A/N 1: Hey guys! Thank you for all the wonderful reviews, you guys rock and you're all truly amazing. So here's part 2 of 3. This is the longest update I've ever written, so I hope you like it, and let me know what you think!
We Looked Like Giants – Part 2
Chapter 2: Piper Chapman
That night, Piper had a difficult time concentrating.
She was on a date. A second date to be precise, with a guy Polly knew through Pete, a UMASS student named Larry. Their first date had been nice; Larry was fumbling and a little awkward, but was definitely sweet, and she had enjoyed herself a few weeks ago.
But Piper hadn't just spent an afternoon with Alex Vause before her last date with Larry, hadn't spent the afternoon realizing how intelligent and talented was, hadn't kissed Alex Vause goodbye as she left her apartment. And now, she was a little…distracted.
"Um, Piper?"
Piper's head snapped up, looking at Larry with wide eyes. Plastering a smile on her face, she tried to get herself to focus. "Yes?"
"Is everything alright?" Larry asked, concerned. "I just asked you like three times how your food was, and you didn't answer."
"Oh my god, I'm so sorry Larry," Piper apologized quickly. "I just… I had a tough day in my theater class, and I can't stop thinking about it."
"I'm sure you'll do great," Larry placated, smiling. "You're one of the smartest people I know, you'll pull through."
"Thanks," Piper smiled, but she couldn't help but miss Alex's comforting words earlier this afternoon.
For the rest of the evening, Piper made sure to focus her attention on Larry and their date. She found herself having a good time, and was a little sad when Larry drove her back to her dorm. She smiled gratefully when Larry opened the car after they parked in front of her building, and she squeezed his hand briefly as they walked to the door.
"I had a really nice time tonight Piper," Larry smiled when they reached Piper's door.
"Yeah," Piper said, smiling. "Me too."
"Maybe we can get together again sometime soon."
"Sure," Piper nodded.
Larry smiled at her, leaning in. Piper let her eyes fall shut as Larry's lips pressed gently against hers.
Surprisingly, Piper didn't feel what she expected to feel. She didn't really feel much of anything.
She didn't feel the rush, the electricity, or the excitement she felt when she kissed Alex Vause. It didn't make her want more, didn't make her lean in further, deepen the kiss.
As Larry pulled away, Piper forced a smile on her face. "Goodnight Larry."
"Goodnight Piper," Larry grinned, squeezing her hand as he turned and left.
Piper rushed to unlock her door, pushing it open quickly and shutting it firmly. She turned around, pushing her back against the door as she slid down against it.
"Shit," Piper groaned into her empty room. She had felt nothing, absolutely nothing. She had had fun with Larry on their date, but it felt more like hanging out with a friend, not someone she was romantically interested in. It wasn't like hanging out with Alex, where everything was new, and fresh, and exciting. She wasn't sure she could keep seeing Larry, and Piper was pretty sure it was because of Alex.
"So how was your dinner on Tuesday?" Alex asked after Theater on Thursday.
"Meh," Piper shrugged, gathering her books.
"What happened" Alex asked, her tone giving away her curiosity.
"Nothing happened," Piper rolled her eyes as she moved out of the classroom, Alex following close behind.
"So there was no friend drama to make your night so meh?"
"No," Piper said firmly. "I was just really looking forward to dinner on Thursday, and it didn't quite live up to expectation."
"Well, do you want to talk about it?" Alex asked.
"No," Piper snapped, abruptly leaving the Theater building and heading across campus. She didn't want to talk about her dinner with Larry. She didn't want to talk about how she stayed up for hours on Tuesday night wondering whether she was developing feelings for Alex. And she didn't want to spend time talking to Alex in case she ended up more confused than she already was. Piper Chapman did not like girls. Piper Chapman was not gay.
Suddenly, a hand wrapped around her wrist and tugged her to the right.
"What the fuck?" Piper exclaimed, wrenching her hand from Alex's grip as she was dragged into the student center.
