ENCHANTRESS ( peter maximoff ) o.h.

chapter forty-one.

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE —
( Daydreaming about Lydia. )

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Peter couldn't help himself from staring at Lydia's retreating figure as she hurried after her six year old daughter. His eyes fluttered shut as he savoured the feeling of the warm sun on his pale skin and tuned out the sound of his friends chattering around him, focusing on the birds chirping. He released a relaxed sigh, leaning back on his forearms.

"He's probably daydreaming about Lydia again," Scott commented, nudging Peter's side.

Peter let out a small huff in response, a faint smile finding its way onto his face. He was serene in that moment. His eyes flew open when Jean poked a slender finger into his thigh.

"What?" He grumbled playfully, sitting up.

"Charles said you wanted to speak to him; well, he's free now," Jean smiled, resting her head on Sophia Drake's roommate, Ivy Mitchell's, shoulder.

Peter nodded, and like that, he was gone, speeding through the mansion's hallways. He skidded to a halt in front of Charles' office and raised his hand to deliver a firm knock on the wood. He dropped his hand, digging it into his leather pants. He heard a gruff "come in" from the other side of the door and pushed it open before slowly sitting down into the seat in front of the big mahogany desk. Peter cautiously met his mentor and girlfriend's brother's eyes.

"So, you wanted my help with your...issue with Lydia?" Charles smirked, leaning forward on his elbows, oddly resembling someone eager for gossip, which, in a way, he was.

"Erm, yeah. I think I'm in love with her," Peter replied. "Everything she does...leaves me in a trance of sorts. I find myself always looking for her in a crowd, even when we're fighting. My mind should be on other things, but it always goes back to her. I can't get her off my mind, Professor, and I don't know what to do. I've never felt anything like this, and it petrifies me." Peter croaked, eyes getting slightly moist with tears.

"Then why are you telling her brother this and not her?" Charles queried, raising an eyebrow and smiling softly at the twenty-nine-year-old.

"I'm terrified of rejection," Peter admitted. "What if she doesn't feel the same? I don't want her to say she loves me out of pity. I mean, there's nothing extraordinary about me. Why would she love me back?" He asked. "She's strong, beautiful, a genuinely nice person. Why would she go for a guy like me?"

"You'll never know unless you take a risk, Peter," Charles said softly, knowing his younger sister's feelings towards the silver-haired speedster. "You'll never know how she feels until you tell her how you feel."

Peter glanced down, hiding his eyes from the older man. He had always feared rejection; it was his weakness, but perhaps Charles Xavier was right. He'd never honestly know if Lydia loved him back if he didn't take the risk. Yes, there was a chance that she wouldn't — not yet, at least — but what if she did? What if she felt the same but was too scared to confess it to him alone? He'd never know until he took the risk.