Alex chuckled at Piper's obvious statement.
"Right back at ya" Alex replied. Piper covered her face behind her hands in embarrassment and smiled she quickly took away her hands and looked at Alex completely besotted.
"I'm sorry" Shaking her head Piper continued.
"I'm really nervous and I don't know why".
Alex looked at Piper who was smiling widely and had a sparkle in her eyes. Nodding she leant forward to rest her arms on the table.
"Yea me too" Alex admitted smiling back at Piper.
Alex didn't know how it was possible but Piper's grin grew wider. Interrupting them a waiter came over to ask if they wanted any drinks. Piper ordered a glass of fine for herself and a beer for Alex. The women turned to look back at each other.
"How have you been?" Piper asked.
Piper leant back and picked up her beer that had just been placed in front of her and took a drink.
"I've been good thanks." Alex answered.
"You?"
"I'm good too" Piper replied.
"Well that's erm good".
They both laughed awkwardly at their attempt at small talk. Alex remembered Piper saying she worked and became intrigued.
"So where do you work now?"
Sensing a genuine interest from Alex about what she did Piper spoke in a flurry of words. Telling Alex about her job and the charities she worked with. Alex watched Piper as she spoke, the way she talked about her work Alex could tell she loved what she did. Finally finishing Piper took a sip of her wine to wet her parched lips. Alex was drawn to watch what Piper was doing and seeing Alex looking at her mouth she smirked behind her glass. Alex eyes shot up to Piper's and saw Piper looking at her with a raised eyebrow.
"It sounds like you enjoy what you do. I'm glad."
Piper nodded and put down her drink.
"I do. I really do. How's your work?" Piper queried.
Now it was Alex's turn to raise an eyebrow. Alex's work was the reason Piper had left in the first place, she didn't feel comfortable going in to that territory.
"Works going well thanks Piper" Alex answered hoping Piper would drop the subject.
"Still doing what you do best?" Alex sighed and dipped her head in a nod.
"Yeah I am"
Piper looked away from Alex and out of the bars window.
"A part of me hoped you would have stopped after I left" Piper whispered.
Alex shifted in her seat and slammed her beer bottle onto the table. Piper's head snapped back round to face Alex. An old anger had resurfaced in Alex one that seemed to have a hold on her.
"And would I have Piper?" Alex snapped.
"After you left I had nothing else but my work. Mum was gone. I wasn't close to my aunt. It's the only thing I had left!" Alex's voice rose as she spoke.
Alex was over taken by her emotions feeling the pain and lass she had felt all those years ago.
"In fact I got a little in too deep with my work and started using" Piper gasped at the new information.
No she thought her Alex would never have done that! Yet here she was telling her differently.
"God did I use and it felt fucking amazing!" Alex leant on the table.
"It took away everything I felt. Mum dying, the stress over the funeral, you fucking leaving when I need you all off it vanished into oblivion" Alex watched as tears filled Piper's eyes.
"You fucked me over and you fucked me up kid!" Feeling drained from her emotional outburst Alex slumped into her chair and gulped down the rest of her beer.
Piper watched Alex, she sniffed at wiped her nose with her hand, the Alex in front of her was a new one she had never witnessed, this one was angry and hurt.
"Do you still..?" Piper stopped asking her question too afraid of the answer.
"Use?" Alex finished for her.
"No I don't I nearly got busted in Budapest while I was high. Scared the shit outta me. Enough to get me into rehab and sort my life out". Piper visibly relaxed.
She hadn't realised how tense she had been listened to Alex speak. Alex reached out and took Piper's hand in her own. Piper jumped at the shock of heat that raced up her arm she looked into Alex's eyes.
"I'm sorry" said Alex.
"I guess I still harbour a bit of resentment towards you, but what can you expect when you broke my fucking heart?" Piper gulped in air at Alex's admission.
"I….I" Piper stuttered.
Alex waved her hand dismissing the topic.
"You have a boyfriend" It was said as a statement not as a question.
Piper shook her head in confusion at the change in conversation.
"Yes" Alex nodded and looked at Piper.
Her heart felt like it had dropped to the floor at her agreement. She had seen them together and she had guessed they were an item but hearing Piper confirm it hurt Alex.
"He seems very…" Alex paused.
"Straight" she finished.
Piper chuckled at the description making Alex smile.
"Yea I guess he is. He's a journalist" she told Alex.
Alex scrunched up her face as a reply.
"Great" she grumbled.
Alex signalled to the waiter for two more drinks. Piper watched her do this and smiled fondly. Alex had always had an air of authority to her, it made paying checks and ordering drinks easier as people were drawn to it. The waiter sat down their drinks and walked away. Alex took a drink of her beer and spoke.
"Where does this boyfriend think you are now?"
"Larry" Piper said.
Alex nodded and mouth Larry mockingly.
"He thinks I'm at Polly's who is covering for me"
"Ahhh" Laughing Alex put her beer down.
"I'm guessing Polly doesn't know you're here with me?" Piper shook her head.
Alex smirked of course not, Polly had never liked Alex she knew it but it had never bothered her.
"Are you seeing anyone?" Piper asked running her finger along the edge of her wine glass. Piper didn't know why she had asked the question, she didn't want to know if Alex was. After her reaction the previous night to Alex flirting with the barmaid she didn't know how she would feel.
"Cassie" Alex replied.
"We've been together nearly three year."
Piper's hand fell from her glass; she leant back in her and folded her arms across her body. Felling like someone had hold of her heart and was squeezing it tightly. Piper tightly smiled at Alex.
"What is she like?" She heard herself ask.
What the fuck is wrong with me? She thought I don't want to know! I don't even know her and I hate her. Alex shrugged.
