A/N: I'm probably going to screw myself over by posting so many updates, but I'm excited for you guys to see where things are headed. This fanfic already has a pretty clear outline for me in terms of the trajectory of the Vauseman relationship. It's going to be fairly fast paced (as you will see in this chapter) mainly because I think I lack the patience to write a super slow burn fic. I hope you enjoy anyway and the pace isn't overwhelming.
The blonde woke up at 8:00 the following morning to get dressed and head to the courts for her tennis training session. Her mom was dead set on her playing tennis for a college team, but Piper was less than enthused by the idea. However, she always appreciated it when her mom had any interest in her life. It was worth the early mornings and boring coaches to make her mom proud. The hour session went by fairly quickly much to Piper's relief. Before heading home, she decided to walk over to the pool to see if Alex was on duty. Much to her disappointment, the brunette was nowhere to be found. At least she had gotten to sleep in. As she walked back to her house, Piper pulled out her phone and decided to send Alex a text.
Piper: Good morning. I hope you slept/are sleeping well. :)
Alex: I slept very well indeed. Actually just woke up.
Piper: Ugh, lucky.
Alex: Couldn't sleep?
Piper: Nah, I had to get up early this morning for a tennis training session.
Alex: Oh, I see. Well how was it?
Piper: It was alright. Anywayyy, I just wanted to double check that we're still on for lunch today? Maybe around 12:00?
Alex: Sounds good to me.
Piper: Awesome. Is it alright if I pick you up?
Alex: Sure. I'm staying in one of the rental beach houses at the club. It's the fourth one on the left when you pull in.
Piper: Gotcha. I'll see you at 12:00 :).
Alex: See ya then, Pipes. ;)
Piper's stomach was fluttering from both excitement and extreme nerves. Yesterday had gone so well and she really didn't want to do anything to mess this up. Alex had briefly mentioned her love of reading the previous night, so Piper was pretty sure she'd enjoy what she had planned for their lunch. However, first she needed to focus on what she should wear. She decided to text Polly to see if she'd help her out.
Piper: Hey Pol. I think it's safe to assume you've got a bit of a hangover today, but if you're up let me know.
Polly: Ha. Ha. I'm up and doing just fine, thank you. What's up?
Piper: I have a lunch date with Alex today at 12:00! I have no idea what I should wear.
Polly: Omg, that's so exciting! I can come by and help if you want. I expect all the dirty details about last night, though. ;)
Piper: Deal. Now get your ass over here. ;)
The blonde was both grateful for the help and eager to have someone to talk to about her and Alex's night. After all, Polly was the only one who even knew that Alex existed. Piper rinsed off quickly as she waited for her best friend to arrive. She was pleased that her summer tan was already coming along nicely and her complexion was glowing. After about 10 minutes she heard their doorbell ring and rushed downstairs to greet her friend. "I got it mom. It's just Polly!" She shouted.
"'Just Polly'? That's a really warm greeting to your friend of like 10 years."
"I'm trying to save you from an awkward interaction with my mom, you ungrateful brat." Piper winked at her friend. "You could have just come straight to my door from outside, you know?"
"I know, but that just feels kind of stalkerish. Just staring right into your room."
"Whatever you say. I have curtains up." Piper shrugged. She shut the door behind her friend, before grabbing her hand and dragging her to her room. As soon as they entered her bedroom they sat on her bed and Polly's interrogation began.
"So how was it? What did you guys do last night? Anything fun? Anything sexy?" She wiggled her eyebrows.
"It was amazing. We basically just talked for hours. But it wasn't like normal bullshit small talk like all the other teens around here. Like, I feel like we really have a connection."
"That's awesome, Pipe. Where'd you go after the beach though? Ohmygod, did you go to her place?!" Polly practically squealed.
"What?! No! We just went to the pool. She has a key to the gate so we had the heated pool all to ourselves. We watched the rest of the sunset and talked. We made out under the stars." The blonde smiled, smugly. She was certain Polly would have something to say about that.
