Your visit to the Kamar Taj was being a complete surprise.
Not because they weren't expecting you - because they were, Stephen Strange welcomed you personally - but because you weren't expecting the changes that had taken place there.
In introducing you to the floors, Stephen mentioned that the company had undergone a complete restructuring over the past year. A management group, known as Eternals Inc, had taken over, and the director, Sersie, was making significant internal changes.
You noticed how now the vast majority of the staff were women (thank goodness), and how much more diverse everything was around.
"[...] And now I need to introduce you to Thena, who would be your direct manager here at the Kamar Taj." Stephen continued the guide, leading you into an open long-glazed room with a beautiful view of New York City. There were several tables occupied, and people chatting on poufs and coffee areas. He led you to the right corner, where a couple was chatting. "Thena, good afternoon!" Stephen greeted, approaching first to kiss the woman on the cheek.
"Strange." She returned his greeting with a smile, her gaze falling on you next. It was almost intimidating, and you swallowed dryly. "Hello."
"Y/N, this is Thena, our business manager. And this is Phastos, computer coordinator." Stephen introduced. "This is..."
"Y/N L/N." Thena cut in without stopping smiling, extending her hand to you. "We've heard quite a bit about you, Miss L/N."
"Only good things, I hope."
"The best." Phastos completed with a laugh, then greeted you. "We only hope to meet you at the Expo this weekend, what good news that you can join us early."
You smiled embarrassedly, muttering a thank you for the compliments, and Stephen set about continuing the conversation.
"I brought Miss L/N to meet the Karma Taj this afternoon. Hoping it will help her make her decision about joining our company." He told with a sympathetic smile and Thena looked back at you.
"Is there still any doubt left about it? This is the best place for someone with your skills and ambitions to grow, Miss L/N. Unless you have doubts about where you really want to go." She commented seriously, and you felt your cheeks heat up.
Phastos let out another chuckle. "Come on, Thena, don't be so serious. Wait for the girl to get used to things first before you start scaring her." He joked, lightening the mood of the conversation. He looked at you, and you saw only gentleness in his eyes. "I'm sure Miss L/N will make the best decision. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work. It was a pleasure to meet you, Miss."
After Phastos said goodbye, Thena was quick to do the same - briefly explaining what her duties would be in the company, the size of the team, that sort of thing - and then Stephen led you into a very nice office.
"And this, if you accept, of course, would be your place of work."
You widened your eyes slightly. "It's lovely, Strange. And huge, too."
He chuckled, walking over to the head table where he had a contract waiting for you. "The Maximoff company has been a place of growth and safety for you for the past four years, your first experience after college. Hesitation is a natural thing, Miss L/N." He commented, and you took your eyes off the view of New York that the huge windows allowed you to look at him. "But it's time to take the next step in your career."
You swallowed dryly, nervousness in the pit of your stomach. You approached the table to see the huge printed contract placed there, Kamar Taj's name embroidered in gold. With a sigh, you looked again at Strange.
"How much time do I get to make my decision?"
Stephen looked a little surprised that the tour hadn't completely convinced you, but spoke up, "I've already extended my deadline once, we're late with the business period. You are a really brilliant professional, but there are many of those in Manhattan alone. I need to make an announcement about my new manager at the Expo this weekend."
"So I have until tomorrow night?"
Stephen nodded, and you bit the inside of your cheek, looking back at the contract.
In the end, Natasha was right, you would rather go home and think before making a decision about this.
–//–
"Aunt Monica!" The chorus of excited exclamations from her equally energized sons upon seeing the other woman and running to hug her made Wanda smile fondly.
Monica still had her stethoscope around her neck, but she was already in regular clothes, and she bent down to hug the boys, greeting them with a smile and kissing them on the head.
Wanda moved closer to hug her friend briefly as well.
"Hello, dear, good afternoon." She greeted receiving a kiss on the cheek.
"Hi Sweetie, you look tired." Monica commented making Wanda shrug.
"You too." She replied with a smile, her hands busy with shopping bags for dinner. The twins hurry to open the gate to Monica's house and rush inside.
"I was doing one last check with Mom." She counters with a sigh, giving way for Wanda to enter first.
