AN: Thank you everyone for the reviews! I'm glad that so far everyone is taking to this story of mine. I have to let everyone know that things will be getting a bit darker in this chapter as we learn a little more about my version of Alex. I was planning on updating on the weekends as that's the only time I have internet access on my laptop, but I am not sure I will have the chance at all this weekend coming up. So, I'll go ahead and give you guys the 2nd chapter now. Let me know what you think!
Winter Roses
After well over two hours of easy flowing conversation, the two women decided to head back home before the temperature outside decided to drop any lower. They stepped out of Red's and both Piper and Alex shivered violently in the unwelcome cold. They huddled close and started their walk back.
"Goodness, why didn't I bring a jacket? It's like -2 out here!" Piper nearly squeaked, one hand clutching Alex's and the other shoved into her pocket.
"Because you're a lunatic." Alex replied in a shaky voice, sidestepping and dodging other people like before, only this time much faster.
"Hey! You're not wearing a coat, either." Piper wined, smiling despite feeling like her face was frozen.
"That is because I am also a lunatic." Alex replied.
Once they finally made it inside their apartment building, they opted for the elevator this time. They stood for a few moments waiting on the door to open with an older couple that smiled kindly at them. When it was their turn, they all stepped into the lift. Alex pushed the number 7 and asked the other couple which floor they needed.
"We're on the 3rd floor, darling." The older woman said, her brown eyes twinkling from behind her thick glasses.
Alex pushed the corresponding button and the doors closed.
"You two make such a lovely couple." The woman said, a dreamy smile taking over her weathered face. "When it gets hard, always remember to talk about it, dears. Come along, Albert."
The old man smiled at the young women before following his wife out of the elevator and onto the 3rd floor. Alex and Piper looked at one another, unable to contain the light, nervous chuckles that escaped them. Then they both caught sight of their reflection in the mirrored wall opposite them. They were standing as close to one another as they could, Alex's left arm around Piper's shoulders while her right hand was rubbing up and down Piper's arm to try and create friction to warm the blonde up. Piper had both arms around Alex's slender waist, her face leaning against the left side of Alex's chest.
"Oh," Piper said softly, realizing now why the elderly couple they'd just met thought that they were together. She met Alex's eyes in their reflection and made no move to change their position. Alex seemed content as well, so they remained that way until they reached the 7th floor.
"I have a question. It may be inappropriate but I'm gonna ask you anyway." Piper said as Alex walked her to her door.
Alex, who had been quiet ever since their walk home, stepped closer to Piper and gave her a gentle smile. She pushed her glasses on top of her head, giving the blonde full access to her large, grey-green eyes. Piper swallowed at how open and vulnerable Alex looked and had to stop herself from kissing the woman then and there. She settled for licking her lips and averting her eyes for a brief second.
"Do you want to.. I mean is y-your heat on? I could make us some cocoa if you wanted to come in." Piper closed her eyes and sighed, "In case it's cold in your apartment. You're invited to mine."
Alex grinned at how cute the blonde was. "Okay. But only because you invited me so adorably."
Piper unlocked her door, blushing at her fumbling words and also because she could feel Alex's body heat directly behind her. If she were to turn around, they'd be face to face and Piper knew she wouldn't be able to resist the urge to kiss Alex if that were to happen. Maybe that's why she'd invited Alex into her apartment. Piper knew that technically they hadn't even been on a date yet, but they were planning on it the following night, so since knew she would kiss Alex the next night anyway, would it really be such a bad thing to go ahead and do it a little sooner?
She led Alex inside and told her to make herself at home. Both women were glad for the warmth Piper's apartment offered and Alex wasted no time going to sit on Piper's simple, yet comfortable sofa. The brunette was still cold even though it was much warmer inside Piper's apartment than it would've been inside her own. She kicked off her boots while Piper tried to clean up a little bit, even though the place was already clean. Alex curled up into a ball and pulled Piper's afgan over herself, shivering all the while. Then, she spotted the book the blonde must have been in the process of reading. She lifted it off the coffee table and flipped it over to read the back. Content that it was probably a good book, Alex expertly opened it with one hand and held it up while her other placed her glasses back on the bridge of her nose. She began to read, waiting on Piper to tire herself out of cleaning an already spotless home. Then, she felt like she was being watched.
