Iolanda
Violet, resting her face on one hand, was watching Pietro as he lectured her.
Finally, Pietro asked, “Are you listening to me?”
Violet shrugged. She wasn’t really in the mood. For minutes, she had been contemplating Pietro’s eye color. You have a wonderful eye color. I wish I could have your eye color, she lamented.
Pietro glanced at her from under his lashes and said, “You can’t have it. But our children might.”
As she narrowed her eyes, looking over the boy’s face, she asked, “Have you been on a date recently?”
The boy felt uncomfortable. “I don’t need to.”
“It seemed to me like you needed.”
“Look who’s talking. When was the last time you didn't sleep alone?”
The girl shrugged. “I have enough fun on my own.”
Imagining Bucky.
“I also have enough fun on my own.”
Imagining you.
Violet giggled. “You don’t expect me to believe that, do you? You’re like a hormone monster every month of the year.”
Pietro was put off. “I’m not an animal, Violet. It may surprise you, but I can control myself.”
He also wanted to shout, I’d rather die than touch someone other than you, but he kept that to himself.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to upset you, Pie. It’s just... You know I’ve been into someone for a while. He’s quite experienced compared to me, and it bothers me a bit. I don’t like how he always treats me like a child. I was thinking about it recently. I never wanted to be with anyone until I was really in love, but I’m starting to change my mind. He said he doesn’t like inexperienced women and doesn’t like teaching.”
After listening to the girl with his jaw dropped, Pietro cleared his throat lightly. His cheeks were burning. “Yes, whoever this mysterious platonic love is, it sounds like a real jerk.”
Violet grumbled.
Pietro continued, “But there’s something else that interests me. Violet, do you really have no experience at all?”
Violet immediately protested, “I didn’t say I had none!”
Pietro, becoming even more agitated, said, “Even if you have none, it doesn’t matter. When you truly love someone, you don’t care about such things, Violet. This mysterious platonic love sounds quite toxic. He has no right to make you feel bad about it. I think waiting until you’re truly in love is a very nice thing.”
“Well, yeah, sure. But you sleep with whoever comes along. I don’t need consolation. It slipped out. I didn’t mean to bother you.”
He knew the girl hadn’t done it on purpose, but Pietro felt like his patience was being tested. He turned sideways in his chair. He didn’t struggle at all as he easily picked Violet up by the waist and set her down on his lap like she was a packet of chips.
Looking at the girl with hurt eyes as she wrapped her arms around his neck to steady herself, he asked with a hurt voice, “Is that really what you think of me? Do you think I’m a cheap guy who sleeps with anyone who comes along?”
The girl shrugged. “It’s okay, Pie. That’s your personal life. I want you to live however makes you happy. I’m not judging you or anything... You don't have to explain it to me...”
“But I want to explain!” the boy said, cutting her off before Violet could finish her sentence.
“Pie...”
“I haven’t been with anyone other than Crystal.”
The girl was surprised. “But... You broke up years ago.”
Yes, Pietro meant. While I was with my fiancée, I imagined you, and my conscience didn’t allow me to continue cheating on her in my head.
Crystal was a wonderful person, but Pietro had started dating her to forget Violet in the first place. He seemed to be a bit successful at it... Until things started to go bad when they got engaged. He had realized that the idea of being someone’s husband other than Violet and being the father of children Violet wouldn’t have was starting to give him anxiety.
“I truly loved Crystal, but the love between us wasn’t strong enough. It wasn’t real love.” He grinned. “Now I’m single again and saving myself for the love of my life. Therefore I am a virgin!"
Violet objected. “But you slept with Crystal! You can’t declare yourself as virgin like that.”
“It’s been five years.”
“So what! It doesn’t count! You are not a virgin!"
“Oh, come on!”
The rest of the day, they argued about whether it counted or not. Violet felt better. She was grateful to Pietro for sharing this with her. Next time, she promised herself not to let Bucky make her angry about this topic.
While going to Wanda’s invitation, Violet drove the car and Pietro kept secretly watching her and making her laugh the entire way. God, he wanted to play with her dancing wavy hair as she threw her head back laughing! He swallowed.
