The soccer team were sprawled on the grass outside of their house, the sun was shining and Poussey was blaring out music from a small portable speaker. The atmosphere around the group of girls had significantly improved due to the warmer temperatures and longer days- not to mention the fact that Alex had snapped back to her normal self. Nicky had brought a soccer ball outside and was running around skilfully, shouting encouragement to herself as she successfully dodged members of the team. She had a pair of sunglasses covering her eyes and her mane of hair was flying out behind her as she twisted and weaved around the girls. Alex lifted her head from the book she was reading and laughed at Nicky before sticking her foot out and taking the ball away from her friend.
"Foul play Vause" Nicky frowned as she retrieved the ball and gently kicked it against Alex's side. "What, you think you're all fancy now that you're on the national team?" Nicky teased, she smirked at Alex as she lay down next to her on the grass. Alex smiled and rolled onto her front, Nicky had repeatedly teased Alex about her supposed superiority multiple times since finding out that she had got onto the national team. Alex knew that Nicky's words were founded from humour and not jealousy, and so was sure to laugh along.
Nicky had been a model friend to Alex over the last few weeks especially since Alex was struggling to deal with the fact that she had almost ruined things between her and Piper. Nicky's advice had resonated with Alex, the wild haired girl had told her friend that she needed to show Piper how special she is- rather than just tell her.
Alex picked at the grass underneath her, "Hey, I need your help with something later," she said quietly to Nicky- making sure that none of the other girls heard her.
Nicky moved her glasses onto the top of her head and smirked at Alex, "What you planning Vause?" Alex had been unusually secretive over the past few days and Nicky was hopeful that Alex was planning some sort of elaborate apology for Piper- it was certainly long overdue.
Alex smiled at her friend- she was really fucking proud of her plan.
Alex was a realist, she wasn't naïve enough to believe that saying sorry made everything better. Diane had taken it upon herself to teach her daughter that lesson when she had started first grade. Diane had allowed Alex to take a dinner plate into the garden and throw it onto the floor. A young and confused Alex had obliged and dropped the plate- causing it to shatter into a hundred pieces. Diane had then asked the young girl to say sorry to the plate- Alex obeyed and became frustrated when nothing happened. Diane had explained to her daughter that when people say or do mean things they can break other's hearts and no matter how many times you say sorry you can never fix it- just like the plate. That lesson was something that Alex often thought back to. She knew that sorry wasn't enough to cure the hurt she'd caused Piper- sorry couldn't remove the haunting image of Piper's distraught face from Alex's mind. Alex knew what she had to do to show Piper how truly sorry she was, but she needed the help of her friends to do it.
"Ooo who ordered the stripper?" Poussey murmured, dragging Alex away from any thoughts of her plan. Alex struggled to hold in a laugh as she looked up to see what Poussey was referring to. A large man wearing a cap and a white vest that showed the majority of his lower stomach was approaching the girls. He had parked his blue van directly outside of the house and his forehead glistened with sweat as he strolled cautiously across the garden.
"Delivery for Vause" he called.
Alex stood up and ignored the sniggers of the girls behind her. The driver smiled at Alex as he passed her the clipboard that he was holding. She signed on the dotted line as the driver disappeared around the back of the van and re-emerged carrying two large boxes dangerously stacked on top of each other.
"You want these inside?" He panted, his back arching with the weight of the delivery.
"Yeah man, here let me help." Alex opened the front door and took one of the heavy boxes, placing it gently on the floor of the living room. The driver dropped the second box and removed his hat, wiping his brow with the back of hand.
"I got one more," he said as he trudged back outside.
"What you brought Vause?" Nicky asked as she fetched a cold bottle of water from the fridge and stood alongside Alex.
"I haven't ordered anything" Alex said confused as she watched the driver struggle to place the final box on the floor.
"Thanks dude, have a good day" Nicky said as she threw the bottle of water in the driver's direction. He caught the bottle and smiled at Nicky gratefully as he left the house.
Nicky wandered around the three boxes examining them carefully, she stooped down and ripped something off the side of one of the boxes and handed it to Alex. Alex took the envelope and ripped it open revealing a letter inside. The letter had the national emblem at the top of it causing Alex's heart to flip. Nicky approached Alex and hovered over her shoulder as she read the letter:
Ms Alex Vause,
Congratulations once again on making the national team.
