WANDA MAXIMOFF: For As Long As You'll Let Me (The Woman Next Door)
CHAPTER TEN: THE HALLWAY
chapter nine here
“We’ve got another whole day tomorrow.”
Wanda stood in the hallway between our doors. The overhead light cast a soft glow along the wooden floor. The house was completely quiet now. No television. No kitchen sounds. Just the faint hum of the air conditioner somewhere downstairs. Her hand still rested lightly against my arm. Warm through the sleeve of my hoodie. Wanda seemed perfectly comfortable standing there. Studying my face again the way she had all day.
“You look tired,” she said softly.
“A little.”
Wanda smiled faintly. “That was a long first day.”
“Yeah.”
Her thumb brushed slowly across my sleeve. The same gentle motion she’d used before.“You handled it well though.”
I shrugged slightly. “You made it easy.”
Wanda’s smile softened. “That’s sweet of you to say.” Her eyes lingered on my face. The quiet between us stretched again. Then Wanda lifted her other hand.
Before I could react, her fingers brushed lightly through my hair. The gesture was soft. Almost absentminded. Like someone smoothing a wrinkle from fabric.
“There,” she murmured.
My brain stalled again. Wanda chuckled quietly at the reaction.
“You freeze every time I touch your hair.”
“I’m not used to it.”
Her fingers lingered there for a moment longer. Then she gently squeezed the back of my neck. The touch was warm. Nice. Affectionate.
“Goodnight, sweetheart,” she said softly.
Her voice had that same tone again. She let her hand slide slowly from the back of my neck down my shoulder. Then she stepped backward toward the guest room. Her fingers brushed my arm one last time before letting go completely. Wanda opened the guest room door. Warm light spilled out from inside. She paused in the doorway. Then looked back at me one more time. Her eyes soft. Pretty.
“Sleep well, Sam.”
The door stayed open behind her as she waited for my answer.
“Night,” I said quietly.
Wanda’s smile returned immediately. “Just ‘night’?” she teased softly.
My face warmed. “uh…goodnight.”
She seemed satisfied with that. “Much better.” Wanda leaned lightly against the doorframe for a moment instead of going inside. Her arms crossed loosely as she studied me again. “You sure you’re alright?”
“Yeah.”
She tilted her head slightly. “Big adjustment.”
“I’m okay.”
Wanda nodded slowly. “Good.” Her eyes drifted briefly toward my bedroom door beside hers. Then back to me again. “Strange having someone right next door?” she asked.
“A little.”
Wanda smiled faintly. “You’ll get used to it.” Her voice softened again. “I’m a quiet neighbor.”
I chuckled quietly. “That’s good.”
Wanda pushed gently off the doorframe then. Her hand reached out again without much thought. Her fingers brushed lightly across my arm one more time. A small gesture. “Sleep well,” she repeated softly. Then she stepped backward into the guest room. The door stayed open for another moment as she reached inside to turn off the lamp. The hallway dimmed. Then Wanda looked out once more. Her gaze warm even in the low light. “See you in the morning, sweetheart.” The door closed gently after that. Leaving the hallway quiet. Just my bedroom door beside hers. And the faint awareness that Wanda Maximoff was now sleeping just a few feet away. stood in the hallway for another second.
The house was quiet. Really quiet.
No voices downstairs, no television. Just the faint hum of the air conditioner and the soft creak of the house settling for the night. Wanda’s door sat closed beside mine. The guest room. Her room now.
I exhaled slowly and turned toward my own door. The familiar space greeted me the moment I pushed it open. Dim light from my bedside lamp spilled across the room. My desk sat against the wall with a few textbooks stacked beside my laptop.
Business management. Accounting. Marketing.
The dark red blanket on my bed was still half folded from that morning. My boots sat near the door where I’d kicked them off earlier. Everything looked exactly the same as it had that morning. Except it didn’t feel the same. Because now Wanda was here.
I stepped inside and closed the door behind me. The soft click echoed quietly in the room. For a moment I just stood there. Thinking. Just silence. I walked over to the bed and sat down. The mattress dipped slightly under my weight. My glasses came off and landed on the nightstand. Then I leaned back onto the pillows, staring up at the ceiling. My brain immediately replayed the day. Wanda’s hand on my arm, her head resting on my shoulder. The way she kept calling me sweetheart. The quiet way she said she liked being close to me.
My chest felt warm again. Then— A faint sound through the wall. The muffled creak of a floorboard in the guest room. Wanda moving around next door. The realization settled in again. She was really here. Living in the room beside mine. Just a few feet away. The thought lingered quietly in the dark room as the house slowly settled into its first night with both of us inside. I lay there staring at the ceiling. The fan above me spun slowly, stirring the warm air in the room. For a minute everything was still.