"Come on, we're getting coffee," Alex replied as she reached to grab Piper's arm again.
"Why?" Piper asked. "I don't want coffee."
"Because," Alex began, ignoring Piper's instruction and dragging her towards the small coffee shop. "You are in a shitty mood, and as your friend, it's my duty to make you feel better."
"Hmm," Piper grumped as Alex ordered, and Piper stepped up to the next cashier. They didn't speak as they waited for their coffees, but Piper followed Alex to a table anyway and sat down across from her.
"This really isn't necessary," Piper said after a few seconds of awkward silence.
"Trust me, it is," Alex said with a wry smile. "We have plans to work on our script later this afternoon, and I definitely don't want to deal with Bitchy Piper during that."
Piper couldn't help but crack a smile and giggle at that. "Shut up. I am not that bitchy."
"Uh huh, sure," Alex laughed, before her face turned serious. "You know you can talk to me, right? I don't know your other friends, so it may be good to get an objective person's opinion every once and a while."
"Thanks Alex," Piper smiled gratefully. "You really are a good friend."
"I just have to make sure you do most of the work on this project so I can pass," Alex smiled, her voice teasing.
As Piper laughed, she briefly thought about what she said. Alex Vause was just a friend. She was just confused because Alex was a new friend, and making a new friend was exciting. That was it, nothing more.
Coffee became a weekly thing. Every Thursday after class, Alex and Piper would head over to the student center, grab a coffee, and chat about class, their fellow students, or life in general. It was all very normal, and is exactly what Piper would do with any one of her friends.
But with Alex, it felt different.
Alex was smart, witty, and sarcastic; Piper felt as if she could have endless conversations with her about everything and nothing. She laughed at Piper's awkwardness and her lame attempts to appear cool. She helped Piper with her script writing in exchange for Piper helping Alex with history. She was well read, and usually gave Piper a book to borrow couple of days, insisting that Piper would love it. And every time, Piper did.
Alex was intelligent, hilarious, and beautiful. She was everything Piper realized she had been looking for.
Except Alex was a girl. And they were friends.
"I don't understand how you cannot like Waiting For Godot," Alex said with exasperation as they waited in line for their coffee one Thursday in July.
"I just didn't like it," Piper shrugged, rolling her eyes.
"But you there's so much room for interpretation!"
"I'd rather have a work with just a couple of possible symbols and interpretations rather than endless possibilities. Can we please stop talking about this?" Piper groaned as she stepped up to the cashier, Alex surprisingly stepping up with her.
"Can I get a large hot black coffee, and a medium nonfat latte please," Alex ordered before Piper could even open her mouth. Piper turned to stare at her, but Alex just shrugged. "You order the same thing every time, and it's faster this way."
"Well, let me give you money – " Piper began before Alex cut her off.
"Don't worry about it Pipes."
"But –"
"Seriously, Piper," Alex insisted. "I got it."
"Okay," Piper sighed as she put her wallet away. "But I'm getting it next time."
"Next Thursday," Alex nodded.
"It's a date," Piper confirmed, smiling, before she realized what she said. "I mean… we just get coffee every Thursday… so I was just…"
"Breathe kid," Alex laughed, grabbing their coffees from the barista and handing Piper her latte. "I know what you meant."
"Thanks," Piper muttered, feeling her cheeks heat.
"Now come on, we have to figure out the next scene for our assignment."
Maybe she did like girls.
That thought crossed Piper's mind shortly after the Fourth of July, when she had spent a long weekend up at school by herself while the other students went home. She had been reading one of the books Alex had given her, but her thoughts eventually drifted from the book to Alex. She hadn't heard from Alex since coffee on Thursday, when Alex said she was heading off campus for the long weekend. As she thought about Alex, the maybe I do like girls idea crossed her mind, and she couldn't take it anymore.
