Another one inspired by a story (Girl in the Coffee Shop by MeganBellaRoseBlack) minus the angst, because, for some reason, coffee shops don't feel like soul up-heaving places to me. Anyway, unexpectedly running into an ex is always a rattling experience, even when you can joke about it.
PS: to the person who asked who is Alex waiting for - well, that's the question, isn't it? ;-) what's this ship without frustrating half answers or no answers at all? he he. Also consider that she might not be waiting for anyone at all but just wanted to appear mysterious to Piper. We shall never know.
PS2: a sequel? For real? Poor Larry... I know we all feel for him. You know, the reason I write one offs is because I don't want the pressure of having to finish something after the steam's gone out of it for me, but I'm starting to see why Stephen King feels like he has to noodle on with stories that were perfect for the first 100 pages.
It was one of those days when the air is so saturated with moisture that breathing becomes a problem. Luckily, by 6pm something had changed and the atmosphere was once again bearable. Except now all that hitherto pent up rain was coming down relentlessly. Piper opened her umbrella and resolutely covered the one block separating her from the nearest Starbucks, slightly annoyed that Larry had just texted to say he was running late. If it was up to her, she'd have gladly just gone home and ordered Chinese.
As if the weather and Larry hadn't done enough to aggravate her mood, now it seemed like the entire after work crowd had congregated inside Starbucks. As she joined the line and resigned herself to a long, noisy, high humidity wait, she had time to muse about Larry's reason for being late. He was trying to garner interest in a weekly travel column, based on her adventures in South East Asia.
„Just think about it, Pipes, we could break into the travel diary market. It's huge!"
She had rolled her eyes at him.
„I know it's massive, Larry, but we're talking about 10 year old travels."
„Even better. It's going to read like the halcyon days!"
The memory caused her to laugh out loud, earning stares from a teenage couple loitering nearby. Halcyon days... a time when nothing could have been further from her mind than joining the 9 to 5 drones in Starbucks while secretly wishing to make it home before 7pm for Chinese and a long evening of Netflix.
She was brusquely brought out of her reverie by the barista. She smiled at the scrappy young woman and gave her order.
„I haven't seen you around here before, Piper", the barista said, and Piper detected a definite Australian accent. She looked around with a wry smile on her lips.
„Do you remember everyone who comes in at this time of the day?"
„I'd have remembered you." The Aussie winked and Piper chuckled softly. „You really walked right into that one, babe."
Piper found she was enjoying their exchange. She took in the barista's figure (nice) and flicked her eyes at the badge.
„Well, Stella, maybe I'll come in more often from now on."
„I'm here Monday to Friday," Stella smiled, handing her the change. „I finish at 7."
„Mmm, I'm meeting someone today," Piper said, admitting to herself that right at that moment she wished Larry's meeting would've run even longer. „See you around, though," she continued, with a little wave.
Stella winked again and returned to her next customer. Piper took a spot to the side, with the other people waiting for their coffees.
„Roberto?" one of the baristas called.
A shortish, portly man with a trendy red beard made his way through the crowd, forcing Piper to move further to the side. In her attempt at avoiding Roberto's leather messenger bag, she slammed into someone.
„Sorry! I'm really sorry," she turned, her hands up, eyebrows furrowed in embarrassment.
The woman lifted her eyes up from her phone. Piper felt pinned to her spot, face switching from embarrassment to slightly apprehensive surprise. She was duly shoved by another advancing patron.
„Piper?" the woman finally said in a familiar low voice that confirmed her identity to Piper. „Hey," she said slowly, a lazy smile curling the corners of her lips. „What are you doing in Starbucks? You hated the fuckers." She extended her hand and closed her fingers around Piper's. „Let's move out of the way before someone else assaults you."
„Alex," Piper finally found her voice once they were leaning against the far wall, shoulders brushing, fingers interlinked (though she was too surprised to focus on how easy it was to fall back onto what had once been so familiar). „Are you still in NYC? Or are you back in NYC? It's been a while." Her eyes searched Alex's face and body with curiosity, her mind momentarily more interested in answers to concrete questions rather than in untangling emotional riddles.