The Rambeau residence is one of the coziest places Wanda knows. And even though in recent years it has gained some medical artifacts because of the health condition of Maria - Monica's mother, of whom her daughter assists in the care - it is still a favorite place for Wanda to visit.
"And how is she?" Wanda asked received a sigh from her friend.
"Weak, but she's having dinner with us." Monica replied, now they were already in the living room. She picked up one of the bags and took it to the kitchen. "What are we having, by the way?"
Wanda smiled. "A surprise. Come on, check the kids for me please, before they start pushing buttons they shouldn't. I'll take care of the food."
Monica nodded but held up a finger in warning, "Don't even try to divert the subject tonight, Miss Maximoff. I want to know all about your secret girlfriend."
Wanda laughed, her cheeks slightly warm as she took the groceries out of the bags and placed them on the counter. "I wouldn't dream of it, Miss Rambeau."
While Monica went to check on the kids, Wanda was busy making dinner for everyone. Humming softly, she lost her cell phone vibrating inside her purse.
Sometime later, when the food had already been consumed, and Wanda was laughing softly at her best friend's last comment, she found herself under the analytical gaze of two of the most important women in her life.
"Wanda, dear, Monica mentioned that you are seeing someone." It was Maria who initiated this topic in the conversation. She had a somewhat tired appearance, although the smile never left her lips. Only she didn't have a glass of wine, and Wanda raised her eyes to the living room where the twins were sitting on the carpet - sharing dessert and the video game control - before clearing her throat, and replying.
"I am." She said feeling her cheeks warm, from the alcohol or something else, she couldn't tell.
"That's lovely, dear. What are they like?" The older woman asked, and Wanda wanted to pinch Monica for the insinuating look she was throwing her way past the glass of wine, but just decided to keep the conversation going.
"She's nice. I actually met her at work." Wanda replied, and was a bit taken aback by the way Maria let out a small excited exclamation, straightening in her chair as if she wanted to hear all the details.
"Is that so? How interesting. What's her name? How old is she? Come on dear, tell me everything." Insisted the woman gently, and Wanda giggled softly and embarrassed. Monica took a final sip from her cup before filling more and added:
"Yes, Wanda, tell us everything."
She did. It almost amazed her how easily she could spend so many minutes talking about someone. Monica and Maria were impressed, to say the least.
"[...] Anyway, we haven't made anything official." Wanda concluded twisting her fingers on the table. "I'm her boss, and she's leaving. I'm probably just a fling."
"Oh, honey, I'm sorry." Maria commented to which Wanda merely shrugged. "It's always hard to hear that from someone you like."
Wanda let out a brief laugh. "Well, actually, she didn't tell me that." She countered, receiving a confused frown from the other woman. "It's just that we haven't talked about feelings. Yet. I didn't... Well, I didn't want to influence her decision."
Maria looked away from her daughter and they exchanged a look that was something like "Is she serious?" before Monica turned another sip of wine. The older woman giggled and reached out for Wanda's anxious fingers.
"Sweetheart, listen to me well." She asked. "Life is too short for certain hesitations. Believe me, I know. If you love someone, you tell them. It doesn't have to be a big scene of screaming at the top of your lungs or on a rooftop, not everyone is into that kind of thing, but definitely tell them. Don't waste time or chances. Do you want Y/N to make a completely fair decision? She needs to know that you care."
Wanda stared at the woman in shock for a few seconds. She tried to look at her best friend, but Monica had the same "do what she's saying" expression and all the redhead could do was sigh slightly.
"Okay." She spoke low.
"So?" Maria retorted with a smile. "Why are you still wasting your time?"
The redhead giggled nervously and squeezed Maria's hands a moment before letting go and standing up. "I'm going to..."
"Go. Call her." Maria completed without stopping smiling, and Wanda swallowed her nervousness to step away into the living room and look for her cell phone in her purse.
"Hey, Mom, can we stay longer?" Tommy asked as soon as Wanda reached the couch. The redhead agreed quickly, her hand reaching for the phone. And then she hesitated.
"Boys." She called out to the twins, waiting for them to look at her. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure, Mom." They answered in unison.
"If... If I had a new friend, would that be okay with you two?"
