Chapter 21

A/N: I do not own anything. I just made the story.

You guys hanging in there?

"Al?" Piper called out. No answer. "Alex?" She tried again. No answer. The sound of the crumpling paper bags of their Greek take out that she is holding with one hand is the only sound she could currently hear apart from the door she just closed and locked. She just got home from work a little bit earlier than expected. Alex's cold replies got her worried. She couldn't put a finger on what it could be that she has said or done but she just wanted to ask Alex right away. Unfortunately for her, Alex isn't home.

She noticed her mail on top of the table by the foyer and grabbed everything after taking her shoes off and walking towards the kitchen bar. She placed the paper bags of Greek take-out down on the table as she saw an open envelop with the UCSFMC logo on it. Her heart jumped at the sight and now, she is aware of maybe why Alex has been acting cold through text. She also saw the post-it note that was on top of the letter.

Went out to clear my mind. Be back in half an hour.

Alex

Plain and simple. No 'love you's or 'x's or 'xo's in the note. Piper wondered why the simplest of Alex's post-it notes could carry a thousand more meanings and messages. Ultimately, she knew that they are about to argue about this. Piper didn't even know how to feel. Should she be mad at Alex for snooping through her mail? Did she even snoop through her mail? Should she be worried that Alex will leave her because of this stupid application? Well, she was more than sure that their love isn't that shallow and would just leave because of that.

The truth of the matter is that she is afraid that Alex might have misunderstood the situation. Piper isn't the one who sent the application the first place so, she decided that she would just explain everything calmly to her girlfriend but, she mentally hit herself when she realized that Alex might have been upset because she didn't even tell the raven-haired woman about it. Piper hopes that she would be able to resolve everything tonight.

Piper sat on one of the stools and brought her hands to her face and just breathed in deeply to calm herself down. She didn't want to talk about this with Alex because she didn't want to create more stress before Alex's impending surgery but, now, there is no way she could delay the inevitable. They should talk. They are going to talk.

Alex dribbled the ball in front of Nicky as the shorter woman defended the ring. She dribbled with her right hand and switched it to her left hand passing it from behind her back and then passing the ball to her right hand again doing a cross over. Alex grabbed the ball and took a side step so that Nicky wasn't in front of her, she took the opportunity and did a clean lay-up. She swept her hands together as if removing specs of dust from it, showing Nicky how easy it was for her. They always do this on court swagger to build up fire and motivation.

"Whoa, you're on fire." Nicky says wiping down the sweat that has been dripping from her forehead despite the pink stretchable sweat band she is wearing to contain her wild-hair. Nicky is wearing her white sweatpants and a red shirt that simply says gay on the left part on the breast area. They have been playing one on one basketball for about 45 minutes already since they met at their spot a.k.a. the basketball court.

"I'm always on fire." Alex says nonchalantly whilst walking towards the ball in her gray sweat pants and Piper's favorite black band tee that fits her perfectly. She picked it up and went to the perimeter to shoot a three ball.

Swoosh!

"So, you going to tell me what's going on or what?" Nicky asked as she is worried about her best friend. She got the ball from when Alex shot it from the perimeter and kept it, holding it on her side, wanting an explanation from the taller woman.

"It's nothing." Alex shrugged as she walked towards the bench to sit, grab her towel, and have a drink.

"You, telling me you 'wanna get high' or you 'need release' is just for nothing? Now you got your high and your release! Tell me what's going on, so I could help!" Nicky says concerned for her best friend. Her wide eyes are telling Alex that she is genuinely concerned for her.

Within Nicky and Alex's friendship, getting high or needing release when they have a problem or somewhat stressed meant that they would go inside a court and play their hearts out or shoot some hoops, sweat out all the negative energies and the like. Although Nicky was a former heroin addict, Alex never resulted to using it herself. She saw with her very eyes how Nicky almost vanished from the earth when she had an infection due to using when they first met plus the fact that she was informed that her biological father died from an overdose. And so, Alex never got high off heroin. She occasionally gets high from weed but doesn't really prefer it as "it messes up her A-game"- her words. She claimed this to be when at one game, she shot the ball at the opponent's ring which earned their opponents two crucial points. She never got high off weed before a game again.