Then— A faint sound again. The muffled creak of a drawer opening. Wanda moving around in the guest room. I shifted slightly on the bed. The mattress rustled under me. Through the wall, something thumped softly. Probably a suitcase being moved, or a dresser drawer closing. The quiet sounds carried strangely through the house at night. Every small movement felt louder when everything else was silent.
I rubbed a hand across my face and turned onto my side. The wall beside my bed separated my room from hers. The thought made my stomach flip again. A faint sound came through the wall again. The soft click of something being set down. Then silence.
I stared at the wall for a second. Then shook my head slightly. “Relax,” I muttered to myself. Wanda had said the same thing earlier. Relax. My hand rubbed the back of my neck again. The habit was automatic.
For a moment everything stayed quiet. Then— Footsteps. Soft. Crossing the guest room floor.
A moment later there was a faint click. A light turning off. The sound of the house settling again. The realization returned quietly.
Wanda was lying in bed right on the other side of that wall. The house had never felt this full before. I exhaled slowly and pulled the blanket up slightly. The quiet stretched again.
And eventually— The long first day began to fade into sleep. The fan above me hummed quietly. The blanket felt warm and heavy across my body My eyes drifted shut. The house stayed silent.
⸻
At first the dream didn’t feel strange. Just pieces of things; Hallways, voices. Wanda's voice somewhere across a room I couldn’t quite see. Then something shifted. The space twisted into something darker. The hallway stretched longer. The lights flickered. I tried to move but my feet felt heavy. My chest tightened. The sound of my own breathing echoed too loud in the empty space. Then the door at the end of the hallway slammed shut.
I tried to call out— But no sound came out. The walls felt like they were closing in. My heart pounded in my chest. My breath caught— And suddenly—
“Sam.” A voice cut through the dream. Close.“Sam, sweetheart.”
Something warm touched my shoulder. The dream shattered. I jerked awake. My body shot upright halfway off the bed, breath catching sharply in my throat. My room was dark.
“Hey— hey.” Wanda. Her voice was right there. Her hands were on my shoulders. Warm. “Easy,” she murmured.
I blinked hard, trying to focus. Wanda sat on the edge of my bed, leaning over me. Her blonde hair had fallen forward around her face, loose and a little messy like she’d gotten up too fast. Her eyes looked concerned in the dim light from the hallway. “You were dreaming,” she said softly. My chest was still heaving. “I heard you through the wall.” Her hand moved from my shoulder to the side of my neck. Her thumb brushed gently against my skin.
“Breathe,” she cooed quietly. “Slow down, sweetheart.”
I tried. My breathing gradually steadied. Wanda stayed exactly where she was. Close. One knee on the mattress now as she leaned farther over me. Her hand slid lightly along the back of my neck. “You’re okay,” she murmured. “I’ve got you.”
The words settled slowly into my chest. My breathing calmed. Wanda studied my face carefully. “You with me?”
I nodded faintly. “Yeah.”
Her expression softened immediately. “There you go.” Her thumb brushed lightly along my jaw. The motion was gentle and soothing. “You scared me a little,” she admitted quietly. “You sounded upset.”
“I’m okay,” I said.
Wanda didn’t move away. If anything she leaned closer. Her hand remained at the back of my neck. The other rested lightly against my shoulder. Her face hovered inches from mine now. Her voice dropped softer. “Bad dream?”
“Yeah.”
Her thumb brushed along my cheek. “I’m sorry, darling.” The comfort in her voice made something inside my chest loosen. We stayed like that for a moment. Breathing the same quiet air. Then Wanda’s eyes moved slowly across my face. Her expression changed slightly, but something deeper now.
Her voice barely above a whisper. “You look at me the same way even half asleep.” My breath caught. Wanda’s thumb brushed my cheek once more. Her gaze flicked briefly to my lips. Then back to my eyes.
She hesitated for a second, just enough time for me to see the question there. Then she leaned in. Her lips touched mine softly.
The kiss was gentle. Warm. Barely more than a breath, but it lingered.
Wanda pulled back just slightly; Still hovering close. Her forehead almost touching mine now. Her voice quiet.
“There,” she murmured. “You’re alright now.”Her forehead hovered just inches from mine. Her breath brushed softly across my lips. For a moment neither of us moved. The room was dim except for the faint spill of hallway light coming through the crack beneath the door. Wanda was still half leaning over me. One knee on the mattress. Her hand still resting at the back of my neck. The other pressed lightly against my shoulder. My heart was racing again. But not from the dream. Wanda watched my face carefully. Her eyes soft in the darkness. “You okay?” she murmured.
