Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN THIRD WHEEL
*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧
"I really am sorry, and I promise I'll make it up to you—"
"Riley," Nathan said, cutting off Riley's apologies for the sixth time that morning, a laugh on the tip of his tongue. Riley, while balancing his phone between his ear and shoulder, jerked open the door leading to a stairwell, the apartment building he had just entered so nice that there was a doorman outside. He recognized Riley by that point and let him through with a polite nod. Now, Riley started climbing the stairs to the fifth floor, a bag of breakfast sandwiches hanging from his wrist as he held a cupholder in his left hand, two cups of coffee waiting. Riley reached to properly hold his cellphone as he climbed the stairs. "It told you, it's fine. I know your job is demanding."
"I cancel on you so much, though," Riley pointed out, guilt forming in his chest, disturbing his stomach. He was frowning, his mind restless. He had planned on finishing the movie from the previous night with Nathan that morning, but he had completely forgotten he had promised to run with Steve, which he was already late for. "I'm a terrible boyfriend."
"You're a cute boyfriend, that's what you are," Nathan said, laughing again. He was so unbothered by being cancelled on again that it made Riley frown even harder. How many more chances was Nathan going to give him? Riley would have broken up with himself by now. Shaking his head, he reached the fifth floor in record time and started to balance his phone between his cheek and shoulder again, but paused when the door pushed open before he could. A blonde woman was there, wearing scrubs and holding a laundry hamper. They froze when they saw each other.
"I'll make it up to you," Riley said quickly, "I promise. I have to go, but I'll call you tonight, okay?" He waited only long enough for Nathan to say okay, and then he was hanging up and raising his eyebrows at the woman. A woman he recognized; a woman he had worked with a few times. A woman he knew very well wasn't a nurse. "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say Steve doesn't know who you really are?" Sharon Carter cast a quick look over her shoulder, then ducked into the stairwell and let the door fall shut behind her. Riley pocketed his phone and waited.
"You can't tell him," Sharon started, only to stop and stare when Riley rolled his eyes. Her eyes narrowed. "Hey, watch it, agent. I outrank you." Riley showed her he meant no harm by raising his free hand, palm forward. She shook her head. "I was stationed here for his protection. By Fury. I was supposed to avoid you at all costs to prevent this exact situation, but Fury said if you did see me, that I had permission to tell you. Said something about getting you off his ass before you could even think about it?"
