I know it's short, but I'm working on it...
Faint rays of light peak through the bedroom's curtains as the blonde lies awake. In deciding to not wake up her sleeping girlfriend, Piper grabs her iPhone from the nightstand and checks up on all of her unread messages as well as the latest news.
Her attempts in being peaceful, however, falls through, as when her finger slips mid-scroll, the device falls from her hand, landing directly onto her face.
"Fuck," the blonde shouts, reaching her right hand up to rub the bridge of her nose.
"Hmm, now?" a low, husky voice asks as the bed shuffles, indicating that the person occupying the other side had just turned over.
"Sorry I didn't mean to wake you," Piper says, placing her phone back away before turning onto her side so that she's now facing her girlfriend.
"What time is it?" Alex asks, eyes still shut.
"Just after 9."
"Why don't you ever let me sleep in?" the brunette grumbles, trying to hide a smile.
"I let you sleep in," the blonde tries to counter argue.
"Are you not tired from last night?" Alex digresses, not understanding how Piper is awake so early considering the time in which they eventually went to bed.
"Surprisingly not," the blonde shuffles closer, running her fingers down her girlfriend's jawline. "I'm guessing you are?"
"Considering it was me doing all the work - yeah: I am," Alex chuckles, still keeping her eyes shut to avoid seeing the blonde's reaction.
Piper, however, decides to show rather than voice what she's thinking, whereby she leans forwards to connect their lips, smiling into the kiss when she feels her girlfriend's reciprocation.
In their equal state of nakedness, the blonde takes advantage of the brunette's recently woken state and moves so that her body is lying on top of her girlfriend. She can begin to feel Alex's state of consciousness begin to reach normal levels, and when she feels two hands anchoring down on the skin of her hips, squeezing lightly, Piper detaches their lips, instead moving hers down the older woman's body until she's eventually lying between her legs with the duvet now resting on her calf muscles.
The first extension of her tongue grants the blonde with a guttural moan from the woman above her followed by the feeling of a hand running through her shoulder-length hair.
Knowing that her actions alone turns Alex into a crumbling mess is something that will always make the blonde's heart flutter, and as she looks up into her girlfriend's eyes while teasing her opening with the tip of her tongue, Piper smirks before fully penetrating her opening, trying her best not to give in herself at the sight of Alex's head tilting back as a string of profanities roll off her tongue.
"Knock knock," the blonde says as she turns the door handle of her girlfriend's office, smiling at the sight of her working with a pair of headphones in while looking at her computer screen with great levels of focus.
The sound of the closing door makes the brunette jump in her seat slightly, causing the blonde to chuckle.
"Fuck, you scared me," Alex voices loudly before pulling out her headphones.
"Sorry, I didn't realise you were still busy," Piper says apologetically while still standing by the door. "I can go if you want me to?" she adds in question, hooking her thumb backwards towards the door.
"No! Stay!" the brunette argues definitively.
It had been a week since the couple had last stayed the night together, and despite her busy schedule, the blonde wanted to make an effort to try and visit her girlfriend whenever she had a spare moment.
"I brought dinner," Piper says, holding up two plastic bags of the Chinese food she had picked up upon her arrival.
"See - this is why I love you," Alex smiles, getting up from her desk to follow the blonde over to the sofa located at the side of her office.
"Just because I'm aware of your eating habits?" the blonde asks as she watches her girlfriend rummage through one of the bags having taken a seat next to her.
"Hmm?" Alex murmurs, having already stuffed her mouth with a spring roll.
Piper, knowing that the woman next to her has been having a busy working week, takes a moment to smile at her girlfriend. "You forgot to have lunch again, didn't you?"
"I wouldn't say I forgot," Alex pauses, taking another bite of food. "I just didn't have the time."
"You can't not eat during the day, Al," the blonde places a hand on the brunette's knee, squeezing it lightly.
"I know. I've just had a long few days," she pauses again, putting her food down before placing her hand over the one resting on her knee while turning her head to the side. "Hey," she smiles sheepishly.
"Hey," Piper chuckles. "That was quite the delayed welcome."
