A Place To Call My Home

Chapter 14

You hide inside, so not okay

What if you remember more today

The phone rings but there's too much to say

You tell them to go when you wish they would stay

Three days passed and Diane had barely spoken a word to Alex. Piper tried to stay out of it, but the tension in the apartment just kept getting worse.

"You need to talk to her Al."

Alex sat across from Piper at the kitchen table holding onto her coffee. She hated fighting with Diane, it made her feel empty. She knew it was her fault and she knew what she needed to do to get her life back on track. The first step was talking to Diane, but she was struggling with what to say to her mum.

"I know, I'll talk to her tonight.....Fuck, I need to get out Pipes."

"What are you talking about?"

"Fahri, the cartel, I need to get the fuck out, fuck! I don't even know if that's possible. And what the fuck would I do anyway? I never went to college, I've never had a real fucking job!

Alex stood up and started pacing around the kitchen as she thought out loud. She kept rubbing her palms up and down her jeans, but she couldn't get rid of the constant shaking. "I don't wanna end up like my dad, but part of me still wants to stay, it's a lot of money to leave behind. It's the only reason I've been able to help Diane. But fuck, I want her to be proud of me, and I want you. I don't want you to go from feeling unsafe with Jack to feeling unsafe with me."

"I don't feel unsafe with you Alex."

"Well maybe you should. How can I build a real life with you when I have this job? Besides the fact that my own mother can't bring herself to talk to me, I'm so fucked! I want to be a better person, but I don't know how."

Alex kept pacing the kitchen, she felt so conflicted. Just a few months ago she was loving her life and her job. She was moving up the ladder, being given more responsibility and travelling more, and getting more money. It's what she'd been working towards for the last three years, it gave her the type of stability she'd never had. But things changed so quickly after she met Piper, that woman changed something inside her. Especially after how things ended with Jack. It made her become more wary about her safety, and the safety of those around her. But above all else, it made her think about the future in such a different way. She needed to slow her mind down, she needed to think about this carefully. No matter how close her and Fahri may be, people didn't just leave the cartel voluntarily. She'd need to be careful and plan it out, maybe she could cut a deal with them. Maybe if she secured a massive deal with a new overseas buyer, Kubra would let her go.

Alex turned back towards Piper, who looked worried. Alex was so tired of seeing Piper looking permanently worried. But it could be worth it if she could get out of the cartel and they could have a proper life together.

"Please don't worry Pipes, it's something I'll be planning carefully, I'm not about to rush off and do something stupid. I promise."

Piper nodded at her girlfriend but it was impossible to not worry about something like that. They were also still waiting to hear more from the police on how Jack was doing, they had no idea if he was even dead or alive.

"I'm really tired Pipes, will you come lie down with me?"

Just the way Piper smiled at her made Alex feel so much better, "Of course."

The two women walked to their bedroom hand in hand. It wasn't just Alex's bedroom anymore, it was their bedroom. They slipped under the covers and Piper wrapped her arms around Alex from behind, pulling their bodies close together. Those were the moments that felt the most perfect, the moments where they didn't need any words and those simple touches conveyed everything.