A Reckless Soul | Captain America ✓

AN UNLIKELY PLACE

WASHINGTON, D.C.

     AFTER her conversation with Tony, she realized he spoke to her about Steve as if they were a couple. How on earth would Tony have known something was brewing between those two? 

     I really need to be careful what I say around them, it could surely be used against me, she thought.

     She sobered up from the silly thought when her eyes landed on Steve's apartment door on the third floor. 

     Why am I here? What am I doing again?

    Somewhere, deep inside, a tiny voice whispered, knock.

     She didn't want to. She fought with every nerve in her hand not to raise it to the door, curl her hand into a fist and touch the solid oak door. However hard she tried, it would appear something else internally had forced her hand to rise, come close to the wood, and tap her knuckles on—

     She snatched her hand away before making contact with the cool of the door's wood. Nope, no, nope, she thought shaking her head. Her eyebrows sternly screwed together while her lips thinned to a straight line. 

     Why was she being such a sissy about knocking on the door? Of course it wasn't just anyone's door, but she had knocked on plenty of doors, faced plenty of uglier creatures creeping behind them. How was it this handsome soldier scared her more than any foe she encountered? 

     She blinked up at the door and once more stood there debating her actions. It wasn't soon before she curled her fingers into a fist again, raised her hand—

     Only to snatch it away yet again.

     She huffed loudly and gave up. There was no point, was there? Why would Steve even want her now—after everything she's put him and his team through. Not to mention she was still a criminal in the law's eyes.

     Turning around, and feeling rather defeated, she left. Upon stuffing her hands in her jacket's pockets, she briefly glanced up and across to the top of the stairs leading onto the third story hallway. She froze when she made eye contact with the very man she was trying to avoid.

     Captain America himself. 

     "So you gonna knock, or waste more time?" he asked, a smirk itching to grace his beautiful full lips. Lips she shortly had a peek at before quizzically staring into those dark blue eyes.

     How did I not hear him?

    He seemed to be in the motion of climbing the last step, having stopped in stunned silence too, when he glimpsed her at his door. Steve stood at the top of the last step, his one hand on top of the stairwell's post, while his other was tucked in the pocket of his navy blue jacket. The jacket was left unzipped, revealing a tight fitting white t-shirt underneath. His chest muscles showed through from what little Audrey could perceive from her vantage point. 

     He cleared his throat and her dark brown eyes slid to his face, after once more being distracted by...other things. His blonde eyebrows rose, sending her a look that read, well?

    "I changed my mind," she softly muttered as she walked down the hall and passed him, descending the steps in a hurry. She flew down each step as if she had a pack of SHIELD agents chasing after her.

     "Nice seeing you too..." Steve mumbled.

____

     Audrey reached the main entrance door and frantically pushed on the handle, when she heard a pair of footsteps pounding down the stairs behind. She ignored Steve and the irregular fluttering of her heart, while she kept power walking straight ahead. Trying desperately and failing miserably to place as many miles between Steve and her as she could. But apparently one can't outrun a Super Soldier.