A/N
Hi folks, here's the next instalment.
Let me know what you think of the pacing of this story so far.
Cheers.
Chapter 3 – feeling happy
The next few weeks went by quickly for Alex, for the first time in a while, she was actually feeling happy. She spent a lot of her spare time with Piper, and she was relieved that Robbie had been leaving her alone. She visited Piper at the library a few times when she wasn't working at the café, she really looked forward to seeing the blonde while she was working. They would often find a quiet corner when she wasn't busy and flip through their favourite books. This afternoon the two found themselves sitting in between the science fiction shelves.
"Shit Pipes, I can't even imagine those words coming out of your mouth," Alex laughed loudly as Piper talked about her day.
"I'm serious Al, this old woman was driving me nuts! She kept insisting that I was wrong and she wasn't trying to walk right past me with a damn DVD player from the kids play room under her arm!"
"Ok ok, I can't take this anymore," Alex said, catching her breath. "You hungry?"
"I'm fricking starved, I left my lunch at home and haven't eaten since this morning." Alex thought that might be the case, the blonde always seemed to be forgetting things. "Well then you're very lucky that I'm incredibly considerate," Alex said as she reached into her satchel, "Ham and cheese or salad and beef?"
"Hmmmm, definitely the ham," Piper smiled as she grabbed the sandwich from Alex's hand. Alex leaned back against the book shelf as she opened her own sandwich. "So, what are your plans tonight?"
"Nothing exciting, thought I might actually make a vague attempt at unpacking,"
"Well, how about you leave that for one more night and come over? Mum and Robbie are taking Lucy to a school fair, I'll be all on my lonesome," Alex raised an eyebrow as she looked at Piper, God she's hot, Alex thought to herself. She already knew that she liked hanging out with the blonde, and wanted the opportunity to spend the night with her.
"That sounds like fun, I get off early this afternoon, I'll come straight to yours."
"Great," Alex was ecstatic, all she wanted to do right now was kiss Piper, but she didn't want to blow it, she wanted to play the long game. The two sat there a bit longer, eating their lunch, Piper sighed and rested her head against Alex's shoulder, "I still haven't met your mum, what's she like?"
"She's pretty relaxed, if you come around early enough you can meet her before they go out."
"And what about Robbie, do you guys get along?"
Alex shuddered at the mention of his name, she had no interest in talking about him, "he's fine, I try stay out of his way,"
"What about Lucy, does he get along with her?" Piper was genuinely curious about how the new family situation worked.
"Can we stop talking about Robbie!" Alex spat out, she felt herself go ridged, she was sick of Piper asking about Robbie.
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Piper loved it when Alex visited her in the library, and the fact that she brought her lunch. Even though they'd only known each other a few weeks, Alex seemed to already know her so well. Their little rendezvous was going really well until Alex snapped about Robbie.
"Hey I'm sorry, I was just curious, we don't need to talk about him," it was obvious that Alex didn't like Robbie, but Piper didn't want to push her too far. Alex got up in a huff and was mumbling about needing to go. Piper looked at the younger woman's face, which was suddenly stone cold. She felt bad about making her uncomfortable. She grabbed the brunette by the arm before she could run off, "hey, I'll see you around 4 ok?" Alex just nodded, and before she knew what she was doing, Piper leaned in and kissed Alex goodbye on the cheek. She thought she detected the slightest smile on Alex's face before she turned and left.
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The rest of the day dragged on for Alex, she couldn't wait to have Piper alone tonight. She killed some time by visiting Nicky before she went home. Nicky lived a few blocks from Alex with her girlfriend Lorna. Alex and Nicky had gone to school together and were inseparable. Nicky was the only one Alex had told about the issues with Robbie. "Hey Vause, what the hell man, I've hardly seen you at all lately!"
"What can I say Nicholls, I've had better things to do lately," Alex smiled as she walked through the front door, sitting on the floor in front of the couch. Nicky sat next to Alex and passed her a joint, "Tell me Nicholls, do you ever stop smoking pot?"
"I try not to, you should know that by now Vause!" The two continued to sit on the floor, passing the joint to each other as the afternoon dragged on, "So how things with Robbie lately?"
"Asshole's left me alone for weeks, thank fuck."
"Please just keep your temper in check with him, ok? Doesn't matter how much of a giant you are, he can still kick your ass."
"You don't need to remind me of that Nicky. Besides, I'm not letting that asshole scare me, I'm not gonna just give into his shit."
