Author's Note: I decided to split the scene of Alex and Piper talking to each other in Piper's house. I know it is a bit slow burn but I want to take it slow. I want to explore their relationship in this story bit by bit. If you decided to stick with this story then I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
How much do you want to know her?
Why do stars fall down from the sky
Every time you walk by?
Just like me, they long to be
Close to you
(Close to you)
Chapter Eight: Her Answers
I looked at her eyes, asking why did she kissed my palm. I wanted to voice out my question but to my surprise she answered me right away.
"I feel like doing it. Is your finger okay now?" she said then examine my hands.
"You feel like doing it?" I repeated what she said.
"Yeah. Is there any problem with that?" she asked shyly. I can't believe what I'm seeing but I think she is blushing from her answer.
Yeah! There is! It make my heart tremble from its core. You are affecting me in the most nerve wrecking way, Alex Vause!
"My finger is a little bit hurt but its fine." I tried to avoid her inquisitive eyes then pulled my hand from her. She released my hand to my dismay.
"Where do you keep your medicine kit? I will wrap your finger in bandage." She said.
"It's in the back of the mirror in the bathroom." I said pointing in the direction of the bathroom then continued arranging the ingredients in the counter top when she turn around to go to the bath room. After of few minutes, she went back with some medicine and bandages. She washed my hands in the sink and started to apply some medicine to it and wrapped it in bandages. We continued cooking in silence. It was not awkward and we work in sync to my astonishment. After a few minutes we finished cooking our meal, we placed it in the balcony to eat. We sit across each other and I stared at her while she is tasting the pasta I cooked.
"This is so good. Better even than the pasta I'm eating in the hotel." She said while her eyes are closed. My heart jump to my throat by her compliments.
"Thank you." I answered shyly.
"Where did you learn to cook?" she asked.
"Polly teach me how to cook. She is the domesticated between us." I answered briefly. One of Alex perfectly plucked eyebrows raised a few inches.
"Polly is my best friend." I answered defensively. I didn't know why but I feel the need to clear things up between me and Polly to Alex.
"We have been friends since middle school. After college we started an artisanal soap business which has a very steady income. Although we don't supply to big time companies still we are very proud of it. Polly is the one who is really handling things for the business." I said.
"How about you? What do you do in the business?" she asked curiously.
"Well sometimes I 'm mixing scents to test but mostly just advertising the product." I answered.
"What's the name of your company?" she asked again.
"PoPi." I answered shyly.
"Short for Polly and Piper, I presume." She said almost laughing.
"It was her idea to use it." I said embarrassed. Why didn't we think for a more sophisticated name?!
"I think it's cute. It suits you." She said smiling.
"How about you? What is the name of your company?" I asked curiously.
"Vause Airline Company." She answered nonchalantly. My eyes went wide. I might be a fiction writer but I also read the newspaper.
"You mean the biggest and richest airline we have right now?" I asked surprised.
"Well it is not that rich and big. Just enough for a company to run. I see you do your research about me." I said. I looked at her eyes and almost chuckled loudly when I see how red her face is.
"No! I didn't. I read the business section in the newspaper! Besides I wanted to hear everything from you." She answered defensively.
"Well normally I would research about the people who makes me interested but likewise, I wanted to hear everything from you. Where did you graduate?" I asked casually.
"Smith University. I finish English Literature and currently trying to finish my masters on Creative Writing in there also. How about you?" she asked curiously.
"I finished my undergraduate and MBA in Harvard University. I'm thinking to have some units about aviation so I can know more about my business." I answered seriously.
"You really love your work." She commented shyly.
"Yes. It is a company that my mother nurtured with sweat and blood. When my grandfather passed it to my mother it was almost bankrupt. She opened the company to investors in order to save the company. Slowly the company gained again its losses and became stable. But my mom being the hard-worker she is, instead of settling down, she invested in other companies then the profit she was gaining from her investments were used to buy again the shares we sold." I proudly told her. The story of the company was not a secret to hide but this is the 1st time I told the story in my point of view.
"I think your mom is very proud of you." She said looking at me at the eyes.
"I hope so. I hope wherever she is right now, she will be proud of me." I said seriously.
"I'm very sorry. I didn't know. I know she is very happy of what you become." She said sincerely. It warms my heart of how sincere she sound but I know I don't deserve that kind of admiration. I had done things and still doing things to ensure my companies stability.
"I hope so." I answered darkly.
"I'm just curious what do you do in your free time?" she asked again.
"Read books, walking, riding my bike and cooking." I answered. "How about you?" I asked.
"Mostly read books, browse book shops for books and play with the different scents in PoPi and…" She answered shyly.
Think about you. An added interest on my free time now.
"And?" I asked interested.
"Think about how can I improve and help the adaptation of my novel." She answered looking away. She is not telling me something and I needed to find out.
"I don't believe you." I said smirking. I grabbed my wine and drink from it. I looked at her intently. "And?" I added. She tried to look away but I leaned on and hold her chin.