"I accidentally opened a mail from California…" Alex said as she sat down on the bench looking everywhere but at Nicky. She thanked the gods she didn't believe in that it was just her and Nicky in the basketball court.

"Okay? So, what now? You hate California, is that it?" Nicky asked as she stood in front of Alex whilst chuckling. She didn't know what was going on with the taller woman and wanted answers so, she is trying to make light of the situation. Alex's eyes widened and grabbed her water bottle and squeezed some of the contents, so it went straight on Nicky's shirt.

"Hey! What was that for! That's my favorite shirt!" Nicky says in her usual complaining way as Alex rolled her eyes at Nicky due to the obvious fact that her favorite shirt is even more dredged in the shorter woman's sweat than the sprayed water.

"That's for being 'gay' according to your shirt. Does it even say that?" Alex squinted to see, bringing her glasses from above her head down to rest on her nose so that she can read Nicky's shirt. Nicky grabbed her own water bottle and squeezed it so that some of the contents go straight to Alex's shirt as well.

"Hey!" It's Alex's turn to complain.

"That's for being 'gay' according to your face!" Nicky says laughing whilst copying Alex's words. She was still holding the ball at her side. Alex had to chuckle at this. She loved how Nicky could make her feel better at times when she felt bad, but she knew ultimately that Piper would be the only one who would make her completely better. There was a comfortable silence before Alex spoke up.

"It was an acknowledgement for a position application in one of the top hospitals in California, no, not just in Cali, one of the top hospitals in the US." Alex said avoiding Nicky's gaze once again.

"Okay… So, is it for blondie? Then that's good news, right?" Nicky asked with her eyebrows raised. She didn't have a clue on where this will lead.

"Yeah. But, I won't even know about it if I didn't accidentally open it." Alex says sadly.

"Ohhh… Did she keep it from you?" Nicky asked. Alex shrugged.

"I don't know. I mean, Nicky, I would move for her if she really wants that job but, it seems like I'm not a part of her future, it's like I'm not a part of her plans. It hurts me that she didn't even tell me about it." Alex says letting her heart out to her best friend.

"You'd consider moving?!" Nicky asked incredulously. Alex could also see the hint of sadness and the surprise at the wild-haired woman's statement. Alex looked at Nicky in the eyes with all seriousness.

"Uhm yeah. For Piper, I would." Alex says as if it is the most obvious thing in the world.

"You really love her, don't you? So, this is like a permanent thing? This relationship?" Nicky asked. Alex's eyes widened not believing the words that are coming out from Nicky's mouth.

"Of course, it is! I've never been in this kind of relationship before. You, of all people, should see that!" Alex says with her voice raising a little just to make a point.

"I know, I know. I could clearly see that." Nicky offered her best friend a smile. She was genuinely happy for the taller woman but had to admit that she would miss her best friend if she would move far away. "Sorry, Stretch... Well, did you ask her why she kept it from you?" Nicky asked trying to help her best friend resolve the problem.

"No. We haven't even talked about it yet." Alex confessed. Nicky stared at her incredulously with wide eyes. She dropped the ball, walked towards Alex and grabbed Alex's high pony tail and pulled it down so that the raven-haired woman's head jolts backwards. Alex was taken aback with this gesture.

"Ow! What was that for?!" Alex shouted rubbing her head.

"That's for being stupid and not talking to your girlfriend first before jumping into conclusions! You should talk to her first and try hearing her out and tell her that you are hurt of what she did! Or whatever it is that you are feeling!" Nicky suggested with a slightly raised voice and wide eyes. She couldn't believe that Alex just jumped into conclusions right away.

"I am physically hurt by what you did!" Alex says still rubbing her head and fixing her hair tying it in a loose messy bun.

"And that's for this morning as well! For pulling a fistful of my beautiful wild hair." Nicky says nonchalantly. Alex chuckled to this and rolled her eyes to Nicky's beautiful comment.

"Yeah. I guess I should talk to her." Alex said in conclusion. "Thanks, Nick." Alex said sincerely. She was really glad to have her best friend by her side. Nicky punched her arm. "Ow! Stop it!" Alex shouted and rubbed her arm this time.

