Hi Everyone,
Here's a new story I've decided to write. I'm from London, so bare with me if anything is inaccurate when delving into the story's American setting...!
I hope you enjoy!
It's 11:00 pm and Piper Chapman is still stacking shelves. Her white sleeveless vest top hugs her torso; her ripped blue shorts reveal her long, toned legs, as white beaten-up Converse trainers cover her feet. Her hair, tied up in a messy bun, tickles her neck, while framing her baby blue eyes, well-sculpted eyebrows, and prominent jawline.
At the age of 26, Piper Chapman co-owns her own artisanal soap shop with her best friend, Polly Harper. The pair met at Smith College - Piper studying English, Polly studying Marketing, and being that they were roommates for 3 years, covering their fair share of break-ups, late-night phone calls, and all-nighters, the two formed an inviolable friendship. What started as a hobby soon became a money-making opportunity; having gone from making soap in Polly's kitchen to owning their first shop in Brooklyn, it's fair to say that their company, PoPi - an original neologism, is evolving. The pair purchased the space to build their new adventure, and for the past week, having been working endlessly to set-up and start making a sustainable living, they are tired of being within the confines of the same four walls, surrounded by cardboard boxes and rolls of bubble wrap, to which a day off seems like a viable luxury.
"Pipes I'm heading home and I think you should too."
Relieved to hear an invitation to go home, Piper turns to face her best friend, who, regardless of the amount of coffee consumed, has bulging bags under her brown eyes, betraying her die-hard working attitude.
"Thanks Pol - I'm just about done over here. You go, I'll lock up."
"Are you sure?" Replies the tired brunette,"We can go together and I'll drive."
"Positive," Piper just about mumbles through a yawn, "my apartment's only a 15 minute walk away. Don't wait up for me."
As she watches her business partner wave goodbye and leave, a wave of tiredness washes over. She packs up, attempts to tidy the space (to no prevail), collects her belongings, and leaves the premises, locking up after herself. When she puts on her jacket and turns to begin her journey home along what seems like a fairly desolate street at this late hour, her eye is caught by movement from across the street. The fairly modern looking building's glass door slams and the sound of keys jangle, as, under the illumination of the street lights, Piper can just about make out a person facing the opposite direction. Having been caught up in figuring out whether she's witnessing a mid-night raid or a mere coincidence, Piper is startled as the person talks:
"Take a picture. It'll last longer."
The husky voice, rich with wit, projects across the street, as the person turns around and approaches the edge of the pavement they're standing on. Piper, stunned by the sudden situation she's found herself in, can now make out that the said person is a female. Even from afar you can make out her beauty. Secretary glasses adorn her milky-coloured face; her jet-black hair falls perfectly over her shoulders, while her tall figure is adorned by a plain white t-shirt, a black pair of skinny jeans, and a black leather jacket, all of which are matched with dark combat boots.
Embarrassed having been caught staring, Piper's eyes snap towards the building behind the woman. The sign, reading Gym and Bear it, makes her chuckle, leading to the formation of a plethora of questions regarding the nature of the building's occupants, as well as the mysterious woman approaching her.
Holy shit she's approaching me, Piper thinks to herself, and before she has the chance to assess how to deal with the unfolding situation, the woman stands face-to-face before her, having crossed the empty street.
"So you must be new around here. I would remember a face like yours any day."
"Um…" Piper stammers as her cheeks flush a light rose,"Well, I've lived in the area for a while, but my partner and I decided it was time to expand our business."
"Ah, I see." Replied the brunette, a smug smirk decorating her lips - ones the blonde finds herself drawn to, perhaps causing her to staring for too long - not that she'd be willing to admit that.
"PoPi," the brunette states, looking up at the shop's sign. "Let me guess: you sell flowers and are awful at spelling?"
"No, we -"
"You sell candles?"
"No, we -"
"Cardboard boxes?"
The blonde's eyebrows furrow at the latest suggestion. "Why would we sell cardboard boxes?"
The brunette's head tilts towards the shop's window, where the remains of the blonde's failed cleaning are visible, her smirk growing. "I'm only kidding," says the brunette, having seen the blonde huff out in frustration. "Seriously, what do you sell?"
"Artisanal soap. We started in my partner's kitchen, but when the orders increased and the space became limited, we took the plunge and bought this place," she said, pointing at the building.
"I may have to pop by sometime, you know, to scope out the new neighbours."
"You just might," states the blonde, her lips upturning to reveal her perfect teeth and enchanting dimples. "What is it that you do over there anyway?"
