A/N: Sorry this has taken so long to update. It was difficult to come up with something that beat a mall lunch and Legos. LMAO
FEBRUARY 15
Piper held her coffee cup in both hands to warm them as she stared at the corner of the picture framed on the wall. She was startled out of her glaze when Polly spoke a little too loudly. "Hello, Piper. Are you in there?" Piper took a sip of the brown liquid and turned her head towards her friend. "Well you do respond after all. How was your night?"
Piper smiled and reached over to pull off a piece of pastry she had warmed up in the toaster. "Hmmm, okay. So … what Piper? Spill the beans." Polly poured her own coffee and pulled up a chair. She grabbed Piper's chair and turned it to face her. "Speak."
"I had a great time Polly. Even more than I realized I would."
"Okay, this is like pulling teeth. Tell me, I want specifics."
"There's not much to tell Pol. I promise."
"There has to be something. I haven't seen you smile like this in lord knows how long."
"Just a night of wine, Thai food, and Batman Legos."
Polly rolled her eyes and growled. "Oh Piper, you are incorrigible. When you are ready to talk, come find me." She chuckled as she got up and took her coffee to her room.
Piper fiddled with her phone, turning it end of her end between her thumb and forefinger. When it buzzed and the screen lit up, she was startled. Thumbing the lock screen open, she smiled even larger as she saw the text.
[Alex: Good morning Pipes]
Piper tried to decide how quickly she should message back so as to not seem too eager. But she did not hold out for long.
[Piper: Morning yourself]
[Alex: Sleep well?]
[Piper: Went to sleep and woke up with a smile on my face]
[Alex: Oh do tell, do tell!]
[Piper: A woman never shares her secrets]
[Alex: Hmmm Okay. How are Batman and Harley Quinn?]
[Piper: I'm not sure; how are they?]
[Alex: Ahhh, I see the woman doesn't empty her pockets. Check your overcoat]
Piper tossed her phone on the table and reached her hands into the pockets of her overcoat which was hanging on a hook near the door. Her fingers jammed into small plastic figures. Once she pulled them out, she laughed.
[Piper: Nurse Harley Quinn and Lobster-Lovin' Batman. When did you sneak those in? More importantly why?]
[Alex: I figured you needed body guards to make sure you got home okay]
[Piper: How sweet. Silly but sweet]
[Alex: I just wanted to say good morning. I have work today, but may I message you later]
[Piper: I'm glad that you did and I hope that you do]
[Alex: Ciao]
Piper grinned at the message thread and then went to get ready for her day.
Throughout the day, Piper would check her phone to find little messages from Alex. Each time, her face would break out into a huge grin. Conversely when she checked her phone and she didn't have a message, she was a bit sad. Silly as it may be, it kept her mind occupied during an otherwise boring day.
FEBRUARY 17
Piper could not determine what woke her up until she realized her phone was ringing. After frantically digging through her bed covers, she located her phone and brought it to her year. Her voice was groggy and full of sleep as she answered the phone without checking the caller ID. "'Lo?"
"Good morning." The husky voice was deep and resonated in Piper's chest sending chills through her body. After a pause, the woman spoke again. "Normally this is when you reply. Perhaps something along the lines of 'good morning'."
Shaking her head in an attempt to clear the sleep fog, Piper tried to place the voice. She then looked at the face of the phone and realized the caller was Alex. "Well good morning. What a surprise to hear your voice Alex."
"I decided to give your fingers a break." Alex chuckled at her own personal joke. "It sounds as though I woke you. Shall I let you go?"
"No, no, it's okay. Please don't hang up. I just was sleeping in today." Piper sat up and leaned against her headboard. "To what do I owe the pleasure of this wake up call." Piper wondered if her smiles were evident through her voice. The past two days of constant texting with the black haired beauty was becoming quite the positive habit.
"Well I decided to change things up a bit, I guess. Plus, I haven't heard your voice since Valentine's Day. Maybe I just missed it."
"Is that so?"
"Hmm mmm. Something wrong with that?"
"Not in the least." Piper paused. "So is there a particular reason you called, other than missing my voice?"
"Yes Piper, there is. It's Thursday. That rom-com I asked you about opens tomorrow. Are you still up to going with me?"
Piper hummed as she considered her response. "Hmmmm, I suppose I can spend some more time in your presence." She laughed as she heard Alex's deep laugh on the other end of the phone.
"Well you got to plan Valentine's Day, so how about I give this one a try?"
"I could be convinced of that. Is there anything I need to do?"
"Absolutely not; this one is on me." Alex chuckled as the plans she had already made drifted through her mind. "I'm glad you trust me."
Piper spent the rest of the day with a smile plastered on her face. Try as she might, she could not envision what Alex had planned for them the following evening. She was still amazed that Alex hadn't been bothered by the Valentine's Day lunch in the mall food court and the animated movie. Thinking about the night with Thai food while constructing the Lego set gave her a warm fuzzy feeling because most guys she had dated would have hated that on a regular day and absolutely abhorred it on the holiday made for romance and love.