Alex slowly lifted her eyes from the book and turned her head to the right, where she saw a black cat with bright yellow eyes and long fur, staring at her from the other side of the sofa. She reached her hand out and clicked her tongue softly, calling for the cat. "Hi, Phoebe."
Upon hearing the familiar sounds of both the clicking and her name, the small cat squeaked a tiny meow before making her way over to Alex and rubbing her head all over Alex's extended hand. She was purring loudly and then, as if she'd known Alex her whole life, which consisted of an entire 6 months, Phoebe walked over Alex's legs and curled into the small space between her lap and the arm of the couch. The dark haired woman chuckled before going back to her reading.
Piper, having witnessed the interaction between her cat and her.. Alex, smiled and then decided to make her way back into the room lest Phoebe or the book steal all of Alex's attention. She sat down Alex's hot chocolate and then her own before making her way around the coffee table to sit on the couch, sure to leave a little over a foot between herself and Alex's curled up form.
"Hi.." Alex said shyly, fidgeting with her glasses. She wondered how Piper always managed to sneak up on her. She closed the book and sat it down before picking up her cup and blowing on it to cool off the steaming hot liquid. "Thank you."
"You look comfortable." Piper teased, raising her brows at the pretty brunette who looked like she had been there a million times rather than just this once.
"You tol-"
"I like it." Piper interrupted, "I like that you're comfortable. And Phoebe seems to like you, too."
Alex blushed and looked down at the black cat, who was still purring away. "Yeah. She just kind of.." Alex gestured with her hand at the cat, who was settled in nicely, eyes narrowed as if she were daring anyone to try and make her move.
"She does that.." Piper smiled. "But only if she likes you. There have been a few people who've had the misfortune of meeting Phoebe's dark side. I swear she's the sweetest thing until she doesn't like someone. Then it's like.. she's a ninja and will do anything to mortally injure someone she doesn't particularly care for."
Alex chuckled. "Oh, my. I'm glad she likes me then."
"Me, too." Piper said softly.
The green eyed woman thought for a moment before deciding she should probably offer Piper her covers since they did belong to her, after all. Alex unbundled them a bit and when the blonde sat her cup down, Alex tossed the pink and black afgan onto Piper's lap. "Sorry I stole your blanket."
Piper shook her head, smiling from ear to ear. "It's okay. We can share." She scooted a little closer to Alex even though the afgan was large enough for them to share even if she'd been sat much further away from the brunette. Once they were almost touching, she settled in crosslegged and covered both of their laps. Phoebe didn't care that she'd been covered up, just continued her purring.
They sat quietly for a little bit, drinking their hot chocolates and simply looking around. Alex found that she liked the way Piper's apartment both looked and smelled. It was organized with warm colors, there were books and photographs everywhere, a 32 inch flat screen in an entertainment system that had probably a hundred movies if not more. And then there were the book cases. So many books. Alex couldn't stop herself from smiling at the sight of all of them. Some titles familiar, others not. And it smelled like vanilla, only adding to the warmth of the place.
"I like your apartment." Alex murmered in her low, soft voice. She looked over at Piper and nearly gasped at how simply gorgeous the blonde was. And the way she was looking at Alex made the brunette's heart flutter wildly. God, if Piper didn't stop making her feel things she was going to have to kiss her. There was simply no way around it.
Piper decided to ask a question she'd been wanting to since the coffee shop incident earlier, while the atmosphere between she and Alex was so calm and open. "Alex, what happened?"
The question was asked so softly that Alex almost didn't hear it. But she had heard it and knew what Piper meant. She knew she should probably at least try to tell the blonde at least a little bit. That way, maybe Piper would have some idea of what she could possibly be getting herself into. She inhaled deeply and sighed. "I haven't had the best of times lately. Things have actually been pretty fucked up. I.." She clenched her jaw and closed her eyes to try and power through, no matter how bad her chest was constricting at the thoughts swarming her mind. "I lost someone very important to me. And then someone else very important to me had to go away for a while. I think it's safe to say that I tried really hard for a long time but I couldn't deal with it. So, I left."
The blonde could hear the sadness in Alex's words and see the heartbreak on her face. She felt bad for even asking the question. Had she known it would have this sort of effect on the girl beside her, she would have just waited until Alex decided to tell her. Piper took hold of Alex's hand, rubbing her thumb over the knuckles. She remained quiet, waiting to see if Alex had anything else to say, as the black haired girl was deep in thought once again.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to get so.. I don't know." Alex shrugged, frustrated with herself for allowing the mood to drop so far. She shoved her glasses on top of her head and sighed. She didn't want to make Piper sad, too. Alex looked over at the blonde and was ready to apologize again, but before she could, something happened.
