Should I give in?

Lemon Meringue

My alarm blares in the distance of my uneventful slumber. I sigh as I roll over on my bed, groaning as springs dig into my back. I hear (m/n) trudge up the stairs as I turn off my alarm. I don't remember when I stopped calling her Mum; I know it's been a while.

'Great, another day in this hell hole', I think with a grimace.

"Wake up, you lazy shit!", (M/n) voice rang through the door, "Make me and your father breakfast; we don't have much time!"

I quickly get up and chuck on some worn-out clothes, not wanting to hear her bitching and moaning any more than I have to. Walking over to the mirror, I see a blanket over it, sometimes I'm tempted to lift it but I can't bring myself to do it.

"Hurry the fuck up!"

'Jeez, calm down, would you?'

"Okay, okay, I'm coming!" I yell back instead.

All I hear is her returning down the stairs, I sigh in relief. With a deep breath, I gain some confidence and open the door.

Just as I'm walking into the kitchen, I hear my Father approaching; he walks in and doesn't even acknowledge me; it doesn't bother me as I'm used to the silence. Starting on breakfast, I hum to myself, something random and slightly off-tune, but I don't mind. I decided on pancakes, as they are my specialty. starting to whisk the ingredients together, letting the pan heat up as I go along.

After a while they were done and I might say they don't look to bad, placing them on a plate and serving them on the dining room table, walking out before my parents could say anything else. Returning to my room, I grabbed my bag, and headed out. There was a lovely cafe nearby that I frequented often and they had the best lemon meringue.

Walking down the street was uneventful, with people hurrying to their jobs or appointments. Kids heading to school, chatting and laughing with their friends. I smile a little at their antics.

The smell of the freshly baked goods was heaven as I reached the cafe, the bell chiming to signal I had entered. A head popped up from the counter and turned to you; a kind lady slightly older than you smiled and waved you over.

"(Y/N)! It's lovely to see you, the usual, of course?" She laughed as you approached; I nodded in agreement and laughed along with her. "How have you been, sweetheart?"

"You know, the usual, but I've almost got enough money to rent an apartment now, so that's good, right?"

Aleshia beamed with joy at that; you have known her for a while now, being a frequent customer here, so you two have gotten to know each other quite well. She never approved of your living situation, so this was fantastic.

"Aw, I'm so proud of you! You've come so far." She started to work on your Lady Grey tea with your slice of lemon meringue. "All you need is to find yourself a man." She winked at you.

"Shush you, that's the least of my worries right now." I giggle.

As we are talking, the bell chimes as someone steps inside. We both look over to see a very handsome-looking gentleman in a suit and sunglasses which just looked right on him.

"Hi, what can I get for you today!" Aleshia jumps right back into her customer service etiquette.

"Americano, as strong as you can go, darling." He winks and strolls by you, only to stop. " And one of those pink doughnuts." Now noticing you, he looks you up and down before sitting at a far back booth.

"He was checking you out!" Aleshia whispered at you, full of glee.

"I feel like I've seen him before," I say out loud.

"No, duh, he's Tony Stark!"

My eyes light up in recognition before turning to Aleshia once more.

"I wonder what he's doing here," I look back at him and see him scrolling on his phone.

"You should go talk to him," She encourages. "It might be a once in a life time opportunity ."

"Pfft, like he would want to talk to someone like me," I pull my phone out and scroll Instagram until Aleshia gets my attention to tell me my orders are ready. I grab my stuff and walk to a booth to enjoy this delectable treat. I was so immersed in my food that I didn't notice someone sitting before me. Someone clears their throat, and I see Tony with his signature smirk.

I choke on my food slightly before swallowing.

"Uh, hi?" I ask in a more questioning tone.

He continues to stare as I try to wipe the cream from my lips; a quiet yet not-so-uncomfortable silence lies over us as I try to pull myself together.

"You seem to be quite the looker", he states like he was speaking about the weather, looking out the window.

I was stunned; this was not something I was used to.

"Thank you?" there wasn't much else I could say to this.

"I couldn't help but notice such a lovely lady such as yourself when passing by; I had to get myself a closer look." He glances at me with a look I couldn't describe.

"I....um..." This was such a bizarre occurrence I was speechless.

"You know I have this-" He was cut off by his phone blaring at him; it sounded like a rock song. He looked beyond annoyed by this. Picking up the phone, he gave you an apologetic look.

"Yes....no you know I don't go to those kinds of things...Yes, I know that. Happy. No, fine. I'll be there in a bit." Standing up, he looks back at you.

"Sorry, Princess, it seems another damsel is in distress." He winked at me before leaving, not before placing a wad of cash on the counter; Aleshia and I looked at each other in absolute disbalance.

"You saw what just happened, right?" She just silently nods.

Sometime later, I said goodbye to Alesha and decided to head out, unsure where to go but I couldn't be home right now.

The sun was nice and bright, and there was a cool breeze in the air as I walked down the streets of New York. Not much was happening, a few people here and there; other than that, it was peaceful.

Sitting down on a park bench, I reflect on what happened; it was odd to say for sure, nothing like that has ever happened to me, I was lucky I guess?

Sighing, I look up to the sky mind blank and eyes dull and void of emotion.