Please take some time to read the player handbook that I have enclosed with this letter. As I discussed you with during your time with us in Chicago we have an invitational tournament approaching this summer- during Spring Break I will be in touch to discuss with you whether I would like to include you in the tournament squad. Following on from the tournament, we will have another training camp which you will be invited to.
You will have received your kit with this letter, please remember that being on this team is a privilege that must not be taken for granted.
I look forward to speaking to you further over spring break.
Kind Regards,
Galina Reznikov
"Jesus, you're a slow reader- hurry up! I wanna' see what's inside" Nicky whined.
Alex folded the letter and placed it back inside of the envelope very slowly, winking at Nicky as she did so. Nicky frowned at Alex before disappearing into the kitchen and reappearing with a pair of scissors.
"Here" she said, handing Alex the scissors. Alex thanked her and opened the first box, she handed the scissors back to Nicky who opened the other boxes but respectfully didn't start searching through the contents.
Alex smiled kindly, "I'll look in this one and you can look in those?" she suggested.
Nicky beamed back at Alex before digging through the boxes, gasping and attempting to show Alex every item. Alex loved how excited her best friend was for her, she looked like a kid at Christmas. Alex started to sort through the items in her box, she pulled out a thick coat and a large gym bag both emblazed with the national emblem. Nicky pulled out an American flag and laid it across the couch, together they sorted through the boxes to find an array of navy and red kit.
"Shit Vause" Nicky exhaled, holding up a training top that had the initials 'AV' on the chest. "This is fucking awesome!"
Alex looked up and smiled at her friend. She took the shirt from Nicky and ran her fingers gently across her initials. This all felt so surreal, Alex had grown up idolising the women who wore these shirts and now she would be wearing one too- she shook her head in disbelief. Alex imagined running out into a stadium wearing this shirt, knowing that she was representing her country. She imagined scoring a goal and running towards the TV cameras to celebrate. She imagined looking up to the crowd and seeing Piper and her mom cheering for her. This was what she meant to do with her life- this was right.
"Yo, earth to Vause" Nicky shouted waving her hand in front of Alex's face.
Alex blinked, drawing herself out of her daydream.
"Great you're back… I said didn't you need my help with something?"
"Shit, yeah!" Alex replied, she placed the shirt back in a box and gave Nicky her full attention.
….
Piper had barely paid attention during her class, her hand was supporting her face as she doodled on the notepad in front of her. She cast her eye over the past hours' worth of artwork- a large 'A' dominated the page, surrounded by flowers and love hearts. Piper inwardly groaned at the sappiness of the drawing, she could hear what Nicky would say if she were to see it. Piper couldn't keep Alex off her mind, every moment she wasn't with her felt like a moment wasted- she was insatiable when it came to Alex. It was as though the blonde couldn't escape the intensity of her feelings.
"That's it for today folks, remember that I need your Corporate Strategies paper in for next week!" the professor shouted over the din of students who had simultaneously started to shuffle their papers and pack away their belongings.
Piper snapped out of her daze and shoved her notepad into her backpack, she stood up and joined the crowd of students who were filtering out of the lecture theatre and into the afternoon sun. She smiled as the warm air hit her skin, she adjusted her backpack so it sat comfortably on her shoulders and made her way across campus towards the library where Lorna was waiting for her. She stopped by the café on the ground floor of the ancient building and brought two lattes before making her way up the stairs towards the study area of the library.
Piper spotted Lorna sat in their usual spot in the corner of the library- her head was stuck in a book and her face was the picture of concentration. Piper approached quietly and placed the two coffee cups in the middle of the table causing Lorna to look up and sigh with relief.
"You are a saviour" Lorna smiled, accepting the latte from Piper. "I was just about to lose the plot."
Piper laughed as she sat down opposite her friend, "I'm glad I could be of service." She took her backpack off her shoulders and placed it on the floor- taking out her notepad. Piper blushed deeply as she quickly tore away the page that contained her doodles, she successfully managed to stuff the page into her bag without Lorna noticing.
"How are things going?" Piper asked, as she took the takeaway lid off her latte and blew softly to cool the liquid down.
