A/N: Wow! Thank you all so much for the reviews, follows, and favorites! It was so amazing to come back after almost a year of absence and have this sort of response! I love you all and really appreciate it!
Chapter 5
Thud. Thud. Thud. Clank. Whoooooosh.
Blinding light suddenly flooded Piper's room, causing the blonde to squeeze her eyelids tighter together in an attempt to block out the morning sun's unwelcome rays. Moments later, her bed dipped, the covers shifted, and she felt a cold, smooth leg press against hers.
"Rise and shine, Piper!" Polly sing-songed, rubbing her ice-block feet along Piper's calf in an attempt to steal some of her best friend's body heat.
Piper groaned and rolled away from her chipper friend, pulling her legs away from Polly's icy feet and bringing them up toward her chest, effectively forming herself into a little ball of warmth.
Polly settled in comfortably and said with a chuckle, "What the hell happened last night?"
Piper's eyes shot open as the events from the previous night came rushing back into her consciousness. She squinted immediately as the light from the now-uncurtained window (Thanks, Polly) shocked her corneas.
Piper groaned again and rolled over onto her back next to Polly. Debriefing after the drunk shenanigans of the previous night was something they did every morning following a night out. She put her arm over her eyes and managed to croak out, "How are you not hungover?"
Polly just laughed, "How are you? You had like three drinks, tops."
Piper shrugged. She felt dehydrated and her head was pounding. "I don't drink as often as you do, I guess."
Polly pushed herself up into a sitting position and reached for something on Piper's nightstand. "Here. Take some Advil and drink some water."
Piper smiled gratefully at her best friend. "You are a goddess." She slowly pushed herself into a sitting position against her headboard so she could swallow the pills.
"So let's discuss. What happened last night? You disappeared for awhile and then the next thing I knew, you were dragging us out of there like the place was on fire." Polly laughed softly, even though she wasn't sure if it was a laughing matter.
Piper sighed, her eyes fluttered closed. "Alex was there."
"What?!" Polly nearly screeched.
Piper cringed, covering her hangover-sensitive ears. "Owwwww."
Polly smiled sheepishly and said in an exaggerated whisper, "Sorry." Then continued at a more normal register, "I didn't see her there. But why would that make you want to leave? Oh my god. Was she there with another girl? What a skank."
Piper couldn't help but laugh at Polly and how she just blurted out her entire stream of consciousness. "No, no. There wasn't another girl." Piper launched into the events of the previous night, detailing to Polly how Alex had bought her a drink and describing the hot dance the two had shared. "And just when I thought she was finally going to kiss me, she left… Seriously, like poof and she was gone. I don't get it. I know she's into me, but for some reason she's holding back and it's driving me insane."
Polly pondered for a minute, turning her body so that her back was against the bedroom wall and she was facing Piper. She had witnessed for herself how Alex had flirted and interacted with Piper at the tailgate, so she knew it wasn't all just in her best friend's head. Taking that and adding all the stories Piper had told her, she couldn't figure out what would be holding Alex back. "Well, you said there was another girl and that Alex told you it was complicated with her. Do you think there's something still there and that's what is making her hesitant to go for it with you?" Polly questioned gently.
Piper sighed and shrugged. "Could be. Maybe it's all in my mind, but I just don't think so. I've heard Nicky talk about this girl, Silvie is her name, to Alex and it doesn't seem like there's anything between them anymore. And at the graduate student reception, Alex didn't really seem like she wanted to go find her when Nicky said she was looking for her."
Both girls were quiet for a moment, but then Polly sat up suddenly and Piper could almost see the lightbulb brighten above her head. "You know what? I kind of remember Allison DiSilvestro talking about one of her good friends, who I think was a Chemistry grad student, who started liking one of the research assistants in his lab. I vaguely remember her talking to him about it, and he told her the university didn't allow grad students to date their students! Do you think that could be why you're getting mixed signals from Alex? Maybe she likes you, but it's against the rules to pursue anything with you!" Polly's voice had risen excitedly at the prospect of finally solving the mystery that was Alex Vause.
Piper's eyes widened as Polly's words sunk in. "I can't believe I didn't think about that. That must be it. It makes so much sense." Piper was relieved to finally have a reason for Alex's contradictory behavior. After the initial feelings of relief settled; however, she deflated. "So that means there's literally nothing I can do. I don't want to be the reason Alex gets in trouble with school; I know she's worked really hard to get to where she is."