"Seriously?!" Piper nodded, enthusiastically. "Wow, your first lady kiss." The blonde shoved her friends shoulder. "What was it like?"
"It was amazing. I've never experienced anything like it before."
"That's good right?"
"Definitely. I can't fucking wait to see her again. That's why I need you to help me pick something to wear."
"Alright, well do you know where you're going?"
"I'm taking her to 'Bound to Happen'." Piper smiled widely.
"What is your fascination with that old bookstore? That's a terrible place for a date."
"For your information, Alex actually really likes to read. And that's not the whole date idea. I'm gonna get us some sandwiches and stuff from the cafe next door and take her out to my reading spot for a picnic."
"Aww. Ok, I'm on board now."
"Thank you, I thought it was a pretty good idea. Now help me pick out an outfit." Polly obliged and made her way over to the blonde's wardrobe.
"Ok, shorts are probably preferable for a picnic. So how about these…..and…" She continued rummage around Piper's closet. "This blouse!" She had picked out some light blue high-waisted shorts and a short-sleeved cream blouse with yellow and lavender flowers on it.
"Yeah, ok."
"Your legs always look great in these shorts. And you can wear those cute off-white sandals that you have too! What color are your toes painted right now?"
"Uhh...red."
"Bleh. You should re-do them with that lavender polish you have while I get started on your hair."
"Ok, sounds good." Piper took her time doing her nails and her makeup and Polly curled her hair before styling the top portion into a few loose braids and pinning them at the back of her head.
"Perfect." Polly smiled, pleased with her work. She set the long blonde hair with a bit of hairspray as a finishing touch. "You look gorgeous."
"Thank you for your help, Pol."
"You got it. Now get your ass dressed, you only have like 10 minutes before you should head out to pick her up."
"Oh, shit. Ok." She quickly slipped on her outfit and checked herself in the mirror one last time. She decided to brush her teeth for the second time this morning and apply some chapstick. It was absurd how much she was already longing to feel the brunettes lips on hers again. Polly walked with Piper as she made her way out to her car.
"Have fun." The brunette wrapped her arms around her best friend. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do." Polly winked.
"I'd be hard pressed to find anything that you wouldn't do."
"Exactly." She wiggled her eyebrows.
"Perv." Piper said with a laugh, before sliding into her baby blue VW Beetle Convertible. "See you later." She called out, pulling out of the driveway. She decided to keep the car's cover up for now, as to not ruin Polly's hard work on her hair. It took no time before she was pulling up outside of the home Alex was staying in. She took a deep breath before exiting her car to walk up to the door. She knocked lightly. She was quickly greeted by the brunette, who was wearing a big smile.
"Hey." Piper said with a dorky grin. "You look amazing." Alex had on black shorts that somehow made her legs look even paler and longer than Piper had seen them before. Her top was a maroon button up blouse with pink detailing. Her long dark hair was in loose curls and half was pulled up in a small bun. She had on a pair of maroon combat boots that matched her top perfectly.
"Thanks kid. So do you." Alex made no attempt to hide her scan of Piper's body, and legs in particular.
"You ready to go?"
"Yup. Where are we headed?"
"I guess you'll just have to wait and see."
"Sneaky. You know I'm not a big fan of surprises."
"Don't worry. I think you're really going to like it."
"Ok. I'm trusting you." Alex reached out and grabbed Piper's hand off of the wheel, interlacing their fingers. They stayed in this position until the blonde had pulled up outside of the bookstore.
"Here we are."
"What is this place?" Alex eyed Piper curiously.
"This just might be my favorite place in the entire world." The blonde stepped out of her car and met Alex on the other side, pulling her toward the front door of the store.
"'Bound to Happen'….is this a bookstore?"
"Yup." They entered the old building and Alex couldn't believe what she saw. At the walls were filled with books from floor to ceiling and there were countless mahogany shelves carrying even more novels. It smelled like the most exquisite mixture of new and old pages, wood, and leather.
"Wow. I don't think I've ever seen anything like this."
"This place is full of hidden gems. There's a mix of new and used books all over. Ever since I was a kid, this place has been my escape every summer."
