BOOK IV: I'M ABOUT TO COME ALIVE
Piper didn't yearn for an epic goodbye scene with Alex this time—they'd done that over the years when Alex had to travel back to Europe, and she didn't want anything to remind her of those painful chapters in their lives.
The morning of her departure, Piper's father was called in to work, so she didn't get to tell him goodbye. Just as well, she thought. The two were on speaking terms, but there was still bad blood between them. Piper didn't know how to fix things with her dad, and she certainly didn't have the energy or mental capacity to try to patch things up before she returned to Smith.
She kissed Diane on the cheek, Alex on the lips, and patted Cal on the head. "See you soon." Piper walked out of the front door, turning around and walking backwards halfway down the sidewalk, putting a hand over her heart and pointing towards Alex.
The blonde shared everything with Polly on the drive to Smith, tearing up at certain parts along the way. Polly asked all the right questions and seemed supportive of her decision to stick it out with Alex. The guilt that Polly felt about setting her friend up with Piero was evident, and Piper assured her that she didn't assign blame to anyone but herself. After all, she'd chosen to get drunk; she'd chosen to go to Piero's apartment; and she'd chosen to have sex with him.
Twenty-four hours hadn't passed before Piper missed Alex to the point of aching. They needed each other, and in some ways, they were each other's savior. Polly was instrumental in encouraging her roommate to devote her time and energy to finishing her last semester at Smith with gusto; however, Piper didn't know if she had it in her to finish strong. She'd get through, that much was certain, but it wasn't going to be a walk in the park.
It a few weeks for Piper to adjust to life without Alex, and despite their mere two-week coupling in Greenwich, the blonde had grown accustomed to waking up with her girlfriend; running her thoughts by Alex; and trusting that they both had each other's best interest at heart. The plan was to see each other monthly and to text, talk, or Skype daily.
By early February, Piper's hormones were flaring. She'd read that pregnancy increased some women's libidos as well as intensified orgasms. It didn't take long for the blonde to test that theory—she and Alex had Skype sex almost every night. Alex'd laughed at Piper's sex drive, but she certainly didn't complain.
Alex hadn't shared much about her life back in Greenwich with Piper other than the fact that she'd gotten her valet job back at Salvatore's. (They'd hired her as the supervisor after Brandon moved to California.) Piper learned that her girlfriend had mostly been couch surfing at random people's apartments, but she had no place to call a permanent home. When Piper reminded her that she could stay with her father and Diane, Alex often changed the subject. Piper knew they'd have a lot to discuss when Alex visited her in Northampton, but the first thing she planned to do was ravage Alex's body.
After Piper's departure for her last semester of college, Alex knew she'd have to battle with Bill on her own. She thought that it would be unfair to bring her mother into it, so whatever beef she had with Piper's dad would remain squarely between them. She also refused to tell her girlfriend every little detail—there was no need to bother Piper with matters that she couldn't fix.
The brunette spent the first three weeks at random people's apartments—mostly guys from Salvatore's. She'd spent one weekend at Nicky & Lorna's place in the City, but the commute on public transit after her shift ended at 1 a.m. was no fun at all, so she decided to room with friends who resided within 10 miles of the restaurant.
Alex was able to borrow her mom's car on weekends to get to and from work, and one particularly icy night, she'd spun out on a major highway getting to one of her friend's apartments across town after midnight. The brunette didn't hit anyone or damage anything, but it was enough to shake her up and say to herself, fuck this shit, and talk to Bill about moving back into his house. After all, the streets between the Chapman home and Salvatore's were always well-maintained in the snow and icy conditions.
It wasn't just the spin out that bothered Alex. She hated having to sneak into the Chapman home to re-pack her clothes and do laundry every week. The boxes that Janae had shipped from Milan to Greenwich still hadn't arrived, so she was stuck with the same three pairs of jean, black pants, and six shirts that she'd brought with her from Italy just before Christmas. Additionally, the apartments where she stayed were all cramped, and some of them were downright disgusting. She refused to stay at Paul's apartment based solely on his shower, which looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a year. Alex thought that one of the older servers at Salvatore's, Mateo, would surely have a decent place, but turned out, he was a hoarder. While the brunette was grateful for a place to lay her head, she'd had enough couch surfing to last a lifetime.