Polly bumped her shoulder sympathetically against Pipers. "Yeah, Pipe. That really sucks," She said supportively. "On the bright side, though, you'll only be her student for about another month and a half. That really isn't that long."
It really wasn't, Piper agreed. And the last few weeks of the semester were always busy anyway, filled with projects and final exams. The time would surely fly by. "You're right, Pol. Maybe I should just back off until the semester ends and focus on schoolwork. Then I can figure out the whole Alex-thing when the semester is over."
Polly smiled encouragingly. "I think that sounds like the best plan, Piper. Now whaddya say we go grab some brunch at Rolling Pin Café? Their pancakes will definitely cure your hangover, I promise."
…
Surprisingly, Piper found that staying away from Alex was easier than she had thought it would be. It was already November, and the semester was winding down in the form of two final projects and four major final exams that Piper needed to prepare for. Not to mention the fact that Piper had a minor role in the Fall production of A Streetcar Named Desire, which would run the first week in December. Suffice it to say, with projects, studying for finals, and rehearsals, Piper was actually pretty busy and didn't have much time to dwell on the whole Alex-situation, which she was honestly grateful for.
A week into November and rehearsals were really starting to pick up. After a particularly long rehearsal on a Friday night, Piper stumbled into the dark apartment she shared with Polly at around ten-thirty.
"Pol? You home?" She called as she flipped on the living room light.
No answer followed, so Piper assumed she was out with Pete – which really wasn't unusual for a Friday night. Exhausted, Piper ambled into her room to change immediately into some sweat pants and a t-shirt. She washed the make-up and sweat that had accumulated throughout the rehearsal from her face and immediately felt better as the stress from the day seemed to wash away with it.
The blonde grabbed her laptop from her bag and returned to the living room, setting the computer on the coffee table. She hadn't eaten much for dinner because of her busy schedule, so she fixed herself a snack of cheese and crackers before settling into the couch, queuing up a binge-worthy show on Netflix, and opening her laptop to check her emails.
Amidst the handful of emails from professors and threads about group projects, Piper's eyes were drawn to one unopened email in particular.
From: Alex Vause (avause1 )
To: Piper Chapman (pchapman3 )
Subject: Checking in
Hey Piper,
You didn't come to any office hours this week, so I just wanted to send an email to make sure everything is okay.
Alex
A slow smile crept up Piper's face as she read the short email. She thought it was sweet that Alex noticed her absence and was reaching out to make sure everything was okay (or maybe also possibly because the older girl missed Piper this week).
Piper quickly pressed the reply option on her email and began typing out a response.
To: Alex Vause (avause1 )
Subject: RE: Checking in
Hi Alex
Thanks for checking in on me. Things were just hectic this week! It's going to be a busy end of the semester for me. I probably won't be able to come by office hours for a few weeks, but I do want to come in before the final to go over a few of the concepts with you.
~ Piper
Piper set her open laptop on the coffee table in front of her (in case Alex decided to email back), and lay down across her couch to get sucked in to the tv show Riverdale. Every so often, her eyes flicked to the computer screen to check for a new email, until eventually she fell asleep.
…
Over the next two weeks, Piper didn't see or hear from Alex at all, except for a brief sighting at the library, where Piper was meeting up with Polly to study. She had sauntered in and headed toward the private study rooms in the back, when she happened to look to her right and find the dark green eyes of her psychology TA across the room. Alex was at a table with Nicky and some other girl, and the three appeared to be doing some studying of their own. Sometimes Piper forgot that Alex actually took classes too.
They held eye contact as Piper continued on her original path. Alex raised an eyebrow at her and a corner of her mouth lifted in a slight knowing smirk, and Piper began to feel flustered as color rushed to her cheeks. She had forgotten the effect the darker haired girl had on her. She lifted her hand in an awkward wave, which only made Alex's smirk turn into a real, amused smile. She gave a slight nod in response.
Piper finally broke eye contact and turned back to face the direction her body was moving, nearly colliding with a boy bent over replacing books on the display shelves. She caught herself in the nick of time, but the boy turned to look at her with annoyance in his eyes, and reprimanded in a loud whisper, "Watch where you're going."
Blood had quickly flooded into Piper's cheeks and she replied, "Sorry!" She chanced a glance back at Alex, and saw the older girl chuckling quietly to herself while shaking her head in amusement. Her eyes were trained on Piper.
Piper had quickly rushed away in her embarrassment.
