And then you came

Chapter 5: And I thought you hated me

You met up with Natasha at the coffee shop she suggested.

It was weird, how all of a sudden she's apologizing for all the shit she put you through. But your heart fluttered at the thought. You had a crush on the assassin and you knew it. She knew it, but she was going to keep quiet about it for a bit.

You sat down at a small table in the corner, and a few minutes later the redhead sat down across from you. "Hi." you said with a small smile, trying to remain positive.

Natasha returned your smile. "Hi, did you order, already?" she asked.

"No, I was waiting for you." you replied honestly.

"I'll go order our drinks, what do you want?"

"A caramel macchiato."

"Sounds good. I'll be right back." and she walked towards the line.

You opened your book and began to read in peace. Until that peace was disrupted.

"Hey, baby." A greasy voice said.

You looked up to see a fat man in what looked to be his 40's. You scoffed before turning your attention down to your book.

"Hey! I'm talking to you." he said a little more aggressively this time, making you freeze up. "I'm- leave me alone, please." you stuttered.
He grabbed your arm firmly, trying to pull you out of your seat. "Come on, sweetheart. I can show you a good time." but before he could go any further, he was roughly pulled away from you and punched square in the jaw.

And there was the assassin, holding two coffee cups under her arm, while she rustled with the older man.

He finally backed off, and all attention was on the two of you now. But the redhead just shrugged it off and sat down, setting the two coffee cups on the table, sliding yours towards you while taking a sip of her own.

"So, I'd like to apologize again, for how I've been treating you. It's just how I've been taught in the red room."

"Oh, Natasha. I'm so sorry-"

"No."

"What?" you furrowed your eyebrows.

"I'm over it now, I..." she trailed off with a sigh, "It was no excuse for me to treat an innocent sweet girl like you, and I'm sorry."

You put your hand on top of hers, a move surprising you both.

"It's okay, I understand. I forgive you."

The rest of the date went by well. Could you even call it a date? You secretly wanted it to be. And maybe she felt the same as well, and maybe, just maybe, this newly found friendship will blossom into something more.