"It's amazing."
"You should look around." Piper encouraged the brunette. "See if anything catches your eye." The brunette nodded and the women parted ways for a while. After picking up a book of poetry, Piper decided to check in with Alex. She found her in the Biography section, looking down at a book in her hands.
"Find anything good?" Piper questioned as she came up behind Alex, placing her hand on the small of her back. The brunette jumped slightly.
"Shit, you scared me." She chuckled.
"Sorry." Piper blushed, retracting her hand from its' place above the other girl's spine.
"It's ok. I just tend to zone out when I'm reading."
"I know exactly what you mean." Piper smiled. "Did you find one that you want?"
"Yeah, I think I'm gonna get this one." She held up a book titled 'Einstein and the Rabbi'.
"Alright, sounds good." The blonde pulled the book from her hands and headed over to the counter.
"Hey Piper! How have you been." The store's owner spoke up from behind the register.
"Hi Mr. Samuels! I've been doing great, thank you. It's good to see you again."
"You as well, sometimes I think that you single handedly keep my store open." He teased the young blonde. "Who's your friend?"
"This is Alex. Alex this is Robert Samuels."
"It's so nice to meet you. Your store is incredible."
"Why, thank you." He smiled, grabbing the books Piper brought up to him and punching in the price information. "Piper, it seems you've met your match." The blonde raised her eyebrows, a tad surprised by the man's comment.
"I guess so." She replied, her face growing red.
"This is an excellent choice." Robert lifted the book Alex had chosen. "I haven't had a chance to read it, but my husband just finished it and he said it was really enlightening."
"Really? I hadn't heard anything about it, but it caught my eye." Alex replied.
"Well I hope you enjoy it. And Piper, I hope you enjoy this poetry book although I'm not sure how you don't own every one in existence by this point." Piper smiled at the man and shrugged in response. He gave her the total and the blonde handed him the money before Alex even had a chance to reach for her own.
"Thank you so much." Piper smiled
"Have a lovely day." He called out as they left the store.
"You too." Both girls replied at the same time.
"That place was great. I can see why you like it so much." Alex spoke up as she made her way back toward the blonde's car.
"Wait. We're going to get some lunch right here." Piper said, seeming a but distracted. She pointed to a small cafe located right next to the bookstore.
"Oh, alright." The two girls entered the restaurant and Piper ordered some sort of vegetable sandwich before helping Alex decide what to order. She then asked for two drinks and a bowl of fruit.
"Is that for here or to go?"
"To go, please." Piper replied, quickly handing the woman some cash and dumping the change in their tip bucket. The two girls went to grab two bottled beverages from the fridge and their food was waiting in a bag when they were done. The blonde picked it up and headed back out to her car, Alex trailing her all the while. Once they were back in the car, Alex spoke up.
"Are you alright?"
"Huh?" Piper replied, still seeming a bit distracted. "I'm sorry.." She finally looked at Alex, meeting her eyes. "..what did you say?" The blonde slid the bags of books and food into the floor in the back of her car.
"I asked if you were alright."
"Yeah, I'm good. Sorry." Piper started giggling. "I just-I've known Mr. Samuels for a long time and I had no idea that he was gay."
"Oh, gotcha. Is that like and issue or…." Alex replied, a bit confused. "Because I don't wanna make this awkward but I'm pretty gay. And based on what happened last night, well you-" The brunette was cut off by Piper shoving her shoulder playfully.
"Dork." Piper chuckled. "I obviously don't care I'm just surprised is all. Like I don't know why he never told me."
"Maybe he just wasn't comfortable." Alex shrugged.
"I guess, but I'd like to think he would know that I'm not as judgemental as most of the other people that come here. And if that's the case, why would he just casually mention it today?"
"I don't know. Maybe he sensed that you and I were-you know- more than just friends..." Piper smirked. "..so he felt comfortable bringing it up."
"I guess that makes sense. Anyway, let's continue on this date." The blonde said, pulling out of her parking spot.