Tommy frowned. "Like Aunt Monica?"
"No. Like..." Wanda swallowed dryly. "More like your dad."
"Ow, like a boyfriend." Billy completed with a chuckle that his brother shared.
Wanda laughed short. "Yeah, but, not a man. A girlfriend. Would that be okay for you guys?"
The twins exchanged a look, shrugging. "Sure, Mom. You'd be like Miss Swan." Billy spoke up.
"What?" Wanda asked confused.
"Our teacher. She only likes girls, and she's married to Mrs. Mills. The principal." Tommy explains the story. Billy nods in agreement. "They are very nice. Miss Swan makes the best jokes, but the principal always makes her face red and gets her quiet. It's really fun to watch."
Billy agrees with a chuckle, and the boys go back to playing video games as if they had talked about shopping and not something that took a giant weight off Wanda's back. The redhead sighed with relief and reached up to kiss her sons on the top of the head before walking away with her cell phone.
She received one last look of encouragement from Maria and Monica from the kitchen before heading out onto the balcony.
Wanda was surprised at the missed calls. They were from you. Messages of "call me when you can" and "I need to talk to you". Slightly worried, she wasted no time in doing so.
You answered on the second to last ring. You were sitting on the rug, stroking Fanny's fur while Yelena cooked dinner for the two of you. Your cell phone was on the table, next to the Kamar Taj contract that you had spent the last hours reading and trying to make a decision about when you heard the little device ring.
Your curious expression turned to an exclamation of surprise when you saw Wanda's name on the screen.
"Lena! She's calling me back!" You warned your friend in the kitchen, who took her eyes from the pan to you with a smile on her lips.
"Then answer it, girl! Come on, the food will take a while yet." She spoke, and you nudged Fanny lightly in your lap, muttering apologies to the grumpy dog for losing your affections as you got up and headed for the balcony of the apartment. "Hey, be honest! No more games!" Yelena warns at last, and you flash her your tongue before leaving and closing the balcony door.
Your heart skips two beats before you answer.
"Hey." you gasp lightly.
"Hey, Y/n. Is everything okay?" Wanda's worried tone confuses you a little. But she quickly adds, "I had my phone on silent, I didn't see your messages till just now."
"Oh, no problem." You promptly say. "It's fine. I just...wanted to talk to you."
"And what did you want to tell me?" She asked, and you bit back a smile, leaning your arms on the parapet. The cold late afternoon air was not the reason for the slight blush on your cheeks.
"I'm not sure." You confessed in a low tone. "I guess...I just wanted to hear your voice."
"Well, here I am." Wanda retorted and you could tell she was smiling too.
There is a moment of silence between you. Just, listening to each other's soft breathing. And then, you are swallowing dry, and tucking a strand of hair behind your ear before you tell. "Wanda, I... I'm already back from the Kamar Taj."
"Oh." She gasps slightly and clears her throat afterward. "And how was it?"
"Good. Very good, actually." You say pressing your fingertips together. "I liked it."
"That's... great." She commented, her voice failing briefly. You swallow hard.
"Wanda, I..."
"I need to tell you something." She interrupted and you frowned slightly, but let her speak. You heard a short, almost breathless chuckle. "Okay. There's no easy way to say it, so I'm just going to say it at once, alright?" She continued and you were starting to freak out because it was obvious that this is the time where she is going to end whatever it was you two have going on. Before you could say anything else, she continued. "Y/N, I'm in love with you."
Oh.
"I know, it's a lot." Wanda continued, oblivious to your little moment of shock on the other end of the line. "But I needed to be honest. And I am. I am in love with you. And I have been for a long time, and I put it away because I thought it wasn't right, it wasn't appropriate, or any other hollow excuse. But it's true. I love you. And you're right about this. It doesn't feel wrong. It's good, and it's wonderful. And I don't want to miss the chance to say it before you leave."
"You... love me?"
"I do." She confirms and is smiling. You let out a nervous laugh, and then another. But then you frown. "Say something." She asks with your silence, but you are thinking.
"Wanda... You said a long time ago." You say, and Wanda is holding a confused expression on the other end of the line that you can't see. "How long?"