One Sunday morning, Alex called her mom to check-in as she often did throughout the week, but Diane had to talk quickly as she was going out to breakfast with friends. It was the perfect opportunity for the brunette to have a conversation with Bill. Although she was nervous about the impending discussion, Alex knew it was necessary.
She decided that knocking on the door would serve her best, not knowing if Bill realized that she still had a key.
He answered the door and looked relatively shocked to see her standing on the doorstep. "Alex."
"Bill." She hoisted her duffle bag higher on her shoulder. "May I come in?"
He wordlessly stepped aside.
She set her bag down behind the sofa. "It smells good in here. Bacon?"
"Yes, would you like some?" He walked back into the kitchen.
Alex didn't follow him. "No thanks. I don't eat the stuff—cholesterol alone will kill you."
Presumably noticing that the brunette wasn't behind him, Bill took a few steps back into the living room. "What brings you here?"
"We need to talk." She tossed her hair over one shoulder with a quick flick of her head.
He folded his arms. "I'm listening."
"This could take a while." She jutted her chin towards the kitchen. "You might want to turn off the stove."
Bill did as requested, and this time, Alex did follow him into the kitchen.
She knew it was now or never, and with Diane away, they could have an honest conversation without her mom trying to mend the fence.
"It's no secret that you and I aren't each other's biggest fans," she began. "But for the sake of my mom and your daughter, we have to come to an understanding."
"And how, exactly, do you suggest we do that?" He flipped three slices of bacon onto a plate that was already covered with scrambled eggs and white toast. "I will never buy into your lifestyle, and between the two of us, I think you've brainwashed my daughter."
"Buy into my lifestyle?" Alex repeated with a short huff. She licked her lips before proceeding. "Piper is the smartest, most independent person I know. It would be damn near impossible to convince her to do something she didn't want to."
He looked up from slathering a piece of toast with blueberry jam. "Piper is not gay."
"I don't care what label you assign to her." She shrugged. "She's in love with me."
"But you're a woman," he stated unnecessarily.
"You can believe whatever you choose to believe, Bill." She took a step closer. "I'm in Piper's life, hopefully forever, and you need to come to terms with that."
He licked the jam off his fingers. "I accept that, mostly for Diane's sake, but I choose to think of you as friends."
"I don't really care how you think of us."
This frustrated Alex to no end, but now wasn't the time to try to convince a bull-headed man that two women could be in a loving, sexual relationship. He'd have to come to that conclusion over time, but Alex wasn't holding her breath. She watched him shovel eggs and bacon into his mouth and had to turn away. Bill reminded her, in more ways than one, of a pig.
"I need a place to stay," she blurted out, rolling one of her flannel shirtsleeves over her elbow. "I've been couch surfing for almost a month, and it's not sustainable."
He stopped chewing and looked up at her. "And you're hoping to stay in this house?"
Alex lowered her eyes. "If you let me live here, I'd insist on doing the grocery shopping, cooking, running errands and helping Cal with homework…or…whatever."
"Instead of paying rent?" He broke off a piece of toast.
"Yeah." She kept her eyes on the ground. "I can't afford it right now."
"That's an interesting proposition." Bill set his fork down and steepled his hands. "Can you cook?"
She adjusted her glasses. "I'm learning."
He wiped his mouth with a napkin. "I'm sure I'd get points with your mother if I acquiesced."
"I'm sure you would." Alex gave him a forced smile, not understanding how her mom, a sensible, street-smart woman, could fall for a supreme jackass like Bill.
"Fine." He ate a bite of eggs. "But you will pull your weight around here."
"Absolutely."
He popped a piece of bacon into his mouth. "I'm confident we're in agreement, but this conversation will remain between the two of us."