She first turned to the internet, googling (in a private browser, obviously) "How do you know if you're gay?" The internet search was not as helpful as she hoped it would be; website after website appeared to be making a joke of the question, and those that offered serious content just confused Piper more. She even took that stupid Kinsey Scale test three different times, first getting a score of 3, then a 2, and then a 4. Piper had no idea what that meant, but she definitely knew it didn't help her.
Which led her to calling Polly on Saturday night, and asking for her to come up for lunch on Sunday. Polly readily agreed, excited to hear about what Smith was like during the summer, as well as tell Piper all about her vacation with Pete and his family.
They met at a local coffee shop for lunch, and Polly immediately launched into a monologue about her life. After a while, Polly turned the conversation onto Piper.
"So," Polly grinned. "How was your date with Larry? He told Pete he had a really good time."
"It was okay," Piper smiled, forcing a smile.
"Do you want to see him again? He really likes you."
Piper grimaced a little. "I don't Polly, I really don't. Can we talk about something else please?"
"Oookay," Polly drawled. "What's it like being at school for the summer? How are your classes?"
"They're good," Piper nodded, clearing her throat. "I really like my theater class."
"Oh? What's it like?"
"We're currently working on a play. We had to each create a scene from our lives, and then we partnered up and had to expand one of our scenes into a full play. It's been a lot of fun."
"Interesting," Polly replied. "Is there anyone we know in this class?"
"Ummm," Piper could feel her face flush. "Kind of?"
"What do you mean kind of?" Polly questioned.
"Well, Alex is in class with me. She's actually my partner for our project."
"Who's Alex? I don't know anyone named Alex."
"She was the girl…from the Katy Perry concert," Piper answered quietly.
"What," Polly's brow furrowed thoughtfully, before her eyes widened suddenly in recognition. "You mean the girl you kissed?"
"Shhh," Piper hissed, glanced around quickly. "Yes, that Alex."
"Oh my god!" Polly exclaimed, giggling a little. "Did she like, force you to work with her?"
"Well, she asked me-" Piper started before Polly cut her off.
"Awkward!" Polly half sang. "Is it weird? Does she try to hit on you? How many times have you had to tell her you're straight?"
"She doesn't hit on me!" Piper insisted. "And it's complicated."
"What do you mean it's complicated?" Polly asked suspiciously.
"It's just…" Piper trailed off, unsure how to continue.
"Oh my GOD!" Polly shrieked. "She turned you gay!"
"Polly! Shut up!" Piper exclaimed back, eyes darting around the coffee shop to make sure no one was listening. "Alex didn't turn me gay."
"Then why are you telling me that it's complicated?"
"Because, her kissing me didn't turn me gay. But, she's smart, and funny, and an amazing writer, and she's really good at making me feel better when I'm having a crappy day."
"So what, you spend time with her and you just happen to develop a crush on her?"
"It's not a crush," Piper tried to insist.
"Wait," Polly's eyes widened, and she straightened in her seat. "Have you ever had a crush on me?"
"No Polly, don't be ridiculous! I've known you forever."
"Just checking," Polly nodded. "But Piper, you can't honestly tell me that her kissing you and you developing these feelings are a coincidence."
"Maybe not," Piper allowed. "But Polly, I've never felt anything like that from a kiss before. From anyone. So I don't know what it means."
"I don't know Piper," Polly shrugged.
"That's it? No words of advice?" Piper exclaimed helplessly.
"Piper, I've never really been in your kind of situation before," Polly shot back before her voice softened. "I wish I could help Piper, but I'm kind of lost here."
"Yeah, I get it," Piper sighed.
"But," Polly began thoughtfully. "If you really think you like her, you may as well explore it."
"Thanks Pol," Piper sighed, smiling slightly.
Ten days after her lunch with Polly, Piper finally got up the nerve to ask Alex.
They were working on their theater project. They had ended up picking Alex's scenes, which was a relief for Piper. The kiss between her and Alex was not something she wanted to share with her theater class, and it seemed like Alex felt the same way. So, Alex's scene it was.
