10

Of course, she wouldn't remember you.

What did you expect?

The moment the doctor announced that visits were finally allowed the day after she woke up, you all went by pairs so Wanda wouldn't get overwhelmed. And when you went inside with Pietro, bringing oranges in your hands for her, she only looked at you like you were a complete stranger.

"Are you Pietro's girlfriend?" Wanda slowly teased, a smirk on her face as she darted her eyes between you and her brother.

Her brother's face turned red as he immediately shook his head and denied. You, however, got hurt. You knew this would happen. There was no way her spirit's memory would automatically synched into her actual body.

It was okay, right?

At least, Wanda was now alive and well. And you'd never trade it for anything else. Even for her to remember you.

When Pietro was about to share his first encounter with you, and about how you interacted with the brunette's ghost, you hurriedly chided in, forcing a pained smile on your face.

"Actually, I'm your new neighbor," you introduced yourself with a small awkward wave. "My name's Y/n... I live right next door to you... I actually befriended your brother when he went to your apartment and cleaned..."

Pietro only looked at you and he immediately understood, nodding as he went along with your lie.

When you brought out the topic about her apartment, Wanda flinched as if remembering what happened. Then she glanced at her brother as she timidly asked, her eyes suddenly scared, "Is Nat... Is N-Nat-"

Her brother moved closer towards her as he squeezed her weak hand reassuringly. "It's okay, sis... She's never gonna hurt you anymore... I promise you that."

You understood then that Nat was her ex-girlfriend. The one who had caused all of these. Pietro and Wanda hugged each other as he stopped the latter from crying. It was a private moment, meant to be shared only by family or friends. You weren't either, so you decided to just slowly leave the room, hoping no one would notice.

But Wanda did.

Before you could exit the door, she called out to you. "You're leaving?"

You turned to look at her as you smiled, wondering if the look on her face was disappointment or simply just recovering from her drugs. Maybe, you'd be okay to just love her from a distance. "Yeah, I have to go do some... s-stuff."

She smiled your way, and it was the most beautiful thing in the world. "Thank you for the oranges... They're my favorite."

You nodded as you waved goodbye to them both, controlling yourself not to break down and cry.

You cried when you finally reached your apartment. And cried. And cried more. It was like a breakup 2.0 once again. This time, it actually hurt you the most.

Some nights, you'd find yourself waiting for the knocks that never came whenever the clock chimed 10pm.

You couldn't even function properly at work, making Steve wonder if you were already losing your mind. You wondered about that too. Because it felt like the love you shared between you and Wanda's spirit could only just be a make believe idea in your head. That nothing actually happened, just something to relieve the pain from your breakup with Yelena.

Speaking of Yelena, you bumped into her as you went to buy oranges for Wanda in the grocery department a week after. She even made a formal apology, realizing that she had been wrong and insensitive for hurting you and acting like she didn't do a terrible thing. It took her long to realize that, maybe when she remembered the look on your face upon entering the building of your office when she used to stalk you, happy and looking forward to the day, and upon seeing her, your smile turning into a frown. She even bid you luck to whoever was making you smile like that.

Whenever you would visit Wanda, you'd always bring her oranges. But you'd time it perfectly whenever she was asleep. Other times when she was widely awake, you'd ask the nurse to give them to her instead. You couldn't handle seeing the brunette and not be able to come across as a creep for wanting to hug her, to touch her, to kiss her.

So you didn't.

It went on for a month during Wanda's recovery. You had stopped giving her oranges then, knowing it was no use to cling unto the past.

The next time you heard about her was the time you got home and there were some people inside Wanda's apartment. Pietro was there too.

"Hey, Y/n," Pietro greeted you the moment he caught you staring into the room. The room appeared like it had been cleared, with boxes all over the floor. You had foreseen it. Wanda's apartment had caused her enough trauma that she wouldn't be able to live there anymore. "Long time no see, my friend... How have you been?"

You forced a smile at him as you accepted his quick hug. "You know, just... just okay... How... How is Wanda, by the way?"

"She's getting better," Pietro answered. "The doctor said she'll be able to go home this weekend. That's why we came in here to get some of her stuff... Her lease was up, so we figured a nice different environment would help her move forward."

Your heart broke. But you knew Wanda needed that. Not you.

"That's... that's actually good for her," you managed to utter. "It would be good for her recovery."

Then he sighed. "Y/n, why didn't you tell her anything?"

Your eyes widened as you instinctively rubbed the back of your neck with your hand. "Well, I... I... I don't think she remembers me... And it would be crazy to bring it up, you know..."

Pietro only nodded in understanding. So you awkwardly excused yourself to avoid any follow up questions. "I gotta go now... Still got to finish some work from the office."

He replied hesitantly, "Later then, Y/n."

Before you could enter your unit, Pietro added. "You should go visit Wanda... She... She has been looking for you, you know... Asking where that pretty girl who always brings her oranges... I always teased her about it... I guess she has a crush on you."

Your heart fluttered at the revelation, but you only let out a small chuckle. Maybe, Pietro was only saying that to make you feel better.

You hadn't seen Pietro after that or even heard from him for months, even from Wanda. The apartment next to yours had always stayed vacant, as if it was haunted. You attempted to visit the brunette one day in the hospital after seeing Pietro. But she wasn't checked in there anymore. Apparently, she had been released earlier than what Pietro had told you, eager to go out into the world.

Time after time, you had began imagining Wanda, seeing her everywhere, especially in your apartment. Sometimes, you found yourself staring into space. Other times, you didn't even realize you were already crying, missing her and everything about her.

The series you used to watch together were no longer funny when she wasn't watching there with you. It got to a point where you got so drunk, you almost killed yourself, as you climbed to the rooftop of your building and reminisced that time where you spent watching the Planet Parade.