"I... I'm not sure." She answers half hesitantly. "Two years, maybe."
You give a short chuckle, feeling your stomach turn. You move to sit down on the couch on the porch because you have a feeling that if you don't you will faint.
"Y/N, I didn't say anything because I figured you didn't feel the same way. I didn't..."
"Wanda, stop." You interrupt her softly and she shuts up, sighing. "I need to know something."
"Anything. Just ask." She assures.
"Were you in love with me when you promoted me?"
"Y/N..."
"Answer the question, Wanda."
"Yes." She replied and you sniffle softly, making her choke. "It was not like this! Please, I don't... It was an impartial decision." She tries, but you give an incredulous laugh.
"You can't say that."
"Yes, I can."
"No, you can't!" You retort tearfully, pressing a hand over your eyes for a moment. "You can't say with one hundred percent certainty that any of the things you've chosen me to do all this time don't have even the slightest connection to the way you felt about me."
Wanda was silent. Which only confirmed that you were right. She also had tears in her eyes, but she sounded much less affected than you when she asked "Are you angry?"
"No." You retort with a tearful laugh. "I just wish you had told me sooner. Like, way before. I would have said no to your offer to work on your team, I would have chosen another leader."
"Why?"
"Really, Wanda?" You retort incredulously. "Because I have no way of knowing if everything I've achieved to this day is my merit or your favoritism."
"You've earned it all."
"But what if I didn't, Wanda?" You insisted. "You cared about me. More than the others. You were paying attention to me more than the others. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
With a sigh, Wanda wiped away the tear that ran down her cheek and replied: "I do."
You sniffle again, trying to control your urge to cry. Wanda swallows dryly.
"I'm sorry, Y/N." She asks and you force a smile.
"Don't do that." You ask. "I'm not angry, I'm just..."
"Angry." She completes with a humorless laugh. "It's okay, you have a right to be."
"I just wish things had been different." You say and Wanda nods briefly, swallowing the emotion in her voice and sighing briefly.
"Me too."
You are silent for another moment before you wipe your face and comment, "Wanda, I have to take the job."
"I know." She replies, and only now do you hear the emotion in her voice. She gives a hoarse laugh. "I understand, I mean. I will...miss you."
"I'm leaving the company not your life." You clarify, and you are sure she doesn't believe you by the soft chuckle she gives. "Wanda."
"Don't worry about me, detka." She says. "I'll be fine. And so will you. I should go, it was nice talking to you."
"Wanda, wait!" You tried, but she hung up anyway.
That's an infuriating habit of hers.
You didn't call back, you didn't want to have another conversation with her over the phone. The next time you spoke to her, it would be face to face. Then she wouldn't be able to run away.
–//–
You went to Maximoff Company in the morning.
Your friends knew about your conversation with Wanda because as soon as you stepped off the balcony with tears in your eyes, a certain blonde was there to hug you. Yelena also held your hand while you called Stephen and said you would take the job.
When he hung up, you had no choice but a movie night to take your mind off things, and Nat, Maria, and Yelena were more than available.
Now you carried a paper box to get your stuff off your desk.
"All the paperwork is already done and the girls have already talked to the Kamar Taj staff, you can leave it to us to take care of everything." Agatha reported from beside you, she was holding her cell phone in her hand, and had been following you all morning since you went to her office to say you were leaving the company.
It was early, before the office hours had begun, so the room was really empty. You just nodded in understanding, your hands busy taking the pictures from your desk and putting them in the box. Agatha took her eyes from her cell phone to you, a thoughtful expression. "Miss, Y/N, may I ask you something?"
"Sure, what is it?" you retorted distractedly. Agatha went around the table to stand in your field of vision, a mischievous look in her eyes.
"Listen, I know it's none of my business but... I've noticed some interesting things." She began. "At first, I thought it was just in my head. But you see, yesterday I had a dentist appointment and had to leave early, and I found the elevator out of order, and when I went to ask the lovely girls at the front desk about it, they told me that Miss Maximoff was stuck together with another employee." She tells you, and you do your best not to show any reaction. "It's my job to know what my employees are up to, and I thought it was a coincidence that Wanda was out picking up her kids at the same time you left earlier, and when I asked them to turn the elevator back on, the cameras in the garage confirmed my suspicions."
