And They Were Roommates (STEVE ROGERS X OC)

Chapter Twenty

"Okay, I checked the whole apartment now," Taylor told Steve as she was walking down the stairs. "Can't find anything else that's yours."

Steve was moving out, and Taylor promised him she would take him to his new flat. She even offered to help him pack but he declined her offer, so all she could do was look around the apartment to see if he was leaving anything behind that he would need at his new place.

Ever since the party, it was awkward between them. They didn't talk about what happened, Taylor felt like, despite all her efforts to spend some time with him, he was avoiding her. So, she decided to respect his decision, and left him alone, trying not to bother him too much. She felt utterly horrible about everything, about how she ruined their friendship by kissing him.

"Do you have all your bags here now?" She asked as she walked up to him, staring at his stuff. He nodded. "Okay, then we should start taking them down to the car."

They both grabbed all the things they could and put them into the elevator, and Taylor stayed to keep the doors open while Steve brought the rest of the bags in. It wasn't much stuff, only his clothes, and other belongings, about five smaller bags in total. It was weird to see Steve's life fit into such small bags entirely. It was sad to see, but Taylor didn't have time to think about it. She needed to drive Steve to the new flat without crying. And that was challenging enough.

The car ride was silent, only the radio's music filling the car. The flat wasn't too far, so Taylor didn't have to endure the awkwardness too long, and after finding a parking spot, she jumped out of the car to grab two bags, ready to head upstairs to wherever Steve was going to live. Steve grabbed the remaining bags, closed the boot of the car, and walked up to the panel, taking out a small piece of paper from his pocket to check the code.

After typing it in, the pair walked up the stairs to find the flat Steve was going to live in. The building was old-fashioned but not too worn down, and Taylor hoped it wouldn't be too hard to get used to for Steve after all the modern stuff at her place.

The flat was small and barely had any furniture in it, and Taylor felt sorry for him having to live there, but she knew she couldn't stop him. He wanted it, he desired to be independent from the start, and she couldn't exactly prevent him from it. She was losing him, and she couldn't do anything about it.

Steve put all the bags in one pile, then turned to Taylor with a thankful look. Her heart sped up as she looked at him, keeping her eyes strictly on his. Quickly, she took every part of him in, taking a mental photo for herself, a memory. She knew she wouldn't be meeting him for a long time, as they would already have less free time due to work, and the awkwardness between them prevented them from talking to each other casually again. It made her chest tighten, but she refused to cry in front of him.

Slowly, she walked up to him with her arms extended, then drew him into a tight hug. Their last hug. Steve carefully wrapped his arms around her as well, burying his face in her shoulder as he leaned down a little. She breathed him in one last time, then let go of him, fearing that she was making him uncomfortable.

"Well, I guess this is our goodbye," Taylor said quietly.

"We can keep in touch. We just won't be living under the same roof anymore." Steve scratched the back of his neck.

That's the problem. Taylor sighed a little, then turned to the door, grabbing the door handle. Steve stared at her, and she couldn't read any emotion in his eyes, which made her nervous. This was it.

"Call me if you need anything, okay?" Taylor smiled since she was supposed to be happy for him for moving out. He nodded appreciatively, and with a small wave, she opened the door and walked out.

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Taylor barely got through her front door before she broke down crying, violent sobs escaping her body as she took a few steps to sit down on the couch. Her tears soaked her hands as she buried her face in them, sobbing loudly. It was all over, she wouldn't be seeing him anymore, and she was alone again, all alone in the big apartment, feeling empty and deeply sad.

She sat there for a while, letting her tears flow, not holding back even a little. She was lucky she only had people living under her, as there were no neighbors to hear her breakdown. It would be awkward to explain that there was no emergency, just a girl with a broken heart who couldn't keep it together.

Taking her phone out of her pocket, she tried to calm down as she found her brother's number, dialing it without thinking. She had to wait for a little for him to pick up, but when he did, he immediately heard her sniffles.

"Are you crying?" He asked frantically, knowing that his sister didn't cry frequently. That she didn't have a breakdown in a long time.

"He's gone, Tony," She cried into the phone, holding it so firmly that the screen was ready to crack.

"What? Who?"

"Steve."

"Oh, little sis." Tony sighed loudly, his voice exasperated. "He moved out today, right?"

"Yes."

"And that's why you're sad?"

"I won't see him again for a while, we won't talk..." Taylor muttered, wiping away her tears. "Everything got so awkward after the party..."

"What happened?" He asked with an edge to his voice. He probably suspected the worst, probably ready to put on his suit and go kill the man who hurt his little sister.

Taylor couldn't keep the information back anymore, she told him what happened at the party, what she did, how awkward she made everything, and how he ignored her ever since. She cried into the phone, and he tried to console her as well as he could. But Taylor wanted nothing else but to curl up on the couch and sleep away her problems. So, that's what Tony advised her to do after her tears and sniffles wouldn't stop.

Taylor slept through the day and took a few days off of work for the better. She was mourning something she never quite had.

Afterward, her life went back to how it was before. Like Steve was never in it, like he didn't even exist.

She coped by trying to pretend she was fine.

She did just that for almost six months.