(Inspired in the movie Before the Sunrise)
At 2 p.m. Piper found herself in a train in Venice, Italy. She was going to her friend's wedding in Paris. A week before she was staying at an hotel in Madrid, taking a vacation by herself, trying to enjoy her twenties away from her family. To go from Madrid to Paris she decided to take the train instead of the plane, of which she has a little scared.
In the seat next to her, there was a couple fighting in Italian, Piper was trying her hardest to concentrate in her book, but with the fighting couple, she couldn't, feeling obligated to leave her seat and find another one available. She stood up, grabbed her bags and walked a couple feet on the train, until she found an available seat, right next to a brunette woman.
The woman caught Piper's attention for seconds, maybe it was her original blue extensions on her brown hair, or her leather jacket who fit her perfectly. She turned her attention from the woman to her book.
- "Do you know what they were fighting about?" - The brunette said
But Piper was paying attention to her book and didn't listen what the brunette said, Piper took her eyes from the book and looked at the woman, once again. This time Piper noticed other things in her, the red lipstick, her glasses, never before Piper thought glasses could make one sexy.
- "English? No." - The woman tried to talk to her again
- "Yes" - After processing for awhile she understood what the woman asked her before - "No, I don't have any idea what they were fighting about, my Italian is not very good" - Piper took an Italian class in College but she was not good - "If someone speaks to me in Italian, I'll probably answer 'mamma mia' with my best effort at an Italian accent"
The brunette laughed and Piper did the same.
- "It's going to work 90% of the times" - Piper continued - "If someone says 'I just killed someone', I can say 'mamma mia' like, 'What have you done?' you know? And if they say 'the best thing just happened to me' and I say 'mamma mia', it'll make sense too, it's like 'oh my god, tell me', it's going to work"
The brunette laughed again
- "It's better than what I used to say" - Piper noticed the deep voice of the woman sitting beside her - "I used to always answer pizza, but they give me the judging look, so I change it to spaghetti, didn't work either"
Piper smiled at the brunette and noticed her book
- "What are you reading?" - Piper asked
The woman turned her book so Piper could see it
- "You?"
Piper did the exact same movement as the woman. They stayed in silence for awhile, allowing the Italian couple pass between their seats
- "Hey" - The brunette started - "I was thinking about going to the lounge car. Would you like to come with me?"
- "Yeah" - Piper smiled
In their way Piper asked:
- "Are you from America?"
The woman sat down before answering
- "Yes"
The lounge car was almost empty, they were sitting in front of each other, separated by the white table
- "What are you doing in Italy, American Girl?" - Piper regret the nickname she gave to the woman, she was nervous. Usually she was not that outgoing as she was being with that woman, but even though she was nervous, somehow she knew, the woman wouldn't do any harm to her.
- "I'm Alex" - The name fit her well - "I'm here at work"
- "And what do you do Alex?" - Piper asked in wonder
Before speaking, Alex got closer to the blonde
- "I work for an international drug cartel" - After hearing these words, Piper was in a state of shock and didn't say a word, until the brunette laughed and Piper laughed too.
- "Are you serious?"
The waitress came to their table before Alex could answer the question. They made their order
- "I'm not a drug dealer, okay?" - Alex tried to explain - "I am an importer"
Piper couldn't see the difference, to be honest, Piper didn't care what the woman job was, she thought she was nice, and that was it
- "What about you?" - Alex asked - "What are you doing here?"
- "I'm going to a friend's wedding in Paris"
- "I hate weddings, when is it?"
- "In two days" - Piper didn't want to go, but it was her friend, she had too. - "I hate weddings too. It's just a waste of money and they will get divorced anyway"
- "What?" - Alex smiled in shock - "Don't you believe in true love?"
- "Of course I do, If I want to spend the rest of my life with someone? Maybe. But-"
- "Maybe?" - Alex interrupted her before she could finish
- "Yeah, I mean, I don't' want some boring guy, you know? I don't want to spend the rest of my life in the sofa watching movies, that I don't even like, just so I don't annoy my stupid husband. I'd rather be in prison than to be with someone boring"
- "I like that in a woman" - She smiled to Piper and looked down - "But prison can be harsh, kid"
- "I think I can take it, in the worse situation I can get a prison wife to take care of me" - Piper joked
- "What if your prison wife is crazy?"
- "She won't be" - Piper said with certainty
- "You have everything planned" - Piper nodded in agreement - "An how are you going to be arrested?"
- "Well..." - Piper stop to think - "I don't know"
- "Who need to get arrest to go to prison, right?" - Alex said sarcastically
- "What about you, Alex?"
- "If I want a prison wife? If she is hot, then yes"
- "No" - Piper smiled at the woman, while she took her leather jacket, showing her tattoos. Piper stopped looking and returned to the conversation - "Do you want to get married?"
