Guarded Hearts

Chapter 8

A/N: I don't write notes a lot but I just wanted to say I love how sweet you guys are about this fic 🥹 Sorry I haven't been very consistent but I just graduated so I'll have plenty of time to write for a couple months. Let's hope I don't get writer's block 🤞🏻Love ya!

Pippa walked into the entryway holding her clothes from the day before and the pajamas Steve gave her. She'd folded them neatly into squares and stacked them in her arms. Steve took his pajamas (which he now fully thought of as hers) from the top of the stack and set them on the table. He'd worry about them later.

"Here," he said, handing her a face mask and a bucket hat. Then, he pulled a pair of sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on her face.

"You want me to wear all of this? It's so stifling. I feel like a nun with a shit sense of fashion," she muttered.

"You're very funny," Steve laughed, rolling his eyes at her, "but I must insist. If it makes you feel any better, I'll be in the same boat."

He donned his disguise, then gave her a bag to put her clothes in. With that, they were walking out the door and down the stairs.

Once they were out of the building, Pippa started sweating. Images of the day before flashed in her mind. She shook her hands to try to get some of the nervous energy out.

Steve noticed and took her hand, stroking her skin with his thumb. She looked down at their intertwined fingers, then up at his face. He was smiling gently at her. It comforted her a little.

Eventually, her hand get too sweaty to feel comfortable in his, so she took it back and wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him tight against her as they walked down the busy street. He draped his arm around her shoulders.

As much as Pippa wanted to focus on butterflies in her stomach from Steve, her mind was constantly forcing her to think about what could happen if they were followed. If someone found where she lived.

Steve pressed a soft kiss to her temple and murmured in her ear.

"Almost there, sweetheart."

Okay, that melted her a little bit. She was a sap for pet names. And he seemed to love using them. She was convinced she made the right decision more and more, every minute she spent with this man.

He was like comfort personified. He was always so gentle with her, even though she'd seen how stern he could be. She knew his job was to protect her, but he did a little bit more than that. He didn't just keep her safe. He made her feel safe. She hadn't felt that way since she graduated college. Ever since she started working, she'd felt like she was one false move away from disaster.

It wasn't like that with Steve. He knew about all the things she kept hidden from everyone else, yet he still wanted her. She didn't feel like she had to be perfect.

Those thoughts kept her occupied until they got to her building. She could feel Steve become more tense as he surveyed the area to make sure it was safe for them to enter.

Once in the building, they made it through security and went to the elevator. After the doors shut, Pippa nearly collapsed onto Steve from the relief she felt. He got her upright and leaned them against the wall, holding her body against his. He buried his face in her neck and stroked her hair, shushing and murmuring softly as she tried to control her breathing.

The doors opened on her floor and they stepped out, Steve still supporting the majority of her weight. They got to her apartment and she unlocked the door, swearing as the bright light came in through the windows on the other side of the room.

Steve set her on the sofa and shut the curtains. Then, he sat next to her and took her hands in his again.

"Pips? I have a question. Can you talk to me?" He asked, not wanted to push her.

She took a deep breath, "Yeah. Go ahead."

"Well, it's about us. Do you think we should tell Meg?"

She sighed.

"Yeah. We probably should."

She didn't want to tell anyone. She wanted to hug the secret to herself. It felt to good to be real, and telling someone felt like jinxing it.

"She is my manager after all. It would probably be important information for her to have."

"So," he looked down, "what exactly are we going to tell her?"

She heard his implied question. The "What are we?" question. God, she wasn't ready for this conversation.

"Maybe we should wait. Just to give us a little more time to figure things out," Pippa said.

He nodded. "Probably a good idea."

He put his hand on her face and ran his thumb along the edge of her lower lip. He pressed kisses in a line down her face, first on her forehead, then her nose, then her mouth. That was her favorite spot for his lips to be. On hers. He pulled away, tucking her hair behind her ear.

"Wanna watch a movie?" She asked, trying to think of something to get her mind off of everything.

He smiled broadly, "Sure, babe. What do you want to watch?"

They settled on a movie and got blankets and snacks. Then, they cuddled on Pippa's sofa for two hours, laughing and eating popcorn and candy.

They both knew eventually they would have to face reality, but in that moment, neither of them cared. They were lost in the comfort of each other. Steve was finally able to act on everything he'd been feeling. Pippa finally had someone who just wanted her for her. They played with each other's hair, exchanged sweet little kisses, memorized the feeling of each other's hands.

For two hours, everything was perfect.