A/N: Chapter 11! - Just a filler. I'm aware that its short but honestly i just wanted to get this part out of the way so that we can move on to all of the good stuff! I'm working on C12 as we speak so shouldn't be too long of a wait. I hope you all enjoy :)
Piper winced at the sound of the hotel door slamming behind herself. Using the word angry to describe the way she felt at that moment would be an understatement. Piper was furious that she let her temper get the better of herself. If only she had kept watching the scene unfold from the bathroom, she would've seen that Alex had rejected the other woman and threw her out.
The blonde steadied herself against the wall for a few moments, trying to control her breathing into a reasonable pace again and become calmer. She had hoped that Alex would've come storming right out of the room after her but she didn't. There was just a simple door between the pair of them but neither of the women made an effort to patch up the situation immediately.
Disappointed in herself and her girlfriend, Piper made her way down to the bar on the ground floor of the hotel. She decided it would be for the best to keep some distance between herself and Alex for a brief period while they both gathered their thoughts.
The young woman navigated her way through the ground floor until she reached the bar. Upon arrival, she noticed a couple of her fellow colleagues drinking in one corner of the room. She pondered on whether to join them but decided against it. Piper located an empty bar stool and sat upon it as she waited for the barman to come over and take her order.
The blonde watched the lone working barman as he took the order of the next waiting customer. She zoned out slightly as she began to fiddle with a torn beer mat on the slightly sticky surface of the bar. Her attention was brought back into real time as she noticed the barman was now stood in front of her.
"Excuse me miss?" He began politely.
"Oh sorry" Piper blushed slightly, embarrassed that she had completely lost focus.
"He said and whatever you're having" The barman gestured to the customer propping up the bar who's order he had just been taking.
Piper's eyes followed the hand gestures of the barman and stopped once she spotted a tall, handsome man dressed in a suit gazing at her. The blonde offered a smile before telling the barman her order. She mouthed a slight thank you to the well-dressed stranger who simply nodded in response before disappearing.
Piper thought long and hard about her relationship with Alex over that first drink. She knew that she could very easily have prevented that argument but she was never one to back down. The blonde knew that Alex was right and she should just let her girlfriend tell Sylvia about the two of them. She made the decision in her own head to tell Alex everything she had been thinking. That was it, she was going to let Alex tell Sylvia, it was the only way that she would finally leave the two of them alone. With the recent revelations made in her head, she decided it was time to go back and face Alex.
The blonde downed the rest of her drink before slamming it back on the bar. She attempted to scoot the bar stool back ever so slightly so she could hop down but she was stopped suddenly as a big, warm hand grasped the top of her own on the glass she was still clinging on to.
"Allow me to get you another" The stranger spoke.
Piper froze in shock as she registered who the stranger was beside her. It was the same man who had bought her the drink previously. She couldn't help but note how attractive this man was. It was evident that he took pride in his appearance. The blonde swallowed nervously.
"I was just about to go back upstairs" Piper let out.
"Please?" The man pleaded as he removed his hand from on top of the blonde's.
Piper frowned at the eagerness of this stranger. She felt as if she had no other option but to comply. Just one more. She told herself.
"Ok, just one more"
The man smiled as he gestured to the barman for another round of drinks to be sent their way.
"American, right?"
"That would be correct" Piper grinned.
He settled into the bar stool beside the blonde. "James" He offered.
"Piper" she smiled sincerely as they shook hands.
"So how come you're down here all by yourself?" James inquired.
"Oh, you know…." Piper began, not really knowing what to say.
James raised his eyebrows, anticipating the blonde's response.
"Just wanted some time to myself I suppose" Piper reasoned with a sigh.
The man chuckled as he reached out to take a sip of his drink. "Time away from the boyfriend?"
"Not quite"
"Ah so you don't have a boyfriend?"
Piper smirked as she took a sip of her own drink. "No I do not have a boyfriend"
James nodded as he took in the information.
"I hope you didn't think that me buying you a drink was weird…. You just looked a little lonely that's all" He said as he placed his arm around the back of the blonde's chair.
At his sudden movements, Piper shifted in her chair a little so that she wasn't leaning into his touch.
"No" the blonde chuckled "I appreciate it… thanks"
An awkward silence filled the air as the two of them simultaneously took a sip of their drink.
"Sooo…"
"You're not here with anyone then?" Piper asked.
"No" James sighed. "I'm here on business but I go home tomorrow"
"Oh right" Piper nodded, feeling slightly awkward.
Thankfully, the blonde's phone vibrated against the bar which gave her an excuse to divert her attentions from the man.
[NICKY NICHOLLS] Tell me young Chapman, why are you sat at the bar with a stranger when boss lady is upstairs, all alone in your hotel room?
Piper frowned as she read the text. Her eyes darted to the corner of the room where her fellow colleagues were sat when she walked in earlier. As soon as she looked over, her assumption was deemed to be true, Nicky was in fact sat with that group. Her eyes were looking right into the blonde's as she watched the situation with intent.
