The apartment was quiet; eerily quiet. The only sound was the occasional tumbling of ice in the half-full glass of whiskey she was currently nursing.
Swallowing a mouthful of the smooth, moderately aged spirit, she let a barely audible exhale escape her lips as she closed her eyes, tilting her head back in a gentle lull. Thinking back, Alex Vause could not remember the last time she had ever indulged in the stillness of her apartment.
Work had kept her constantly busy, yet she grew restless with each passing day. Turning her head slightly to the left, she sighed as the warmth of the alcohol flowed through her extremities.
Suddenly, an ill-timed rapping on her solid oak front door pulled her from the solidarity she had been desperately gripping too. She stilled. She waited.
"Vause! Open up." Came the all too familiar voice from the outside of her safe haven.
Alex rolled her eyes as she sighed deeply. Content to wait her best friend out, she latched her vision onto the glass currently resting in her hand. Lifting the glass to eye level she gently swirled the amber liquid in silent deliberation. Should she humor Nicole Nichols by granting her access inside? No… no, I'll wait it out a bit longer, she thought with a deceptive smirk.
"Vause! I know you're in there. Cut the bullshit and let me in. It's freezing out here, man." Alex let a slight chuckle escape her throat as she listened intently to the newest voice entering their one sided conversation. "What? No, I will not shut the fuck up. What?! I don't give a good goddamn if your cats are trying to sleep!" A loud thumping followed, "VAUSE!"
Alex slowly rose from her seated position, shaking her head with silent laughter. Pulling the bronzed handle, she swung the door open to reveal a slightly disheveled looking Nicky.
"To what do I owe this pleasure, Nichols?" Alex purred with a slight slur in her speech.
Nicky turned away from the disgruntled neighbor she had been arguing with and locked eyes with Alex. "You snatch! I've been out here for ten minutes, Vause. Your neighbor," she raised her voice to an all too calculated level knowing said neighbor was listening, "is a cranky old cat hoarding psychopath."
Alex peeked her head around the threshold just in time to see the neighbor slam her front door with purpose. Shaking her head, Alex stepped aside to grant Nicky access. Passing her gracious host, Nicky let out a frustrated huff. "You need to move" she mumbled as she shrugged the down fill coat off of her shoulders.
Alex leaned her forehead against the door's edge before mumbling a simple, "I know."
"Have you given any thought as to where you're gonna go?" The mane-haired girl asked, looking around the quiet apartment. The place was modestly furnished with- well, Alex's apartment was pretty much where furniture came to die. The décor was a drastic difference from Alex's personality. Probably because nothing was her own. Diane Vause had passed away eight months prior, leaving all her possessions to her daughter.
Turning to the smaller woman, Alex shrugged lazily. "I've been looking around. I can't stay here. I don't know how my mom could afford this piece of shit." She reached down, grabbing her glass, quickly throwing back the remaining contents before chuckling bitterly. "Oh wait. I guess working four jobs helped a bit."
"Have you given anymore thought to finding a roommate?" Nicky asked before pouring herself a drink, topping Alex off as well.
"Pffft." Alex scoffed before taking another small sip. "I'm not depending on anyone to help support me, Nichols. Besides, it's New York. Who knows what kind of fucking weirdo's are out there looking for a young-"
"You're thirty-" Nicky smirked
"I repeat, young, vulnerable girl to lure in."
"Vulnerable? Please, Vause." Nicky cackled before throwing her head back, swallowing the amber liquid in one shot. "Plus, I only showed you that one ad with the reptile-fetish guy because it was hysterical, and you amuse me." Reaching into her back pocket, she retrieved a small piece of paper. "Check this out." Nicky said before handing the paper over.
Eyes darting across the text rapidly, Alex's face contorted in confusion. "'The Interview'? Nicky, I don't know. This movie looks terrible." Alex mumbled before taking another sip of whiskey "I think I actually support North Korea on this."
"What?" Nicky asked in irritated confusion. Snatching the paper from the taller brunette's hand, she glanced at the source of her confusion. Rolling her eyes, she handed it back. "Flip it over, Columbo."