"Good," Lorna nodded, placing a post-it on the book she was reading. "Just trying to get all this done before spring break." Piper took a sip of her coffee and grimaced as the liquid burnt her throat. Lorna laughed before her eyes widened.
"Oh my god I almost forgot to tell you!" Lorna squealed. "Nicky has invited us to her lake house over spring break! Her mom is going on holiday so we'll have the whole place to ourselves. There's a bunch of people going!" Lorna beamed as she delivered the news to her friend.
Piper mirrored the smile on Lorna's face, "Really?! That sounds amazing!" She pictured evenings full of drinking and laughing with her favourite people- she couldn't think of anything more perfect.
"Yay! I knew you'd be in!" Lorna cautiously took a sip of her coffee and placed it back on the table. "It's going to be amazing!"
"How are things with you and Nicky?" Piper asked as she flicked through her notepad revealing her notes for the paper she had to start writing.
"So good Piper," Lorna gushed. "It's just so amazing to have someone on your side, you know? Like I know that no matter what she's going to be there for me-" She smiled across the table at her friend before her face dropped. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. Was that really insensitive of me?"
"Noo" Piper laughed. "Not at all!"
"I guess you and Alex are pretty much together anyway, right?" Lorna asked innocently.
"Basically" Piper smiled. "Just not officially."
Lorna nodded.
"I'm glad you two are good though, I love seeing you happy."
"Aw, thanks Pipes. I can't wait for us to all be together over spring break!"
Piper smiled at Lorna, she had never done a 'traditional' spring break where she'd got ridiculously drunk and made regretful decisions. Piper's parents always used spring break as a chance to travel, Piper and Cal always preferred to stay home with Miss Claudette who let the pair of them roast marshmallows in the garden and stay up later than usual. If she was being honest, Piper had never felt as though she had friends that were worthy of her spending spring break with. That was different now of course, Piper felt excitement bubble in her stomach as she contemplated how great this year could be.
"I meant to ask you actually, have you spoken to Polly since your revelation?" Lorna asked nonchalantly, as she flicked the page of her book.
"Not really" Piper replied copying down a case study reference from her notes. "I mean, I see her in passing but she rarely makes eye contact. It's as though she's afraid that I'm going to do something … gay." Piper laughed.
Lorna joined in with Piper's laughter, which was interrupted when the brunette's phone buzzed violently on the table. Piper instinctively looked up from her notepad and saw Alex's name on the screen. Lorna frowned and looked at Piper, obviously confused, as she picked the phone up and swiped to unlock it. Lorna studied the screen, her brows furrowed together in concentration.
"What does Al want?" Piper probed, noticing that her own phone had remained silent.
"Nicky's phone has died so she's just relaying a message" Lorna lied, she looked across at Piper's confused face- her heart beat increasing rapidly as she convinced herself that the blonde had seen through her lie. After what seemed like an eternity, Piper nodded and returned to her notes causing Lorna to let out a discreet sigh of relief.
….
"You remember the plan, yeah?" Alex asked Nicky as she paced around the living room anxiously looking between the clock on the wall and her phone.
"Jesus Alex, you're going to wear holes in the carpet" Nicky replied, she was lay across one of the sofas- lazily scrolling through her phone. Alex had ran through the plan about five times already- it would be impossible to not remember it.
Alex stopped pacing and stood to face Nicky. "I'm serious Nick."
Nicky sighed, "I got it Al, chill out. Everything's guna' be fine."
"I've told the others that if anything goes wrong they should ring me, OK?"
"Yep," Nicky replied, she placed her phone down and looked up at her friend. "You know I still haven't decided if this is really romantic or really fucking stupid."
"Fuck off" Alex retorted, although she couldn't stop a smile from creeping across her face.
….
"I don't actually know who else will be coming. Nick didn't really say but knowing her it will be half of Litchfield!" Lorna laughed.
The girls had talked about spring break plans the whole walk back from the library. Lorna was bad at keeping secrets- especially from Piper. She chattered nervously and made sure that there were no silences that Piper could fill with comments or questions about Alex. Her throat was dry from the constant talking and she felt like jumping for joy when she saw their dorm block looming in the distance- the plan was about to take shape.
