The Girl Next Door (A Wanda Maximoff Fanfic)

3

Fully determined to confront Wanda later that day after your shift, you were surprised to find her crying upon arriving on your floor, sitting on the foot of the stairs like a lost child.

Her arms were wrapped around her legs as she buried her head in her knees, body wracking in soft sobs. The sight of her looked so sad that the noise complaint interrogation you were supposed to do was thrown out of the window, completely forgotten, completely forgiven.

"Hey, what's wrong?" you tried to console her, carefully approaching so as not to startle the brunette. The last thing you wanted was to be reported again as a creeper, who couldn't leave her neighbors alone and let them mind their own business.

When she noticed you, Wanda quickly wiped the tears from her face with her hands, shakily standing up from the floor.

"Nothing's wrong," she croaked out a reply as she turned her back at you. The brunette was being stubborn. You knew it should irritate you and make you give up on trying to be good, but you had spent your entire day having to use the stairs to get to your office, which was on 12th floor, just to avoid your persistent ex-girlfriend Yelena. So, Wanda ignoring you was just easy peasy.

She hurriedly slip through her door then clicked it shut, knowing you were following her. You walked towards her door and hesitated to knock. Would you risk getting another warning tomorrow?

You could hear her faint sniffling behind the door, figuring out she was still waiting for you to leave the hallway and enter your aparment. Mentally slapping yourself for sounding so forward, you offered, "I bought extra Chinese food takeout... If... If y-you want to join me in my apartment, you're welcome to..."

What you said made Wanda stop crying, as if she hadn't expected you stayed outside her door. Deciding to give her space, you then went to your own unit.

Once you entered your apartment and turned on the light switch, you let out a tired sigh as you stared at the empty room. You were used to living alone with no one waiting for you after work, for two years before you bumped into Yelena at some Halloween party one of Steve's friends hosted one time. You were wearing Ted's iconic Hanging Chad costume from your favorite series, and she was the only girl who guessed it right and even wrote her phone number on it. It was a mistake that you decided to send her a message the following day.

After changing into your most comfortable clothes, then turning on the television and hitting the Continue Watching on the How I Met Your Mother series icon, you spread the takeout order you brought on the center table in front of you.

Eating alone was underrated, even at restaurants. It would never get you embarrassed, there was nothing wrong with solitude and the peace that came with it. You would've had your dinner outside but Yelena kept on going to your favorite places to eat, knowing you'd surely be eating there. So you did what you had to do for the time being.

As you were about to swallow one fried dumpling into your mouth, there was a sudden knock on the door. You froze, face turning towards the doorway, wondering if it was from yours that you heard or it could be from your other neighbors'.

Another knock made its way to your ears and when you realized it was coming from your door, your chest constricted. The possibility of Wanda on the other side flashed through your head. No. It couldn't be her.

When you finally peered through the peephole, it was indeed Wanda, the girl next door, your crush next door, the one who reported you for being too loud. You immediately opened the offending barrier and saw the brunette with puffy eyes already dry and a forced smile on her face. She wrapped her arms around herself, making herself so small, you just wanted to hug her. "I... is.. is the o-offer still open?"