Hey long time no see you suckers! I don't know how I managed to finish this but here you go. I don't even like it but I thought I should give you something.
A new chapter of Wanting to Forget is going up soon!
In which: a lot of clichés happen and Wanda's very gay.
evergreen eyes and caramel frappucinos 2
The redhead was like an anchor that had been keeping her grounded, keeping her from drowning in the intricate and ever-changing sea of New Yorkers.
After her hasty departure, it was like the ground began crumbling underneath the brunette. Like a rug was pulled from under her feet. She suddenly wasn't floating in the elation caused by a new crush. She was drowning, surrounded by faceless men and women. Someone bumped into her from behind and her breath hitched.
Her face crinkled in disgust and undisguised fear. She can't do it. She can't.
She turned around and bolted, the hundred dollars bill clutched tightly in her hand. It was her safe-boat in a raging ocean of workaholics.
She finally arrived at her Starbucks and burst through the doors, probably scaring a few customers. She tried to get her erratic breathing under control as she went back behind the counter, with James' cautious and concerned gaze trained on her.
"What happened?" he asked, making sure to keep his distance.
He knew Wanda's anxiety attacks. He's been the cause of a few of them when he first met her. Touching her at the moment was a no-go. He had to distract her somehow. And what better distraction than talking? If there was anything Wanda liked more than drawing, it was rambling. And frankly, James didn't mind it. Her imagination was wild. It made working such a dull job bearable, almost enjoyable— almost.
"I tried giving her money back," she began, wringing her hands anxiously.
James frowned. "Yeah, okay."
"She didn't accept it, and told me to keep it." She showed him the now crumbled up bill tightly held in her hand. Her eyes were fixed on the ground.
James finally understood. She was afraid he would think less of her because she kept the money. Oh, Wanda...
"It's okay. She gave it to you willingly and you deserve it. Don't beat yourself up over it." He smiled his easy James Barnes smile that actually got him a boyfriend, and he saw some tension in Wanda's shoulders evaporate.
"Thanks, James," she whispered, a small smile playing on her lips.
The day continued on uneventfully, giving Wanda plenty of opportunities to wander towards the generous redhead. Her smile was blindingly beautiful. Her blushed cheeks and red nose gave her an extra bout of pure cuteness— not that she needed it. Her pale porcelain skin gave Wanda the absolute certainty that she wasn't American. Not that it mattered. If anything, it made her even more attractive.
During her pause, her hands drifted to her apron's front pocket. She felt her notebooks pages, heavy with ink and feelings, shift underneath her fingers. She pulled it out almost unconsciously and took her pencil out of her bun.
Wait, how long has it been there? Did she talk to Natasha with a pencil in her hair? Fuck.
She opened it up to a blank page. She drew the outline of Natasha's face, her high cheekbones, and sharp jawline. Her luscious lips and almond-shaped eyes. She had just finished her wavy hair and was going to start on the shading of her nose and her adorable freckles when she heard someone clear his throat behind her. Shit.
She turned around, her cheeks flaming like a teenager caught making out with her boyfriend. James was grinning at her, handing her an iced tea.
She took it, embarrassed, her eyes fixated on drawn-Natasha's features.
"I've never seen you draw with so much detail before. I've never seen you develop a crush so fast either. Ensorcelled by a Russian beauty?"
Wanda's head snapped up at the tidbit of information.
"How did you know that she's Russian?"
"She told me." James shrugged like he didn't know how vital this knowledge was to Wanda.
"How do you know her?" She asked, her eagerness bleeding through her tone clearly.
"She's a regular," James explained. "She comes here all the time during the school semester."
At Wanda's encouraging nod, he continued. "She studies law at NYU, she's pretty well off, obviously. She has a place on the fifth. We used to chat while I made her coffee. She always takes the same thing. A caramel Frappuccino."
Wanda smiled like the secrets of the universe were revealed to her. Maybe they were.
"So she's going to be back?"
"Probably." He grinned. "You didn't deny that you have a crush on her."
"Maybe I don't want to deny it," Wanda whispered, a small dreamy smile on her lips.
She definitely liked being attracted to Natasha. She purposefully pushed the fact that she would never ever be able to go out with her to the back of her head. No one like Natasha would ever give her a second glance. She was okay with that.
Later that night, when her brother asked her what she was so intently thinking about, she just smiled, shook her head, and told him it was just wishful thinking.
—
Wanda's routine was broken the next morning, but not in a distasteful way, as one would expect. She woke up with a smile, a welcome change to her usually gloomy morning. She put a little more effort into styling her hair, pulling it into a fishtail braid instead of its usual careless bun. She went lighter on the mascara and eyeliner because she had a striking eye color that she usually hated in the storm of self-deprecation she was living in. But she knew, due to her very brief experience in the dating scene, that people found gray beautiful. She personally preferred the evergreen orbs of a certain Russian.
