6

"Just... Just get rid of her please," you asked Steve through the mic of your phone. "Tell her you don't know where I live-"

"-She highly doubts that... She still insists on seeing you, she won't even leave my doorway, Y/n," he complained in his tired voice. You knew your friend had enough of your ex-girlfriend, the exhaustion from work probably made him lose his patience.

You sighed exasperatedly, not knowing what to do. Suddenly, you heard a faint knock on your door, which was left ajar when you came in from the end of your shift, forgetting to close and lock it when Steve called.

Wanda peered through the small opening with a small smile and a shy wave. Butterflies grew crazy in your stomach as your frown turned into a wide smile. It had been a couple of days since that time she took care of you when you were sick. And the paranoia you had of her being a cannibalistic murderer just  dissipated like magic.

You only opened the door wider for Wanda to enter as you whispered back to your phone. "Just ignore her, Steve... Or maybe call the security on her, just don't give up, please, I thank you for everything," you said before hanging up.

The brunette was already making herself comfortable on the couch and turning on the television when you glanced at her. "Sorry about that."

"Problems at work?" Wanda asked, clicking on the remote to head to the last How I Met Your Mother episode you both left.

You laughed nervously as you went to grab the food you brought from work for your series marathon session with Wanda, which was scheduled every night nowadays. Even though you were no longer afraid you'd be the next victim of your hunch about her true personality, it would be a safe move to avoid the dishes she would cook. She never offered once again, thinking you were probably not a fan of the food she makes.

"Nope, just a crazy ex...," you managed to utter back.

A wave of unidentifiable emotion crossed the brunette's face as you took a seat beside her, placing the food on the center table before you. "I bought burritos from a Mexican joint near the office, I hope you're into Mexican food."

Wanda smiled at you as she took a quick glance at the burrito then back at you. "It's okay... Tell me more about this crazy ex of yours?"

You didn't expect her sudden interest. "Oh, she's just... Well, we kind of broke up months ago because I caught her having sex with someone else in our shared apartment-"

"-Fuck, that's horrible," she chimed in, her face scrunched up in disgust.

Pursing your lips into a thin smile, you found yourself nodding back. "It was... And she has been persistent on getting back with me since then. Stalking in my office. Even harassing my friend at his apartment, thinking I was living there with him... She doesn't get it that I don't want anything to do with her anymore."

While it was good to release the pent up rants you had saved inside you, you didn't fail to notice how the brunette's hand was on your thigh, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm sorry that happened to you... You don't deserve to get cheated on, Y/n... I wonder how anyone can do that, especially to someone like you."

Your heart fluttered. Sometimes, you wished you could turn back time and kissed her back when she kissed you that night, wishing you weren't so obsessed on thinking she was a killer when she was actually far from it. You bowed down your head, avoiding her eyes, suddenly feeling guilty that you let paranoia overstep what could have been a wonderful friendship between you and Wanda. Even more. "I... I don't know... I feel like I'm never good enough anyway."

Her hand immediately flew to your face, lifting it up by her fingers as she made you look at her. "You deserve everything good in life, Y/n, as much as everybody else... I promise you it will get better from here."

You wondered what she really meant with her statement but before you could overthink about it all over again, she went on. "My ex-girlfriend also cheated on me like multiple times while we were together..."

"What?!" you exclaimed, not believing how anyone would be that stupid to do something like that to someone who's Wanda. "That's mighty crazy."

"Yep," she confirmed, nodding. "And you know what's even crazier? I let her..."

Gone were the happy eyes you had seen from the brunette, easily replaced with lost ones you had always seen her sporting when you found her crying by the stairs. You held her hand back, linking your fingers together, to let her know you cared for her.

"Well, until the day I realized my worth and dumped her, of course," Wanda continued, forcing a smile and a soft chuckle your way.

You smiled back at her as you both instinctively leaned your sides against the couch, facing each other, eyes boring. "I'm glad you realized that, Wanda... You're worth more than you think you are."

Wanda let out a sigh. "I sometimes think maybe I'm not that pretty... Or maybe my little quirks upset her..."

"Not pretty? Are you kidding me? You're the most beautiful woman I have ever met in my life," you truthfully admitted. "And I'm not just saying that to make you feel better. Your ex must be so blind."

You could only be imagining it but what you said brought redness to the brunette's cheeks.

"Well, you don't go out enough," she quipped back, biting her lower lip to stifle a giggle.

"That's not fair," you finally answered, making you both laugh. "Okay, let me rephrase that then... You're ethereal that I only see you in a group of people and notice no one else... That's how beautiful you are..."

Wanda's eyes softened at your words as she cupped your face. "Where were you and your flirtation skills years ago? You could have saved me..."

You let out a soft chuckle. "Mmm, I was probably in America that time so there's no chance of us bumping into each other..."

You and Wanda went on talking about your family in the States and she talked about her own too afterwards, the series and food before you quickly forgotten in the background. It was as if you just clicked and nothing else mattered. And the feelings you had for the brunette intensified that you found yourself always looking forward to your nights together.

