Staring at a Mountain

Informal

"So be honest, do you like him?" Natasha pried open a take-out box of dumplings as Wanda set plates on the dark wood table.

"Who?" Rhiannon raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"James?" Natasha says incredulously, "who else?"

Rhiannon sighed, knowing this conversation was coming at some point tonight.

"I mean, there was totally a connection happening there I thought you guys were gonna fuck right ther-"

"Okay, okay he's a little pretty." Rhiannon's cheeks tinged pink, "and charming and I forget my own name when he's around."

"But?" Natasha inclined her head, knowing her friend had a stipulation.

"𝐵𝑢𝑡 he seems... like he's hiding something. I don't know, I just feel like something is off. Like I'm waiting for someone to tell me he's killed a man with his bare hands." Rhiannon tried to explain the uncertainty she felt in his presence.

"You don't have to marry the guy. I don't think he's even the type." Wanda pulled the quark out of a bottle of wine and continued, "we're just worried about you. You haven't been... happy. We know you ended things with Tony for a reason and we haven't questioned it because we trust your judgment, but when you talked to James it was the first time you've really smiled in months."

"What she said," Natasha agreed, pointing at Wanda with an egg roll, "it doesn't have to be anything serious, just maybe loosen up and see where this takes you. He could be your most fun mistake and judging from how he acted around you, he 𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑡𝑠 to be that mistake."

Rhiannon nodded her head back and forth, measuring her options.

"I don't know. I gave him my number-" she was interrupted ironically by her phone suddenly ringing from the kitchen counter.

She looked down at her phone and didn't recognize the number. She felt her stomach get butterflies as she knew 𝑖𝑡 𝑚𝑢𝑠𝑡 𝑏𝑒 ℎ𝑖𝑚.

Sliding the screen to answer, she put the phone up to her ear, "speak of the devil, how's it going?"

James almost laughed. She had no idea how perfectly ironic her phrasing was.

"It's been a slow day. How are you, angel?" He asked, leaning back in the driver's seat of his car, parked on the street. He had considered calling the night he found her at the sports bar but he also liked the anticipation. Only making it three days, he found himself reaching for his phone and clicking on her newly created contact.

"I'm good, having some take-out and wine with the girls. What are you up to?" A smile spread across her lips as Wanda and Natasha '𝑜𝑜𝑜𝑜ℎ'𝑒𝑑' at her. Touching the smile on her face gingerly with her fingers, she knew her decision.

"I'm okay, thinking about picking up some food too, where did you order from?" He made small talk effortlessly. It was never hard for him to talk to people.

"Do you want to just come over? We have plenty." She found the words coming out of her mouth before she could stop them.

"Bitch!" Natasha hissed with a laugh. Rhiannon slapped a hand over her face in embarrassment. She must have sounded desperate.

"Or not because I'm a fucking stranger and just made it weird," Rhiannon tried to retract her statement.
𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑎𝑚 𝐼 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑚𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑒𝑚𝑏𝑎𝑟𝑟𝑎𝑠𝑠𝑖𝑛𝑔 𝑝𝑒𝑟𝑠𝑜𝑛 𝑒𝑣𝑒𝑟? She thought.

"I'm starving, where can I find you?" His voice wavered with a laugh as he pushed the start of his Jag.

Pulling into the street he pretended to write down the address she gave as if he hadn't already searched everything about her available on the dark web. Unfortunately her friend's address was also available there.