Alex did as she was told, her eyes landed on an different kind of ad; An apartment-ad; a 'Roommate-wanted 'ad. "Fuck no," Alex said defiantly. "No way." Alex turned, leaving the paper discarded on the paint-peeled coffee table.
"Vause, would you just take a look? I mean, give me a little credit." Nicky persisted with big, shining eyes.
Alex paused, taking in the puppy routine her best friend was giving her before clearing her throat. "Wanted : Female roommate, aged 18-34. Non-smoker. Must like bearded dragons."
Nicky smirked slightly, "See? Hysterical." Alex scoffed and began to walk away with Nicky hot on her heels. "He made hand puppets for a living, Vause. For a LIVING." Nicky exclaimed. "Okay, look- quite frankly, I've had enough fun at your expense. You're starting to become a bit stale. So I'm done fucking around." Grabbing the paper, she held it out for Alex. "Take a look."
Rolling her eyes, Alex grabbed the paper roughly from the shorter girl before cautiously eyeing the bold text. "Wanted : Roommate," she paused "Creative." Ignoring Nicky's unamused huff, she continued to read aloud. "Applicant must be employed full time. Fully furnished apartment yet own furniture welcome. Located in Park Slope, Brooklyn. Spacious and private- welcome to your new home!" Alex rolled her eyes at the closing sentence. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
"What? Sounds kinda nice, man."
"Park Slope? Only asshole's live there, Nichols."
"Yeah, look at that! You'd fit right in, Vause." Nicky smiled crookedly at the taller girl. "Listen, you can't afford this place on your own. You don't want to live here anyway. Your hallways aren't heated, your elevator is broken, and you've got a neighbor that is scarily into all the wrong types of pussy." Nicky continued lowly. "Those cats," she pointed to the wall separating Alex and her neighbor "are going to eat her fucking face one day. Do you want to be around here when the coroner shows up and deems her fancy feast, specially formulated for aging cats?" She paused, allowing for a stunned silence. "I didn't think so. Grab ya coat. We're heading to the Bronx."
Alex finally gathered her thoughts enough to respond to the already retreating Nicky. "Now?"
"Yes, now Vause. Hurry the fuck up."
It was a long- painfully long cab ride. However, not long enough. It was one of those rides that you dread. You secretly hope that you catch every red light. You guiltily hope for a seventy car pile-up. However, on this day, at this time, the stars align just right, and the universe works in all kinds of mysterious ways just to fuck you. That was this day. It felt like everyone in New York City decided to stay home, clearing the roads just for Alex Vause. At this moment, she despised humanity.
Pulling up to the disgustingly beautiful Brownstone, Alex's face contorted in absolute horror. There were flowers on the stoop. Alex hated flowers. At least she convinced herself of this fact spitefully, laying eyes upon the stupid, fucking flowers on the stoop.
Feeling the eyes of her best friend, as well as the cab driver burning holes into her, she shifted uncomfortably. Hesitating a moment, she looked back to Nicky, Mouth open, ready to speak.
"No!" Nicky chastised. Nicky stared icily at her for a moment before slapping her in the shoulder. "No!" she repeated forcefully. "We're going. Here," she turned to the driver, throwing cash his way. "Keep it. You," she points Alex's way, "outta the car."
Alex huffed dramatically, allowing herself to be pushed out of the backseat of the decidedly messy cab. Stuffing her hands into the pockets of her leather jacket, she looked around, appraising the neighborhood. Seeing children laughing in the snow a few houses down, Alex sighed deeply. This. This is hell. She thought to herself.
Suddenly she felt herself being shoved forward. Turning quickly on Nicky, she glared. Nicky's response, in true Nicky Nichols fashion, was to flip her off with a crooked smile. Alex smirked slightly, shaking her head as she and Nicky began to ascend up the stairs to the front door. Sighing nervously, Alex raised a glove clad hand to rap on the weathered door.
They heard a bit of shuffling and a slight curse come from inside the house. Sharing an amused look, they continued to patiently wait. Suddenly, the door was being thrown open to a confused, yet friendly face.
"Hi." The voice spoke politely. "Can I help you?