You didn't recognize yourself anymore. Steve got so worried that he didn't leave you for a week. When you finally got to share to him what you had been going through, he didn't laugh nor comment that you were going insane. He was just there for you, wanting you to talk to him about Wanda and the things she did.

Then he went to share about that one time he fell in love, something he hadn't told you before. When he pursued that girl, he got his heart broken because said girl doesn't do relationships. So he moved on, literally moved to a new country, just to get over her. He suggested that you should do the same. Even when Wanda was already alive, your apartment was still haunted by her ghost. And you wouldn't be able to move on after that.

So you did.

After careful research through the available listings on the internet, ensuring no paranormal activity has ever happened before moving in, you finally found a place nearby to live. It was also in a decent neighborhood near the town center. Although a bit more than what you paid previously, the place was nicer and there was also rooftop where you could go stargaze every once in a while.

You moved into your new apartment that weekend, wanting to prepare the place to appear livable, listening to some music in the background. The volume from the speakers had been loud again when you didn't even notice there was a knock on the door.

When you opened it, you immediately apologized at the very same time the person on the other side complained.

"Can you lower down the music, I'm trying to-"

"I'm so sorry for being way too loud, I forgot my earphones at-"

It was Wanda.

And she looked so beautiful, the butterflies in your stomach that you thought were dead fluttered back into life. Her hair was longer now since the last time you saw her. You thought you'd never be able to see those mesmerizing emerald orbs of hers that you once got scared of forgetting.

"Wanda," you gasped, suddenly forgetting how to breathe.

"Y/n," she said. "I didn't know you live here."

And before she finished her statement, you began to immediately piece it together, how the situation looked somewhat creepy. "I swear I'm not stalking you... I d-didn't know where you live-"

"Oh, no, it's not that," Wanda stopped you, stepping closer. And she still wore the same perfume that you spent ages to find with your friends. "I... I actually went to my old apartment the other day to visit... Pietro accompanied me..."

You nodded, knowing she also needed to do that for her recovery. "That's... That's good. A good way to move forward is to face what has caused you the trauma."

The brunette's eyebrows furrowed at that before she shook her head. "No, I... I actually went to see you... But the admin said you moved out."

"Oh," was all you could say as the blush on your cheeks immediately deepened.

"I... I never got to personally thank you for everything," Wanda went on. "Pietro told me you had visited a couple of times when I was admitted back then... And the oranges too..."

You smiled from ear to ear. "It's no problem, Wanda... I'm just happy you're okay now."

She smiled back, and you felt like you could be happy forever. "Well, welcome... I'd give you a tour but it's the middle of the night, so I guess I'll see you later?"

You chuckled softly as she followed suit. "Yeah, yeah, you'll definitely see me."

It was a wonderful night that finally brought you peace and sleep, knowing that Wanda lives next door. You even thought on finally asking the brunette out, when you bumped into her outside the building or rode the elevator that the apartment had together, exchanging jokes and small talks, but the redness on both of your faces never missing.

It all just stopped when a lady about your age exited from Wanda's apartment, saying her goodbyes as she gave the brunette a peck on the cheek. So she has a new girlfriend. No big deal.

Yours and Wanda's eyes met. Hers lit up as she gave you a smile and a wave, you mirroring it back. Or tried.

When you finally entered your apartment, you leaned your back against your door, and slid down until your butt landed on the floor.

It hurt. It still hurt. But you didn't shed a tear anymore. Maybe, it was time to finally accept that you and Wanda were never ever meant to be together.

A sudden knock made you jump from your seat as you scrambled to stand and open the door. Your eyes widened when you see Wanda with a pot in her hands, knowing from the smell it was Chicken Paprikash.

"I... I actually have a leftover, if you want," Wanda began, her voice nervous. "Pietro's girlfriend visited to look at my manuscripts... She's an editor... Actually, Pietro just arrived to give her a ride home..."

Your jaw dropped, seeing Wanda ramble on to defend she wasn't seeing anyone at the moment, to let you know she was still available. Maybe the look of disappointment on your face when you met her earlier gave it away.

You hurriedly opened the door wider as you invited her inside. "Sure, sure, thank you... Uh, why don't you come in? Make yourself at home..."

Wanda let out a nervous chuckle as she stepped inside your apartment, her eyes scanning the room after she placed the pot on the dining table. "I like what you did with the bookshelf."

You followed where her gaze was at. She was staring at the makeshift bookshelf you made out of empty drawers you took from Steve's apartment when he threw out his desk, the one you brought from your old unit. You smiled, remembering your conversation with her spirit. "I-I couldn't really let them go to waste... If only I'd have the time, I'd also paint it into something darker."

Wanda then bit her lower lip as your eyes met, then she clicked her fingers. "I think I'm gonna go now, I don't want to bother your Friday night..."

"What? Don't be silly," you quickly retorted. "Come here, do you wanna watch a movie with me or a series? If that's not a bother-"

"Yeah, sure, it's not a bother," she hurriedly answered, making her way to your living room. You turned on your television then logged into your Netflix account.

"What do you wanna watch?" you asked, fingers trembling as you tapped on the remote.

"Anything, actually, what do you recommend?" she queried, sitting on the couch.

"Have you seen How I Met Your Mother?" you chanced to ask, staring at Wanda as she looked at the title on the screen.

It took her awhile before she finally answered. "It... It sounds familiar, but I don't think I've seen it before."

You sat beside her on the couch. "Well, if you haven't seen it yet, I think it's best if we start from the first episode, right?"

Wanda gave you a genuine smile, eagerly nodding her head. And she looked so beautiful, you wanted to kiss her.

But through time, you learned to control yourself. Because you knew then that everything would be okay.

Even when you have to start from step one.