You are my life

Surprise

(Alex's POV)

Okay.
Enough was enough.
This ring has been burning a hole in my pocket for weeks now.
It was time.
I just needed to suck it up and pray Piper would say yes.
I mean why wouldn't she?
She's agreed to live with me, she's pretty much forgiven me, we've reconnected on the sex front. I should have a proper fiancé by the end of the day right?

Today was a good day.
I'd just graduated from college and I'd been offered a job from a company.
They were so impressed with the way I handled things throughout my degree that they wanted to take me on as none other than their CFO.
I started in 2 days.
Piper didn't know yet.
I wanted my proposal tonight to be under the guise of us celebrating my new job and her promotion. That way she wouldn't suspect a thing.
She was currently at work as usual while I was at home which gave me time to run the errands I had in mind today.

It was now 2pm and I was at the bank with a financial advisor. I was getting mine and Piper's accounts joined together.
There wasn't much cash to my name because prison took every penny I had since it was either laundered or drug money.
"Okay Mrs Vause-Chapman, that should be the accounts joined now. You have $30,000 to your name and your wife has a total of $275,000 so altogether your joint account is worth $305,000." He tells me.
I nod,
"Wow that's more than I expected." I say to myself but it was loud enough for him to hear.
"I'm sorry?" He asks.
I look up at him,
"Oh, sorry, my wife and I were in prison so we were crippled financially because of that. I used to earn... quite a lot but I'm now a businesswoman and she's now a federal prosecutor so I guess we're starting to get by." I chuckle nervously.
His eyebrows raise and his eyes go wide as he slowly nods his head.
"O-Oh o-okay. Well good for you." He stammers with a nervous smile.
I took that as a cue to leave.
"Thank you." I tell him as I get up to leave.

It was around 4pm now and Piper gets home at 5 so I had an hour to go grab the ring and make dinner reservations. Going to my storage locker, I grab the ring from where I'd hidden it when Pipes was here with me and go home to make reservations and change.

X

"Yes, the private rooftop lounge. Yes, for two. Violinists? Hmm, too cliché. Do you have a pianist? Yes, a pianist would be great. Could I get the champagne in an ice bucket before we arrive? Thank you."
As soon as I finish the conversation with the restaurant, Piper walks through the door.
"Who was that?" She asks.
"Dinner reservations and we have a table in 10 minutes so you better go get changed babe." I smirk.
Her eyes go wide and she blinks.
"Oh. Okay." She says as she walks into our bedroom, shedding her blazer.
From our bedroom she shouts,
"Where are we going?"
"You know that place with the rooftop lounge we always wanted to try out but never got a chance to?" I reply, knowing she'd love that answer.
She comes rushing back into the living area where I was, wearing nothing but her underwear.
"Really?!" She asks excitedly.
I chuckle before my eyes start to wander.
"Really. And babe, if we're going to make it to dinner, you're gonna have to get dressed, otherwise you looking like that will get us no where." I say delightedly, scanning her perfect body from head to toe.
She playfully shoves me and goes back to getting changed.

Once at the restaurant, we were led to our private table on the roof with views of the Manhattan skyline. It was dark now so the city had its lights on. Piper looked stunning in her elegant black dress that hugged her in all the right places and I didn't scrub up too badly if I do say so myself. I was wearing a white pantsuit; I needed pockets to store the ring. Hmm, black and white, it was almost is if we were about to get married.
Again.
The first thing she noticed was the champagne in the ice bucket beside the table.
"Champagne Al? Are we celebrating something?" She asks with a smile.
I just smirk and pull her seat out for her.
She smiles.
"Thank you."
Smiling, no, grinning like a Cheshire Cat, I sit opposite her as the waiter pours us both flutes of the champagne.
"Alex this is really good, not to mention expensive, champagne. Seriously, what's the occasion?" She asks happily, chuckling and taking a sip.
I begin to play footsie with her under the table, rubbing my foot high up her leg as I lovingly smile at her. Not truly believing I was sitting here about to propose to her, that she stayed, through everything. God, I love her.
Taking a sip of champagne, I nod,
"We're celebrating. You got junior partner and today I got offered a job as CFO of a company after graduating." I smirk. I obviously wasn't finished but I let her think I was.
She looks happily stunned as a grin slowly spreads on her face and she grabs my hands.
"You did?! Alex that's great!" She squeals and stretches over the table to kiss me. I smile as we kiss, keeping hold of her hands.
The waiter comes and takes our order and our food arrives shortly after.
During dinner I continue to play footsie up her leg under the table as I stroke her left hand above it, staring down her prison wedding keyring.
Piper had been talking to me about work and how well her deposition was going and how junior partner was a great step for us. I listened to her lovingly and intently as I rubbed the makeshift ring on her left hand.
Engagement bells were ringing in my head. Pun intended.
When she finishes I look down at it with intent. Making it obvious.
She follows my gaze.
I was watching her watching me watch her hand and slip off her prison keyring.
At this she looks at me in fear, thinking this was some cruel way to end our relationship.
How wrong she was.
As I slip it off I say,
"You know Pipes. I've been thinking. How about we get you something better? It's the least you deserve." I ask.
She stares at me in shock as I get off my chair and kneel beside her on one knee, still holding her left hand. She cups her mouth with her other hand as tears freely fall from her eyes.
"Piper Elizabeth Vause-Chapman. I tried to think of so many creative ways I could do this but I decided to just, what was it you said? Do it? I've told strangers this often but I've never told you and I think it's about damn time I did, maybe now's the best time to say it. You, Piper Chapman, in all your devastating beauty and heartbreaking glory, are the love of my goddamn life and you have been from the day I met you in that seedy little bar. So, with that finally being said after all these years, I want to make us real world official. Will you marry me again in the real world babe?" I ask her earnestly, pulling out my mother's ring and opening the lid to its little black velvet box.
She wipes her eyes then looks me directly in mine.
"Will you cheat on me again?" She asks.
This takes me by surprise.
Especially a question like that.
Right now.
So I sincerely reply, matching her direct gaze without blinking,
"Never. If I have you I have everything so please don't cheat on me again either. My heart couldn't take it." I implore her.
She then kneels down on both knees with me while I remain kneeling on one knee offering her my mother's ring and she tenderly, lovingly, grabs my face and pulls me in for a kiss.
I grin into it.
Taking it as a yes, I slide the ring onto her finger as Piper whispers,
"Yes."