Evermore

Chapter 18

Natasha opted to stay in her room the next day. Morgan and Pepper occasionally came by to give her food and talk to her.

When she was alone, her thoughts drifted to Yelena, hoping she was alright. She missed her sister, Laura, Hill, and Fury. The thought of her family back home made her tear up, and she let herself sob into her pillow, letting out all of the emotions she had been feeling for the past few days.

An hour later, her eyes were still red from crying on and off, but she had managed to compose herself. She stood from the bed, testing her foot which felt a little better, especially after days of rest and icing it, but she didn't want to walk on it until Bruce gave her the all-clear.

She hopped to the door, only to open it and come face-to-face with Bruce.

"Are you okay," he asked, concern laced in his voice. He must have noticed her eyes were still red.

"Yeah, I'm just..." She paused for a second knowing that she couldn't lie to him because he'll see right through her. "I'm just homesick. I miss my family."

Bruce nodded and said reassuringly, "I promise, you will get home soon."

"I know," she nodded and sniffed.

"Can I take a look at your ankle," he asked while fiddling with his hands.

"Yeah."

She let him inside and he put his arm around her waist, helping her get to the bed. Once she sat down, he unwrapped her foot and looked it over.

"Well, the swelling has gone down a lot. I still wouldn't walk on it just yet." He rewraps her foot, then stands up. "Um, do you want to have dinner down there or up here," he said while fiddling with his hands again.

"Up here is fine."

"You sure," he asked in a kind and gentle voice.

"Yeah."

"Okay," he said before he left the room.

One thing she liked about Bruce was that he didn't push her too far out of her comfort zone or press too hard on an issue. The only thing he did that annoyed her was when he carried her up and down the stairs, but that was just concern for her safety.

A few minutes later, there was a knock on her door.

"Come in."

Bruce came in carrying a tray and put it next to her on the bed.

"Since when do princes carry food trays?" she joked.

"Since this one learned that a pretty woman needed food," he deadpanned.

"You think I'm pretty," she teased.

"Um- well, I mean," he stuttered, clearly nervous.

"Bruce relax, I was just teasing," she said, trying to hold back her laughter. She noticed him shift his weight and look around the room. She knew him well enough to know that he wanted to say something but was hesitant. "Bruce?"

"Can I keep you company? I don't want you to be alone if you're upset."

Natasha nodded and felt overwhelmed by his kindness and concern. She moved the pillows on the other side of the bed so he could sit next to her.

"I'm not used to this."

"What," he asked as he removed his shoes and sat down.

"Having someone outside of my family care this much. I'm always so busy taking care of Yelena and making sure we have a roof over our heads, that I never really let anyone take of me, which is probably why I'm so stubborn."

"It's a good quality to have. But speaking from experience, it's okay to let other people in. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"What exactly happened with Matt? Sorry if I'm pushing something, it just feels like there's more to it than what you've told me."

She took a dep breath and explained, "After I broke up with him, it hurt more than I thought it would. I've already lost my parents and there's this part of me that doesn't want to feel that pain of losing someone again, even by choice. So, I put up my walls and never dated anyone after him. My friends always tell me that just because he's my first love doesn't mean he needs to be my last, but I just don't want to risk it."

"When I broke up with Betty, I did the same thing. I didn't want to feel the agony of loving and losing someone else, so I just stopped trying. At some point I realized that I had to let someone else in eventually. Just because I got hurt with Betty, doesn't mean I should keep myself from falling for someone else. But before I got to that point, I had to figure out my anger."

"Have you dated since the night of the curse?"

He shrugged. "Some women have come and gone, but no one has stayed. The last woman who stumbled here years ago instated on going straight home. A couple who were here for a few days didn't seem to notice me with Thor and Steve around."

"If you ever make it out of here, then any woman would be lucky to have you as a boyfriend."

She felt a slight feeling of jealousy at the thought of him with another girl, but quickly shook it off.

"Thanks." He looked a bit upset by that and Natasha wondered if it was because he was technically as trapped as she was.

"You okay," she asked him, hoping she didn't strike a nerve.

"It's just... I don't know if the curse will be broken. Breaking it isn't simple and as I've said before, I have no control over it. I've really tried, but..."

Natasha nodded at his words, but the way he was looking at her made her tear her eyes to the food. He always seemed to look at her with a soft, yet intense gaze while he was talking or listening during a deep conversation, and she wasn't used to men looking at her like that.

To break the awkwardness, she started eating and broke off a piece of bread to give to Bruce, who took it and thanked her.