Always you (A Catching Feelings sequel)

Chapter 7

Tiana had tried so many times to break up with Steve but she could never go through with it. It was the most difficult thing she had ever had to do. She even tried writing it down, hoping that would make it easier but a few minutes in, she ended up scrunching it up and tossing it into the bin. It was hopeless.

Deep down, she knew couldn't break up with him. She loved him so much. The best thing she could do was tell him how she was feeling. She sighed to herself, she really had to become better at communicating with Steve. She knew that was also the issue she has been having. She was just scared that she might lose him if she told him the truth. She was good at pushing people away. It's was an automatic defence mechanism for protecting her heart. Self-sabotage was always the way to go for her.

She didn't know why she was struggling with her relationship with Steve. When she was with Thor it didn't seem that hard. Then again, her life was not in constant danger at that time. She shook her head, trying to shake off that thought. She couldn't compare relationships. Her relationship with Thor was completely different from her one with Steve.

All she knew was that she loved Steve more than she had ever loved anyone and that's why she was going to do everything to make this relationship work. Not all relationships could be easy going like the way it was with Thor. Tiana had finally accepted that.

She decided to plan something romantic for the two of them before they left for Canada. She thought Steve would like to do something different and exciting. The first thing that came to her was to go for a tango class. It was something she always wanted to try but never had the guts to actually do. This would be a great opportunity to bring her and Steve closer together. She knew Steve would protest it and say its not his style but she knew he would give in eventually.

As she was booking a class for the two of them, she heard the sound of the door opening and she smiled brightly, knowing Steve was finally home. She missed him so much, even though he was only gone for a few hours. She ran down the stairs as quickly as she could and jumped straight into his arms, catching him by surprise. She was lucky they both didn't fall over.

"Looks like someone missed me." He grinned, as he pulled her in for a kiss. Tiana fell into the kiss, as she wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him closer. "Hmm. I could stay like this forever." She spoke between kisses. "Me too." Steve agreed as he deepened the kiss. Before they could take things further, Steve reluctantly pulled away causing Tiana to groan in frustration.

"I didn't want to pull away either but I have a surprise for you." He grinned, as he saw Tiana's eyes light up. "Ooh, what is it? Please have to tell me now." She demanded as he moved further away from her. "You have to catch me first." He smirked as he ran past her and bolted up the stairs. Tiana chuckled as she quickly followed suit, already out of breath when she reached their bedroom. She found him sprawled out on the bed with a mischievous grin on his face. Wriggling his eyebrows, he motioned for her to come closer. "You're so childish." She teased, as he continued taunting her.

"Please, babe." He pouted, tapping the bed. Tiana laughed at his cuteness. "You are such a dork, you know that right?" She laughed, as she jumped on the bed next to him. "Yeah, but I'm your dork." He smiled, as pulled her on top of him. "Yeah, all mine." She smiled, cupping his face before leaning down to kiss him. When they pulled away, their faces were red. "I love you," Steve said fondly, tucking a strand of hair behind her hair. "I love you too." She responded, before kissing him again.

"I could stay like this forever." Tiana sighed happily. "Me too." He agreed, kissing her temple. "By the way, what is the surprise?" Tiana asked, looking up at him innocently. "Hmm. I almost forgot about that." He smirked. "No, you didn't" she rolled her eyes as she playfully hit him. "You know me too well." He smirked giving her a quick peck.
"So what is the surprise?" Tiana asked, getting a little annoyed. Steve just smiled. "You'll find out when we're in Canada." He smirked. Tiana hit him, lightly. "Are you serious?! Why did you get me so worked up for nothing." She exhaled, sharply. " I wanted to see you what you would do." He chuckled."You're so annoying." She said, rolling her eyes.Steve just pulled her closer and kissed her. " I love you." He whispered. Tiana tried to remove herself from his arms but she locked in them. She just remained silent. " I love you," Steve said again, this time placing a kiss on the crook of her neck. She rolled her eyes but turned to look at him. She stared into his beautiful blue eyes, getting lost in them. " I love you." She said, as she gently touched his face. " I love you too."