She put on her favorite black top that made her look hella cute and paired it with a skirt and her favorite black leather jacket. She looked like a goth, but a very hot goth. She smiled at herself in the mirror. She may not be able to date Natasha, but she'll damn sure impress her.
She ate her sugary cereal and locked her door twice. She took the long way around to get to her job, buying a newspaper that she'll pretend to read on her way there. She arrived, feeling like she was in a ghost town. She opened up and did a bit of cleaning, then she waited.
She waited for a long time. She might've fallen asleep at some point. James' arrival at the start of the morning rush woke her and her eagerness up.
Then, at 7:14 AM, the bell jingled and a certain redhead made her way into the busy shop. Wanda never felt so happy. So it was true. She really was gonna see her every day.
In her excitement, she completely missed the order of the gentleman who was currently first in line. That was her first mistake. She snapped back to reality when the man raised an eyebrow irritably.
"What?" she asked.
That was, you guessed it, her second mistake.
The man scoffed, crossed his arms over his chest, and glared at her.
"Are you done gawking like an idiot?"
And her final mistake, her indignant "excuse me?"
She felt all the eyes in the cafe settle on them. Her heartbeat picked up. She definitely shouldn't have done that. She should have just stayed quiet like she always did.
"You heard me! You didn't even bother to take my order. You just stood there like the fucking idiot you are and stared!"
Wanda gulped and paled considerably. That's it, she was fucked. Silence fell in the cafe. All the eyes were on Wanda and her client.
"Back off, man," James warned, approaching Wanda slowly.
"You back off! Or do you want me to ask for the manager?" The man seethed, and James greeted his teeth.
Wanda was on her own.
"I would prefer if you didn't," the voice rank clear and forceful, effectively breaking the in the uneasy silence.
The man spun around, but Wanda immediately located the source of the voice.
Natasha stood up, smoothing her pea coat down, and raised a flawless eyebrow. "It wouldn't kill you to repeat the order," she shrugged, making the man snort.
"I don't think she would understand it," he drawled.
Natasha frowned. "I said, it wouldn't kill you to try. Or am I not being clear enough?"
"Why should I?" He yelled, raising his hands in the air. "She's clearly dumb."
Natasha was visibly blistering by then. Wanda found it kind of hot. She wasn't even paying attention to the guy anymore. Natasha had an ice cold anger to her. The temperature around her seemed to have dropped, mirroring the Absolute Zero. She could almost see the snowflakes swirling around the redhead.
Natasha approached the man and whispered something in his ear. The man paled considerably, took a few steps back, looking at the woman like she was some kind of monster. Then, he effectively ran out of the coffee shop.
All the eyes settled on Natasha, who took a few deep breaths, softened her demeanor, and went back to sit on her table. Wanda was speechless, and she was also incredibly turned on.
Natasha defended her. Publicly. Sure, she looked creepy as fuck doing so, but it was a sexy kind of creepy.
"Your girlfriend is scary," James whispered from behind her, making her roll her eyes.
"She's not my girlfriend." She sighed.
"You should thank her," he suggested, raising his eyebrows suggestively.
"You're right, I should." She took a deep breath to calm her nerves and proceeded to make a Caramel Frappuccino with extra, extra whipped cream.
Then, she made her way to the table, where Natasha was sitting, typing away on her Mac.
Wanda cleared her throat awkwardly, making the redhead break out of her concentrated writing streak, and look up. She smiled when she saw Wanda.
"Hello," she greeted, closing her laptop.
Wanda gulped. She stopped working to talk to her. That must mean something, right? Also, she absolutely had not thought this through. How did talking work, again?
"I, uh, wanted to thank you. For what you did—said to that guy. Though you didn't have to, it happens all the time."
"Wait, it does?" Natasha looked as angry as she did a few minutes ago.
"Yeah, but it's really not a problem or anything, I mean-" She broke off before she could begin rambling on unnecessarily, and found herself staring at Natasha.
The curve on her cheekbone, the sharpness of her jaw, the sparkle in those eyes-
She cleared her throat again and thrust the drink in Natasha's hand. "That's for you."
Natasha positively lit up at the sight of the coffee. "Is that extra whipped cream?"
"Yeah, as a thank you." Wanda was hopping from foot to foot, all excitement, and warmth, and Natasha could not help but laugh.
And by god, was it a beautiful laugh.
"Well, then. I shall be your knight in shining armor more often!" She raised her cup in cheers, then sipped on the drink.
Wanda was maybe drooling by that point.
"Wanda! Back to work maybe?"
'Oh, James Barnes, you fucking cockblocker.'
There, now my conscience is clear.
Next up: Natasha has a problem.
When I'll see you next is purely up to gods at this point. Bye! Don't forget to review btw that'd be nice thanks