Piper leant forward the few inches between them and kissed Alex tenderly on the cheek, her free hand coming up to run a thumb beneath Alex's left eye, where there was a tear fighting to escape. The droplette ran down her thumb as she went to pull away and her eyes caught Alex's. Grey-green pools studied her own, a million and one emotions swimming around in them. Piper had no desire or even strength to pull herself away when Alex leant forward, her lips so achingly close to Piper's own.
"Can I kiss you?" Alex asked, her voice all but silent.
Piper was about to answer that silly question by closing the gap between their mouths, but just as she was leaning ever so slowy towards Alex, her phone rang out loud and clear from her back pocket. It startled both women, causing them jump and separate like they'd been about to do something bad rather than kiss. Piper fumbled in her pocket for her phone, managing to drop it on the floor while her obnoxious ringtone continued to play loudly.
The blonde finally grabbed the phone, noticing that it was Polly calling her for the 2nd time in the last hour. She looked up and over at Alex, who was fidgeting with her glasses that were now back over her eyes. Piper apologized and sat the phone on the table once she realized it had stopped ringing.
"No, no. Don't be sorry. You should call your friend back. I, uh.. I should go to my own apartment and do some more unpacking." Alex was already putting her boots back on and had uncovered her lap, along with a baffled Phoebe. The cat seemed to sense that her makeshift bed was going to stand, and hopped down before taking off full speed into the kitchen.
Piper watched as Alex stood up. She really didn't want Alex to leave at all-they had been so close to a kiss that the blonde knew would have made her see fireworks. And also, she knew how down Alex was, and didn't want her to be alone. The blonde stood up and touched Alex's arm, right over the tribal tattoo.
"You don't have to leave, Alex. You c-" She was interrupted once again by her stupid phone as it sang out lyrics from Lana Del Rey's 'National Anthem'. The blue eyed woman sighed. This was not going well.
Alex ran a hand through her hair and tried to smile at Piper. The blonde truly was hard to say no to, but Alex needed to get out. She needed to be alone, find some way to make the thoughts and memories stop playing over and over in her head like some God forsaken montage meant to drive her mad. Alex shook her head briefly and blinked hard before realizing she must actually look insane. Piper was turned away, however, silencing her phone for the 3rd time that evening. When the blonde turned back around, Alex had managed to look a little less out of her fucking skull.
Blue eyes searched over Alex's face and Piper knew immediatly that Alex was not okay at the moment. She could see it, feel it. Alex had a pathetically fake smile on her face, even though her eyes were red and brimming with tears that would certainly fall within the next few seconds. The brunette's brows pulled together briefly as she strugged to to keep her cool. Piper was about to ask if she was okay, but Alex spoke before she had the chance.
"I'm gonna-I gotta go. Tomorrow. I'll see you tomorrow. Six?" Alex said in a rushed way, backing towards Piper's door, her green eyes wide, trying desperatly not to cry in front of the blonde.
Piper nodded, knowing she'd better let Alex leave. She'd looked like a scared animal, wild eyed and tense. Piper didn't think Alex would be violent to her on purpose, but she honestly didn't want to find out the hard way. She watched as Alex closed the door behind her and flinched seconds later when she heard a loud bang followed by an even louder one from next door. Piper didn't have to move closer to the wall separating them to know that Alex was throwing things. It lasted several moments before the normal quiet returned.
The silence was almost worse than the sound of objects slamming into the walls. Piper wasn't sure what to make of what had just occured, but didn't have long to dwell on it. Polly's smiling face popped up on her screen and Piper knew if she didn't answer this time, Polly would definetly be showing up. If she wasn't already on her way, that is.
"Hey." Piper greeted, her voice giving away her current frustration.
"What the hell, Piper?!" Polly practically screeched from the other end.
Piper rolled her eyes and sat back down, air relasing from her lungs in a rush. "I was hanging out with someone."
"So that means ignoring 3 of my calls and not even bothering to respond to any of the texts I sent you? God, Piper, what if it had been an emergency? For all I knew, you were in the middle of an emergency! I almost called the cops." Polly said all of that in what seemed to be one breath. "Wait."
Piper shook her head, knowing what was next.