"She's easy to please as long as I give her cash. Take her out and whisk her away on exotic holidays she's happy". Piper burst out laughing.
"She sounds nice" Alex laughed and shook her head.
"We work well together and she doesn't expect too much from me" Piper's face sobered.
"You mean like me?"
"No Pipes. No I didn't mean that" Alex reached for her hand again but Piper pulled away.
"All I wanted from you Alex was to spend some time together. That's all I ever asked of you." Piper whispered.
Felling shitty Alex ran her hand through her hair roughly and yanked off her glasses.
"I know kid" Alex replied.
"I didn't know what I had till it was gone" Alex sighed and looked out of the window.
Piper watched as emotions played over Alex's face. Piper reached out with her fore finger and rubbed it over Alex's knuckles. Alex turned to look at Piper lifting one side of her mouth up in a half smile.
"I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you Alex when your mum died" Piper said still stroking Alex's hand.
"I turned back so many times to be with you but I had to get out of that lifestyle. I didn't feel safe anymore." Piper's eyes searched Alex's face pleading with her to understand.
Hoping she could forgive. Alex moved her hand from under Pipers to link their fingers together. Lifting her free hand Alex covered her mouth so Piper didn't see the quiver of her lips from the pain she was feeling. A single tear slid down Piper's cheek, Alex watched as it ran and dripped onto the table. Alex moved her hand away from her mouth once she regained control of her emotions. She gazed at their interlocked fingers on the table and smiled sadly. She looked back to Piper.
"I understand". A part of her did she wasn't lying but the other part would always be hurt and confused.
Piper grinned and rubbed her free hand up Alex's fore arm felling it tense underneath her touch. Piper looked at Alex and saw the other woman was breathing heavily. She leant further across the table so she could more of Alex. She slowed the rubbing till it was more of a sensual tickle. Alex slid her tongue out of her mouth to wet her lips her mouth suddenly going dry at Piper's touch. Desire swam around them; no one existed but them in their haze. Piper saw Alex's pupils dilate as her nostrils flared. Knowing Alex was turned on made Piper suddenly wet. Piper squeezed her thighs together and smiled provocatively at Alex. Alex turned her arm so her palm was facing up and stroked Piper as she was stroking her. Piper gasped and grabbed onto Alex's arm, feeling a burning heat where Alex had touched. Rubbing her lips together Piper glanced at Alex's mouth and back to her eyes. She wanted to kiss Alex and Alex wanted to kiss her. The need was stronger than the night before. Alex wanted to pull Piper onto the table and take her. Piper shifted to the edge of her seat and pulled on Alex's arm to move her closer. Alex moved in towards Piper steeling herself ready for the impact of feeling she would have when her lips touched Piper's. A clash of broken glasses from behind the bar broke the women out of their bubble. They laughed nervously. Piper cleared her throat and Alex took a long pull on her beer. Looking back at each other they smiled both still affected by the desire they felt for the other. Piper's phoned beeped in her bag to say she had received a text message. Rummaging around she finally found her phone and checked the message it was from Larry, looking at the time she was shocked.
"My god" She said.
Alex sat up worriedly.
"Is everything ok?" she asked.
"Yes it's just the time, it's half past nine" she told Alex.
Alex blinked in surprise. They had been sat there for four hour yet it only felt like a few minutes. Piper put her phone back into her bag and looked at Alex.
"I have to go" she said quickly.
Alex nodded.
"I should probably get going too" neither woman got up to leave they sat and grinned at each other.
"It's been great seeing you Alex" Piper whispered.
Alex nodded.
"You too kid"
"Maybe we could do it again?" Piper asked brightly the thought popping into her head moments before.
"I mean only if you want to? We could be friends right?" Alex opened her mouth then closed it.
Could she be friends with Piper she wondered. They both still felt a pull towards each other but could they be friends? Alex pondered the question over for a few seconds while Piper sat waiting for an answer. Maybe they could Alex thought they could at least try. Better friends than nothing.
"Yea sure we can" Alex agreed.
Piper broke into a grin and nodded her head excitedly.
"Great! When do you want to meet again?" Piper asked she needed another time organized or she wouldn't leave the table she had to see Alex again.
Alex thought for a moment and made a suggestion that shocked her as it seemed to shock Piper.
"We're having a party Saturday, you could come and fetch Larry" Piper's eyes opened wide.
"You sure?" She questioned.
Not wanting to rethink her proposal Alex nodded while feeling like she was screaming on the inside. Piper stood up.
"Ok we will. I'll text you for your address later" she said.
Alex stood too and through a bunch of cash onto the table, both women headed towards the door. Alex opened it and ushered Piper out with her hand in the small of Piper's back. Piper thanked her shyly. Once outside they stood facing each other.
"Till Saturday" Alex joked.
She reached out to give Piper a hug goodbye. Piper flung herself into Alex's arms and wrapped her arms round Alex's neck. Alex placed her hands on Piper's waist and turned her head into Piper's hair taking a small light sniff to smell her scent. Piper closed her eyes and held more tightly onto Alex. She didn't want to let go. Alex pressed lightly on Piper to ease her away from her body having Piper that close was doing wild things to her hormones. Piper uncurled her arms from around Alex , she ran her hand along her jaw and cheek as she did.
"Until Saturday" She whispered.
Piper turned and quickly walked away from Alex. She resisted the urge to turn and look back at Alex knowing if she did she would run back into Alex's arms. Alex watched Piper walk away and disappear onto another street. She felt like Piper was taking a part of her with her and was missing it already. We can't be friends she thought as she turned and started her walk to her apartment.