They had already worked out the meeting between Alex and her father, as well as the aftermath, but they were both struggling a little with the beginning. Piper wasn't very good at externalizing internal emotions in a scene yet, and Alex was less than thrilled at actually having to describe her feelings out loud.
"What were you most worried about when it came to meeting your dad?" Piper asked quietly as they worked in the library.
"I hoped that he would like me," Alex admitted.
Piper paused for a moment before continuing. "Were you worried about what he would think when he found out about you being gay?"
"I really hadn't planned that far ahead, Pipes," Alex scoffed, looking at her laptop screen.
"But would you have been worried?" Piper pressed.
"No, not really," Alex snapped. "He wasn't in my life for the first eighteen years of my life, so I wasn't really planning on him being a doting father. Was I hoping for someone who would actually give a fuck that he had a daughter? Yes. But I wasn't expecting us to immediately have the kind of relationship I have with my mom."
"Sorry," Piper murmured, her eyes trained on her notebook.
"It's fine," Alex muttered. "But yeah, I think I would have been nervous."
Piper paused for a minute before finally asking. "How did you know you were gay?"
Alex's eyes shot up, studying Piper closely. Piper stared back, very much hoping that Alex would tell her.
"I think I realized when I was fourteen," Alex began. "I had been made fun of a lot in elementary and middle school, so I didn't really think about it much. But when I went off to high school, my middle school joined with the other school in my town; it was a whole new group of people."
"But how did you know?" Piper prodded.
"Um, I think my first crush was on a girl a couple of years older than me. I hung out with a lot of the art students and the theater kids. She was in a drawing class with me, and sat right by me. We were just friendly at first, but then we were joking around one day, and I made her laugh, and I just knew. Knew that I liked her, really, really liked her. And I never really questioned it."
"What happened?" Piper asked.
"We hooked up for a while," Alex shrugged. "It wasn't really a big deal or a real relationship, just some fun. She actually designed this for me," Alex pushed up her tee-shirt a little, pointing out the large rose on her arm that Piper had seen several times.
"When did you tell your mom?"
"A couple months after I figured it out. I wasn't expecting it to be a big deal, and it wasn't. My mom is the best, and she was totally supportive."
"That's great," Piper smiled.
"Pipes?" Alex asked, her voice unusually timid. "Why are you asking?"
"Oh," Piper cleared her throat, fidgeting a little. "No real reason, just trying to get in the head of eighteen year old Alex." She forced a smile, hoping Alex would buy it.
Alex studied her briefly, before smiling back. "Well, the gay thing wasn't really on my mind with my dad, so it's not worth getting into."
"Right," Piper nodded, focusing back on her work.
Alex had said she just looked at some girl, and just knew she was gay. Piper wasn't sure she knew, exactly, but Alex's story was definitely eye opening.
Piper wasn't sure why she was here.
She had seen the posters and flyers around campus, with flashy signs advertising "Ladies Night", "18+", and "Burlesque Show". And Piper was just the right amount of bored and curious to check it out.
She was bored sitting around her room every night by herself. At first, she had embraced the nights alone, but now that August had rolled around, she was feeling restless, and was itching to spend a night out with people.
She was also curious. After her conversation with Alex, Piper continued to constantly turn over in her mind whether or not she was gay, and she still couldn't say for sure. So, when she saw the flyers, part of her wanted to come in order to settle the matter. If she was turned on by the burlesque girls, then she was a lesbian, if not, then maybe she wasn't really into Alex. Maybe they were just really good friends. Or maybe she wasn't attracted to girls, just attracted to Alex. Maybe this burlesque show wasn't going to prove anything at all, Piper thought. But she was already here, so she may as well stay for the show.
Piper had been sitting by the bar, drinking a glass of water when she heard cheering farther down the restaurant. Turning toward the noise, she was surprised to find Alex sitting at one of the bar tables with three or four other girls. Almost instinctively, Piper caught herself thinking that Alex looked good in her v-neck, but shook her head slightly to get rid of the thought.
