Chapter 6
Piper felt sick, her head felt like it was going to explode and even with her eyes closed the world seemed to be spinning around her faster than any fairground ride she had ever been on. Her throat and mouth were bone dry and tasted of alcohol and cigarettes which just made her stomach turn even more. Tentatively Piper stretched out in the bed and she could feel the coolness of the bed sheets against her exposed skin. Still with her eyes shut Piper ran her right hand over her body, relieved to find out that she was still in her underwear, curiously she sent her right arm on an exploration of the bed around her, she was alone.
With a deep breath Piper opened her tired, heavy eyes expecting to see the bedroom in her apartment; instead it was a stranger's bedroom. The deep purple walls were unfamiliar, the child like framed paintings on the wall meant nothing to Piper and the overflowing wardrobe clearly indicated that a woman lived in this apartment.
With a groan Piper pushed herself up in bed and tried in vain to remember what had happened the night before but everything was a blur of alcohol, dancing and Alex.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Piper stood alone in the apartment, Larry had said very little as he left, the emotion of the situation was clear in his voice. With a deep breath Piper turned her gaze from the back of the front door and looked around the apartment, everywhere a reminder of the relationship that she and Larry once had. Mementos from holidays, silly keepsakes of distant memories of their former selves, photo's that hung on the wall were of happier times, their joyful faces looked on mockingly. The biggest reminder of their past was wrapped around Pipers finger, the tiny diamond glinting in the harsh lighting of the living room.
Guiltlessly Piper pulled the engagement ring off her finger and placed in on the coffee table that was still scattered in the remains of Larry's comfort eating from the night before. Turning her nose up at the half eaten beef jerky Piper sauntered towards the bedroom to change out of her work clothes and into something more suitable for an evening with Alex Vause.
As she entered the bedroom she noticed the wardrobe door was wide open and Larry's clothes were strewn all over the floor and the bed. With every second and minute that past her love for Larry disappeared, like an hour glass who's last grain of sand was about to fall and no one was going to turn it over to start it again.
Buzzz Buzzz Buzzz Buzzz
Her phone angrily vibrated on the bedside cabinet, Piper knew who she hoped it would be but when the name on the screen contained five letters and not four her heart sank.
"Hi Polly." Her voice was falsely chipper.
"Pipes, I just saw Larry walking down the street with a suitcase. Is everything okay?"
"Yes Pol everything is fine." She lied.
-.-.-.-.-.-
There was a noise outside the bedroom door that clattered through Pipers thoughts of the early hours of the previous evening. She did not have to wait long to find out who the perpetrator was as the bedroom door opened and their stood Alex Vause. Her hair was a mess, she had no glasses and her normally hypnotic black eyeliner was missing. Yet despite being in a faded band t-shirt and grey sweat pants Piper still thought she looked stunning.
"Good morning Pipe-a-tron." Alex's voice was rougher than normal but Piper found that so sexy that she almost over looked the nickname that Alex had just called her, the frown on her face helped Alex read the blonde like a book and with a chuckle she put down the glass of water she was carrying on the bedside table. "You can't remember standing on the park bench demanding we all call you Pipe-a-tron and for us all to bow down at your feet?"
Piper put her head in her hands as slowly distorted memories fell a little into place. She had drunk so much and acted so out of character, what must Alex think of her?
"Was that before or after I dared Nicky to kiss that old tramp?"
"Oh well after that, but before you decided to try and climb the tree to-"
"-to be with my spirit creature the Squirrel."
Piper finished Alex's sentence with a look of embarrassment but the raven haired woman seemed to find something funny as she started to laugh as she leaned over and placed a kiss on top of Pipers head.
"I am going to shower; can I suggest you having a look at your phone."
Alex took one last look back at the beautiful blonde that sat in her bed in just her underwear.
-.-.-.-.-.-
Alex burst through the doors of 'The Litchfield Bar', her destination was the bushy haired bar tender. "Phone now Nichols!" Alex's voice was demanding as her hand lay outstretched waiting to feel the cool plastic of the phone case upon it.