"I know, I just worry about you lately, you should seriously consider telling your mum." In reality, Nicky was petrified of what Robbie could do to Alex. She witnessed him slapping her across the face one night, splitting her lip open in one quick movement. Of course, he never did it in front of Diane. Robbie seemed to hate the fact that Alex was openly gay, and was not going to hide it for anyone. Alex told Diane she was gay at 15, and never looked back. Diane loved Alex just the same, it didn't matter who she was attracted to, she was still her daughter. Nicky saw that bond between mother and daughter and to be honest, was completely jealous. Her own mother seemed to lack any kind of human emotion, and the two hadn't spoken in two years. The thing that worried Nicky the most was Alex's temper, when it came to Robbie the brunette made no attempt to curb her anger, and one day it wouldn't just be a slap in the face that Alex got.
"I'm not ready to say anything to her Nicky, and besides, I have a hot date tonight." Alex was keen to change the subject, and girls were always a subject that got Nicky interested.
"With who?"
"My new hot neighbour," Alex smiled widely, she honestly could not wait to see Piper and get lost in those blue eyes.
"Let me guess, sex tonight?" Nicky wiggled her eyebrows at Alex.
"Not yet Nicholls," Alex smiled at her friend. "Piper is different."
"Yeah sure she is," Nicky said as she pulled herself up from the floor. "Ok, I gotta go, but you'd better call me tomorrow with all the disgusting, sticky details!" Alex laughed at her friend as they hugged goodbye and Alex made her way back home.
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Alex opened the front door to her apartment and saw her mum sitting in the kitchen. "Well hello stranger!" Diane said to her daughter as she got up and kissed her on the cheek.
"Hi mum."
"I barely see you all week and that's all I get! So what's been keeping you so busy lately huh? You better not be getting into any more fights kid."
"I'm not getting into any fights mum, I've actually been hanging out with a new neighbour, Piper. Actually she should be here soon, I invited her over since you were all out tonight."
"You know you could have come tonight too Alex. But can't say I'm surprised you've instead decided to spend the night with a girl," Diane smiled at her daughter, knowing exactly what she would have planned for the night.
"It's not like that mum," Alex was about to tell her mum about Piper when Robbie walked into the kitchen with Lucy on his shoulders, Alex couldn't bring herself to look at him. At this exact moment there was a knock at the door, Alex jumped out of her seat and got to the door first, "Hey Pipes."
"Hey Al," said Piper as she made her way into the small apartment. Lucy immediately saw Piper and jumped down from Robbie's shoulders, "Hi Piper."
"Hey Lucy, how's it going?"
"It's good, mum and Robbie are taking me to the school fair tonight." Before anyone could say anything Robbie started talking, "So Alex, who's your new friend?" he always did a perfect job of acting sweet as pie in front of Diane.
"Hi I'm Piper, I moved in a few doors down last month."
"Well it's great to meet you Piper, I'm Diane, Alex and Lucy's mum." Piper looked at the older woman, she was just an older version of Alex, and still beautiful, the same piercing green eyes.
Alex could tell Robbie was feeling uncomfortable, "Well let's hit the road Diane, c'mon Lucy it's time to go." They all exchanged their goodbyes and finally Alex and Piper were alone.
Piper was the first to speak, "You look just like your mum, she seems really nice."
"Yeah she's alright," said Alex, "how about we start with some horrible horror movies?"
"Sounds perfect."
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Piper sat close to Alex on the couch, turning to face Alex as the first movie finished. She couldn't help but be drawn in by those eyes, there was something behind them, something buried deep down, but Piper couldn't stop herself getting lost every time she looked at Alex. "You hungry yet?" said Alex.
"Yeah, how about we order in some Chinese? I've become addicted to this little place over on Gilbert Street."
"Sounds good kid."
It was ridiculous, but Piper felt a shiver run down her spine every time Alex called her kid. Piper was the older one here, but felt like an adolescent all over again when she was this close to the brunette. Piper pulled out her phone to look up the online menu when she felt Alex place her hand on her thigh, "so what are we havin'?"
Piper suddenly forgot all about ordering dinner, turning to look at Alex. She searched the brunette's eyes before drawing her face closer to Alex's. Alex closed the distance between them and gently placed her lips on the blonde's, kissing her slowly. Piper retuned the kiss, feeling Alex slide her tongue along her lower lip. Piper couldn't stop a moan escaping her lips, spurring Alex on to deepen the kiss. Alex tasted like vanilla and cigarettes, and Piper found herself cupping Alex's face in her hands, the kiss becoming more frantic as the two began exploring each other bodies. Alex started running her hand underneath Piper's top towards her breasts, eliciting another moan from the blonde. Alex smiled into the kiss as she started kissing along Piper's jaw, whispering into her ear, "is this ok?" as she breathed heavily into Piper's ear, making her shudder.
