Wanda drew away from him, her expression bewildered and her lips turned downwards in a pout of irritation. "I didn't mean that. I just meant that if I can't b-" the syllable died on her lips, escaping in the hiss of a frustrated sigh. She had to close her eyes for a moment to compose herself once more, collect her words with care and decide what she could say. And what she shouldn't. "I'm your friend, Tony. I'm not just the woman who flirts with you and only causes you trouble. At least, I don't mean to be," she gave a weak laugh, "I don't want to be. I want to be there for you, like you are for me, for anything. Everything. Don't discount me, that's all."
She fell silent then but still held onto his hand with everything she wanted to say stuck, a lump, in her throat. She loved him and it hurt, hurt more now than it ever had before. Even if she had to try to gracefully accept tacit rejection, it didn't mean she had to stop caring. Wanda still wanted to be someone Tony could come to if he was in trouble, someone he could spend time with without feeling guilty about it. If all she was to him was a pretty face to flirt with then she couldn't be much use to him now that he apparently had someone else to be more. She couldn't handle the prospect, real or imagined, of abandonment because she'd somehow become the other woman. A childish shriek and laughter from beyond the carousel pulled her from her reveries and Wanda grudgingly slid her hand from Tony's. "I should probably go soon, don't want to be late at the booth," she glanced up to meet his gaze and smiled tentatively.