Vauseman: Forever and Always

A flashback from Alex

(Alex's POV)

Flashback
For some godforsaken unknown reason my last ex before Piper, Sylvie, who I didn't love, truth be told Piper was the only one I had ever loved, correction, love, had called round claiming I still had her favourite Iron Maiden CD. I pointed her in the direction of where it would be, in my player on my nightstand (I was hoping she wouldn't come back for this CD, it was the one thing of hers I actually liked. I had it in the player because rock music always calmed me when I was angry and/or upset) when she stopped. "What the fuck is your problem now Sylvia?" I hiss at her, leaning against the bedroom door. She had stopped at a framed picture of Piper and I in Hawaii that was sitting on my nightstand facing my pillow that I had forgotten to put away in my hurt and anger at Piper. That, and it was one of my favourite pictures of us and it reminded me of Piper's note she had left when she left me telling me she still loved me and she'd come back if I left Kubra but I couldn't do that. Our relationship was technically not over just on a complicated break. Every photograph I had taken with Piper I was genuinely happy. We lived for and in the moment. The photograph was just sitting there, on my nightstand, reminding me we could be once again posing like this for a picture in Hawaii. In the picture we had our arms wrapped around each other standing on the white sandy beach, in front of the crystal blue water, a palm tree above us under the sapphire blue sky in our bikinis. Smiling into the camera. Aydin had taken the picture for us. It hurt me but Sylvia didn't know Piper had left me so I kept it there with my killer poker face and planned to pretend Piper had gone out with her best friend Polly.
"You take your little whore with you? You never took me." She growled at me.
"That's because I actually love her Sylvia and don't you dare call her a whore in my presence again." I glare at her. I may have hated Piper currently but I also loved her and this ex of mine who I had no feelings for whatsoever was not getting away with calling the love of my life a whore.
"I've gotta hand it to you Alex, you always do pick the hottest ones. I may hate her but her body. Damn that's fire. Shame you got there first." She was checking Piper out. I was seething. "Watch it Sylvia." I warn.
"Why only the one picture?" She asked amused. Fuck. I had no answer for this. I wasn't prepared for my crazy ex to knock on my door again especially after going through the one breakup that actually hurt me. So I told a partial truth.
"We have a lot of pictures together actually they're just stored away because we don't like it when people come into our home, see all of our pictures and think we're some sappy crazy in love couple. We are a crazy in love couple just not a sappy one." I smirk at her letting her know that cheating on her with Piper was the best decision I had made in my life to date. We were a sappy crazy in love couple who did like to show off our love but a straight poker face was required in this situation.
"Where is she anyway? Your so called other half? She's not run away has she?" It was her turn to smirk at me because the last question was true. Piper had run away. I fight back tears.
"She's out shopping with her best friend. If you're looking to hook up with her I would be very pissed and neither of us would allow it since you punched her at your last meeting when it was clearly me sending you a message but I can call her and see if she would like to meet you for coffee some time?" I played with her. I also REALLY wanted to call Piper knowing I still had a chance but it would be wrong, it would give her the wrong impression that I was leaving Kubra and it would hurt us both. Damn did I want to leave Kubra and run to her but he would kill me and definitely come after her. I wouldn't allow it so I suffered without her and hoped she would find someone new no matter how much it tore me up inside. While I was thinking Sylvia had opened the closet where I had all of the framed photographs of Piper and myself in a box I had named "LOVE MEMORIES". It sickened me when Sylvia said "Aw Alex you kept the photographs of our time together." Someone definitely thought highly of herself. A little too high. I never printed, let alone framed the photos Sylvia took with a reluctant me. I had deleted them from my phone the minute she wasn't looking.
She opened the box and embarrassment quickly set on her face when she found it was hundreds of framed photos of Piper and I in various locations around the world, here in our home and around the city. This amused me. She lifted one of us in Paris kissing at the top of the Eiffel Tower. This had been my favourite picture until Piper left me in Paris. It was now tainted with bad memories and the thought that that version of me didn't know she was about to be left in a foreign city without the love of her life to spoon every night.
Sylvia then threw the framed photograph at me but I caught it and shot her my poisonous eyes. The frame had hearts carved into it that said A+P in some and P+A in others. I had it done for Piper for Valentine's Day, photograph included. I was angry at Piper right now but these memories were very important to me. I saw red.
"GET. OUT. NOW!" I shouted through gritted teeth. "GET YOUR FUCKING CD AND GET OUT. IF YOU BREAK OR EVEN TOUCH ANOTHER PICTURE OF PIPES AND I TOGETHER SYLVIA SO HELP ME GOD!" I was so angry. I loved these pictures, they just hurt me to look at.
"Pipes?!" She scoffed. "She even has a better nickname than me."
I was dragging her to the door now, photo frame still in hand. I threw her out just after I said "I told you because unlike you I love her. Goodbye." And shut the door in her face. I turned around and looked down at the picture, leaning against the door. I kissed the area of the photograph where Piper was and said, "Please come back to me Pipes."