AN

Sorry for the long delay, so much school work! Anyway hope you like this, please let me know. Thanks for your support as ever.

Piper read the card for the tenth time in as many minutes, allowing the words to flow over her like warm water. Every word set off an explosion in her chest and she couldn't remember feeling so happy, that was until Larry walked in.

"Is this another gray hair Pipes?" the curly topped man asked, tugging at the top of his head.

"It's hard to tell" Piper mumbled, barely looking up at him, "the rest of it is just so…..dense"

"What you got there?" he asked, noting that his girlfriend was clutching something tightly in her hand. Piper hurriedly shoved it into the pocket of her Sass & Bide jeans, shuffling awkwardly in her Todd's loafers.

"Pipes are you hiding something from me?"

"Only how great you look in that shirt" Piper said staring unconvincingly at Larry's Old Navy t-shirt, that presently had a ketchup stain on it.

"Hmmm…." Just then Larry's cell started ringing, it was his mother and he disappeared off into the kitchen to speak to her. Piper breathed a huge sigh of relief, patting her pocket to reassure herself that the note from Alex was still there. She resolved to visit her at the restaurant later this evening. Sure she was supposed to be dining out with Larry's parents, but she could feign illness to get out of it, because right now, the burning desire in her chest was telling her that Alex Vause was the top of her priority list.

xoxoxoxoxoox

"What y'all moping about now?" Taystee said, running a wet rag around the table that Alex and Nichols were currently resting their elbows on.

"Me?" Nichols replied with that typical Nichols shit eating grin, "nothing, just wishing you were into Sapphic pleasures"

Taystee rolled her eyes "listen, dick is where I'm at, y'all go about your business, I'll go about mine"

"Don't knock it 'till you've tried it" Nichols winked, wriggling her fingers.

"You gonna sort out your girl, or do I have to bust her ass?" Taystee asked, nudging Alex.

"Quit being a jackass Nick" Alex said, barely looking up from the damp formica table top.

"You still moping over Parkslope?" Taystee said, squeezing into the booth next to Alex.

"No…well…I wrote her a note….she still hasn't replied…"

"A note? You white folk are weird. If I wanted to win someone back, I wouldn't bother going all Shakespeare, actions and words and all that girl. Bitches need to know they be wanted"

"She's got a point Vause' Nichols said still smirking "those pillowy tits can only take you so far"

Alex sighed, she knew they had a point.

xoxoxoxoxooxo

Alex arrived at Piper's, picnic hamper in hand having begged the night off from her boss. She figured nothing could beat a moonlight picnic by the lake. However her plans seemed as though they were to be thwarted when she rang the bell of Piper's house, risking her dozy fiancé being in, and realized nobody was at home. She tried Piper's cell, but it went straight to voicemail. A voice in her head was failing to abate and was telling her that maybe this just wasn't meant to be (as well as the fact the mackerel pate was beginning to smell a bit questionable). She dumped the hamper in the trashcan outside Piper's house and trudged her way back to her empty apartment.

xoxoxoxoxoxo

Piper arrived in good time at the restaurant, determined to let her feelings for Alex be known.

"She's got the night off" Suzanne, whom everyone named crazy eyes told her. "can I call you watermelon?" piper shook her head.

"Fruit is special and strange like me, momma used to say" Piper backed away towards the exit. Once she hit the street the true disappointment washed over her, maybe it just wasn't meant to be. She began the long walk home.