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It was your first time going to the grocery store alone since Carol left you.
Wait, no, that's not right...
It was your first time going to the grocery store alone since Carol ripped your heart out and decided to call it quits.
That's better...
She claimed she fell out of love with you. She claimed you hadn't changed with her. She claimed- well, a lot more, but every time, it left you crying for answers that weren't lies.
You had changed for her. You changed jobs and moved wherever she wanted. You quit smoking for her years ago. You waited on her hand and foot; she claimed you hadn't done enough. You paid for the shared apartment together, but she claimed you didn't care about her well-being because of where the apartment was located.
Six months later, you knew you were better off. You were starting to find yourself waking up without eggshells to walk around. It was nice, but you hated what you had to endure to get to this point.
But now, here you are in the candy aisle at your local grocery store, and you can't even remember what candies you like.
You remembered having Sour Patch Kids last Halloween before Carol threw out all the junk in the house to help the two of you "lose a few."
You exhaled, not wanting to open up that can of worms again, especially after you had just left your therapist's office.
So, was it time to try more sour candies or these new Recces Cups with pretzels?
You pondered as you stepped closer to the wall of goodies. But unbeknownst to you, someone was waiting for you to move, but they couldn't take it anymore as they wanted their special treat.
Mom only let them pick one pack every few months—a little treat for their lunch boxes or after soccer practice.
"Excuse me." A child's voice spoke next to you, making you slightly jump before focusing your attention down. The boy pointed past your legs to a variety pack of chocolates. "Oh!" You took a few steps back and let the boy grab the bag before he rose and said a: "thank you."
He was then jogging down the aisle before a woman and a boy turned the corner, stopping him. You pulled your eyes away and, once again, found yourself looking at the candies. You then glanced at the variety pack the kid pulled out and took a closer look as you squatted down.
Okay, all these sounded pretty good- "But mom!"
You heard the same kid who grabbed the bag earlier whine to his mother as he walked back down the aisle, towards you. "I said no! That's final! You and Billy don't need that much."
You admire the woman in her conviction, plus her voice was sultry. It hit your ears perfectly. You took a peek to your left and your eyes meet her green ones. You inhaled sharply as she was looking you up and down in a matter of two seconds. But then she looked back at her one son while the other stood behind his mom.
Your eyes remained on the milf- On the mother before you looked away. Afraid to get caught staring.
She was naturally beautiful. Her lips were pink. Her skin was clear. She had a jawline and cheekbones that had to have been molded by the gods themselves. Oh god, the rest of her was stunning, even if she was wearing blue jeans and a sweatshirt.
"Put it back!" She was stern with the one with the chocolates in his hand, and you looked over it with a soft expression as he huffed before giving you the bag. "Can you please put this back for me?" You were crouched in the way. You nodded and took the candies from him, but before he could turn around, you thought you would try to help him out. "Hey." You said, catching not only his attention but also that of his mom and brothers.
"Yeah?" He said, turning to you as if to ask why. You smiled and held the bag up. "What would you recommend if it was my first time having candy in like forever?" The kid looked at you, a little confused. "You haven't had candy in like forever?" You shrugged and stood up. Your knees would thank you later. "It's been a while. So what would you get? But it has to be smaller than this." Once again, you held up the large variety pack.
The boy looked from the bag to the wall. His eyes went from the large ones at the bottom to the small packs in the middle. He had his tongue slightly sticking out as he was putting his brain to the test.
You felt the eyes of someone, the mother, watching you. You gave her a quick look, but she smiled slightly as she saw how you interacted with her son. She gave you a slight tilt of the head. Letting your idea and conversation with the boy play out.
"Ummm, these ones!" The boy grabbed a bag and handed it to you. It was definitely smaller and had less sugary goods flavors and amount, but it would still make a pair of ten-year-olds happy. "Are you sure?" You asked the boy with slight exaggeration in your voice. He nodded. "Trust me, I'm like an expert."
That got you and the mother, who laughed before covering her mouth.
Oh, that was cute!
