It's Been A Long, Long Time // Steve Rogers

Chapter 11

Rebecca's POV

I woke up smiling. Today was the day, my date with Steve to Coney Island. I can't believe he told me he liked me. I had figured he just wanted to be friends. That's why I freaked out after kissing him and avoided him. That and I felt like Bucky would have been pissed the hell off. If he was alive, I can guarantee he would have tried to punch him. He's always been that protective big brother. Up until I moved away. It was harder for him to be protective in New York, but he still tried.

I got out of bed and showered before throwing on a light blue polka dot dress. I did my hair in loose curls and did a soft makeup look. I finished my look with some red lipstick and waited for Steve to come knock on the door.

It wasn't long until he was at the door. I smiled wide as I opened it, taking in his appearance. He was in a light blue long sleeve polo with the sleeves rolled up and tucked into khaki dress pants. "Hi." I smiled. "Hi." I stepped aside so he could walk in and I passed him a cup of coffee. "Thank you, Becca."

"Of course."

We drank the coffee for a few moments and had a light conversation until Steve asked me if I was ready to go. I nodded and he stood up, placing both dirty mugs in the sink before holding out his hand to me. I took it gently and he pulled me up and held my hand as we walked out of the apartment.

"So, I was thinking we could take my bike to Coney Island." He said, pointing at the Harley Davidson parked outside. "You have a motorcycle?" I asked. "I do. I don't take it much because I prefer walking sometimes to clear my head." I nodded as we walked down the stairs. Steve held out a helmet and placed it on my head, fastening the strap under my chin. "Safety first." He smiled.

He straddled the bike and held out his hand to help me on. I looked down at my dress. I don't know if this is motorcycle friendly. "Um, let me change." I said. "You don't have too. You look perfect." I felt a blush cross my cheeks and took his hand, letting him help me on the bike behind him. I tucked my dress under my butt as I sat down and wrapped my arms around his midsection. "Where's your helmet?" I asked.

"I'm a super soldier. I don't need one." He gave me a cheeky smile and turned the bike on. "Hold on." I tightened my grip around him as he sped off down the street. I felt the wind in my face and looked around as we drove. I leaned my head against Steve's back for the ride, watching the stores and shops pass by until he slowed to a stop outside of Coney Island.

He parked the bike and got off first before lifting me off and setting me back on my feet. "I could have gotten off on my own, Steven."

"I know." He smiled at me and I felt myself blush again. He pulled the helmet off of my head and set it down on the bike as I flattened out my hair. I hope it didn't look too crazy. He took my hand and led me towards the entrance. Steve quickly bought our tickets before I even had a chance to say anything and we walked inside. "How do you have money?" I asked. Now that I thought about it, how did he have money without a job? Or did he have a job? He laughed and smiled at me. "I've been drawing sketches for the police. You know when they have a witness describe the perp. It's what I did before the serum."

"Sounds fitting for you. Always helping others." I smiled. "It's not much but it's better than nothing. Plus, I needed money for new clothes. None of mine fit me anymore." He joked.

Steve and I walked around for a bit first and immediately my brain was crowded with memories from when I was a kid. Memories with Bucky, my parents...

The scent of cotton candy and popcorn filled the air, and the distant sounds of laughter and the crashing waves of the Atlantic Ocean flooded my senses. I looked over at Steve and smiled before tugging on his arm in the direction of carnival games illuminated by neon lights.

"Let's play some games," I suggested. Steve raised an eyebrow, "I don't know Becca...I've never been good at those."

I smiled and rolled my eyes. "Oh, come on, you're Captain America..." I whispered, "You've got this."

Steve and I stopped in front of one of the many ball toss games where the objective was to knock down all of the milk bottles with a baseball. "Step right up! Win a prize for your lovely lady!"

Steve looked at me and I smiled, pushing him forwards. "How many tickets?" Steve asked. "2 tickets for 3 balls, 4 tickets for 6." Steve passed the man 2 tickets and was handed 3 baseballs. "Are you sure you don't want another 3 tries?" The man pressed. "I got it." Steve said, throwing the first baseball and knocking every milk bottle off the small table except for one. He threw the second baseball, easily knocking it offside. The man stared with wide eyes as Steve handed him back the last baseball. "What do you want, Becca?"

"The dog." I pointed at the large, fluffy stuffed dog and the man slowly handed it to Steve who handed it to me. "Thank you." I smiled and stood on my toes to press a kiss to his cheek. I watched as his cheeks flushed for a moment. I held onto the stuffed dog and threaded my arm through his as we kept walking. Steve and I stopped at a few other games, which he had no problem winning. It was times like this that his super soldier-ness really came in handy.

Every time Steve accepted another large plush animal as a prize he would hand it to a young boy or girl who had been trying over and over to win. It warmed my heart each time. "Thank you Mister!" The latest child said before running off towards his parents. "Kids adore you, don't they." I said, resting my head on his arm as we walked forwards. Steve shrugged and I rolled my eyes, coming to a stop in front of the infamous Coney Island Cyclone.

The Coney Island Cyclone, with its rickety wooden structure, stood tall and imposing, a silent reminder of that long-ago day when Bucky and Steve had dared each other to ride it. I remember our parents forcing him to take me that day to get me out of the house. He hated every moment of it. Apparently having your annoying little sister with you is not a good way to pick up women at the carnival. Steve didn't mind though. He was more than happy to have me tag along. I smiled at the memory and looked at Steve who had a terrified expression on his face. "Remember the last time we were here?" I couldn't help but tease him.

Steve's cheeks flushed slightly as he chuckled. "How could I forget? Bucky wouldn't let me live it down for months." I laughed, the memory of Bucky's laughter echoing in my mind. "He thought it was the funniest thing he'd ever seen." Steve rolled his eyes at me.

"So, are we going to do it?" I asked. Steve hesitated as I looked at him. "Oh come on, you can jump out of planes without a parachute, you've fought aliens...you're not about to tell me that Captain America is scared of rollercoasters." I laughed again as he narrowed his eyes at me.

"Fine. Let's give it a shot." He mumbled.

We joined the line and waited for our turn. When it was finally our turn, we climbed into one of the cars and the worker clamped the safety bar down. Steve gripped my hand tightly and I smiled at him. "You'll be fine." I whispered.

The ride jolted to life and Steve gripped onto the safety bar as we ascended the first hill. The sun setting over the illuminated park was stunning. The wind rushed through our hair as the car tipped over the edge and plummeted down. The ride raced along the twisting tracks and my heart was pounding with adrenaline. Once the car came to a stop, I looked over at Steve as we stumbled off the ride. Steve's once scared expression was now more prideful and relieved.

"I didn't throw up this time." He said, smiling over at me like it was the world's biggest accomplishment. I couldn't help but laugh. "No, you didn't, Steve. You conquered the Cyclone."

We finally settled down at a table and Steve bought us some hot dogs and a sticky, sweet funnel cake that we shared. "It's not fair. You can't get fat!" I said, stuffing my face with the delicious dessert. "Sorry." Steve shrugged with a laugh and I tossed my napkin at him. "Thank you for the date, Steve." I said, placing another bite in my mouth. "Thank you for saying yes."

As we made our way out of Coney Island, hand in hand, we decided to walk along the boardwalk before going home. The waves crashed in the background as I leaned against Steve. "Steve?" I said, my voice soft. He looked over at me and I quickly stood on my toes and pressed a gentle kiss on his lips.

"I'm glad we did this." I whispered as I pulled away.

Steve smiled, his blue eyes shining. "Me too, Becca."

A/N: I couldn't wait to post their date 🥰