Especially Larry. He had always been trying to impress Piper with his money and obsession for all things opulent. Luckily enough time had passed that Piper was now aware of just how lucky she was that he dumped her.
Alex and Nicky were sharing the dining table with the Batcave Break-In set. Care had been taken to not dislodge any pieces or to disturb it in any fashion.
"How long is this going to be here Stretch?" Nicky held up a finger as if to push the structure aside.
Alex quickly slapped her friend's hand away. "That's none of your concern." Alex pushed her black rimmed glasses atop her head, pulling her equally black hair away from her face. She studied a yellow legal pad of paper. "Help me double check this list Nichols. Tomorrow has to be perfect."
Together they went through the list, verifying what had been taken care and what needed to be done the following day. Things were falling into place.
FEBRUARY 18
While she was slightly sad that she had not heard from Alex a lot today, Piper managed to be excited and equally as nervous about their second date. Not having a clue what Alex had in store for her heightened her sense of curiosity. She did know that dinner was at 6:00. But that's all she knew.
It was 5:40 pm and she was still waiting for the text with the address of where to go. Hearing the doorbell ring, she glanced at her phone thinking she missed the message that Alex was picking her up. When she saw nothing, she went to door and opened it to find a tall, handsome man dressed in a driver's uniform standing holding an envelope.
"Ms. Chapman, I presume?" When Piper nodded yes, he handed her the thick envelope.
She slid her forefinger along the edge, breaking the seal and withdrew the folded stationery inside. Ms. Piper Chapman. I invite you to join me for an evening of food, drinks, and a movie. Please allow Mark to chauffer you to the dining establishment. Piper smiled as she reread the note. Alex's block hand-writing was simple yet charming. She laid the envelope on the table beside the door and offered her arm to Mark. "I guess I'm to go with you Mark."
He nodded his head and escorted Piper to the waiting car, opening her door and assuring she was tucked safely inside before closing the door and climbing into the driver's seat. Piper tried to get him to talk on the ride to their destination, but he was silent for the most part. The only thing he said was, "Trust me ma'am. You are going to have quite a night." Piper could see the smile on his face reflected by the eye twinkle in the rear-view mirror.
Alex nervously fiddled with the hem of her pants as she tried to keep from downing the drink in front of her. While the whiskey would calm her nerves somewhat, it wouldn't do for her to be intoxicated when Piper arrived. A glance at her watch told her that Piper should be arriving at any moment.
No sooner did those thoughts go through her mind did she see the driver she had hired to escort Piper walk in with Piper on his arm. She pushed down the slight bit of jealousy she felt until the blonde beamed a stunning smile her direction. Alex rose and walked towards the pair. "Mark, thank you for picking her up. I appreciate it. That will be all."
Piper held her arms in front of her, hands clasped in front of her trying not to gawk at Alex. She was even more elegant than Piper had remembered, her movements graceful and smooth. Alex approached her, placing a hand on each shoulder and lightly kissed her cheek. Piper found herself moving into Alex's body to give her a quick hug. The movement was unexpected to them both but certainly welcomed.
"Have a seat," Alex murmured as she motioned to the table set for two, beautifully adorned with a lovely centerpiece of fresh flowers and candles. Piper's heart fluttered when Alex pulled the chair out for her to help her get seated.
Looking around, Piper took in the sights of the quaint, small dining area. "This place is lovely Alex, definitely quieter than the mall food court." Both women laughed.
"Lots quieter, particularly tonight since we have the place to ourselves." Alex raised a hand and motioned to an unseen server who quickly appeared table side with a bottle of wine. "I took the liberty of selecting the wine." The server poured a small bit into a glass. Alex swirled it around a bit, took a whiff of its aroma, and sampled the taste. When she was satisfied, she nodded towards the server who filled both women's glasses.
Piper lifted her glass to Alex in a toast. "Here's to good wine and better company." After taking a sip, Piper settled back in her chair, legs crossed at the ankles. "I'm impressed Alex. How did you manage to score the entire restaurant?"
Alex laughed quietly. "Let's just say I know people. Tell me how the rest of your week has gone?"
The two spent the next few glasses of wine talking about mundane things such as work and home life. Piper was surprised at how comfortable she felt around Alex. The feelings were definitely reminiscent of the evening spent with the Legos. Legos. Oh! She turned to her purse and briefly rummaged around, pulling out the two Batman-mini's Alex had left in her overcoat pocket.
Alex couldn't contain her mirth when Piper placed them on the table. "Well I guess dinner isn't complete without Batman and Harley Quinn."
As Piper went to answer, a loud gurgle erupted from her stomach. "Oh my!" She placed her hand over her mid-section. "How embarrassing. Pardon me."
"My apologies. I should have assumed you would come hungry. How about we order?" Alex reached under her plate and handed a rectangular menu to the woman sitting next to her. "If you don't see anything that suits you, we can order off the regular menu."
"No, no. This looks amazing."