"Geez, hold your horses it's charging in the back."
"Well go get it!"
With a dismissive huff Nicky turned and left out of the side door before remerging a couple of minutes later with Alex's phone in hand.
"I turned it off, you know confidentiality and shit."
With a small thank you Alex turned the little phone on waiting expectantly for messages to come through and she was not disappointed. Piper had sent three messages, so starting from the bottom she green eyes greedily ate the words on the screen.
Piper – It was great seeing you again. Thanks x
Piper – I meant what I said today, hope the invite is still open for tonight x
Piper – Hope you are having a nice day, Polly keeps asking about you. x
Alex lifted her head at the sound of a bottle of beer being placed on the counter in front of her. She could not remove the broad smile that was plastered across her face.
"Everything alright Stretch?"
She was about to answer the question when another message popped up on the phone screen.
Piper – You best be at Litchfield and you best be ready for a good night! X
With a wry smile Alex's fingers eagerly danced over the virtual keyboard on the phone screen typing then retyping her response. She didn't want to come on too strong, despite Pipers admission earlier in the day of wanting her.
Alex – Present and correct with a drink waiting for you.x
Alex toyed with adding more kisses to the end of the message but decided matching Piper was the simplest of choices. She has forgotten about all the complexities of text flirting and for some reason she was especially worried about upsetting Piper.
"Nic, can I have a margarita for Piper?"
"Blondie is coming then? Obviously lover boy isn't number one anymore."
Alex smiled to herself as she sipped her beer, tonight had so much potential.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Piper heard the shower start, the sound of the water hypnotising her as she tried to remember what had happened the night before. Deciding to follow Alex's instructions she looked for her phone, spotting it charging on the bedside table, Alex really did think of everything. That was when she noticed that the background on her phone had changed. Instead of a picture of Larry wearing a tiny cowboy hat from their holiday was a blurred selfie of her and Alex. She took a moment to study the picture; she noticed how their heads were resting against one another, how Alex clearly had an arm wrapped tightly around her, but what mattered most of all to Piper was how happy they both looked.
Hoping that was not the only photo taken that night Piper quickly went to the photo gallery, her eyes growing wide when she saw the sheer volume of pictures. The majority were of dark shadowy blurs from a night club they had clearly visited. She thought she could make out pictures of Nicky and Alex through the gloom and as she continued to scroll right she soon came across pictures of her and Alex taking bathroom mirror selfies that was when she came across one of them kissing. Piper paused and looked at the photo, desperately trying to remember the kiss.
-.-.-.-.-.-
They had been dancing for what felt like hours, they had drunk more shots and cocktails then Piper could even count and now they were taking a breather in the bathroom. Nicky was chatting up a bunch of girls while Piper and Alex stood by the sinks washing their hands. Even through the alcohol vail Piper could see that Alex was looking at her with a small frown etched onto her features.
"What's up glasses?"
Alex chuckled at the use of one of Nicky's nicknames whilst she dried her hands on her trousers.
"You are not wearing your engagement ring. Is there something I should know?"
Piper gave a shy smile as she idly leaned in closer to Alex and placed a hand on her shoulder. She could feel Alex grow tense under her touch and Piper could not deny she enjoyed the power she had over the tall, raven haired woman.
"Why do you want to know?"
She felt Alex move closer to her, they were like two magnets, attracted to one another against all odds and nothing was going to stop them from coming together.
"I don't want to have an affair Piper."
"And you won't be." Piper leaned in and kissed Alex on the cheek before Alex's lips quickly found hers.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
There was a loud bang in the bathroom which awoke Piper from her daydream, with a small sigh she went back to her phone casually flicking through the photos from the night previously. There were a few more drunken dancing photos, photos of Nicky smoking, photos of Piper smoking, photos of Alex and Piper eating a pizza followed by the said pizza laying topping side down on the side walk! It was clear that they had had a good night and with every picture that appeared on the screen it was like another bit of a jigsaw slotting into place. As the pictures carried on scrolling so did their journey through New York, they now seemed to be in Central Park.
