AN: Hello amazing readers. So happy to read your reviews and to know you are enjoying the story so far. I'm really excited and I hope you guys like this next chapter. I clarify that I do not own any of the OITNB characters. To the guest that asked for Nicky and Alex friendship, YES! There is going to be Nicky and Alex interactions, because they are teammates. I hope you like it. So, as always I kindly ask for reviews so I can know what to improve and what you guys want to see. Ideas are welcomed. Sorry if there are any type errors, I tried to get rid of all of them. Enjoy. Flashbacks in italics as well as internal thoughts.

Chapter 2

Alex turned her head around so fast that her neck almost snapped. Her eyes quickly found the source of the voice, and when they did they couldn't look away. In front of her was the most beautiful woman she had seen in a long time.

Or ever.

Dressed in a tight white polo and with a black apron, her wavy blonde hair fell long and graciously onto her shoulders. Alex thought she would never meet someone that gorgeous ever again and just kept staring at her, astonished by so much beauty. She then remembered that this beautiful creature had spoken, and that she was supposed to respond to whatever she had asked, but she couldn't remember any of it. She averted her eyes and cleared her throat.

-"I... Um.. I'm sorry" Alex adjusted her glasses nervously. "What did you said?"

The blonde's eyes lit up as her face showed a wide smile. She chuckled.

-"I said 'Hi there. Are you ready to order' " She smiled and didn't stopped looking at Alex this whole time. Fuck. Alex didn't knew whether to feel amused or embarrassed, after all she looked like she had been hit by a truck. The blonde continued. "I mean you don't need to be ready yet. If you are not sure what to order..." She stretched her arm to grab something "here is the menu". She handed Alex a small card filled with black words and numbers. Alex took it, and pretended she was indeed interested in something to order. The truth was that she couldn't care less about coffee or croissants or anything else to eat as a matter of fact. But she didn't want to stop hearing that sweet voice. She looked down at the menu, then back up at the woman. Yep, she preferred the latter view.

-"Which sizes do they come in?" Alex winced internally at the dumbness of her question, given the fact that in front of her were three different sized cups with their prices written on them. But the woman didn't seem startled, she just pointed at them and proceeded answer Alex's question, who just nodded.

-"Yes. Ok. Well... I think... I think I'll have a Mocha, a small one".

-"Very well. One small Mocha it is". The blonde proceeded to grab a sharpie and small cup to write the order in it. As she wrote she lifted her gaze. "It's Alex isn't it?"

Alex was shocked. How does she knows my name? Did I told her already and forgot? Shit. Am I supposed to know hers?

-"Yeah" Alex replied softly. "It's Alex". She kept quiet until curiosity overcame her. "Um... Sorry do I know you? I don't remember meeting you before. I'm so sorry".

The blonde seemed so embarrassed, and her cheeks turned into a soft shade of red. "Oh, no. It's just... I recognized you. I mean, your face. You were in so many posters last year and you know, everybody loves the women's national team, and the World Cup and..."

Alex raised her eyebrows and slightly opened her mouth, a bit startled by the blonde's words. After a year of the incidents, and almost no soccer related activities, she somehow managed to forget that she had been the captain and main figure of the US national team.

-"Oh... right" Was all she managed to say. "Yeah of course".

-"I'm sorry... I didn't meant for you to feel stalked or anything...". the beauty in front of her seemed clearly embarrassed, but Alex interrupted her. "Hey, it's ok. I'm not mad". Alex chuckled slightly, internally admiring how cute the girl in front of her looked when she was rambling. "Maybe you can tell me yours so we can be even".

-"Right. Piper. I'm Piper Chapman" The blonde said rapidly as she extended her hand towards Alex, though she didn't know why she added her last name. Maybe because she also knew Alex's and it seemed fair.

I'll never forget that name. Alex grabbed Piper's hand. For an instant she allowed herself to step out of her numbness and feel the warmness of the blonde's touch and fingertips, while she lost herself in those blue eyes. Piper couldn't help but notice an air of sadness in the taller woman features.

Trough all this time Debbie was by their side, half-observing the variety of brownies and pastries inside the glass case in front of her, and half listening to their conversation. She smiled to herself. It was nice to see her sister engaging in a conversation with someone other than her. But soon they kept quiet.

She interrupted the long silence.

-"Hi. Nice place you've got here. Real cozy".

Piper quickly pulled her hand away from Alex's and tried to focus on the other tall women who was talking to her. Alex looked downwards and adjusted her glasses, putting her hands inside her navy jacket pockets.

-"Thanks. It's not mine though, I'm just one of the employees".