"If you couldn't already tell, I work at a gym," said the brunette, raising her arm towards her workplace. "I'm a personal trainer."
Piper, seemingly stunned by the new information, takes the time to scan over the brunette's torso. Her arms show definition through her tightly-fitted jacket, as do her sharp collar bones, which are revealed due to the low-cut of her t-shirt. The low-cut of her said t-shirt catches Piper's eye in particular, as she finds herself staring at the brunette's ample cleavage.
"You should drop by for a session sometime," the brunette's invitation causes the blonde to rip her eyes upwards, hoping she hadn't been caught mid-check out. "The first one's free."
Her cheeks increasingly flush under the gaze of the stunning green eyes and now toothy smile examining her.
"I may have to do just that."
The pair's staring match is interrupted by the chime of the blonde's phone. Reaching into her pocket, the screen of her iPhone shows a message from Polly, checking if she's at home yet.
"I should get going. It was really nice to meet you..."
"Alex. Alex Vause." The brunette says, extending her hand.
"Piper Chapman." The blonde replies, grabbing Alex's outstretched hand, shaking it thoroughly, trying to ignore the sudden jolt in her stomach.
"Well Ms Chapman, I hope you'll take me up on my offer," the brunette says winking, showing her well-aligned top row of teeth, "I'll see you around."
And with that, before she has the chance to reply, Piper watches the gorgeous brunette, who she now knows as Alex, descend off in the opposite direction. Placing her hands into her jacket pockets, Piper tilts her head towards the pavement, smiling to herself as she starts to walk home, seemingly curious about her new acquaintance.
By the time Piper arrives home, it's nearing midnight; tired from the day's events, she gets ready and heads to bed. Despite her incessant yawning and evident tiredness, she can't sleep. In what feels like its working into overdrive, her brain is overwhelmed with thoughts of a certain brunette, something that's impeding her much-needed calling for asleep. Frustrated that she can't sleep, Piper gets out of bed to retrieve her laptop. Soon returning under the covers, she props up a pillow to support her lower back, as she sits against the headboard with her laptop resting on the top of her thighs. Opening a new browser, she takes a deep breath and starts typing into the search engine: Alex Vause.
The results, as expected, were limited. The website of the gym she works for only lists her name, age, which she learns is 29 - workable, Piper thinks, the phone number that rings her office directly - interesting, and her work email address - even better. Saving the page to her bookmarks, convincing herself she needs the information should she have any questions if she were to take Alex up on her offer, Piper exits the page and clicks on the 'images' section of the Google search.
Again, as expected, no immediate pictures of the brunette appeared on the screen; however, after scrolling down the page, Piper found what she was looking for. The picture showed the brunette and three other females, who she assumed were her friends, with their arms linked around one another's shoulders, smiling into the camera. Alex stood on the end towards the left of the picture, evidently much taller than her companions, especially the wild-haired blonde female to her right. The brunette, dressed in a Nike sports tank top, a pair of matching leggings and running shoes - perhaps she had just come from work, looked stunning. Her arm muscles, which Piper could now make out much clearer, were deliciously toned - the tensed position of her right arm displayed her muscular bicep and rose tattoo as she held a beer bottle, and her face, again framed with glasses, beamed with a smile that revealed her chiseled jawline and highlighted her arched eyebrows. After staring at the picture for what she deemed a sufficient amount of time, Piper began to feel a jolt in her stomach - similar to the one she felt earlier, and decided this was a sign to stop before she got too ahead of herself. Putting the laptop away and returning back to bed with her pillow now in its original position, Piper contemplated what her curiosity - and evident attraction - for Alex meant.
Throughout her life, Piper was always taught to do what society expects of her. Her parents, who are boldly conservative, never particularly supported her soap ventures with Polly, nor did they support her single life that lacked a male companion, whereby her mother frequently refers to her ebbing fertility and its correlation with getting older. Although she has been with a few men; in college she dabbled around with one or two women - all of which were nothing more than drunken kisses however.
Piper can admit to herself when she sees an attractive woman, yet chooses to ignore her instincts. She briefly shared the details of her minimal girl-on-girl college experiences with Polly while they were roommates, but that was soon dismissed and pinned down to being her mid-college experimental phase, and nothing occurred since. Piper, although seemingly straight due to only being with and dating men in the past, was thrown off target by meeting Alex today. As sleep begins to find her, she begins to wonder why the said brunette had such an effect on her, hoping her curiosity doesn't get the better of her.