"Hum." You merely replied, placing a picture inside the cardboard box. "I'm sorry, Agatha, I don't understand your point."
She sighs, moving a little closer. "Listen, I know she's difficult. But you can trust me. First the complaints, and now she approaches you in an elevator and the next day you resign. I'm not blind. If she threatened you, you can tell me-"
Your incredulous laugh causes Agatha to shut up and frown in confusion. You gesture quickly. "Look, Agatha, thanks for the concern, really. It was nothing like that. Wanda and I have had our differences in the past, but I promise she didn't threaten me."
"Are you sure, dear? This is a safe place. She won't hear about any of our conversations."
You give Agatha a tired smile, nodding. "Yes, Miss Harkness. I'm sure. Thank you."
Agatha sighed, and reached out for your forearm. "I always enjoy working with you, Y/N. You may be leaving, but know that you can count on me for whatever you need."
You smiled, nodding in appreciation. Agatha squeezed your forearm and walked away, muttering something about finishing things for you.
You have everything that belongs to you in the box, so while Agatha is busy on the phone, you go to Wanda's office.
It's empty and dark, and to be walking in there at that moment makes you a little uneasy. You go to the table, and trace your fingers over the wood for a moment, a short smile on your lips.
You take off the rings you borrowed from her, and place them on the table. Take one last look around the room before you leave and tell Agatha that everything's ready.
–//–
With a heavy box in hand, you left the Maximoff company.
You were reaching for your car key when someone called your name.
"Good morning. Lucky to run into you." It was Pietro, he was wearing a blue blazer and was smiling so contentedly this time of the morning that you were quite ungainly not looking so excited back.
"Hey, Pietro, good morning." You returned, smoothing the box on your lap. He raised an eyebrow at the item.
"Don't tell me you got fired."
You chuckled short. "Actually, I quit it." You say, and he frowns. "What are you doing here?" You ask deciding to change the subject.
He doesn't seem to mind that and smiles as he says, "I'm meeting Wanda later, we spoke last night and she seemed a little upset. I'd like to take her out to lunch or something."
You swallowed dryly and nodded briefly. "Well, good luck with that. See you around." You said before taking your keys from your pockets and unlocking the car.
As you put the box in the back, Pietro put his hands in his pockets and sighed.
"I know about you two." He declared causing you to bang your head on the roof of the vehicle in surprise. Cussing softly, you turned to him as he closed the door.
"She told you?"
"Kind of." He retorted. "I'm a bit nosy."
You laughed. "Got it."
"Let's get some coffee." He suggested then, causing you to raise your eyebrow. "I mean it. I have like, a million questions."
With a sigh, you locked the car. "You know what, why not?" You mumbled and he smiled guiding the way.
Pietro took you to the business district, to have breakfast at Bistro Arpège. He insisted on paying for everything with the excuse that someone who just lost their job shouldn't spend money, and he didn't mind your justification that you were going to continue working at a different place.
The conversation flowed casually for long minutes, and only at dessert, did the subject come upon a certain redhead.
"Wanda loves that pie you asked for." He commented as soon as the waitress left with the orders. You frowned in surprise.
"Really?"
"Yeah. It's a sweet coincidence between you two." He comments, making you smile awkwardly.
"I guess."
He smiled before asking, "So, how are things between you two?"
You straightened up in your chair and played with the tip of your napkin as you answered, "I'm not sure. I don't even know if there is anything between us."
"Y/N, come on." Pietro insists, "Of course there is. Casual sex is a thing."
You chuckled awkwardly, feeling your cheeks flush. "Wow, Wanda told you about that?"
"She told me about last night too." He retorted somewhat seriously, his face appraising you. "She told me that she finally got the courage to say how she felt."
"Yeah, right after that she hung up on me. I guess the courage just wore off." You sneered bitterly, surprising him a little.
"Are you mad at her?"
"Was she the one who asked you to talk to me?" You retort to the question with another, looking at Pietro suspiciously. He sighs, softening his posture and expression.