It was now the first day of Thanksgiving Break, and Piper strolled the empty campus on her way to grab a coffee before hitting the library for some major studying. Polly had left the previous morning, deciding to forgo her classes that day to get a head start on her trip back home, so Piper figured she'd have zero distractions and zero excuses for schoolwork over the next few days.
Due to the deserted campus, she was able to walk straight up to the counter to order her coffee, a phenomenon that rarely happened during regular school hours. Piper couldn't help smiling to herself as she waited on her sugary concoction, thinking to herself that maybe not going home for Thanksgiving really wouldn't be that bad.
"It's a little cold out for an iced coffee, don't you think?" That scratchy voice Piper would recognize anywhere spoke over her shoulder, causing Piper to immediately spin around. "Hey, Piper."
"Alex." Piper couldn't help but smile at her presence. It seemed like forever since she'd talked to the darker haired girl. She really had been doing a good job at backing off.
"What are you doing here? Not going home for Thanksgiving?" Alex asked, stepping around Piper to place her order to the barista, who was waiting impatiently.
Piper seized her drink and followed the older girl. As Alex placed her order, Piper took a small sip of her cold drink and couldn't help but bounce a little on the balls of her feet. Avoiding Alex had been easier than she had expected, and being so caught up in her school work had nearly made her forget what it felt like to be near her. Giddy happiness. Like she'd give up anything just to be able to stay in her presence a moment longer.
"My parents are vacationing in Tahiti or somewhere. It's actually kind of rare for us to do the whole Thanksgiving dinner thing. I usually just stay on campus and try to get ahead on studying for finals." Piper answered after Alex had finished placing her order.
Alex paid and took her coffee from the barista. The two of them began walking toward the exit. "What?! Are you serious? You mean you usually spend Thanksgiving alone?" Alex seemed surprised, almost aghast, at this idea.
The raven haired girl's exaggerated response surprised and embarrassed Piper a little and she felt the beginning of an embarrassed flush painting her cheeks. She hadn't expected Alex to think spending Thanksgiving alone was such a big deal and she almost felt defensive of her situation. She didn't need Alex of all people pitying her.
"It's not a big deal, Alex." Piper said, somewhat forcefully. "Like I said, my family doesn't usually celebrate Thanksgiving together."
Alex was taken aback by Piper's heated tone of voice. A small, amused half-smirk formed on her lips, causing Piper's scowl to deepen further. "Geez. Keep your shirt on, Pipes." Piper could almost hear the smile in Alex's voice, and she tried very hard not to give in and smile back. "I was just surprised. My mom and I always do Thanksgiving together, and I couldn't imagine not spending the holiday with her. We're pretty much all the other has."
As they exited the coffee shop, Piper felt the cool breeze blow her hair up away from her face and shoulders. Her hand immediately felt colder, grasping the cool cup in the cooler Autumn air. She had to fight herself from letting her body drift closer to Alex's (for warmth, duh.), but couldn't stop herself from bumping their shoulders together softly.
"So are you going to go to her for Thanksgiving? Or does she come to you?" Piper asked, taking a small sip and shivering at the cold liquid. Alex seemed to move closer to her, and Piper wished more than anything that she'd wrap an arm around her shoulders. Of course, she didn't.
"She actually lives here in Litchfield. When I got accepted to the program she moved with me. You know what? You should celebrate with us tomorrow!"
Piper's eyes widened with pleasant surprise. "Really? I don't want to impose."
"Of course. You need to experience an actual Thanksgiving dinner. Nicky will be there and a few of my mom's friends, so no imposition at all."
Alex actually looked excited about the idea, but Piper was still hesitant. She cast her eyes down at her drink as she seemed to ponder the invitation. Alex definitely picked up on her reluctance.
She slowed her pace as they neared the psychology building. "I want you to come, Piper," Alex said softly, earnestly. Piper's downcast eyes slowly lifted until they met Alex's. Piper smiled as their eyes met. This was exactly what she had been wanting all along; but she couldn't help the nagging guilt that tugged at her, telling her that she was only risking Alex's future as a PhD student.
But Alex's eyes were so hopeful, and Piper wanted to say 'yes' so badly. She wasn't strong enough do the right thing.
"So what should I bring to a Thanksgiving dinner?"
A/N: So I know I used the "it's a little cold out for a margarita" line in the last chapter, but I couldn't help myself using it again in this one at the coffee shop.
Your response has been amazing so far! Please continue to leave reviews! I love hearing what you guys liked or didn't like as well as what you'd like to see in future chapters!
Love yous!
-HM