"You were 'hanging out' with someone? Who were you hanging out with? I'm like, your only friend. Oh my god. It's that Larry guy that keeps asking for your number. I knew you'd like him!" Polly squealed, any left over anger having been cleared away by what she thought was happening between her best friend and the sweater-vest wearing guy that always came into their shop specifically to stare at Piper like a kid stares at candy.
"Ew, Polly. No, thank you." Piper grumbled, "I will not be hanging out with that guy anytime soon."
It was quiet for a whole 2 seconds.
"Who is it, then?"
"Alex," Piper said, quietly. She didn't want the dark haired woman to hear her through the thin walls and feel like Piper was talking bad about her.
"Alex? I've never heard you mention an 'Alex' before. Is he hot? He's got a hot name. It's so sexy sounding. Almost exotic. Almost." Polly said, her voice telling of just how curious she truly was.
A strong desire to protect what she and Alex had managed to create between themselves in just a few hours came over Piper. She didn't really want to share the tall, beautiful woman with anyone else. She wanted to protect Alex and Piper knew that even though she loved her best friend, Polly was not always easy to get along with. She had no filter and was blunt to the point of hurtfulness. Piper wasn't sure that Polly was someone Alex needed around her. The blonde knew that if she was able to see through Alex's vaneer, Polly would be able to just as easily. The difference was that Polly wasn't one to shy away from asking a thousand inappropriate questions, especially if it meant the person being interrogated felt uncomfortable. Polly seemed to love doing that to people. But then again, maybe she just never realized it. Piper didn't know.
"Hello? Earth to Piper? Tell me about this Alex person. Where'd you meet? Why haven't you told me about him before?" Polly questioned, impatient.
"We met today. Just hit it off really well and went to have some coffee. I guess we got carried away in our conversation. It's so easy to talk to her." Piper said, not realizing she'd just let slip the one thing Polly would be sure to jump on.
"Her? Piper, are you a lesbian again?" Polly asked, sounding like she was in the process of rolling her big, brown eyes.
Piper cringed, "I told you to think of it as a-"
"Kinsey Scale. Yeah, whatever. Is that a yes?"
"Oh my God, Pol. I am not answering that question." Piper grumbled.
"Well, will you be 'hanging out' again with her? And that better just be the phrase you're using to make it seem less relationship-y. She's not allowed to replace me as your best friend." Polly said.
"We're supposed to go out tomorrow night. Calm down, you know you're more than enough best friend for me." The blonde stated, staring at the mug Alex had been drinking from. It was still half full. God, how had it gone downhill so quickly?
"Is she hot?" Polly asked, content that her status in Piper's life wasn't being challenged by some newcomer.
Piper chuckled, "That's like the understatement of the year. She's gorgeous. But besides all that, I really like her."
"Sounds serious."
"Whatever, Polly. We just met." Piper chided, even though she knew that whatever connection she and Alex had formed was already strong.
xXxXx
Alex's mind slowly roused itself from a restless slumber filled with awful dreams and memories she'd rather forget. The brunette opened her eyes, only to squeaze them shut again a split second later. The sun beaming through her window was blinding her. She really needed to invest in a set of blinds and a curtain. God, her fucking head hurt. Alex peaked one eye open a fraction before doing the same with the other eye. She didn't remember getting in bed. Sitting up, the green eyed woman winced at a sharp pain in her neck and back. God, how the hell had she even fallen asleep in such a weird position? Alex reached over to feel around on her nightstand for her glasses, but they weren't there.
"The fuck?" She grumbled, tapping the top of her head to see if maybe she'd left them there when she decided to crash the night before. However, her glasses were not there and Alex had not a clue where else they could be as they weren't in the bed, either.
She stood up, bones popping loudly in a chorus of disapproval. The brunette realized that she was still completely dressed, boots and all. She shook her head and limped out of her bedroom, nearly tripping over more than one box as she made her way to the livingroom in search of her glasses. Alex had almost made it to the kitchen before she finally fell prey to a smaller box she had failed to see with her compromized vision. She fell gracelessly to the floor, managing to catch herself just before her face met the linolium tyles below her. Her left knee faired worse, having been what landed first. Alex growled in frustration and pain, sitting on her ass and rubbing her knee like a little kid.
"Fuck." She sighed, squinting her eyes and looking around for all the good it did. Where the hell could they be? Alex tried to remember what had happened the night before. A pretty blonde girl came to mind and Alex groaned when she recalled the way their night had ended. And they were supposed to go on a date tonight? Shit, Alex would be lucky if Piper would even talk to her after the way she'd left.
