Peggy had gotten to the automat a little later than usual, both from her job and the fact that she had picked up a newspaper from a boy selling it late on the street.
By the time he finishes, Peggy had thought as she handed a few coins over to him, the next issue will already have rolled off the presses.
Perhaps not. Life moved slower now that the war was done, even at her job. This was the first time in months that she'd had any overtime.
The diner patrons were quiet that night, most eating or sipping coffee. A few had newspapers of their own, and when they were pulled open completely blocked their faces. Despite herself, Peggy tensed.
Just get a seat, the calm part of her mind told herself. If anything happens here, if one of the people are who you least expect them to be, then you can handle that when the time comes.
A group of men had taken Peggy's table and were all sitting around chatting and drinking coffee. Though the place was quiet, the only good spot seemed to be near the back. Quickening her pace, Peggy walked to the very back of the restaurant, her high heels clacking against the floor with every step that she took.
The usual scent of coffee still hung heavy in the air, but the aroma of meat and French fries coated the air as well. Her stomach rumbled, so loud that for a moment Peggy had to look around to make sure that no one else had heard it.
I suppose, Peggy thought, that I could order dinner here tonight.
It wasn't as if her hotel, with its small restaurant on the first floor, would have much better.
Peggy opened her newspaper and scanned the headlines. Nothing interest, just local politics, the world moving as it normally did.
"Peggy," a familiar voice said.
Peggy's head shot up. "Oh, Angie," she replied, a smile quickly forming on her lips.
"I thought it was you who walked in, but I didn't as good of a look as I would have liked." Angie leaned forward, her voice lowering. "There's certainly quite a bit more that I would have liked to see."
Had Peggy been anyone else then perhaps her face would have turned as red as her lipstick. Peggy, however, didn't even blink. "I'm certainly glad to see you two."
Angie stepped back, pulling a small notebook from her pocket. "So what can I get you? The usual?"
Peggy nodded. "A coffee would do wonders right now." As heavy as her eyes were, she had been warned before she left work to stay careful. There was always a chance that she would have to hurry back to work, most likely long before her eight hour shift was supposed to start the next day. "I would love a hamburger as well. Nothing fancy on it, just some ketchup."
"Hungry tonight, eh?" Angie scribbled the words down.
Peggy nodded.
"I see you have another newspaper," Angie said.
Peggy raised an eyebrow. "What's so special about that?"
"Oh, just thought that you might be looking for some ideas on places to stay."
Peggy shook her head. "We've discussed this a million times. I keep telling you, I know some places I'd be willing to move into."
"I know," Angie replied, "and I don't think that I'd quite approve of them all. I keep telling you, we could just become neighbors and you'd never have to buy a newspaper again."
This time, it was Peggy who leaned forward. "So you're trying to get me to move in with you?" She smirked.
Angie did turn red, her eyes darting to her notebook. "Peggy, I didn't mean it like that." Her eyes widened. "But I suppose there could be worse places for you to live at." She flashed Peggy a grin before turning and walking towards the kitchen. "Your order should be out soon."
Peggy sighed once Angie was out of hearing range. What did she have to give her that idea for?
I imagine that if Angie were to actually have feelings for Peggy (though I could only dream of that happening in the show), that she would flirt with her a lot. I tried to reflect that headcanon in this fic.