Endearment ▶️ Pietro Maximoff

Nine

It was just another busy day at the cafe but I was on my own this time. A month or so had gone by since I began working here and I still wasn't used to the busy city—nor its people obsessively obsessed with their daily dose of caffeine. The way it had people in a chokehold. Still, it was a nice change from the 9-5 I was doing at the law firm.

Claire landed in the hospital after a little accident at home and Sarah was worried sick for her the entire shift. I told her that I could manage on my own for a while so she could go check on her. I lied. I could not manage! The minute she left, it felt like the entire city of New York was at our doorstep. The queue was getting longer and the coffee machine was taking its own sweet time. At one point I contemplated calling Thea to help me out since that lazy bug was probably chilling in her pyjamas whilst I was about to combust from the pressure of delivering coffee. In hindsight it wasn't that big of a deal but for someone like me—it seemed like a lot all at once. One thing I was grateful for was the amount of regular customers we had, it made it easier to know what they wanted. If I managed to make it out of here in one piece, I was going to head down and see Claire at the hospital—give her a proper scolding for leaving me alone, and also a hug if she wanted one. But mostly scolding.

I was so busy running back and forth between the kitchen and the dining area that I failed to notice the silver haired boy making his way into the kitchen like he owned the place. As I ran back inside to get another batch of the chocolate cake slices, I collided against his muscular frame and bounced backwards like a ball against a brick wall. Warm arms wrapped around my waist to stop me from falling and my hands came to rest against the warmth of his chest—hard and pure muscle. I stared into those blue eyes that had become a recurring theme in my dreams, a glint of mischief peeking through as always. As much as I would have liked to stay in his arms like that, away from the responsibilities waiting for me on the other side of the door; I couldn't in this instance.

"Thank you, good sir!" I squeaked, pushing myself away from him as quickly as I could and walking further into the kitchen.

His presence wasn't as daunting anymore, I found myself a lot more relaxed when he was around. And he was around a lot. I didn't know whether to be flattered or worried that I may have a stalker after me. Every time he came to the cafe, he'd order the same thing and ask me that same question—and as always, I'd come up with another lame excuse and he would leave with more promises. It was a routine now. He was still annoying but I didn't mind it as much, not with the way my body reacted to him. Even Claire seemed to catch on and started teasing me, something I never experienced in my life.

"I see you're very busy today." I heard him say as soon as my back was towards him.

"No shit, Sherlock." I mumbled, hoping he didn't hear me. I wasn't one to use offensive words that often but sometimes they'd just slip out from time to time, especially when I was stressed. I could think of words worse than shit..

"I can help, you know. I'm very fast." His suggestive tone made me glare up at him and he grinned like he was enjoying this way too much. Sure, I must have looked like a hot mess and it wouldn't be Pietro if he didn't enjoy making me feel uncomfortable for his amusement. Last time he tried to mimic my northern accent and had the entire cafe chuckling at my expense. He stood right next to me, close enough that I could feel his warmth radiating off him, while I poured more coffee into the pitcher and gathered the cake slices onto a tray. "Just say the word." He teased.

I paused momentarily, wondering if I could ask him for help. Surely, I couldn't, right? What if he tried that trick on me again like he did when we were stuck inside the lift? No, I wasn't going to fall for that again.