Alex reached up and grabbed hold of the counter, using it to help her stand. Why was her kitchen light already on? Then, the bottles came into view. Vodka bottles, to be exact. Only 2 of them this time, though, which Alex was glad for. She limped over to them, her knee throbbing, and tossed them in the trash. The brunette decided she needed a shower, fresh clothes and to brush her teeth. Her mouth tasted like death warmed over.
Once she made it to her bathroom after a very slow, careful journey through a minefield of boxes, Alex undressed and took a nearly scalding hot shower. Once she was done, she wrapped herself in a towl and her hair in a different one. She brushed her teeth, glad when the horrible taste seemed to have gone away. Alex applied her everyday eyeliner and mascara, barely having to look in the mirror. She fastened her necklace around her neck and yawned. What time was it? Alex picked her phone up off the vanity and checked.
It was past 3 in the afternoon. Good God, how long had she stayed up drinking? She knew she'd gotten home before 9pm. She had then proceded to throw and kick shit around until.. Well, that's all she could remember. Alex shook her head, disgusted with herself. When she felt the world spinning and her headache get worse, she knew she needed to go buy some Tylenol or something because of course she didn't have any. Luckily, her wallet was still in her back pocket, even if she couldn't find her stupid glasses. Why hadn't she ever bought a spare pair? Or even some contact lenses for occasions like this? Alex carefully limped back to her bedroom and did her best to dress without causing herself any more bodily harm.
A bra, undies, socks, faded light blue jeans, plain black v-neck and black leather jacket later, Alex pulled her boots back on and made her way out her front door. She didn't lock it, because she couldn't seem to find her damn keys, either. What she wasn't counting on, was a certain blonde girl walking down the hallway. Alex coudn't see her face clearly, but she knew it was Piper by the faint smell of vanilla, and the voice.
"Hey," Piper said in a shy tone, walking up to the woman she'd been worrying about all day.
Alex gave her a small apologetic smile, glad Piper had stood close enough for her to not have to squint to see her properly. "Hey, kid. Look, I'm sorry about yesterday. I uh.. Well, I don't really have an excuse for just leaving like I did. So.. Um, can we pretend I didn't make a fool of myself?"
Piper shook her head, "You didn't make a fool of yourself. Are we still on for later?"
Alex's face lit up, her brows lifting slightly as she gave a nervous laugh, "Yeah. If I didn't scare you off, already."
"Not at all. Where are your glasses at?"
"Y'know, I'm not actually sure." The brunette shrugged, "Somewhere in my apartment, I'm assuming. I was on my way to a store for some Aspirin or Tylenol. Would you happen to have any? I have horrible depth perception without my glasses and I'm pretty sure I'll end up walking right into a pole."
Piper smiled at the brunette, who she could tell was trying to act like nothing was wrong, a habit she'd already figured out the day before. "Yeah, I have some. Why don't you come in and have a glass or two of water as well?"
"You sure? I don't want to impose."
"You're not imposing if I'm the one that offered. Come on." Piper walked past Alex, making sure to rub slightly against her side when she did. Alex held eye contact with the blonde as she moved slowly past her, green eyes telling Piper that she knew exactly what she was doing.
Piper had never been good at the whole 'subtle flirting' thing. It was always go big or try to go subtle and fail miserably. She blushed a tiny bit as she unlocked her door and once again led Alex into her home. This time, Phoebe was ready and waiting, having heard Alex's voice from the other side of the door. The cat went straight for Alex's legs, weaving between them and nearly tripping the tall brunette more than once. Phoebe meowed incessantly until Alex gave in and picked her up. Then, she purred as loud as Piper had ever heard from her.
"Traitor." Piper glared at the cat.
Alex's lips tugged to one side and she rose a single brow. "Are you jealous of me or of Phoebe?"
The blonde hadn't expected Alex to call her out like that, but was certainly glad that the brunette's mood had improved drastically since the night before. Piper averted her eyes to the kitchen, walking quickly towards it. If Alex didn't quit making her blush she was sure she'd just stay pink forever. "I'm not jealous."
"Oh, no?" Alex chuckled, looking around like she had the night before. She cradled the cat and scratched behind her ears while she walked around, squinting at things.
