Chapter 4: Signal Red
In the dark of the early winter night in northern Europe, Vision alighted on Wanda's balcony. He had been worried that he'd been wrong, that she had been more exposed than he thought, that she wouldn't still be there when he returned. But there she was, sitting at her coffee table. He wondered if he should knock on the glass or just enter. Before he could decide she noticed him, stood, and gestured for him to come inside.
She was wearing a simple red dress. The color suited her well.
"Hello, Viz. Thanks for coming."
"Hello, Wanda. You look very elegant."
She chuckled. "'Elegant' wasn't quite what I was going for, but I'll take it."
He walked up to her and placed his hands lightly on her bare arms. "Honestly, you look exquisite." For a moment he just watched her, trying to read her reaction to his words, his touch, his nearness. The quickness of her breath, the dilation of her pupils, the slight parting of her lips. "May I kiss you?" he whispered.
"Yes please."
He dipped his head and touched his lips to hers. He tried to show restraint, to conceal how much he longed for her, but he didn't entirely succeed.
She returned the kiss with less restraint. Her hand went to the back of his neck to pull him deeper.
The kiss lasted for a long moment. She was the first to pull away, looking suddenly shy. Was she blushing?
"What did Tony say when you returned without me?" she asked.
"As I expected, he didn't press the matter. I don't know how much he suspects, but we have nothing to fear from him."
"Good." She drifted into her kitchen. "I was thinking about what we could do tonight. We could play chess, or listen to music, or watch movies. Whatever you would like." She returned with a bottle of red wine and a glass. "I know you don't drink, but do you mind if I do?"
"Of course not."
As she poured, he noticed her hands were shaking.
"You're nervous," he observed.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Well, why are you nervous?" she asked back.
He knew it would be useless to lie to her, even to save himself embarrassment, so he answered honestly. "Because this is entirely new for me. I'm worried about making a misstep, or causing a misunderstanding."
"Exactly," she said, and took a sip of her wine.
"Why would you be nervous about that? You can read me."
"That just makes it worse. When I do or say something that offends someone, I know it. And even being able to look into people's minds offends them. People find it an invasion of their privacy. Most people wouldn't...date...someone who can do that."
Date. That's what this was. Their first date. But if spending time together in an apartment was sufficient for a date, he reflected, maybe it wasn't their first.
"I have nothing I would wish to hide from you," he said.
"Yet. That won't always be true." She held up her glass, studying the deep purple-red color of the wine. "You know my control of my powers is not perfect, but I promise I'll try not to read you without your permission."
"In that case, let's play chess."
She stared at him for a moment, then her face broke into a smile. "Did you just make a joke?"
"I was hoping that would come across as amusing, but it was also a sincere proposal. I have missed our games."
"If I can't read you, I'll have no chance of winning," she said.
"Oh, I'm not so sure about that."
"I guess we'll see." She put down her wine glass and started setting up the chess set on the coffee table.