It was then that a video started to play; the camera was focused on the giant fountain in the middle of Central Park, in the fountain was a person, and at first Piper assumed it was Nicky but it was not until she heard her own voice that made her gawk in astonishment.
"Helloooooo, I am a Beluga whale you know!"
The camera shook with Alex's laughter as she slowly walked closer to the edge of the fountain where drunk Piper was splashing in the shallow water.
"I thought you were a squirrel?" Piper looked directly into the camera, her face growing very serious all of a sudden. "I haven't got a dorsal fin you know."
Nicky walked into the shot, clearly enjoying seeing their new friend acting crazy. "Fuck me Chapman, what did you drink?"
Piper did not respond verbally, instead she splashed Nicky causing a tirade of expletives to come out of her mouth.
"Piper get out of there you are going to freeze." But last night's Piper was ignoring camera woman Alex as she continued to splash in the fountain. "Fuck me!"
The video ended and Piper suddenly became aware of her surroundings again, the sound of the shower still trickled away in the distance. She had made such a fool of herself that she was unsure if she wanted to see anymore, but Piper still had gaps in her timeline that needed to be filled. With a deep breath she swiped right on her phone screen expecting other monstrosities to appear, however it was not as bad as she expected. It was a photo of Alex giving her a piggyback, her arms were tightly locked around Alex's neck and broad smile on both their faces comforted Piper that maybe her drunken actions had not ruined everything.
"Have you come across the video yet?" Piper looked up at the sound of Alex's raspy voice to see the raven haired woman standing in the bathroom doorway, her dark wet hair dripping down onto the fuzzy light brown towel that was wrapped around her. Piper could feel her heart rate quicken as she watched the beads of water roll down over Alex's exposed skin, travelling over tattoos she had never seen before and for the briefest of moments she wanted nothing more than for the towel to fall to the floor.
"Yes unfortunately, Al I am so sorry."
"Don't worry about it kid, I had a blast."
The smile Alex gave was genuine and Piper could not help but feel at ease around this woman.
"There is one thing I can't piece together about last night." Alex made a noise of acknowledgement as she started to rummage through draws and the piles of clothes as she looked for something to wear. "How come I am in your bed in my underwear?"
"Well after your swim I could not let you go to bed in wet clothes, no matter how cute that little black dress was."
Piper could feel her cheeks grow warm as Alex flashed a smile that was worthy of a toothpaste commercial to accompany her flirty banter.
"You think I am cute?"
"No, I said your dress was cute." Alex turned to look at Piper, her eyebrow was arched and her smile was playful. "I think you are adorable."
Their eyes locked, blue met green, burning desire, met burning desire and Piper knew at that moment that whatever this was with Alex it would not be a fleeting fancy. Something about her felt inevitable.
Their combined gaze was broken when Piper was hit on the head with a pair of sweat pants and a t-shirt. With a pinched brow Piper looked down at the back pants as she highly doubted that these would fit Alex's long legs. Already the older woman could read the younger like a book and with a small laugh she proposed an explanation.
"If I said they were my sisters would you believe me?"
"No as I know you don't have one."
"Dam, the girl listens! Fine, they are an ex-girlfriends pair that she left behind, don't worry they are clean."
"I bet you offer these to every girl that stays the night."
"Not every." Alex sauntered her way back towards the bathroom door. "Only the ones I want to have stay for breakfast."
The bathroom door closed leaving Piper alone with her thoughts.
-.-.-.-.-.-
The apartment door was kicked open by one of Alex's heavy Doc Martin boots; it violently swung on its hinges as Alex dramatically entered her dark apartment. Carefully she wented into the main living area, making sure she took the side step when needed to avoid clattering her shins against the coffee table. Her arms where shaking and as she reached the sofa Alex unceremoniously dumped Piper down upon the cushions. She didn't even wake. The lights of the apartment suddenly flicked on as an out of breath Nicky finally entered the apartment.
"Fuck you and fuck your long legs Legolas!"