"Yes, please." The drive to Piper's reading spot was only about 10 minutes. She pulled off the side of the road and turned off the car. "Where the hell are we?"
"My favorite reading spot." Piper shrugged, as if stating the obvious.
"Here?" Alex raised an eyebrow, suspiciously.
"Well not here, here." The blonde grabbed the food from the back and set it on the other girl's lap. "You take the food and head out to that tree." She pointed. I'm gonna grab some other stuff and I'll be right there. As Alex walked off, Piper grabbed her book from the bag and a blanket from the trunk of her car. She ran to catch up with the brunette, eager to see her reaction to the view.
"Wow." Alex spoke up, as the ocean came into view. The tree was growing right near the edge of a tall cliff, with a perfect view of the shore.
"Not bad, huh?"
"It's amazing." Piper smiled and spread out her blanket before motioning for Alex to have a seat. She joined her, sitting cross-legged. She pulled their food and drinks out of the bag. The two proceeded to eat their sandwiches, chatting a little in between bites.
"How's your food?"
"It's really good, actually. I'm not usually into this healthy mumbo-jumbo." Piper laughed.
"Well, I'll count that as a success then. You can't eat too unhealthy if you look like that." Piper motioned to the brunettes body.
"Whatever you say, kid." She finished her sandwich, taking a long sip of water.
"You want some fruit?" Piper offered.
"Sure, kid." She grabbed a strawberry, taking a bite. Piper smirked, watching the brunettes lips as they closed around the fruit. After she had finished her sandwich, she joined the brunette in eating the assorted fruits. Once they were finished, she shoved the trash back into the cafe bag and pulled out her book. She flipped through the pages, in search of one particular poem.
"You brought your book?" Alex questioned.
"This is my reading spot. It'd be a disgrace if I didn't read anything while I was out here." Piper replied, jokingly.
"Right, right. Silly me."
"Ahem…" The blonde cleared her throat dramatically, lifting the book out in front of her.
"Seeker of truth
follow no path
all paths lead where
truth is here."
"E.E. Cummings." Alex whispered. Piper's face lit up at Alex's ability to identify the poem's author.
"I think I'm done looking to other people to tell me what my truth is. It's taken me long enough to realize that I'll never be happy unless I start exploring my inner truths, and allow them to come out."
"You are one of a kind, kid." Alex smirked at her. Piper blushed and slowly leaned in to capture the other girl's lips. Nothing had ever felt truer to the blonde than the connection she was sharing within this moment.
After the two had finished their lunch, Alex invited Piper to come back to her place to hang out. Piper was definitely not ready to part with the brunette so she was quick to accept the offer. Piper decided to lower the top of her convertible for the drive back. She couldn't help but glance at the other woman every once in a while, in awe of her beauty as the wind blew through her hair. Piper pulled into the driveway and turned to the brunette, giving her a quick peck on the lips.
"You have an obsession." Alex teased her.
"I can't help it! You're just irresistible to me."
"Hey, I'm not complaining. Just an observation."
"What're we going to do now?"
"Netflix and chill?" The brunette suggested with a raised eyebrow.
"Very funny."
"Ok, how about just the Netflix then?"
"Deal."
Piper was surprised by how nice the country club's housing was. The home had a nicely sized kitchen, dining, and living area. There were three doors of the main space, two of which she assumed were a bedroom and bathroom. Alex went straight into the living room and plopped onto the couch, her long legs spread out.
"Well where am I supposed to sit?" Piper questioned, Alex's long body taking up the whole length of the sofa. The brunette turned on her side, patting the space next to her.
"No, no. You said Netflix minus the chill." Piper laughed. She'd be lying if she said she wasn't eager to go further with the brunette, but she was also a bit nervous. She wasn't quite ready to 'lose it' as Polly would say.
"I know, I know. I don't think cuddling really counts as 'chilling' though." Piper made her way over to the girl, chuckling at her statement.
"Sit up." Alex frowned at her.
"I'm so cozy." She mock pouted at the blonde.