"Steve, there's something I've been meaning to tell you but I just didn't know-how. It's making me go crazy. I know we're trying to focus on our communication skills but I still struggle with saying how I feel." Tiana blurted out, her hands clasping onto his. "Go ahead, I'm here to listen." He said gently, giving her hands a gentle squeeze.

"I'm scared, Steve. I feel like our relationship is moving too fast. We already live together. What's next? Marriage. I honestly don't think I'm ready for that step yet. I'm still struggling with my whole identity. Which is something I don't talk about because that's another crisis on its own. I try to go through it on my own cause I just wanted to do one thing by myself.  There are things that I still need to do on my own. I still want to be my independent self. Sometimes I feel that being in a relationship will take away my independence. Even though deep down I know it's not true. I feel like ever since we got into a relationship, I have become too dependent on you. I've become a more clingy person, something I hoped I never would become because I used to hate it when a guy becomes clingy. I'm sorry for dumping all of this on you now. It was just getting too much for me to handle on my own. I just don't want you to hate me for that. I love you so much. "Tiana confessed, tears stinging her eyes as she felt Steve pull her closer to him, protecting her.

"Shhh. It's okay. I could never hate you. I love you more than anything. There is nothing in the world that you can do that would make me hate you. Whatever it is, I'll be by your side. No matter what. You are the most important person to me. Like I said before, if you need some space, I will gladly give it to you. I just don't want to see you unhappy. " He said as he gently ran his hands through her hair. "Thank you for understanding, you really are the sweetest boyfriend." She sniffled, as buried her head in the crook of Steve's neck. "Another thing, my love, is that whatever you need to talk about or get off your chest, I'll always be here for you. Even if you don't want to talk, I'll just be here. Okay? I'm not going anywhere." He reassured with a small kiss on her lips. 

Tiana looked up to see the adoration and love that was filled in his eyes. At that moment she knew there was nothing for her to worry about. With this amazing guy by her side, she knew she would be safe. She leaned towards him and kissed him slowly, passionately until they needed to break apart for air. All of a sudden the look in Steve's eyes changed from tender to desire, he then slowly pushed her down, so that she was on her back. He was then hovering over her, with that dark look in his eyes. "Do you want to?" He asked, unsure if it was the right time. "Yes." She responded, wanting him as badly as he wanted her. "You sure?" He asked, just to be safe. "Absolutely." She said, as she pulled him down and captured his lips immediately. 

***

A few days later, it was time for Tiana and Steve to leave for Canada. Most of Avengers were there. Tiana was overcome with emotion as she tearfully said goodbye to all of the members. When it was time to say goodbye to Nat, she just hugged her tightly. "Thank you for being an amazing friend Nat. Without you, I don't think I would have managed to navigate New York as well as I did. You really helped me settle down here." Tiana, professed. "I'm so glad to have met you and helped you out. You have become one of my best friends. Just because  you're moving to Canada doesn't mean we will stop being friends. We will be face-timing every night. Got it?!" Nat smiled, tears glistening in her eyes. "I will miss you all so much." Tiana spoke to everyone, as she wiped the tears off her face. "We will miss you guys too. Hurry back. We will be waiting." Tony said, warmly. 

She said goodbye to everyone except Thor, there wasn't much time left. Just as she and Steve were about to leave, Thor managed to grab her attention in time. "Tiana, I didn't want you to leave without me saying a proper goodbye." He said, rubbing his neck awkwardly. "I know we had a bit of history between us but I wanted to say good luck to you and Steve for your new adventure. I hope it's everything you've wanted." He smiled, as he pressed a gentle kiss to her hand. "Thank you so much, Thor. I will miss you a lot." Tiana smiled, fondly as she hugged him. " I will miss you a lot as well." He smiled as he gave one more hug. Thor then turned to Steve. "Make sure Tiana takes good care of you." He chuckled, as he gave Steve a hug. "I will make sure she does." Steve laughed, patting him. 

Soon Tiana and Steve walked off, all set for their new adventure in a new country. Tiana shared one final look at her friends, not knowing when she was going to see them again. She smiled fondly at them as they all waved goodbye until they became a blur. She then turned to look at Steve. "Are you ready for our next chapter." He asked, as they stepped onto the plane. "As long as I am with you, I am ready for anything." She grinned as he kissed her cheek.