Once Piper had made her selection, Alex again lifted a finger towards the darkened corner and the server appeared again. Piper gave her order. When the server turned to Alex, she simply said, "Tell Red the usual." The server nodded and turned in what was probably the direction of the kitchen.
"Oh, so you know the chef. Is that your connection here?"
Alex laughed a little harder this time. "Oh, Red? She's not just the chef. She's the owner. We go way back. I guess you could say she's my proverbial mom. We met upstate and spent some time together. Now that she has this place, I frequent it as often as possible. We do each other favors on occasion."
"Wow, you must have had to pull a lot of favors to get her to close her place on a Friday night."
Alex grinned. "Let's just say I'm charming like that."
The conversation between the two was non-stop while they waited for their food. Talk was briefly interrupted as the chef, a woman with bright red short hair, brought the food to their table. As she placed Piper's in front of her, Piper addressed the woman. "You must be Red. Alex speaks highly of you."
The chef spoke in a thickly accented voice, "In Russia, we call that 'bullshit'." She turned and left the table without saying another word.
"Thanks Red." Alex called after her. "She's not always that gruff. She's just pissed I called in the big favor."
"She's not going to hurt us, is she? She looks a little mean." Piper's voice showed a hint of fear and concern.
Alex laughed as she responded. "Not Red. At least not to me. Remember, I'm her daughter."
The verbal exchange between the two slowed while the woman ate. Finally, Piper found herself stuffed. She tossed her napkin beside plate and pushed back from the table. "That was the best meal I've had in quite some time. Definite compliments to the chef Alex. Please pass along my gratitude."
Alex dabbed her mouth. "I'll be sure to tell her. She'll appreciate your praise. I hope you saved room for movie junk food! I can't watch a movie without it." This made Piper laugh. In fact, about everything about Alex made Piper laugh. She was enjoying the warm feeling that hadn't left her soul since Valentine's Day.
Piper stood up and began to put on her coat so the pair could go to the movie. Alex gently took the coat from her saying, "You won't need that Pipes. We aren't going far." Piper's face had a curious look as she simply shrugged and decided to go along with it. Alex was just full of surprises tonight.
The two women linked hands and walked towards the back of the restaurant. They climbed a staircase which was earlier hidden from the view of the dining area. Alex opened one side of a double door and they walked into a medium sized room with tables staggering down towards a large screen at the front.
"What is this?"
"Why Piper, it's a movie theatre. Red has a private screen area which she typically leases out to small independent productions for movie screenings. Let's just say she's well connected."
"This is getting more interesting by the minute. So, are we seeing an indie film?" Piper wasn't quite sure she liked the sound of that, but she trusted Alex and was enjoying spending the time with her. She was certainly willing to sit through an unknown movie for that time to continue.
"Piper, as I told you on V-Day, a new Rom-Com released today. I thought you might like to watch that without the crush of teenagers at a commercial theater."
The blonde stood on her tip-toes and kissed Alex on the cheek. "It seems as though you are pretty well connected as well. What's the movie?"
"Everybody Loves Somebody. It's about a female doctor who asks one of her colleagues to pretend to be her boyfriend at a weekend family function. It got decent reviews. So – pick your seat. The place looks to be wide open."
As soon as the lights darkened as the preview reels started, the restaurant server came in with a tray of drinks and snacks including freshly popped buttery popcorn. "Damn you Alex. You know I'm stuffed."
"Yeah, but who can resist popcorn?" Alex grinned as she grabbed a handful, tossed it into the air and tried to catch it in her mouth.
Alex had her arm draped over Piper's shoulder as they walked in the park after the movie. "Tell me Piper. If I asked you to pose as my girlfriend at a family wedding, would you?"
Piper tensed up before she realized that Alex was only joking. "Of course I would. What kind of friend would I be if I didn't? Especially after this unbelievable evening you planned." She laughed as she pressed herself into Alex's warmth.
"Enjoy yourself?"
"Without a doubt. I'm certain you already know that." She could feel Alex smile against the top of her head.
"Does that mean you will go out with me again?" It was Alex who now held her breath as she pressed her luck with this question.
Piper stopped, turned, and grasped both Alex's hands. "Tell me Alex, what are your expectations here?"
"I don't have any Pipes. Is it wrong to enjoy your company without an ulterior motive?"
Piper stared into Alex's eyes and saw nothing but sincerity. She turned back, pulled Alex's arm over her shoulder and continued to walk.
Eventually they were at Piper's place. "Well this is me. I suppose this is where we part." Piper let go of Alex and lifted the latch to the front gate of her place, hesitating. Did she really want the night to end? Polly was out with Pete and had hinted that she wouldn't be home that night.
"Thanks for going out with me tonight Pipes. I'm glad you enjoyed yourself." Alex leaned over and kissed Piper on the corner of her lips and pulled her into a friendly embrace. As she released Piper, she turned to go. Piper held on to her hands.
"Ummmm Alex?" Alex turned back to her and raised an eyebrow. "Would you like to come up for a drink?"