Really enjoying this so far so we'll see where it goes! Any and all feedback is always welcome!
Chapter two:
Alex practically skipped up to the bar late Sunday morning.
"Guess who's staying in town for a bit?" She grinned over the bar like a child hopped up on sugar. Piper who was already making Alex's drink span round and slammed her hands on the counter, mock excitement taking over her expression.
"Oh my god! Let me guess! Let me guess! Is it Cher? I knew she secretly loved our sleepy little town with its coffee and its gays."
Alex gave her a pouty little frown and began to open her mouth to correct her guess when Piper burst into song. "IF I COULD TURN BACK TIME, IF I COULD FIND A WAY!" Piper span round, fully committing to the bit, she grabbed a bottle of syrup to use as a microphone and pointed at Alex. Alex tried to keep her expression stoic but was inwardly relieved the shop was empty for this performance as she felt her cheeks beginning to burn. "I'D TAKE BACK THOSE WORDS THAT YOU AND YOU'D STAY" Piper crossed to the other side of the bar from Alex doing dramatic dance lunges as she went. Alex cracked up and Piper put the bottle down with a grin.
"I knew I could break you Vause! So you're staying?!".
Alex grinned as Piper finished her drink and handed it to her. "It looks that way. So I figured, since I'll be hanging around a bit more and since I obviously don't know anything about the town – which is why I spend all my time here, not for any other reason"
Piper gave an exaggerated nod, "Obviously".
"Well I figured I should get your number and then you can show me what there is to do for fun in this – what did you call it- sleepy little town with its coffee and its gays?"
Alex batted her eyelids and clasped her hands together over the counter, pretending to beg, "P-p-please Piper?". Piper broke into another round of laughter. "Is that a yes?"
Just as Piper was straightening up and trying to compose herself, a door Alex had assumed was a cupboard swung open to reveal a very stern faced thirty something man with short black hair. He wore his once white, now greying, polo shirt with all the buttons undone and upon noticing this fact, Alex decided immediately she did not like him.
"Piper. Could you not mess around with your friends" He shot Alex a dirty look, "Whilst your meant to be working. We have paying customers.".
Piper's joy from moments before was sucked out of the room like it was in a plane midflight with a hole in the side.
"Sorry Larry I was just-" Alex cut her off.
"Sorry Larry" She waved her drink at him. "I am a paying customer – the only one in the shop by the way - and as a customer, who is always right by the way, request kindly that you stop being such an asshole maybe?" She punctuated the statement by smiling sweetly at him. The pair looked at her in unified shock, Piper's a mix of appreciation and fury and Larry's straight befuddlement. He gaped at her like a fish gasping for air. And then he pointed, a small boy looking for someone to fight his battle for him,
"Piper, are you going to let her speak to me like that?" Alex tried to keep the smirk off her face.
"Alex. This is my manager and my boyfriend. Larry. Larry this is Alex." The smirk disappeared.
"Oh. Sorry dude. I was just leaving anyway."
A smug expression found Larry's face and Piper looked as shit as Alex now felt. "See you later Pipes."
[Unknown Number]: Hi, sorry, I might have the wrong number, this is Piper? Piper Chapman?
[Alex]: Yes, this is the city morgue, who are you trying to contact?
[Piper]: Wow, didn't know you could text the morgue, technology has come so far.
[Alex]: Yes, yes, we're very advanced here.
[Piper]: Which city?
[Alex]: Metropolis
[Piper]: Oh really, how's Superman?
[Alex]: Really well, I'll pass on your regards.
[Piper]: Al, I'm really sorry about earlier. x
[Alex]: Sorry I was such a dickhead. He just stormed in treating you like shit and I bit his head off. It wasn't my place and I'm really sorry.
[Alex]: Wait, how did you get my number?
[Piper]: You gave it to me one night when you were really drunk, that summer, you said that Polly wasn't even gay and that if I wanted a good time you knew a girl…
[Alex]: Oh god. What an idiot. Please repress that, never mention it. Like ever again.
[Alex]: You did keep it though ;)
[Alex]: Okay, now repress that as well.
[Piper]: *Laugh-cry face* Wow. So smooth.
[Piper]: You wanted my number, and now you have it. Mission accomplished.
[Alex]: Mission accomplished. Tell Mr. Larry that you need a day off work tomorrow to show your bitchy friend the sights. I'll pick you up at eight. 3
[Piper]: Mr. Larry has been informed. See you then. Night.
[Alex]: Night Piper.
Piper was sat waiting outside the shop when Alex pulled up. Wearing shorts and a hoodie, her hair is down for a change in loose waves. Alex rolled the window down and leant out with an appreciative grin on her face.
"Could you like get a bigger car? Dude. Seriously. So bad for the environment." Piper shakes her head.
Alex gives a small laugh. "It's on my radar, okay? Getting a smaller one is on the agenda. Get in Taylor Swift." Piper flips her off and then walks around to the passenger side and climbs in. If Alex looked tiny in this car, Piper looked miniscule.
"I see the short shorts survived the years." Piper flipped her off again and Alex laughed and waited for Piper to plug her seatbelt.
"What?" Piper raised an eyebrow.
"Seatbelt, Miss Swift" Alex said with a smile.
Piper plugged her belt, looking at Alex, scanning her face trying to get a grasp on what was going on with her. She rarely got time when Alex came into the shop to really look at Alex. She had simultaneously stayed exactly the same and incredibly different from when they had first me. She was still incredibly attractive. Like seriously smoking hot. 5"11 of pure sex appeal. But she was older – which was not necessarily a bad thing – there was much more joy in her face now then there had ever been but also a tiredness that had never been there before.
"Why are you in town Al?" Piper turned her body fully in her chair, wiggling around the seatbelt to face her. Alex kept her eyes on the road and thought about lying.
She decided that honesty would be the best policy,
"My Mom died last year." She swallowed hard, "I don't know if you remember, she lived up state, a couple of hours away and my aunt used to live near here, she passed a few years ago. It's just me now. I was there sorting everything and since I haven't really known what to do with myself. I've been floating."
Piper rubbed her arm and Alex flashed her a small smile, refocusing on the road. "Anyway, I put out some feelers, I wanted to know anything anyone had to tell me about their lives, when they were younger or older or whatever. I want to know anything anyone remembers. Brian Green, he owns the grocery store just outside of town, he um, he called me. He knew my aunt really well, and he'd met Mom a couple of times when she'd been down visiting. He's been great."
"Have you met up with him yet?"
"Uh yeah, I mean I picked him up a week ago but I couldn't even find words, he gave me this envelope filled with photos and stuff and he took my memory stick so he could give me the files he had saved. But Pipes, I didn't even fucking say anything, I just waved. I think he got it though. He's really, really nice, so pleased to find that I wanted to know more. I just don't know if I'm ready to sit and chat about them like they're really gone, you know?"
Alex took a left turn and Piper nodded and let quiet fill the car for a moment or two.
"Hey Al, I could come with you, if you want, for moral support?" There was a moment or two of silence and then,
"Thanks Piper, I'd really appreciate that." She gave a heavy swallow again.
"Anyway! Fun. That was the mission today! And we're starting with a new car since this one bothers you so much."
Alex pulled the car into the car lot and Piper chuckled, dumbfounded. "Did you know I'd hate it or was that just a good guess?" Alex grinned and gave a little shrug and a wink. "Come on!" And with that she jumped out of the car.
Please review! Let me know what you love, hate and in between! Until next time!