She watched as Alex played quarters, smiling a little when Alex missed and was forced to take a shot. Shaking her head, Alex excused herself from her friends, moving to the back of the bar towards the bathroom Piper ducked her head down as Alex passed near her, but after a moment's hesitation, decided to follow Alex.
Thankfully, Alex was waiting in line for the bathroom when Piper reached her, and was the only one in line. Piper approached awkwardly, but Piper apparently didn't hear her, as she didn't turn around.
"Hey," Piper finally spoke up timidly.
Alex turned around, her expression one of surprise before smiling at Piper. "Hey," the brunette husked, before looking around the bar. "What're you doing here?"
"Oh, um," Piper stumbled, feeling a little embarrassed. "I'm here for the burlesque show. You?"
"My friend Rachel decided to do it. It's her first time performing, but she says she wants to do an act with a Ray Romano puppet, which she swears is surprisingly sexy," Alex trailed off with a chuckle, and Piper laughed along with her before they ended up in silence again.
Alex again glanced around the bar before turning her focus back to Piper. "So, are you here with anyone?"
"Me? No," Piper scoffed. "I was just kind of getting bored sitting around my room along every night, and I saw the flyers, so I figured I would try it out."
"Huh," was Alex's response, opening her mouth to speak before the bathroom door opened, and a body wedged between them as a girl left the bathroom. After the girl squeezed past them, Alex spoke again. "Do you want to come sit with my friends?"
"Oh, no, it's okay, I don't want to interrupt," Piper began before Alex interjected.
"No, seriously, come sit with us. You'll look creepy sitting by yourself," Alex laughed as Piper cracked a smile. "Plus, you aren't twenty one yet, right?"
"No," Piper admitted.
"Well then, I'll by you drinks. Come on, it'll be fun." Alex urged, and Piper smiled at her again.
"Fine," Piper half groaned as Alex grinned back at her.
"Great. Let me just use the bathroom, and I'll introduce you to everyone."
A few minutes later, Alex was leading Piper to her table of friends. Piper was introduced briefly to three girls, Nicky, Poussey, and Rachel, and they restarted their game of quarters. Alex bowed out, instead spending her time watching Piper, who was surprisingly good, and sneaking Piper margarita's. Eventually, Rachel had to head backstage for the show, and the remaining girls began talking about their upcoming classes for the fall.
When the show finally started, Piper tried to pay attention to the dancers and acts, she really did. However, she kept finding herself distracted. Whenever a new girl would appear on stage, she would quickly turn her attention to Alex, gauging her reaction. Sometimes Alex would glance at her, making a face at her or smiling, but mostly, Piper just found herself staring at the way Alex's eyes scrunched when she laughed, how she would adjust her glasses when she liked what she saw, and the way she cocked her head when she was confused. Piper spent the night studying Alex rather than studying the other girls, and found it way more fulfilling.
Several hours, and margaritas, later, the group was making their way out of the bar. As Nicky, Poussey, and Rachel waved goodbye to Piper, Alex stopped suddenly and turned toward her.
"Did you call a cab?" Alex asked.
"No, I'll be fine, it's just a short walk," Piper replied, turning to head toward campus.
"Piper, you are not walking back to your dorm alone," Alex insisted, concern in her voice.
"I'll be fine Alex, I do it all the time," Piper tried to reassure her.
"There are more people around during the semester," Alex shot back. "It's safer then. Campus is mostly empty now, it isn't safe."
"Well, I didn't drive here, so I don't have another choice."
"I'll drive you home," Alex stated.
"Alex, you can't drive, you've been drinking," Piper said incredulously.
"No I haven't, not in hours anyway. I've been buying you drinks all night, I haven't had anything to drink."
"You promise?" Piper asked solemnly as Alex grabbed her wrist, lightly pulling her toward an older model Toyota.
"Promise," Alex replied, opening the passenger door for Piper before slipping into the driver's side.
They rode the short distance in silence, Piper staring at Alex as she drove. When they reached her dorm, Alex cut the engine, and Piper scrambled to get out of the car.