"That's for being stupid again. You know that Piper loves you like you hung the moon, right? She wouldn't leave you just like that." Nicky said in conclusion as well.

"I know. But, I love her more." Alex says dreamily as she picks up her duffle bag.

Alex arrived home and found Piper opening take-out boxes of Greek food on their kitchen bar. Alex could feel the tension through Piper's facial features. The raven-haired woman was pretty sure that Piper have seen the letter from UCSFMC and her post-it note.

"Hey." Alex said. Piper must be deep in thought as she jumped as she was startled with Alex's presence.

"You're home." Piper offered a sad smile walking towards Alex to hug the taller woman. Alex received the hug but didn't move or flinch. She was glad that Piper's scent made it to her nose as it relaxes her even for just a little bit.

"I am. Can we eat now? I'm famished." Alex says coldly. She didn't want to act this way in front of Piper, but she is just really hurt about the situation.

"Could we at least talk about this first, Alex?" Piper asked as she slightly raised the envelop from UCSFMC. Alex let out a sarcastic chuckle as she dropped her duffle bag to the side of the breakfast bar as she gets ready to talk.

"Now you want to talk about it?!" Alex's voice was calm, but Piper could feel the sadness and the hurt in it. "Were you even considering on telling me about this?" Alex asked sternly.

"Of course, I want to talk about it! This is a total misunderstanding, Alex!" Piper says trying to defend herself.

"How is a job application a total misunderstanding, Piper? So, are you telling me that you didn't want to apply for that job in California?!" Alex asked with her eyes stinging with tears that are threatening to fall. "You want to talk about it? We will talk about it all right!" Alex is now seething.

"You don't understand, Alex!" Piper says with her own eyes pooling with tears.

"Answer my damn question, Piper! Are you telling me you didn't want to apply? That that mail is just a mistake?" Alex asked pointing at the letter. Piper's mouth opened and close as she processed what she wanted to say.

"No. I wanted to apply." Piper said but she didn't want to push it too much. And that is the truth. She wanted to apply before she met Alex. She wasn't lying. She just lacked explanation. As she was about to explain some more, Alex beat her to it.

"And you're not even considering telling me about it? Who am I to you Piper?" Alex asked with a stray tear falling from her right eye.

"I was going to tell you about it! It's just all kinds of messed up right now!" Piper says with tears falling from her eyes now.

"Then when are you going to tell me? When you get the job already?! Am I even in your future? Do you even include me in your plans?!" Alex asked as she let her heart out of the thoughts that ran through her mind while reading the letter earlier. In total honesty, she was scared to be left alone by Piper. She never gave all her love to a person that she was afraid of losing that person. Her person. Piper.

"No! Will you at least let me talk, Alex?!" Piper says as she is starting to get annoyed with how Alex talked to her. She knew that her girlfriend is hurt but, Alex isn't letting her explain clearly either which she thinks she's entitled to. "You're not even supposed to open my personal mail." Piper blurted out but didn't even mean it. Her foot -in-mouth disease rising once again. Alex shook her head.

"You changed your address, remember? You live here now, and I thought it was mine. You know how I don't read the front part." Alex defended as she started rubbing her temples which wasn't lost on Piper.

"That's why I told you that you should read them!" Piper huffed as she was annoyed at Alex. Both women admitting to themselves that this certain topic is a very shallow thing to argue about.

"And it's irrelevant to be talking about that now. I'd rather know about this now than know when you're about to leave." Alex says sternly but quietly as she calmed down some while trying to make a point. "It's funny how mail could make or break us. Fuck." Alex said with her voice barely above whisper. She lifted her hand to rub her temples again to ease her headache. It seems like all the talking and shouting made her head ache. It wasn't lost on Piper what Alex said, as they both remember the wrong shipment of magazines that was delivered to Alex's house about roughly a year ago that started what turned out to be a wonderful relationship. And now, this. This letter that made them fight.

