Dancing with Embers - Book Two (Winter Soldier)

6. New Jersey

Chapter six:

*Family isn't always blood. It's the people in your life who want you in theirs. The ones who accept you for who you are and will do anything to see you smile. And they love you. No matter what.*

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"Can we turn the radio on?"
"No." Steve smacked my hand away from the dashboard and I pulled it back, shooting him a childish glare.
"Why not?"
"Because we're on a mission, not a road trip."
"Fine, whatever you say."

I kicked my feet up on the dashboard of the car Steve had stolen, and leant my head back in my seat. I rolled my head over to look at Steve-who was driving.
"Where did Captain America learn how to steal a car?" I asked with a small smile. Steve shrugged a shoulder.
"Nazi Germany." Was his reply. "And we're borrowing, get your feet off the dash."
I slid my feet down from the dashboard after a few seconds. I crossed my feet at the ankles and wondered if Steve would get on my case if I decided to take my shoes off, even though the heel on them was starting to kill my feet. I figured he would, so I kept them where they were. A sudden question popped into my mind and I turned to look at Steve again.

"Alright, I have a question for you." I told my friend. "Oh, which you do not have to answer. Although I feel like if you don't answer it, you're kind of answering it, you know?"
"What?" Steve asked, getting impatient.
"Was that your first kiss since 1945?"
"That bad, huh?" Steve raised his eyebrows at me.
"I didn't say that." I protested.
"It kind of sounds like you're saying that."
I leant my head back again and let a small smile form on my face. Our car passed the huge green sign on the side of the road that said "Welcome to New Jersey: The Garden State" and I realized that we had been driving for quite a few hours already.

"Nobody special, though?" I turned towards Steve again.
"Believe it or not, it's kind of hard to find someone with shared life experience."
"That's alright, you just make something up." I said like it was the easiest thing in the world. Steve raised his eyebrows at me again and turned the car off of the freeway.
"What, like you?"
I was silent for a moment, thinking over his question. The truth of the matter was that no, I hadn't made anything up in order to have friends, or even a boyfriend. But then again, Tony and I did have quite a lot of 'shared life experience' as Steve had put it.
"I don't know." I said. "The truth is a matter of circumstance, it's not the same thing to all people all the time. And neither am I, I guess."
"Really? What about with Tony?"
"Well, that's different." I explained. "We both trust each other, we both have things in our lives that we need help working through so we are able to grow closer that way. It's a hard way to live, but it's an easy way not to die."

Steve didn't respond to my explanation and I began to wonder if I had gone too deep with him. After all, Steve and I had only known each other for a few years, did be really want to know my personal life?

"And I'm sure you have a lot of practice with Tony too, which is why you noticed that I hadn't had any."
My mouth fell open and I whacked Steve on the arm.
"Steve!" I laughed. "You can't say that, you have no idea what Tony and I do."
"I can make an educated guess."
"Oh my God, Steve!" I dropped my head in my hands but couldn't help but laugh at my friend who had somehow managed to make a very deep conversation into a very childish one.
"I was just wondering how much practice you had had." I tried to explain myself. Steve didn't seem convinced.
"I don't need practice."
"Everyone needs practice."
"It was not my first kiss since 1945. I'm ninety five, not dead." Steve finally told me what I wanted to hear. I let out a laugh again.

We pulled off of the little back road we had been driving down for a few miles, and up to the outside of what looked to be an abandoned military base. It was starting to get dark and things were a lot harder to see. But based on the shadows of the huge concrete buildings, it looked to be something military-related.
"Is this it?" Steve asked me.
"The file came from these coordinates."
I pulled my phone out and checked the coordinates again just to make sure. We were right on top of it.
"So did I." Steve whispered. Before I could question him, he opened his door and was out of the car. I quickly followed suit and began scanning for anything like radio signals with my phone.