"You'll be okay getting up there Pipes?" Alex asked as she reached Piper's side of the car.
"Yeah, I'm good," Piper replied, nodding her head and causing her long, blonde hair to fall from behind her ears. "Thank you for inviting me to sit with you guys tonight, I had a good time."
Alex smiled, cautiously moving her hand up to Piper's face, tucking the errant strand of hair back behind Piper's ears and skimming her hand the rest of the way down Piper's hair.
"Anytime, kid," Alex replied, her voice uncharacteristically softer than usual. "See you Tuesday?"
Piper nodded. "See you Tuesday."
And with that, Alex turned around and headed back towards her car, only glancing around once to smile and wave.
As she made her way back to her dorm, Piper knew she was screwed. Tonight definitely answered a lot of questions for her, and definitely gave her the answer she was looking for.
She was in love with Alex Vause.
Today was the day. Their script was due today, and Piper was a bundle of nerves She really wanted to do well on this project, it was worth two thirds of her grad when combined with the final.
Alex had let Piper hold on to the script file, for which Piper was grateful. She had spent countless hours looking it over, making sure the grammar was correct, the font was the right style, everything. And now, here she was, fidgeting at her desk with their twenty page script sitting in front of her.
"Piper, stop," Alex half groaned as she slid into her own seat.
"I'm not doing anything," Piper retorted.
"I can literally hear you freaking out in your mind," Alex smirked.
"Well, I'm stressed," Piper snapped.
"I know," Alex agreed, her voice soft. "But you don't need to be. We worked so hard on this project, and we kicked ass on this script, and you're going to ace this final. Okay?"
Piper took a deep breath. "Okay," she nodded.
"Good," Alex smiled. "Meet me for coffee after the exam?"
"Of course," Piper replied as Professor Stanton quieted the class, ready to begin the final.
The exam really wasn't all that hard, not that Piper was expecting it to be It was largely based on the terms and definitions they learned in class, with a brief essay in which she had to describe the tone and theme of a scene based on the script. Alex finished early, and Piper glanced up as Alex walked to the front of the room to drop off her exam. Alex turned on her way out the door, catching Piper's eye and flashing a reassuring smile. Piper smiled back quickly before returning to her test.
Knowing that Alex was waiting for her made Piper move through the exam a little faster, and she finished about ten minutes later. She rushed to the coffee shop, where Alex was already waiting with Piper's order.
"It wasn't that bad," Piper said as soon as she flopped into the chair.
"Nope," Alex agreed, raising her coffee cup. "To us. We survived."
"To us," Piper repeated, smiling as she toasted her cup with Alex's. "It's weird that we're done though."
"Why," Alex scoffed. "I'm so glad I can just relax for a couple of weeks until the semester starts."
"Well, yeah," Piper agreed, her face flushing slightly. "But it'll be weird not seeing you."
"What do you mean?" Alex asked, eyebrow raised.
"I've just gotten so used to seeing you, that it'll be weird not spending time with you," Piper admitted softly.
"Hey," Alex said, smiling at her. "You are not going to get rid of me that easily Pipes. When we get our final grades for Theater, and you realize that we aced this class, you are going to come over to my apartment and we are going to celebrate and drink the day away. And when classes start up again, you better believe we'll have weekly lunches or coffees or whatever. We're friends Pipes. That doesn't go away now that summer classes are over."
Piper's heart melted at Alex's words, and it took a lot for her not to just tell Alex she loved her right there. "You're the best," Piper substituted instead.
"Aww, Pipes, don't get all emotional on me, I hate criers," Alex snickered, and Piper tried to kick her from under the table.
"I will not miss that sarcasm," she shot back before both girls began laughing again.
Piper was running to Alex's apartment. Full on running to her apartment, like an idiot. Some of the athletes, who were already back at school for sports training, kept shooting her weird looks as she ran across campus in flip flops and jean shorts. But she had to get to Alex's, she had to.