Both women were standing on either side of the breakfast bar looking at each other's tear-stained eyes. Both women knew that they should calm down first before talking entirely once again because their fight is becoming petty as it could be. They knew that they should talk when they are not at the top of their emotions. Piper also noticed how Alex is squinting, knowing her lover well, she knew that Alex's head is starting to hurt and from annoyed, her face turned into a face of concern and worry which made her speak up.

"Pause… Pause. We are going to pause, now." Piper says in a commanding tone that Alex knew was her baby nurse tone.

"Okay. Pause." Alex agreed as she shed a tear. She didn't want to pause but she could use it. She just wanted to get over with their conversation and clear things out.

Piper immediately walked to Alex's side of the kitchen bar as she handed over her medications and a glass of water to prevent her from her headache. Piper knew that Alex's headache is a mix of fatigue from basketball, stress due to their argument and hunger as they have left the food untouched whilst their little fight. After Alex popped the tablet in her mouth and gulped almost all the water, she placed the glass on the countertop and looked at Piper as if inviting her in for a hug.

The blonde shed a tear as well as she wrapped her arms around Alex's neck and rested her head on top of Alex's shoulder and chest. The raven-haired woman rubbed Piper's back and kissed the top of the blonde's head. They've been in this position for a couple of minutes until Alex released her grip from Piper's body and reached for Piper's face to cup them. She rubbed the tear-stained cheeks with her thumbs as if erasing the tears that were shed.

"We are paused. Stop crying. I still love you even though we're fighting, remember?" Alex said as she looked into Piper's eyes.

"I know. I love you too, even if we are fighting." Piper said as she offered Alex a sad smile and this broke the taller woman's heart.

"C'mon let's eat." Alex concluded.

They ate their dinner while paused. They, knew too well not to open their argument while eating and it's as if nothing happened. They asked each other about work and they tell each other about their day. Piper, leaving out the part where Dr. Smith asked her about the application acknowledgement. She wanted to just tell Alex in a one-time big time fashion.

They finished dinner and they were inside their bedroom. Piper is "arranging" something in her closet while Alex is "reading" a book. They hate how they have to walk on egg-shells around each other during their paused state. There was still an obvious air of tension between the lovers but, each one is trying their best to act as normal as they could be.

Both wanted to continue their night as if how they thought it would transpire if there was no argument. That night, Alex is bound to help Piper choose a jersey that she would wear during tomorrow's championship game. Piper thought that it would be cute to wear one of Alex's old jerseys to support her girlfriend.

"Stop it, babe." Alex speaks up with her face tainted with a slight smirk

"What?" Piper asks confused.

"Come here. Please?" Alex asked with her raspy voice while still holding the book that she is "reading". Piper followed suit and immediately closed her drawers and her closet. She walked towards the bed and sat beside Alex who closed her book.

"I know you weren't even reading." Piper says as she is welcomed by Alex's arms. Piper automatically rests her head on Alex's chest as she looks up to her girlfriend's emerald orbs.

"What? Of course, I was reading." Alex said defensively. Piper chuckled at this.

"Ohh, when did you learn how to read upside down?" Piper giggled as Alex's face turned into a shade of red. Piper looked at the book that was really upside down from when Alex closed it and then looked at Alex with a smug look. Eventually, Alex just laughed it off.

"Okay, fine you caught me. I may just have a few things in my mind, you know." Alex says in utter seriousness. Piper knew too well that Alex is talking about their earlier argument and there is nothing she wants more but to clarify everything.

"Should we un-pause now and get this over with?" Piper asked whilst putting a stand of Alex's hair behind the taller woman's ear and removing Alex's glasses and putting it on the night stand. Alex shook her head.

"A much as I want to, I'm too tired to argue now, babe. Can we un-pause tomorrow? I want to get it over with as well." Alex says confessing what she felt.

"Okay. Just… Don't think too much about it. I won't do anything that will hurt you. I won't ever leave you, Alex. You are my person. You are my future. You are the - " Piper was cut off by Alex's index finger. Alex's heart fluttered at Piper's words. Those are the words of assurance that she needed. That she won't be left alone, that she is in the blonde's future. She just wanted clarity about what had really happened and why Piper didn't tell her about the application. With that thought, Alex winced a little but just shrugged it away.

