Becoming a Maximoff

Chapter 16: Where are you?

Pov y/n

I really got the job!
I am more than happy about it. Even though it is exhausting to work eight hours instead of four but I expected that. Mr. Harleton called me into his office Monday after we talked about it and told me the great news. I signed a new contract and we talked about a few more things I should know and then I was ready to start. What exactly my job is?

I don't really know if there's a term but I'd say something like a assistant/manager for a few people. I schedule meetings, inform people about them, make sure the room is ready, bring letters to or from the mailbox, make calls and all that stuff.
I even have a very tiny office booth. There's a desk, computer and printer in there. That was really exciting because I never had a desk at a work place, obviously.

The few people I already knew were happy for me and so was Wanda when I told her that day. We celebrated and went out for dinner, which we never did before because we couldn't afford it but we really wanted to celebrate and with this change, we might be able to afford this a few more times.

I got used to being there for eight hours and spent my lunch breaks with the people there. Most of them are older than me but one person is only two years older, so we became work-friends over time.

Today is Tuesday and I've been working in this job for about a week and I am happy. But today was pretty exhausting because there were a lot of meetings I had to prepare and I ran back and forth the whole day. So, I am happy to go home and see Wanda again, maybe cuddling a little and watching something or reading, just something calm.

I open the apartment door and get in silently. Sometimes Wanda still works when I get back, so I don't want to disturb her.
I get out of my shoes and go to the bathroom to wash my hands.
When I get back into the hallway, I almost stumble over a shoe that's laying there. I frown and put it back in its place in our little shoe rack.

I peak into the bedroom and to the table but Wanda isn't there. That's weird, I thought she was still working.
Her laptop is still on the table but closed and there's a notepad next to it because she sometimes has to take notes while she works. I look around the room but don't see her.

"Wands?" I call and go back into the hallway. No answer.

"Wanda?" I call again and look through the other rooms but there is no sign of her.

I end in the kitchen and look at the countertop. There's a handwritten list that is new. I look at it and smile.
It's a grocery list and it looks like Wanda was planning on making pasta with my favorite sauce.
Just the thought makes me smile. It's those small things that make me fall for her every day.

I relax a little, she probably went to the store to get the groceries. And when I think back, I remember she told me she wanted to end work a little earlier today because she worked a few extra hours last week. I go into the living room and grab a book and my phone.
I check my emails to see if there are any news. I decided to participate in the short story competition and sent them a story.

Of course, I know they won't answer this quickly, especially since the first results aren't supposed to be up for a while but I'm still excited about it.
I get comfy on the couch and snuggle into a blanket because it got colder again. I thought about starting to cook but we don't have the ingredients here and I don't feel like it at the moment.

As I read, the room slowly gets darker as the sun sets and when I have to turn on a lamp, I realize how much time has passed. I look at the clock and frown.
It's 6:30 pm by now.

I've been home for a longer while now and Wanda still hasn't returned. The walk to the store isn't that long and even if she went shortly before I came, she should be back by now. But maybe they didn't have something in that store and she had to go to another?

I nibble at my lip in thought, not sure how to feel about this. But I decide to push those feelings away, she wouldn't leave me like that.
Since it is now later, I get started on the pasta. I can at least cook it and wait for her to return with the rest.

As the water boils, I glance at the time every few minutes, starting to get nervous. Why isn't she home yet?
Or did she meet someone she knows and they're talking right now?
But we don't really know people here, so who could that be?

Maybe she sent me a text message. Yeah, she probably did.
Feeling a little calmer, I go to grab my phone and return back to the kitchen to look after the pasta.
Then I check my messages but there are none. I start chewing at the inside of my cheek, having a bad feeling.

My thumb hovers over the green call button and I debate whether I should call her or not. But before I go crazy, I should just try it.
I press the button and hold the phone to my ear, nervously tapping my foot. I feel a little like an obsessed person that starts freaking out, when their partner is gone for too long.
Usually, I don't have a problem with her being away for a while when she has to run errands or so but then she informs me about it, so I know.
But this time I have no clue where she is or went to.

The silent ringing of a phone pulls me out of my thoughts and I slowly follow the noise until I'm in our bedroom. It's coming from beneath the bed. I kneel down and grab the phone from under the bed, confused why it's there.
But maybe Wanda dropped it and didn't see where it landed. But that's also it with calling her.
I sigh and stop the call, looking at Wanda's phone, unsure what to feel. She might have forgotten her phone, no need to stress. I take a deep breath and put both our phones on the table before returning to the kitchen.

The pasta is done a few minutes later and I pour out the water but let it rest in the pot, so it will stay warm.
My nervousness raises with every minute and I seriously start to wonder where Wanda is. If she would have gone somewhere that takes a while, she for sure would have told me.

Suddenly a thought hits me and I run to her laptop and log in before clicking on the internet icon. My fingers hover over the keys before I type 'Wanda Maximoff Scotland'.
I click search and my foot taps on the ground. The results pop up and I release a breath. There are no breaking news on someone spotting her in Scotland.

For a few seconds I thought she might have been caught by Ross but looks like that's not the case. It only calms me down in a few ways though because it still doesn't explain where she could be.
I look around our bedroom to see if there are any other hints on where she could have gone. But everything looks normal, nothing out of the ordinary, except...

My breath catches in my throat as I step closer to our dresser. The top two drawers are slightly opened. Those are her drawers, mine are the lower ones.
I pull the first one open and my heart starts to clench a little.
There are a few of her sweatshirts missing and I know that they're not in the laundry.
I open the second drawer as well and two pairs of sweatpants are missing as well. My throat runs dry.

I don't know how many pieces of other clothing she owns, so I can't tell if some of her underwear is missing too. My throat tightens a little and my eyes start to burn. Why are some of her clothes missing? Maybe this has no meaning... but I doubt that.

I wish it didn't but my mind races with thoughts and I take a few steps back until I'm at our bed. I slowly sit down, trying to process and get ahold of my thoughts. What do I know so far?
Wanda isn't here, even though it's late and there isn't really any place she could be at.
Her phone was underneath the bed, so she doesn't have it with her.
Some of her clothes are missing.

I shake my head, feeling my heart clenching and getting heavy. She wouldn't just leave like that. Just this morning she told me that she loves me. I don't want to believe that that's not true. And even if she doesn't want to be my girlfriend anymore, it's not like her to just run away. She would have talked to me about this, she wouldn't just have left...right?

My thoughts spin faster and I press my lips together, the first tears falling from my eyes. She wouldn't just leave like that, I refuse to believe that.
But as much as I want to not believe that, a tiny part of me is afraid that she did just that, leave me.

A/n: The angst is starting to build...

What do you think happened? Did Wanda run away?

Thanks for reading and love to you all <3