"Okay. Thank you," You said with a smile. The boy, looking proud, smiled back. "You're welcome." You looked up to the mom. "So what do you think?" She had caught on to your plan and smiled. "I think that is more suitable." The boy who helped you looked between you and his mother, confused. "Huh?" He said, making you lightly laugh. "I believe these are yours, Mr...?" You said as you tried giving the bag of candy back.
"...Tommy." He said as he grabbed the candies. Still a little confused. "So these are mine now?" He looked from you to his mother. "That size is for you and Billy to share." His eyes lit up as he cheered and threw the chocolates into the shopping cart. "Yes!"
You laughed at his actions and free spirit. His mother moved her eyes from Tommy to you as she moved the cart closer. "Hey.." She said, making you look at her beautiful green eyes again. "Thanks for that. That was really sweet."
Without you noticing, Wanda's eyes danced across your hands. No ring.
"It was no big deal. Plus, he actually did help me figure out what to get." Wanda watches you grab the exact candies they had in their cart. Wanda smiled. "Yeah, hell, make a great salesman one day." She joked before looking back to Billy and Tommy skimming through all the candies they'd ask for next time.
"So what's your name? I know theirs because you said them, but what's yours?" You asked of the auburn-haired mother. She stuck her hand out, and it fit perfectly into yours. "Wanda Maximoff. And you are?" She was just as curious.
"Y/n Y/l/n." Rolled off your tongue. Wanda stuck that to memory. "Well, Y/n. I have to thank you again. They seem sweet, but you saved me from a night of mood wings. Billy would come around, but Tommy could hold a grudge. One of the many traits he picked up from his father-" Wanda stopped herself. "Oh, I'm rambling about my ex, oh gosh. I'm so sorry." Wanda looked embarrassed and made a face where her tongue stuck out. "Ignore me." She said while being a cute, frazzled mom.
"I don't think I can now." You said it before realizing the words that had left your mouth. "Oh wow, that was a lot flirtier than I meant!" You quickly added on, but Wanda looked at you with raised eyebrows and a playful look.
She was enjoying this.
"Flirty can be good," Wanda replied, making you stop and look at her.
Oh, she was into you. And she could probably see the pink on your cheeks.
"Yeah, it. It uh can be." You finally managed to say as you placed the bag of chocolates still in your hand into your basket. "So, Y/n, do you think you'll need Tommy's help picking out any more groceries? It was your first time having candy in a while. Did I hear that right?"
You sheepishly nodded. "Yeah, it's a long story." Wanda nodded, and her eyes were tender as they stayed on you. She had used that same excuse over the last six months herself. "Well..." Wanda started as she leaned closer to you after she made sure her boys were out of earshot. "I was thinking about having pasta this weekend. Saturday night, particularly. If that's something you haven't eaten in a while." She smiled, and you quietly laughed at her joke.
"It might be nice to remember what pasta tastes like, especially with some good company." Wanda smiled and exhaled quietly.
The two of you were playing it cool but were nerve-wracked.
"Oh, and don't worry, I'll let Tommy pick out the sauce." You loudly exhaled as a joke. "Oh, thank goddess. Had me worried for a second." The two of you laughed before Wanda turned her head as her motherly instincts went off. "Billy, don't." Billy threw his hands up. Tommy had said something, and Billy was going to react, but Wanda didn't want to deal with either of them crying over their brother being a meanie butt.
You watched the way she switched from flirty mode to mom mode, and it was a sight to behold.
It definitely made your mommy issues go off, but that was for another night- time!
As she kept her eyes on the boys for a few more seconds, you looked down at her left hand and noticed a faded line on her ring finger.
Wanda had finally stopped wearing the ring every day two months ago. Sometimes, she put it on out of habit before taking it off halfway through the day. She wanted to destroy it or throw it into the lake by her house, but soon, it would end up in a shoe box to be forgotten about.
You swallowed your nerves and pulled out your phone just before Wanda turned her head to you and apologized. "Oh, please don't apologize." You said. "I remember being that age, and trust me, they're angels compared to me and my brother."