"No, Y/N, of course not." He says. "I was going to surprise her at lunch. In fact, I have a feeling she'll be quite annoyed if she finds out I'm here. But I needed to talk to you because I want to know what are your intentions with my sister."
"Something between strangling her or yelling at her, I haven't decided yet." You remarked with a small smile on your lips, causing Pietro to laugh and shake his head.
"So you do care about her." He deduces and you sigh.
"Of course I do, Pietro." You say. "She's so complicated, and I can't stop thinking about her."
Pietro hums thoughtfully and remains silent as the waitress arrives with the desserts. You thank her for the food, and when you are alone again, he remarks, "I wanted to meet you because I don't want Wanda to get hurt again."
"Did I pass your test?" You ironically tease, biting into a strawberry after that, and Pietro gives a little chuckle.
"I haven't decided yet." He returns and you force a smile.
"Well, for your information, Wanda is the one who is walking on thin ice with me." You comment. "She was a tough boss, and I went through a lot of stress working with her. And yesterday I found out that there's a possibility that it was all for nothing because all along she liked me, so maybe I'm just not that good at my job at all." You confessed quickly, while Pietro listened to everything with a slight frown.
"I don't think that's the case." He said then. And you didn't raise your eyes from your candy, letting out only an incredulous sigh. "Wanda is more than capable of separating her feelings from her responsibilities. Believe me, she's very good at it."
He clarified, and because you clearly didn't seem to believe his words very much, he sighed and continued to speak: "I mean it, Y/N. I knew about you. When Wanda realized what she was feeling, I was the first person she called. It was late at night and I was worried because she never does that, but then she told me she had met someone." He tells and you took your eyes off the pie to the boy with a mixed expression of seriousness and nostalgia on his face. "She was scared. Insecure. She sounded like someone else. She was talking about this amazing girl she hired who was excelling so much that she couldn't help but notice. And when she hired you for her team and started seeing you every day, she realized that she was falling in love. Wanda was hesitant. She told me how you seemed to be the only good thing in her life at that period. With everything that had happened, the divorce and the child custody hearings. She got attached to you."
You listened to the story in silence, surprised at the new perspective. Pietro sighed, and took a sip of his drink before continuing:
"Wanda thought she was mixing things up. She was vulnerable at the time, and she figured that her fragility was what brought on those feelings. You were an employee, and you were engaged. When the wedding invitation came, it was just what she needed to come back to reality, you know?"
With a sigh, you waved to the waiter. It didn't take long for the boy to arrive at the table. "Please bring me a bottle of Lambursco di Sorbara." You ordered, and as soon as the waiter left, you said to Pietro, "This is too much. I need a real drink."
He gave a small laugh but didn't say anything about it. Soon the waiter brought your bottle of wine, and Pietro watched you pour a full glass and take a long sip.
With a satisfied sigh, you let out a short laugh as you looked at Pietro again. "You know, your sister drove me insane." You account humorously, perhaps slightly drunk. "So stubborn and controlling. And so demanding. The funniest part is that I loved it. I loved how much she challenged me. Pushed me. Every day, I just knew it was going to be an interesting time at work. I would wake up thinking about how to piss her off and go to bed thinking about what to say the next day. It wasn't until we, you know, that I realized that anger wasn't exactly the name of that."
"So you were in love with her too?"
You take another sip of wine. "I don't think I knew." You counter. "I knew she stressed me out. Affected me. And that if we were locked in the same environment for any length of time, the chances of me strangling her were high. But then... She kissed me. " You gasped slightly. "And I just kept thinking 'finally'. That's what I wanted. That... feels right."
Pietro smiles, resting his chin on his hand. "That sounds incredible."
You laughed short, drinking some more. "Oh, believe me, it's torture." You retort. "The thing is, your sister got me around her little finger, and she turned my life upside down. Don't recommend it."
He laughs at your confession, and you smile before finishing your first cup. "You are very pleasant company, Y/N. I can see why my sister likes you."
You tilt the bottle for a moment in his direction with a shy smile before filling your second cup halfway. "And you are indeed nosy, Wanda is going to be furious when she finds out you've been interrogating me." You joke, making him laugh again.
"Well, I think I'll take a glass of wine too." He comments, taking the bottle from the table to fill a cup for himself.