I nodded slowly. “Yeah.”
Her thumb brushed lightly across the side of my neck. “You look like your brain’s trying to catch up.”
I huffed a quiet breath. “…a little.”
Wanda smiled faintly. “Understandable.”
She didn’t move away. If anything she shifted slightly closer, settling her weight more comfortably on the edge of the bed. Her hand slid gently along my neck again. “You scared me,” she admitted quietly. “I heard you through the wall.”
Her voice softened further. “You sounded like you were fighting something.”
“It felt real.”
Wanda hummed sympathetically. “Nightmares can do that.” Her thumb traced a slow line just below my ear. Comforting. “You’re safe now,” she murmured. “I’m right here.” The words settled into my chest again. My breathing had finally slowed. Wanda seemed to notice. “Better,” she said softly.
“Much.”
Her gaze lingered on my face again. Then slowly drifted downward. To my mouth. The same look crossed her expression again. Her voice lowered slightly. “You didn’t pull away.”
I swallowed. “…no.”
Wanda tilted her head slightly. “That surprise you?”
“A little.”
Her smile warmed. “Well.” Her hand slid slowly from the back of my neck to my shoulder again. A gentle squeeze. “You didn’t seem upset about it.”
“I’m not.”
Wanda studied my face carefully. The silence stretched between us. Then she laughed quietly. “Sweetheart.” Her fingers brushed lightly through the short hair at the top of my hair again. “You’ve been wanting to kiss me for years.”
My face warmed immediately. Wanda noticed. Of course she did. “There it is,” she murmured. Her hand slid down to cup the side of my neck again. Warm. “You don’t have to panic about it now.” Her voice softened. “Nothing bad happened.”
I let out a quiet breath. “No.”
Wanda smiled gently. Then she shifted slightly again, sitting a little more upright on the bed. But her hand didn’t leave my neck. “You want me to stay a minute?” she asked softly. Her thumb brushed slowly against my skin again. “Until you fall back asleep.”
I nodded. “…okay.”
Wanda’s expression softened immediately. “Alright.” She shifted slightly on the mattress. The bed dipped again as she moved closer. For a second it looked like she might stand up —But instead she turned and lifted the blanket slightly. “Move over, sweetheart,” she murmured gently.
My brain stalled. “What?”
Wanda smiled faintly. “You’re still shaking a little.” Her voice stayed soft. “I’m not leaving you like that.”
She slid under the blanket beside me. The mattress shifted again as her weight settled. Much closer than before. Wanda turned toward me immediately. One of her legs slid over mine, anchoring herself comfortably against me. Her body half draped across my side. Not heavy. Just enough to hold me there. Her hand rested against the center of my chest. The other lifted to cradle the side of my face. Her palm cupped my cheek gently. “There you go,” she murmured. Her thumb brushed lightly across my cheekbone. “Breathe with me.”
I exhaled slowly. Wanda stayed exactly where she was. Her head resting near my shoulder. Her leg still across mine beneath the blanket. Her hand rose and fell slightly with my breathing against my chest. “That’s better,” she whispered. Her voice carried that same warm, nurturing tone. “You’re alright.”
The room stayed quiet around us. Wanda’s thumb continued tracing slow circles along my cheek. “I hate bad dreams,” she murmured.“They can make you feel so alone.” Her eyes searched my face in the dim light. “But you’re not alone tonight.” Her hand pressed gently against my chest. “I’m right here.”
My breathing had steadied now. Wanda noticed. “See?” she whispered softly. “Your heart’s calming down.” Her gaze lingered on my face. Then she spoke again. “You know something, Sam?”
“What?”
Her thumb brushed my cheek again. “I feel it too.”
I blinked. “What?”
The words came soft. Honest. “What you feel.” Her expression was warm. Her hand remained against my chest. “I’ve known for a while,” she murmured. Her fingers curled slightly against the fabric of my shirt. “And I don’t mind it.”
The silence stretched. Wanda studied my face again. Then she leaned slightly closer. Her nose almost brushing mine. Her voice barely above a whisper. “Not at all.” Her hand at my cheek tilted my face gently toward hers. And then she kissed me again. This time the kiss lingered a little longer. Wanda didn’t pull away immediately. Her forehead rested lightly against mine when the kiss ended. Her leg still draped across mine. Her hand still over my heart. Her thumb brushing my cheek again. “There,” she whispered. “Much calmer.” Her forehead rested lightly against mine.
Her leg still draped over mine beneath the blanket. Her hand rose and fell gently with the rhythm of my breathing against my chest. Her other hand still cradled my face. Wanda’s thumb brushed slowly along my cheek. Like she was content to stay exactly like this.