Wanda's eyes danced to the smartphone in your hand before looking back at you. "You have a brother?" You nodded. "He's two years older, but god, you would think he was the little kid of the family." You dramatically rolled your eyes, and Wanda laughed as her nose scrunched.
How do I make her do that until the end of time?
"I'm a twin." You raised your eyebrows in shock. "Oh wow."
"He's only a couple of minutes older than me and never stops reminding me. The boys love him, though." She said a little defeated knowing she's had to lean on Pietro a lot as of recently. But he was glad to do it.
"Well, your boys seem great too." Wanda softened her smile. "Thank you." She once again glanced at the phone after her eyes left yours. You picked up on that and lifted it. "I think this might be the part where I get your number. Especially if Saturday night is still available."
Wanda took your phone and added her contact information. "Of course. It'll be nice to also cook for someone other than Billy and Tommy."
A subtle way to let you know her ex isn't around. Period. And that the twins won't be around this weekend.
"I'm looking forward to it, Wanda." Your eyes shined as you looked at her after taking your phone. She smiled wide and let out a breath. "Me too, Y/n."
"Mom!" Tommy whined as he collided into his mom's side, with Billy following. "I'm bored now. Can we go?" Wanda hugged him and moved fallen hair out of his face. He really needed a haircut. "We have to grab a few more things, and then we can go." He groaned. "Like what?"
You decided to chime in again. "I think your mom was talking about fresh pizza?" Once again, the Maximoffs looked at you. "Pizza?" Billy perked up and looked at you. You nodded. "Yeah, but not frozen pizza." The boys looked confused, but judging by the items in the cart. Wanda was the type to always have home-cooked meals. "Haven't you ever made your own pizza?"
Billy and Tommy shrugged. Of course.
"Well, trust me, that's the way to go. You can pick out your ingredients and make it however you want."
"Like I could put pickles on it?" Billy asked, and Wanda laughed when Tommy said, "Ew."
"If you wanted to! I like pickles." You said, making Billy smile. Whether it was a lie, if you liked pickles or not, whose to tell? "Different cheeses?" Tommy asked. You shrugged and looked at Wanda, who gave you a tiny shrug and smiled back. "Yeah, sure."
"Oh, cool!" Wanda looked down at Billy and Tommy. "So what do you two say Friday night we make pizzas?" The boys nodded enthusiastically. "Okay, well, let's go grab all the ingredients. I think they're near the pasta." Wanda winked at you, and you blushed before her hands found the cart. "Say bye to Y/n boys."
"Bye!" Billy waved as he started to walk away with Wanda. Tommy looked over at you and waved rapidly. "Bye! Enjoy your candy!" You laughed and watched as Wanda and her kids turned the corner but not before Wanda gave you a wave as well.
You waved and smiled like a dork.
Later that night, after you finished making your own pizza and unwrapping the little chocolate bars, your phone vibrated on the table. You picked it up and were happy to see a text from Wanda.
"The boys kept asking me what they could and couldn't put on their pizzas the rest of the night. So thank you for that. 🙄"
You laughed loudly in your half-empty apartment before another text came in.
"And don't worry, Tommy picked out the perfect sauce for us on Saturday. If you're still available?"
Your heart tugged a bit, thinking that Wanda might have thought you would cancel.
You put the rest of the chocolate in your mouth and typed away. Giving Wanda a little reassurance while also not pushing the fact that this might be a date.
You watched the three dots pop up and disappear before another message came through.
"Okay, great! And once again, thank you for how you were with them today. It was wonderful to see."
The conversation shifted from the two of you to Wanda and her boys. You weren't necessarily a person who ever thought about wanting kids. But today, it was like something clicked for you. Maybe it was the hot milf or the fact that you could see yourself in Billy and Tommy.
Either way, you showed up Saturday night at Wanda's doorstep with flowers and chocolates.
You should've seen the look on Carol's face when she saw you across the park three years later with a woman older than her and two boys calling you mom.