"Think of you." She whispered then closed her eyes in embarrassment.
"Well it is good to know, I'm not the only one doing that." I said whispering too.
"Huh?" she asked confused after opening her eyes.
"Thinking of you." I said then placed a kiss on her lips. She sighed softly. To my dismay, I have to sit back again to know her more.
"So tell me, why did you become a writer?" I asked curiously.
I see that she stiffened in her sit and sighed hard.
"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it." I said when I felt that she is not comfortable to talk about it.
"No it's fine. I don't usually talk about it. I always have the shorter version in my interviews." She answered.
"It is really fine if you don't want to talk about it." I said understand how hard it is to tell a story that is touching some sensitive spot in your heart.
"It's fine. Well I really like to read books as a kid, so when I graduated high school, I told my parents that I will took English Literature but my mother won't approve of it. But my father sided with me, so I graduated English Literature. I discovered in one of our subjects that I loved to write. I joined a writing club and from there I met Jenji Kohan. Jenji Kohan is a producer writer and she is the one who encouraged me to submit my works in a publishing company and as they say the rest is history" she said then looked outside the setting sun.
"Why did your mother doesn't want you to be a writer?" I asked coaxing her to continue her story.
"She wanted me to follow the footstep of my father. He is into business." She answered.
"What's the name of your company?" I asked curiously.
"Chapman Trading Company." She answered.
"No! That is why her surname is very familiar to me. She is only the daughter of the man I vowed to destroy!" I can't breathe properly from the revelation. Fuck! Another reason for me to not pursue her!
"That's a big company you got in there Piper. So who is now holding your company?" I asked. I will use her to my advantage. A bile of sour liquid threaten to come up to my mouth but I swallowed it hard.
"You didn't became the woman you are today now, Vause, if you let your emotions triumph inside of you. Focus!" I told myself secretly.
"Are you serious about it, Vause? This is the first time after your mother that such emotions were evoke in you!"
I didn't answer instead I grabbed my glass and swallowed the whole content of it.
She is the last piece I needed. I'm sorry, Piper but you are last one I needed to execute my plan. I have waited too long for it.
"It is still with my father but he is training my eldest brother to be the successor." I answered.
"Aren't you worried that your brother will have all the company to himself?" she asked curiously.
"I don't really protest about it because my father assured as three that everyone will have a fair share of everything that he owns. Sebastian is not really the greedy one. Besides even if I don't have a share in there I could live comfortably because of my career. It is Cal, my youngest brother, I'm worried because he is still defying my parents until now." I answered truthfully.
"So what inspired you to write the novel we are adapting?" I asked changing the subject so she will not suspect my intentions.
I felt my heart beat's fast from the nervousness I feel. I know my answer will change something between us but I wanted to be honest to her.
"From my own personal experience." I answered briefly. I expect her to react wildly and went home immediately but she just shrugged and poured wine in our glasses. I looked at her in disbelief and sighed.
"What?" she asked.
"Do you know what the story of the novel you are adapting?" I asked.
"Yes." She answered briefly.
"Aren't you curious or even disgusted in me for what I have said?" I asked bewildered by her answer.
"No. You have your own reasons why you have been incarcerated. Besides Nicky and I had been imprisoned too." She answered chuckling.
"Really? Why" I asked more bewildered than before. Then I remembered my manners. "I'm sorry for asking" I said shyly.
"It is fine. Some petty things. Nicky for getting a car and crashing some else car in the process while I had been caught using drugs in plane. My mom was the one who put me in bars." She chuckled after recounting her story.
No doubt she is one of the most beautiful human being I have laid my eyes on.
She looked me in the eyes intensely, reached for my hand and kissed the back of my hand.
"Thank you for sharing things to me." She said.
"Thank you too for sharing your stories." I said after a few seconds of silence. A ring on the phone break the hypnotizing moments we have.
"Excuse me, Piper. I need to answer this one." She said then walked inside the house. I gathered the plates and put it aside. I poured me some more wine while waiting for Alex to go back.
"Hey, Piper. Thank you for the dinner. It is one of the best meals I have had for a while. But for some damn reason, Nicky needs me right now. So even if I wanted to help in cleaning up the dishes, I can't. I promise to do it next time." Alex said after going back.
"It is fine. I'll walk you outside." I said a bit disappointed by the turn of events. We walked silently with enough space between with us. As much as I want to hold her hands, I'm too shy to do it. A limousine is already waiting outside when we reached the bottom. We said our good bye's whispering as if we don't want to be apart. She was already half way when she went back to me.
"I forgot something." she said. Before I can even asked what she have forgotten, she snaked her arm to my waist and pulled me to her. She kissed me softly but hard. My knees almost gave away after she kissed me in a mind numbing way.
"See you around." She said when she released me and went inside her car.
"Affirmative. She is the last piece I needed to start the game, Nicky." I said in the phone then hung up. I slumped in the limousine and chugged down the scotch straight from the bottle.