When they arrived at Wanda’s little cabin in the woods that she shared with Vision, the girl stopped the car. “Pie, can you get the wine? I'll find a place to park and I’ll be right there.”
Pietro took the wine without suspicion and went inside. Violet, with trembling hands, opened Yelena’s profile on her phone. She clicked on one of the videos of the girl training. She stared at the slender body and convinced herself to skip dinner once she went inside. She was curvy enough. It was time to start a death diet. Losing a little fat wouldn’t kill her, but she wouldn’t die anyway.
She clicked on Bucky’s profile. After looking at a few posts, she got out of the car and went inside. Wanda hugged her tightly. “I saw Pietro’s post! I want that pie recipe.”
“It’s very easy. I’ll take a photo as soon as I get home. I got it from my grandmother’s recipe book.”
Before moving to the dinner table, they did a bit more preparation in the kitchen. Vision was making a cream for the dessert, and Pietro’s only job was to pick at all the food. Wanda finally couldn’t take it anymore and shouted, “Enough! If you pick at one more dish, I’ll stick my fingers in your eyes!”
The boy grumbled. “My body burns calories quickly, what can I do? I’m hungry.” He approached Violet, who was mixing the salad. “Why aren’t you picking at the food? I ate all the pie” He paused. “Violet, you haven’t had breakfast or lunch today?!”
“It’s okay, I’m not very hungry today.”
Pietro, who knew about the girl’s eating disorder past, froze. He remembered Violet, who had dropped to forty kilos on her twentieth birthday, trembling like a bird as she threw up a single bite of cake between his arms. He held the girl tightly as she leaned over the toilet and could count each of her spinal bones. His jaw tightened. “Alright, you go sit. I’ll bring the salad.”
“Don’t exaggerate Pietro. I just missed a few meals...” She had noticed her head starting to spin, but she was putting a lot of effort into not showing it.
“You missed the whole day!” Pietro said through clenched teeth.
Unaware, Vision and Wanda laughed and kissed each other, while Pietro interrupted them. “Alright, enough! Let’s go to the table! I’m starving!”
Finally, they sat at the table. Violet, eating under Pietro’s threatening gaze, was trying to calm herself, thinking she would throw up later because her plan was to skip dinner as well. She failed because of Pietro.
“Are you coming to Stark Tower on Sunday, lovebirds?” Wanda asked, looking at the two of them. No matter how much Violet protested, Wanda continued calling them lovebirds. Although Violet had been very annoyed at first, she stopped caring when she realized it kept other men away. After all, Pietro and she didn’t feel such things for each other. The nicknames were insignificant.
“I don’t want to get my wife out of bed,” the boy said, ignoring Violet’s eye roll. “What’s the event on Sunday?”
Vision, proudly placing his dessert on the table, said, “Yelena is coming.” “Natasha and Bucky are throwing a welcome party for her.”
As Violet’s glass slipped from her hand and shattered on the floor, she jumped up. “I’m so sorry, Wanda. I’ll clean it up immediately and get you a new set of glasses.”
The Scarlet Witch laughed. “Oh, don’t worry about it! Please sit down, I’ll take care of it.” With a wave of her hand, she fixed the glass and picked it up from the floor. “My powers are getting a bit stronger these days.”
For the rest of the night, the girl seemed to be in a daze. She barely reacted to the conversations. On the way back, Pietro drove the car. When they reached home, Violet said, “You can bring the car back tomorrow.”
Pietro got out of the car with the girl and, while locking the doors, said, “I’m not going anywhere. I need a girl’s night.”
“I’m not in the mood, Pietro. Please go home.”
With his super speed, he went to the other side of the car where the girl was standing and, leaning on the car, trapped her. As he brought his face closer to hers, he whispered, “Don’t ever tell me what to do again.”
“Pie, you misunderstood...”
“I learned something tonight, Iolanda,” the boy said calmly. “Now we’re going upstairs and talking about this. Let’s hope I misunderstood.”
Violet’s heart was pounding in her chest. It couldn’t be true, could it? Was it possible? Adrenaline flooded her veins. She would deny it to the end. She had no intention of revealing the identity of the platonic love Pietro despised.