"Yeah." She scratched her head and looked away.
"Good." With that, he walked out of the kitchen.
Fuck you, she mumbled under her breath. Alex's plan was to stay as far out of Bill's sight as possible and simply perform the duties she'd outlined without complaint. She was just thankful that she had a place to stay and could be with her mom every day.
The primary reason Piper wanted Alex to visit her in Northampton first was so that the brunette could accompany her to the doctor. Although she'd developed a baby bump when she departed Greenwich before the end of Winter break, Piper's abdomen poked out another couple of inches by the beginning of February. She mostly wore baggy clothes so people couldn't tell, but she knew Alex would notice even if she had on a large sweater.
Piper had convinced Polly to stay with Pete that weekend so that she and Alex could have the dorm to themselves. Although it wasn't much to brag about, Piper liked her corner room in the apartment-style suite, and she was eager to christen every corner in the small apartment with her lover.
Alex arrived 20 minutes later than the blonde had anticipated, but the brunette had enjoyed the scenic drive in her mom's new Acura.
"Hey, babe," Alex greeted, arms flying around Piper's waist. "There's definitely a baby in there."
"I've gained like eight pounds since I last saw you." Piper rubbed her belly and returned her girlfriend's smile. "The doctor will tell me the exact amount when we see her tomorrow."
The brunette gave her a wide, seductive grin and arched an eyebrow. "You look good."
Piper took both of her hands and leaned in. "So do you."
Alex looked a hundred times healthier than when Piper had last seen her. There was color in her face and her cheeks weren't sunken in. Piper made a mental note to inquire about what she was doing to improve her health, but in that moment, the blonde had a one-track mind.
Alex pulled her in for a deep, lingering kiss. "Hormones still raging?"
"It's part of the whole pregnancy thing." She nodded and traced her fingers over Alex's lips. "Let me show you my room."
Hand in hand on the walk to the dorm, Piper pointed out buildings where she had classes, the gym, the dining hall and the library. The blonde walked at a fast clip through campus until they finally reached a red-bricked, three story building. They made small talk along the way about Alex's long drive, Piper's classes, and the fact that Polly wasn't going to be a bother that weekend.
"Here we are." Piper opened the door and allowed her girlfriend to step inside first.
"It's nicer than I pictured." Alex looked around. "Two bedrooms? For some reason, I thought you and Polly shared a room."
Piper put her arms around her lover's waist from behind. "We did the first three years."
Alex dropped her duffle bag and turned in Piper's arms. "It's nicer than any apartment I've ever lived in."
The blonde closed the distance between them, running her hands up Alex's neck and into her dark locks. "Your place in Milan was nice."
"Not this nice." Alex put her hands under Piper's sweater and rubbed her lower back. "Speaking of nice, have your tits gotten bigger?" She jutted her head back to look at her girlfriend's chest.
"Why don't you tell me?" Piper ripped the sweater off her body and stood before her lover in just a teal bra.
Alex reached for her breasts. "Definitely bigger." She lowered her head to take a nipple into her mouth through the fabric.
Piper's head fell back and she moaned. "I'm going to apologize now for the copious amounts of sex I'm going to need, starting right now."
She felt the brunette laugh against her breast. "No need to apologize for that."
Piper tipped Alex's chin up. "I want you to fuck me until I'm sore."
She smirked and threw her glasses onto the coffee table. "I think I can handle that."
Their mouths crashed together, and before long, clothes were shed and they were sprawled on the living room floor. Alex placed a pillow under her girlfriend's head as she ate her pussy long and hard. The blonde's orgasm ripped through her, and she hadn't had one like that since the last time they had sex over Winter break.
Piper didn't waste time going down on Alex, and she was turned on when Alex pulled her hair as the brunette rode out an intense wave of pleasure.
Their love making/sex continued through the night, and it wasn't until 2 a.m. when they decided they needed to eat something more than each other, so they baked a frozen pizza in the mini-kitchen.