And They Were Roommates (STEVE ROGERS X OC)

Chapter Nineteen

It was the night of New Year's Eve, the perfect opportunity for Taylor to forget about all of her problems, even if it was only for one night, and even if it was with the help of alcohol.

"What are you going to wear?" Maddy asked, her voice laced with boredom as she lay on Taylor's bed, reading some sort of science magazine that Tony always bought for her.

Without replying, Taylor simply raised the dark red dress in her hands, showing it to her niece, who nodded in approval. She was in a grumpy mood due to the fact that she couldn't participate in the party, as her father forbade it, saying she was too little for such things. Taylor sort of agreed, but also thought it would be mean to exclude the small girl, who would be sneaking outside to see the fireworks anyway.

Taking the bathrobe off, Taylor slipped into the tight dress, zipping it up all the way as well as she could. It was late into the afternoon, and guests were coming by six, meaning that she needed to be ready by then, so she could welcome her friends and show them around the house before they could stick to partying for the rest of the night. At least that was her plan, but she still had to keep Steve by her side, so he wouldn't feel too out of place.

Taylor's brown hair fell past her shoulders in delicate curls, her eyes were smoky, and her lips were almost as red as her dress. She knew she would be getting a lot of attention just because of the bright colors, but she had to dress accordingly to her family. To her brother. She knew he would be wearing something flashy too, the main theme being red, just like for Pepper.

"Do you like Pepper?" Maddy looked up abruptly as if she read the name out of her aunt's thoughts. Taylor blinked back at her.

"She's fine," Taylor paused. "Why? You don't?"

"Well, it's weird that she comes over so much and acts like my mother when she's not." She shrugged nonchalantly, flipping a page in her magazine.

"Should I talk to her about this? She must know if this is making you uncomfortable," Taylor rambled, feeling herself get annoyed that her niece was feeling in such a way, and not telling anyone about it.

"No." Maddy shook her head strongly. "Dad is happy right now. I want him to stay happy."

Taylor stared at her in thought, wondering how Tony Stark managed to raise such a kind-hearted little angel, and what went wrong the first time, with her. How come Maddy could look past what troubled her and be happy for her dad, but Taylor couldn't deal with the fact that Steve was moving out, something she should be absolutely happy and encouraging about?

The doorbell rang, scattering Taylor's gloomy thoughts. Maddy looked up as her aunt walked out of the room without her black high heels on, hurrying down the stairs to open the front door. It was probably Lily and Deborah, as she asked them to come a little earlier.

"Taylor!" Deborah yelled as the door opened, pulling the said girl into a hug instantly. She had a tight, black minidress on with the same colored high heels, sporting matte red lipstick. "You bitch, you haven't brought us here for at least five years!"

"I'm sure it hasn't been that long," Taylor chuckled, letting go of her. "And don't curse, Maddy is upstairs."

"Oh, little Mads!" Deb grinned. "I wanna see her."

"Did she, like, have a few drinks at home or something?" Taylor mumbled over to Lily, following Deborah up the stairs.

"I think so." Lily shrugged, pulling down her dark lilac dress. "But I'll keep her on a short leash tonight, all right? I want you to enjoy your night with-"

"Good morning!" Deborah chirped at Steve who was halfway out one of the doors. Taylor didn't want to know what Lily was about to say before Deb interrupted.