The following day, you felt so amazing that going to your office didn't feel draining anymore, excited for the day to end and meet with Wanda again. It was only until the end of your shift that you realized Yelena hasn't bothered you that day. Or the next day. And even the following day after that.

When you asked Steve about what happened when Yelena stalked his apartment, he only said that she left after an hour of waiting and never heard from her again. You rejoiced at the burden slipping off from your shoulders, it was nice not to use the stairs in your office just to avoid your ex-girlfriend.

Upon looking at Wanda dancing to the song you put on the speakers one night, it crossed your mind that the brunette might had something to do with Yelena's sudden disappearance. But when she pulled you from the couch and asked you to dance with her, you couldn't help but laugh as you let her, forgetting a certain blonde from your mind.

The visits had been frequent that you wondered what would happen if you two managed to finish the series. Would Wanda still choose to stay? You didn't know why you were worrying in the first place when the time finally came that you both finished watching the entire series, she then suggested to watch Friends, remembering you talking about it once. And you had never felt so happier. She was also as keen to spend more time with you as you with her.

You had always been a fan of Astronomy. Back in highschool, you took summer jobs after summer jobs, just to buy yourself a second-hand telescope to see every celestial body out there in space. When you first saw the full moon in all of its glory, every stunning craters and bumps visible through the lens, you cried.

Your friends always teased you about it, but you didn't care. You just felt sorry for them for not experiencing the wonderful feeling you were having.

When it was announced in the news that there would be a planet alignment of Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, more commonly known as The Planet Parade, that weekend morning, you were ecstatic, even mentioning it a couple of times to the brunette.

On Friday night, you invited Wanda to watch the alignment together the following day, but you weren't sure if she'd go. It would be too early in the morning and someone who wasn't into Astronomy would not be as dedicated as you were.

It was almost four in the morning when you woke up and climbed to the building's rooftop. The city was still asleep, although you could tell some were already up preparing for the weekend while some were still heading home from late night partying.

You weren't sure if Wanda would come so you didn't bother to knock on her apartment and wake her up. But after half an hour, when you heard the door from the rooftop creaking open and Wanda's sleepy figure appeared from behind it, you smiled from ear to ear.

"You didn't wake me up," Wanda said, her voice still laced with drowsiness, as she walked towards you.

"I thought you wouldn't come," you replied, biting off your lip to prevent yourself from smiling so wide and make it obvious how her presence lifts your soul.

She mirrored your smile, looking so beautiful in the cold morning air. "You've been reminding me nonstop, Y/n... Of course, I'd be here... I also promised, remember?"

You then noticed she was shivering cold when you accidentally bumped into her arm, so you hurriedly slipped off your jacket and wrapped it around her.

"So...," Wanda began, her cheeks either blushing from the cold or from your action. "What are we looking at?"

You then gently held her hand as you pointed it at the sky above you, her face leaning so close to you as she focused on what you were looking. "That shiny spot over there, that's Venus, the brightest planet there is... On the left, that tiny speck right there, that's Mercury, it just appeared from the horizon a couple of minutes ago..."

"Wow," she cooed softly, her voice giving you good shivers straight to your core.

You went on enthusiastically. "On the right, the reddish one, that's Mars... Next to it is the largest planet, Jupiter... If only I brought my telescope here with me, you could also see its moons revolving around it.... and that faint one over there, that's Saturn, its ring is not visible to the naked eye, unfortunately..."

"They're so beautiful," she whispered, her eyes glinting with amazement you hadn't seen from others before. You thought she'd consider you silly for getting obsessed about things that weren't within human's reach. But Wanda wasn't like any other person. "Do they align too often?"

You finally lowered her hand as you answered, meeting her eyes when she glanced back at you. "They always align but it won't happen again until the year 2040, so it's a rare occurrence... An opportunity not to be missed..."

"You really do love your planets, huh?" She teased you with a smirk on her face.

"I do...," you answered, smiling back. "It's as close to realizing that we are all just small specks of dust in space and there's a whole another world out there... It kinda helps sometimes when I'm having mental breakdown at work..." You gave out a nervous chuckle as your other hand went to the back of your neck, suddenly feeling embarrassed for oversharing.

Wanda hadn't replied a word so you figured you might had crept her out about your fascination. But when you looked at her, you didn't expect the brunette to be staring right back at you, eyes searching something through yours. You didn't even notice you hadn't let go of her hand and she didn't care.

The way her eyes shone before you made you realize that no planet would ever compare to how beautiful she was right now.

"You look breathtaking," you muttered, not intending to voice your thoughts out loud.

When Wanda's face turned redder and she was about to open her mouth and retort, you pressed your lips against hers, surprising the brunette.

"Fuck," you said as you quickly pulled back. "I'm sorry... I ruined it-"

But Wanda's hand immediately clutched the front of your shirt as she pulled you back to her and kissed you with the same intensity. You knew then that you were falling so deep to the point that if Wanda was indeed a serial killer, you wouldn't care.