"Nope. Here." Piper said, offering Alex a glass of water and 3 Tylenol. She had a feeling the brunette was at least a little hungover.
Alex sat the fuzzy black cat on the floor and took the offered items from Piper. Once she had the pills down, she proceeded to basically chug the glass of cold water. She wiped at her chin when she was done and handed the glass back to Piper. They held eye contact for a moment before the blonde looked away, smiling shyly.
"I'm gonna, uh.. Put this up." Piper mumbled, wishing she had the nerve that she'd had last night. God, she wanted to kiss that smug smirk right off of Alex's stupid, gorgeous face. The blonde had never been this attracted to someone before and it was starting to get annoying. Like, what the heck was she supposed to do about it when she'd only known Alex for about 22 hours. Not that she'd been counting..
Piper placed the glass into the sink and turned around to walk back into the livingroom. She gasped, suddenly face to face with Alex, who'd somehow trailed behind her without her knowledge. Grey-green eyes studied her own before the brunette tilted her head to the side and moved forward. Piper's heart went into overdrive and she closed her eyes, more than ready.
"Will you help me find my glasses?" Alex whispered softly into Piper's ear, making sure her hot breath tickled the blonde in all the right ways. The pale woman smirked when she saw chillbumps ghost across Piper's neck and heard the soft inhale of breath. Alex was sure she'd never tire of this little game she and the blonde were playing. She wanted to be to one to make Piper break, not the other way around. No matter how difficult it proved to be to keep her hands and lips to herself.
Blue eyes fluttered open and Piper let out a shaky laugh, "Yeah. I can do that."
Alex was pleasantly surprised when Piper put her hands on Alex's waist to move her aside, and then let them linger for a moment. Then, the blonde was moving past her and back towards her door. Alex followed her, glad that the walkway was clear of any potential trip hazards. Aside from Phoebe, that is.
The two women exited Piper's apartment and walked the few feet over to Alex's, door #715. Alex opened it, explaining she didn't know where her keys were, either. When they walked in, Piper failed hopelessly to contain her gasp of shock. Alex had really done a number on the place.
"Oh, shit. I forgot to.. Clean up." Alex couldn't believe she'd forgotten about the mess so quickly in Piper's presence. Now, there was no chance Piper wouldn't think she was a psycho. She ran a hand through her long, black hair and clenched her jaw, embarrassed of herself.
Piper looked around, taking in the sight of things scattered all over the floor. Alex, it seemed, had thrown things, kicked things, even broken a few things. The blonde chanced a look over at Alex. The green eyed woman forced a sarcastic, toothy smile. "Had a wild night, what can I say?"
"Do you remember the last place you had them on?" Piper asked, carefully making her way into the apartment. There were notebooks strewn here and there, pictures of people Piper didn't know as well as a few younger versions of Alex. Pens, pencils, something glass, clothes. Piper tried not to look very closely at the half empty bottle in the corner of the livingroom, but she knew it was alcohol.
"In here." Alex shrugged, looking and sounding helpless. Alex squinted, trying to see if she could spot them anywhere, but it was of no use. Everything was far too blurry, and there was too much shit in her floor.
Piper, who was suddenly very thankful for her 20/20 vision, finally spotted the black frames half hidden beneath a crumpled up picture of Alex making a funny face. She picked them up and walked over to the brunette, who was still looking around with narrowed eyes, trying desperately to be of help.
"Alex," Piper said softly. The green eyed girl looked up from the floor, her brows knit together and a small frown on her face. The frown disappeared when Piper slipped the glasses onto her face and kissed her cheek like she had the night before.
"Thank you, Piper." Alex said, genuinely.
"You're welcome." Piper smiled. She didn't care if Alex's place was a wreck, or even if Alex herself was a wreck. She couldn't hep but find herself liking Alex even more now that she was finding the woman to be quite the mystery. Piper wanted to figure her out, wanted to help her in any way that she could.
Alex took hold of Piper's hand and led her back out of the mess that was her 'home'. She closed her door and was glad when Piper took over from there, taking them back to her much cleaner apartment. One that could actually be called a home without fucking quotation marks.
"You can watch tv or something while I go get ready, okay?" Piper said, after she closed the door.
Green eyes searched her own before Alex looked down and nodded before lifting her eyes to Piper's again and offering the blonde a lopsided smile. "You really still want to go on a date with me?"
Piper grinned and squeezed Alex's hand softly. "Of course I do."