Author's Note: Now let us sit and enjoy the start of ride in the roller coaster.
How much does she take your breath away?
You look so wonderful in your dress…
You look so beautiful in this light…
The way it brings out the blue in your eyes is the Tenerife Sea…
Cause all that you are is all that I'll never need…
(Tenerife Sea)
Chapter seventeen: Then They Dance
I still can't believe what my father had said to me two nights ago after my date with Larry Bloom.
"Piper, I have something to tell you." My father said after he opened the door for me which is very surprising for me.
"What is it?" I asked formally. Not bothering that we still are in the receiving area of the house.
"You need to have a good dress two days from now." He said not looking at me but opening a bottle of whiskey in the bar counter located in the receiving area.
"Why?" I asked curiously.
"We are going to announce your engagement in two days." he said then down the whiskey in one drink. I just nodded not minding the tears streaming to my eyes and walked to my room more desperate than ever.
"Piper, will you please stop crying? You are ruining your make-up." Polly said then wiped my eyes with a tissue.
"Argh! I think you need to redo her make-up." Polly said to the make-up artist we hired for this day.
"Come here, Piper. I will help you remove your make-up. It is a good thing that we are preparing ahead of time." Polly said to me after making sure that I'm not crying anymore.
"Baby, you have to stop crying you know? The guest cannot see your puffy eyes, you know what your father might think if he sees your eyes all red." Polly said then she let me rinse my face.
"I didn't know this is hard to do, sacrifice my own happiness for my family." I said.
"I know. I know. It pains me so much to see you like this but you need to stand for what you had chosen for your family even though it is hard. Everything is worth it. Don't worry, I'm here for you always." Polly said after I washed my face and she wiped the water off my face. I hugged her tight and let the make-up artist redo my make-up. To say the make-up artist is good is the understatement of the moment because she magically hides my puffy eyes and dark circles under it and I can't stop looking at myself cause of the beauty the way she made my make-up.
"Piper, I think you need to put your clothes now, so the stylist could do some adjustments with your dress." Polly said after the make-up artist out the last touch of my make-up. I down a panel-laced little black dress that is just a little below the knee and a nude and black pumps. I heard a little squeal from left and saw Polly wiped the sides of her eyes.
"Oh my goodness, Piper! You look so beautiful. Larry's eyes will not leave you for sure." Polly said then asked me to twirl for her.
"You are just overacting, Polly. I just look ordinary." I said to her then sprayed some perfume to complete the look. Suddenly someone knock on my door and I opened it. I saw Cal walking back and forth.
"Wow, Piper. You look amazingly beautiful. As much as I want to look at you, father is already asking if you could come join us downstairs in the party." Cal said seriously.
"I will be going down now." I answered him then tugged Polly to go down.
"Uhmmmm…can I talk to you alone for a second, Piper?" Cal said then looked at Polly asking for permission. Polly nodded and left us alone in the hallway.
"Piper, are you really sure about your decision?" Cal asked me then hold my hand tightly. I just nodded cause if I opened my lips, tears might spill in my eyes.
"Piper, you know you don't have to do this. You don't have to sacrifice your happiness." Cal said desperately.
"I'm not doing this for nothing, Cal. I'm doing this for the family. I had once disappointed this family and I don't want to do that again." I said then hugged Cal tightly.
"Thank you, Piper. You don't know how much this mean to our family. Whatever happens, I will be here for you, Piper." Cal said seriously.
"I know." I said in a low voice then released him. He offered his arms to me and I put my hand to his arm securely. We descended slowly down where the guests are waiting for us. The hall is pact to the brim. I see a lot of familiar places but some are new faces.
"This will be a long night." I sighed hard.
I ignored all the wolf glances the men are giving me and some of the whisperings of the women. I immediately went to the bar and ordered a margarita to stable my nerves.
This is it! Cheers for a life of hell for me.
I raise my glass with an unpleasant smile to an invisible toast then drink the whole content of the glass. My face scrunched from the bitter taste of the alcohol but I ordered for another just so no one could bother me. I surveyed the floor and saw some of the guests dancing with the music or chatting away. I sighed again in the impending doom I will be facing for the rest of my life. I felt a sudden feeling that someone is looking at me but I can't pinpoint what direction the looker is coming from or who is looking at me with all the guests glancing at my way. I ordered another glass for me.
"Hello, Piper." Someone greeted me from my left. I looked at him and sighed.
"Hi, Larry." I said dryly and sipped some margarita from the glass I'm holding. I swirled the remaining content out of boredom.
"So are you excited with the announcement?" Larry asked after ordering a drink for him.
"Are you?" I asked him back.
"Maybe." He answered with a mysterious smile then down the whole content of his glass.
"So are we getting drunk on our own engagement day?" I said with a bitter smile. I heard him laughed but I could not force myself to join him. He ordered another drink for us and he raised his glass for us to toast.
"For this engagement." He said then gulped down the drink. I just sipped a little because I don't want to ruin my appetite. After a few minutes he walked away to my amazement, I ran after him and hold his arm.
"Aren't we suppose to sit together when the announcement will happen?" I asked him.
"I will just go to the bathroom." He said then walked away swiftly. I tried to look around when the feeling of someone watching me intently again make my hair stand on its end but still I could not find the watcher.
"Piper, I think you should sit in the designated table for us." Cal said when he found me in the bar. A designated waiter served food to our table but I don't have an appetite to eat. I grabbed another drink from a waiter's tray but a cold white hand snatched it from me.