"Hey, we are on pause, remember? I just have a lot of questions in my mind that I want you to answer but, I can't afford an argument now. I need to rest for tomorrow's game. We can un-pause after the game. Okay?" Alex said sincerely. Piper cupped Alex's cheek and kissed Alex softly on the lips.

"Okay… Well, are you too tired to help me choose a jersey to wear?" Piper asked smiling. Almost all the tension gone by now that she said those words of assurance to Alex and that Alex heard them clearly. They still needed to talk but putting those words out there made an enormous difference to that of which both parties are happy about.

"Well, that could be an exception." Alex said smiling. "And I want to show you our finals uniform as well." Alex says a little excitedly. She pushes Piper on the side gently, grabs her glasses and grabs her old jerseys and her new set for the next day. Piper sat up straight on the bed as Alex laid the jerseys on the bed, keeping the new set on the bedside table to show Piper later.

"Okay, you could choose form these." Alex laid out the jerseys.

There are four black jerseys to choose from. Since Alex is from the black team, all their jerseys are required to be, of course obviously, black. The only difference with the other jerseys are the color of the lining, the number and the sponsors. Piper is only going to wear the top and will leave out the shorts because she wanted to wear her comfortable leggings while watching the game.

The first black jersey is Alex's first ever jersey. It is a sleeveless jersey that has a white lining for the sleeveless hole, the number 8, which was clarified by Alex before, is based on Diane's birthday – August 8th, and the name at the back that says 'A. Vause.' Both front and back has the number 8 on it.

The second black jersey is basically the same as the first one except for the grey vertical stripes all over the jersey and a patch of Pearl's logo on the right side, in front, just below the shoulder and above the chest.

The third jersey is a sleeved all black jersey that has one large vertical grey stripe from the right shoulder straight down the hem of the shirt. It has a V-neck line. It still has the number 8 in front and at the back, Pearl's patch on the left part, in front just above the chest and below the shoulder and has the name 'Vause' written at the back without the 'A.' from the previous jerseys.

The fourth jersey is also a sleeved jersey with a teal V-neck line, no stripes anywhere and has teal colored number and last name. The difference of this jersey from the rest is the jersey number. The number 6 is printed on both sides instead of the usual number 8. And 'Vause' is printed at the back side of it. Also, in addition to the Pearl's patch, it has another patch below it that has a logo that Piper is very familiar with but couldn't put a finger on it.

Alex could see the question in Piper's eyes as they scan the jerseys so, she started explaining.

"The first two sleeveless ones are from my first years of playing. The jerseys are still so basic." Alex said while caressing the number 8 and her name written on her first ever jersey. "I was nothing back then." Alex said as she chuckled. Piper looked at her with loving eyes before she spoke up.

"You're never nothing, Al. You've always been special to people especially to Diane… and now… to me." Piper says smiling making Alex feel better. Alex shrugged and spoke up.

"Do you like any of these two?" Alex asked as she lifted the two sleeveless jerseys to show Piper who shook her head saying no.

"No, I have my eye on the two with the sleeves. They look comfier to wear and much nicer." Piper says shrugging. "But, can I ask you something?" Piper asked hesitantly. Alex's eyes furrowed, and she knew that this question is coming.

"It's not an ex's birthday, Pipes." Alex says chuckling. She was spot-on with the answer because Piper was about to ask if the number 6 on the last jersey was an ex's birthday. Piper blushed profusely upon Alex's answer as she was caught thinking about it. "I would never put any other people's significant numbers on my jersey except for my mom's and I told you that. If I do, it won't make my jersey special anymore because I always think of playing for that person whose number is on my jersey." Alex explained to Piper who knew all this all along. Piper chuckled and spoke up.

"So, it's your birthday then?" Alex's birthday is March 6th and that is the only logical explanation that she could think of. Alex nodded her head and Piper's eyebrow raised in question because she knew that Alex didn't want to put her own birth number on her jersey.