"Just for a second, I swear." Alex looked at her with confusion, but obliged. The blonde quickly sat where the brunettes head had been, before pulling her back down to lay in her lap. The brunette had turned her head toward the other woman, now facing her lower stomach.
"I'm not trying to by critical, but I think this is a little closer to 'chilling' than my proposed position." Alex shifted her eyes down, indicating just how close she was to the space between the other woman's legs. Piper laughed and quickly turned the brunettes head to face the other side.
"Stop messing around and help me pick something to watch." The brunette grabbed the remote off of the coffee table and smiled as she felt Piper begin to run her fingers through her hair.
"Alright, what're we thinking? Something funny, scary, romantic…?"
"Hmmm….I don't know. I always like cheesy rom-coms." Piper blushed.
"Ok. Let's see what we can find them." The two women searched for a while before deciding on a film that appealed to both of them. However, the main thing that appealed to Alex was the fact that it was R rated.
The film was decidedly cheesy but Piper was invested, nonetheless. Even as a kid, the blonde was never under the illusion that real romances were anything like those that were fabricated in films. However, being best friends with Polly meant she had no choice but to learn to like them. She was a bit caught off guard when a rather graphic sex scene came up.
"Ughhh." Alex groaned.
"What?!" Piper questioned, startled.
"I was holding out for a sex scene and this is what we get? It's so….heterosexual." The blonde chuckled at the girl's complaint.
"What did you expect?"
"I don't know." The brunette whined like a child, turning her head and covering her eyes.
"Oh my goodness." Piper rolled her eyes.
"It burnnnsss. Make it stopppp."
"I hate you right now." She joked before peeling the brunette's hands from her face.
"You think I'm kidding. They just showed more of a man than i have ever desired to see. I don't know if I'll ever-" Alex was cut off by Piper's lips on her own.
The blonde's goal had just been to shut the girl up, but now she didn't want to stop. She caressed the girl's lips with her tongue before sliding it further out. Their tongues met and Piper tightened her grip in Alex's hair. She pulled back slightly and gently bit the girls bottom lip, eliciting a moan. This only encouraged her to keep going, having never heard that sound from her before. Her right hand slowly slid down Alex's neck a. Their kiss continued for a while before Piper realized her hand was now placed over the brunette's left breast. She couldn't resist the temptation to tighten her grip to fully cup Alex over her bra. The brunette moaned once again.
"Fuck." Piper whispered. She couldn't believe how turned on she was by a simple kiss and a bit of touching. Alex pulled back, biting her lip and smiling at the blonde. She lowered her head back down to Piper's lap.
"Miss Chapman." Alex teased Piper, her left hand falling to cover the hand on her breast. "I thought you didn't want to chill with me."
"I didn't say I didn't want to. I just said not tonight." The blonde blushed, realizing Alex was holding her hand in place. "You know, I've never-" She trailed off, looking down toward their stacked hands.
"I mean I kind of figured since you'd never kissed a girl. It's ok you know? It felt good." Alex smirked.
"Yeah I kind of got that from all the moaning." Piper took the opportunity to tease the brunette.
"You're one to talk, Miss 'Fuck'" Alex did her best to imitate Piper's whisper from moments ago. The blonde tightened her grip on the girl's breast once again, hoping to stop her teasing. The brunette smirked at her before lifting her hand off of her breast and interlacing their fingers. She lifted the blondes hand to her mouth, kissing her palm. "You better cool it, kid. I'm trying to take things slow with you. Your first time with a girl shouldn't be rushed into." Piper didn't have the nerve to tell Alex that it wouldn't just be her first time with a girl. She just smiled warmly at the girl laying in her lap.
"Thank you."
"For what?"
"I don't know. For being understanding. For being you." The blonde shrugged.
"Don't mention it, kid."
A/N (2): The poem read by Piper here is "Seeker of Truth" by E.E. Cummings. I did my best to capture what it might mean to my version of Piper in this universe so I hope it makes sense to you guys. I'm also not a generally funny person, but I've been trying my best to capture the cuteness of the Vauseman banter :) -K