Lorna held the door open for Piper, allowing her to enter first. Piper thanked her friend before heading towards her room. She had removed her backpack from her shoulders and was about to sling it onto her bed when she spotted a beautiful bouquet of red roses. Piper placed her bag on the floor instead and lifted the bunch of flowers. She brought them to her nose and groaned as the fresh aroma filled her nostrils. Piper had never been given roses before, she smiled and detached the white card that had been placed in the middle of the bouquet.
Beautiful roses for a beautiful person- Your Al x
Butterflies filled Piper's stomach as she read the message over and over again. She couldn't wipe the goofy grin off her face as she comprehended that Alex must have gone out of her way to not only buy the flowers for Piper, but also to place them here whilst Piper had been out- now Lorna's weird behaviour made sense. The amount of thought that had gone into such a simple gesture made Piper's heart swell with admiration. Almost on cue Lorna entered the room with a vase of water.
"Oh what beautiful roses" Lorna cooed, smiling smugly at her friend.
Piper shook her head, "You knew!" she laughed as she accepted the vase from Lorna and gently placed the bouquet of roses into the water.
"I've got a feeling the surprises are only just beginning." Piper raised her eyebrow at Lorna, visibly confused by the statement. Again, as though on cue Piper's phone vibrated in her pocket- she looked up at her friend who winked and sauntered out of the room.
Piper reached for her phone and unlocked it.
Alex: Hey gorgeous, I hope you enjoyed the flowers. You deserve them. Come round in 10? I have something planned for you… Xx
Piper's mind raced with what Alex could have planned for her. She checked herself in the mirror before spraying her favourite perfume on her outfit and heading to the door.
"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Lorna asked smugly as Piper passed her in the corridor.
"Like you need to ask" Piper laughed in response.
….
Piper approached the house and knocked on the door once before entering. The afternoon sun was still shining brightly but the air was slightly cooler now as evening crept in. There was music coming from within the house and it made Piper feel instantly relaxed. She closed the door behind her and heard a clatter in the kitchen followed by footsteps.
"Oh it's you, waddup' Blondie", Poussey had appeared from the kitchen carrying a tub of frozen yogurt.
"Hey P, is Al in her room?" Piper asked, she anticipated what the answer would be and started to make her way towards the stairs.
Poussey cocked her head at Piper in confusion before her eyes widened slightly as her brain whirred into gear.
"Yo Nichols, Piper's here!" Poussey yelled.
Piper heard rapid footsteps from the floor above as Nicky hurtled down the stairs. "Hey there Chapman" Nicky said, catching her breath and smiling at Piper cheekily. "Vause isn't here right now, but she asked me to give you this." Nicky handed across a small pink envelope.
Piper's eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Nicky jabbed the envelope towards Piper, urging her to take it. Piper obliged and opened it to reveal a white card- similar to the one that had been left with the flowers.
'Hey Pipes- Lets play a game. Your first clue…
Is where I first laid eyes upon you- Al x'
Piper smiled as her heart lifted- she loved playing games like this.
Piper thought back to her first meeting with Alex, she remembered seeing Alex at the soccer match on her first every day at Litchfield. Piper remembered the confusion she had felt when her stomach had contracted upon seeing Alex's beautiful face on the big screen. She laughed as she remembered how she had attributed the butterflies in the pit of her stomach to the fact that she had skipped dinner. Piper read the card again- "where I first laid eyes upon you", Alex hadn't actually seen Piper that day so it couldn't be the stadium. The first time Alex would have seen Piper would have been at the coffee shop! Piper's eyes lit up as she solved the riddle, she looked up at Nicky who was beaming back at her.
"Good luck Chapman."
Piper turned around and left the house, heading back into the centre of campus towards the coffee shop. Excitement bubbled in her stomach as she contemplated what this game would lead to.
She entered the coffee shop and the bell above the door rung out in recognition. The shop was almost empty, except for a lone barista who was cleaning a coffee head attentively. Piper looked around the shop curiously, she had only been here a handful of times since meeting Alex. She smelt that same smell of strong coffee and fresh pastry, the smell kick started her brain into picturing the exact scene from that day. She remembered the way that Alex had stayed almost completely silent- something that she now knew was probably down to nerves. She remembered the way that Alex had demanded her attention even though she hadn't said a word- Piper's cheeks flushed red as she remembered the way that Alex had smirked at her when she'd caught the blonde checking her out- a smirk that now makes Piper's body tense with desire. Piper could visualise Alex's smile, a smile that had caused her stomach to drop and twist- a smile in hindsight that had first indicated to her that she was sexually attracted to a woman.