"You know that I wouldn't do it. I would prefer my mom's birthday, which is 8 and the number of all my jerseys. I always play for her." Alex smiled. Piper nodded signaling for Alex to continue. "But, as you can see this…" Alex pointed at the logo that was below Pearl's patch. The logo that resembled a capital "D" and has something that looked like swivel pen marks as a part of the logo. "This is my mom's publishing company. She sponsored for the black team's jerseys in one condition which is for me to put my birth number on my jersey instead of my usual number 8." Alex explained. Piper's heart fluttered at how much Alex and Diane loved each other. She wished that she could be loved by her own mother the same way but, she just buried the thought at the back of her mind.

"That is so sweet, Al." Piper said sincerely, and she grabbed the number 6 jersey with the teal lining and placed it over her front. She is now standing up beside Alex looking at the raven-haired woman in approval. She removed her shirt and saw Alex's eyebrow raise and lip bite. She is glad to make Alex feel that way but, she wore the number 6 teal lined- jersey right away to see how it fits.

"You wanna wear that tomorrow?" Alex asked smiling.

"Yes! I'm going to wear this. Because I'll be rooting for you!" Piper says as she points at the number 6. "Woohoo! Go, Vause!" Piper cheered as she giggled. They shared a good laugh and then Alex grabbed her new set of jerseys for tomorrow to show Piper.

"Wanna see my new jersey for the championship match?" Alex asked excitedly. Piper nodded but then spoke up.

"Okay. But, wait, I want to guess what it will look like." Piper said excitedly.

"Okay. What happens if you get three incorrect answers?" Alex challenges Piper. She smirks at her girlfriend.

"Hmmmm. Maybe you get to punish me." Piper says winking with the heaviest of innuendos but then proceeds with utter nonchalance wanting to entice the taller woman. "But if I get three things correct about it, I will punish you." Piper says with her eyes darkening with desire. Aside from the fact that Alex thinks that Piper is so hot wearing her jersey, she is very turned on by how Piper is handling the situation. Alex let out a raspy chuckle and pulled Piper in for a kiss in the lips. Piper responded to the kiss but before the kiss gets more heated, she pulled away.

"Okay. I like the sound of that." Alex says smiling. "Start guessing." Alex offered as she peeks at the jersey, as if she hasn't seen it yet but she already has, being careful not to reveal it to Piper.

"Hmmmm. Does it have sleeves?" Piper asked.

"Okay. One point for Chapman, zero for Vause." Alex said. Smiling.

"Uhm It's obviously black with an orange lining! I remember you told me about that." Piper says excitedly. Alex rolled her eyes because she did tell Piper about that.

"Ughhh! Shit! No fair!" Alex protested.

"Hey! We never knew we were going to play this game!" Piper defended and Alex chuckled and just rolled her eyes.

"Yes. Okay, fine. Two for Chapman and none for Vause." Alex says a little bored at the score. She hoped that Piper could make a mistake, so she could take control. Alex hated it when she's not in control but also loves it when Piper is. She knows she is very fickle minded about the control thingy.

"Okay I win!" Piper declares

"What? You need a third point to win!" Alex countered.

"I win! Because I know that it's a jersey number 8!" Piper laughed at Alex who had a smug look on her face. Alex shook her head and made the sound of a buzzer.

"EEEEEENNNNGGG! Two points for Piper and one point for Alex!" Alex declares excitedly

"What?! Number 6 then! Jersey number 6!" Piper says confidently.

"EEEEEEEEEEENNNNGGGG! Piper two, Alex two! It's two all now, babe!" Alex says chuckling.

"What?! No! What is it? Is it 88 now? August 8! Yeah 88! Jersey number 88!" Piper says confidently once again but Alex had a smug look as she spoke up.

"What can I say, Pipes? You got three incorrect answers!" Alex says chuckling. Piper's eyes furrowed in confusion. She is quite competitive at these small trivia games or question and answer games she always plays with Alex. Now that she's wrong about the jersey numbers, nothing made sense to her. She knew Alex only used 8 and 6 before.

As if on cue, Alex started pulling out her new jersey from the bag. She stands up and doesn't show Piper the jersey yet. Alex is chuckling while Piper had an I'm-waiting-make-it-fast-I-can't-wait-anymore face. Alex holds the jersey in front of her to show Piper. As she held it up, the jersey naturally unfolded before their eyes. Just like Piper guessed it, it is a sleeved Jersey with an orange lined V-neck and the print of the number and the name at the back is orange as well.