-"Oh, that's alright. Anyways, I just wanted one of those chocolate brownies that you have there. They seem really good". Debbie spoke to Piper while looking at Alex for a brief second. Piper carefully picked the one that Debbie was pointing at trough the glass and gave it to the long brown hair girl. "Mmm, wow! Thus arr reel ghood" Debbie spoke as she ate. She extended her hand with the brownie motioning for Alex to taste some, but the raven-hair girl shook her head and rolled her eyes. "No thanks." Debbie kept eating.

"So, how did you end up working here?" The older sister continued the small talk. Usually it was Alex who spoke to almost everybody, occasionally flirting with good looking girls, but Debbie knew her sister was off, so she tried to do it for her.

-"Well I'm currently finishing my last semester at college, and since the workload is minimum I chose to look for a part-time job near. And I found this one". Replied Piper all cheered up.

-"That's great! So if you live nearby maybe we could hang out sometime. You know, grab a drink or something. What do you say?" Debbie asked.

Alex froze. What the hell is she doing? She is not going to be here for the next two weeks and here she is asking this Piper we just met if we can go get a drink? She gave her sister a confused-mad-worried look. As much as Alex liked, or really liked this charming Piper Chapman, she didn't felt like going out, or drinking, or doing anything... Piper was too beautiful for her to drag into this clouded mind of hers, so full of weary and despair.

-"Sure! I would love too" Piper seemed really excited and Alex inadvertently closed her eyes as she sighed trying to process the fact that maybe she soon would be having a drink with the blonde in front of her. Not that it was a bad thing, it's just that she didn't felt ready yet.

-"Great! We will be seeing you soon then, Piper"

Debbie grabbed the Mocha that Piper had handed her and gave it to Alex. She wave good bye to the blonde while wrapping her arm around Alex's shoulders and whispering a "Your welcome" into Alex's ear as a smirk appeared in her face. Alex shrug her sisters' arm off and gave her a small smile. She could try and give herself a chance, after all, this Piper seemed worth it.

As they stepped out of the Coffee Shop it was already dark. The sidewalk was dimly illuminated by the street lights and the air was cold and soft. As they approached the old house Debbie embraced her sister in a tight hug. "You know I love you right?" She knew that Alex was fighting against her own thoughts and emotions, and it was hard to see her sister this way. But today felt different. It seemed that the wind had blown away some dry leaves allowing her to glimpse strands of hope, for so long buried.

-"I love you too asshole" Alex replied with a small grin on her face. "Good luck on that Friendly, maybe I'll watch it on TV". Debbie smiled and waved to her sister as she closed her car door.

As Alex entered the house she took a deep breath. Images of a year before flooded her mind involuntarily.

-"Alex, can you help me find my other white sock? I'm looking all over the room for it" Debbie pleaded as she held her phone between her ear and her shoulder while looking under every possible spot.

-Why I am not surprised? Look I can't. I'm finishing packing.

-"No, Mom, listen. The game is in BayArena Stadium in Leverkusen" Debbie spoke through the phone. "It's the same stadium in which we played New Zealand on the group stage" A thin sound of Diane's voice could be heard through the phone as she kept asking for directions and Debbie kept answering. "No. Mom. Stay in the Hotel that you are at, we are traveling to the Stadium in an hour". "Yes everything is ready, we are just finishing packing"

- "Mom I love you!" Yelled Alex from across the room.

-"What? No that was just Alex" Debbie continued as she kept searching frantically for her sock. "She is telling you that she loves you."

-Yes! Screamed Debbie as she raise her now found sock into the air.

- I'm sorry what? Oh sure"

- "Hey Lex, Mom asks how many goals you are going to score today?"

-"TWOOO!" Yelled Alex as she packed her spikes "'I'm going to score two for her today. Tell her to watch the heart I'll make with my hands when I celebrate"

-"She says two, and to watch for the heart she is making"

-"OK, sure I'll talk to you later, see you at the stadium, remember: BayArena, at Leverkusen. Ok bye. Love you. Bye"

-"Hey Vause you asshole. We are leaving in 10 minutes" Yelled someone while knocking on the door. Alex opened it and there was Nicky all dressed in the Navy and white uniform.

-"Shut up you idiot, Red said we had an hour" Replied Alex "We were just finishing packing and giving mom the directions to the stadium".

Alex opened her eyes. Each time she went back to those memories everything felt so heavy. She slowly walked into the kitchen and poured some water into a glass. As she drank it silently, her mind drifted to a gorgeous blonde she was supposed to go out with. This may be good. She finished the water and as she went back upstairs to get a shower, she felt some weird emotion running through her chest. Was it hope?

AN: Thank you so much for reading. I'm knew to writing fics, son please review. I'm planning on finishing the next chapter within 2 or 3 days, maybe sooner, who knows. XO