Soon you two are laughing more easily, and half loudly, sharing amusing stories. It is at Pietro's third glass that he asks, "I'm curious, but you can tell me to fuck off if you want, but why the hell didn't you get married?"
"Oh, that's a hilarious story." You reply laughing drunkenly. "Carol was cheating on me. Yeah, really funny, don't you think? I met her in college, we swore eternal love. Then on my wedding day, I find her grabbing the photographer behind the curtains."
Pietro was no longer smiling. But you were laughing because of the alcohol, despite your tear-filled eyes. "Y/N, I'm sorry..."
"What, don't worry!" You retort in a mixture of crying and good humor. "I saw it coming, you know? She told me how it was my fault, for only working all the time and never being home. And it's ironic how she always told me she didn't like how I was constantly talking about Wanda." You recount with a wry laugh, blinking the tears away. "Everything is about Wanda, you only talk about that woman. So it makes sense that she would have gone looking for someone who was so in love with her as much as I was with Wanda, doesn't it? I just wish she hadn't proposed to me and let me get on with everything while she was doing it."
You sniffled lightly, and Pietro reached out to hold your hand on the table. You laughed tearfully, shaking your head to control your emotion. "I'm sorry, Pete. I'm a mess. Crying during breakfast."
"Don't worry, and don't apologize." He assured you with an assuring smile, squeezing your hand gently. "You can talk to me anytime you want."
You gave him a sincere smile, your face slightly wet with tears. "Thank you, Pietro."
"Anytime." He assures. "Now, let's sober up, I need to take care of my sister-in-law right or Wanda will skin me alive." He jokes getting an embarrassed laugh from you.
Pietro asks the waiter to replace the bottle of wine - practically empty - with one of water. And as you turned the second glass over, he cleared his throat. "By the way, do you have any idea how to make things clear with Wanda?"
You frown slightly, and he chuckles as you clarify, "It's just that last night, she seemed certain that you wanted nothing to do with her. She really assumed that you leaving the company had a hidden meaning of not being part of her life anymore."
You rolled your eyes incredulously. "Jesus, that woman. If she hadn't hung up on me, I would have asked her out." You counter making him smile.
"So, what are you going to do now?"
With a sigh, you reply, "Now, I'm going home. Take a shower, walk the dog. And probably rehearse all my lines for the Expo, which will be in vain because every time I see Wanda my brain goes into short circuit."
Pietro laughs. "Got it." He replies. "Well, if it's any consolation, Wanda might look cool, but she's also a gay disaster."
"That's hard to believe."
"What? You have no idea." He counters. "She seriously dated only one girl in her whole life. It was a mess, and it didn't end so well, and she was so traumatized by it that she was limited to dating only men. That's why Monica and I were so surprised that she was trying with women again."
"Um, that sounds tough." You comment, and he shrugs.
"It was, I guess." He says. "But good thing she found you. Now you two just need to stop running in circles. Wanda took the first step about confessing feelings, now it's your turn."
You let out a short chuckle, nodding. "Yeah, I had a dumb plan, but I think you'll laugh if I tell you."
Pietro raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "Tell me about it."
With a sigh, you reply, "I bought a suit. Like, a really nice one. The same color as her eyes. I thought it would be, I don't know, sweet. That she would notice."
Pietro gave a teasing smile, and you blushed, averting his face in embarrassment. "And what else?"
"I don't know, I didn't think that plan through properly." You justified yourself embarrassed. "I had a busy week. It was a stupid idea. Wanda probably won't even have time to look at me there."
"I think it's sweet." He retorts. "And I think it can get better."
You frown. "How so?"
He smiles mischievously. "Well, you two could match." Says the man. "I bet it will take Wanda by surprise. And it's sure to cause a bit of a stir. It's a very public display of affection to any observant eye."
"And Wanda will know that I don't want something casual." You complete, understanding the plan. "That I do want something real. And public."
"Yep."
"Pietro, you're a genius." You say and the boy shrugs his shoulders smugly. "Do you think you can convince her to use something that matches for the Expo?"
"Absolutely." He assures. "You can count on me."
You smile, and can't wait to see the expression on Wanda's face the next day.