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In all honesty, Angie was great at meeting people. She adored people as much as she adored acting. There was just something beautiful in being able to open yourself up to someone and having that be reciprocated. Of course, she understood for some people it took more time than others, but Angie Martinelli was never one to back down from a challenge.
Angie always kept her promises. Like the time she promised her little brother Mickey, if Johnny Fowler ever came around the neighborhood again, she’d punch his lights out for messing with him (Mama hadn’t been too happy about it). Nevertheless, when Angie put her mind towards something, she wouldn’t stop until it happened.
Otherwise, what was the point of life if not to fulfill your dreams?
The thing was...why was it so difficult to approach Peggy Carter?
It’d been a fateful night that she had gotten pissed drunk and knocked on the wrong door after her audition. She had to admit, she should’ve known better when her key didn’t work.
But she had a massive stroke of luck that night by knocking on Peggy’s door. Angie could’ve knocked on anyone else’s door and that would have been the worst case scenario. She was blessed to have stumbled on the English girl’s door.
It’d been four days since that fateful night. Four days since she slipped out of the door marked 3E down the hall to her own room. Four days since she read (and took) the note with Peggy’s scrawl across it. Four days since Peggy’s random act of kindness.
Although, she had to admit she remembered that night vaguely. The audition. The drinking. The crying. Lord, the crying.
She had to admit, she could be shameless (after all she was in theatre) but this was wildly different.
“I was wondering where you ended up, sweetie,” Dottie said to her as she slipped through her door.
3C was just down the hall. It was a quick getaway. Talk about luck .
“Jesus, Dot, you have no idea the night I’ve had.”
Angie regaled the tale to her roommate and she was surprised Dottie had only said 2 innuendos the whole time. Of course, she wasn’t doing it for Angie’s benefit but more out of respect for Peggy. It had been the most embarrassing fact so far to find out her roommate was actually an old high school rival’s of Peggy. So Dottie had the pleasure of painting an even more beautiful picture of her savior.
Angie had to do what her mother would always yell at her to do (at least, when it came to a nice boy): thank her.
She tried, okay?
Angie baked a pie in the common kitchen down the hall. All freshly baked. When she went to the door with them, primed to knock, she couldn’t.
All the words she had ever learned suddenly evaporated into nothing. The minute she heard voices on the other side of the door, she freaked. Scuttled right back to her dorm room with the pie in her arms.
Never eat a whole pie by yourself. It’ll get you sick.
Angie had to admit, having Peggy live down the hall made it tough to avoid her. Every time she would leave the room to use the kitchen, go to class, go to the library, go to work, she had a foreboding fear that she’d run into Peggy. Nope, not once had she done so. She had been pretty lucky.
To be honest though, she knew her luck was going to run out eventually.
On the fifth day of successful avoidance, Angie knew that this was going to be the 5th time she’d ever see Peggy. Meaning it’d be the fifth time that Angie would show up in their Italian 1 class.
At first, she wasn’t hoping that Peggy would show up early to class but of course, there she was front row as always, notebook out, pen ready balanced between her red lips.
Angie had to bite the bullet, she needed to come to class. Even if college was a time professors never hunted you down for homework or to check how you were, the professor was a distant relative that she had found out about fairly recently. It wasn’t fair, she could tell from his accent he was from the south. That was extremely distant!
Regardless, Angie had to go to class after a colorful conversation with her mother.
She strode into class, the professor was getting ready and she wanted to say hello.
“Angelina,” he greeted cheerfully upon seeing her face.
Angie scowled at her foreign name. “Uncle,” she greeted, biting the sarcasm as best she could. Anyone forcing her to do anything was bound to end up on a list. “How are you doing?” In the corner of her eyes, she could see Peggy looking surprised by her presence.
“Very well, thank you for asking,” he replied. “I have your exam from last month here. Let me get it for you.”
“Thank you so much, professor. My mother has told me much about you. Had I known we were family, I’d be a bit more diligent in your presence.”
“College is a wonderful time. You have much to explore outside of class. Your mother says you wish you be an actress.”
Angie forced a smile, she knew what was coming next. “It is a talent I have. If I can make something of it, I should pursue it.”
“Of course, of course, be weary of those directors though,” he said, surprising her very much. “You never know what they may want.” He handed her the exam. “Why are you taking this class, if you know Italian so fluently?”
“An easy A, of course,” she joked half heartedly (he laughed) in response as she took her exam from him. “Thank you. I should sit down and prepare for class.” He nodded in agreement and continued to prepare the lecture.
Angie sighed to herself as she walked away from the professor. Really, it’s time to bite the bullet. She quietly took the seat next to Peggy.
Even Peggy was surprised. She moved her bag at her feet to the other side to make sure that Angie had space. She also seemed quite timid by Angie’s presence.
Angie pouted. Not exactly, the impression that she wanted to give but given that she had just spoken to the professor (half heartedly sucking up).
“Hey, do you have a pen?” Angie asked. That was always a great conversation starter.
“Of course,” Peggy responded, immediately looking into her bag. She pulled one out for Angie.
“Thank you,” the Italian girl responded cheerfully, trying to mask her own nervousness. She took the pen and placed it on her notebook. Realizing that her test was still out, she shoved it into her bag.
A few seconds went by and the only sounds that the two shared were tappings of their pens against their notebook as they waited for the professor to begin.
Angie wasn’t sure why Peggy wasn’t speaking. If anyone should bring up that night, it should have been Peggy. She was clearly concerned and kind enough to take care of her. Yet, Peggy sat there, ramrod, eyes focused on the board, waiting patiently.
The blooming actress really wanted to know. “Why did you let me stay?” she asked, practically bursting at the seams with curiosity.
How could someone so beautiful, be so kind and not expect anything in return?
Peggy swallowed thickly. Her cheeks turned red. The tapping stopped. She turned to Angie and answered, “Why wouldn’t I?”
Angie couldn’t help but furrow her brows. “I was practically a stranger. I didn’t even realize you were in class with me until you mentioned it in the note you left me,” Angie answered quickly. “I was just really drunk and must’ve seem like a mess but you didn’t send me away. Why didn’t you do that?”
Peggy pursed her lips, trying to think of an answer. Angie didn’t understand, it was a fairly simple answer.
“You were upset,” Peggy said softly as she looked at her notebook. “You didn’t seem like you wanted to be left alone.” She went quiet after that and started doodling at the edges of her sheet.
Angie looked curiously at the English woman as she suddenly became focused on the curling doodle at the edge of her sheet. “Peggy…I just wanted to say thank you,” Angie honestly informed. She placed a hand on her classmate’s shoulder and felt her tense briefly. “I appreciate you doing that. Not a lot of people I know would do that for me.” She smiled brightly, hoping to show Peggy she wasn’t saying thank you just to say it.
Peggy looked her and nodded. “Of course.” She stared briefly at Angie’s hand on her shoulder before staring forward towards the board once more.
Angie stared at Peggy curiously. She smiled. Despite being brief with Angie, she knew there was something more to Peggy than she let on. She remembered the cuddling in the dark. The gentle poking at her cheeks. The warmth of her presence. Peggy was much more than some distant character.
She drew her hand back and leaned comfortably into Peggy’s space, lips brushing against her ear, “Can I take you out for coffee as a thank you?”
With that, she watched as Peggy flared in response, cheeks reddening, ears pinking, eyes widening. Peggy had not expected such a close interaction with her whatsoever.
Angie watched as Peggy struggled with her words, stumbling over syllables. “I-I-uh s-ye-...that would be lovely.”
Angie smiled to herself as Peggy tried to soothe her nervousness. Maybe she should come to her Italian class more often and get to know English.