The barista was watching Piper carefully as she played out the memory in her head. When Piper looked up and caught the woman's eye she blushed and smiled awkwardly. The woman smiled back and pointed towards the table in the corner, the place where Alex had first laid eyes upon Piper. Piper thanked the woman and picked up the pink envelope that was resting against a stack of condiments in the middle of the table. Piper ripped open the envelope, revealing another white card.
'Congrats on finding your first clue,
Your next one is where we once went to watch Boo- Al x'
Piper smiled, a nice easy clue! She thanked the barista for her help and strolled out of the coffee shop in the direction of the basketball stadium. Piper reminisced back to her first basketball game with Alex. She remembered walking this exact journey, she thought of how gentle and caring Alex had been towards her. It was the first time that Piper had been out publically with Alex and hadn't cared what people had thought about her. She played out that night in her head, the area between her legs throbbed as she remembered the frat party that the girls had gone to after the game- how Alex had led Piper into the back garden and kissed her passionately against the wall. She had known from that moment that Alex Vause was going to leave a lasting impression on her life.
Piper entered the arena and approached the court where the team were practising their defence. The air was filled with the squeaks of sneakers on the slick floor and the air smelt like a mix of sweat and deodorant. Piper watched on as Boo jumped up with her arms in the air to block a shot- sweat forcing her dark fringe to cling to her forehead. She landed from the jump and shouted in triumph before looking across and waving at Piper extravagantly.
"Chapman! Finally realised that I'd treat you better than Vause?" Boo smirked, as reached the edge of the court where Piper was now stood.
"Exactly" Piper laughed.
"Here" Boo said as she pulled back the elastic of her shorts and retrieved a pink envelope. Piper raised her eyebrow at Boo, struggling to keep the disgust from her face.
"Oh c'mon Chapman stop being such a prude! I thought you loved pussy?"
Piper smirked and took the envelope off Boo gingerly and opened it up.
'Don't worry Pipes, we're nearly at the end…
Your next clue is with your best friend- Al x'
"Thanks Boo", Piper beamed.
"No worries, you enjoy your surprise."
Piper set off back towards the dorm, it was only when she was walking did she think about how much effort Alex must have put into this. The timing for one- knowing when she would be back from the library, knowing what time the basketball training was on and what time the coffee shop would close. A fresh set of butterflies set flight in Piper's stomach- she honestly did not deserve this girl. Piper had been so swept up in playing the game that she hadn't spent much time thinking about what the surprise could be- as long as Alex was waiting for her at the end of this game she'd be happy.
Lorna's door was ajar when Piper returned, she entered into the room where Lorna was sprawled on the bed with her laptop balanced on her chest. When Piper entered a huge shit eating grin span across Lorna's face.
"See, I can keep a secret!" she exclaimed as she jumped up and retrieved the envelope from her bedside table.
Piper shook her head at her friend as she accepted and opened the envelope, "I can't believe any of this."
'Last clue!
Come and find me where I had my first kiss and date with you- Al x'
Lorna squealed in excitement and hugged her friend tightly, "You deserve everything bit of this, Piper."
Piper knew that the game would ultimately bring her to the stadium- it was slowly becoming their special place. It had dawned on Piper that Alex had taken her on an emotional journey. She had revisited all the places where the main milestones of their relationship had taken place. Without even being with her Alex had allowed Piper to remember back to the early days of their relationship and in turn appreciate how far they'd come. The last rays of the sun were disappearing now and the blue skies had been taken over by the orange and pink glow of a beautiful sunset.
Surely she didn't plan this as well.