"Mmm, yes," replied Piper in a breathy voice. The blonde had never felt this type of electricity in a kiss before, let alone with another girl. Sure, she had kissed a few girls in college, but it never felt like this. Alex started rubbing Piper's right breast over her bra, feeling her nipple become hard under her touch. Just as Piper was about to reach under Alex's top, a phone started ringing. "Shit, sorry Pipes," said Alex as she went to grab her phone from the coffee table. Piper was left on the couch, trying to catch her breath, feeling the intense warmth between her legs. Alex sat back down next to Piper with a huge grin, "you ready to go to a party?"
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Nicky had called Alex and told her about a party she just found out about, that was happening at her friend John's place. While a part of Alex was perfectly content to stay in the apartment with Piper, she also liked the idea of bringing the blonde to a party. Piper seemed happy to come along and Nicky picked them up soon after. Alex and Piper jumped into the car as Nicky sped off, "So Vause, how about you introduce me to your new friend."
"Piper, this is Nicky, my best friend and perpetual pain in the ass," Piper giggled as she made small talk with Nicky. It didn't take long before the girls stopped at a house on the outskirts of the city, with the party looking to be well and truly underway. Alex held the car door open for Piper and took hold of her hand, which fit perfectly into her own. "So where's Morello tonight? Is she actually letting you out on the town unsupervised?"
"Very funny Vause, I'm an upstanding citizen! She's visiting her sister this week, so I'm all alone."
The three girls walked into the house, which was buzzing with people and music. Nicky went to find John, and Alex wanted to find the drinks. "You happy with a beer?" she asked Piper, "Sure."
Alex kept hold of Pipers hand and led her into the back yard for a bit more space. She found the beers and took one for herself and Piper. They downed their drinks quickly and Piper pulled Alex out onto the lawn to dance. Maybe it was their earlier kiss, maybe it was the beer, but Piper was feeling braver than usual. She pulled Alex close to her, placing her hands on the brunettes hips. Alex was slightly taller, forcing Piper to lean up to kiss her lightly. Alex smiled as the two continued to dance, drink and laugh for the next two hours. "I think we need more drinks," said Alex as she broke away from Piper on the dance floor to get more beer. Piper smiled as she watched Alex walk away, she was definitely feeling a bit drunk by this point, but by no means was she done for the night. As she waited for Alex to return, Piper felt someone come up from behind her, "Hey there," said an unfamiliar voice, which definitely did not belong to Alex. "Now that your little girlfriend is gone, how about we go upstairs? Promise I'll show you a good time." This guy was obviously drunk, swaying slightly as he tried his best to impress Piper. "Oh, no thanks, I'm waiting for a friend."
"You're waiting for Vause hey, trust me, I'm better than that bitch," said the drunken stranger as he grabbed onto Piper's arm, attempting to pull her around the corner of the house. "I said no OK," Piper had enough of this idiot, who just tightened his grip as she tried to pull away. He kept squeezing her arm tighter before all of a sudden he was on the floor.
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Alex was making her way back to Piper when she saw fucking Mendez trying to pull her away. Alex hated that guy with a passion, he never took no for an answer. Alex saw red, dropped the beers and started running towards Mendez, knocking him to the ground in a hard tackle. Before he even knew what was happening, Alex dragged him to his feet and swiftly punched him in the face, "Shit, Alex!" Piper couldn't quite believe what she just saw. She was glad Alex had gotten rid of the guy, but at the same time she didn't want her to start a fight. "You just never fucking learn do you Mendez!", said Alex as she stood over him, "Don't worry about it Al, let's just go ok," Piper was trying to drag Alex away to find Nicky, but before they got far Alex was pinned down by two other men, obviously friends of the one Alex had hit.
"Vause, you just never stay down do ya?" Said one of them, smiling as he held Alex to the ground while his friend stood watch. Piper was about to go for help when Alex swiftly kicked the young guy in the groin before pulling herself up. Before she could turn around, the second guy didn't hesitate in taking a huge swing and connecting his fist with Alex's face. Alex hit the ground with a thud, while Mendez managed to get up and kick Alex hard in the stomach. Piper was completely shocked and relieved when she saw Nicky breaking up the group, "Alright you fucking assholes just get the fuck out!" she shouted before approaching her friend, still on the ground. "Just can't help yourself can you Vause."