She had gotten an A in Writing for the Theater. They had gotten an A on their final project and she had gotten an A on her final, and now she had to find Alex. They had to celebrate. Alex promised they would celebrate.
She reached Alex's apartment, out of breath as she climbed to the second floor, and knocked on Alex's door. After a moment, Alex opened the door, her black hair falling across her shoulders, wearing just a white tank top and jeans. Without thinking, Piper launched herself at Alex, throwing her arms around her shoulders.
"Whoa," Alex said, surprised, but wrapped her arms around Piper nonetheless.
"We did it Alex," Piper said softly into her neck. "We got an A on our script, and I got an A in the class!"
Alex squeezed her briefly before pulling away. "That's great Pipes! I told you that you'd be fine."
"Yeah," Piper blushed. "But you helped a lot."
"Eh, I did what I could," Alex shrugged before smirking widely. "And now, I believe I owe you a drink and a celebration."
"Yes please!" Piper exclaimed as Alex led her into her apartment.
"You're lucky, I bought tequila just for the occasion."
"Why?" Piper asked, trying to remember why Alex would know that.
"Because, if those margaritas I was buying you a couple of weeks ago was any indication, you really love tequila," Alex said as she handed Piper a shot.
"Oh, right," Piper giggled, gulping the drink down and grimacing slightly. "Got any chasers, like orange juice?"
"Sure kid," Alex said, moving to her fridge, pulling out a carton of orange juice and two beers. "Can you grab the tequila for me? Let's move this party into the living room."
One drink became two drinks and two drinks became four drinks and now Piper's head was delightfully dizzy.
She and Alex were just hanging out, half watching some sit-com while just laughing at each other.
"Seriously Alex, you fractured your fingers for a dare?" Piper exclaimed loudly.
"Of course! I have a reputation to uphold."
"You're ridiculous," Piper laughed, before sobering a little. "I'm going to miss hanging out with you."
"Why do you keep acting like I'm dying?" Alex asked, her words overly annunciated. "I'm still going to be around."
"Yeah, but you'll be busy with classes, and friends, and stuff," Piper argued.
"And I told you I'd make time for you," Alex affirmed, before holding out her hand. "Give me your phone."
"What, why?' Piper gasped.
"Because, you seem so convinced that I'm going to forget about you I'm going to set up an appointment in our phones. Do you have any classes on Thursdays at two?"
"No," Piper shook her head vigorously.
"Okay, every Thursday at two it is," Alex said, typing a reminder into her phone before grabbing Piper's to do the same. "Classes start this coming Monday, right?"
"Yup."
"Okay, so then, in exactly one week, we will meet for coffee at two," Alex handed Piper her phone back, staring deeply into the blonde's eyes. "It's a date."
Maybe it was because Piper was drunk and she felt brave. Or maybe it was because Alex had called it a date. Or maybe because she was so damn tired of not telling Alex how she felt, but Piper scooted closer to Alex on the couch so that their knees were touching.
"A date?" Piper whispered, ducking her head closer to Alex. "Do you promise?"
"I promise," Alex agreed, tilting her head towards Piper.
Piper was about to take that final step, and close the gap between her and Alex, when she heard the lock click on the front door.
Simultaneously, Alex and Piper jumped a part, with Alex jumping to her feet as another girl entered. The girl was shorter than Alex, her mousy brown hair pulled into a ponytail. She immediately stopped when she saw Piper on the couch, her eyes narrowing and darting between Alex and Piper.
"Who the hell is this?" the stranger exclaimed, her voice hostile.
"My friend," Alex said, stepping into the path of the girl and Piper, as if to shield Piper from the girl's wrath. "What are you doing here Sylvie?"
"I decided to come up a couple of days early to surprise you, since I hadn't seen or really heard from you since the fourth of July," the girl, Sylvie, said, her voice still wary. "And I haven't met this friend before Alex."
