Falling in Love Again

Chapter 6: Close

It had been a few days since your outing with Nat, since then you had felt different around her. Safe but nervous which was something you hadn't noticed much before. You had also noticed a change in her, she was more attentive towards you.

It was currently 11:00am, normally you'd be in the training room with Nat but she was sent off on a mission along with Steve and Wanda. Steve had received a notification that Hydra may have been kidnapping women and using them for one of their experiments. You were honestly looking forward to training with Nat, it was one of your favorite things. To kill off time though, you were currently in the movie room watching Full House with a bowl of popcorn, soda, and wrapped in three blankets. Footsteps come from behind you and suddenly you feel the couch sink as someone sits next to you. You continue watching your show until it pauses.

"Heyyy! I was watching that!" you exclaim.

They begin to move the blankets from around your face, allowing you to see your side view to reveal the beautiful Russian redhead.

"I left you alone for a few hours and this is how I find you." she says to you.

"You left and I got bored, I was very comfy before you came." you say offended that she interrupted your show. She continues to remove the blankets off you, leaving you with just one. She begins to lay her head on your chest and allows the show to continue playing. For a few moments you froze, not expecting this sort of intimacy coming from Nat. You finally wrap your arm around her and begin to rub her back without saying anything for a few minutes until she again breaks the silence.

"How have you been doing since the other night?" she says softly, letting you know that she was there but she wasn't going to push if you didn't want to talk about it.

"Good." you respond back, fidgeting with the collar of her jacket. She gets up from your chest and turns to you, the warmth of her body leaving yours. You wanted it back.

"Thank you." she says with a soft look across her face, her eyes looking down away from you. You could tell whatever she had to say was uncomfortable, but she was trying to find the words.

"For what Red?" a look of confusion across your face. The nickname brings a smile on her face, a smile that you hadn't noticed how beautiful it was until this very moment.

"You trusted me with your struggle when you didn't have to." she says, her voice sad as she thinks about how you fell in her arms bursting into tears. She wanted to punish whoever had caused that sort of pain in your heart.

"Well... you could have easily kept walking or believed me when I said all was good. You stayed." you reach for her hand and give it a squeeze. She smiles at you, falling into your eyes for what feels like an eternity but really was just a few seconds. She lays her head back on your chest and you happily wrap your arms around her once again. The two of you continue watching TV until you have to get ready for lunch with your mom. You hadn't seen her in a while since you had been so busy as the compound but you missed her.

You took one of Tony's cars on the way to the restaurant in the city. You were expecting memories to rush back as you made your way through the familiar streets of the life you had left behind. But, while memories did flood back about Sharon they no longer tugged at your heart.

You find a spot near the door and make your way into the booth which your mom had been waiting by.

"Hi Mom!" She gets up at the sight of you.

"My god! Look at you! You're so much thinner and muscular!" she says as she squeezes your arm. You blush at her compliments. You both take a seat and place your order with the waitress.