- "To be honest, I don't know"
- "You don't?" - Piper paused - "Have you ever been in love?"
Alex faced the window nervously
- "You don't have to answer if you don't want to" - Piper continued, she didn't want to make the woman uncomfortable
- "No, I don't think I've ever been in love. I'm sure I was never in love" - Alex was nervous, was the first time she talked about that. Alex was the kind of person who didn't like to get attached, with attachment comes pain, that's what she thought. Nobody ever cared if Alex was capable of love or not, usually she only used girls for sex and to transport drugs after, and the girls used her for the sex and the money. - "Did you ever loved someone?" - Alex risked to ask
- "No" - Piper smiled looking directly in Alex eyes
The train stop, Alex needed to get off the train, but she didn't want to leave Piper.
- "Look, I need to leave here, tomorrow morning I'm going to meet with my boss, but today I've nothing to do and your wedding is just in two days. Why don't you come with me and you can catch another train tomorrow morning?" - These were Alex' 20 seconds of courage
Piper's eyes were wide open
- "I... I..." - Piper didn't know what to say
- "Think this way, in 50 years you are going to be married with a boring guy named, I don't know... Larry, and you are going to look back to when you were younger and think about of all the opportunities you've missed, I'm one of those opportunities. If you come with me, you are not only doing a favor to yourself but to your future husband"
- "Let me get my bag" - Piper was convinced
They left the train.
- "Wait" - Alex stopped putting her two hand bags in the floor - "I don't even know your name"
- "Piper" - They shook hands - "So, what do you plan to do?"
- "Have anything in mind?"
- "Well" - Piper did have something in mind - "Since we are in of the most beautiful cities in the world, we can just walk somewhere, see the views"
- "As you wish" - Alex grabbed her bags and start to walk - "But we need a locker or something to put these bags on"
After taking care of the heavy bags, they were allowed to walk freely.
- "Is your first time in Venice" - Piper asked
- "No, it's actually my second" - Her job allowed Alex to travel the world a lot - "It's beautiful city"
They walked for a few seconds until they could see the streets covered in water
- "This is beautiful" - Piper said
Alex looked at her with a smirk and agreed
- "Have you ever been on one of these" - Alex pointed to the Gondola
- "No" - It was a beautiful gondola painted in black and red, with a man standing inside using a striped t-shirt and a hat, like in the movies
Without saying a word, Alex talked to the Italian guy on the gondola. After many failed attempts at speaking to the guy in Italian, she decided to go with English, which the guy understood perfectly. She step in the gondola
- "C'mon" - she said to Piper, while sitting
Piper sat next to her
- "Where are we going?"
- "Closer to the beach" - Alex answered
- "How do you know if I like the beach or nor?"
- "Believe me, you are going to like it" - The thing Alex remembers the best about the last time she was in Venice is the incredibly beautiful beach - "You know what? It's the first time I am in one of those"
- "How?" - Piper was shocked - "Weren't you in Venice before?"
- "Yes, but I was always on the beach or at the hotel, which was right next to the beach"
- "I'm happy you get to do this at least once" - So far, Piper was really happy she got of that train
Alex looked at Piper, her eyes were glowing. Alex couldn't decided what was bluer, the blonde's eyes or the water
- "You know" - Alex started - "Usually I wouldn't spent so much time with a woman without trying anything. I mean, I'm not trying to hit on you or anything, I'm just saying"
- "I'm glad I'm different" - Piper was conflicted, she didn't want the woman to try anything, after all she was not gay, was she?
It was a 30 minute ride. When they got there, they still needed to walk more 10 minutes until the beach. When they got there, Piper knew what all Alex' fuss was about, it was beautiful
- "Thank you" - Was Piper managed to say
- "What for?"
- "For making me come with you"
- "I'm glad you did" - Alex truly was
Alex grabbed Piper's hand and start running to the water, with clothes one, they both got wet.
- "You son of a -" - Before Piper could finish, Alex pushed her down into to the water again.
Not long after, she allowed the blonde to get some air. When they were both standing up, their eyes met, Alex placed her hand in Piper's cheek and leaned forward, placing a gentle kiss in Piper's lips. She broke the kiss and carefully looked at Piper's eyes that were closed, meaning she enjoyed what just happen, so Alex did it again. A longer kiss these time. A big wave catch them, making both fall and break the kiss. On the floor Alex quickly looked at Piper, who smiled at her and she smiled back.
Piper got up, and walked away from the water. Alex was still lying in the sand, when another wave catch her and made her disappear between the blue water. Piper watched these laughing.
Alex started running in Piper's direction, Piper didn't even try to run away, instead ran in Alex' direction and give her a hug followed by a kiss.