Disappeared- {Pietro Maximoff}

Chapter 16

Pietro turned to his next customer and burst out laughing.

Alex was wearing one of the worst disguises he'd ever seen— a cheap blonde wig covered with a beanie and a pair of sunglasses.

"Hi!" She said, in a poor imitation of Adelaide's southern drawl, "Can I please have a caramel and strawberry mocha with extra cream."

"We don't have that, but of course."

Alex grinned and tipped her sunglasses down. Beneath, her eyes were red and puffy and Pietro noticed that her face was slightly redder than usual.

"Pietro," she whispered, "Pietro, it's me, Alex."

"I know."

"Oh."

He dropped some of his own money in the till and picked a cupcake out for Alex, "When are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow night, I'm hoping. Crash in a hotel then see my lovely mother bright and early." She swiped some of the frosting off the cupcake and sucked it off her finger in a way that broke Pietro's brain for a second. He coughed, ignored Adelaide's side-glance, coughed again and managed to get out,

"The offer's still there if you want me to come with you. Or better, please listen to me for once and just don't go at all."

Alex hesitated, and Pietro knew that whatever her answer was, she would be lying, "I can handle it."

Quickly, and taking another lick of the cupcake's frosting, she shoved her glasses back up and sashayed to a window seat. Pietro watched her until Adelaide coughed to get his attention back on her.

"As I was asking before you got distracted," she continued, "could you proofread my essay for me?"

"Happily. What's it on?"

"Hypothetical evolution of canine minds, using the domestication of dogs from wolves. I'm focusing on the influence of being carnivores."

"Done. You want another coffee?"

"Espresso. I've got to start on my presentation next, and I know my lecturer hates me because she put me in the group with slackers and made the whole thing group assessed." Adelaide nimbly leapt off the chair, "Be back soon."

Pietro nodded and continued to wait the tables. It was painful— he hated everything about his job but this, forcing himself to do everything slowly, was the worst.

His mind being faster than his body had always been his biggest problem. Fights at school, arguments with his parents, the brief shoplifting he'd gotten into, was all due to his brain not being able to think things through. He'd have an idea and before he could decide whether it was a good one or not, he would already be doing it.

The tray slipped from his hand as someone's foot tripped him up. Moving into slow motion, Pietro grabbed the falling cups— catching the liquid in them— and righted himself. He delivered a hopefully subtle kick to the offending foot before stepping to the side.

"You good darling?" Alex was at his side, wafting away some of the blue aura. She took the tray off him and dropped it on the table, glaring at the man there.