"I think you have enough drink for the night, Piper." A raspy but familiar voice stop me from getting angry with the intruder. My eyes went wide from the surprise of seeing the woman occupying my mind the time I was in the ordeal of thinking on how to explain the situation I have right now.
"Alex!" I said with astonishment in my tone.
"Hello to you too, Piper." Alex said with amusement in her eyes but it was too small for my liking.
"What are you doing here, Alex?" I asked with panic in my eyes. I don't want to ruin what we have but I think it is unavoidable.
"Care to dance with me?" Alex ignored my question instead. I don't have enough time to answer because she grabbed my hand and pulled me to her. I could feel an instant electricity between us.
Fuck! This woman could really do something to me. But I have to fight it cause it is not appropriate anymore. This is not right!
"Alex, will you let me explain first after that you can do anything with me?" I said when she is putting my arms around her neck.
"Anything?" she asked. Her voice is suddenly deeper than usual then she put her arms to my waist. I almost wanted to nod but the music started again. She looked directly into my eyes and started to sway slowly to the music. I could feel her breath to my face and I could smell her scent that is so intoxicating.
(Tenerife Sea)
You look so wonderful in your dress
I love your hair like that
The way it falls on the side of your neck
Down your shoulders and back
We are surrounded by all of these lies
And people who talk too much
You got the kind of look in your eyes
As if no one knows anything but us
Should this be the last thing I see
I want you to know it's enough for me
'Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need
I'm so in love, so in love
So in love, so in love
And oh how beautiful she is! She is wearing a nude laced knee length dress, rocking it with a unique leather and black pumps. Even Aphrodite will be shy when Alex sit beside her. Her beauty is incomparable even to the best model I saw in television.
You look so beautiful in this light
Your silhouette over me
The way it brings out the blue in your eyes
Is the Tenerife Sea
And all of the voices surrounding us here
They just fade out when you take a breath
Just say the word and I will disappear
Into the wilderness
Should this be the last thing I see
I want you to know it's enough for me
'Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need
I'm so in love, so in love
So in love, so in love
I still could not believe that she is here right now. The way she looked at me is making me melt and wobbly inside. My heart won't stop beating fast inside my chest. I could feel small kisses of butterflies fluttering in my stomach. The small caresses she is giving me intensified the flowing of emotions I'm feeling for her right now.
[6x:]
Lumière, darling
Lumière over me
Should this be the last thing I see
I want you to know it's enough for me
'Cause all that you are is all that I'll ever need
I'm so in love, so in love
So in love, love, love, love,
So in love
You look so wonderful in your dress
I love your hair like that
And in a moment I knew you, Beth
As the music ends, she removed her hands and I immediately missed her warmth. I cursed myself silently cause even my body cannot lie who it wants. And I think it is not only my body that wants Alex' touch, cause my heart is also aching from the absence.
Am I in love with her?
"I think we should sit now because your father is going to announce something." Alex whispered to my ears. I walked shakily to our designated sit and was surprised to see Alex sitting beside me. I looked around to see if Larry is around because I know the time has come for the announcement.
"Good evening, everyone." My father said in the microphone, making everyone silent.
"Thank you everyone for coming to this event in a very short notice. As you all know this is a very important to our family. Your presence is highly appreciated by my family. Now without further ado, let me announce the engagement of my beloved daughter, Piper Chapman to Alex Vause, the CEO of Vause Airline Company. Could you two please come in front so everyone could see you? " He added looking at our direction but I was too shocked to even give a reaction. The thunderous clapping of the guest didn't register to my mind because of the situation I'm in.
What the fuck is happening?!
"I think this is the time we go in front, Piper. The photographers need a good pictures of us." Alex said seriously then offered her hand to me. It is like I'm floating in the air when I accepted her hand and she guided me in front.
"What is happening, Alex? Why are you suddenly engaged to me?" I asked weakly to her. I tried to smile but the shock is still apparent in my face.
"Later, Piper, I will explain everything. Smile just for now." Alex said then smiled in the cameras clicking in front of us.
Even with all the girls scattered in here, Piper will and always stand out with her beauty. Her ensemble that is carefully put up makes her more stunningly beautiful. What I like the most is she doesn't need to show off so much skin just to look good in the guests' eyes. But it didn't stop the men from looking at her with hungry eyes. Definitely it didn't stop me either from watching her from my position.
I will remember not to invite them in our wedding.
When I saw her reaching again for another drink, I cannot stop myself from snatching it from her hands. I don't want my fiancé get drunk while we are having the party. And when we danced, I thought I was going to blank out cause I could not breath properly from her overflowing beauty. She is literally taking my breath away. This is not the first time I had danced with somebody but the wy she make me feel things while holding her is so much for me to take.
My fiancé? Why does it sound so natural in my mind? Am I in love with her?
Well at least for now, she is officially mine. This statement is running in my mind when his father announced our engagement and we walked in front.
"What is happening, Alex? Why are you suddenly engaged to me?" she asked with a low voice.
"Later, Piper, I will explain everything. Smile just for now." I said then fake a smile in the cameras clicking in front of us.
I felt something pinched in my heart with her question but for now I ignored it and tried to enjoy the moment while it last.
Author's Note: Their outfits is based from their London Promotional Tour in the rooftop. I really think that they have complimented each other in that photo shoot. Besides it is one of my favorite photo of them.