"Yeah, well, you overwhelm me," Alex honestly responds, leaning forward to deliver a peck onto her girlfriend's lips. "Thanks for dinner."
"Well, it's better than a bowl of cereal when you get home," Piper bites down on her lower lip while rummaging through the other bag of food.
"So what's been going on in your world?" Alex asks as she hands a box of noodles over to her counterpart.
"I went and saw Polly and Finn today, but other than that, it's been surprisingly quiet for a change. You still busy?"
"Yeah - they've been getting me to proof read over some material but it's a pain in the ass," the brunette pauses, not wanting to go off on a tangent about her stressful working life. "What's up?" she proceeds to ask in seeing the blonde spacing out.
"My book tour's been pushed forward."
"And that's troubling you?"
"We already had plans for the weekend, Al, but now I'm leaving tomorrow."
"Tomorrow?" Alex repeats, eyebrows raised. "I thought you weren't leaving until next week?"
"I thought that too," Piper leans back, sighing loudly. "I just wish I could be there for-"
"Pipes-" Alex begins to argue, not wanting her girlfriend to drown in her guilt.
"No, Alex, it sucks that I won't be there for you on your mom's birthday," the blonde sternly gets out, causing a silence to echo around the room.
"I don't mind. I normally spend the day alone anyway. Hell, we would spend the day alone together when she was still alive."
"That doesn't mean that you have to be alone this year as well."
"Look, I get it - you want to help, but I'm okay, Pipes. I appreciate it, but everything you've worked for has built up to this and it's important to you."
"It doesn't mean I don't get to feel bad about leaving."
"I know," Alex says, extending her right arm over the back of the sofa behind the blonde's shoulders, "and that's another thing I love about you," she smiles, which widens at the sight of her girlfriend trying to fight back the mirrored image herself.
"I might take me a little while to complete that list on my part," Piper admits honestly.
"Hmm, well you've got plenty of time to start on that," Alex says in comedic style while winking before bringing her arm back over to her body so that she can continue to eat her food.
Approaching the familiar spot that's branded into her memory, Alex squints as she sees an unfamiliar sight. At the base of her mother's headstone lines a bunch of flowers - beautifully fitting flowers, she notes. Upon reaching the all too familiar spot, Alex leans down to inspect the flowers and takes her right hand out of the pocket of her jeans to inspect the small, white card hidden in the petals.
The cursive handwriting is instantly familiar - something that makes her heart swell.
I know it isn't your birthday just yet, but here I am!
You always looked out for me throughout the short period in which we knew each other and I'll forever be grateful for that. I promise I'll do the same for Alex and I'll continue to make sure this is the last time she goes through things alone.
I miss you, Diane.
Love,
Piper.
Smiling down at the card, Alex places it back between the petals before taking off her jacket and placing down onto the grass so that she can take a seat.
"I see Piper stopped by to wish you a Happy Birthday," the brunette begins, trying hard not to let her emotions get the better of her.
She isn't sure how much time passes by; she'd spent the entire time reminiscing over past birthdays the pair had experienced together - trying her best to not give in to the fact that each special occasion doesn't seem to get any easier when concerning the loss of her mother.
When she eventually wraps up what she had been saying, the brunette stands up, grabs her jacket, and turns to begin making the slow walk back to her car when she then sees her.
Piper is standing in a dark grey trench coat with sunglasses on, her hair tied back into a ponytail.
"Pipes-" is all the brunette can mutter before the blonde takes several steps forwards and envelopes her girlfriend into a hug.
"It's okay," is all the blonde says, sensing that the older woman is overcome with emotion, especially given the slight rising and falling of her shoulders.
"What're you doing here?" Alex asks, pulling away from the crook of her girlfriend's neck, eyes watering.
"I meant it when I said I wanted to be there for you," the blonde responds, stroking her girlfriend's cheek, wiping away her fallen tears.
"But your-"
"I don't care about that right now, Al. Let's just get you home, okay?"
"Okay," the brunette tiredly huffs out, allowing her girlfriend to link their hands together and lead the way to where she had parked her car.
I've also managed to fuck up and break my arm. Typing is now quite the challenge. Please bear with...