„Mmm, you don't say." Alex smiled. „Long story. How about you? What have you been up to?"
„I... I'm getting married," Piper blurted and wanted to kick herself as soon as it was out. That was entirely the wrong conversation to be had with the Alex she knew.
Alex arched an eyebrow. The sight brought an endless string of memories crashing back on Piper, for the first time forcing her to pay attention to her emotional responses to their encounter. For a moment her mind went blank. Just then, the barista – Stella – called her name. Piper kept looking at Alex, registering little else around her beside Alex's trademark combination of half mocking, half warm smile.
"I think that's you," Alex spoke very close to her ear.
"What?"
"Piper?" Stella's voice called again.
"Your coffee," Alex smiled, squeezing her hand. It dawned on Piper that Alex hadn't let go of her hand since they'd started talking. It felt right, so she squeezed back. Distractedly, Piper moved to retrieve the paper cup, finally breaking contact. She frowned. All of a sudden it was too hot and too noisy in the coffee shop.
"Is that who you're meeting tonight?" Stella picked the flirtation up from where they'd left off, nodding in Alex's direction. Piper followed her eyes, involuntarily comparing the two.
"Uh, no, that's just an old friend," Piper answered still frowning.
"Old friend, huh?" Stella replied, knowingly. "Well, enjoy your coffee, babe."
Piper made her way back to the far wall, her eyes on Alex. She was reminded of what Alex had once told her, namely that she wasn't one for change. Indeed, she looked pretty much as she always had; the same long jet black hair, leather jacket and black jeans, though the passing of time had dulled the sharpness of her cheekbones and the crease between her eyebrows was more pronounced. She had gone back to texting. For a moment Piper felt a jolt of annoyance clawing at her from underneath a long forgotten scar. Once upon a time, that phone – or one a few generations older – had been a symptom of the inexorably widening gap between them.
She stopped just before she reached Alex, wondering if it was worth proceeding. She had got her coffee and… Just then, her phone pinged.
Larry: be there in a minute :-)
She was about to turn on her heels when Alex lifted her head. With a broad smile, she made her way towards Piper. The blonde let out a long breath.
"How come you don't have a coffee?"
"Starbucks? Nah. I only got in here because of the rain. I'm meeting someone shortly. You?"
"Yea, me too. I mean, about meeting someone shortly. My fiancé."
"Boy? Girl?"
"Man," Piper felt the need to highlight.
"Oh? Have you graduated to men, now, Pipes? When did that happen, recently?"
Piper showed her the finger, but with the bonus of a small smile. Alex had seemed to be entirely too amused by her own jibe. It bothered Piper more than she cared to admit.
"You weren't a girl, either."
"But you were," Alex chuckled.
"That makes you a perv."
Alex laughed a low laugh that immediately wreaked havoc with Piper's inner scars.
"Well, since you've already dubbed me a perv, give me your phone so I can stick my digits in it. For old times' sake."
"My number's the same as it's always been," Piper said. Not that she hadn't considered changing it. But she always found reasons not to.
Alex lifted her eyebrows. She flicked through her contacts and pressed the screen. In a few short seconds, Piper's phone started ringing. They looked at each other and laughed. Certain things had always been so easy between them.
"Piper!"
Both turned to see a tall guy with short, curly dark hair waving in Piper's direction.
"I see you're still hung up on dark and tall," Alex commented wryly. "Only this time you've copped out on handsome."
"Fuck off," Piper laughed, allowing herself to poke Alex in the ribs. The brunette caught the offending finger and pulled it playfully. Both chuckled.
"It looks like the time is right for fucking off, doesn't it? The future Mr Chapman is here to whisk you away."
"I thought you were meeting someone, too?" It occurred to Piper that Alex had constantly avoided talking about herself. Not that it was anything new. But all of a sudden it felt really important to know just who that someone was.
"See you later, Pipes," Alex said, squeezing her hand one more time.