on her neck.
"..and this" her lips trail down to Piper's shoulder, pulling the strap down to make more room for the kiss.
"…and this" she says as she pulls her dress down a bit more and pushes her hand under Piper's bra, gently massaging her left breast. Piper moans in delight.
"Is that a yes?" Alex asks as she pulls the other strap of Piper's dress down.
Piper uses two fingers to raise Alex's chin up and kiss her with every ounce of passion she has for the woman. She takes Alex's shirt off and guides her towards the bed as she toys with the button of her jeans. Alex slides Piper's dress down and both women fall down onto the bed.
Piper never gives a verbal answer to Alex's question. And she doesn't have to.
A/N: That's it for the first part. I want to make it a multi-chapter but it won't be a very long one, 3 to 5 piece most probably. Would love to hear your thoughts on it, so feel free to review or PM me. Follows/favorites appreciates as well! Happy New Year and have a great start of 2016 everyone!