James noticed the change in Piper's facial expression and asked with concern. "Everything ok?"
Piper offered a simple nod as she looked at the time on her phone before texting Nicky back.
[PIPER CHAPMAN] She's asleep – jet lag.
The blonde didn't want Nicky to know that she and Alex had – had words that evening and so came up with what she perceived to be a believable lie. She placed her phone back on the bar as she contemplated what her next move should be.
Should she go back to Alex like she had decided previously or would she actually have gone to sleep by now? Piper wasn't tired so if that was the case, she would only be sat in the hotel room staring into thin air. She decided against going back to the room and continued to have more drinks with James. After all, it was completely innocent, they were just two people having drinks together and after tonight they would never see each other again. Piper would go back to Alex, make up and everything would be ok but little did she know that Nicky Nicholls had other plans for the blonde woman.
James and Piper spent a while sat together at the bar. They got to know each other a little better over many more drinks and shared many laughs in between. James had become much closer to the blonde within recent minutes as their chairs were practically touching. His arm was still draped around the back of the blonde's seat but as she had become more relaxed, it would look as if she was leaning into his touch from a distance.
Just as James was about to order yet another round of drinks for the pair of them, a tall, dark figure came striding across from the double doors of the entrance to where the couple were situated at the other side of the bar.
Piper looked across as she noticed a flash of jet black hair out of the corner of her eye to find Alex making her way over.
Alex noticed how comfortable the pair seemed to be with each other and anger instantly flared up inside her.
"What the hell is going on!?" Alex glared straight at Piper, ignoring the man sat next to her.
Pipers eyebrows shot up as she registered the tone that her girlfriend was using.
"Alex, I was just about to come back up" Piper answered.
"Are you sure about that Piper? Because from where I'm sitting you two are looking pretty cosy" Alex spat.
"We're just having a couple of drinks!"
"Bullshit. Nicky's told me all about how comfortable you've been getting sat here together"
"Nicky" Piper snorted in disbelief.
James sat up from his slouched position, removing his arm from the back of Piper's chair.
"Sorry, what seems to be the problem?"
"The problem is that you're trying to get in her pants!" Alex yelled, slamming her hand on the bar in anger.
Piper flinched at her girlfriend's movements. She quickly hopped of her bar stool and came to Alex's side in hope of calming her down.
"Why is that a problem? We're both single?"
"OH" Alex let out as she registered what was being said. "You're single, are you?" Alex sneered in Piper's direction as she shook her head.
"That's not what I said" Piper also began shaking her head. "I said I didn't have a boyfriend!"
"That's the same thing!" James breathed out.
"Not when this is my girlfriend!" Alex yelled in James' direction pointing at Piper.
The man's eyes went wide as realisation hit him.
Alex grabbed the man's drink and before she even had time to think about what she was doing, she tipped it over his head. The whole room gasped as they looked on.
A few cheers could be heard around the bar as the onlookers applauded Alex, especially her colleagues sat in the far corner. She smirked a little as she looked on at the scene in front of her. Suddenly becoming much calmer now that she had gotten her anger out.
"Come on" she mumbled and pulled her girlfriend towards the exit hand in hand.
The two women made the short journey back to their hotel room in complete silence. As they reached their room, Alex plopped onto the bed and threw her hands over her head, letting out a huge sigh in the process.
"Fuck" Alex let out.
Piper sat down beside the older woman and moved Alex's own hands off her face, linking their fingers together.
"Look… I was an ass tonight. When I saw Sylvia kiss you I just froze and completely blanked everything else out. It was stupid and I shouldn't have just walked out on you"
Alex stared into a corner of the room, thinking about Piper's words.
"You were right. I think Sylvia needs to know about us. It's the only way that she is going to stop pining after you…"
Alex sat up at Piper's revelation. "but-"
"No buts" Piper shook her head. "I know that I had my reasons, I didn't want her to treat me any differently at work because we're together but now I have realised that it's the only way. I'll have to take whatever shit she throws my way because this is worth it." Piper smiled genuinely. "You are worth it" She stated and kissed the taller woman.
"Wow" Alex was slightly speechless. "Are you sure Pipes?"
"I'm sure" The blonde nodded.
"Thank you" Alex kissed the younger woman passionately. "I'll deal with her babe I promise"
Piper smiled as she walked over to her clothing and began searching for something suitable for bed.
"Seeing as we're having our moment of honesty… I shouldn't have kicked off like that at the bar. I guess I was a tiny bit jealous… I'm sorry" Alex revealed.
Piper turned around in surprise. "Don't you dare apologise!" she threatened.
"That was totally badass and hot!"
Alex chuckled in response.
"If you say so Pipes"
"Oh yeah" The blonde smirked. "You should definitely get jealous more often"
Piper walked back over to the bed where Alex lay as she placed a chaste kiss on her girlfriend's lips.
"Be my little spoon?"
"Always" Piper whispered as she got into position.