"This is Piper," Alex explained, turning to gesture to Piper, her eyes apologetic. "She was in my Theater class. Remember, she's the one I was writing the project with?"
"Oh," Sylvie's eyes softened, just a tad.
"Piper, this is Sylvie, Sylvia," Alex began before Sylvia cut her off.
"I'm her girlfriend," Sylvia interjected, her voice challenging. Piper's eyes widened slightly as she flicked a glance to Alex, who just rolled her eyes.
"Your girlfriend?" Piper said unbelievingly, staring at Alex.
"Um, yes… yeah, my girlfriend," Alex stuttered, which Piper found odd. Alex was always concise with her words, she said what she meant, and didn't beat around the bush. She never stuttered.
"Alex, I though you handed in that project like last week?" Sylvia asked, oblivious to what was happening between Alex and Piper.
"We did," Alex said, turning back to Sylvia and forcing a smile. "We just found out today that we aced it, and Piper came over to celebrate."
"Well congratulations," Sylvia said to Piper, smiling at her, but Piper could tell her smile wasn't really genuine. Suddenly, Piper felt really sober, and she felt like she had to get out of there. Out of Alex's apartment, and run back to her room.
"Um, I should get going," Piper said, standing quickly. Alex whipped back around to face her, eyes wide.
"Go?" Alex said incredulously. "Why would you go? You don't have to leave."
"No, it's totally fine. You two haven't seen each other since the beginning of July. I'm sure you guys want to spend some time alone together." Piper felt as if her heart was in her throat, and she knew she was just a few minutes away from tears. She had to get out of there. Now.
"At least let me walk you home," Alex pleaded softly. "I don't want you walking home alone drunk."
"Alex, I'll be fine," Piper insisted.
"Seriously Pipes–" Alex began, but Piper cut her off as soon as she used her nickname, the one that only Alex called her.
"Alex, I'll be fine. I'm not even drunk, just a little buzzed. It's still practically light out, the sun is just starting to set. And the athletes are back on campus. And your girlfriend," Piper paused, swallowing a sob as Alex closed her eyes briefly and ran a hand through her hair. "Your girlfriend drove all this way to see you."
Alex nodded slowly before speaking. "Okay. I'll see you next week though, right?"
Piper just nodded, looking over Alex's shoulder to Sylvia. "It was nice meeting you."
"You too," Sylvia replied cheerfully as Piper turned, opened Alex's apartment door, and walked out.
As soon as she stepped outside, Piper started running again. This time, she ran all the way back to her room. She ran all the way up to her third floor dorm room, down the hall and into her room. She shucked off her flip flops and jumped into her bed, pulling the sheet up over her despite the heat.
Alex had a girlfriend. Piper honestly didn't see it coming, but she supposed she should have. Alex was a catch, god, she was everything that Piper was looking for. But she also never really led Piper on. Alex had called Piper her friend numerous times; there was never any flirting, no seduction, no nothing. Piper was the one doing the pursuing, falling in love with Alex, wanting more. It was all Piper, and it was apparently all in Piper's head.
She felt like her chest had been ripped in two. From the moment she had kissed Alex, she had felt like they had a connection, that they kept moving towards each other and finding each other, almost as if they were inevitable.
And now Piper was going to have to get over that inevitability, because though Alex Vause felt inevitable to her, she clearly wasn't inevitable to Alex Vause.
A/N2: I hope you guys liked this update! The last part will be from Alex's point of view, so I hope you guys stick around. I'm going to try my hardest to get it out before Season 3 comes out on the 12, and I think I'll be able to make that happen, as long as the next update doesn't turn into a monster update.
On an unrelated note, I said in one of my fics that I'm kind of new to the OITNB fandom, but I do have a tumblr at piiperchpmn (the link is on my profile/bio page). I don't mean to plug it, but none of my friends watch the show, so I don't have anyone really to obsess over it with. If anyone wants to chat about oitnb or submit story suggestions there, I'd love to chat/hear your story prompts.
Anyway, until next time! Thank you so much for reading!