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In the next 20 minutes the three girls were back in Nicky's car, driving back home. "Shit Vause, did you really think you could take out three guys!?" laughed Nicky as looked back at her friend. "I could've taken them if you hadn't got in the way asshole," joked Alex from the backseat, sporting a bloody nose and split lip.
"Al, are you sure you're ok?" said Piper as she looked at the brunette with concern in her eyes. It was obvious she was in pain but would never admit it. Piper gingerly ran her hand over Alex's face, searching her eyes for an answer.
"I'm fine Pipes. I'm sorry I fucked up our night, I just couldn't stand there and watch that asshole try to drag you off."
"Oh yeah," chimed in Nicky,"Mende is a real piece of work."
"To be honest, no one's ever done anything like that for me before. It was really sweet, but I hated seeing you get hit like that," said Piper as she kept her hand on Alex's face, as though this would somehow ease the pain in her face and side. They eventually made it back to their apartment building a little after 1 am. Piper could tell Alex was having trouble walking up the stairs, so she slid up next to her, gently placing her arm around the brunettes waist, "thanks Pipes," said the husky voice in between pained steps. They finally made it to Alex's front door, but before they could open it, Diane opened it from the other side, looking at Piper holding up her daughter.
"What the fuck Alex," said Diane through clenched teeth, "what the fuck happened huh? What happened to NOT getting into any more fights?"
"It was different this time ma, I was defending Piper's honour," said Alex as she laughed, still slightly drunk. Diane looked towards Piper who just nodded and lowered her head.
"I don't want to know what the fuck you were doing, but I thought you were gonna be home tonight, I was worried, I texted you and you didn't fucking answer."
"Sorry mum, I know I'm an asshole," said Alex. Piper led her over to the couch where she helped her sit down. Diane went into the bathroom and came back with a bowl of warm water and a small towel in her hands. She sat herself on the coffee table in front of her daughter, "So what the hell happened this time?" Piper explained the whole situation to Diane, feeling slightly responsible for what happened. Alex winced as Diane raised the warm towel to her split lip, wiping away the blood. Without even thinking, with the alcohol still running through her body, Piper automatically raised her hand to gently rub Alex's cheek, "Are you sure you're ok?" This little motion didn't escape Diane, who wet the towel again and cleaned up her daughter's bloody nose, and wiped the dirt off the rest of her face. Alex didn't respond, but just leaned her head on Piper's shoulder. "I'm sorry Pipes, I ruined your night."
"No, no you didn't ruin anything. Shit, I was relieved when you came back but it all happened so quickly."
"Well by the sounds of it, the jerk deserved it," said Diane as she put the bowl and towel down next to her, but she was worried. "Baby, are you sure you're ok?" Diane was glad that Alex was so willing to protect Piper, but she couldn't help but worry about her eldest daughter. Alex just nodded, and went to try and stand and quickly slipped back down again. Diane sighed, "Lift your shirt Ally," Alex didn't bother arguing and lifted her shirt to reveal a few small scratches from where she'd hit the ground and a bruise on her right side. "It's ok mum, it's just a bit sore." Alex hated seeing that look on her mother's face, that look of complete concern and fear.
"Ok, but if you don't feel well you fuckin' let me know ok." Alex just nodded. "Alright, I'll leave you two alone." Diane got up and kissed her daughter on the head before going back to bed. Piper got up first, and held her arms out to help Alex, who winced again as she got up from the couch. Piper slipped an arm around Alex's waist as she led the tall brunette to her room. She helped Alex undress and get into bed. Alex now lay on her bed in nothing more than a t-shirt and boxers. Piper sat down next to her, looking down into those green eyes. "I hate seeing you hurt Al."
"I'm fine Pipes, besides, no way was I letting that asshole hurt you." Alex then gently lifted Piper's wrist, the one Mendez had a death grip on, some faint bruising visible. Alex brought Piper's wrist to her mouth and gently kissed it three times. "Are you ok?" she asked Piper.
"I'm fine, I'm not the one who got attacked remember?" said Piper as she smiled again into those green eyes. She did not want to leave Alex alone in her room, so she stood up, kicked off her shoes, and took off her jeans and shirt before reaching into Alex's top drawer to take out an old Metallica t-shirt which she slipped on. She then slid in next to Alex, the two girls lying face to face. Alex was exhausted and sore, even if she wouldn't admit it. She rested her head on Piper's chest, closed her eyes and drifted off to sleep.