Piper skirted around the stadium and ducked under the turnstiles, a route she'd taken so many times before when searched for her dark haired companion. Although the evening was still partially light the pitch was covered in darkness as the remaining sun struggling to fight its way past the overhanging stadium roof. Piper could tell that the pitch was covered, she knew that Bennett was anal about people walking any the pitch before match day so didn't think anything of it. Piper edged her way around the pitch and started to climb the steps of the stadium- walking past the area where she had first stood and watched Alex play. As she gazed across at the approximate location of where her and Polly had stood a flicker caught her eye- a flame. Piper had barely been paying attention to her surroundings but had realised now that her route was lined with candles, candles that filled Piper's nose with a rich vanilla essence. She sighed deeply, inhaling the breath-taking scent. Piper smiled as she followed the candles to the fire exit at the top of the stadium, she pushed the heavy door open and stepped out onto the open platform. There were ironically no candles on the fire platform, Piper shuddered as her hands made contact with the cool bars of the ladder as she hauled herself onto the roof. She was surprised to see that the roof was empty- Alex was nowhere to be seen.
Piper's path to the centre of the roof was lined by more candles and rose petals. Piper shook her head again, she just couldn't believe that someone cared enough about her to do this. The blonde made her way to the middle of the roof where the candles ended and rose petals created a circle, within the circle was a hand control with a red button on it. The control reminded her of a grenade and Piper glanced around nervously. As Piper picked the control up she noticed another white card placed underneath it; 'Press Me'.
Piper's heart rate sky rocketed as she realised that this was what the whole evening had been leading up to. She decided it was time to be brave and her stomach flipped with excitement at what Alex had planned for her. Piper looked down onto the pitch- she noticed that the cover was no longer on and there were odd shapes on the grass that she couldn't work out. She squinted and strained her eyes to encrypt the objects on the floor before realising that the shapes on the pitch were probably something to do with the control in her hand. Piper closed her eyes, took a deep breath and pressed the red button with her thumb. As she pressed the button there was a buzzing noise and a brief flash of light. Piper opened her eyes warily. She looked out across the pitch which was now illuminated by hundreds of individual light bulbs- all formed to create message.
It took Piper a few moments to process the message in front of her. Her blue eyes ran from one end of the field to other multiple times. Her breath hitched in her throat and her heart was hammering hard against her rib cage.
Will you be my girlfriend?
Piper's eyes averted between the breath taking sunset and the message below as tears pooled in her eyes. She was reading the words but it was as though she didn't fully understand what they meant. It was as though Piper Chapman was incapable of believing that someone could actually want her.
"Is that a yes?" The smooth, sexy voice made Piper's stomach twinge, Alex's voice allowed Piper to finally comprehend that this was all real life. Piper spun around to see Alex stood at the top of the ladder, her eyes looked equally watery as she approached the blonde. Piper gulped, struggling to speak as the emotion of the evening hit her all at once. It didn't help matters that Alex looked amazing, Piper couldn't believe that someone of this beauty was even looking at her.
"Before you answer I need to explain." Alex said, she swallowed and looked at Piper. Piper could see the fear and vulnerability hidden behind the shining green exterior of Alex's eyes. "I can't promise that I'm going to be perfect, Piper. I'm probably going to fuck up, there might be times where I say things I don't mean and times where I forget things- like birthdays, I'm shit with fucking birthdays." Alex laughed nervously. "Anyway, what I can promise is that I'm going to try my hardest every single day to make you the happiest you can possibly be. Until I met you I thought I had it all figured out, yano? It was only when you came into my life that I realised the massive fucking hole that must have been there before. You make me happy Piper, like really fucking happy. So, I want… I guess… will you be my girlfriend?" Alex paused and ran her hand through her dark hair. "Eurgh, that sounded so lame, in my head it sounded much-"
Piper caught the rest of Alex's words with her mouth. Tears started to fall down her face as she poured all of her admiration and love for Alex into their kiss. Alex hands travelled to Piper's face and she kept them there are she responded to the kiss. Piper explored Alex's mouth, passionately caressing Alex's tongue with her own. She could feel Alex's lips curving into a smile and she kissed the blonde back.
"Is that a… yes…" Alex breathed between kisses.
"Yes" Piper whispered, pulling Alex closer again and crashing their lips together. "Yes, yes yes…"
….
A/N- Hi Everyone, I couldn't wait this chapter and I apologise if it was a bit flaky in the middle- it was one of those where I really wanted to get it published so it may have been slightly rushed. Please let me know what you think, as always thanks for all the love. Just a pre-warning, I have some crazy times coming up in the next couple of weeks so my updates may be a little slow. Don't worry though, I won't leave you waiting too long! Thanks, love to you all- C x