"Well, that wasn't the reaction I expected..."
Alex grabbed Piper's face between her hands and planted a hard kiss on her lips. She took a deep breath in, holding and savouring the moment for as long as possible. Hesitantly, she separated her mouth from Piper's and kept her eyes closed, dropping her head to the ground before speaking.
"I love you. Is that crazy? It's totally crazy. How did this happen?"
After a few moments of mindless ranting, more to herself than anyone else, Alex finally looked Piper in the eye. "I love you. I do. It's terrifying and ridiculous but I do. There, I said it."
Piper smiled, relieved, and sighed as she melted into Alex's strong arms. She wrapped her own around the woman's waist and fought back tears.
Alex stepped back from Piper, her hands clasped gently around the woman's wrists. She thoroughly observed her and all of her wonderful imperfections. She loved the way Piper's left foot turned slightly inward, moreso when the woman was nervous or bored. Alex's glance traveled up her thin legs, to her upper torso draped in a too-big t-shirt and finally to her face, beautiful but in a non-traditional way. Alex lifted her hand and gently stroked Piper's cheek, her thumb resting on the woman's strong jawbone. She traced a single fingertip along the edge of Piper's bottom lip. Piper responded, placing a soft kiss on it, holding Alex's hand tightly between both of her own.
"So, you weren't kidding about working for an international drug cartel, huh?" Piper said, shattering the comfortable silence with her dry sarcasm.
Alex shrugged and shook her head. "I don't kid. In case you haven't noticed, my sense of humour is more self-deprecating than anything else."
Piper nodded, staring at the beautiful woman before her with a look of disbelief in her eyes. "You're amazing. Don't ever forget that."
Alex swallowed hard and fought back tears. She had never met someone who freely complimented her, told her what value she brought to their lives, or made her feel so important the way that Piper did. The last compliment she had gotten had been from Bruno, one of her long-time customers, who told her that he would happily sleep with her for money if she promised to call him 'daddy'.
"So, whaddaya say? Let's go make a delivery and then I'll take you for a nice dinner? Can't come to Turkey and not enjoy a candlelight meal by the waterfront," Alex said, slowly coercing Piper out of the hotel room.
Piper nodded, her heart swelling with happiness but her mind clouded with confusion. In 24-hours, her entire world had completely transformed. She wasn't sure whether to be overjoyed or allow the crushing feeling of impending doom to overshadow. In the end, she decided to just enjoy her time with Alex while she could. When she returned to reality - work, missed phone calls from her parents and Polly, and her surely growing pile of overdue homework assignments - she would weigh the pros and cons.
Alex kissed Piper softly on the forehead and took the woman by the hand as they stepped into the elevator, each wall covered in spotless mirrors. She caught a quick glance of the two, side-by-side, in the reflection and couldn't help but smile. "I love you," Alex said confidently.
Piper smiled, her insides turning and twisting with happiness. "I love the way that sounds."