"It's the number 7, Pipes." Alex announces sincerely, waiting for her girlfriend's reaction whose face was in a state of shock and awe. Piper's mouth was agape shaped like the letter 'O', not believing her eyes, Immediately, Piper's eyes started to well up as she extremely felt special by Alex's gesture. But she tossed everything at the back of her head as she thought that maybe there is another significant '7' in Alex's life.

"Wha… Wh… Why the number 7, Al?" Piper asked with the smallest voice looking at Alex's emerald orbs.

"It's Nicky's birthday." Alex shrugged and answered nonchalantly. Piper's eyes widened looking at Alex.

"Oh…" Piper said quietly not knowing what to say. "She is Alex's best friend after all." She thought. And then, it hit her. "Hey! But Nicky's birthday was a 15th!" She remembered going to the shorter woman's birthday bash. Piper defended something that she didn't know she was defending. Alex shook her head trying to keep a serious face but then she burst out in a fit of laughter. When Piper was just staring in absolute confusion, Alex walked towards her and smiled.

"I was kidding, babe! June 7th. You're special to me, Pipes. That's your birthday. I will play for you." Alex says sincerely still holding the jersey up. Piper's happy tears fell from her eyes.

"You're allowed to change numbers?" Piper asked suddenly realizing that it is not a new league year yet for Alex to change numbers.

"As long as no one in my team uses it, then yes." Alex says smiling but was attacked by Piper's tight hug and kisses all over her face. Alex tossed the jersey by their bedside table whilst giggling.

"Punish me now, Al." Piper whispers to Alex's ear which made Alex shiver with arousal.

"Your wish is my command, princess." Alex says chuckling and carrying Piper back to the bed for punishing. Even just for just a moment, paused, they could feel each other's love for one another. They could appreciate each and every part of their lover.

But, the universe just doesn't make things easy for them.

*Oh my god, Becky! Look at her butt! It is so big!* Piper's phone is frantically ringing.

Piper's eyes widened wondering who it could be calling at that time of the night. She didn't even know what time it was already so, she turned her head looking at their bedside digital clock that says 10:12pm.

"Uggghh! Who the hell is that calling you at this time of the night?!" Alex says with both her hands on Piper's breast.

"Leave it." Piper said pulling Alex's face as she kisses her lover with passion and want.

"You can change your ringtone, you know?" Alex mumbled through the kisses as she reached out for Piper's phone to mute the ringing and then went back to her business – Piper. The taller woman accepted the kiss with an equal amount of need. Alex continued her ministrations with Piper's breasts and squeezed it hard until Piper had to stop the kiss just, so she could moan out due to pleasure.

Their tongues are now battling for entrance and, this time, Alex moaned in pleasure.

*Oh my god, Becky! Look at her butt! It is so big!*

Alex pulled away but still hovering over her girlfriend who was out of breath and light headed due to their heated kiss.

"Who the hell is that?!" Alex was annoyed. Piper just decided to answer the phone. Her heart sped up when she saw that it was Dr. Smith calling. She knew that it is about the application and she just didn't want to talk about it just yet because she and Alex are on pause.

"It's Dr. Smith." Piper said quietly. "Oh Dr. Smith! You have the greatest of timings! Clam Jam! Twat Swat! Ugggh!" Piper was furious inside. The last thing she wanted to do is talk to her boss regarding what started her and Alex's unfinished argument.

"Ohhh, great. Okay. Maybe it's about your application." Alex said the last part with a tone full of hurt.

"Alex…" Piper said not wanting to argue.

"Just go and answer it Piper. It has to be important, right? He's calling at this time of the night for fuck's sake." Alex said as she turned her position so that her back is facing Piper. Alex was trying hard to keep her cool.

"Do you want me to answer it here or do you want me to step outside. I am not hiding anything from you, Alex." Piper said wanting to assure Alex.

"Whatever you want, babe." Alex said sadly. Piper sighed and stood up as she walked out the door to answer her phone.

Alex closed her eyes shut tightly as a stray tear escaped from it. She just wanted to un-pause now but she just forced herself to sleep.

End of Chapter