Alex decided to ignore this comment from her friend and turned her attention back to the dozing blonde on the sofa.
"Come and help me get Piper out of this wet dress Nic."
Nicky took a few steps forward before hesitating; it was as if a thought had passed through her sporadic mind that made her think again. Alex could almost see her thought process as she watched Nicky's eyes dart from Piper to Alex and then back to Piper again.
"No way! I am not having date rape added to my list of criminal offences."
Alex was confused and angry that Nicky would think she wold do such a thing, however she didn't get a chance to respond as the fast talking Nicky continued.
"I am not saying you are going to do that, just, well you have known her for two days, who knows what kind of shit she could come up with. I am not being part of it."
Alex could understand her friend's doubts and so tried not to take too much offence by Nicky's reaction. She watched as the crazy haired woman placed Pipers high heeled shoes down on the floor and pulled her phone from her bag, quickly tapping on the screen.
"Besides, I have a conscious woman I can be with."
"Fuck you Nichols." It was said with no malice and with a lopsided grin Nicky returned the favour by giving Alex the finger as she left the apartment. They never seemed to do a conversional goodbye.
Once the door had closed Alex looked back at Piper who still lay fast asleep on the sofa. Alex could not help herself but let her eyes travel up and down Pipers body, observing how her black dress hugged her in all the right places giving her a stunning figure. In short, Alex was in awe of Pipers beauty and, when awake, her good natured personality. Despite her warnings to Piper from the previous evening maybe it was Alex that was falling!
Reaching out carefully Alex crouched down next to the sofa and gently brushed aside Pipers blonde hair from her face, cursing inwardly as Piper filched and slowly opened her heavy eyes. "Alex?" Piper's voice was a tired whisper; every blink seemed long and slow.
"Go back to sleep Pipes."
"No, I want to spend time with you Alex." Piper slowly started to push herself up on the sofa as her unfocused eyes looked in Alex's direction. "I want to be with you, like more than friends."
Alex didn't know if it was the alcohol or tiredness that was talking for Piper but as much as she wanted to act upon it she knew nothing could happen tonight. Clearly Piper's thinking was the opposite of Alex's as she leaned forward in an attempt to kiss Alex. It was a misjudged kiss, their teeth clashed together and it was more the side of her mouth then square on the lips. Regrettably Alex did not pursue it further like she had dome earlier in the evening; instead she carefully pulled Piper up to her feet supporting the majority of her weight.
"Come on, you can sleep in my bed tonight."
Unsurprisingly Piper agreed and followed Alex in a zombie like trance. She staggered from side to side as if she was on a boat in a turbulent sea. Instinctively Alex wrapped an arm tightly around Pipers middle and guided her too the bedroom.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Alex walked out of the bathroom happy to see Piper was gingerly changing into the sweat pants, clearly she was still feeling the repercussions of the night before. Alex had stopped drinking during the night when she saw how wasted Piper was getting; she knew that someone needed to look after her as clearly she could not keep up with Nicky.
"Looks like you need a pyjama day Pipes." Alex laughed as she walked further into the room. "You call up Polly and tell her you are sick and I will make us both large coffees."
Piper didn't need telling twice. It felt like her head was in a vice due to her hangover and the thought of having to smile for Polly and all the irritating customers seemed too much to handle, besides who could turn down a pyjama day with Alex Vause?
A/N: First of all can I apologise for the delay in getting this chapter up. With the holiday season approaching/happening I have had hardly had a chance to draw breath let alone sit down and type up all my scribblings to form some sort of following story. So thank you all for being so patient with me! Those of you waiting for an update for my other story Waves of Nostalgia please just hold on a bit longer, and update will be up soon!
Secondly, thank you to everyone who has been so supportive with so many reviews, favourites and alerts. It means the world to me and I love hearing from you all, it really gives me the motivation to keep going.
Thirdly a BIG shout out to RJVause (if you have not already read her stories!) and for all her help when I was banging my head against a brick wall.
Thank you again to everyone for reading!