"Uh," Alex stepped back slightly, chancing a glance to a nodding Nicky before continuing. "Yeah. I'm Alex; Alex Vause. I saw your ad in the paper. Roommate? BYO furniture? I know it's short notice and everything, I was just wondering if-"
"No! Not at all. Please come in." Offering a hand, and a toothy grin, the person spoke in a friendly tone. "I'm Larry Bloom. Nice to meet you."
Alex grimaced slightly, unnerved by his friendly nature. "Likewise."
Piper struggled with the menacing pull of gravity threatening her grip on the brown paper bags currently occupying her arms. Sure, she could have left the bags on the floor while retrieving her keys; she could have even made two trips – two trips? I'd rather die she mused to herself.
The tall blonde was currently returning from her latest venture to Wholefoods. Picking up what she deemed to be 'nutritionally acceptable', she arrived at her boyfriend's apartment shortly after.
Piper Chapman had been dating Larry for one, blissful year. Blissful meaning, steady; Steady meaning uneventful. Every Thursday afternoon, she walked over to the Wholefoods, where she proceeded to stock up her boyfriend's fridge. It had become second nature. Recently, their quality time had been brief at best. With Larry constantly swamped with applicants to fill the empty spare room, they had been seeing less and less of each other. Thursday however, was their night.
Finally managing to unlock the front door, the blonde nudged it wider until she was clear to step through. Welcoming the burst of heat greeting her cold face, as well as the smell of fresh coffee, she smiled gently. Suddenly, there was the muffled sound of laughter – a woman's laughter. She paused – women's laughter. The blonde knitted her eyebrows in confusion as she clumsily made her way through the foyer and into the kitchen. Sitting at the dining table, she spotted her boyfriend, sitting casually with two women.
Larry was just taking a sip of his fresh coffee when he noticed the blonde standing in the doorframe, holding four oversized paper bags. "Hey Pipes!" He smiled widely, while standing abruptly to help his girlfriend rid her arms of what looked to be once again, way too much food.
"Hey," she smiled wearily while pecking him softly on the lips. "What's all this?" She asked quietly as she chanced a glance at the two, very amused looking women.
"Oh! This is Nicky," he smiled as he gestured toward the smaller blonde "and that's Alex." He finished before turning back to Piper. "Alex saw my ad in the paper. We were just discussing things."
"All of the things" the brunette smirked. There was something about her smirk that rubbed Piper the wrong way. She blinked once before smiling, completely dead-panned.
"Well," the blonde added in a falsely chipper tone "I hope you don't mind me sitting in. I mean, Larry is my boyfriend. We will be seeing a lot of each other after all." She smirked while running her hand possessively over his shoulder.
Alex smirked, completely aware of what the blonde was attempting to, not so subtly, imply. Inhaling slowly, she removed her lenses, gently biting down on the frame's earpiece. "yes, we will." She replied with a slight raise of her brow.
Alex felt a swift kick to her shin beneath the table. Turning to Nicky, she caught the warning look in her eye before winking subtly.
"Well actually," Larry smiled widely "I think I know all there is to know. I'm not going to lie to you Alex, there were a lot of applicants." He said seriously before continuing "But you're definitely head and shoulders above the rest." He paused before grinning jokingly "literally"
"Bahahaha!" Alex belted out a forced laugh before turning to Nicky rolling her eyes. 'Asshole' She mouthed, before being rewarded with a jab to her left ribcage.
Piper locked her eyes on Alex, giving her the once over before standing abruptly. "Well, it was nice to meet you both. I'm sure Larry will be in touch." She forced, fighting back the jealous bile rising in her throat.
"Yeah, alright. Thanks, blondie." Nicky smirked before rising to her feet, shrugging on her coat. "I'm going to take a few of these. Fuckin' delicious." She mumbled while shoving a cookie in her mouth.
Alex turned back to the couple smiling confidently, before slowly rising to her full height. "Larry," she extended her hand slowly. Glancing over at a fuming Piper, she smirked. "Pipes" she nodded tauntingly. "A pleasure."
Walking them to the front door and chatting idly, they said their final goodbye's before Larry slowly, and very gently closed the door behind them. Pausing for a moment, he turned slowly towards his girlfriend with a wide smile, arms out to the side. "So….?"
"I hate her." Piper replied deadpanned.